Movie Critiques
In the world of cinema, there's a vast landscape filled with diverse stories, styles, and genres. Two recent films, "964 Pinocchio" (1991) and "Bird" (2024), stand out for their unique approaches and their respective genres that have left a lasting impact.
"964 Pinocchio", a low-budget film created using guerrilla-filmmaking techniques, is widely considered as one of the best examples of the underground Japanese Cyberpunk genre. This genre, as depicted in "964 Pinocchio", is characterized by body horror, dehumanization, and identity crisis within a dystopian, hyper-technological society.
The film tells the story of a cyborg sex slave who is discarded upon losing sexual function, symbolizing the disposability of bioengineered humans in a brutal cyberpunk world. The character's subsequent mental and bodily decomposition—expressed through screaming, vomiting, and surreal body horror imagery—reflects a severe loss of identity and autonomy, common in the underground Japanese cyberpunk ethos.
"Bird" (2024), on the other hand, is a poignant drama about Bailey, a young woman living in a squat in northern Kent, seeking attention and adventure elsewhere. The film, which had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, received positive reviews from critics.
Meanwhile, the British New Wave got its start with "Look Back in Anger" (1959), one of the first works of the movement. Based on John Osborne's play, the film is a classic example of kitchen sink realism and tells the story of a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected working-class young man, his upper-middle-class wife, and her haughty best friend.
Other notable films from the given list include "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" (1963), a film consisting of three tales of different women using their sexuality as a means to getting what they want. The film won the Top Foreign Film prize from the National Board of Review and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 37th Academy Awards. "Fresh Kill" (1994) is noted for its influence on hacker subculture and was an official selection at the 1994 Berlin International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.
"Vengeance Is Mine" (1984) and "Vermiglio" (2024) were also reviewed by critics James Carneiro and Max Palmer, respectively, but review dates were not provided.
Each of these films offers a unique perspective and contributes to the rich tapestry of cinema, showcasing the endless possibilities for storytelling and artistic expression.
Movies-and-TV like "964 Pinocchio" and "Bird" provide entertainment with unique approaches, adding diversity to the landscape of entertainment. In the former, "964 Pinocchio", we witness a blend of cyberpunk genre elements, while "Bird" offers a poignant drama that garnered positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival.
