Ep # 86 - The Boy and the Heron [REVIEW]

After their very recent retrospective of the Studio Ghibli canon, James and Imo apply their critical binoculars to Hayao Miyazaki's latest award-winning animation 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023), starring the voices of Robert Pattison, Christian Bale, Gemma Chan, Karen Fukuhara, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe and Mark Hamill (for the English dub). Spirited away by previous Miyazaki movies, what do they think of his newest feature? They discuss everything from the stunningly detailed animation to its thematic connections with the filmmaker's wider work. Is it a fevered dream of Ghibli wonders, or just a bit bird-brained?

Just as visionary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki wins awards for his latest feature animation 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023), Imo and James decide to conduct a curated retrospective of the Studio Ghibli canon.  Picking their favourites from the director's oeuvre (and yes, it's their own subjective choices!), the anime addicts discuss their first steps into the magical world(s) of Miyazaki. They explore the now classic Ghibli themes of childhood, environmentalism, metaphysics, and love in a film from each of the last four decades: 'My Neighbour Totoro' (1988), 'Princess Mononoke' (1997), 'Spirited Away' (2001), and 'Arrietty' (2010). What is the spirit of Miyazaki? And will it be conjured again in his newest amazing animation?

Just before year's end, James and Imo review Aardman/Netflix's 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' (2023), directed by Sam Fell and starring the voice talents of Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, Jane Horrocks, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, and Miranda Richardson. Does the twenty-three (!) year wait for a sequel leave the critics feeling sunny-side up or is it rather over-egged? Alongside reflecting on the changes to the voice cast and politics of the movies, the two critics explore whether the original changed their eating habits... They'll be back in 2024 with even more overanalysis!

With 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' (2023) newly hatched on Netflix last week, Imo and James dedicate their first (and last) 'Nostalgia Hits Differently' of the year to Aardman Animation's first and favoured feature film. What do our two movie critics make of this very British take on 'The Great Escape' after so many years? They discuss the movie's surprising satire, sensational voice-acting, and its unexpected socialism. Is it still as egg-cellent as they remember or is it rather scrambled on reflection? And do they think Netflix's sequel will live up to this plucky original?

Joining in with this summer's cinema sensation, James and Imo combine forces once again to review 'Barbenheimer' (2023) - an unlikely double-bill of campy satirical fun and heavy historical reflection. First up is 'Barbie' (2023), a proudly feminist exploration of the iconic doll. Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the famous toy couple, do the critics find this 'controversial' movie an unexpected, insightful delight or just brightly inanimate? Following on from all that singing and dancing is director Christopher Nolan's latest film: 'Oppenheimer' (2023). This propulsive, dense three-hour epic, starring Cillian Murphy as the eponymous physicist, delves into the mindset of the man who helped unleashed the nuclear age. The two critics discuss the peaks and pitfalls in this Promethean morality tale of ambition and regret. Which of these two films is a victory, and which just bombs? Listen to this SPOILER-FILLED special for their reviews and discussion on the whole 'Barbenheimer' experience.

In the middle of a summer of sizzling heat and rising tides (climate change, anyone?), James and Imo find time to review Disney-Pixar's latest feature film 'Elemental' (2023), directed by Peter Sohn and starring the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen, Shila Omni, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Catherine O'Hara. Do the two Pixar fans think this rather under-publicised entry continues to ride the wave of the studio's most accomplished work, or is the spark long gone? They deep dive into the animation's themes and design choices, while discovering why the film's antagonist is Disney-Pixar's most interesting. Join their discussion on the fundamentals of 'Elemental' now!

Having taken a biplane back from their nearest picture house, Imo and James review the latest swan-song of yet another 20th Century IP: 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' (2023), directed by James Mangold and starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, John Rhys Davies, Antonio Banderas, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Boyd Holdbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen. With distant memories of the last-last Indy outing (2008's 'The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' ), what do the two critics think of this first instalment without creator Steven Spielberg at the helm? They dig down into the film's resurrection of 80's Harrison Ford, post-World War 2 Nazism in America, and whether this film excavates some deeper truth in the iconic action hero. A thrillingly final crack of the whip, or a franchise well past it's prime? Turn your volume Dial up on this latest episode!

On this Saturday morning (much like an early weekend superhero cartoon special), Imo and James broadcast their SPOILER-FILLED review of the much anticipated '⁠Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse⁠' (2023), directed by Joaquin Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers, and starring the voices of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfield, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Greta Lee, Shea Whigham, Karan Soni and Oscar Isaac. The two web-shooting critics decide whether this sequel is another scintillating cinematic web filled with enough heart, humour, visual splendour and though-provoking themes to surpass the original's brilliance or is just unravelling Sony's smash-hit with one more nostalgia-loaded, multi-versal mishmash? Join them for another swing around the ol' Spidey-Verse again!

In this SPOILER-FILLED review, Imo and James face the final flight of the rag-tag team-cum-family in director James Gunn's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' (2023), starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Linda Cardellini, Maria Bakalova, Nathan Fillion, and Chukwudi Iwuji. What do the two 'Guardians'-fans make of Gunn's last shot with this collective of beloved mad-cap misfits? Does it blast off the screen with its obvious heart-string pulling moments, ultra-violent gut-splattering action and deeply affecting, comedic cast? Or, is it yet another MCU flick that crashes and burns?  Time to hit the play button on your Walkmans people!

Dropping like a twinkling flag down a pole, James and Imo give their level scores on 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' (2023), directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, starring the voices of Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen and Jack Black. With both critics being children of the Nintendo Age (and living with the trauma of the live-action, box-office bomb 'Super Mario Bros' from 1993), they fire up their memories of Game-Boys and N64s to see how this newest video-game adaptation plays. Does it soar above similar films in the genre (like 2021's 'Mortal Kombat') or does it need to be sucked down a memory-pipe (like 2021's 'Mortal Kombat')? Alongside discussing the near 40-year 'lore' of the franchise, the two game-enthusiasts also give their thoughts on how a certain Princess goes from damsel-in-distress to miss-on-a-mission. Super-fun cinema or a broken cartridge of a movie? Click Start to Play this SPOILER-FILLED review.