Bennett the Sage/Awesome

• His review of Grave of the Fireflies , which he explains was very hard to do, considering the reputation it has would make any dissenting opinion of his come off as petty or nitpicky. But regardless, he flat out nails it, going into detail about how the movie seemed to be less of a stand alone story and more of a cautionary tale for the youth of japan, bringing up statistics of how crime rates amongst japanese youth skyrocketed in the 1980's because of conflicts between the privileged newer generation, who were enjoying the wealth and success of japanese industry and their parents, who had to live in Japan after the second world war. He states at the beginning that he didn't like this movie for more personal reasons rather than just because it was sad, and after deconstructing the movie's purpose; that is essentially guilt tripping the youth into respecting the sacrifices their parents had made just growing up, he just demonstrates an amazing sort of bravery to get so involved and determined to critique a movie of such acclaimed proportions. It was a very impressive, sobering review, and you can watch it here.
  • Just the fact that he gives a negative review of a critically acclaimed film is a CMOA in-and-of itself. In an age where reviews are considered to be the absolute word on the quality of a film, it's nothing short of amazing to see someone give a rather detailed and emotionally-involved explanation as to why he dislikes a film while still understanding it's significance. Sage could've simply gone the old Accentuate the Negative approach but doesn't, and it makes the reasonings for his opinion all the stronger for it. It shows that a movie doesn't have to be "bad" for someone to not like it.