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Huntik: Secrets and Seekers (2009)
Genuinely one of the most underrated shows I've seen
Outside of a cult following, Huntik Secrets and Seekers is a gem that few people know. Filled to the brim with enjoyable characters, fantastic monster designs, and great stakes, this show is far better than even the pokemon anime which it clearly takes some inspiration from. It is an utter shame this show only got two seasons, because it deserved far more, I wish it got its time in the limelight as it is delightful. Give it a watch if you haven't already, I thoroughly recommend. Alas it may be difficult due to Netflix taking it off its catalog, something I am quite displeased about. Still, track it down, it's worth ever second.
Godzilla Island (1997)
A perfectly fine, cute little show
Godzilla Island isn't exactly anything to write home about, but I still found myself often enjoying it despite its shoddy production, and incredibly short runtimes. There's something undeniably nostalgic about the whole show. As if you're watching a show made from you playing with your toys as a little kid. It's not well written, it's hilariously paced, it truly isn't good. But it is fun, and great entertainment for children. I honestly wish I had access to this show when I was a child because I would've adored these shorts. I hope Toho makes an attempt at stop motion again with a higher budget and aimed at a slightly older demographic.
12 Kilometers (2016)
An interesting if flawed short film
First of all, let me just commend the director. He made a movie, far better than anything I could make myself, getting together funding and bringing everything together is something that should always be congratulated. With that being said, I found this film lacking in certain aspects. Before I talk about my issues, let me discuss what I did like. In terms of cinematography and overall direction I think this film is really well done, the special effects shots we got were also quite impressive and I'd love to know more on the behind the scenes for this film. This film is also excellent at building tension and setting its atmosphere. Now then, onto the things I wasn't particularly fond of. I think the characters are unfortunately quite weak in this short film, it is very hard to connect to them or find them interesting. And that could be a symptom of its nature as a short film, but films with shorter runtimes like portrait of god, do a much better job bringing a character to life in a fraction of the time. The weak characters could be offset by a well crafted plot, it's easy to ignore issues with characters if the story is very strong, a good example of this is the 1960 film Eyes Without a face. In truth, the character work is not particularly strong in this film, they are fairly one note but the film is carried by its intriguing story. However that is not the case with this film, as the plot is quite barebones. I think a way to improve this film would be to either build more character, more plot, or both. Films can be character driven, or plot driven, or a mix of the two, but it can be hard to connect with a film that doesn't live up to either standard in my opinion.
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
The Five Nights at Freddy's movie was not good, but I loved it
There are so many deep cuts in this film that just showed that they made this for people who are fans of the franchise. And since I've been a fan since 2015 it really spoke to me. It's a poorly made movie that I had such a good time watching that I can overlook all of its flaws. I'll talk about some of those flaws though, the fort building scene really hammers in how this is barely a horror movie, it's not truly scary and fails I'm anything outside of Balloon Boy Figurine jump scares (which to be fair, jump scares are the main scare of FNAF). There was also a definite pacing problem, some of the scenes towards the beginning could've been cut or shortened to lengthen the all too brief climax. Another issue with the film is its propensity to leave plot threads unwound, where did Golden Freddy go? There is no answer. What happened to the aunts body? Unclear. But with all that said this movie has sparky the dog in it, an animatronic notorious in the fan base for never actually being real. He was a hoax that they put in the background as an incredible Easter egg. This movie is not good, but I completely adore it and I desperately want more.
Spider-Man: Lotus (2023)
A worthless experience
I went into this film ignoring the controversy. I hadn't kept up with it, I simply watched the film to judge it as a film. And, as a film, it blows. This movie is nightmarishly boring, horrendously paced, abysmally written, with so few redeeming qualities that I'd argue that this film should've never been made in the first place.
Gavin is a lifelong spider-man fan, as am I, and that is part of why I am so appalled by the sheer lack of passion felt within this project. It feels like chewing on a Popeyes biscuit with no drink and then having sand as a chaser.
I enjoyed two scenes in the entire bloated two hour film. The scene where Flash and MJ talk, and the final swing. The scene where Flash and MJ talk worked for me because I think it captures Flash's character quite well. Even with that though, the writing is still more interested in telling rather than showing, and beats you over the head with its messages.
The only scene I can call 100% good is the final swing, which is genuinely great and I give all the props to the visual effects team.
Outside of those two positives, this film was utter drivel. For a film with such an arrogant inception, it utterly fails to provide a film even remotely as good as the MCU trilogy, it can't even manage to be better than most fan films I have watched. "The fan film to end all fan films." Was Gavin's goal, and it once again shows the arrogance behind this movie.
I came into this, hoping for a decent time, instead I came out of it profoundly unfeeling, and with a sour taste in my mouth.
Do not watch this film. There is nothing in it that makes it worthwhile.