So much average

Best movie of this year hands down!

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Koji Yamamura's "Atama-yama" ("Mount Head" in English) reminded me of a story that I read in elementary school. I don't know whether or not it's based on that story, but it does offer a good lesson in selflessness. The stingy old man's experiences come across as punishment for his miserly ways. When people think of Japanese animation, it's often anime that comes to mind, but these short cartoons are among the most interesting. If a person finds the movie hard to understand, it could be a cultural thing.Whatever the case, I recommend the short. I hope to be able to see more of Koji Yamamura's work.

I love Japanese movies--having seen at least 100-200. So it's obvious I am not afraid of Japanese films. However, sometimes there are Japanese concepts for film that just don't translate well to Westerners. They might be hits at home, but abroad they just don't seem, well,...normal. It's like the live fish my wife ate on a business meeting or odd PS2 games such as dating simulators or Katamari Damacy--things that are accepted there that confuse non-Japanese. This is probably the way others view things Americans take for granted, such as American football, fried Snicker bars and Paris Hilton! Well the king of strange Japanese films that just don't seem right to Americans might just be ATAMA-YAMA. Now the style of animation isn't the issue--it's different but nice enough. No, it's the story concept itself and the rather bizarre ending. That's what make this a truly unusual film and it goes like this: There was a stingy man who, for no apparent reason, had a tree growing out of his head. It was little at first and he simply cut it away, but again and again it grew back--so he just decided to let it go. And, after a while, people began living on his head under the shade of the tree. Oddly, while they were under the tree, they were tiny but when they left, they were full sized again. Then, after finally getting sick of it all and yanking out the tree, the man drown himself(!?) in the hole in the top of the head where the tree was! The end.See! I told you this was very, very odd--but not in a good way like TAMPOPO or HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS--just odd. O-D-D....odd! And unless you have a very high tolerance for this sort of thing, I doubt if you'll feel bad to know that this Oscar-nominated film did not win. Frankly, that makes me happy, as I really DON'T want this film to spur on such similar films. The only reason it earns a 4 is due to nice, but not spectacular animation.This film made my brain hurt....I hope that isn't a sign that I have a tree!

This amusing tale is based on a traditional Rakugo story in which an amusingly plump man with a waste-not-want-not mentality eats some found cherries and then finishes up his snack with the cherry pips, unleashing curious side effects.I particularly like that he's such a pack rat that he even saves the little cherry saplings that he has to repeatedly clip from the top of his head.Another favorite bit is when he shows that cherry blossoms are in bloom, salary men are in bloom and office girls are in bloom. Saku! You can grow your own DVD collection for five bucks by picking it up at www.Filmporium.com. The DVD includes "The Big Snit", a brilliant short that puts one couple's petty squabbles into a much larger context and "The Man Without A Shadow", about a man who makes a deal with a "magician".

I freely admit that I don't think I truly grasp it quite yet, but that does not prevent me from absolutely loving this piece. Contrary to some previous reviews, I absolutely love the sound effects. I thought the audio pitch when it switches to POV shots really envelope the viewer into the picture, particularly noting the cherry eating scene. The animation is stylistically rough, avoiding solid fills, but complements it's rough construction with soft pastel-like strokes. The deep earthy palette reinforces the connection between the man and nature. Don't expect a conventional animated piece (I.E. vibrant colors, hard edges, and a conspicuous theme). I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it to any animation buffs or lovers of the unconventional film.