11.30.25 i'm stuffed on movies!!! *explodes*

Before I start this month's logpost, I would like to provide a major update on the progress of my upcoming Deltarune post as I have recently released a trailer for it with the planned release date of December 25th (12.25!!!). I already have all of the assets prepared and now I'm finally putting them all together just in time for Krismas! I might have something else prepared for next month as well, who knows? Anyway, onto loggin'!

While I've already listened to a lot of the remixes of songs that I'm already familiar with when this record released, I figured that I would listen to the whole thing this month in anticipation for Himera's new album. This huge collection of remixes is a good encapsulation of Himera's signature cartoonish sparkly sound paired with their specific range of influences from early 2010s pop to the work of PC Music. I'm more likely to just come back to the tracks I'm familiar with here, particularly in the back half of the album, but it's still a fun and relatively consistent listen for fans of their sound nonetheless.

Fav Tracks: Audio (Smiling Mix), DJ Every Night (Teenage Dream DJ Mix), I Look Into UR Eyes, Run Away With Me (Firework Remix), Call Me Maybe (Dancefloor Remix), Bronze, detonate, nightime, IDL

wow

The singles that came out of this album made me a little skeptical as they seemed to pivot away from the more unpredictable arrangements established on Sharing Secrets and toward more conventional trance/EDM structures of buildup and release. As a result, a lot of tracks here feel like they lack the momentum that Himera's previous album had, though a few tracks do have a strong enough payoff to warrant frequent revisits from me. Not their most consistent offering, but I'm at least glad that they're still putting heart into their work.

Fav Tracks: n-eThing4U, Aeiou, Dizzy, I Still See You, Sweet Dream

wow

As much as I regret falling into the trap of allowing fandom to define my relationship with her work when I was younger, I still enjoy and look forward to much of Rebecca Sugar's artistic output and this new album is no exception. Between this and the songs she wrote for Steven Universe, I feel like her songwriting is able to stand out the best when it is backed by orchestration and a more theatrical presentation, which are very solidly executed here to punctuate the variety of emotions that she conveys from track to track. Very heartfelt listen and a great check-in on one of my favorite creators!

Fav Tracks: Ice Water, Figure It All Out Together, Hill to Die On, Love the Way It Feels

wow

The power struggle and race for survival amongst the film's main group of rabbits at the center of its narrative is very engaging in its own right, but I feel like the film really shines in its abstract depictions of mythology, the afterlife and how it gives the main characters a sense of purpose. The story of El-Ahrairah shown at the beginning and the haunting yet emotional imagery of the Black Rabbit set to "Bright Eyes" remain the most memorable highlights of this film, even more so than the more violent and gory scenes that it became notable for.

wow

I watched this alongside the original Addams Family movie on Halloween and while it definitely feels more disjointed than the first film due to its numerous subplots, it also feels a lot more actively satirical of privileged life between Pugsley and Wednesday attending a patronizing and racist summer camp and Fester marrying a rich murderer who preys on their fortune. Despite each plot feeling somewhat self-contained, all of them together sort of make this film work as a character study of the Addams, showcasing each part of the family being pushed beyond their comfort zone to reaffirm the supportive nonconventionality that the family stands for.

wow

It's a very bittersweet peek into the life of a late 1950s vaudeville magician whose craft is on the verge of becoming obsolete with the emergence of a changing entertainment industry. With this setup, this film could've very easily become pessimistic about how fast culture changes and how entertainers and artists are expected to catch up with new forms or risk being seen as useless, but the focus it places on its characters and the use of stationary wide shots throughout the film add a sense of humanity and grounded realism to the story even amidst its more cartoonish character designs. Definitely one of my favorite watches this month.

wow

I'm a sucker for any adaptation of Frankenstein that gives you the monster's perspective so I was seated for this from beginning to end. I do agree with many that there is a lot less moral ambiguity in this one as Victor is largely framed as an abusive parent to his creation, leaving the monster himself to be seen as more of a victim, though I loved seeing the monster discover humanity through finding the blind man's farm. That part of the story was especially adapted in a very heartfelt way. The gore effects were gruesome and great too!

wow

I feel like too many people underestimate the value of animation as a medium to tell more personal stories because this was a really beautiful film! I find it most impressive that a lot of this was based on events that author Amélie Nothomb experienced in her really early childhood considering how I don't really remember much of my perception of the world at 2 or 3 years old. There was also a lot of very creative cinematography on display here that seamlessly combines reality with her imagination, which is always a delightful duality to see in animation. Another interesting note: the screening of the film that I attended came with the short film Eiru, which interestingly, echoes Little Amélie's themes of cultural unity by way of caretaking. Hope this film gets more traction eventually!

wow

This film looks, sounds and smells like 2012. That alone gives it such an innate charm, though as fun as it is to see these psychic kids floating around and having fun, I feel like it kind of loses itself when Andrew decides to become The Bad Guy. I get that the fact that he is the victim of an abusive father adds some bit of moral ambiguity and context to his actions, but I feel like the film focuses too much on the spectacle of his path of destruction for that ambiguity to really reveal itself.

wow

I didn't expect this film to partially be a racial take on Adaptation where a struggling writer tries to avoid common tropes in his writing and contends with the reasons why those tropes exist in the first place. Where it differs, however, is in the attitude of its protagonists as while Adaptation's Charlie Kaufman is incredibly self-conscious about making his screenplay work, American Fiction's Thelonious Ellison is bitter enough to write a purposely cliched book under a pen name out of spite. I believe that a lot of the scenes that focus on his personal life were supposed to tie further thematically into his understanding of why Black literature typically focuses on specific issues, challenging his view that they are written that way simply to pander to clueless white people, though those two narrative threads seem to remain apart for most of the film. Despite that, it does still manage to be relatively fascinating in its more satirical moments.

wow

I enjoyed being taken in by the haunted atmosphere of this film, which was only enhanced by seeing it on the big screen as its abstract narrative gave off the impression of looking at an animated painting. Likewise, its overall meaning may differ from person to person, making for a fruitful discussion if seen with the right people and reminding us that sometimes, art can't really be 'solved' as much as it can be seen through different eyes.

wow

I've heard very mixed reception about this film despite it being a Best Picture winner and now that I've watched it, I feel kind of mixed about it myself. It mimics the style of old 1920s silent films so accurately that a lot of the time, I feel like it forgets to have its own identity in the process and the drama at its climax felt kind of overwrought. However, I do respect how it questions the need for art to be a competition and I love its usage of Dutch angles during that one dream sequence. Not much else to say about this one, it was alright I guess.

wow

I remember refusing to see the rest of this film in my old high school film appreciation class because I was afraid that it promoted a viewpoint that justified feelings of unearned superiority over other people out of understanding the destructive nature of the systems that govern our modern world. Watching this movie in full for the first time allows me to appreciate the nuances behind the characters a lot more, particularly Morpheus, who is shown to be knowledgeable on the fabricated nature of the Matrix yet remains stoic to the point of not anticipating Cypher's disillusionment with and betrayal of the Rebellion. I now realize that not enough people are able to recognize the intrinsically human elements of The Matrix that make its main conflict against corporatized captivity all the more meaningful, especially considering the modern coopting of its 'red pill, blue pill' motif into ideologies that run counter to the humanitarian freedom that this film stands for. With all that said, I'm excited to see how the battle develops in its sequels!

wow

To be honest, my enthusiasm for the Wicked movie kind of died a little while after the first film came out, probably because I was burnt out on how much it was marketed. For the most part, this new film stays true to the musical very closely except in the motivations behind Nessarose's character, which I don't mind them changing but I do take issue with how they didn't commit enough to those changes for her arc to feel more impactful. The new songs feel kind of forgettable, but at least "As Long As You're Mine" and "No Good Deed" are still here, which are such inherently good tunes that they make the experience of watching this somewhat worth it.

wow

Changing the subject to Oz adaptations with good art direction, this film was such a blast to watch! Its blend of elaborate fantasy setpieces and on-location filming in New York really adds a dreamlike quality to the movie as Dorothy's memories blend seamlessly with her imagination, which is also reflected in the reimaginings of characters like the Munchkins as graffiti drawings and the flying monkeys on motorcycles. While not every musical sequence quite works for me, the Emerald City and Evillene sequences remain highlights that fully embrace the surrealist spectacle of the land of Oz perfectly. Just an all-around campy fun time all the way through!

wow

Whew! This was a pretty long post this month! I've really been filling up on movies this Thanksgiving. Don't forget to check back here Krismas Day for A [HeartShapedObject]'s Diary! See you then!