Netflix Review: ‘Godzilla Singular Point’ Season 1
“Previous incarnations of Godzilla worked best by implanting ideas that were tangible. However, in the world of ‘Godzilla Singular Point,’ the ideas prove to be non-existent, as do the inhabitants.”
Annecy International Animated Film Festival Review: Alexander Kronemer’s ‘Lamya’s Poem’
“‘Lamya’s Poem’ is best suited for streaming distribution since the documentarian Kronemer only shows a trying ability to accomplish theatrical flair. Still, a parent viewing the film with children can surrender to its spell and ambition, and forgive its lags.”
Amazon Prime Review: ‘Invincible’ Season 1
“Comic book adaptations are by no means an easy task, but Robert Kirkman and his co-producers achieve a soaring success with the Amazon Prime series ‘Invincible.'”
Netflix Review: ‘Dota: Dragon’s Blood’ Season 1
“‘All these books, all this magic, yeah, they have potential. But what exactly is ‘DOTA: Dragon’s Blood’ trying to say?”
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Review: A Fable Vibrating with Imagination and Optimism
“‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ welcomes a reflection on its Asian-fusion design because western adaptations of Asian culture, even with visible and vocal creative Asian input, will come with a spectrum of orientalism…”
Encounters Film Festival: ‘Betty’ and the Failed Romance Movie
“‘Betty,’ through the simplest of guises — bare-bones animation, a bit of music and a wry, haphazard director’s commentary — is an impressive feat of doing a lot with extremely little.”
Don Hertzfeldt Expands the Universe Again in ‘World of Tomorrow’ Episode Three
“If Hertzfeldt’s ability to successfully expand on the emotional terrain and metaphysical considerations of previous chapters is a recipe, then he is an impeccable cinematic chef de cuisine.”
Review: Arthur Jones’ ‘Feels Good Man’
“The manipulation of popular characters outside the control of original creators has existed for hundreds of years, but what makes ‘Feels Good Man’ especially significant is the entanglement with ‘fake news’ during the era of Trump…”
Exploring Gender in Masaaki Yuasa’s ‘The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl’
“‘The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl’ feels like an inadvertent political statement, a continuation of the status quo in the romantic comedy genre. Still, there is something there.”
‘Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045’: Unsustainable Revival
“‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045’ attempts to move the series into full octane action but pushes its philosophical roots to the side.”
LSFF Houses in Motion: Transformation Through Physical and Emotional Space
“The Houses in Motion strand breaks the mould in successfully exploring how concepts of life and death, home and away and physical and mental states metamorphose and develop within their own spaces.”
Review: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon’s ‘The Addams Family’
“The most devoted fans will appreciate the authenticity of the character design, which sticks closely to the look of the classic illustrations.”
Open City Docs Fest Review: Lei Lei’s ‘Breathless Animals’
“Despite the 68-minute duration, ‘Breathless Animals’ might feel occasionally redundant, especially when the animation creates psychedelic vibes, but its many sketches of a woman’s life make up for any minor flaws.”
‘Millennium Actress’ and the Legacy of Satoshi Kon
“No matter what one pulls from Kon’s work, there’s no denying his lasting impact and innate ability to immediately render a viewer speechless.”
A Distinct Vision: On Naoko Yamada’s ‘Liz and the Blue Bird’ and ‘A Silent Voice’
“Few animated films look like Yamada productions, fewer still feel like them.”
‘Finding Dory,’ Restoring Relationships and Finding a Way to View Mental Illness
“Sometimes, there’s a moment in your life when you’re experiencing something that perfectly intersects with a character on screen.”
The Harmony of ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ and ‘Loving Vincent’
“Both films are not only shaped by artists that understand van Gogh as an artist, they’re shaped by people that understand distinctly how van Gogh’s art made him human.”
A Matter of Style: Yasujirō Ozu Covers ‘Christopher Robin’
Michael J. Casey Imagines ‘Christopher Robin’ in the Style of Yasujirō Ozu
More Than Just Design: ‘Incredibles 2’ and Yesterday’s Tomorrow
“Clean and sleek Jet Age Futurism bleeds into every nook and cranny of ‘Incredibles 2’ — so much so that Bird seems to be saying ‘this is what we should have been doing all along.’”
Berlinale 2018 Review: Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’
“While messy in parts and offering more of a sprint than a narrative marathon, there is great heart and ferocious energy in this cartoonish caper.”