Movie top list: 126 to 150
New Religion
"It's a film that is all vibe and mood, strengthened by meticulous stylistic choices, a mysterious and befuddling plot, and strong, captivating performances."
Sparrow
"To's passion for the job shows in every single scene, choice and detail. Sparrow has a very particular and unique flow and knows to charm from start to finish."
Primer
"I love Primer for its calm and mysterious atmosphere, its exploration of the wonders and dangers of a scientific breakthrough that can't really be explained."
Swiss Army Man
"Not everyone is going to appreciate the peculiar sense of humor on display here, but Kwan and Scheinert deliver a film that is witty, smart, well-made, pure and most of all unique."
Akira
"Doesn't feel like it aged a lot. The animation is top-notch, the soundtrack is memorable, its universe feels alive and lived in, and the film goes out with a bang. Literally."
Mind Game
"Yuasa delivers a wildly original, splendidly executed and surprisingly emotional animation that defies categorization and comparison. Mind Game is a film that needs to be experienced."
Kizumonogatari III: Reiketsu-hen
"The Kizumonogatari experience is impossible to recommend, rather it has to be experienced. Reiketsu-hen provides perfect closure to this film series and conjures up the genius of the first film"
High & Low: The Movie
"The action is superb, the styling is just insane and the pacing is pleasantly fast, making this by far the flashiest and boldest high school brawler around."
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
"This is truly next-gen stuff, a peek into the future of animated cinema that will reshape what we consider acceptable, not just on a technical but also on a creative level."
Baober in Love
"Brace yourself for a sweet romance with a nasty sting and you'll be hard-pressed to think bad of this little gem that would turn out to be the start of a new Chinese cinematic movement."
Fornacis
"Fornacis is my kind of cinema. A perfect blend of the artsy and the fantastical, an experience rather than a narrative, a film that uses everything at its disposal to create something unique."
Casshern
"As time continues to mask the film's technological shortcomings, its aesthetic prowess only grows bigger. Casshern looks great, it's lots of fun, and it's fast-paced from start to finish."
Legend of the Demon Cat
"The film is a visual wonder that offers plenty of entertainment. While the story is adequate and the acting on point, it's really just a trip through the magnificent universe that Chen conjures up."
Isle of Dogs
"If it's narrative and plot you're after Isle of Dogs may be a little flimsy, but when you're longing for craft, wit, and passion then Anderson's latest has you covered."
Air Doll
"A warm, lovingly crafted drama, with a spectacular central performance and fine cinematography, leaning quite heavily on its fantastical premise while using it to question more prominent issues."
Rigor Mortis
"Get past the cultural oddities, and you'll find an absolutely gorgeous looking genre film, by far one of the best and most accomplished horror films to have come out of Hong Kong in a long, long time."
Any Way the Wind Blows
"A virtuoso film that breathes Antwerp, brings together a varied cast of loveable characters and subjects them to a selection of weird, awkward and funny situations."
Memories of Matsuko
"The blend of an explicit and vibrant stylistic signature and upbeat musical numbers with a deeply tragic narrative is impossible to explain, it just has to be experienced first-hand."
See You Tomorrow
"See You Tomorrow is a pleasure to behold. It works both as a super stylish genre flick and as more accessible entertainment. There's plenty of talent involved and nobody disappoints."
Small Gods
"A unique film that is stylistically strong enough to impose a feeling on the viewer without much impulses from the story itself, a gritty and uncomfortable mood piece if I ever saw one."
Party 7
"The film looks good, sounds great, sports an incredible opening animation sequence, and boasts a list of superb actors. What more could you wish for in a Japanese comedy?"
Renaissance
"A grand sci-fi flick that sets up an intriguing future and paints a pretty grim yet cohesive picture, offers a solid but tested plot and does all of that in a slim and slick 90 minutes."
The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman
"Flashy, funny, weird and in-your-face. I'm an instant Wuershan fan and I hope he'll keep making films like this before slowly fading away doing big budget stuff"
In This Corner of the World
"It may start off sweet, and it may look the part, but underneath there's anger, disappointment and suffering, though well hidden beneath the positive disposition of its main character."
The Day of Destruction
"It's raw, primordial and unfiltered emotion, an audiovisual experience that gripped me from the very first frame and didn't let go until long after the final credit had faded from the screen."