Change Your Image
hakuthedragon
Reviews
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (2023)
I feel scammed
Watched this with a fried after seeing it recommended multiple times on Netflix. The cover photo looked so sick, and we love Junji Ito's art style so we were intrigued and excited to see how creepy and cool an animated series would be.
We watched episode 1 and 11. Maybe I happened to pick the worst of the lot but it was just so bad. The animation didn't look good, the stories were corny and predictable. We couldn't get through the first episode because we were bored. Nothing about it was spooky or unsettling at all. Episode 11's description sounded very interesting but the story itself wasn't anything special. The animation made some of the scary scenes look pretty goofy. My friend, who is much more familiar with Junji Ito's mangas than me, adores the source material and was let down by how poorly it was translated into animation.
I was way too let down by these two episodes to give any of the others a chance. In conclusion, we were expecting a scary and disturbing anime but wound up having a slightly amusing but overall disappointing viewing experience.
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Just so meh
Had some free time today and decided to check it out after hearing good reviews, plus I always love a good satirical comedy/drama. Came out of the theatre with no lasting memory of the movie; it was an overall meh experience for me. I don't particularly dislike any part of the film, but it definitely didn't leave any sort of impact.
I found the first act entertaining thanks to Carl's character. However, most of the funny bits didn't land for me, but some other members of the audience were laughing away, so to each his own I suppose. A lot of throwing up in the movie. Too much for my liking (but that's just my personal aversion to seeing people vomit, a lot of other people seemed to find this hilarious).
Ending was very expected. There wasn't anything very shocking or thought-provoking about the ending (or the movie overall) to me. I was expecting much more drama and a deeper exploration of the characters and themes, but it fell short. Of course, this is my personal opinion - half the audience were having a great laugh throughout the movie, so I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Cruella (2021)
Brilliant
I haven't watched the original 101 Dalmatians since I was a kid but this movie is simply amazing. Among all of the Disney live actions, this is definitely a standout. Cruella would genuinely be a fantastic movie as a stand-alone film that's unrelated to the Cruella character.
I found the acting wonderful. I love fashion movies and I love a good heist, so Cruella was really enjoyable for me. I loved the soundtrack and the cinematography; choices like the shaky camera during Cruella's emotional moment were memorable for me. The idea of the moths was so badass.
I'm glad Jasper and Horace got an apology and (hopefully) better future treatment; halfway through the movie I was feeling so sorry for them. I was surprised by John (Stanley Tucci)'s sudden willingness to go along with Cruella's plans when he had been loyal to the Baroness all along. Would've loved to have seen his character a bit more.
Honestly, if the movie was detached from the character, it would still be great. Parts like Cruella choosing her name based on just a car felt pretty forced.
Overall, an enjoyable film that I wasn't expecting from a Disney live action. It's on the same level as Maleficent for me.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Pretty alright Marvel film
Just watched the film in theatres. I'd say it was a pretty alright Marvel film - standard, enjoyable, but definitely pales in comparison to the first Black Panther.
I enjoyed the overall story, it's nothing mind-blowing, just the average Marvel film. I thought the VFX were great and the new country of people introduced are quite unique; their underwater world looked amazing. The fight scenes were OK.
I didn't quite like the character design. Namor (who some characters call Nay-mor when I thought it was pronounced Nah-mor?), sort of just wears briefs all the time, which is understandable I guess. The two new suits that are worn by Riri and Okoye were just ugly to me. It was giving Power Ranger and Abe Sapien with a mane. I did like Shuri's suit that incorporates silver and gold, and the outfits worn by the Talocan warriors look pretty badass.
In typical Marvel fashion, the villain and the hero's lives will have some sort of parallel that makes them more empathetic etcetc. In Namor and Shuri's case, I felt that the similarities that were being drawn between the two were kind of heavy handed/unnecessary, won't get into spoilers but yeah. Somehow I just couldn't empathise with Namor as much as I did with Killmonger.
I felt like some plot points were unnecessary and seemed shoehorned in to give Shuri more trauma to speed up her character development, lol.
As a whole though, it was an enjoyable experience. The soundtrack is great too (though the first Black Panther soundtrack remains undefeated), I was bumping to the Burna Boy song when it came on. Wakanda Forever is overall a pretty decent film, but I wouldn't rewatch it again like I would the first.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
A cinematic ode to journalism
Seeing many negative reviews on here about how each story feels "disconnected" and the movie is just "too much". I'm not sure where this hatred is coming from, as I've watched the film twice and personally loved it.
I really enjoyed the different stories, and how each section brought out the distinctive flavour and style of writing of that particular contributor. Being a magazine, I didn't see the need for each story to somehow link or feel connected? Each section was meant to be distinctive.
As always, the film was shot beautifully and Anderson's storybook style works so well since the theme is journalism. I loved the inclusion of the animated scene as well. I'd say my only gripe is that there were some amazing actors that weren't as utilised as I would've hoped, like Willem Dafoe's character.
Moonage Daydream (2022)
A breath of fresh air
Lately it seems like the movie market is flooded with biopics. Moonage Daydream is nothing like those movies, so if you're expecting to see a chronological retelling of Bowie's life and rise to stardom, you're not getting that.
Rather, Moonage Daydream is a beautifully cinematographic film that explores the whimsical, sometimes dark and mysterious world of Bowie's artistic vision and personal journey across sounds and personas. The soundtrack is fantastic for a Bowie fan like myself and the choice of film from his personal collection is a wonderful treat.
I did feel that some clips were repeated more than necessary without much effect. It would've been nice to learn more about his relationship with Iman (though what was included was very touching) and his life in the 2000's onwards (eg. Black Star). It was more focused on the era where Ziggy Stardust was at his peak.
Overall, the film was a beautiful sensory experience that felt like walking through a museum exhibition of his life and art. If you're not a huge Bowie fan, you may not enjoy this film as much.
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Failed Potential & Florence Pugh
The concept of this movie is interesting, when I heard about it I thought of the horror film Vivarium. The twist is much more shocking and unthinkable than Vivarium, but it gives rise to many more plot holes. The more I thought about the movie as I left the theatre, the less sense the plot points made.
Florence Pugh carries this film, that's for sure. Chris Pine does well in the role he's given. Gemma Chan and Kiki Layne could have been given so much more since their characters are so important yet we learn so little about them. The internet is clowning on Harry and his accent, but it wasn't terrible until it came to the emotional shouting scenes.
The random cut scenes to the "scary" footage really didn't do anything for me. I thought it was corny and didn't have any deeper layers to it other than the idea of symmetry which the project emphasises a lot.
Would've been nicer to have seen more of the idyllic daily lifestyle in the suburbs before the odd, sinister things start happening. The movie jumped into the strange occurrences a bit too soon, like with the empty egg thing.
A lot of questions about how the whole simulation works that went unanswered. Small details that appear symbolic don't really serve any purpose, such as Alice passing by a janitor in the real-world hospital wearing the same red uniform as the guards in the simulation. Other things like Gemma's character killing Chris' for no clear reason could've been left out.
Overall, the movie has a lot of potential but really fell flat on the execution. It grips you during some interesting moments just for it to end and leave you thinking, "Huh? ...Huh. Okay."
Beurokeo (2022)
Heartwarming
The premise of the movie is very interesting and the story is heartwarming and well-paced. All the actors did a great job, and I have to hand it to Ji-eun/IU for a lovely performance as a young mother. I have only watched her acting in Hotel del Luna and was curious about her performance in a more serious film. Overall, a touching and sweet film about family that follows an interesting bunch of characters. My only gripe is that the ending wrapped up like a Korean drama where everyone sort of gets what they deserves and everything turns out relatively well for the characters we were rooting for.