Based on the manga series of the same name by Shogo Sugitani, Pompo: The Cinephile is a delightful and beautifully entertaining film that is sure to grab your attention if you consider yourself to be a bit of a movie geek.
Pompo is a movie producer that works in “Nyallywood”, the movie capital of the world and she’s a very talented producer with the ability to spot potential in people and really bring out their talent but despite this, she only ever produces B-movies. Whilst the film’s title will make you believe that Pompo herself is a cinephile, it’s actually her assistant Gene that’s the true film buff. Gene knows everything about every movie and is completely obsessed with them. As a result, he’s doubtful of why Pompo continues to make the same sort of film over and over.
However, one day Gene discovers a really great script written by Pompo that’s full of nuance and great characters. Pompo then gives Gene- someone who’s never directed a film in his life- the opportunity to direct the film and she casts Martin Braddock, the best actor in the world, as the star of Gene’s first film.
If you’re a cinephile yourself then it’s very likely that just the title alone of this film will stand out and appeal to you. And it’s an absolute delight to watch. The film opens with a little song introducing you Nyallywood and throwing you into the world of the film. Immediately It’s very clear that Pompo has its own unique style that will help the 90 minute runtime fly past.
It’s edited in a way that makes it feel like you’re literally watching a comic book right in front of your eyes. Think Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World only more extreme. For instance where there are scenes in which Gene is editing the film or a trailer, rather than constantly seeing him sat at a computer editing the film, which would get quite tedious very quickly, instead, we see Gene physically slicing up pieces of film with a sword which makes the whole thing much more cinematic.
It’s bold and stylistic but it makes the film stand out in your memory much more for being daring and courageous, making it feel very different from other anime films that I’ve seen. As well as the unique style in the way Pompo: The Cinephile is edited, its distinctiveness is seen through the wonderful colours and the beautiful animation.
Pompo starts off as a really wonderful and delightful film but as it goes on the plot struggles a bit and it can feel a bit rushed. They finish shooting the film and then all of a sudden a crises appears and they try to solve it with crowdfunding and things that happen in the final half hour or so don’t quite fit with everything that’s come beforehand. To add to that, Gene isn’t actually a very good director. The film tries to make out like he is through his extensive knowledge of other films and a few good ideas he comes up with on the spot but he’s constantly not knowing what exactly he should be doing and asking others for help which doesn’t quite go with what the film is trying to tell us about him.
Pompo: The Cinephile is bold and stands out massively from other films due to its quirky nature and many of the fun transitions between scenes. For a film fan, there’s a lot to cherish here and it’s easy to have a lot of fun with, although the film does go off the rails a little bit in the third act towards the end of the film.
Pompo: The Cinephile was selected as part of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival
Netflix seems to be in on almost everything anime or manga-related including live-action iterations for some of the more popular franchises. First, having made a Death Note film back in 2017, followed by a live-action Cowboy Bebop series before pivoting to focus on the One Piece and Avatar the Last Airbender series, it seems that they are taking another swing on a big anime property for their streaming service.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix will team with Legendary Entertainment, best known for their monsterverse films centering on Godzilla and King Kong on a live-action feature film based on the popular manga, My Hero Academia. Joby Harold (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Army of the Dead) will write the script as Shinsuke Sato (Alice in Borderland, I Am a Hero) will make his English-language debut as director for the film. My Hero Academia debuted in 2014 and has quickly ascended into one of the more popular manga titles before gaining attention and turning to anime where its currently in its fifth season.
Legendary boarded the property all the way back in 2018 aiming to create a live-action movie and will aim to generate a wide-scale audience by teaming with Netflix. My Hero Academia revolves around a world in which 80 percent of people have a power called “quirks.” Lead character, Izuku Midoriya, or Deku, is a superhero fanboy who happens to be a part of that unfortunate 20 percent without powers and is discouraged. However, after meeting the legendary hero, All Might, he sets on a path to become the ultimate hero himself.
There has been much anticipation in waiting to see the unveiling of the structure of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new heads of DC for Warner Bros. News came just this week from Gunn that the comic book flagship money maker for Warner Bros. that he and Safran are aiming to make everything cohesive within their vision connecting movies, television, video games and animation throughout the universe. However, a new report from Deadline sees that they may be looking at a new (or additional) streaming home for animated content surrounding their heroes and villains.
In an article originally reported from Deadline, Channing Dungey, the Chairwoman of Warner Bros. Television, has alluded to “closing a big deal” with Amazon featuring DC branded content in animation on their streaming platform, Amazon Prime Video. Though she also explained that HBO Max will be the “first stop” for all things DC, it’s interesting to note a deal such as this potentially going through with a company and competitor as big as Amazon, no less.
While it’s hard to imagine any major DC characters synonymous with the brand such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman or Green Lantern getting animated foray onto Prime Video, it begs the question, could we see Amazon as a pipeline to popularity for some lesser-known characters getting introduced to a larger audience? There is so much potential and richness of characters within the DC landscape that have yet to be introduced through live-action or animation so this seems like a risk that might be worth taking, especially considering the financial troubles that Warner Bros. Discovery has been reported to have.