As a critic who has seen over 200 films both TV movie and feature film it is impossible to write full reviews of every movie I have seen. This means it is time for one of my famous ‘Current Mini Reviews’ posts! This is where I give my brief thoughts on a film I’ve seen and let you know whether it is smile or frown worthy so here goes!

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl-

This is a movie version of the anime, and I must own I should have watched the series before seeing it. Some anime do a great job of welcoming newcomers into the films (like My Hero Academia was the best) but then others assume only fans are interested which I can understand. Nevertheless, I liked the many worlds premise that brings multiple versions of a girl named Shoko into conflict (and love) with a boy named Sakuta. It was interesting with beautiful animation. Even being a greenie I’d say it is worth a watch.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

I had the great opportunity to review this cool new documentary called Making Waves: the Art of Cinematic Sound for rotoscopers.com. In fact I even got to interview the director Midge Costin. I really enjoyed learning more about the incredible work sound designers and editors do behind the scenes to make everything pop on the big screen.

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy

The Addams Family-

Unlike most it seems, I enjoyed the animated take on The Addam’s Family. My review (make sure you are subscribed to my youtube channel for all my reviews)

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

White Snake-

This is another film I was blessed to review at rotoscopers.com and interview the director Ji Zhao. Based on the Chinese ‘Legend of the White Snake’ they have created a modern fantasy adventure with quite possibly the most beautiful CG animation ever. It has some grown up moments and is a bit uneven in tone but I still really enjoyed it and found it very new and innovative.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

One Piece Stampede-

This is another anime based on a series but the plot is simpler so I didn’t have much trouble following it. Some of the animation of this film, especially the extreme closeups wasn’t my favorite, but I liked the energy in it. It reminded me of an anime take on Mad Max Fury Road with all these pirates racing to find a buried treasure. It’s definitely not for people with sensory problems or anything like that but worth a watch.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Parasite-

This film by Korean director Bong Joon-ho lived up to the festival hype in spades. In fact, there isn’t much to fault with it. The writing is fantastic, as well as the acting, production design and score. The premise is at the same time heartbreaking, thrilling and funny. It has a message about class warfare without beating you over the head with it (like what was done in this year’s disappointing The Dead Don’t Die). The director trusts the viewers and the film he has crafted enough to not feel the need to hold your hand through every metaphor of the story. It’s definitely a movie that has stayed with me and one I hope to be able to watch again soon.

9 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Christmas Jars-

As someone who podcasts about made for TV movies it was a little jarring to see a movie like Christmas Jars on the big screen. It is definitely designed for television with even the noticeable ad breaks left in. That said, I did enjoy the film. It gave me everything I want from this kind of movie. It was sweet with a nice message about community and Christmas. The girl lies more than she needs to and the liar reveal trope is one of my least favorites but I liked everything else enough to forgive those elements. For a pretty melodramtic Christmas tearjerker it can also be quite funny (although its depiction of journalism is ridiculous I still found it funny). Christmas Jars will definitely be something families can watch together for a cheesy batch of Christmas feels!

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Arctic Dogs-

Anyone who follows this site knows I am frequently a defender of low budget CG animated films. Something like Sgt Stubby American Hero or Son of Bigfoot I have championed when other people won’t even give them a chance. So, I was willing to give Arctic Dogs a shot but unfortunately it is one of the worst animated films I’ve seen in a long time. People might criticize something like Ugly Dolls but at least there was clear effort put into that film. This is just lazy with no creativity to the story and nothing to inspire or move children. I hated pretty much everything about it. Avoid it at all costs and support better animated films like White Snake.

0 out of 10

Frown Worthy

So there you go! Let me know what you thought of these films if you got to see them. Thanks always for reading!