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Pluto: Episode #1.1 (2023)
Beautiful
No words, genuinely no words. This is quite possible one of the best first episodes of all time.
I know a lot about Naoki Urasawa but haven't got round to reading any of his works yet. I have however, watched all of the Monster anime, which is the best anime of all time (my opinion). So when I saw that the anime of 'Pluto' had released and it has his name written on it of course I felt obliged to watching it. But bloody hell I was not expecting it to be this masterful.
The first half has a great introduction to our main character, and sets the mood of what's to come. But then the second half completely changes as it tells the story of a grumpy bitter old renowned piano composer and his butler, North No. 2. After watching heaps and heaps of anime I can say that the writing for these two characters are phenomenal and found myself in awe at the creativeness and the level of detail in which (presuming) Urasawa was writing in.
Please give the first episode a watch. I haven't seen the other episodes yet but if they continue to be at this level then this may be better than monster. Thank you for reading my review, I hope all of you will enjoy episode 1 of Naoki Urasawa's 'Pluto' as much as I did.
Candyman (1992)
Solid but flawed nonetheless
8.1/10
After watching 'Candyman', I was delighted to find a gem that still holds its ground here, in 2023. This movie has it all; happiness, sadness, gore, peace, twists, all but one key thing. This one key thing was what took two points off from being a 10. Candyman lacked the ability to scare you.
Now, don't get me wrong, I did say it had gore and it was creepy, which are big horror traits, but unfortunately when experiencing this for the first time, my heart never skipped a beat like it did, for instance, in 'Halloween', and I never found myself jumping at a noise outside after watching 'The Shining'. Maybe I'm being a tiny bit cruel to compare Candyman to the two greatest horror movies of all time (my opinion), but this just bothered me throughout the entirety of the movie. But now, enough of the bad side, please don't let this put you off if considering to watch. Here is the good side.
The music in this movie is breathtakingly haunting and beautiful at the same time. In particular the tracks 'It was always you Helen', and 'Helen's theme' managed to capture the Candyman's pain, wrath and misery like none other. The main character, Helen, while it seems like she is just screaming a lot of the time, is actually a well thought of and underrated character. Tony Todd ROCKS as the Candyman, it's amazing how he still carries the intense aura of the ghost to this day. The writing, if the actors didn't carry it out efficiently, would be dated, but it just feels too good to be considered anything like that. I'm now interested in the book that Clive Barker wrote (The forbidden), as maybe that carries more thrills and scares.
Does Tony Todd carry this movie? To a certain extent, I would agree, but I still think that Helen as the main character does a good job, and the music should be up there with 'Jaws' and 'The Exorcist'. So to whoever has read all of this, I recommend that they try and track it down and give it a watch. Candyman Candyman Candyman Candyman Candym- on second thought, never mind.
(P. S. "Be my victim" is the most badass line known to date)
Kaubôi bibappu: Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Bang. This show is unforgettable.
9.6/10
I could go on for hours, paragraph after paragraph about how much I love this series, but I'll spare whoever is reading this. I can tell that when this anime was released in 1998, people embraced the funk, jazz and soul this series carries, and am amazed that this has still carried everything people loved about it all the way up to now, when I have watched this, in 2023.
Every episode from 1-26 keeps you hooked in from start to finish as it divulges into the mysterious story and life of Spike as he and his 'ragtag' crew members jump through a future world where anything is possible, and money is (still) everything. The story plunges into a wide variety of emotions and feelings, and every episode we get to learn more about the backstories of Spike, Jet and Faye. All I can say is, GET ON NETFLIX AND WATCH THIS BLOODY SHOW! A definite recommend to anyone who comes across this.
Favourite episode: 11 (toys in the attic)
See you, space cowboy.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Clint Eastwood strikes again!
This movie feels very satisfying to watch, and all in all could be classed as Clint's finest Western.
'The Outlaw Josey Wales', a story taking place when the Civil War has just ended, and Josey Wales is still fighting for himself and others. Now, when I was looking into this movie, specifically about the plot, I went in expecting this to be full of dark and depressing moments. You'd be surprised to find that actually this movie is very funny in places and more light than dark.
With great supporting actors that appear in quite a lot of Clint's movies, I was delighted to find that Clint didn't carry the whole of the movie. There are quite a few characters from Josey Wales that will stick to you when this movie is over.
The soundtrack was Oscar worthy, thumbs up to Jerry Fielding for his splendid military drums and wholesome sounds. Though, I believe that they should have at least considered Ennio Morricone for the music, as nothing E. M does becomes uninteresting.
While hard to grasp what is going on at first, the plot soon folds out and becomes easy going and never ends up boring you throughout the whole run time.
As a result this movie certainly appeals more to me than Pale Rider, or even the Spaghetti Westerns at times. It really proves that Clint Eastwood can maintain the 'cowboyness' of his persona no matter what the age is, and can certainly direct a good solid movie too. To all Eastwood fans I highly recommend this.
9.6/10.
Asteroid City (2023)
Style over substance? Yes. But that doesn't make this a very underrated movie
After going to see this movie with my best friend who loves this movie for reasons I can't explain, I found myself immersed in a complex, stylish Wes Anderson movie that has a splendid cast that unfortunately pushes their acting abilities to the bare minimum.
Many Wes Anderson fans will know that the director has a very specific style- one that includes long shots of everything that is going around while a character is standing still. In Asteroid City, I found it to be almost 'too' Wes Anderson like, as if he expanded on the way the movie was made rather than the way the movie develops.
As for the comical effect, although it didn't work as much it should have, when the comedy did occur, it was very funny.
The plot, while confusing at times, was cleverly thought of and a surprisingly original premise.
The factor I, as an Alexander Desplat fan, was most disappointed in was the music. The bells chiming was a great catchy tune, but it just repeated in a movie that was quite long. That's nowhere near as good as let's say, the French Dispatch's 'Animated Car Chase'.
The acting was a 10/10, loved everyone with a major role, including Scarlett Johansson, and even Jeff Goldblum as the alien brainwashing everyone.
Overall, in all of the many ups and downs of this movie, it still comes out as a good positive Wes Anderson movie, and definitely not his worst. Hopefully in the years to come, the hate for this movie will come down and people will acknowledge this as a classic.
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Peak action and adventure
In a not too distant future, Max, after having lost everything, has turned to scavenging and doing good in the Australian wastelands.
After 'Mad Max', I was expecting the sequel to repeat the original. Boy I was wrong. Unlike it's predecessor, Mad Max 2 focuses on him trying to find petrol, the source that is now more valuable than money. Unlike the first movie, this one gets rid of the slowness and turns up the gore by 3.
Mel Gibson never fails to impress, and as for the rest of the cast, I didn't find anyone who seemed annoying. The gangs over -the top costume design was more comical than threatening. Overall, Mad Max 2 places itself as a gem in the franchise, and on my opinion exceeds the original.
9/10.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
The conclusion to the trilogy ends in a spectacular climax
War for the Planet of the Apes- a movie that captures all emotions in one epic finale. Honestly, if there was an 11/10 option, I would rate it that without a shadow of a doubt. At a faster pace than 'Rise' but a slower pace than 'Dawn', this movie sits very comfortably at the top of the Planet of the Apes trilogy, and at second in command to the original planet of the apes in the whole franchise rankings.
The music is arguably Michael Giacchino's finest work, and could stand level with the music to 'Up' which won an Oscar for best soundtrack. In terms of acting, Woody Harrelson does a doe did job of playing the awful Colonel, and his backstory was well written and thought of. Andy Serkis, as always, does what he does best in terms of CGI. The storyline is golden and has definitely been deeply run through, and Matt Reeves as a director has done very, very well. What can I say, this movie is excellent!
Consider every category, and know that I rate all of them 10/10.
Halloween (1978)
Before Friday 13th, before Prom Night, there was 'Halloween'
The original Halloween, a very creepy and tense horror movie that rebooted the slasher franchise, ranks high in the horror system, appreciated for it's originality and starting the 80s slashers (Friday 13th, A nightmare on elm street SEQUELS). Although it takes its time in moving forward, and some people may find it boring, John Carpenter's 'Halloween' sends chills down the viewer's spine, with the eerie imagery and tense scenes. The shape, Michael Myers, has remained as one of the biggest horror characters in history. Halloween portrays the terrifying feeling of being stalked by a complete stranger, and it's climax will without a doubt get you hooked onto the entire franchise. Unfortunately, not one of the sequels has matched the original, although some have come close (Halloween 2).
All I can say is that if you are thinking about watching this movie, I would definitely recommend it, and my word of advise when you are viewing it is: be patient. It may be a slow burner, but when it gets going, Halloween matches A nightmare on elm street level creepiness.
Jaws (1975)
'Jaws'
There are no bad things to say about this movie! From start to finish (and it is over 2 hours) this will keep you captivated from the moment the iconic main theme composed by John Williams plays when the first victim is killed to the two survivors paddling to shore at the very end. The originality of this piece of art has started a completely new type of genre that still carries on now in the 21st century, all thanks to Spielberg's expert script, actors and...coolness!
The jumpscares will get you, the music will terrify you, and the comedy will make you smile.
Plot: 8/10
Acting: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Script: 10/10
Originality: 10/10.
The Shining (1980)
Stephen King book aside, this film is a masterpiece
Stephen King in many interviews has considered Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' to be a complete failure of his own work. Having read the book before watching the movie, I can completely understand King's point of view. However, this is the only time I will ever say that the film has actually managed to be AS good as the book, which it usually fails to please.
To get the full satisfaction of this movie you must completely ignore the book, and just focus on the making of the movie. I won't go into depth but I can tell anyone who is interested in this movie that they will without a doubt get what Kubrick wanted them to get: scared. Unless of course you are one of those hardcore horror fans where nothing seems to frighten you (I find that inhuman but hey). Anyhoo, most people should find it eerie and although it won't give them nightmares, it will without a doubt stick in their heads.
Acting- 10/10
Plot- 10/10
Music-10/10
And the rest are all 10s, too.