DO NOT go into this movie expecting it to be like the book I am so serious. I gave it a rewatch after my initial viewing because I had expected a closer adaptation (on account of the adaptations I've been watching) and I wanted to watch the first half or so of the movie unclouded by that preconception. They're more like two answers to the same writing prompt, and that's awesome.
This is such a literary film, if that makes…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
I miss practical effects man. This movie is ridiculously effective in its body horror and buildup of tension. There's so much mastery in the shots; even if it caused a ton of theorists to go off on wild tangents, Palmer losing his eye shine during the blood test scene is a stroke of genius. I hope the dog actors got lots of scritches. That main dog somehow knew how to look as sus as possible and it was chilling.
I…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
This is some classic Gen 2 Pokemon fun. I do not judge Pokemon shows and movies by objective quality; I judge them by how tangible the vibes are and how badly they make me want to live in the world. A Pokemon 3 1/2 stars and a 3 1/2 stars for any other media are NOT the same. This special succeeded at making me want to be a Pokemon trainer so I can hang out in Pokemon Centers and befriend…
I'm discovering through my attempt to complete Japanuary 2025 late through short films, that I think I love short films. It allows concepts to be executed that would not have worked as a feature-length film. This journey is also serving to get me interesting in these directors' longer productions! The beginning shot reminded me fondly of something you'd see in a Wes Anderson stop-motion film, so I'd like to see more of Takeshi Kitano's style. This was nothing life-changing, but it was visually pretty (and clever - the framing of the projectionist putting out the fire was great) and worth a good chuckle.
