Views: 110881
Submissions: 735
Favs: 20957
~Stank
My Latest Project:
'Round Campus: The Last Pantry Raid - 24 full-color comic pages of collegiate cartoon vore goodness! Available for $10 at the link...
https://www.swallowtailproductions......st-pantry-raid
I use my Scraps folder for doodles and whatnots.
'Round Campus: The Last Pantry Raid - 24 full-color comic pages of collegiate cartoon vore goodness! Available for $10 at the link...
https://www.swallowtailproductions......st-pantry-raid
I use my Scraps folder for doodles and whatnots.
Featured Submission
Stats
Comments Earned: 22650
Comments Made: 18228
Journals: 312
Comments Made: 18228
Journals: 312
Recent Journal
The Oscars & Movies: 2023
2 months ago
Apologies for disappearing again briefly, I got a bit overwhelmed. I'll be posting more stuff later this week! But now for something different...
I love movies, so I thought I'd just go over my quick reviews of movies released last year. I use a 4-star rating scale and I rate things pretty harshly; I consider 2 out of 4 stars to be average and anything 2.5 stars or higher should be considered a recommendation from me. Also, my reviews are my opinions and art is art; I encourage you above all else to like what you like and to view reviews of mine you may disagree with as some maybe-useful insight into a different perspective.
First, let's talk the Academy Awards, which is a heavily-flawed institution that really does a terrible job of actually celebrating any given year's film accomplishments. Some of the nominees this year are fantastic, and others are not (which is par for the course). I also once again didn't get around to seeing all of the nominees, nor am I of a mind to. There's always a number of films I'm open to seeing that inevitably just get added to my Watch List, where they sit for years unless I get a good recommendation from friends or critics I respect (or until they become easier and cheaper to see). This year, those films are: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Boy and the Heron, Elemental, The Holdovers, Io Capitano, Killers of a Flower Moon, Past Lives, Perfect Days, Society of the Snow, and The Teachers' Lounge. I am also waiting on seeing Across the Spider-Verse until part 2 comes out (whenever that will be), and Robot Dreams hasn't been properly released yet in the United States.
The Oppenheimer Rant: I did not see this movie, and I do not want to see this movie. I have seen a lot of Christopher Nolan films at this point, and there isn't a one of them I've actually liked. I do not consider him to be a bad director by any means, but I simply do not care for his approach and I find his films to be a case of style over substance. Does that mean his films do not have substance? Not at all. But I have rarely ever connected with his vision and I find that vision tends to overwhelm whatever depth the film is presenting that I could otherwise connect with. So I'm just skipping this one. I don't need to do this again.
Barbie: 2.5 Stars - Considering this is a big Hollywood blockbuster ostensibly made to sell toys, it's surprisingly thoughtful and creative. I'm pleased this was such a success and I hope it further empowers writer Noah Baumbach and writer/director Greta Gerwig to bigger & better things. Because, speaking honestly, they've both made far better movies than Barbie and it would be a waste of their talents to see them returning for a sequel. Barbie itself is a rather clumsy movie, with bizarre pacing and a tone that vacillates between parody and poignancy in a way that rarely effectively juxtaposes the two in a meaningful manner. It is fitfully fun, insightful, and purposeful... but as a whole it feels disorganized and ultimately unsatisfying once all the madcap adventure wraps up. With all that said, if the highest grossing movie of the year can be like this every year, I think the entertainment world will be a better place.
Poor Things: 2 Stars - Ugh. UGH. UGHHH... I really want to love Poor Things. There are so many things I love about it. The set design is astounding, the type of work I literally dream about seeing. The performances are all great. The story is rich and rewarding and relevant to our times. It is philosophical, it is personal, and it is also hilarious when it is of the mind to be. Perhaps the final act has some issues with its pacing and theme resolution, but this is a minor quibble. The problem, and the only problem, is one of morals. Some people will be able to watch this film and see the dubious ethical situation being presented as something excusable within the narrative. But I cannot. While I understand why the film presents this controversial subject matter, I object heavily to the way it is exhibited and the aspects of it that are left ambiguous. There was a way to tell this story that avoided such pitfalls, but unfortunately too often I found the filmmaking itself to be indulging in the same immoral gaze as the characters it was presenting. Was the purpose to make the audience feel complicit in this behavior? Perhaps. But if so, my choice will be to not watch again.
The Zone of Interest: 4 Stars - This is the perfect example of what I would consider to be a perfect film. While not without some minor flaws (no piece of art of this length will ever be truly perfect), this film is a unique artistic expression with ambition and intent that communicates and executes its vision expertly at every aspect of filmmaking. It is easy to dismiss a film about the Holocaust that is nominated for Best Picture as some sort of 'Oscar-Bait' affair, but that could not be further from the truth with The Zone of Interest. This was not made to appeal to any awards committee. This film is experimental, uncomfortable, and unrelenting. Thrillers have been up for Best Picture before, but I consider this to be the first actual horror film to earn a nomination. It is unlike almost anything I've ever seen; a heightened portrayal of reality with an innovative filming approach and bold sound design gambit that come together to feel like a blend between a documentary and a dream... well, a nightmare. Most certainly a nightmare. The film manages to portray the mundane in a manner that feels apocalyptic, a type of despair that is almost impossible to bear at times as you remember all of this is true. And although this tragedy is the most documented event in all of human history, the ending of this film still comes with a force that left me breathless. The edit that brings this film to its denouement is one to rival the match-cut in Lawrence of Arabia, however this time we go not from the brightest of light but to the darkest of dark. This is not a pleasant film, but it is one of profound resonance. The horrors of the Holocaust have haunted this world like a background radiation since 1941, and The Zone of Interest feels like a broadcast tuned directly from that frequency. It is haunting. We should be so haunted.
Nimona: 2.5 Stars - What a fun surprise! Animated films that got lost in corporate-merger nonsense and unceremoniously dumped onto a streaming service have no business being this good. While I have plenty of problems with the film overall, the ultimate impression I'm left with is this is ironically how modern Disney films should feel. A fresh and clever spin on what is ultimately a conventional story with fun characters and a found-family dynamic that properly represents its modern audience. And when it decides to get emotional, it really goes straight for the heartstrings... Also, it has a shark in sunglasses dancing to a Metric song. That was made just for me, I'm sure of it, and I want it to be know that I appreciate such consideration.
And now quick for some non-Oscar things that I saw last year...
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 3.5 Stars - Fun, funny, and traumatic. It's the GotG formula perfected, with everybody involved working at their highest level and clearly having a blast while doing so. In a time where superhero fatigue is rising because every superhero film seems to do everything bland and wrong, this one is exhausting because it does just about everything right. The whiplash between the fun and the melancholy and the heartbreak can be disorienting, but ultimately proves exhilarating. This is everything I want to see in a superhero movie.
Talk to Me: 3 Stars - Is it possible for a grueling horror film to be a hangout movie? The cast, their dynamic, and the writing for this film do an excellent job bringing its young characters to life... which of course makes it all the worse when terrible things start happening to them. The story for this one really shouldn't be able to support its weight, especially when the scares start becoming derivative in its second half, but the performances and expertly-crafted presentation are enough to keep its momentum going until it reaches a transcendentally macabre conclusion.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: 3 Stars - While it is certainly rough around the edges (most notably in its first act), what ultimately emerges from the ooze here is a refreshing new iteration of the classic characters that is full of charisma and comedy. Delightfully bereft of stakes, until suddenly it has stakes that seem entirely insurmountable, the off-beat and unpredictable plot here is held together by properly following and exploring the turtles themselves as they amusingly confront the teenage aspect of their characters for once in this franchise. The side-characters here are radical, the setting feels bodacious, and I found the ending to be just as much of a surprising out-of-nowhere tearjerker as Nimona. Furries in particular I think will really be able to relate to this one.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: 2 Stars - Did the comedy feel clumsy and the setting feel empty to anybody else with this one? Was that just me? I really wanted to like this more than I actually did. The commitment to bringing D&D to life with practical props and animatronics was certainly commendable, and I really appreciated the surprising meta-level jokes like the NPC Paladin or the dragon being nerfed by chubbiness to properly match the party's power level. It isn't a bad film, but it also feels like a very ordinary film, which is odd for just how strange many aspects of it are.
Five Nights at Freddy's: 1.5 Stars - I'm sorry. I was actually hyped for this one before it released, and I even did my homework into the lore to prepare. I love the animatronics, and I love the weird hang-out vibes tone the film deploys, and I love how goofy it often is. But it's also really boring for most of its running time, isn't it? This franchise can do a lot better, and I hope for the sequel things get weirder and goofier.
I love movies, so I thought I'd just go over my quick reviews of movies released last year. I use a 4-star rating scale and I rate things pretty harshly; I consider 2 out of 4 stars to be average and anything 2.5 stars or higher should be considered a recommendation from me. Also, my reviews are my opinions and art is art; I encourage you above all else to like what you like and to view reviews of mine you may disagree with as some maybe-useful insight into a different perspective.
First, let's talk the Academy Awards, which is a heavily-flawed institution that really does a terrible job of actually celebrating any given year's film accomplishments. Some of the nominees this year are fantastic, and others are not (which is par for the course). I also once again didn't get around to seeing all of the nominees, nor am I of a mind to. There's always a number of films I'm open to seeing that inevitably just get added to my Watch List, where they sit for years unless I get a good recommendation from friends or critics I respect (or until they become easier and cheaper to see). This year, those films are: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Boy and the Heron, Elemental, The Holdovers, Io Capitano, Killers of a Flower Moon, Past Lives, Perfect Days, Society of the Snow, and The Teachers' Lounge. I am also waiting on seeing Across the Spider-Verse until part 2 comes out (whenever that will be), and Robot Dreams hasn't been properly released yet in the United States.
The Oppenheimer Rant: I did not see this movie, and I do not want to see this movie. I have seen a lot of Christopher Nolan films at this point, and there isn't a one of them I've actually liked. I do not consider him to be a bad director by any means, but I simply do not care for his approach and I find his films to be a case of style over substance. Does that mean his films do not have substance? Not at all. But I have rarely ever connected with his vision and I find that vision tends to overwhelm whatever depth the film is presenting that I could otherwise connect with. So I'm just skipping this one. I don't need to do this again.
Barbie: 2.5 Stars - Considering this is a big Hollywood blockbuster ostensibly made to sell toys, it's surprisingly thoughtful and creative. I'm pleased this was such a success and I hope it further empowers writer Noah Baumbach and writer/director Greta Gerwig to bigger & better things. Because, speaking honestly, they've both made far better movies than Barbie and it would be a waste of their talents to see them returning for a sequel. Barbie itself is a rather clumsy movie, with bizarre pacing and a tone that vacillates between parody and poignancy in a way that rarely effectively juxtaposes the two in a meaningful manner. It is fitfully fun, insightful, and purposeful... but as a whole it feels disorganized and ultimately unsatisfying once all the madcap adventure wraps up. With all that said, if the highest grossing movie of the year can be like this every year, I think the entertainment world will be a better place.
Poor Things: 2 Stars - Ugh. UGH. UGHHH... I really want to love Poor Things. There are so many things I love about it. The set design is astounding, the type of work I literally dream about seeing. The performances are all great. The story is rich and rewarding and relevant to our times. It is philosophical, it is personal, and it is also hilarious when it is of the mind to be. Perhaps the final act has some issues with its pacing and theme resolution, but this is a minor quibble. The problem, and the only problem, is one of morals. Some people will be able to watch this film and see the dubious ethical situation being presented as something excusable within the narrative. But I cannot. While I understand why the film presents this controversial subject matter, I object heavily to the way it is exhibited and the aspects of it that are left ambiguous. There was a way to tell this story that avoided such pitfalls, but unfortunately too often I found the filmmaking itself to be indulging in the same immoral gaze as the characters it was presenting. Was the purpose to make the audience feel complicit in this behavior? Perhaps. But if so, my choice will be to not watch again.
The Zone of Interest: 4 Stars - This is the perfect example of what I would consider to be a perfect film. While not without some minor flaws (no piece of art of this length will ever be truly perfect), this film is a unique artistic expression with ambition and intent that communicates and executes its vision expertly at every aspect of filmmaking. It is easy to dismiss a film about the Holocaust that is nominated for Best Picture as some sort of 'Oscar-Bait' affair, but that could not be further from the truth with The Zone of Interest. This was not made to appeal to any awards committee. This film is experimental, uncomfortable, and unrelenting. Thrillers have been up for Best Picture before, but I consider this to be the first actual horror film to earn a nomination. It is unlike almost anything I've ever seen; a heightened portrayal of reality with an innovative filming approach and bold sound design gambit that come together to feel like a blend between a documentary and a dream... well, a nightmare. Most certainly a nightmare. The film manages to portray the mundane in a manner that feels apocalyptic, a type of despair that is almost impossible to bear at times as you remember all of this is true. And although this tragedy is the most documented event in all of human history, the ending of this film still comes with a force that left me breathless. The edit that brings this film to its denouement is one to rival the match-cut in Lawrence of Arabia, however this time we go not from the brightest of light but to the darkest of dark. This is not a pleasant film, but it is one of profound resonance. The horrors of the Holocaust have haunted this world like a background radiation since 1941, and The Zone of Interest feels like a broadcast tuned directly from that frequency. It is haunting. We should be so haunted.
Nimona: 2.5 Stars - What a fun surprise! Animated films that got lost in corporate-merger nonsense and unceremoniously dumped onto a streaming service have no business being this good. While I have plenty of problems with the film overall, the ultimate impression I'm left with is this is ironically how modern Disney films should feel. A fresh and clever spin on what is ultimately a conventional story with fun characters and a found-family dynamic that properly represents its modern audience. And when it decides to get emotional, it really goes straight for the heartstrings... Also, it has a shark in sunglasses dancing to a Metric song. That was made just for me, I'm sure of it, and I want it to be know that I appreciate such consideration.
And now quick for some non-Oscar things that I saw last year...
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 3.5 Stars - Fun, funny, and traumatic. It's the GotG formula perfected, with everybody involved working at their highest level and clearly having a blast while doing so. In a time where superhero fatigue is rising because every superhero film seems to do everything bland and wrong, this one is exhausting because it does just about everything right. The whiplash between the fun and the melancholy and the heartbreak can be disorienting, but ultimately proves exhilarating. This is everything I want to see in a superhero movie.
Talk to Me: 3 Stars - Is it possible for a grueling horror film to be a hangout movie? The cast, their dynamic, and the writing for this film do an excellent job bringing its young characters to life... which of course makes it all the worse when terrible things start happening to them. The story for this one really shouldn't be able to support its weight, especially when the scares start becoming derivative in its second half, but the performances and expertly-crafted presentation are enough to keep its momentum going until it reaches a transcendentally macabre conclusion.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: 3 Stars - While it is certainly rough around the edges (most notably in its first act), what ultimately emerges from the ooze here is a refreshing new iteration of the classic characters that is full of charisma and comedy. Delightfully bereft of stakes, until suddenly it has stakes that seem entirely insurmountable, the off-beat and unpredictable plot here is held together by properly following and exploring the turtles themselves as they amusingly confront the teenage aspect of their characters for once in this franchise. The side-characters here are radical, the setting feels bodacious, and I found the ending to be just as much of a surprising out-of-nowhere tearjerker as Nimona. Furries in particular I think will really be able to relate to this one.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: 2 Stars - Did the comedy feel clumsy and the setting feel empty to anybody else with this one? Was that just me? I really wanted to like this more than I actually did. The commitment to bringing D&D to life with practical props and animatronics was certainly commendable, and I really appreciated the surprising meta-level jokes like the NPC Paladin or the dragon being nerfed by chubbiness to properly match the party's power level. It isn't a bad film, but it also feels like a very ordinary film, which is odd for just how strange many aspects of it are.
Five Nights at Freddy's: 1.5 Stars - I'm sorry. I was actually hyped for this one before it released, and I even did my homework into the lore to prepare. I love the animatronics, and I love the weird hang-out vibes tone the film deploys, and I love how goofy it often is. But it's also really boring for most of its running time, isn't it? This franchise can do a lot better, and I hope for the sequel things get weirder and goofier.
User Profile
Accepting Trades
No Accepting Commissions
No Character Species
Skunk
Favorite Music
Genre Music
Favorite TV Shows & Movies
Night on the Galactic Railroad
Favorite Games
The Most Dangerous
Favorite Gaming Platforms
Final Destination (no items)
Favorite Animals
Space Skunk
Favorite Site
Chernobyl
Favorite Foods & Drinks
is alive
Favorite Quote
'This should be a quote somewhere.'
Favorite Artists
is dead
DarkArtistKaiser