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rainmaker17
Reviews
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-hen (2023)
Worth it just to see Season 2 Episode 10 on the big screen
Do people these days really go into movies completely blind? Sheesh.
For those living in modern times, this is what I expected it to be - a mind blowing experience seeing episode 10 in an immersive setting, and a good table setter for the next season.
Episode 10! The most incredible action focused anime episode I've ever seen! C'mon people! Seeing that alone should have stopped the moaning.
And the first episode of every season has been "slow" - this was no different. It was fascinating though to meet the other Upper Rank demons. I can't to see how they get involved in the story line. The Escher like temple where they all were was really cool.
Can't wait for episode 2 of the new season!
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Never Give Up (2022)
Astonishing... a near religious experience
Just a feast for the senses!
The last times I can remember being so utterly captivated by anime were first, when I first watched the opening sequence of Akira more than 20 years ago, and second, the train over water scene from Spirited Away. Both left an imprint on me.
This whole episode of Kimetsu, especially the fighting near the end was as impactful as those seminal scenes from animes of long ago.
The music when Tengen was darting around the slashes! My god! Unbelievable on every level!
And after that I could feel it in my bones the amount of effort Tanjiro was exerting to push himself beyond his physical and mental limits to the metaphysical.
The visceral effect it had on me makes it a true high point, if not the highest point ever in anime, in my opinion. Such an amazing piece of art.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
So many issues
Indy surviving the nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge. That is all. Temple of Doom went off the rails a bit with the raft scene, but that was much more believable than this garbage. Or when Shia straddles the two jeeps in the jungle. Also an epic garbage action scene from this movie.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
A Wowful Effort
***Warning Mild Spoilers***
Where was the joy? The charm? The humor? Mary Poppins Returns is such a slog of a movie and pales when compared to the original.
A big part of what made the original so wonderful was Mary had both Mr. Banks and especially Burt as strong foils to match up against her dry personality. In Mary Poppins Returns she has nobody. The adult Michael is just trying to keep it together. Jack is just an earnest, soft sidekick. With no one to play off of, Emily Blunt's Mary came off as quite harsh and mildly unlikable.
Having watched the original right before *and* after seeing the new one I realized that having a character like Burt was so missed. Now actors like Dick Van Dyke don't grow on trees but his character added so much to the original. The charisma, physical comedy, dancing skills, and acting... the way character of Jack was poorly conceived and never gives Lin Manuel-Miranda even a chance to bring any meat to the role.
The music - utterly forgettable. In the original, each main character had music that can be associated with him/her that carries over to the songs. For example, in the original Mr. Banks had "The Life I Lead," "A British Bank," and "A Man Had Dreams" - all based off the same structure. This was such an obvious structural miss by the director and producers.
One more thing. In the original, Mary's magic was obvious in the presence of the children and Burt. For the others it caused them to question themselves. Take Mary showing up to her interview with the letter that Mr Banks had torn up. For the kids and Mary sliding down the stair bannister. The maid wasn't sure if she was really seeing that or imagining it. In the new movie, her magic ends up extending to EVERYBODY, even the bad guy. What was up with that?!?
This was a movie that could have been so much better. The actors were really let down by the script and the whole concept for the movie. Aside from "turning back time" at the end I still can't figure out how she actually helped make things better, aside from taking the kids on some adventures. Arghh I'm getting fired up just thinking about it lol.