SNAPSHOTSweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Jaboukie Young-White), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach Continue Reading
Animation
Movie review: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Pinocchio is one of those stories that we think we know intimately and well, thanks to the 1940 Disney animated version of the book by The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (with illustrations by Gris Grimly) which has gripped the public consciousness ever since its release and which defines for many Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: Love burns fiercely if shyly in Extinguished
SNAPSHOTIn a world where flames represent love, it’s easy to get your heart burned. (courtesy YouTube (c) Ashley Anderson and Jacob Mann) Being attracted to someone romantically is pretty exciting. All those swirly emotions, all that hope, those waves of thrilling possibility – it’s a delight! But sometimes, no oftentimes, Continue Reading
Mini-mass of movie trailers: The Magician’s Elephant, Tetris and John Wick: Chapter 4
As with any storytelling medium, there’s a huge diversity of narrative options in movies. That’s on vibrantly full display with today’s selection which encompasses an animated search for belonging and connection, some tense Cold War politicking bundled up with an origin story and some good old-fashioned, globetrotting shoot-em-up vengeance like Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The Kite and a beautifully moving story of connection
SNAPSHOTSummer is about to end, and while fruit is growing ripe on the trees, Grandpa gives his beloved Grandson a kite. The kite is strong and tosses the boy around in the air, but Grandpa catches him. Leaves begin to fall and Grandpa has grown weak. The srong autumn wind Continue Reading
Boldly going animatedly towards … Thoughts on Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3
Star Trek is by and large, occasional episodes of whimsy aside, very serious science fiction. Predicated on the laudably idealistic premise that humanity, some centuries hence, has finally got its collective sh*t together and ventured into the stars where it has associated with likeminded alien species in a bravely enduring Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: Spend some whimsical time with A Tennis Ball on His Day Off
SNAPSHOTA tennis ball reflects on aging, self-improvement, hustle culture, and his own impending mortality. But in a cute way. Tennis Ball on His Day Off is written and directed by animation filmmaker / 3D artist Julian Glander … This was commissioned by and produced by Cody Dematteis at [Adult Swim] Continue Reading
Retro movie review: Peter Rabbit
It’s always a delicate path to navigate when you take a well-loved heritage property and attempt to give it a bright, shiny, newly relevant glow. Sometimes it can work a treat bringing a whole new raft of converts to stories that might otherwise have been deemed too old or fuddy-duddy, Continue Reading
Give a little whistle! Disney voice actors and their animated counterparts captured in supercut
SNAPSHOTIn honor of the 99th anniversary of Walt Disney Studios, video editor Thomas H. Smith compiled an amazing supercut of iconic Disney voice actors and foley artists performing their roles side by side with their animated selves from their films. (synopsis (c) Laughing Squid) If you are the kind of Continue Reading
Movie review: Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Finding your people is one of life’s greatest joys. Not simply because belonging somewhere is the kind of cosy contented rush that money can’t buy, but because your family, and that’s what they are are in every meaningful respect, often take a form and an expression that you didn’t see Continue Reading