I’m sorry Seattle. So very sorry. Why you may ask? Because I wasn’t able to see the first showing of Paprika so that I could urge you to do whatever you could (within reason and the confines of the law) to see the second showing today.

I’m truly sorry that most of you missed possibly the best movie I’ve seen in quite a long time. Here are just two phrases I could use to describe this movie.

“Visually stunning. Exquisitely animated with moving music, vivid colors, and an artfully crafted story.”

Want to know more?

First, the basics: Paprika [IMDB] is a Japanese Anime thriller. As the film opens, we meet a cop who is troubled by his dreams. There’s a woman in his dreams that we meet when he wakes up – Paprika. She helps him see his dreams through the use of a device called the DC Mini. It’s in the opening credits (which contain an amazingly breathtaking theme song) that we see Paprika transform into Dr. Chiba Atsuko, a doctor who helped invent the DC Mini.

Since much of this movie takes place within dreams, we’re treated to the visually stunning imagery that you can only find in a dreamworld. There’s an amazing parade with dancing household appliances, trumpet playing frogs, dragons, cats, and the Statue of Liberty. There are parts of this movie where it’s impossible to tell whether you’re seeing a dream or reality. In the last third of the movie, reality merges with the dreamworld and we get to the heart of the film. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it is very rewarding.

If you can possibly find a way to see this movie, do it. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission.