The Writing
it's pretty average especially for an A24 movie.
the plot overall is pretty simple, at times thrilling and comedic, but the messaging wasn't handled very well
the dialog isn't bad similar to the rest of the writing, mostly nothing special
The Acting
probably the biggest saving grace of the film
Glen Powell and Margaret Qualleys charm carried a big part of the film on their back
these two and the rest of the cast were fun to watch
The Bad
as I said previously the intended message of the film was executed poorly and the message itself wasn't a very well thought out one either
it tried to mix some philosophy of living into it and failed very hard
🎥 Genius Party (2007)
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#VIII
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This is an anthology of short animated films from Studio 4°C released on July 7, 2007.
The short films are Japanese anime.
It is written and directed by Atsuko Fukushima (#1), Shoji Kawamori (#2), Shinji Kimura (#3), Yoji Fukuyama (#4), Hideki Futamura (#5), Masaaki Yuasa (#6), Shinichiro Watanabe (#7)
Starring Tomoko Kaneda, Rinko Kikuchi, Lu Ningjuan, Taro Yabe and Yûya Yagira
This film is a pretty good collection of seven short films, ranging from okay to great, with one subpar exception.
Let’s look at it piece by piece:
Genius Party:
A great intro to start off the anthology. This relatively shorter portion displays a crazy plot that is both very indescribable and simultaneously weirdly comprehensible.
It has a really good and fun style of animation that is vibrant and captivating.
Shanghai Dragon:
A mostly average short, with a somewhat boring, clichéd plot.
The animation was also mostly basic and didn’t have much to make up for the lackluster writing.
Deathtic 4:
Although this portion had a unique style of animation, it mostly looked like the bad CGI used in some straight-to-DVD animated films in the 2000s.
The story wasn’t great either; it was pretty basic. Usually, you make up for a barebones story with cool structuring or concept in the writing, or good animation, but this one didn’t do that.
Doorbell:
This portion was really good, with a cool and intriguing concept for the plot and a beautiful watercolor style for the animation.
The intro set up the plot very neatly, and through the runtime, we saw the development of the concept, which was done really well.
Limit Cycle:
This mostly plotless portion shows us an unnamed office employee going on a long existential rant about philosophy and God in a somewhat digital sense. The accompanying animation leads us to believe “God” is some sort of source code, but also still the same Abrahamic God.
The animation is incredible; you could look at every scene for a long time without feeling like you’ve seen all there is to see. I imagine this animation is what tripping on LSD feels like.
Happy Machine:
A very creative story featuring a very adorable kid who is in some sort of perpetual child care system, having kids grow up and go through hardships to pass the test of the humanoid device, providing a better life for the kid after them. All of it is shown to us fully through the
🎥 Genius Party Beyond (2008)
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#IX
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This is the second volume of Genius Party, containing five more short films and released on February 15, 2008.
Written and directed by Mahiro Maeda (#1), Kazuto Nakazawa (#2), Shinya Ōhira (#3), Tatsuyuki Tanaka (#4), and Kōji Morimoto (#5).
Starring Arata Furuta, Akiko Suzuki, Shôko Takada, and Urara Takano.
This film, further improves on the last one, by including more unique and incredibly captivating styles of animation, which are its best qualities. Most of the plots also have good qualities, such as being simple but fascinating, cartoonishly hilarious, and thought-provoking.
Unlike it's predecessor, the shorts in Beyond are way more unique in both art style and writing and it is a complete improvement over the previous piece.
Now for a piece-by-piece outlook:
Gala
It is utterly insane how much plot and animation can be built around such a tiny event as the sprouting of a seed.
It has very lovable animation and a bare-bones plot with instantly likable characters.
Moon Drive
This is probably my favorite animation style in the anthology, as it seems to be completely hand-drawn, with a lot of attention to detail, while simultaneously being deliberately messy.
The plot, while simple, has a lot of life to it, with its exciting and chaotic pace and great comedic timing.
After the end of this portion, I really hoped there was a whole show revolving around these characters.
'Wanwa' the Doggy
This has a surprisingly profound plot, accompanied by a very loose, colorful, and childish style of animation that, in a way, represents the world through the lens of a little kid.
I understood the plot as a wholesome story about a kid in the hospital with his parents, awaiting his mom’s time of birth, and going through the fear of losing his mom inside a chaotic, colorful, absurd, and at times spooky dream.
It was executed pretty well, with tasteful symbolism and fairly simple storytelling, although I feel like there might be more to the plot than I have uncovered.
Toujin Kit
This portion was overall the least stormy, as it was very calm and peaceful, with most of it being nicely slow-paced.
The animation was lovely. I liked the character designs, especially the backgrounds, which created a very filthy yet homey environment.
The plot didn’t have much to it, but the w
🎥 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
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#IX
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This awesome psychological horror-thriller film was directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, who adapted it from Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel. It stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, and Ted Levine as the main characters around whom the story revolves.
The General
A very charming aspect of this film was that it was, in a sense, ahead of its time, with a female protagonist standing strong against both subtle and overt misogyny. It also addressed fairly unfamiliar topics, such as transsexualism.
The Writing
Although there were a few problems I noticed with the writing, it was overall very well written, especially when it came to the dialogue. Every line spoken by every character was a well-thought-out sentence, which was a very pleasant aspect of the film.
The character writing was excellent. Our two villains were endlessly fascinating, and our protagonist was well written, both in her introduction and in the deepening of her story.
The general plot and its development were also well-paced and didn’t feel rushed or too slow.
Most scenes were written with great attention to detail. The most prominent example that comes to mind is the introduction of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, which creates an expectation of what he might be like beforehand, only to shatter and subvert it.
Lastly, even though there were only a few instances of it, I really liked the subtle comedy in the first half of the film. It definitely made the horrific subject matter easier to digest and was handled tastefully.
The Acting
Regarding the main attractions:
Jodie Foster did a mostly great job depicting Clarice Starling. There were points at which her performance felt subpar; however, this occurred only in a few small instances.
Anthony Hopkins was my favorite part of the film, and probably the favorite part for many other viewers as well. He did an excellent job depicting Dr. Lecter, and I consider his performance iconic.
Every piece of dialogue delivered by him was executed with great care and expertise.
Ted Levine also gave a very memorable performance as Buffalo Bill. He definitely shone despite the limited screen time he had relative to the other main actors.
The rest of the cast also didn’t fall short and did a good job in their respect
🎥 Immaculate (2024)
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#V
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This is a horror film directed by Michael Mohan and written by Andrew Lobel.
Starring Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, and Simona Tabasco.
This film has a super interesting concept; I really like these sorts of religious horror with an eldritch feel to them.
Sadly the concept was done an injustice though.
The writing overall feels fine but somewhat lacking, as it didn't really feel like it reached any sort of resolution.
The acting from our protagonist gets the usual basic Sydney Sweeney treatment, and throughout the watch, I didn't feel any sort of emotions emanate from her.
Although the rest of the cast does a good job, especially Álvaro Morte as Father Sal Tedeschi, who singlehandedly kept me interested in the film. You could tell he almost did an immaculate job!
Despite not being written or meant as the lead role, he definitely performed like it and it easily raised the film much higher than it would've been.
🎥 Project Hail Mary (2026)
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#VII
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This somewhat of a generic blockbuster is a science fiction film produced and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and written by Drew Goddard, based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Andy Weir.
It stars Ryan Gosling, who also produced the film, as Ryland Grace, and Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce play supporting roles.
The Writing
The overall plot is interesting. The concept of the astrophage and world-building around it is done well and mostly makes sense; and overall, the exposition is sufficient and straightforward.
Although at times there were a few too many unnecessary sections, the pacing didn’t feel too long or short, but moderate.
Also, the dialogue is generally pretty good, and the comedic moments mostly land.
The Acting
Ryan Gosling is pretty much the only character in the film. He does his job pretty well, and I’m sure none of my dislikes of his character, Grace, were the result of his performance.
The other major acting would be the voice acting and puppeteering for Rocky, the friendly alien done by James Ortiz.
The character was effected through a puppet controlled by a team of five puppeteers led by Ortiz.
It was very well done to the point that I was completely sure Rocky was all CGI and special effects.
There were also segments of physical comedy sprinkled throughout, which were really entertaining.
The Production
The special effects and CGI created many elegant and beautiful space sceneries. The cinematography was nice, with a lot of creative shots that were amusing.
The Bad
The first problem would be the constant creation of fake, high-risk, and hazardous situations just to completely save the characters and choose the best outcomes at the end of them.
And really, the reason this felt like one of the 2000s blockbusters was that throughout the watch, I was sure no beloved character was in any danger. The writing definitely didn’t make it feel like it in any of the “high-stakes” situations.
The character of Grace himself wasn’t very well done. Instead of a character that learns something applicable to people's lives through a life-changing journey that caused the opening of a window to himself, he mostly felt like a tired and cliché trope, the quirky, rude super-genius that is used as a blank canvas for the typical male viewers of the show to put themsel
🎥 Corpse Bride (2005)
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#VII
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This is a romantic fantasy stop-motion film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton and written by John August, Caroline Thompson, and Pamela Pettler.
It stars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as our central characters, alongside Emily Watson, Richard E. Grant, Albert Finney, Joanna Lumley, Tracey Ullman, Paul Whitehouse, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Jane Horrocks, Enn Reitel, Deep Roy, and Danny Elfman.
This film is partly from my favorite stop-motion animation studio, LAIKA, which has been the source of some of my favorite animated films, like Coraline and ParaNorman.
The animation is wonderful. Outside of our three main characters, who are very successfully designed to be attractive, beautiful, and likable, the film is overflowing with uncanny character designs that have a grotesque beauty to them.
The movement of the fabric and hair is very well done, with a lot of attention clearly put into it. For example, Emily’s introduction was absolutely gorgeous, especially with its camera work and the movement of the fabric.
Lastly, Tim Burton’s artistic flair is appreciated, especially in the poetic contrast between the gray living world, filled with death, and the colorful dead, who are more alive than ever.
The voice acting is overall very good, and there’s a lot of chemistry between the main cast.
The majority of the musical scenes tend to start off great and amusing but take just a bit too long to finish, which might be an attempt to prolong the already pretty short runtime. The two scenes with the piano performances were both very well animated and beautifully composed.
The writing isn’t the strongest aspect of the film. It has a few problems, such as Emily making a fuss about going to the overworld with Victor, even though she was already in the overworld when she came to take Victor after the accidental proposal. Also, the entire underworld goes to the overworld for the wedding, essentially for no reason other than the convenience of having Victoria find Victor and setting up the climax.
However, the dialogue is overall well written, and the attempts at humor mostly land. I personally appreciated the many “living dead” puns, although some might find there to be too many.
🎥 The Hangman (1964)
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#IX
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This uncanny work of art is made by Les Goldman and Paul Julian, and narrated by Herschel Bernardi.
The music is composed and conducted by Serge Hovey.
Animation by Margaret Julian.
It is an adaptation of a poem with the same name written by Maurice Ogden in 1951 and first published in 1954. The poem was originally published under the title "Ballad of the Hangman"
The poem is used in educational material on topics about the Holocaust and the bystander effect.
It was written as a commentary during the McCarthy era. Ogden was an actor and writer who was denied work and persecuted during the McCarthy era for allegedly having been a member of the Communist Party many years earlier.
It is usually cited as an indictment of those who stand idly by while others commit grave evil or injustice, such as during the Holocaust.
The animation accompanying the chilling poem has an incredibly eerie style and brings to life the horrific nature of the poem.
The way this whole thing is presented is incredibly compelling, and it is a must-watch for people who are even slightly interested in obscure animated media.
🎥 Pulp Fiction (1994)
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#IX
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This sensational, colorful, dark-comedy and crime film is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.
It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence in Los Angeles.
The film stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman.
The term of the title refers to the pulp magazines and hard-boiled crime novels popular during the mid-twentieth century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.
The Writing
I love the nonlinear narrative; it definitely turned a pretty simple plot into an engaging one with exciting storytelling.
The dialogue writing and its unique form, with many of the banters, is one of the film’s biggest defining features. If not all, most of the conversations that take place in this film are both well-written and well-performed, both in the substantial sections and the lighthearted comedic ones.
Truly, the mix of comedy and violence, and the calm and unbothered attitude of the characters towards the berserk subject matter, is what made the film unique.
All the characters are written well, and nearly none are surface-level, and the one single character that was actually shallow (the girlfriend of the Wolf) was used for a clever meta joke: “Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.”
Primarily, the characters of Vincent, Jules, and Butch were a blast to follow the stories of, and the interactions between them were endlessly amusing.
I loved pretty much every word out of Samuel L. Jackson's mouth portraying Jules, and his character development was my favorite.
The Acting
The performance of the cast was really good in general. Once again, I absolutely loved the scenes including Vincent and Jules; the chemistry between Sam Jackson and John Travolta is exceptionally palpable.
Samuel L. Jackson is one of my most favored actors; his performance in this film is iconic.
I also mostly enjoyed Bruce Willis’s performance as Butch, even though the “all-American manly tough guy” trope of the ’90s has aged a bit poorly.
The Production
This film has one of the absolute best soundtracks ever; the music choice is phenomenal.
My favorite track is “Misirlou” from the title sequence; it is an utter masterpiece.
Also, the color palettes used for the film are gorgeous; nearly every scene is a joy to experience visually.
The Bad
Amongst the main cast, I didn’t enjoy Uma Thurman's performance as much as the others. Even
🎥 The Invite (2026)
#movie
#VIII
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This hundred-minute therapy session is a comedy-drama film directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones.
It is an English-language remake of the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs (Sentimental) by Cesc Gay.
The film stars Seth Rogen, Wilde, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton.
The Writing
The plot in general is very entertaining and delightful. The psychological aspect of it could probably be useful in helping viewers achieve a good definition of what a healthy relationship can and can’t look like, although it definitely is oversimplified.
The tension and lack of comfort built into most scenes has a hypnotic quality to it where it’s both hard to endure and impossible to stop watching.
The dialogue is really well written, and the conversations and arguments between the characters feel very natural.
The comedy aspect is also well done; pretty much most of the jokes or scenes with comedic intent achieve their goal.
The Acting
The performance from our four cast members is generally very good, which is to be expected from four-time Academy Award nominees and one-time winner Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz, respectively.
Olivia Wilde also does a great job as Angela and overall is a rather talented actress.
And lastly, Seth Rogen, who is usually known for his subpar acting in comedy films, does a surprisingly great job. Although it is the case that he is written to “play himself” for a good chunk of the film, he definitely manages to hit the right notes in the more serious scenes.
The Production
The cinematography and editing were quite basic and sufficient; there wasn’t much to be overly impressed by.
The music composed for the film was really great, so much so that it almost felt like the score is a fifth character. It did a very good job of setting the tone of different scenes and helping with the switching of the tone from serious to lighthearted.
The Bad
I didn’t appreciate the exposition dump at the start of the second half of the film. It mostly shed all the good parts of it, like funny dialogue, good music, and camera work, for a good while until it picks up again and switches to its good qualities.
The worst part of this film is one that most modern movies suffer from, and that is the horrible color palette.
Pretty much every
🎥 Pacific Rim (2013)
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#VIII
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Pacific Rim is a science-fiction action film directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Set in a future where gigantic creatures known as Kaiju emerge from a breach in the Pacific Ocean, humanity develops massive robotic machines called Jaegers to fight them.
The story follows Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori as they become part of a final mission to prevent humanity's extinction.
What I personally loved about this movie is that it feels like a live-action anime brought to life. The Jaeger vs Kaiju battles are absolutely epic, and every fight carries a sense of scale that very few movies manage to achieve. The soundtrack, visuals, and world-building are all top-notch, but what really stands out is how much fun the movie is from start to finish. It doesn't try to be overly deep or complicated—it simply embraces giant robots fighting giant monsters and executes that idea almost perfectly. Every rewatch feels just as exciting as the first time.
🎥 Klaus (2019)
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#VIII
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This gorgeous innovation in 2D animation is a Christmas comedy film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Sergio Pablos.
A traditionally animated film, it stars the voices of Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Will Sasso and Neda Margrethe Labba.
Serving as an origin story of Santa Claus and using a fictionalized 19th-century setting, the plot revolves around a postman stationed in an island town to the Far North who befriends a reclusive toymaker (Klaus).
The Writing
This aspect of the film was unfortunately the most underwhelming one.
The plot and its structure were extremely typical and predictable, relying on many of the writing tropes common to movies from its era.
The dialogue is well-written. Although it still follows certain tropes, the characterization and the back-and-forth between the characters are very entertaining and nostalgic for those who grew up watching similar animated films.
The Voice Acting
It was generally very good, with every actor presenting a likeable and fitting mannerism for their respective characters. I especially enjoyed the performances of J. K. Simmons and Rashida Jones as Klaus and Alva.
The Animation
This film features a very unique and absolutely gorgeous animation. As mentioned in the introduction, the film was traditionally animated, meaning every scene was achieved with the help of forty animators working on every frame.
However, what makes it unique is that after the 2D animation was completed, they applied shading that achieved a 3D look, giving it a very distinctive and beautiful aesthetic. The animation on Klaus is my favorite aspect of the film.