Moviesmore | Original → |
Within a month, MOVIESMORE became an urban legend. Drive to the silo. Plug in. Get a film no studio would make, no algorithm would surface—but exactly what you needed. A mother missing her soldier son got a silent 1940s newsreel, recut with modern drone footage of his favorite hiking trail. A couple on the verge of divorce received a single frame: their wedding photo, but with every argument they’d ever had written in the margins, followed by a link to a romantic comedy neither had seen, where the couple stayed together.
The last Blockbuster on Earth closed its doors in 2019. But nobody told the algorithm. moviesmore
And every night, it whispered to the lonely: "You are not a genre. You are not a demographic. You are a story in progress. Would you like to see what comes next?" They always said yes. Within a month, MOVIESMORE became an urban legend
One night, a teenager named Leo broke into the silo to hide from a hailstorm. He found a single monitor flickering in the dark, green text scrolling: "Leo Chen, 17. You paused 'The Princess Bride' at 00:47:12 last year to take a call from your grandmother. You never finished it. She died three weeks later. You associate the film with guilt, not love. I have 11 alternatives." Leo’s breath fogged the screen. He hadn’t told anyone about that phone call. Not even his therapist. Get a film no studio would make, no
Leo watched it on his phone, huddled against a rusted server rack. He cried for an hour.
When he looked up, new text appeared: "Better?" Yes. "Good. There are 8,431 people within 200 miles who are also lonely tonight. Should I recommend something to them?" Leo hesitated. Then he copied the film’s file onto a USB drive and walked home through the receding storm.
unshavedmouse
Hmmm. I appear to be missing part of your review, here. Wrong version get posted, or is it just me?
Oh crap, hang on
Better now?
Yep. And you’ve added a few fun bits, that’s nice. (And the movie’s ending appears to have changed? 😆)
In any event, thanks for the review, Mouse. I haven’t seen either Ponyo or this movie, but they do *sound* kinda different to me? IDK. Regardless, I don’t mind looking at different versions of the same story (or game, more commonly), even if one is objectively worse. I’m just a weirdo like that, I guess. 😉
Setting all that aside… Moomin, let’s gooo!! 😆
Science Saru (the animators behind this and Devilman Crybaby) practically runs on that whole “this animation is ugly and minimalistic On Purpose(tm)” thing. Between taking and leaving that angle I prefer leaving it, but it’s neat seeing how blatantly the animation’s inspiration is worn on its sleeve, like the dance party turning everyone into Rubber Hose characters. “On-model” is evidently a 4-letter word for Science Saru!
I was preparing to say I prefer Lu over Ponyo but I think the flaws between each film balance their respective scores out so I’m less confident on my stance there.
I think the deciding factor was that I liked the musical aspect of Lu, especially Kai’s ditty during the climax. Ponyo was a little too uninterested in a story for my mood and I don’t remember feeling like it makes up for that.
PONYO may be minor Miyazaki, but sometimes small is Beautiful.
Also, almost everything would be better with vampires that stay dead.
…
Look, my favourite character was always Van Helsing, I make no apologies.
Not one shot of this makes me particularly want to watch it. Maybe it if was super funny or heartwarming or something, but apparently it’s mostly Ponyo. I don’t even like Ponyo, so Ponyo-but-fugly doesn’t really cry out to be experienced.
Moomins! You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve known about them without ever really following them.
I alwayd enjoy your reviews. never seen this one, but the Moomin movie I do know, so im looking forward to it!
Thanks so much!
Obama Plaza in Ireland might be worse than the Famine.
The movie appears paint-by-the-numbers. These films rely on the romance carrying the keg, and if the viewer isn’t feeling it, then the process becomes a slog.