How Green Was My Valley (1941 Movie)
John Ford’s classic may be most recognized today as “the film which stole Best Picture from Citizen Kane” but I’d argue that’s rather ignorant of its accomplishments. How Green Was My Valley is as close to pure visual poetry as narrative cinema gets to the point where it’s even too perfect for my liking. The way each shot flows into the next is seriously unlike anything else I’ve seen in the medium. That being said, it did somewhat lack that level of personality beyond technical accomplishment which I desire from cinema—and it’s certainly no Citizen Kane.
The Nibelungens (1924 Movies)
Released in two parts subtitled Siegfried and Kriemhild’s Revenge, Fritz Lang proves himself to be one of the unmistakable masters of silent era cinema. This fantasy epic shines with expressionism from head to toe. The production values are off the charts, as to be expected from a UFA work. A timeless mythological fantasy celebrating its 100th anniversary this very year!
Rebecca (1940 Movie)
The first film I’ve seen on nitrate! Admittedly I don’t see much difference between regular film and this more classical format (although the general print quality was quite great on this occasion), but I adored Rebecca even more than I expected to! Every twist that should’ve been predictable grabbed my attention, there was a shocking amount of genuinely great jokes for such a gothic thriller, and Judith Anderson gives the performance of a lifetime! Potentially as splendid as Hitchcock’s later masterpieces despite being his breakthrough American work.
Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space (2002 Movie)
My second watch of this underappreciated cult classic, and I fear I may have resonated with it way more now than I did on my first. The imagery on display in Tamala 2010 is unfathomably mad, lending itself perfectly to this surreal and oddly political fable. I don’t want to say too much about this one so I’ll leave it at that, but do note that this gets the highest recommendation possible from me.
Anne of Green Gables (1979 TV Series)
Talahata’s amazing third and final installment in the prestigious “World Masterpiece Theater” broadcast lineup is easily his most iconic. From the meticulously detailed forest to the lake of shining waters, every background shines just as every little character movement displays an elegance almost unseen in animation made for the small screen. Of course, the tale Anne of Green Gables tells is just as iconic and wonderful as it’s always been. Very much a treat for the eyes and the soul.
Burn Up W (1996 OVA Series)
A fun, charming OVA that may just be a little too anime for some. The first half especially goes all-in with the fanservice and slapstick. However, those latter two episodes are genuinely super enjoyable and even a little intense. Wonder how the sequels stack up.
Higurashi When They Cry: Meguri (2021-2024 Manga)
After the rather perplexing Higurashi requel anime project left fans upset, they turned to the promisingly different manga tie-in. While Meguri does make notably more sense than its animated counterpart and has a far better finale, I’m still left confused as to what the point to all this was. It just feels silly, useless, and oblivious to the original text.
Shenmue III (2019 Video Game)
I was a little weary going into Shenmue III due to its less-than-stellar reputation. Fortunately, few of my fears were warranted. This game is, by all means, the very same Shenmue I’ve come to adore. Sure, it’s incredibly buggy, the combat sucks, and the character animations may very well come from hell itself, but behind all that is more of the wonderful magic which the first two games had. It does admittedly feel like a bit of a “breather game”, which makes sense coming right after the bombastic Shenmue II but not for something people waited eighteen years for.
Not much this week, but all good stuff as usual. Higurashi Meguri did make me lose quite a bit of good will towards Ryukishi, though. I loved seeing Rebecca in theaters and had a blast completing Anne! What more could I really ask for?
