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My Ranking of Every Studio Ghibli Film
スタジオジブリ全作品ランキング Am I strange? Sure. Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli is the single most important animation studio to ever exist — a movie-making institution for the ages, with greater qualitative output than any studio I can recall, animated or otherwise. Compared with the corporate, predictable, sanitized, recently mediocre offerings of American institutions such as Disney or…
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‘Obsession’ & ‘Supergirl’ — My Unusual Weekend Double Feature
Ever since I moved to Japan a year ago, my cinema visitation has declined dramatically. Sure, I bought a projector and manage to watch quite a bit at home, but nothing really compares to the ineffably magical experience and quality of the big screen. The physical act of going out to appreciate film in a…
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If I Picked the Oscars — 2025 Edition
The 97th Academy Awards, colloquially known as the Oscars, took place earlier this month — Sunday, March 2nd, 2025 — at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Oscars night is the most prestigious of all cinema ceremonies, though the winners may not necessarily be everyone’s favorite. It all depends upon who you ask. Motion…
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‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ — A Cinematic Act of Resistance
This is cinema as social commentary & call to action. This is art as anti-propaganda. This is why despots everywhere deride & fear the power of uncensored, well-informed visual media, and why they combat it with a barrage of lies. This is power. Power to tell the truth. Power to change the world. Let’s talk…
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‘Wicked’ — A Many-Splendored Triumph for Movie Musicals
There’s spectacle, and then there’s spectacle. Wicked, the second-highest grossing musical theatre production in over 40 years (behind only The Lion King), is now a major motion picture, with emphasis on the major. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, there is so much to enjoy, heaps to marvel at, and a beating heart just as…
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‘Red One’ — Saving Christmas Apparently Costs $250 Million & Hollywood’s Soul
Is Red One good? No. Is it enjoyable? Maybe? Sometimes? Depending on the circumstances. Overall, this attempt at a fun Christmas action-adventure in the middle of November fascinates me — not because of the film itself, but what it represents. Red One is a textbook example of Hollywood’s greatest problems and self-sabotaging pitfalls. Welcome to…
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‘Beau Is Afraid’ — A Divisive Yet Compellingly Brilliant Anti-Odyssey
You should see Beau Is Afraid. At the same time, I warned you not to see Beau Is Afraid. This is the confusing dichotomy of a cinematic experience I resented & rejoiced to behold. Yes, this film is as marvelous and ambitious as it is utterly unhinged and ridiculous, yet both ends of the spectrum seem…
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‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ — A Rollicking Farewell & Improvement Over Predecessor
There is one question everyone has been asking: is Dial of Destiny better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Yes, far better, in every way. Where that film failed, this one shines. There are only a few questionable choices here or there, but otherwise, the acting, cinematography, music, and design all befit a very decent…
(Acknowledgement: Featured Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay)