Movies
Sound & Fury
An interesting mix of album film and animation anthology, helmed by some of Japan's most talented animation directors. The animation quality is exemplary, the variation in art styles is refreshing and the length is perfect. Ironically the soundtrack is one of the weakest elements here, but fans of the famed Studio 4°C anthologies can't go wrong with this one.
Not the first time Batman gets an anime treatment, but this time it's in the form of a full-length feature film. The good news is that the creators were given a lot of creative freedom, so expect a beautifully animated, crazy and action-packed anime that works extremely well as a stand-alone film. Impressive.
I appreciated the first Batman Ninja film, so I had reasonable expectations for this sequel. There's some good stuff here, but the film gets weighed down by overexposure to a rather dull plot and an excess of pointless references, to the point where it starts taking away from the entertainment. I'm a bit tired of alt universes and overlapping timelines, and this film leans heavily into it. It takes way too long to introduce a range of alternates to familiar characters and up until the very end this film is very plot-heavy. Mizusaki also mixes too many visual styles and ideas, which makes it somewhat incoherent. There's still a lot to like, but it's mostly confined to individual scenes and moments.Read all
A fun anthology with five horror/supernatural-themed stories. The quality of the shorts is consistently solid, which sounds good, but it's the film's biggest weakness. I love a good anthology, but only when it has some clear stand-out films that push the boundaries. Zoo is lacking that. Each of the films has a story with an interesting spin, but none of the directors managed to add something extra. Apart from the animated short maybe, but budgetary constraints hampered that one. Still, if you like a good anthology and you haven't seen this one yet, you won't be disappointed.Read all