The Contestant (2023)

In 1998, Japanese comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu (better known as Nasubi) took part in a televised challenge requiring him to live alone in a small apartment, isolated and cut off from society, with no clothes or food, subsiding only on winnings earned through magazine mail-in sweepstakes, with the goal of amassing one million yen worth of prizes. Having viewed the original footage from Susunu! Denpa Shōnen for myself, I can confirm it's even more gonzo than you can imagine. It's an early example of extreme reality TV exploitation, exploring all the morality and grey areas contained within, although I like to see it more as an enormous triumph of raw determination and a celebration of the human spirit. Honestly, I'm not living too far off from this right now.

3½ bags of rice out of 5

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

This one was pure fan service, but I didn't mind one bit. We all remember the 1993 version, right? This one blows it out of the water. Full of vibrant colors and lively worldbuilding, it succeeds in immersing you in the spirit of the games. The music especially helps to sell this nostalgia, though I wish they would have leaned into it even further. Feels like this movie had a lot to prove in order to distinguish itself from its prior cinematic failure, and personally, I think it's one of the better video game adaptations I've come across in recent memory, since it manages to pay homage to its origins while providing a "new" experience that anyone can jump into, young or old. Feels like it could easily spawn many sequels since this one barely touches upon the lore.

3 Tanooki Suits out of 5

ORDINARY WORLD [2016]

Writer/director Lee Kirk directs Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong in his first leading role in the genre-confused Ordinary World.
Armstrong portrays a musician turned husband & father who's lost in life as he's about to turn 40, which leads him to make some midlife crisis inspired choices that don't bode well for him.
Armstrong's performance goes back and forth between horribly forced to some touching moments that feel genuinely organic.  However it's Kirk's writing and directing that let the whole film sink.  He's not sure if he's got a crazy out-of-control party movie, a coming-of-age story or a warm 'n fuzzy family film on his hands and only proves Judd Apatow actually knows what he's doing when he seamlessly mixes all those elements together.  It's a mess of a film that barely holds together with it's generally likable cast of characters and predictable but warm good-heartedness.

2½ dogs in the hallways out of 5