Freddy's Cine It

My Last Day at Cinanima (With Eva) For my second and, ridiculously, last day (lol) in Espinho for the 49º Cinanima Festival, I took my daughter Eva to the Family Screening. This one was called "Mini Micro," a selection of short animations put together by Casa de Animação, held on November 9th at the Centro Multimeios. I'm gutted that I couldn't stay for the whole week... 😞 I really wanted to see the international and national competition screenings. But for now, I'm just doing my own little competition here at Cine It. 😛 So, here's the full list of the shorts we saw, ranked from my favorite to my least favorite. 📅 A Quick Note By the time I'm posting this, the festival is still running (it ends on November 23rd). If you're anywhere near Espinho, make sure you catch it. It's seriously worth the visit. 🥇 Cine It Gold: Tiger (2010) In first place, no contest, is Tiger (or Tige...

Plot Summary: A Czech stop-motion animation about a chubby 12-year-old named Ben (Pipetka) navigating the brutal realities of childhood obesity, bullying, and rejection, while trying to find joy in life despite being betrayed by his own body during puberty. Director: Kristina Dufková Written by: Petr Jarchovský, Anna Vášová, Barbora Dřevikovská Based on: La vie, en gros (French bestseller) Produced by: Matěj Chlupáček Cinematography: Václav Fronk Music: Michal Novinski Original Czech Voices: Hugo Kovács, Tatiana Dyková, David Novotný, Klára Melíšková Portuguese Dubbed Version: Alexandre Carvalho as Ben Carolina Salles as Klara Gonçalo Lima as Erik André Ramos as Max Tiago Peralta as Ben's Father   A Trip to Espinho and a Stop-Motion Surprise This year, I decided to take the family on a 3-hour ride to Espinho for o...

Plot Summary: The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do "one last job" by an all-female squad of criminals. Director: Pierre Perifel Screenplay: Yoni Brenner, Etan Cohen Based on: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey Edited by: Jesse Averna Music: Daniel Pemberton Produced by: Damon Ross Starring: Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf Marc Maron as Mr. Snake Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula / "Webs" Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington / Crimson Paw Danielle Brooks as Kitty Kat Natasha Lyonne as Doom / "Susan" Maria Bakalova as Pigtail Petrova Alex Borstein as Misty Luggins Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ ...

Plot Summary: Three talented young K-pop trainees discover they have supernatural abilities to battle ancient demons lurking in modern-day Korea. They must balance their demanding training for a much-anticipated debut with their secret mission to protect the world. Directors: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Screenplay: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Producer: Michelle Wong Music: Marcelo Zarvos Starring: Arden Cho as Rumi May Hong as Mira Ji-young Yoo as Zoey Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu Yunjin Kim as Celine Ken Jeong as Bobby Lee Byung-hun as Gwi-Ma   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Peer Pressure & Pleasant Surprises My daughter came home from school the other day looking like she'd been left out of the cool kids' club because she was the only one who hadn't seen Kpop Demon Hunters. I knew right then my Satur...

Plot Summary: After a traumatic experience with her father, a young girl named Nanhe drifts into a fantastical underwater world. There she meets Shenxiu, the chef of a floating restaurant, and embarks on a dreamlike adventure filled with bizarre creatures and surreal landscapes, ultimately revealing deeper truths about loss, acceptance, and healing. Director: Tian Xiaopeng Screenplay: Tian Xiaopeng Producers: Qiao Yi Cinematography: Mazhiyuan Cheng Music: Mao Buyi, Tang Hanxiao, MIUMIU Starring: Tingwen Wang as Shenxiu Xin Su as Nanhe Kuixing Teng as Dafu Ting Yang as A Hua Jing Ji as Mama   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Forget 'Spirited Away' Keeping up with my Chinese movie journey, I stumbled upon a film that, oddly enough, none of my friends on Red Note recommended. They must be missing out, because Deep Sea by director Tian Xia...

Plot Summary: Born as a demon orb reincarnation instead of a spirit pearl, Ne Zha is destined to bring destruction to the world. Despite the heavenly gods' decree, his parents refuse to kill him and instead raise him with love while hiding the truth about his origin. As Ne Zha grows up ostracized by his community, he must choose whether to accept his demonic fate or fight to forge his own destiny. Director: Jiaozi Screenplay: Jiaozi Story by: Yi Qiao, Wei Yunyun Based on: Investiture of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin Music: Wan Pin Chu Produced by:   Wei Yunyun, Liu Wenzhang Starring: Lü Yanting as Ne Zha Joseph Cao as Ao Bing Han Mo as Li Jing Chen Hao as Taiyi Zhenren Lü Qi as Lady Yin Zhang Jiaming as Shen Gongbao   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Ancient Gods and Modern Jokes I had some time to watch a movie with my daughter...