Modern Educayshun/现代教育

This short film clearly demonstrates how harmful political correctness can be when taken to extremes. On the surface, every word or statement sounds nice and safe, but taken together, they foster a hypersensitive culture that suppresses objective truth. If the correct answer to “What is 1+1?” becomes “It can be whatever you want, because we shouldn't limit creativity or free speech,” then society has strayed dangerously off course.

Performance impression:
Director: Neel Kolhatkar
Stars: Neel Kolhatkar, Caitlin Burley, Romy Bartz

Spider-Man: Brand New Day/蜘蛛侠：崭新之日

This new Spider-Man movie kept my enthusiasm for Marvel superhero films alive—it was really great. It struck a wonderful balance between Peter's two identities: the superhero and the friendly neighborhood kid next door. Introducing Jean Grey for the first time also sets up some exciting future crossovers with the X-Men.

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Discussion:

Performance Impression:
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo

Toy Story 5/玩具总动员5

Toy Story 5 is a fairly good sequel after 1, 2, 3 and 4, taking on a very modern issue: how traditional toys cope with kids choosing the internet over playtime. The directors do their best to piece together a complete story, but the plot depends a lot on convenience. It still makes sense, but it just isn't as convincing or impactful as the earlier films, particularly Toy Story 3.

Performance impression:
Directors: McKenna Harris, Andrew Stanton
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie/超级马力欧银河大电影

It is great to see the Mario games visualized on the big screen, capturing the excitement of progressing through one level after another. While some might argue the story is a bit thin, it doesn't really matter—sometimes you just need a dose of pure happiness.

Performance impression:
Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc

Project Hail Mary/挽救计划

Adapted from the novel of the same name, the movie Project Hail Mary shares the same DNA as "The Martian" by the same author, Andy Weir. The framework is remarkably similar; the primary difference (an interesting comparison in Chinese) is that while "The Martian" focused on saving a lone man on Mars, this story involves a lone man (and his good buddy) saving the entire solar system.

I really enjoy the plot because intelligence is truly "sexy." The core essence of science fiction lies in using human ingenuity to solve problems one by one until a grand vision is realized. This classic structure is something that has been missing from many modern sci-fi works.

Performance impression:
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz

Mr. Hublot/哈布洛先生

Set in a world of brass and steam, this is a touching story about life in an industrial age. Even though the plot is simple, the setting is a powerful symbol for our busy, broken-up lives. In a world where everyone is controlled by clocks and strict schedules, a machine dog represents the kindness and warmth that makes us human. The dog is the one thing that keeps people from turning into cold machines.

Performance impression:
Directors: Alexandre Espigares, Laurent Witz

Manspread/男性张腿

This film uses a sarcastic, hypothetical scenario to flip the script on gender roles: a world where men are the ones making themselves "smaller", totally opposite to the real world. 

It's a powerful critique, but I believe the root cause goes deeper than gender alone. To me, this is really about the universal dynamic between the powerful and the marginalized. Whether it's men or women on either side of the equation, the person in the "weaker" social position is almost always the one expected to shrink so the "stronger" person can take up more space.

Performance impression:
Director: Tiana Michele

Hoppers/河狸变身计划

In this movie, I can clearly see that Disney tries so hard to balance the left (environment-protection-led) and the right (economy-development-led). I understand the dilemma in front of Disney and they want to please everyone. Well, they barely passed the exam due to their industrial ability, but this animation is no more than a boring one.

Performance impression:
Director: Daniel Chong

A Friend of Dorothy/多萝西的一位朋友

This is a very good short on the friendship across generations. They take care of each other, and the old has an happy ending, the young guy has a new direction and new possibility of his life. A touching one.

Performance impression:

Director: Lee Knight

Stars: Alistair Nwachukwu, Oscar Lloyd, Stephen Fry

Snow Bear/雪熊

This animation is both heartwarming and informative, beautifully capturing themes of human connection alongside the urgent need for environmental protection.

Performance impression:
Director: Aaron Blaise

Father and Daughter/父与女

This animation is rich with metaphors exploring life, maturation, and the bond between father and daughter. Had I watched this years ago, I might have focused solely on the daughter's devotion; now, however, I find myself moved by the depiction of death—not as a moment of sorrow, but as the peaceful joy of returning to a father's embrace.

Performance impression:
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit

Hurikán/猪事不顺

I can tell the apparent post-Soviet style in this animation, and its core values look like "Falling down", at least sort of.

Performance impression:
Director: Jan Saska

Avatar: Fire and Ash/阿凡达：火与烬

Much like its predecessor, this sequel functions as a cinematic reflection of real-world history, specifically addressing themes of colonial violence and environmental destruction. It is a exceptionally well-crafted follow-up.

Performance impression:
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver

Zootopia 2/疯狂动物城2

While this sequel is undoubtedly a worthy successor to Zootopia, I find myself missing the deeper subtext and biting social commentary that defined the original. Where the first film leaned into clever satire, the sequel feels somewhat formulaic—relying on routine family conspiracies and predictable romantic tropes. It is a solid film, but it lacks the refreshing intellectual depth that made its predecessor so unique.

Performance impression:
Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan

Mr. Foley/弗利先生

What if everything of your feeling is under control by others? This short film may try to answer the question.

Performance impression:
Directors: Mike Ahern, Enda Loughman
Stars: Mark Doherty

The Ballerina/芭蕾舞者

This short film invites various meaningful interpretations. For instance, it explores how one's laziness and low self-expectations can lead to self-destruction. This perspective could clarify the one-way influence depicted in the film, where the impact flows from the inner self, as reflected in the mirror, to the external world.

Performance impression:
Director: Aaron Fradkin
Star: Valeska Mosich Miller

Ignore It/别理它

It's somewhat like a brief version of "Lights Out", a standard horror short film that feels a bit routinized.

Performance impression:

Director: Sam Evenson

I'm Not a Robot/我不是机器人/Ik ben geen robot

Although this film is not long, it intricately portrays the anxiety of minority groups regarding their identity. This anxiety may pertain to robots, women, or ethnic minorities. Choosing death may be the only means of resisting fate; however, the dark humor at the end suggests that even death may not be within your control.

本片虽然不长，但非常细致地刻画出了少数群体在身份认同上的焦虑。这个焦虑可能是机器人，可能是女性，也有可能是少数族裔。选择死亡可能是面对命运的唯一抗争手段，但是，结尾的黑色幽默却预示着：甚至死亡可能都由不得你做主。

Performance impressioin:
Director: Victoria Warmerdam
Stars: Ellen Parren, Henry van Loon, Thekla Reuten

Home Sweet Home/甜蜜之家

The animation's central storyline follows a house that uproots itself and embarks on an adventure alongside other types of houses. However, I prefer to interpret it as the journey of a homesick boy who once lived in a bustling city. Yearning to reconnect with his roots, the boy finds his way back to his hometown to reunite with his aging mother during her final days. This poignant narrative evokes a deep emotional resonance.

Performance impression:
Directors: Pierre Clenet, Alejandro Diaz, Romain Mazevet, Stéphane Paccolat

Me/我

The cartoon is so stream-of-consciousness that it's hard to say I fully understand it. I can recognize that it depicts the living conditions of individuals in contemporary society, but different people will surely have different interpretations.

Performance impression:
Director: Don Hertzfeldt