Micro Review December 2023

Shin Godzilla (Theatrical Film) – Anno shows what bureaucrats can do when they are doing their jobs. Science and team work stop Gojira’s rampage.

The Boy and the Heron (Theatrical Anime Film) – A boy deals with grief while taking a trip into a fantastical world. It is wibley woobly timey wimey. It is a personal story that only Miyazaki can tell.

Poor Things (Theatrical Film) – A man makes a woman. That woman searches for her own path in the world. There are some bumps, but they are part of her development. This looks beautiful. It is a challenging story.

Eyes Wide Shut (Theatrical Film) – Dr. Harford takes a strange journey one night that has strange consequences. Kubrick examines the pro and cons of the sexual revolution in this man’s journey. People expected something that was not coming. A good end to a great career.

The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar – Three people search for a SF book that can alter reality. The writer of the book create a whole church from this book. Was it hoax or cunical attempt for cash? This is an interesting romp in the world of literary SF. We get the story of the people who were effected by the book, the book itself and the life of the writer. It looks into the power and motivations for creating art.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older – A mystery in Jupiter orbit brings back 2 lovers back together. Can a police inspector and an academic find out what is going on on the colony? This is a great SF Mystery and there is more stories coming in the future and I want more.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Theatrical Film) – Mamoa’s performance as Arthur could be obnoxious at times. It is a good action adventure film loyal to the source material. There are some pleasant surprises for the comics fans in this one.

Maestro (Theatrical Film) – We see the strengths and faults of Leonard Bernstein through the eyes of his wife Felicia. The use of Bernstein’s work was well placed. This is a good biopic.

Monstress Volume 7: Inferno (Graphic Novel) – Maika continues to learn about herself. There is some real disturbing imagery in this one but it serves the story.

Once and Future Volume 5: The Wasteland (Graphic Story) – Bridgette, Duncan, and Rose conclude the fight for Britain’s heart for now. This was a good ending with possible places to go if Keiron Gillen wants to do so later.