animated – Page 3 – PopCult Reviews

Movie Review – Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress (2001)
Written by Sadayuki Murai and Satoshi Kon
Directed by Satoshi Kon

Perfect Blue was my introduction to Satoshi Kon, which blew my mind. It was my first time seeing anime that wasn’t fantastical but grounded in reality. However, that didn’t stop Kon from showing us why animation was the best way to present this story. He did things with animation that were impossible with live action or too cost-prohibitive. Still, it felt right at home with any Hitchcock or De Palma psycho-thriller. Over the 2023 holidays, we watched Tokyo Godfathers, another film whose premise doesn’t automatically lead one to animation. However, Kon shows us again why he could only tell this story the way he wanted with the near-limitless possibilities of the form. Going into Millennium Actress, I wondered how he would showcase the art form with this film.

TV Review – Neon Genesis Evangelion: Episodes 1 thru 6

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Episodes 1-6
Written by Hideaki Anno, Yōji Enokido, and Akio Satsukawa
Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hiroyuki Ishidō, Tsuyoshi Kaga, and Keiichi Sugiyama

My track record with anime has not been fantastic. I find I more often prefer anime films over long-form series. Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue) has become a favorite, though I have yet to see Paprika. Hayao Miyazaki is a genre of animation unto himself, so if anything, that’s an entire branch of anime separate from the rest. Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) is a visionary whose work staggers me every time I see it. While I haven’t done a deep dive into it yet, Mamoru Oshii’s work, like Ghost in the Shell, is fascinating. When it comes to anime shows, my most significant exposure was being in the room during college while friends watched Dragonball Z on Toonami every afternoon. I was not a fan. I had other friends who were into things like Inuyasha, and I watched films like Vampire Hunter D. A few years ago, I took in a couple of Attack on Titan episodes, but it just wasn’t for me.

PopCult Podcast – Babe: Pig in the City/Happy Feet

George Miller, creator of Mad Max, has made some pretty good family fare. This week we look at one which is a pig’s wild adventure in urban environs and the other is a jukebox musical about penguins.

TV Review – The Venture Brothers Season Six

The Venture Brothers Season Six (Adult Swim)
Written by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer
Directed by Jackson Publick & Juno Lee

If you weren’t around or paying attention when these seasons were aired initially, you wouldn’t understand the vast chasms of time fans had to wait for the next installment. The time between the end of season one and the start of season five encompasses eleven years. A lot happened in the world and in popular media during that time, and often, it took a little while for the show to reflect those changes. One thing I wondered when I sat down to finally watch the entire Venture Brothers series was if, at any point, the emergence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would play a role. With season six, we finally got to that point. It is, in my opinion, the superhero season.

TV Review – The Venture Brothers Season Five

The Venture Brothers Season Five (Adult Swim)
Written by Doc Hammer & Christopher McCulloch
Directed by Christopher McCulloch

If you make it to season five of The Venture Brothers, you must enjoy the show. Coming off the incredible high of the season four finale, I was interested in seeing where the show went next. Season three had been concerned with building out the world and many supporting players, with Hank & Dean getting little screen time. Season Four allowed the brothers to develop into more complex characters, especially Dean, as he faced the challenges of being a grown-up. Season Five is a happy medium between these: the brothers keep developing as characters, and our supporting players pop up consistently. Doctor Orpheus and his Triad comrades are the only characters who don’t get much attention.

Movie Review – Klaus

Klaus (2019)
Written by Sergio Pablos, Jim Mahoney, and Zach Lewis
Directed by Sergio Pablas

The origins of Santa Claus have been the fodder for several pieces of modern American media. Rankin-Bass’ 1970 special Santa Claus is Coming to Town sees Santa as an orphan raised by elves. The animation company would do it again in 1985 with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, based on the novel of the same name by L. Frank Baum. 1985 was also the year the producing partnership of the Salkinds put out their gaudy Santa Claus: The Movie, which provided its own take on St. Nick’s beginnings. Other films have hinted at the origins of Santa and his elves through worldbuilding, like Disney’s The Santa Clause. So, why would someone else want to tackle this again?

Movie Review – Tokyo Godfathers

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Written by Keiko Nobumoto & Satoshi Kon
Directed by Satoshi Kon

This year, I wanted to look at some Christmas-themed films & television specials that are not part of the traditional canon but aren’t a garbage fire. Last year, I did a series titled “A Very 2000s Christmas” and found that decade to have some of the most rotten, mean-spirited dreck centered around a holiday that purports to be the opposite. I needed some media that brought me Christmas cheer this year. We start with this animated feature film from Japanese master filmmaker Satoshi Kon. I first became aware of Kon when I watched his incredible psychological thriller, Perfect Blue. When I found out he had made a Christmas film, it seemed like a perfect addition to this list.

TV Review – Scavengers Reign

Scavengers Reign Season One (HBO Max)
Written by Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner, Sean Buckelew, James Merrill, Jenny Deiker Restivo, and Jillian Goldfluss
Directed by Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner, Jonathan Djob Nkondo, Vincent Tsui, Rachel Reid, Christine Jie-Eun Shin, and Diego Porral

I’m not a huge fan of animated films & television. I have a soft spot for things like the films of Hayao Miyazaki or The Venture Brothers, but I don’t often gravitate toward animation. In the West, animation is still closely related to immature storytelling, leading to dreck like Family Guy or Rick & Morty. While I wouldn’t consider myself an anime fan, in the last few years, I’ve found what I’ve watched to be far more interesting than American crap. Satoshi Kon has quickly become a favorite, up there now with Miyazaki. While made by American animators, Scavengers Reign has the vibe of these Japanese productions. I was immediately thinking of Miyazaki’s Nausicaa as the characters explored the incredible alien life featured in this show. The vibe was a potent mix of chill with moments of tension & body horror.

TV Review – The Venture Brothers Season Four

The Venture Brothers Season Four (Adult Swim)
Written by Doc Hammer & Jackson Publick
Directed by Jackson Publick

The Venture Brothers is a show that still needs to improve its representation at the end of its fourth season (please stop using the r-word), but damn if this wasn’t the best run of episodes so far. The season finale clearly had more production value & time put into the animation, showcasing a level of craft that makes the pilot look like a parody. The cast has also bloomed this season, with Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer finally finding that perfect balance of the Venture family and their supporting players. I will even admit that the final moment at the boys’ homeschool prom got me teary-eyed as Brock looked at this found family. And this is just the halfway point in the overall series.

TV Review – The Venture Brothers Season Three

The Venture Brothers Season Three (Adult Swim)
Written by Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer
Directed by Jackson Publick

Season One of The Venture Brothers was rough, though very inspired. Season Two focused on tightening things up and connecting the elements introduced into this unique world. I remember the episodes from these seasons with much detail. I owned them both on DVD in the mid/late-2000s and watched them on repeat with my then-roommate Eddie. Season three came along as I was starting graduate school and dealing with some new stresses in life, so I watched it, but there were a lot of distractions. It was also the last Venture Brothers season I watched in its entirety, so everything after this will be new territory for me. Season three felt a little new as well, with sudden flashes of memories that I had seen these stories before.