Sleight of Film

Today’s quick review: Technotise: Edit & I. Edit Stefanovic (Sanda Knezevic), a psychology student living in Belgrade in the year 2074, gets more than she bargained for when she implants herself with a memory-enhancing chip to cheat on an exam. Exposure to a mathematical formula causes the chip to grow inside her, altering her body and her mind. Now Edit must rely on the help of a stranger (Nebojsa Glogovac) to figure out what’s happening to her.

Technotise: Edit & I is a Serbian animated sci-fi movie based on the graphic novel by Aleksa Gajic. The movie follows a young woman who gets caught up in a scientific advancement beyond her understanding. Technotise is set in a quirky future where technology has advanced but human nature is still the same. Distinctive art, interesting speculation, and a character-driven story make Technotise a hidden gem for the right viewer.

The glue that holds Technotise together is its characters. Edit and her friends are young, reckless underachievers who spend most of their time just hanging out. Their casual banter and modest ambitions are a perfect counterbalance to the far-flung setting and the uncertain trajectory of the plot. Instead of just being a film about Edit’s technological transformation, Technotise is a film about ordinary people reacting to the unknown.

Technotise also features a distinctive art style that blends a variety of styles and techniques into one coherent world. The animation shows some clear limitations in terms of the way people and objects can move, but the film does a skillful job of working within these limitations. The animation can be incredibly fluid when it needs to be, and the art and world feel like a fully realized vision.

The only real drawbacks to Technotise are choices it makes deliberately. The story is an abstract mystery about the changes Edit is undergoing. It has enough explanation to feel worthwhile, but its meandering structure and dreamlike imagery won’t suit everyone. The characters and setting have a rough quality to them that takes some getting used to. Finally, the tone strikes an odd balance between mystery, wonder, and comedy.

Technotise: Edit & I is a fresh, creative film that blends classic cyberpunk ideas with a unique and colorful world. Not every gamble it takes pays off, but enough of them do to make it a fascinating pick for anyone interested. Fans of abstract sci-fi, unconventional animation, and stories with an emphasis on character should give it a shot. Steer clear if you’re sensitive to mature content or prefer tighter, plot-driven stories.

For a darker animated sci-fi movie about an extraordinary transformation, try Akira. For a more paranoid story in a similar vein, try A Scanner Darkly. For an even more fanciful animated sci-fi movie with gorgeous visuals and an abstract story, try Paprika. For a live-action sci-fi movie about a woman undergoing an even more extreme transformation, try Lucy. For noir-influenced animated sci-fi with some of the same feel, try Renaissance.

7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for creative ideas that will click with the right viewer.

Today’s quick review: Appleseed. In the aftermath of World War III, the utopian city of Olympus is one of the last bastions of human civilization. Deunan Knute (Larissa Murray) and her cyborg partner Briareos (William Roberts) are members of an elite SWAT team tasked with protecting Olympus. When a notorious terrorist (Vincent Marzello) escapes their custory, Deunan and Briareos’ investigation leads them to Charon (Alan Marriott), a crooked cop.

Appleseed is a Japanese animated sci-fi action movie based on the manga by Shirow Masamune. Appleseed is set in a world that’s divided between war-torn wastelands and a gleaming city managed by an advanced AI. The story explores the fringes of this society as Deunan and Briareos square off against a terrorist tring to burn Olympus to the ground. Appleseed features a rich setting and plenty of action, even if its execution has a few quirks.

Among Appleseed’s strengths are its gun-toting action, its distinctive main characters, and its musings about the relationship between society and human nature. Its most obvious appeal comes from its action scenes, where cops and criminals square off in powerful exosuits known as Landmates. The setting is a case study on the tradeoff between freedom and security, although this conflict takes a back seat to the main action of the story.

However, Appleseed has a few flaws that hold it back. The art style is nicely detailed, but the animation shows its age, which in turn puts a damper on some of the action scenes. The plot doesn’t move very smoothly, and the investigation doesn’t get the time it needs to breathe. Finally, Charon’s plan does not have the impact it should have, relying on a contrived weakness in Olympus’ security system and leading to a merely adequate finale.

Appleseed is an interesting find for fans of anime and classic sci-fi. Flaws in its execution keep it from leaving as much of an impression as either its action-packed successors or lavish, atmospheric anime like Ghost in the Shell. But even with its limitations, Appleseed’s detailed world and solid action make it a fine pick for the right viewer.

For a modern take on the same source material, try the CGI remake of Appleseed and its sequel, Appleseed Ex Machina. For another adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s work, try Ghost in the Shell. For a darker animated thriller about an elite SWAT team, try Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. For a more cartoonish, stylized saga set in a false utopia, check out Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis.

6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a modest story and serviceable actuib set in a rich world.

Today’s quick review: Lily C.A.T. The crew of an interplanetary scouting mission wake up after 20 years of deep sleep to find that their ship has been infested with a type of alien bacteria. As crew members begin to die, Captain Mike Hamilton (Mike Reynolds) organizes the survivors to secure the ship and salvage the mission. But the situation is complicated by a cryptic message indicating two of the people onboard are impostors.

Lily C.A.T. is a Japanese animated sci-fi horror movie. The movie is a variant on a classic premise of the genre: a group of survivors trapped with an entity that is killing them one by one. Lily C.A.T. puts its own twist on the formula with corporate space exploration, a versatile creature, and a hunt for the impostors. But in spite of some interesting ideas, the film’s execution falls short of the mark.

Lily C.A.T. has issues with its storytelling. Chief among these is that the film moves too fast for the kind of story it is trying to tell. Characters die abruptly and without fanfare, and the film doesn’t take the time to build up a sense of dread. The way it presents information is also confusing, making it hard to get a bead on what kind of threat the survivors are facing. Finally, the story has three threads that all compete with one another.

Lily C.A.T. has the makings of a compelling story, but it fails at the details of bringing it to life. Fans of science fiction and classic anime will find that it’s still a fine pick, in spite of its flaws, but it is outclassed by other movies with clearer writing and better tension.

For a more thrilling story about a killer alien, try Alien or The Thing. For a flawed sci-fi horror movie with a similar premise, try Virus. For a more meticulous story about an alien infection, try The Andromeda Strain.

6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for interesting ideas with flawed presentation.

Today’s quick review: The Mist. Mist rolls into a town in Maine, concealing an unknown threat that kills anyone caught outside. David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) take shelter in a supermarket along with dozens of other survivors. As tensions mount, David becomes the leader of the group. But he faces competition from Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), an unstable woman who sees the mist as a form of divine punishment.

The Mist is a survival horror movie based on a novella by Stephen King. Trapped and afraid, a motley group of survivors struggles to keep it together long enough for help to arrive. The Mist blends otherworldly danger with bleak commentary on human nature, resulting in a dark movie that covers both ends of the horror spectrum. Interesting conflicts and solid execution make it a strong pick for viewers with the right taste.

What sets The Mist apart from other horror movies is its focus on the psychology of the survivors. Faced with the unknown, the survivors splinter into three groups: one that sees the mist as a threat to be dealt with, one that believes it was sent by God, and one that denies it is dangerous at all. The interplay between these groups makes for some effective drama, including a couple of harrowing scenes when the tension boils over into violence.

The Mist also does well as a more conventional horror movie. The revelation of what’s in the mist is suitably disturbing, and the question of where it came from gives the movie just the right amount of mystery. The movie gets most of its thrills from grotesque imagery, unanswered questions, and the impossible choices faced by the characters. The Mist balances these tools well, making it a horror movie with a lot to offer.

Still, there are a few aspects of The Mist that will hurt some viewers’ enjoyment. The characters are generally careful, especially by the standards of the genre, but their few mistakes are costly. The emphasis on social dynamics can be exhausting, and the tone skews bleak, even for what is essentially a disaster movie. Finally, while the mystery is handled well in terms of tension, some viewers will not like the answers the movie provides.

The Mist is a worthwhile pick for anyone who enjoys darker movies, with something to offer for fans of body horror, disaster movies, and psychological dramas. The catch is that its heavy tone and graphic content will dissuade some viewers, while others won’t like how the story plays out. Anyone interested should give The Mist a try, but viewers looking for either a straight monster movie or a minimalistic drama should approach with caution.

For a disaster movie with a less hopeless atmosphere, try War of the Worlds. For a dark sci-fi thriller about an unknown creature, try Cloverfield. For a survival thriller that deals with similar themes, try Bird Box. For a bleak survival movie without the supernatural elements, try The Road. For a somewhat less successful take on a similar flavor of disaster, try The Happening. For a surreal brush with the ineffable, try Annihilation.

7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for an effective blend of horror and drama.

Today’s quick review: Virus. While hauling a shipment in the South Pacific, Captain Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland) and his crew find a Russian research vessel floating abandoned in the water. Hoping to claim the ship as salvage, the crew board and look for survivors. Instead, they discover an alien lifeform that has taken over the ship and is using any material it can find—mechanical or biological—to build itself new bodies.

Virus is a sci-fi horror movie set aboard a ship filled with technological abominations. Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis), Steve Baker (William Baldwin), and the rest of Captain Everton’s crew must survive until they can find a safe way off of the ship. Virus’ main appeal comes from the design of its creatures, suitably horrific amalgams of flesh and machine. However, it is otherwise a mediocre film, with a generic plot and not many real scares.

Virus has potential as a horror movie, but its execution is lacking. The setup is a recipe for tension: a cramped environment, an inhuman enemy, and a nervous crew. What’s missing is the sense of dread. The scares are too obvious to be effective, and encounters with the alien are isolated incidents, making it hard for the movie to build up momentum. Furthermore, lukewarm characters and a simple plot give the audience little reason to invent.

The result is a movie that coasts on its premise and its special effects. Fans of sci-fi horror may enjoy it as a serviceable execution of the formula, but it’s missing the atmosphere of dread that the best entries into the genre have. Skip it if you’re looking for something gripping or original.

For a much more unnerving take on a similar premise, try The Thing or Alien. For sci-fi horror with a more elaborate story, check out Pandorum. For a brush with a technological lifeform, try Star Trek: First Contact. For a more surreal horror movie about alien contact, check out Annihilation. For a low-budget thriller set aboard a ship, try Primal or Retrograde.

5.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent setup with mixed execution.

Today’s quick review: Utopia. Stan (Stan Laurel) and Ollie (Oliver Hardy) get the chance to leave their troubles behind when they inherit an island in the South Sea. The two friends set out in a yacht with a stateless man (Max Elloy) and a stowaway (Adriano Rimoldi), braving stormy seas and a complete lack of nautical ability to reach their new home. But when a storm shipwrecks them on an uncharted atoll, the men must build a society of their own.

Utopia is a classic comedy starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The duo bring their signature style of comedy to a seafaring expedition. To the movie’s credit, the yacht and the atoll they end up on are ideal settings for slapstick. Laurel and Hardy go through their routines with a practiced ease, and their attempts to found a new country even let the movie indulge in some light social commentary.

However, Utopia suffers from a few problems that keep it from living up to its potential. Chief among these is the comedy itself. The movie relies on recycled jokes that will be familiar to even casual fans of Laurel and Hardy. The delivery feels rote, with slow timing and punchlines that linger just a bit too long. Meanwhile, the story meanders without a clear end in mind, closer to a series of accidents than a cohesive whole.

For all of these faults, Utopia will still hold some appeal for fans of slapstick comedy. The jokes don’t exactly hit the mark, but they come close, and there are a couple of gems to reward a patient viewer. If you have a taste for classic comedy and are looking for a light watch, Utopia is a fine choice. If you’re looking for a side-splitting comedy with Laurel and Hardy at their best, look elsewhere.

For a more spirited comedy aboard a ship, try Monkey Business. For a much more serious movie about a man trapped on a desert island, try Cast Away. For a touching biographical film about Laurel and Hardy, check out Stan & Ollie.

5.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a promising setup with lackluster execution.

Today’s quick review: Speak Easily. After receiving a windfall inheritance, Professor Post (Buster Keaton), a sheltered academic, sets out to see the world. Along the way, he meets a struggling troupe of actors and makes friends with Jimmy Dodge (Jimmy Durante), a loud-mouthed comedian, and Pansy Peets (Ruth Selwyn), a level-headed dancer. Enchanted with their performances, Professor Post uses his fortune to take their show to Broadway.

Speak Easily is a classic comedy starring Buster Keaton. The movie has a different style of humor than Keaton’s silent films, putting dialogue at the forefront and only using slapstick as a supplement. Speak Easily centers around the bookish, naive figure of Professor Post, who finds himself adrift in the chaotic world of show business. Although a clear step down from Keaton’s best work, the movie is a fun romp with some clever gags.

Speak Easily’s main problem is its weak foundation. The initial premise has some potential—a newly wealthy academic trying to live a little—but it quickly gets scrapped in favor of a plot about bringing a terrible play to Broadway. The movie relies too much on Post’s naivety for its humor, and in general, it has a hard time coming up with fruitful routines. It also makes sparing use of the physical humor that is Keaton’s forte.

In spite of these issues, Speak Easily manages to be an entertaining comedy, thanks largely to the talents of Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante. Even its weakest sequences are witty, and the interplay between its characters lets the film make the most of its somewhat lackluster setups. Keaton’s slapstick comedy is a highlight of the film, even though it’s limited to a few specific sequences.

Speak Easily is a fine pick for fans of classic comedies. Although it lacks the charm and originality of Keaton’s earlier work, it still earns laughs due to its talented cast and a few clever jokes. Viewers who are accustomed to the rhythms of 30s comedy will find it to be a fun but unexceptional entry into the genre. Those looking for something more distinctive may want to try Keaton’s silent films instead.

For a madcap comedy about an intellectual who’s in over his head, try Bringing Up Baby. For a comedy about a professor who tries to remake himself, try The Nutty Professor. For a family comedy about trying to take a play to Broadway, try The Muppets Take Manhattan. For a comedy about the production of a terrible musical, check out The Producers. For a more iconic comedy from Buster Keaton, try The General or Steamboat Bill, Jr.

5.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for entertaining but somewhat generic comedy.

Today’s quick review: Steamboat Bill, Jr. After graduating from college, William Canfield, Jr. (Buster Keaton) goes to work with his father (Ernest Torrence), the cantankerous captain of an old steamboat. Willie tries to learn the ropes of the family business, but he upsets his father by courting Kitty King (Marion Byron), the daughter of rival steamboat captain J.J. King (Tom McGuire).

Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a classic comedy starring Buster Keaton. The movie revolves around the mismatched pairing of a gentle, educated young man and his rough, blue collar father. True to most of Buster Keaton’s films, Steamboat Bill, Jr. relies on slapstick and acrobatics for much of its humor. In spite of a slow start, Steamboat Bill, Jr. earns its place as a classic with innovative gags and impressive stunt work.

The early parts of the film are mundane but entertaining. Willie’s father tries to toughen up his son for life on the river, trying to change his son’s image and attitude with little success. Later on, the situation escalates when a storm hits town, turning it into a treacherous obstacle course. The later stunts are notable for both their creativity and their scale, and they include a couple of Keaton’s most iconic moments.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a solid pick for fans of slapstick comedy. It has a relatively simple plot and gets off to a modest start, but Keaton’s physical skill and some ingenious gags are more than enough to carry the film. For another classic from Buster Keaton, try The General.

7.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for clever comedy and excellent stunts.

Today’s quick review: Dragon Quest: Your Story. The mighty warrior Pankraz (Parker Simmons) and his son Luca (Yuri Lowenthal) are on a quest to rescue Luca’s mother Mada (Cissy Jones) from the sorcerer Ladja (Jason Marnocha), who plans to use her power to summon a great evil. But when Ladja kills Pankraz and takes Luca prisoner, it is up to the boy to escape, rescue his mother, and save the world.

Dragon Quest: Your Story is a Japanese animated fantasy adventure. The movie is a love letter to the Dragon Quest video game franchise. It is set in a lavish CGI interpretation of the game world that’s filled with colorful characters, cartoonish monsters, and elaborate landscapes. Against this backdrop, Your Story tells a fun and adventurous story that’s loaded with humor. However, some of its storytelling decisions make the movie hit-or-miss.

Your Story’s most notable feature is its passion. Everything from the setting to the art to the characters shows a great love for role-playing games as a whole and Dragon Quest in particular. The film’s distinct visual style, bouncy action, and clever use of game mechanics make it a treat to watch, and it strikes a nice balance between humor and drama. It also works well as an adaptation, paying homage to the source material without being too literal.

Unfortunately, Your Story has two major flaws that keep it from living up to its full potential. The first is its unusual story structure. Your Story has a lot of ground to cover, and it has to race to fit everything in. Montages and time skips help the movie get its pieces into place, but the story still feels rushed and disconnected. The second flaw is more pointed: an ambitious ending that gambles everything on one final twist.

Dragon Quest: Your Story is a great pick when you’re in the mood for a lively, cartoonish adventure that has plenty of passion. Its excellent art and fun sense of humor manage to put a unique spin on a classic genre, and its story is a joy to experience, even if it pacing is a little rough. But the catch is that Your Story ends in a very different way than it begins, making it a risky choice even for viewers who are interested.

For an animated adventure done in a semi-realistic style, try The Adventures of Tintin. For a CGI-animated video game adaptation with an even greater emphasis on action, try Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. For a safer anime movie based on a role-playing game, try NiNoKuni. For a fun, nostalgic adventure with an even more comedic bent, try The Lego Movie.

6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a highly creative romp with some polarizing decisions.

Today’s quick review: NiNoKuni. Yusuke (Max Mittelman), a paraplegic high school student, and Haruto (Alejandro Saab), his athletic friend, try to save Kotona (Abby Trott) from a mysterious assassin, only to wake up in a fantasy kingdom with uncanny parallels to their home. Searching for Kotona, Yu and Haru instead find Princess Astrid, a look-alike suffering from a dire curse, and learn that the lives of the two girls are entwined.

NiNoKuni is a Japanese animated fantasy adventure based on the video game series of the same name. The story follows two best friends as they travel to another world, save its princess from a great evil, and uncover the truth about the connection between worlds. NiNoKuni has a colorful world and a fair amount of action, but it struggles to put them to good use. Thin characters and weak writing keep the movie from reaching its full potential.

NiNoKuni struggles to put its own spin on the fantasy genre. The world Yu and Haru are transported to is a generic high fantasy kingdom, with only a few superficial details to separate it from any other fantasy setting. The plot is a generic quest to save a princess, and it holds few surprises. The couple of plot twists it tries are either too obvious or pulled from nowhere. Even the dialogue is clunky in places.

Still, NiNoKuni does have a few things to offer a forgiving viewer. The mystery of the two worlds is as close as the movie gets to its own identity, and it does a fair job of moving the plot along. The dynamic between Yu and Haru, opposites in terms of temperament, has some potential. And although the setting isn’t as creative as it could have been, the movie makes up for this deficiency with solid production quality and a fair amount of action.

NiNoKuni is a fine pick if you’re in the mood for high fantasy but don’t need anything groundbreaking. It tells a coherent story with a bit of mystery to it, and its visuals, setting, and action all serve their purpose well enough. But NiNoKuni is missing the creativity and depth needed to stand out from the crowd. Those looking for an original, well-written story that takes full advantage of its genre will want to give NiNoKuni a pass.

For a much more imaginative adventure in a parallel world, check out Spirited Away or Mary and the Witch’s Flower.

6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a reasonable premise let down by a mediocre script.