Rectangular_businessman Reviews

The Simpsons: King of the Hill (1998) Season 9, Episode 23

Fun, underrated episode

[10/10 · 18 April 2024]

I personally like this episode a lot; feels like a throwback to the old characterization Homer used to have in the earlier seasons (When he was still depicted as a very flawed, but loving father) instead of the insufferable, idiotic buffoon he became much later in the series (In fact, the previous episode, "Trash of the Titans was one of these moments where Homer was at his absolute worst, playing a villainous role)

The jokes were fun and effective, without having to rely on shock value or any topical trend from the era; definitely one of the highest points of a rather uneven season, along with "The Joy of Sect" and "Simpsons Tide".

Our Wonderful Nature - The Common Chameleon (2016)

Entertaining and visuallly impressive

[8/10 · 17 April 2024]

A fun, little CGI short parodying wildlife documentaries.

I liked a lot how the animation here wasn't only pretty realistic, but also fun and expressive, getting progressively more cartoonish as the chameleon keeps capturing bigger and bigger insects with its tongue.

Compare this with that "live action" version of the Lion King done three years later: While it's true the animation from that film had an impressive level of detail, it also lacked the beauty of the original movie, all in name of having a gritter, "more mature" aesthetic, while small animations like this one proof that it is possible to have a lot of fun with hyperrealistic visuals.

In This Cold Place (2017)

The Trump-bot music video

[16 April 2024]

Steve Cutts' work is anything but subtle.

I don't necessarily disagree with the messages from his shorts, but I can see why some people find the way in which said messages are delivered to be extremely preachy and hamfisted.

Here, for example, we have stuff like a Donald Trump robot briefly turning into a swastika before transforming into the dollar symbol, while fighting a bunch of heroes with "justice" written on their shields.

Whatever one could think of Trump or any similar political figure, such kind of imagery is frankly ridiculous and over the top.

I can see Cutts is aiming for a "bitterly ironic" tone here, juxtaposing real life injustices with the naive aesthetic of the saturday morning cartoon world, but still feels cheesy anyway, like that stupid couch gag Bansky made for The Simpsons some time ago.

Mr. Frog Went A-Courting (1974)

What an ending...

[8/10 · 15 April 2024]

Looking back to our respective childhoods, it's weird how many famous nursery rhymes and songs for kids tend to include violence and other macabre elements (Doesn't Humpty Dumpty end with him dying?)

We just never pay too much attention to such details because of the fun lyrics and the happy tunes. And also because we were little kids when we heard them by the first time.

Taking that in consideration, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the ending of this Canadian short, a very charming cutout animation about a frog and a mouse getting married which ends with both of them being eating by a snake which appears at the very last moment.

But it took me by surprise anyway, considering how happy everything was before the ending.

A quite good short anyway, very enjoyable to watch despite its bitter conclusion.

Wing (2012)

Little Wing

[6/10 · 14 April 2024]

In a similar way to Flushed Away, this short uses a CGI visual style evoking stop motion; but while in Flushed Away such kind of aesthetic was reasonably well executed, here the animation has a frankly ugly, outdated look which somewhat detracts the whimsical charm the story has.

In all honesty, it's the villains who steal the show here: These ominous crow-like tormentos had an aura of mystery which made me want to learn more about them.

However, it seems their role is merely allegorical, serving only as an obstacle the main character must overcome, as a symbol of those who prey on the less fortunate.

But they looked cool, disregard of the technical limitations.

Fata Morgana (2011)

Mirages

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

A brief but effective short but with an unexpected twist at its conclusion.

A little bit unfair, in my opinion, considering the lemonade seller tried to do the right thing at the end, despite his initial intention to trick his thirsty client, but he ends being punished by that choice.

Maybe it was already too late for such kind of change of heart?

Maybe I'm overthinking things, and there isn't any real moral intention behind this amusing little animation.

Now one would question what is even doing a lemonade stand in the middle of the desert in the first place, but then again, the answer is probably cartoon logic.

Chouju Sentai Liveman: Mama! Kisei kaibutsu no sakebi (1988) Season 1, Episode 31

The (in)famous Liveman male pregnancy episode

[12 April 2024]

Weird to think how this actually predates Ivan Reitman's Junior movie by a couple of years.

This episode is often brought up in online discussions about the Liveman series, being often considered the most bizarre moment of the show, if not of the whole "super sentai" genre, involving one of the heroes being "impregnated" by a monster.

On paper, the premise sounds absolutely ridiculous. Yet somehow the actual episode managed to be effectively dramatic, delivering a moving message about the value and beauty of life underneath all the spandex suits and rubber monster goofiness.

The baby monster turned out to be oddly adorable, all things considered. And his death managed to be one of the saddest moments of the series.

Chouju Sentai Liveman (1988–1989)

Another childhood favorite

[11 April 2024]

I was just a little kid when I watched this series by the first time; I used to watch it religiously (But somehow I missed the final three episodes) even when several of its themes totally went over my head back then.

Sure, at first glance it might seem another Power Rangers-esque series, with all the usual conventions of the genre: Heroes with bright colored uniforms, giant combining robots, rubber monsters and eccentric-looking villains...

But rewatching it as an adult, I was somewhat surprised of how dark and dramatic the plot could get at times, despite being a show for children.

There was a lot of death, tragedies and dramatic moments, with characters having to overcome several difficulties. Even the lessons given to children at the end of the episode were a bit more complex, often dealing with the value of life and keeping your own humanity in the face of intense hardships.

In other words, it didn't talk down its audience, without sugarcoating stuff as many American shows tend to do.

Shows and movies like that are missing these days, with even the mildest kind of content being deemed "inappropiate" for kids by the censors and moral guardians.

I sincerely believe the antivalues pushed by many modern series (such as materialism, rudeness, willful ignorance, anti-intellectualism and celebrity/billionaires worship) are far worse and more harmful to children than anything featured here.

Liveman might be dark, but is the kind of "dark" show with lots of light underneath all the violence and drama, and I'm glad I had the chance of discovering it before the Power Rangers turned the whole genre into a bizarre teen sitcom.

Deathigner (2013)

The Little Death

[8/10 · 10 April 2024]

A charming Taiwanese short about the young apprentices of psychopomps going to Death School in order to learn how to take the souls of the livings, having as its protagonist the adorable little sucessor of the Grim Reaper, who seems to be more interested in knitting.

The animation is quite well done, with very appealing designs and pretty stylish sceneries: Personally I think this short has enough potential to be fully developed into a full feature length film, or an animated series.

Sure, the premise might seem a bit grim (no pun intended), but hey, Cartoon Network used to have a succesful show for kids with Death as one of the main characters, and I personally would love to see more of this premise.

No Problem (1992)

Battling the ego

[6/10 · 9 April 2024]

I have some hazy memories of watching a couple of scenes from this animated short during my childhood, being completely confused by its content.

I even thought I imagined it at one point.

Now that I have finally rewatched it on its entirety as an adult, I finally got its message much better. I found it amusing and clever, even though the art style used here (With the characters partially resembling stick figures, mixed with the visual attributes usually attributed to what the modern internet refers as "boomer cartoons", and the result is frankly unappealing in my opinion)

Gratuitous nudity aside, this is a pretty clever tale of a man overcoming his inner demons, with the ending recognizing that while these undesirable parts from ourselves can be dominated, they are never fully gone.

NUDE (2010)

Funny nudist animation

[6/10 · 8 April 2024]

A fun little short about an ordinary guy who suddenly finds himself fully clothed in a world where everyone is entirely naked.

It might not be a life-changing experience, but it was amusing to watch from beginning to end, taking full advantage of the medium to develop a premise that probably would be a little bit too awkward to perform in a live-action format, with a simple but charming art style.

The final twist at the end, (With everything basically being revealed to be "just a dream") was a little bit predictable, but fun to watch anyway.

Definitiley a worth-watching experience with a likeable everyman protagonist.

I personally would like to see a sequel to this.

6/10.

Mickey Mouse in Vietnam (1969)

Bleak, but effective

[6 April 2024]

Short Subject (Better known as Mickey Mouse in Vietnam) is a brief underground animation satirizing the way in which the American youth was lured to fight in the Vietnam War through fake promises of fame and glory, just for many of them to die in that senseless conflict.

Here, Mickey symbolizes the innocence and naivete of these young soldiers, crushed by the tragic, violent reality of war. In that sense, the short manages to deliver its message in a pretty effective manner disregard of any technical limitation.

However, I must say the first version of this short I saw a few years ago (which was entirely silent, before the original soundtrack was eventually rediscovered) had a much eerier vibe, giving a bleaker impression.

Dramatic Look (2007 Video)

Remembering the Dramatic "Chipmunk"

[6 April 2024]

I frankly don't know why this has an Imdb page, but then again, this old Internet meme was consider relevant enough to also warrant its own internet Wikipedia page, so here we are.

For those who are too young to remember, the "Dramatic Chipmunk" was a brief clip from a Japanese show edited to a dramatic musical cue just at the moment when a praire dog was doing a weird face while staring at the camera, becoming a huge internet hit back then, having thousands of reuploads, parodies and alternate versions everywhere online.

It was big enough to be referenced in South Park (Though by that time, the meme was already losing its popularity)

Dramatic Chipmunk comes from much simpler times, when brief clips of cute animals acting weird was enough to capture the attention of the whole internet (Think about stuff like Lolcats)

I guess that compared with modern internet memes, which are either nonsensical, or way too politicized (Often made out of spite in order to "own" the other side), this little praire dog feels way more wholesome and authentic.

I frankly will take old memes above the awful content made by the so-called "influencers" from TikTok or artificial intelligence garbage regurgitated by bots.

After a recent rewatch, I have to admit it made chuckle a bit.

Blue Bayou (1946)

Still beautiful, but not the same

[8/10 · 5 April 2024]

A mere soundtrack change is able to create a whole world of difference, as it is shown here: Originally intended as a segment for Fantasia accompanied by Debussy's Clair de Lune, the same animation directed by Samuel Armstrong was later included in the movie Make Mine Music, this time substituted with the song Blue Bayou.

The footage used here is almost exactly the same to the "Clair de Lune" version, with only difference being a small cut to make a water reflection sequence a bit shorter.

"Blue Bayou" is a nice song, and the animation used here is pretty gorgeous, but I personally think the original "Clair de Lune" version is simply much better, being in perfect synchrony with the music.

Strange how it took until the year 2000 for the public being finally able to witness this animation as it was originally intended to be, and tragically enough, it was 24 years after the death of its director.

Clair de Lune (2000)

Beautiful

[10/10 · 4 April 2024]

A very beautiful discarded sequence from the original Fantasia, quite gorgeously animated.

Shame it wasn't included in said film, since it would have been a great addition to an already wonderful movie.

The alternate version from Make Mine Music set to "Blue Bayou" is also pretty lovely, but in my humble opinion, the animation fits much better with Debussy's music, as it was originally intended.

Sad how modern Disney wouldn't even consider making something like this, being focused instead in making endless sequels or trashy live-action remakes with none of the charm their timeless classics had.

Draw (I) (2020)

Chess story

[6/10 · 3 April 2024]

Two pieces of chess engage on a deadly battle while humans are not looking.

And basically, that's it.

I think the premise is good, is just that not much is done with it, feeling more like an animation test than a proper short, having a certain "incomplete" feel, particularly during its sudden conclusion. Then again, this was an student film, and taking that in consideration, the result is quite impressing.

For some reason, it reminded me a bit to another short, named "Chateau de Sable", which also focused on a epic battle on a very small scale, told from the perspective of a little child imagining the whole thing.

I personally think "Chateau de Sable" was far more effective on its execution, but at least the nice CGI animation was enough to make Draw a worth-watching experience.

6/10.

Minotaur (2000)

The Minotaur in his labyrinth

[8/10 · 2 April 2024]

The very first short by the Portuguese filmmaker Daniel Sousa, who was nominated for an Academy award in the year 2013 for his "Feral" animation.

Here, Sousa does a very interesting adaptation of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, from the perspective of the latter: Here, the Minotaur is given a very sympathetic portrayal, as the lonely recluse of a labyrinth filled with mirrors, unable to communicate with his half-sister Ariadne without being reduced into a beastly state which terrifies her.

As expected, the Minotaur dies at the end; but his death is shown as an unjust, almost treasonous act: Here Theseus gives his enemy a false sense of hope before offing him.

A very stylish tale with a great atmosphere, which deserves a much higher score here on imdb than just a mere 6.1.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

And the Word was made flesh

[8/10 · 31 March 2024]

I had somewhat mixed opinions about this film the first time I watched it: For starters, I got the impression Willem Dafoe was miscast, being completely different of the idea I had of Jesus Christ.

In retrospect, I guess I completely missed the point of the movie, which was to give a take a different approach from all the previous, far more reverent film adaptations of the Gospel, focused on the divine side of Jesus, while in this version focused in his human side instead, struggling with his role as the Messiah, being so filled with doubt that at moments almost seems to be a madman.

Even today, I can see why the movie was so controversial, often going with many beliefs commonly accepted by many christians all around the world (From subtle things, such as the Virgin Mary herself doubting about "the voices" Jesus keeps hearing at the beginning, to far more shocking elements, such as the infamous Mary Magdalene love scene)

It was such a different perspective I had some trouble to merely consider it during my youth. After all this time, I still think there is a certain haunting elements which makes me understand perfectly well why so many people find it to be so blasphemous even today.

Particularly how reasonable the devil sounds at moments (Specially during the "last temptation" scene, in contrast with the inscrutable nature of God, so indifferent and distant which at moments it almost feels like He was completely absent in this story.

It might not be as gratuitous as Mel Gibson's overrated gorefest, but I think this might be the bleakest Jesus movie of all time, with him struggling alone with the devil in cruel world, with the strong possibility of God only existing inside his own mind.

Very haunting, but quite memorable nonetheless.

Mr Hublot (2013)

Very pleasant

[8/10 · 31 March 2024]

What a charming little short.

Sure, the story might not be particularly groundbreaking (Being basically another tale about how the life of a lonely character is changed once he adopts a dog) but it's still a pretty enjoyable watching experience anyway, mostly due the imaginative, nicely done visuals, and the overall gentle tone of the story.

The little "bait-and-switch" twist near its conclusion was cleverly executed.

While I have yet to see some of the other nominees at the same category from the same year, I can see why it ended winning the award for best animated short in 2013: It's quite pleasant, with a cozy feel from beginning to end.

Definitely worth-watching.

Broken Saints: Cryptic (2001) Season 1, Episode 2

My first Broken Saints episode

[9/10 · 29 March 2024]

This was the very first Broken Saints episode I ever saw in my life, being hooked almost instantly.

I remember being quite impressed by it, due its stylish comic book-esque animation and mysterious atmosphere.

Watching the original online version makes me feel glad the first episodes of the series were completely redone for the DVD release: The art was nowhere as impressive, lacking of the great atmosphere the remade version had. In addition to that, the excellent voice acting elevated the text considerably, with a great performance by Kirby Morrow.

However, it must be said the series had a great soundtrack from the very beginning, which makes me lament Tobias Tinker isn't a more well known composer: His work in Broken Saints largely surpasses the dull, derivative music from many recent Hollywood blockbusters.

My vote for the original online version of the second episode is 6/10.

I rate the final DVD version 8.5/10.

A Double Life (2018)

Better than A Single Life

[8/10 · 28 March 2024]

Another brief short by Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins and Job Roggeveen, the same trio of filmmakers behind "A Single Life", which was nominated for an Academy Award back then in the year 2014.

This is much more bizarre than A Single Life, though. And much more interesting in my opinion, following the strange tale of man whose wife slowly becomes his doppelganger.

While it does start like a silly comedy, in less than three minutes the plot starts to escalate into something akin to a thriller, particularly during its ambiguous conclusion.

I think the idea here has enough potential to be developed into a full feature length film.

A Single Life (2014)

It was okay

[6/10 · 28 March 2024]

One does have to wonder what kind of criteria the Academy follows at the moment of choosing the nominees for the category of Best Animated Short Film.

More often than not, the choices feel absolutely random, sometimes picking rather forgetable titles while much more impressive, daring works tend to be completely snubbed.

I simply can't tell why this short was even nominated. I won't say it's bad (It isn't), but neither the plot and visuals are particularly remarkable in any way or another.

The premise had a lot of potential, but not much is done with it.

At least it goes directly to the point, without any unnecessary buildup.

It was okay, but could have been more.

The song was nice.

Street Fighter II: V (1995)

A childhood favorite

[28 March 2024]

When I was a little kid I was quite into Street Fighter. Street Fighter II was one of the very first videogames I played during my life. I even liked that cheesy movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme (Though not so much the animated series inspired by that movie, but I watched it anyway)

I love watching this series too, despite it having several differences with the videogame, having a more "grounded" tone, with more realistic fighting techniques instead of superpowers. (Granted, the famous "Hadouken" eventually appears, but much later in the series, and is given a much more mystical aura)

The focus in the friendship between Ryu and Ken made the series very enjoyable, even at its darkest and more dramatic moments. (I honestly disliked how the American cartoon turned Ken into an unlikeable doofus, while he was a pretty sympathetic guy here)

The art from the series was nice, with a more realistic aesthetic than most anime shows from the same era.

After a recent rewatch of a couple of episodes, I think the series aged pretty well, both narratively and visually. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I still consider this one of the best videogame adaptations, disregard of the many changes made to the story and characters.

Fox and the Whale (2016)

Perplexing, but mesmerizing

[8/10 · 27 March 2024]

This has some rather gorgeous visuals, particularly in its depiction of natural sceneries.

The wonderful animation, combined the mysterious atmosphere manage to give the short a very captivating quality, despite the opaque nature of the plot.

And in all honesty, I must confess I simply have no idea of what the story is supposed to mean, ot what it is the message here. Perhaps there isn't any intended message here to begin with.

Was pretty interesting to watch anyway. I particularly liked the way in which the main character was depicted, in a much more simplistic manner than the other animals, which were given a semi-realistic appearence.

The animation alone carries the whole short and makes it worth-watching.

7.5/10.

Dragon Quest: Your Story (2019)

Decent videogame movie

[7/10 · 27 March 2024]

I must confess I never played the original game in which this movie was inspired; in fact, my only familiarity with the Dragon Quest franchise was watching the 1991 anime series during my childhood.

I still remember the initial backlash this movie got, having a much lower score here on imdb for a while. I assume the reason of that negative reception was the plot twist reveal near the conclusion of the story, but personally I don't think the movie was nowhere as bad as some reviews claimed.

In fact, it was a fairly enjoyable adventure flick which does adapt many conventions from Japanse roleplaying games into a 3D format, with a rather pleasant visual style (Even it occasionally resembles the cutscenes from a videogame, though considering the final plot twist, maybe such kind of aesthetic was pretty apt)

Sure, I can understand perfectly well why the fans would have preferred an entirely faithful adaptation of the original game, but even after the controversial plot twist reveal, the movie still shows a lot of love for this world and its characters, particularly in the way the main character confronts the villain, delivering a decent anti-escapism message without deriding the fans. (Something I wish Hollywood was able to learn)

And I really appreciate that, even from the perspective of a casual viewer with not much knowledge of this franchise.