‘Paprika’ makes a critic’s case

I just taped the “Movies 101” radio show, which will air at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, and we talked about “Shrek the Third.” I argued with guest host Barbara Williamson, who teaches film at Spokane Falls Community College, who thought the trilogy had devolved into children’s entertainment.

So what? I said, as long as it’s good children’s entertainment. And there is enough about the film that funny and well made to entertain most children – not to mention their parents.

Then I came back to the office and watched the trailer for the new Japanese animated film “Paprika,” and suddenly I’m better able to hear what Barbara was trying to say.

Take a gander at the embed below and see whether you agree with New York Times critic Manohla Dargis who says in her review of “Paprika” that the film “offers continued evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon (and other far-out destinations), while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox with their underage audiences.”