A Ghost Story

And now I'm a ghost! Ooooohhhhh!!

I cannot even begin to tell you how long I have been wanting to both watch and review this movie, and after all this time since well post 2016 when the movie came out I can say it was worth the wait. I don't rightly know how the hell to recap this plot because it's one of those movies where you ain't got a clue how it will end and the subsequent series of events makes it even more of a mystery than life itself. But in a nutshell, a married couple is sadly torn apart when the husband gets in a car crash and manifests as the quintessential ghost form as he haunts his own home. That is all I dare divulge because for a movie 90 minutes long with credits by the by, it does so much that it left me flabbergasted, in awe, and completely entrapped in it's story. You want to talk about a whole different beast of a movie? I don't even know where to start. Not much dialogue to the point where it would be an interesting experiment to re-edit it into a silent film, black and white, all that good jazz. The aspect ratio is very akin to The Lighthouse which does lean it more towards arthouse film or college student project but it adds all the more unique identity to just the look of the movie. The soundtrack is really up my alley and I have zero qualms looking up the soundtrack later on, from ambient to slightly terrifying it brings so much flavor to each situation. Very basic editing but it has little moments of flair when it comes to cinematography and really has some damn good lighting too I must say. Since there's little dialogue and our main character is shrouded in a sheet you'd be surprised how much emoting comes through and you can just tell from body language and actions what the characters are going through. Since it deals with the afterlife the movie does get philosophical and surprisingly brings up a combined point from the Ghost movie Rite Here Rite Now, about how living in a house is a allegory for life and death as we see our main player stuck in this house for God knows how long. It's handled so well and has so many points of interest, you think it would be kinda dull but I assure you it is anything but. And I don't really mind saying this, despite the childlike depiction of this ghost there are moments of eerieness and even dread I dare say that I can't really even pin down as to why it effected me in that way. I am severely impressed and through all the twists, turns, and loop-de-loops I was with it every step of the way. I sure as shit know probably not a lot of people are gonna love it as much as me or maybe even like it at all for that matter, but it strangely worked for me. It hit all my buttons, I found it intriguing and boy it kinda hit a little too near and dear for my heart. If I can be cataclysmically honest here, that feeling of isolation, that feeling of never being seen or heard, feeling like a misguided ghost travelling endlessly to nowhere, only being acknowledged in moments of rage or outburst by the outside world, waiting for people who are long since gone...that is who I am. And with my luck even after I'm dead and gone, nothing will have changed much. On that brutal bombshell it is time to end, thank you so much for joining me, goodnight. 4 stars, 9/10!

ParaNorman

It's better than I remember.

Like man, it's a crime if you have never seen this movie. ParaNorman is one of the most original, funny, and amazing films I have seen in a long time. It follows a young boy named Norman who has a gift of seeing the dead, and he enjoys it though he is ostricized by his peers and even his family, but he is soon informed of a witch's curse on the town leading to the dead rising from the grave so he has to stop it. But that isn't really the plot of the movie, nothing is as simple as I described it. It's far, far better than that. This movie is automatically outstanding due to it being stop motion, and it is flawless. Absolutely flawless. This is some of the best stop motion I have ever seen! The comedy is ridiculously good, and it relies on subtle humor with background jokes, and very nonchalant deliveries in tense situations, it's just fantastic. And what I love about this movie is, it can make me laugh so hard and make me weep like a child. This movie is heartwrenching at times, and I have no issue saying you don't have a soul if you do not feel sad in this movie. Every aspect of the movie is stellar, the animation, the voice acting is awesome (Anna Kendrick is in this movie so you know....), the story is great, it has such charm and emotion and humor. You know what, I'm gonna say it. ParaNorman is a perfect movie. I can't find one damn thing wrong with it! It is perfect. It is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen in my entire life. You gotta watch it, I am ordering you to watch this movie! Go! Enjoy it. And I'll be back October 1st.