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Akira (1988)
Still a punch to the gut more than 30 years later
Akira showed the world what Japanese animators could deliver when handled a truly "mature" (both in terms of the violence displayed and the deep themes it explores) subject.
Set in a post-WWIII Neo-Tokyo that has all the trappings of a cyberpunk dystopia (minus the cyber implants), it's an incredibly powerful, if depressing, movie.
The animation remains best-in-class despite the very limited use of computer-assisted animation.
Akira is a dense movie, making the most of its running time to introduce a lot of concepts and show life in totalitarian yet dysfunctional Neo-Tokyo. This is perhaps less true for the movie's last half-hour which emphasizes ever-escalating spectacle somewhat to the detriment of the story.
Truly unique and still an absolutely must-see movie.
Orgiastic Hyper-Plastic (2020)
Abstract bittersweet breaking-up letter to plastic
The message here is pretty straightforward. Plastic has served us well and made our lives easier and more interesting. But it's time to move on.
And what better way to say goodbye than this colorful, abstract composition. Paul Bush uses everyday small plastic things, like buttons, combs, cuttlery and more to create animated abstract paintings that mesmerize the viewer. All this happen to the tune of a kind of playful found-sounds soundtrack that match the visuals perfectly.
It's shame that this joyous carousel get regular interruptions from zombie-like plastic figurines. I understand the underlying message but they break the flow too much.
Genius Loci (2020)
Confusing but beautiful fever dream.
A young black woman in France explores the city. This is as much sense as I could make of the plot, which seems to mix hallucinations, urban dereliction and possibly drugs, mental illness and/or shamanism.
So it's not the plot that kept my attention but rather the fantastic art, which elegantly wears its artistic influences : cubism, Miro, with maybe a hint of Munch. But Genius Loci is not merely an homage to modern art. It has found its own artistic style in the manner it blends all of that with more personal traits. The art keeps branching, evolving, and circling back during the 15 minutes of the movie.
If only the message could have been as interesting as the delivery, Genius Loci would have been an even more memorable short.
Plantarium (2020)
so original it throws you off balance
Plantarium is a very interesting piece of mixed-media animation.
Its surreal nature makes it difficult to describe. Suffice to say that it begins in a man(?)'s potted plant garden where he finds a baby has seemingly grown out of the earth. What follows is grotesque, surreal and horrific all at once.
The mixed-media nature of the picture adds to the strangeness of the movie, with the main characters being animated out of plastic bags.
Overall, a very intriguing short film that left me a lasting impression.
Tourist Trap (2020)
Humorous and original but too short
Animated with what looks like stop-motion origami, this is a delightful short scene evoking those beautiful places spoiled by tsunamis of tourists.
I loved the distinctive visual style and I can't say I've seen anything like it that I can remember. The only problem with Tourist trap is that it's over before you really had the time to properly enjoy it. I get that it was produced for an ultra-short film festival, but I was left wanting for more nevertheless.
Något att minnas (2019)
Well crafted but ultimately empty
This is a short puppet stop motion animation. Different animal characters are seen singing a (real or invented?) dark nursery rhyme. The animal puppets are impressive but the scenes follow each other without any visible meaning to the sequence.
So while visually interesting, it feels like a missed opportunity to come up with something more meaningful and memorable.
Lupin III: The First (2019)
Havily inspired by Indiana Jones but can't match its model
I must confess I was not really familiar with Lupin III before I watched this. I had this vague notion that he was a goofy burglar but that's it.
The film starts strong enough. There is an early escape scene on a highway that is very entertaining. The animation is good and expressive. But as the movie progressed, I realized how much of it was modeled after Indiana Jones. Some of the main characters are archeologists looking for a powerful ancient artifact and, of course, there is a nazi plot to get to it first and restore the Third Reich. That's a problem because comparing Lupin to Indiana doesn't do the former any favor. Neither of them have entirely believable stories of course, but at least there is some plot building in Indiana Jones that doesn't constantly give the impression that the writers came up with all their ideas as they wrote the script, seemingly out of thin air and with little link to what was already committed to paper.
It probably didn't help that I watched the movie dubbed in French, as the voice actors for that version did a poor job, putting more distance between me as a viewer and the characters than the shoddy plot already did.
Overall, there's just enough in Lupin III that I wasn't completely bored, but aside from the above mentioned escape, no scene left a lasting impression.
Bokura no nanoka-kan sensô (2019)
A low-key anime, but with enough surprises to make it moving
I watched this anime at an animation festival and I knew nothing about it beforehand so I had no expectations. Nevertheless, I had a great time and I'm surprised by its low rating and the fact that virtually no one, at least in the West, has talked about it (It doesn't even have a rotten tomato page).
Six adolescents, 16 to 17, decide to camp for a week as an act of rebellion because one of the girl's father has decided to move his family to Tokyo to pursue his political career, despite the girl's protest. They squat an old abandoned mining side and quickly realize the site already houses a young clandestine Thai refugee, who's pursued by the police. The next part of the film is reminiscent of Home Alone, with the gang trying to repel the police's assault of the facility. Later, as the group gains the attention of the media, the story takes a more personal turn and explores deeper issues related to one's identity and the public image/intimate life dichotomy. The writers explore those issues with authenticity and candor.
At first, I was struck by the beauty of the almost watercolor-like backgrounds. But I had a few reservations because the story starts with the tired trope of the nerdy boy secretly in love with his calm, beautiful classmate. Thankfully, the plot later took many turns and proved to be much more than a collection of overused clichés. The art remained impressive until the end and made great use of the story's abandoned industrial setting.
While probably more aimed at an YA audience, this adult was nevertheless entertained until the end and deeply moved by the most powerful scene (you'll know the one when you see it).
7 days war deserves a wider audience.
Years and Years (2019)
Great acting saves a political show that is anything but subtle.
Years and Years is to politics what Black Mirror is to technology. Basically, the show takes everything that is going wrong in the world and imagines a near future where all those problems (racism, populism, banking solvency, international tensions, immigration crisis, bioethics...) are dialed up to 11.
The most original aspect of the show is that all those issues are taken from the point of view of a single family's members.
The best thing about this show is its actors. With the exception of some of the youngest one, they all deliver credible and moving performances. Emma Thompson impresses with her spot-on delivery of the Katie Hopkins-inspired Vivien Rook. But other actors, though in less flamboyant roles, do as great a job.
If only some of the actor's subtlety had trickled down to the writers! I happen to share almost all of their concerns and I found most of the polical plot and its delivery heavy-handed.
So, If you're expecting a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary issues, you'll be disappointed. If you approach years and years as a touching family drama, however, you'll likely enjoy it much more that way.