But this, Japanese boy... airplanes are not tools for war. They are not for making money. Airplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality.

I saved my favorite for last in the rewatch. Even though it is no longer the final, definitive statement from Miyazaki I still think it is a perfect distillation of what he loves and the kind of storytelling he excells at. The tragic romance interspersed with the story of a creative man torn between…

When I was around 10 years-old I made my mom take me to all three Lord of the Rings films at our local theater multiple times despite her not really getting it or liking them herself. I just couldn't get enough. I was so blown away by the scale and the visuals Jackson pulled off I desperately wanted to know how he did it. It woke me up to movies in a big way and became a major touchstone for…