“Buddy” and Analogue Horror
Upon first watch, Buddy feels like it should have been aired on Adult Swim at four in the morning.

Chuya (Mitsuru Matsuoka) works as a university professor. His big dream is to make a sound map of Tokyo. He spends his days collecting sounds in Tokyo and analyzing the sounds. One day, his girlfriend Fumi (Natsumi Abe) tells him that she is leaving him and mysterious woman Mariko (Yumi Adachi) appears in front of him. Mariko, who knows about the break up of Chuya and Fumi, suggests to Chuya to wiretap Mariko’s life.
Upon first watch, Buddy feels like it should have been aired on Adult Swim at four in the morning.
Remember when there was this amazing comedy titled "National Lampoon's Vacation"? To this day, it is a true classic of the genre and certainly put a new spin on precisely what KINDS of insanity could occur when taking the fam on the road. Then, like with so many successful films, there was the sequel (which for me was even MORE of a classic than the original!). However, the third film emerged....and then a fourth. Suddenly, the luster was gone and disappointment set in.
Adapted from a 2014 novel by Atticus Lish, Preparation for the Next Life is the feature film debut of documentary filmmaker Bing Liu. With the help of screenwriter Martyna Majok, he paints a realistic and somber portrayal of Aishe, a Uyghur immigrant, as she struggles to make a living while undocumented in the United States.
The 'Hawkeye' season finale features all kinds of cool characters and resolves its loose plot threads efficiently, yet it's lacking when it comes to the vital development of its characters.
Strangers in a crowd, exchanging glances, looking away, continually managing to run into each other then part ways, end up at the same diner, find they've rented the exact same vehicles, and are then made to travel together to learn once more whether they can both find genuine adoration and companionship again. This really does, in so many words, sum up the foundational gist of of this new feature film from writer Seth Reiss ("The Menu") and director Kogonada ("The Acolyte", "After Yang"). Yet, it's all only the set-up for the REAL wonder of everything that happens before, during, and in the aftermath of a magical, meaningful journey.
"His Girl Friday" set the bar for romcoms and gave us a feminist heroine before feminism was cool.