Popular reviews

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  Review by bocchipho ★★★½

  Watching the Dream Machine section of the documentary really reminded me of how tragic it was to see Satoshi Kon's career be cut so short, especially since he's my favorite filmmaker. This documentary really isn't that special aside from that section, and the misrepresentation of Hina during the Tokyo Godfathers section of the film made me uncomfortable. This gets an 7/10 only because I'm a certified fangirl.

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  Review by Stephen Gillespie 5

  Fantasia 2021: #5

  Embargoed until August 2nd.
  Edit: review here

  For full coverage of this year’s Fantasia Festival, keep an eye on TheTwinGeeks.com - and follow myself and Calvin on Letterboxd for updates when we can give them (and for exciting teases).

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  Review by Ethan Lyon ★★★½ 4

  1st Pascal-Alex Vincent

  Kon is one of the few filmmakers I'd happily have my memory wiped for, so that I could see his films again. This documentary doesn't go much further than share that sentiment but it's nice to be affirmed, even if I was surprised how many people felt that Paprika was a dark film. Not much about Kon the man here, befitting his incredibly private nature, but nice to know he was invested in the lives of his workers and fought for better wages; though producers could take a hike, it seems. Talking heads vary in quality, with Aya Suzuki being an interesting perspective as a female animator. Good to hear from actors who worked with Kon too. Would have liked a longer and more detailed film, but what's here is a good reminder of his mastery.

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  Review by StreetsAhead55 ★★★★½

  DARREN SHUT UP MAN, HE MADE YOU SIT DOWN BRUH, YOU BUM. HE IS YOUR CAREER BRUH, THERE BOUTTA BE SOME SUCKY VERSION OF THIS IN 10 YEARS CALLED “DARREN ARONOFSKY: THE IMITATOR”, SIT DOWN. ONLY DAMN REASON YOU WAS IN THIS IS SO YOU COULD GET PEOPLE ON YOUR SIDE BRUH WE AINT WITH YOU, FAKE FREAK BOZO.

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  Review by Stephen Gillespie ★★★ 2

  Full review here (on The Twin Geeks).

  Excerpt:

  With posthumous documentaries, there is always the temptation to postulate about the inner details of those no longer with us. Satoshi Kon did not give us these details (the film alludes to his privacy at a number of points) what he did give us was a filmography. This filmography is unpicked here, not as a way to analyse an artist but to make tribute to them. Satoshi Kon is revered because of his work so Pascal-Alex Vincent focuses on the work.

  For full coverage of this year’s Fantasia Festival, keep an eye on TheTwinGeeks.com - and follow myself and Calvin on Letterboxd for updates when we can give them (and for exciting teases).

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  Review by kong ayanami ★★★½ 2

  Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist is satisfying in the sense that it serves as a retrospective on the late anime legend's films via interviews with friends, collaborators, and influenced filmmakers. Darren Aronofsky shares an interesting story about meeting Kon in 1998 and homaging Perfect Blue's bathtub scene in Requiem for a Dream, yet curiously makes no mention of how obviously influenced Black Swan is by that film. One of the Spider-Verse directors is an enthusiastic fan, though I would argue that he fell short of his goal to create a Paprika-influenced superhero film. Where The Illusionist falters is in committing to the tired structure of a talking heads doc, displaying none of the inventiveness that marked Kon's work. Anyone who loves Kon should see the documentary, albeit with the knowledge that it offers nothing new artistically.

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  Review by Justin Decloux ★★★ 3

  It's fine. Nothing revelatory. Lots of the expected talking heads. No footage from his last incomplete project.

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  Review by Nyks ★★★★ 8

  J'ai des sources, Nolan a pas voulu apparaitre dans le film pour pas qu'on sache qu'Inception est une arnaque

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  Review by ✿ eli ✿ ★★★★

  satoshi kon is undoubtedly one of my favorite filmmakers, as well as one of my greatest inspirations. while i don’t think this documentary is presented in a very unique or interesting way, it did a fantastic job at celebrating one of the most influential filmmakers to ever exist. i loved hearing from the people around him, who worked with him,
  people who were inspired by him, and even just those who enjoyed his work. they were touched by his work, and so was i; this documentary somehow made me even more appreciative of kon and what he has created. it’s saddening that he is no longer with us, but i’m glad he has left his art and legacy behind.

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  Review by angurafilms

  A nice and touching if not a bit surface level documentary great to make us remember the legacy of this brilliant figure of japanese cinema or to help others discover Kon's shinning career through the eyes of prominent names of the industry like Oshii, Hosoda, Okiura, and more. I can't imagine how much more he could have contributed to the world's collective imagination, culture, and development of the medium if he had only lived longer.

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  Review by Calvin Kemph 🤠 ★★★

  Fantasia Fest — #4

  This is your brain on embargoes

  Read TheTwinGeeks.com and follow our journey on Letterboxd as Stephen & I cover this year’s Fantasia Festival. Come back around for extended write ups and detailed perspectives on this year’s festival.

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  Review by zay! ♡ ★★★½ 2

  first things first— there’s an online Satoshi Kon retrospective going on RIGHT NOW hosted by the Japan Information & Culture Center and the Embassy of Japan in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art that you should totally take advantage of— all of his movies are available, all of which I’ve seen, but all of them I’d happily watch again if I find the time— and if you’ve never seen a Satoshi Kon film: there’s never been a better time to dive into the work of one of cinema’s greatest artists

  the only film of the bunch that I haven’t seen— the only one not directed by Kon— and the one I was most interested in seeing— was this— SATOSHI KON: THE…