Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

I can't exactly say I know what the point of "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" was, but it was beautifully shot and interesting to watch.

I've read reviews of people saying Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is slow enough to be boring, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Maybe it was just because of the mood I was in when I watched it. I could totally relate to how disconnected Kumiko was from everything that was going on in her life.

Tai Chi Zero

Tai Chi Zero really only exists to set up Tai Chi Hero. It looks amazing, but it's super cheesy.

I saw a trailer for Tai Chi Hero, and it looked cool, so I decided to check out the prequel before I saw it. I read on IMDb that Hero was better than Zero, so I wasn't expecting much. The whole kitschy/cheesy/video game feel was kind of obnoxious. It wasn't my thing. I didn't like the pop-ups about the style, or the diagrams that showed up under people's feet. And I especially didn't like the part where it would say "That's Angelababy as Chen Yu Niang! She's a famous actress!" It really took you out of the movie, and I don't know who those actors are, anyway.

The Illusionist

The Illusionist's beautiful animation is captivating, but the story is really depressing.

Triplets of Belleville was a great movie. I loved the musicality of it, and how there was hardly any (no?) dialogue. The Illusionist is also beautifully animated. I love the small quirks of the animation, like how The Illusionist's hands move when he packs up his poster. I loved how crazy the rabbit was. But ultimately it's basically the saddest movie ever, and if I had known that going in, I probably wouldn't have watched it.

Avatar

Apparently James Cameron had been waiting his whole life to make Pocahontas in CG. Not exactly what I was hoping for.

I think it was really pretty, though. I'm not sure for certain because I saw it in 3D. Since I have astigmatism, I can't really see 3D that well, so it pretty much just gave me a headache. But I'm betting it was gorgeous if you could see it properly.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

A refreshing movie after the last two. It really captures the simple, beautiful things. The story's nothing spectacular, but it's not hard to watch. I didn't like the ending, though.

Hero

At first I was like, "this is so unrealistic. lame," but then I realized we were watching someone tell a story, so I was okay with it. I loved the use of color, and all the different versions of the story. Maggie and Tony are pretty, and Jet's great as always, although I got a few more shots of his pudgy little hands than I would've liked. Overall, it was a great movie.

Armitage III: Poly-Matrix

Beautifully done.

Ghost in the Shell

Beautiful and slightly philosophical.

Seraphim Falls

Beautiful, but boring in bits.