Let's get this out of the way right now: This film's greatest weakness, in my opinion, is that it's actually a direct sequel. I mainlined the rest of the series this year, and I think these movies work best when they're a little more like Bond films: episodic. Give us the same loose group of people working together on an impossible mission, and that's when it really shines.

I also felt it really sagged in the middle. I think the…

There's that thing with some directors, where they want to go out on a high note. They think about retirement, and then do it, but get reeled back in for "just one more."

That's what happened here, and while there's a lot I really enjoyed about The Boy and the Heron, it honestly felt like it dragged in parts. There was still gorgeous animation that you can only seem to get from Ghibli anymore, but there were also elements of…

I wanted to give this film a fair shake, given the controversy.

I'm sorry, but this film is a turd. A well crafted turd, but still, a piece of crap.

The film wants to say something about the exploitation of women in Hollywood, but instead exploits the memory of an actress who has had her life looted for tragedy, over and over. They could have made her a more generic blonde actress, and told a more universal story. After all,…

It's been a long time since I last watched this, I was just out of high school when it came out.

I sometimes miss movies being as horny as this one is. Just unrelenting sexiness, both implied and on the screen. It's not the kind of film you sit down and watch with your parents or your kids, that's for sure.

And it's just such a glorious mess. The plotlines are all over the place, and it tries to mimic…