The Boy and the Heron: visual virtuosity can’t compensate for a tired formulaic plot and dubious motifs
Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron” (2023) A decade after “The Wind Rises”, the
Tag: Fantasy
Labyrinth: coming-of-age fantasy film let down by music and the passage of time
Jim Henson, “Labyrinth” (1986) A film very much of its time, “Labyrinth” has not aged
British Films | North American Films
Tenet: beneath the gloss and sci-fi gibberish, a banal plot with flat characters appears
Christopher Nolan, “Tenet” (2019) For an example of how not to make a blockbuster sci-fi
Hollywood tries to squeeze blood out of the stone that is “Kong: Skull Island”
Jordan Vogt-Roberts, “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) An example of how post-2000 Hollywood is squeezing as
Bram Stoker’s Dracula: a lavish and surreal film skirting over social issues in Western society now and in the 1890s
Francis Ford Coppola, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) A visually lavish and often surreal presentation, Francis
Troy: spectacle and stereotyping instead of character study and emotional drama drawn from myth
Wolfgang Petersen, “Troy” (2004) Loosely based on Homer’s epic poem “Iliad”, this blockbuster spectacle of
The Lost King: real people and events lost in identity politics stereotypes
Stephen Frears, “The Lost King” (2022) A breezy and light film, “The Lost King” depends
Japanese Films | North American Films
Bakemono: modern-day ghost story on family relationships
Jorge Lucas, Sumire Takamatsu, “Bakemono” (2019) Even in modern times, the demons and spirits of
Eureka! – dealing with depression with comedy and skilful acting
Laura Moss, “Eureka!” (2019) I confess, I saw this comedy sci-fi fantasy short because Karen
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris: a fantasy nostalgia world where good deeds and kindness are rewarded and bad gets its just punishment
Anthony Fabian, “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” (2022) A light and lively film harking nostalgically