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It can be interesting to pick up common themes among the movies nominated for Academy Awards each year. Sometimes it’s something as simple as an actor or actress appearing in multiple nominees, as is the case with Sandra Hüller giving memorable turns in Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. Or perhaps a preponderance of donkeys, like last year when EO and The Banshees of Inisherin both featured the animals (and delivered them to similar fates). Or the stories can share common themes, which surprisinlgy turned out to be the case between this year’s nominees Past Lives and Robot Dreams, a small-budgeted animated film that proved remarkably adept at exploring the ways we can move on after the end of a relationship without forgetting what made it special.
The film opens on Dog, who lives a lonely life in New York City during the 1980s. One night, he sees an advertisement for a robotic companion and immediately places an order. It arrives, with much assembly required, and so Dog gets to work, ultimately leading to the creation of Robot. As promised, the two hit it off immediately, with Robot’s wide-eyed enthusiasm at his new surroundings causing Dog to stop and appreciate more of the world around him. This first Summer that the pair spend together is one of the most joyful sequences ever put to film, and it’s near impossible not to have one’s spirits lifted while watching it.
As the saying goes however, all good things must come to an end, and so as the season nears its end the pair head to the beach where exposure to water causes Robot to become rusted in place. Dog isn’t strong enough to move him and the crowds have all left, so he is left with no choice but to come back the next day with tools in hopes of getting Robot working again. Unfortunately, when he returns he finds that the beach has closed and barricaded for the season, with some very zealous guards on hand to keep him away, and so the formerly inseparable duo must now wait to be reunited.
Over the Fall, Winter, and Spring, we watch what happens to the pair through a series of vignettes that highlight the loneliness they both feel without the other. Robot dreams (see what I did there) of being reunited as he remains helpless on the sand and Dog attempts to make connections with his unique fellow citizens, like Snowman, whose face takes on the color of the frozen drinks he consumes and who uses his own head as bowling ball. It all leads up to a bittersweet ending that feels true in a way that will resonate deeply with anyone who has loved and lost and still went on loving from afar, at least a little.
The animation style is utterly charming and features lots of cute flourishes and nods to classic cinema. The soundtrack delights as well, with a mix of jazz and hits (going forward I will forever think of this movie when I hear Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September”). This is especially important as there is not a single line of spoken dialogue to be found, instead using imagery and sound to tell the story to wonderful effect. The central relationship between Dog and Robot is one of the most endearing friendships in movie history, and this story will hit viewers directly in the feels in all the right ways. ★★★★★
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This movie might fit your fancy. It's about lonely dog living in 80s New York buying a robot companion. This movie goes really deep in to their relationship and it's beautiful. Warning: Bring a box of tissues because this film will tug on your heartstrings like no other.
Feb 25, 2025
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Gorgeous movie that immediately draws you in with its animation style and also has a great story, I’ve watched it at least 5 times. Honorable mention is Donnie Darko
Jun 28, 2024
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like some level of tension with your mom or realizing you want to be one but issa real uphill path there
but also if you miss how pixar movies hit you in the chest before both of you got older
or if you just love stunning animation or “wait that was who?!” voice casting
Oct 22, 2024
Top Recs from @seanf
When Terry Hayes’ debut novel I Am Pilgrim burst onto the scene a decade ago, it seemed to announce the arrival of a major new talent in the thriller scene. I absolutely loved the book and was very excited to see what he would come up with when his next title, The Year of the Locust, was announced for release in 2016. Unfortunately, the year came and went without the book, as did several more, making it seem as if it might never be published. Lo and behold, 8 years later, it’s finally here, and as it turns out it was worth the wait.
The book is written from the perspective of Kane, a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA. His job is to get into the places that Americans aren’t supposed to go and get back out again without being caught, and he is one of the best in the business. When we meet him, he is being sent to the borderlands of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran to try to gather information about an increasingly powerful terrorist group known as the Army of the Pure. Intel has suggested that they are planning a major attack that will endanger countless people around the world and so it is imperative that he can learn more about the organization so they can be stopped before it is too late. Of course, with these kinds of missions there is a lot that can go wrong, and Kane finds himself in some very bad scenarios, with only his wits and training to help him survive.
Written in a conversational tone and short, punchy chapters (some barely a page long), the novel’s roughly 800 pages fly by. Kane is an easy character to like, and the book can sometimes feel like he’s a friend telling you a story. That story happens to be relentlessly suspenseful though, filled with some of the tensest moments of any book I’ve read in years. I would frequently find myself feeling a palpable sense of relief at the conclusion of a mission, having been every bit as invested in its outcome as the characters involved. Speaking of which, while Kane is the star, the other characters are equally enjoyable to spend time with and help to further draw in the reader.
Hayes has clearly done his homework when it comes to spycraft, providing fascinating insights into that world throughout. Everything is so convincing that it can be hard to tell what’s in actual use or the author’s invention, and while it is all thoroughly explained it never gets boring.
The finale takes the story into some truly surprising territory that readers will never see coming and which raises the stakes to truly astronomical levels. Parts of it require some suspension of disbelief, but Hayes pulls off the shift so well that most readers won’t have any problem going along for the ride. 10 years between books is a long time to wait, but when the result is this thrilling, inventive, and even surprisingly emotional it seems like it paid off. Though, it’s still very early into the year, I’d be surprised if I read a more entertaining book than this one in 2024. ★★★★★
Feb 5, 2024
Tried and true formulas work for a reason, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with hewing to them as long as the result is still good, but it’s always exciting for me to watch a movie and feel like I’m seeing something genuinely new and different. Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, The Lobster) has so far proven very adept at achieving that, even when building stories around pre-existing works, as he does here. Working off a script by Tony McNamara (The Great, The Favourite as well) based on Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel which was itself heavily inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Lanthimos has crafted an epic tale of a woman discovering who she is when freed from the restrictive, largely male-imposed norms of the society around her.
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is effectively the creation of Dr. Godwin “God” Baxter (Willem Dafoe), a disfigured but respected surgeon in a strange, steampunk-inspired version of old London, whose house is filled with various creatures he’s spliced together. When he discovers the body of a recently deceased woman in the river, he inserts the brain of her unborn child into her head and so brings both back to life. Bella’s brain is not ready to inhabit an adult’s body however, and so she has difficulty walking let alone communicating. For some reason though, the procedure causes her brain to begin developing at a highly increased rate, and she starts picking up language and other more complicated concepts very quickly.
Godwin is impressed by this result and enlists one of his students, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) to monitor her and note her progress. Over time, Bella begins to chafe against the strict boundaries placed upon her by her “father” Godwin, demanding to be allowed out into the world, while also beginning to form a deep bond with the sweetly sympathetic (but still meekly complicit) Max. When she encounters the rakish lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) she is instantly taken by his promise of escape, but not fully understanding the concept of a secret, she blurts out her plans to Godwin. Surprisingly, he realizes that her need to see more of the world is not unreasonable and so he reluctantly assents to let her go. Thus begins Bella’s odyssey around the Mediterranean, in which she experiences much of the good and the bad in the world while learning to take control of her womanhood.
Stone is magnificent as Bella, completely inhabiting each phase of her growth; from the temper tantrums of a child, to the passions of a young woman discovering her body, to the cool, calm demeanor of an intelligent lady who knows exactly what she wants in life. Ruffalo’s strange, unplaceable accent from All the Light We Cannot See seems to have returned here, though it works far better with the overall unusual tone, and he nails the petulant befuddlement of a man realizing that he can’t handle himself when a woman treats him the same way he has long treated women. Dafoe is excellent as always and Youssef charms in his role, though this is truly Stone’s movie through and through.
The world that Lanthimos has dreamt up for our characters to inhabit is striking and captured beautifully by cinematographer Robbie Ryan (C’mon C’mon, The Favourite again). Likewise, the off kilter yet beautiful score by Jerskin Fendrix is a perfect complement to the story. McNamara’s script has stripped the original book to its most essential pieces and is rife with raunchy, absurdist humor, but it’s the film’s deeper themes that make it truly special.
Bella’s life is initially completely controlled by the men around her. Even if they are sometimes well-meaning in their intentions, they are still forcing their ideas of who she should be allowed to become upon her. It is only when she is granted her freedom that she is able to grow into her true self and begin to thrive. She learns several of her own lessons along the way, with the movie even going so far as to spell out one of its main points for her and us, when brothel-owner Swiney tells Bella, “We must experience everything. Not just the good, but degradation, horror, sadness. This makes us whole Bella, makes us people of substance. Not flighty, untouched children. Then we can know the world. And when we know the world, the world is ours.” Imaginative, funny, charming, filthy, wise, engaging, weird, and wonderful, Poor Things is Lanthimos’ best work yet, and a modern adult fairy tale worth treasuring. ★★★★★
RATED R FOR STRONG AND PERVASIVE SEXUAL CONTENT, GRAPHIC NUDITY, DISTURBING MATERIAL, GORE, AND LANGUAGE.
Feb 29, 2024
Mar 2, 2024