There's no denying the ingenuity and noble intent of Flee. This mostly animated documentary tells the heartrending, and deeply human, story of a young man who had to flee Afghanistan. It is a beyond worthy story, a gripping one that touches on so many brilliant themes (including an excellent approach to the subject's homosexuality, and … Continue reading Flee (Review)
Tag: animation
Encanto (Review)
Charm can get you a long way, and Encanto is certainly charming. It brims with life, love and family and goes down exceptionally easily. It is also incredibly beautiful, matching clear technical proficiency with imaginative art design and consistent creativity. It is light, though: light hearted, light on story (which is mainly a positive) and … Continue reading Encanto (Review)
Mad God (Review)
As a special effects, and animation, showpiece, it doesn't get better than Mad God. The end credit's proudly call it 'Phil Tippett's Mad God', and this is earned. Tippet is the special effects genius who worked on the stop motion in the original Star Wars trilogy, the effects for Temple of Doom (say what you … Continue reading Mad God (Review)
Luca (Review)
A beautifully light tale from Pixar brings us back to a refreshing simplicity, but lacks the courage of its convictions. The animation is wonderful, the evocation of coastal Italy is sublime. It’s a summer vacation of a film, complete with an undercurrent of romance. Alas, this romance never comes to fruition. A promising queer story … Continue reading Luca (Review)
Have You Seen… Belladonna of Sadness? (1973)
When taken as a whole, this is a majestic work. The first, and most overt, element to deal with is the film's visuals. This is one of the most astonishing animated works I have seen. It mixes the approach of classical (or traditional) art with the freedom of 70s psychedelia. Our compositions and our poses … Continue reading Have You Seen… Belladonna of Sadness? (1973)
Onward (Review)
The beauty of Pixar films often stems from a crystal clear premise, the kind of singular idea that a film just laps out of - and that is then effortlessly surrounded by accessible yet deep themes. Toys come alive at night; monsters want to care rather than scare; a discarded robot is in search of … Continue reading Onward (Review)
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Review)
Aardman movies used to feel like events. Their unique visual language and attention to detail, that necessitated long production times, made each new film (or TV movie) special. Alas, with this, and with Early Man, we see how lengthy production can make things feel dated. Farmageddon is still a fun film peppered with creative visual … Continue reading A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Review)
Josep (Review)
Art can do so much, especially when intersecting with reality. It is so tempting, when presenting reality, to slip into the objective and the strictly realist - thinking it adds reality and truth. Of course, none of us experience the world objectively and art that explores reality is at its best when it takes advantage … Continue reading Josep (Review)
Soul (Review)
There is a lot going on in Pixar’s Soul, which is somewhat of a problem. It is an ambitious film with existential aspirations which, to an extent, go unfulfilled and weigh things down. The very heart of this film, its soul perhaps, is touching and charming; it is just that there is too much surrounding … Continue reading Soul (Review)
Wolfwalkers (Review)
To begin with, Wolfwakers seems overtly familiar. We are in a medieval fantasy world in which a tyrannical ruler is trying to destroy nature (the surrounding woodlands) to extend their rule and nature is fighting back, in this film in the form of routine wolf attacks. It is a man versus nature setup, an overt … Continue reading Wolfwalkers (Review)
Assorted Opinions 