astwilightonme Reviews

The Last Unicorn (1982)

A masterpiece if the term is to have any meaning

[10/10 · 21 February 2024]

Not only it's incredibly accurate to its source material, down to the single lines of dialogue, it is also incredible in every way and holds up to excellence to this day, in the visual, sound and (voice) acting departments. With its deep themes, no action or scene are meaningless and well placed meaning can be found on subsequent watches. It's a testament to a near-flawless movie when children and adults can find equal value and become captivated by it, even at a first watch.

This is the kind of movie so many other classic and new productions *intend* to reach and *try* to replicate, but ultimately fail, where the flaws are also the strengths and the work contains timeless value, as long as humanity is there to see it again and again.

Scavengers Reign (2023)

Great where it counts, but part of the culture that spawned it

[7/10 · 9 December 2023]

I won't add much over what others have been saying, so indeed this show is creative and bizarre in all the right ways one might expect and wish for from it. The music direction is way above the average and the writing puts in some real effort.

That said the whole show and the alien environment it presents suffers from being neither fully sci-fi(where explanations and details are normally desired), nor fantasy(where whimsical beauty is desired instead) The alien environment is both whimsical and unexplained, but also jarring and biologically "gross" in the same way we might expect a real natural environment to be. The result is that it's neither as enchanting, nor as believable as it could be. The influence of Moebius is there too, but lacks the nuance and beauty of its symbolism.

By far my biggest criticism is characterization. This show suffers from an unrealistic new age concept of relationships and social roles which is entirely stilted, empty and jarring. The social and interpersonal roles are extremely post-modern and cold. The interactions of men and women in what is essentially a survival situation also appear entirely bound to the creative vision of the authors: the unity and merging of humans with the alien environment. It's an idea that is not uncommon in this genre, and therefore it shouldn't be the only guiding direction for its plot and characters. The result is pretty well-written, but unlikable characters, coupled with a rich and mysterious, yet predictable world and plot.

Wings of Honneamise (1987)

A timeless masterpiece which requires maturity to appreciate

[10/10 · 16 July 2023]

It begins with the protagonist, Shiro, recalling his childhood dream before a friend's funeral, which he defiantly bombs in casual wear. He is approaching middle age, has outgrown(or superficially given up on) his dreams and expresses how "useless" he finds everything through his actions. It is when strolling through a red light district that he finds what he is looking for: someone who believes in something greater than themselves, the street preacher Riquinni, and this seemingly inconsequential meeting sets the entire plot in motion.

What to say, astounding world design, great stills and animation alike, a haunting soundtrack and a profound touch elevate this into a league of its own. It is best understood as film, presented in animated form.

Two problems seem to mar people's ability to appreciate it.

1) The slowness of the plot At 2 hours long, this is a very slow-burn movie, yet every scene has purpose. Looking and find the purpose of each scene is a deeply cerebral activity, a lot if spelled out, but a lot more is to find in gestures, looks and circumstances. Still, claiming it is slow or boring is claiming that Tarkovsky's Stalker is slow or boring. Or Blade Runner. This movie needs two hours to expouse the depth of an entire civilization paralleling our own, it couldn't do it in any other way. There's plenty of action elsewhere, and plots designed to entertain. This one is designed to have actual meaning and depth.

2) The "controversial" scene.

For a lot, certain topics are so political and morally charged, they become unbearable to watch or understand in context. Since a lot of the relationship between Shiro and Riquinni are portrayed through looks and gestures, it's easy to miss what's going on. (This implicit, unspoken way to conduct relationships is very Japanese, i discovered.)

SPOILERS about the scene: Shiro is courting Riquinni, but Riquinni, being deeply religious and living through difficult circumstances ignores Shiro's physical advances, without pushing him away all together. Shiro is visually frustrated with this, he is neither rejected nor accepted and is in a limbo of emotion. He ends up misguidedly pushing her down, intending to "win" against her resistance, but is quickly stopped. No "rape" occurs.

What seems to trouble many is that this gesture is forgiven by Riquinni, entirely forgetting her very accepting and forgiving character. When her house is bulldozed without warning, she isn't angry for a moment, accepting it instead. Likewise, when Shiro tramples over her feelings and tries to force her into something sexual, she ends up apologizing to him next morning for hitting him. Her purity and belief in Shiro are due to her faith. She refuses to believe that Shiro is a bad person. Instead of judging him, she judges herself and her lack of trust in him. Shiro has obviously made a mistake, but she is willing to forgive him to stay true to her beliefs of non-violence, forgiveness and love between people, as everyone makes mistakes. This willingness of hers to forgive when she could chose not to is what finally lets Shiro filly embrace faith, which the concluding scene demonstrates.

Strange Magic (2015)

Colorful, masterful, musical, insane

[10/10 · 11 July 2023]

Of course an amazing masterpiece of insanity and delirious, visionary genius would have a score like this. What a disappointment (disappointment in the reviewers, that is).

Now i'll say i don't like this movie. I don't want to like it. It's not my genre, i don't agree with the message and the songs are not original as i like in my musicals. I want to pan this. But i can't. From the first scenes to the wild ending the show escalates with tropes that are predictable, but entirely fresh at the same time. The direction of the movie can be seen from the beginning and yet it's hard to believe that "they're doing this". Oh yes, "they're going all the way".

It's disarming in its genuine creativity, energy and intensity. The animation is top notch as far as i'm concerned. In 2023, i struggle to find animations that look as good as this 2015 movie. The directing and pacing are fluid and overwhelming (in a good way), the movie flows, appropriately, like a song. It's also cheesy, dumb, obnoxious. I want to hate it. But i can't.

Good Job Lucas, i wanted to believe you were a hack, but i am forced to admit you're just talented and insane, and so is likely most of the production team here. Exactly what i want to see. It's a total work of (wacky) art.

The Curse of Turandot (2021)

Somehow wonderful

[10/10 · 2 March 2023]

I'm rating it so high because of the haters, i admit it.

The actual movie is not terrible, but definitely not fantastic in the acting, scriptwriting and editing departments.

BUT!

There is a surprising and unexpectedly wonderful atmosphere to it. The scenes and characters are setup with a style and homage to certain western elements, with some effort. There is something of lord of the rings and something of Disney in it, more or less subtly sprinkled in. So the side characters can be surprisingly colorful, and the emotions evoked very relatable for a western audience, despite being a Chinese movie through and through.

Likewise, i like the attempt to put eastern and western medieval cultures side by side. No effort spent in portraying culture clashes. Both cultures simply exist, bad things happens between them which are unrelated to cultural or racial differences. This fantasy world simply makes it all look normal. Physical differences are generally ignored and only mentioned as curious identifying traits, as the two races are naturally separated by location. It's a simply rendered, but a surprisingly compelling and wonderful reality, where goodness is shared between very different-looking people simply because it's good and evil fought together simply because it's evil. It's a freeing experience, and perhaps the image of a better world in its simplicity. It certainly won a soft spot in me and i recommend seeing it for the whole strange and wonderful experience, if not an exceedingly compelling one.

Garm Wars: The Last Druid (2014)

A great fantasy movie that doesn't come together at all

[6/10 · 13 January 2019]

There are some amazing designs here (costumes, props, many CG machines), reminiscent of Japanese "classics" such as Zeiram and some of the dark, convoluted, dystopian and cyberpunk flavors that were popular in the 80s and haven't really seen enough appreciation internationally then or since, despite cult followings. Unfortunately the heavy filtering maims the characters and the visuals in equal measure. The acting is very uneven, with at least one decent actor and one terrible. The plot has no beginning or an actual ending despite having a strong premise. Most of the camera shots are wasted marred by filtering, attempting to replicate anime visuals, or creating symbolic moments that don't really add enough, given the plot is already so fragmentary. A potentially great work that got ruined in more than one category. Turns out you can't put together so many "greats" of various industries (Mamoru Oshii, Toshio Suzuki,the Urobutcher), and expect a great work. Visionary creatives work better alone rather than in a group with each other.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

The product of senility or malice

[2/10 · 1 November 2018]

As for the title, what else to say? The other reviewers did a fantastic job, unlike Ridley Scott.