Freddy's Cine It

Plot Summary: A film director wants to make a movie. His family has feelings about it. Two hours and thirteen minutes pass. Acclaimed by everyone except me. Norwegian Title: Affeksjonsverdi Director: Joachim Trier Writers: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier Producers: Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar Cinematography: Kasper Tuxen Editing: Olivier Bugge Coutté Music: Hania Rani Starring: Renate Reinsve as Nora Borg Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg Pettersen Elle Fanning as Rachel Kemp Anders Danielsen Lie as Jakob Jesper Christensen as Michael   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ A Universally Acclaimed Snoozefest Today I bring you the movie... let me check my notes again. Ah, right: Sentimental Value. What a boooooring movie. That's it, thank you for reading. But seriously, le...

Plot Summary: A poor construction worker and his young son struggle to make ends meet in a cramped, crumbling house. When the boy discovers a mysterious alien creature from a trash heap, he names it CJ7 and hopes it will grant him superpowers, instead he gets a poop machine gun and a broken heart. Chinese Title: 長江7號 (Cháng Jiāng 7 Hào) Director: Stephen Chow Writers: Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok, Tsang Kan-Cheong, Sandy Shaw Lai-King, Fung Chi-Keung, Lam Fung Producers: Stephen Chow, Han Sanping, Po-Chu Chui Cinematography: Poon Hang-Sang Music: Raymond Wong Ying-Wah Starring: Stephen Chow as Ti Xu Jiao as Dicky Zhang Yuqi as Ms. Yuen Lam Chi-chung as Ti's Construction Boss Jiro Lee as Mr. Cao   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ A Traumatic Trip Down Memory Lane I only have two more Stephen Chow movies left to watch to complete h...

Plot Summary: A bumbling, small-town pork butcher is secretly Agent Ling-ling-chat, China's answer to 007. Sent to recover a stolen dinosaur skull, he's armed with gadgets that do the wrong job, a partner who wants him dead, and a total absence of anything resembling competence. Carnage and absurdity ensue. Chinese Title: 國產凌凌漆 (Guóchǎn Línglíngqī) Directors: Stephen Chow, Lee Lik-chi Writers: Stephen Chow, Roman Cheung / Vincent Kok, Lee Lik-chi Producers: Charles Heung, Jimmy Heung Music: William Hu Starring: Stephen Chow as Ling-ling-chat Anita Yuen as Lee Heung-kam Law Kar-ying as Tat Man-sai Wong Kam-kong as Golden Gun Pauline Chan as Mystery Woman Lee Lik-chi as Executed Martial Arts Master   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ 007, Campiness, and The Shoe That Is A Hairdryer Today I'm continuing my exploration of Stephen...

Plot Summary: A young dinosaur with possible psychic powers dreams of becoming a champion racer while helping his father's ice cream business. With the help of a gang of heroic ducks and some seriously questionable animation choices, he enters a death-defying race that's about as coherent as it sounds. Chinese Title: 恐龙飞车 (Konglong Feiche - "Dinosaur Racing") Directors: Zhu Guo-Yang, Ding Zhuo-Qun Writers: Cen Guo-Guang, Jin Xiao-Min Producers: Ding Zhuo-Qun, Lin Qi, Liang De-Si Music: Liu Fei-Fei Starring: Li Hui-Xian as Sloan Si Xi as Onion (the Girlfriend) Jialin Ye as Dago (the Father) Luo Ji-Shang as Scar   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ Back in the Saddle with PS2-Era Dinosaurs Hello everyone, I'm finally back after a little three-month hiatus! I've been way too busy playing around with my new toy-a Pico VR head...

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...