lee_eisenberg

I interpreted this Academy Award-nominated animated short as having the same basic gist as the 2021 miniseries "WandaVision": a lot of everything might be an illusion. Don't get me wrong: the landscape, structures and technology are real, but our lifestyles aren't necessarily so. "Big Little Lies" also dealt with this issue.

"An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It" isn't a great short, but it does force us to ask questions about what parts of our existence are set up for us so that we don't have to think about anything.

Since becoming a prominent name in cinema over the past decade, Yorgos Lanthimos has made a career out of directing some unusual stuff. The Academy Award-winning "Poor Things" was out there, but it was nothing compared to "Kinds of Kindness". This triptych depicts loosely related stories, all showing people at their most shocking (that's the best that you can say about these folks).

The movie has a few scenes that the fainthearted among us will NOT want to watch. If you can tolerate them, then more power to you. All in all, I wouldn't call the movie a masterpiece, but damned if Lanthimos hasn't made one of the most creative movies of the decade with this work. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley and Hong Chau make a formidable cast.

The remake of the 1984 classic obviously updates things a bit, but it manages to keep the original's unabashed silliness. "The Toxic Avenger" addresses corporate malfeasance and political corruption, all while giving us lots of comical gore. Maybe not to the extent that the original did, but there's plenty to enjoy here, not least the in-jokes. You're sure to have a great time.