I consider myself a cinephile which means I have a passion for the film industry and I dream one day of joining. Pompo: The Cinéphile is an anime movie from Studio Clap that’s about an assistant to B-movie producer Pompo named Gene. Pompo writes an artistic script but puts Gene in charge of both directing and editing the film. In a way this movie is kind of like Ed Wood or The Disaster Artist is they were anime movies.

This movie manages to show the positive side of filmmaking but also doesn’t shy away from some of the cons of it either. There’s great scene where they need a bunch of sheep for a scene but most of them were eaten so Gene uses a smoke machine and cardboard sheep. We also see how risky it is to do reshoots since most of the crew has already left and they need more money. If I had one problem is that the bank sub plot is not that interesting. Still, that’s just a nitpick. The movie also gives great filmmaking advice like how to grab people’s attention with a good tv spot.

All the characters are very likable but the two that really stood out to me are Gene and Pompo. The scenes where Gene is editing the movie which has probably the best animation in an already wonderfully animated movie (the sword cutting the film is a great touch) reminds me a lot of when I took a video editing class in college. Pompo is definitely my favorite character. She’s so upbeat and full of energy and I love how passionate she is for movies. She gives great advice and I also agree with her reason of not liking long movies (no offense to Avengers Endgame).

Pompo: The Cinéphile is up there with Belle as not just one of my favorite Anime movies but also one of my favorite movies of all time. This is a movie that really speaks to anyone with a love for cinema and anyone who dreams of entering the film industry including me. Its a film that is worthy of winning every Osc… I mean Nyacademy Award. Why are the best movies I’ve seen this year both anime and technically from last year?

Verdict:

+ Gene

+ Great filmmaking advice

+ Pompo

+ The animation

+ The pros and cons of filmmaking

-Bank sub plot

Score: A+

Rick, you son of a bitch I’m in

DreamWorks Animation hasn’t really caught my interest in a very long time until now. The Bad Guys is about a group of criminal animals led by Mr.Wolf, when one of their heists fails Wolf tells everyone that they plan to become good though really it’s a cover up for another heist. Wolf does however end up having a change of heart. It’s kind of like Sly Cooper (one of my favorite game series) with the plot of Megamind set in a world populated by both humans and animals like BoJack Horseman.

Now the story of a bad guy turning good isn’t particularly new in animated movies, in fact DreamWorks already did this in Megamind. Spoilers: This movie does have a bunch of familiar tropes seen in other family films. There’s a 2^nd act break up between Wolf and his gang. There’s also an obvious twist villain in the form Professor Marmalade. I also think that twist that Professor Marmalade was disguised as the old lady Mr. Wolf saved seemed too forced. It would’ve been fine if Marmalade and the old lady were two separate characters.

The best thing about this movie is the animation. This is one of the best-looking DreamWorks movies I’ve ever seen. I’m really happy that recent animated movies are using the 2d/3d hybrid method like in the Peanuts Movie, Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse, and the Mitchells vs the Machines. Apparently, the animators looked at for inspiration from Spider-Man so that’s a really good sign. I also really love the character designs which are very cartoony, and the facial expressions are great. What also helps give these characters so much energy is the voice talent. Everyone puts on there A game especially Sam Rockwell as Mr.Wolf who I think is the biggest standout.

The Bad Guys is one of the better DreamWorks animated movies in recent history. It has the charm of Sly Cooper with the visually astonishing visuals of Spider Man into the Spider-Verse. I’m really glad DreamWorks is also using this same method for Puss in Boots 2 and I hope they do more movies with unique styles in the future.

Verdict:

+Great voice talent

+Visually amazing

-Familiar family film tropes

-The Old lady

Score: A-

I finally got around to seeing Everything Everywhere All at Once. This is first movie from A24 I’ve ever seen since I’ve actually never seen one A24 movie until now. Mostly because 1. there mostly horror/drama films, 2.They never usually show at any of my local movie theaters. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to see it but I was lucky enough to find a screening. Everything Everywhere All at Once is about a struggling Chinese woman named Evelyn that discovers the ability to verse-jump.

Spoiler warning: The verse jumping is a little hard to understand at first but it gets easier as the movie goes on and it’s actually a very creative and unique. I do like that instead of just traveling to different dimensions; the characters actually take over the minds of their alternate selves and even gain some of their abilities. Some of the stuff they do to jump is hilarious. Speaking of which the comedy in the film is great, there’s a brilliant reference to a Pixar movie that I don’t want to give away but it cracked me up. There’s also a bunch of comedy in the action scenes which are really badass and fun. I will admit that this movie at maybe too many climaxes near the end but to be fair there are really good climaxes. One of them involves Evelyn and Jobu in a dimension where they are rocks.

The cast of this movie is amazing and every one managed to nail their roles. Michelle Yeoh is terrific as Evelyn Quan Wang. Honestly seeing Evelyn in the opening scene reminds me a lot of my Mom. Stephanie Ann Hsu is good as Evelyn’s daughter Joy Wang, but I think she really shined as Jobu Tupaki who is such an entertaining and interesting villain. Her first fight scene with the guards is amazing and hilarious. Other standout performances include Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang/Alpha Wang, and James Hong as Gong Gong.

I don’t do acid but man this really felt like an acid trip. People say Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the best movies of the year and I completely agree. It’s hilarious, touching, and most of all completely insane. This is a movie that can be enjoyed in any alternate universe. Doctor Strange 2’s got a lot of competition this year.

Verdict:

+The action

+The comedy

+Unique multiverse traveling

+Wonderful acting

+/-A lot of climaxes

Score: A+