Cinema Purgatorio
Weekly reviews and criticism. Enduring the torments of the IP era in hope of deliverance.

Latest

May
14
Breaking Takes: What I've Been Watching

Breaking Takes: What I've Been Watching

I had to take a break from the longform reviews, so here are some short ones instead.
6 min read
Apr
26
Columbine Media: Traumatis Personae

Columbine Media: Traumatis Personae

Trying and failing to engage with media that tries and fails to engage with the Columbine shooting.
7 min read
Apr
19
Civil War: What We've Got Here is Failure to Communicate

Civil War: What We've Got Here is Failure to Communicate

Alex Garland's vivid portrait of a war-torn America imagines how much worse things could get, but is that enough?
8 min read
Apr
12
Apocalypto: Tell-Tale Eclipse of the Heart

Apocalypto: Tell-Tale Eclipse of the Heart

Mel Gibson's Mayan bloodbath is probably evil, but it is also unstoppably watchable.
8 min read
Apr
05
Final Fantasy VI: Esper Studio

Final Fantasy VI: Esper Studio

Years before the tragically misbegotten Final Fantasy movie, the series' sixth entry perfected its cinematic storytelling.
7 min read
Mar
29
Final Fantasy Rewind: Famicomedy

Final Fantasy Rewind: Famicomedy

The most recent Final Fantasy movie's charming story of familial reconnection is undercut by garish games industry commercialism.
7 min read
Mar
22
Final Fantasy Rewind: The Ultima Flavor Experience

Final Fantasy Rewind: The Ultima Flavor Experience

Against all odds, a piece of Final Fantasy XV side content is the best adaptation the JRPG series has had yet.
7 min read
Mar
14
Final Fantasy Rewind: Dilly Dally Shill

Final Fantasy Rewind: Dilly Dally Shill

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children remains a travesty of its source material, and thus can be seen as a prototype for modern IP-driven pop culture.
6 min read
Mar
04
Final Fantasy Rewind: A Vast Image Out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles My Sight

Final Fantasy Rewind: A Vast Image Out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles My Sight

The first cinematic adaptation of the popular Japanese RPG series remains an ambitious, one-of-a-kind catastrophe.
7 min read
Feb
26
Final Fantasy Rewind: Cracked Crystals

Final Fantasy Rewind: Cracked Crystals

A retrospective of Final Fantasy movies begins with an obscure and bonkers anime video.
7 min read