Matthew Simon | Popaxiom

OVA Diamonds: Take The X Train

As part of my job as an investigative anime critic, you don’t tend to get surprised by anything, you see enough surreal images, until you see something like Take the X Train. A release which seemingly defies common sense and makes the work of the late Satoshi Kon seem grounded. For the uninitiated, Take the… Continue reading OVA Diamonds: Take The X Train

Underrated Films to Remember: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

Well, this has been a busy month so to speak, so for lack of a better word, we’re getting into reruns months, where I’ll go back and revise some of my first articles when I was an independent film critic. So, to start reruns’ month, let’s talk about one of my favorite films, go figure.… Continue reading Underrated Films to Remember: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

Underrated Films To Remember: TALK RADIO

Today, we’re going to launch a new series of articles, called “Underrated Films To Remember”, which is consistent with what I’ve been writing over the past however many months. So, let’s talk about Oliver Stone. I have a problem with Mr. Stone, more specifically his writing, Stone has seemingly never found a story he can… Continue reading Underrated Films To Remember: TALK RADIO

The New Hollywood Flop Files: HEAVEN’S GATE

So, after talking about 1941, we’ll continue this series with one of the biggest flops of the period, which according to legend, bankrupted United Artists, torched a promising director’s career and only became recognized as a good, if not great film after it crashed and burned, three decades after its release. I, of course, am… Continue reading The New Hollywood Flop Files: HEAVEN’S GATE

The New Hollywood Flop Files: 1941

Let’s talk about guilty pleasure films, every film buff worth their salt has a number or a go-to list of movies which they ashamedly love. Roger Ebert said it best when talking about this thorny and complicated subject in a Sneak Previews episode from the early 80s: “Every once in a while, you come across… Continue reading The New Hollywood Flop Files: 1941

The New Hollywood Flops Month Introduction: How We Got Here

It’s the time of the season again, no not Oscar season, or endless winter, it’s flop season. Where films the studio has no idea what to do with, dump them out in February, and hope for the best. This is a frustrating system, and results in many lower profile flops. Because of this complex, I… Continue reading The New Hollywood Flops Month Introduction: How We Got Here

How AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Failed: An Essay on Hollywood

Avengers: Infinity War, should have been the Gone with the Wind of our time. It should have been the film, scholars could point to and say: “This is one of the greatest films Hollywood ever made.” It wasn’t. It was kneecapped by a decision which threw the film into narrative disarray and severely hurt the… Continue reading How AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Failed: An Essay on Hollywood

From Jack Kirby To AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: An In-Depth Look At Thanos

Avengers: Infinity War was not a good movie. An aggressively over-hyped, mediocre film, representing the worst aspects of “Phase 3” MCU films, bland, overstuffed with subplots, and pandering to a mass audience without saying much of anything. In fact, it’s debacle requires two articles to explain it all. Yet, this doesn’t mean there were bright… Continue reading From Jack Kirby To AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: An In-Depth Look At Thanos

Film Audit: CABIN BOY – A Voyage Through Absurdity

There are two ways of introducing and both are appropriate, either a personal introduction to Letterman (the Late Night years) or a book I’ve been reading in my spare time, between films, DisneyWar, so in the worst case of having one’s cake and eating it, let’s do both. In June, I became an enthusiastic fan… Continue reading Film Audit: CABIN BOY – A Voyage Through Absurdity

State of the ANIME Industry: A Startling Prediction

The anime streaming industry will collapse within five years. It will collapse due to the intense greed of corporations, and an over-saturation of product, and if this sounds crazy, there is historical precedent. I used to regard myself as a prognosticator, but after said opportunity veered toward a dead end, I’ve stayed away. However, I’ve… Continue reading State of the ANIME Industry: A Startling Prediction