"You're wearing a dress and have a talking animal sidekick. You're a princess."
'Moana' proves that the only division of the Disney company making quality products is Walt Disney Animation Studios. Pixar is busy doing sequels, Marvel is busy making as many stale movies as possible, and Disney is busy making live-action remakes.
While very predictable and a little slow at times, Moana boasts some amazing visual work. It's the closest we're going to get to seeing a CGI Hayao Miyazaki movie. Even the manta ray sequence seemed borrowed straight out of 'Ponyo', so yes, it's a very nice looking production. The characters are all likable, and I'm super glad the annoying sidekick animals did not take center stage to the movie, unlike other trash like Frozen. They come in when necessary and only have a few moments here and there, exactly how it should be. Moana is your standard protagonist yearning for more in life, but here, it's not about just going on an adventure and leaving her people, it's wanting to leave to find a way to help her dying island. She understands and accepts her responsibilities to becoming chief of her island, but also wants to leave to help save the world. It's a nice clever play on the archetype and it works.
Maui, played by the amazing Dwayne Johnson, is the hero character who thinks everyone adores him, but realizes he may not be the savior humanity used to view him as. Throughout his journey, he has to decide to whether help save the world and risk losing the powers which make him special, or stay where he is and thinks everyone still adores him. He was a fun character.
A little slow at times and very by the numbers throughout most of it, but it's still way better than most recent animated features. Hopefully Disney continues making more original films like this instead of more remakes...
"I have a vagina."
THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE
i hate society sometimes...
This took me by surprise.
I was not expecting to like it this much. I'm not the biggest fan of the original and I don't much care for Ellen Degeneras. I figured this would just be a really stupid unnecessary sequel like 'Cars 2' was... good lord, that was an abomination. But 'Finding Dory' actually finds a way to expand upon and make the original film better. This is actually better than the original's carefree adventure across this ocean. This is about a lost fish searching to find herself and parents. The title is both figurative and literal. Marlin and Nemo have to find Dory, and Dory is looking to find out her past. A great animated film for kids and parents. Quite wonderful actually.
Why VALVe sat on this and didn't make the animated series a reality I'll never forgive. This should be a feature length movie. I'm now 100% confident it would work.
In my opinion, Disney's last good animated feature. Ralph just wants to be given praise and admiration like his co-worker, Fix-It Felix. But instead, Ralph is left to sleep in the garbage while Felix gets to live in a tower suite. Ralph eventually decides he's had enough and runs off into another arcade game to earn a medal, hoping that people back home at his own game will treat him with respect because of it. However, things turn south and the end of the arcade could be near if Ralph doesn't get back to his own game in time.
A very sweet and surprisingly deep film for a story about video game characters in an arcade. It's actually brilliant. The writers clearly have a knowledge of how video game machines work and how to speak in game lingo. This allows the movie to reference other games in a more subtle and genuinely clever light. I won't spoil any of them, but it's quite a treat, especially if you're a game fan. Even if you aren't, the film offers a very heartfelt and sometimes sad story about a bad guy who just wants to be good.
I finally got to see this with my dad, who saw the original Star Wars in 1977 when he was 6.
We both liked it way more than The Force Awakens. It loses a tiny bit of the magic the second time around, and K-2S0 is more annoying on repeat viewings, but there's still a little bit of that good ol' Star Wars feeling I get from watching the original trilogy. Also, incredible camera work from Gareth Edwards. Love his work from Monsters (2010) and Godzilla (2014).
You could take almost any still from this and put it up on a wall, and it could be considered a work of art. The incredible artistic vision that was brought to life in Skull Island is perfection. Absolute perfection. Each shot is teeming with gorgeous color and detail. One of the best looking films ever produced, and I'm a fan of films going all the way back to the silent era. This is the quintessential summer monster movie, but it's more than a monster movie: it's a visual marvel with a lot of heart and creativity. A masterpiece on every level. The comedy, the characters, the drama, the direction, and action are all outstanding. One of the best films I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Looking back at seeing this in the theater, this is an unfortunately extremely forgettable and pointless spin-off. Nothing of interest or conflict happens. Newt has to get his creatures back... and that's it. Movie's over.
I only laughed at the rabid chipmunks sketch, "Head On!" parody commercial, and Kung Fu Panda fight sequence. The rest sucks.
I legitimately love this film. I don't know why, but I do. Maybe I'll write a longer review later expressing why, but I love the characters, I love the staging, I love the action, I love the music, and I enjoy the story. It's another fictionalized depiction of a historical event like Titanic, but it works really well, more than what the average audience member gives it credit for. I personally recommend it.
I don't even know why, but I was incredibly bored sitting through this. I feel like I should've enjoyed it, but I just didn't. I didn't care for any of the characters or what was happening in the story, that was written around every 'Beatles' song ever made... Insteresting idea.
This movie lied to me. Jet fuel can't melt steel beams.
Easily the best of all the Disney musicals. Shallow and a little boring, but innocent. The songs are catchy enough and it's cute. I guess that's all it needs. Not bad, but nothing special.
You know that power button on your laptop? Yeah, you should try that sometime.
Bubbles is my senpai. Back off.
"You hear that? That sounds like a bird, but it's not, it's a fucking ant."
I can't get enough of this film.
I love every thing about it. Jordan Vogt-Roberts more than pleasantly surprised me. I will not doubt him in the future.
The set-up, the story, the characters, the set pieces, the direction, the soundtrack, visuals, the colors, the action, just, everything. I don't understand how someone could not love this.
Even though the original 1933 King Kong is still the best film to date, Kong: Skull Island comes close to matching it's brilliance. Many people have to remember that while the 1933 classic was undeniably groundbreaking for it's time and carries a more subdued and personal story of beauty and the beast, the core story of the film is very much basic.
Here's a rundown:
A group of people are brought together for a mission to go to an uncharted island in the south pacific, dubbed Skull Island. They don't know what's there, but decide to head there to finally unravel the mystery behind one of the last unexplored places on Earth. Once they arrive, things go to hell. They meet natives, all sorts of creatures that want to eat them alive, and they encounter a giant destructive ape. The surviving explorers have to survive the horrors of the island and make it off alive in one piece.
Did I just describe King Kong (1933) or Kong: Skull Island (2016)? Eh, they sound similar? Both have different characters, subplots, and completely different tones, but metabolically is the same.
John Goodman is great in any role he's in. His best scene is his monologue towards Sam Jackson's character, Packard. Tom Hiddleston plays a standard mercenary, named James Conrad. He's a badass bar-fighting navigator who's paid to join Monarch's escort mission. Just same the as Goodman, he's great at delivering memorable lines. He reminds me a lot of Indiana Jones. But the emotional core of the film comes from John C. Reilly's character, Marlow. He lands on Skull Island back in World War 2 and is stranded there for over 20 years with a fellow enemy from the war. After the uniforms come off, they practically become brothers. He makes for a good comic relief, but soon takes over the story, as he reveals he has a wife and possible son that he's never met. He's the one you really root for, hoping he makes it off the island alive. I was surprised how deep Packard got as far as a character. He becomes a more tragic villain towards the end, as he slowly grows more and more obsessed with taking down Kong. After witnessing the giant ape take down all of his men, he kind of snaps. He couldn't handle another defeat after Vietnam, or has he says it, "We abandoned the war," and so his sanity was barely hanging on. Very pleasant surprise and Jackson does a great job as always. My favorite line of his is, "Bitch, please!" that he snaps at Brie Larson. Pretty epic shit.
Of course, Kong is just as amazing as ever. They perfected him this time around, the special effects are as good as you can get, on-par with the amazing Peter Jackson version. Before I went into the film, I was worried Kong was just going to become a standard giant monster that you wouldn't be able to relate to or get emotional with, but I was proven dead wrong. When I look at this ape, I see the same Kong I love and grew up with in the 1933 and 2005 versions; he's just a lot bigger here.
Jordon Vogt-Roberts absolutely nails the style of this film. I suppose a lot of the credit could be given to his cinematographer, who also does all the work for Zack Snyder, on films like 300 and Watchmen. But the slow-motion shots of the helicopter blades rotating, sunrise backdrops with Kong in the foreground, and Hideaki Anno style shots are littered all throughout... and it is just glorious. This is one of the most gorgeous films I've ever watched in a theater. The colors just pop out in every shot; every shot is just teaming with detail and beauty. I can't get enough of it. The slow-motion sequence with Tom Hiddleston in the green smoke, the blue and red color contrast in the bar scene, the sunset backdrop with the helicopters flying, the IMAX camera shots of Vietnam mountains, and the final monster battle are all wonderful. I can't list them all, because the entire film is just beautiful. Absolute perfection on a technical level here.
As I said in my previous review, This is the movie Jurassic World wanted to be. It's an epic, funny, loud, explosive, and visually incredible film giving us tons of great character moments and monster action. I absolutely love this.
"Do you think... God stays in heaven, because he too lives in fear of what he's created?"
A Spy Kids movie should not get this deep.
John Goodman's performance in this rivals Jack Nicholson's from "The Shining," I'm not even kidding. Holy fuck, I love John Goodman.
For a fan film, I couldn't have asked for better. Since I'm a die-hard fan of the Half-Life video games, this was a real treat to watch, both this and Part 1. The acting was a little hokey at times, but what more could you expect? The visuals and presentation are outstanding for a short built off of only $500.
Kevin Costner's reciting of, "Back... and to the left... back... and to left... back... and to the left... back... and to the left... back... and to the left," is now like implanted in my brain.
Good intentions ultimately squandered by a really terrible script. The opening five minutes should've been the entire film. So much effort was put into replicating the house from the original film, and it only lasts on screen for a few minutes. No amount of homages can save this really cliched horror story.
"Ogata, humans are weak animals. Even if I burn my notes, the secret will still be in my head. Until I die, how can I be sure I won't be forced by someone to make the device again?
"Oh Peace, Oh Light, Return... The prayer for peace that took place all over the country today... Here we see the Tokyo chapter of this event... Listen to the young voices as they put the strength of their lives into their song..."
"I can't believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species... But if we continue conducting nuclear tests... it's possible another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again."
This is not a monster movie. This is not a Godzilla movie. This is a post-war horror film. This is a drama masterpiece that displays the horrors of nuclear weapons and the results such weapons have on the planet. Godzilla is a direct symbol of an atomic explosion. Godzilla is our fault. We did this to ourselves, and now we suffer the devastating consequences.
It's such a damn shame, even though I'm loving where the new Godzilla films are going with Kong Vs. Godzilla, we will never get an American Godzilla film this insanely deep or politically important. The closest Godzilla film that's gotten close tone wise to this is Gareth Edwards' masterpiece in 2014 and Anno's 2016's 'Shin Godzilla.' That film was about the horrors of the 2011 tsunami and incompetence of the Japanese government during that event.
The acting is perfect. The script is perfect. The music is perfect. The themes of post-war fear are perfect. It's groundbreaking. It's heartbreaking. It's amazing. It's the original Godzilla.
The whole movie, I was just thinking about this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=40hFDtQLB8c
I'm going to try to vent my opinions on this movie now.
I think this movie frustrated me more than anything. Barry Jenkins did a really outstanding job with the direction. The scene near the beginning with Chiron in the ocean is great. The way the camera bounces up and down with the water was fabulously disorienting and I loved it. A similar example of noticeable camera work was when Kevin enters Chiron's car. The camera is mounted to the car door and the camera moves accordingly when the door is opened. There's good work all around.
Another major positive of the movie was the acting. Everyone did a phenomenal job with the material they had, especially Naomie Harris. She was absolutely perfect as the drug-addicted mother, who eventually winds up in a Rehabilitation center. She gives an outstanding performance at the table with Chiron, as she breaks down and tries to tell him she loves him, to which he just has to respond that he hates her. Mahershala Ali was quite enjoyable, but unfortunately, he wasn't in the movie very long.
I'm not typically interested in films with topics about gays or victims who are resulted from bullying, but I felt obligated to check it out after all the buzz and critical acclaim it was getting. There was a lot going for it and I was having fun with the characters at different points in the story, especially Chiron's classmate Kevin, played by André Holland. However, even with him at the forefront of the third act, I thought the last hour of the movie dragged on way too long. Far too fucking long. I could see exactly where they were going with setup, but they took too long in the diner to execute anything. There's plenty of scenes like it throughout the whole film. Something will be setup, but then not go much anywhere or do anything particularly interesting.
I understand the movie is trying to get across some important messages about life, love, and the struggle of trying to find yourself as a person. But the problem is, while I applaud and definitely see some great scenes in this movie, like Little Chiron sitting alone in the bathtub, there is far too little happening. You can't have a movie that's only themes. You still need interesting scenes to convey your themes. The only parts I really got invested in was Chiron's life in high school. He finally had enough and threw a chair right into the back of his notorious bully, Terrel. It was a chapter of the film I could identify with, we've all gone through rough patches growing up.
I'd like to give this movie a higher rating because it has good material to boast, but while it has some good subject matter behind it, it's far too slow. Not even the impressive direction and performances can make me want to revisit this movie. I could see why some could get sucked up in the world of Chiron's, but I wasn't digging it. Great visual work from Barry Jenkins, but a script re-write was needed.
My personal favorite of the Ghibli films. It's charming, it's adorable, it's magical, it's dramatic, it's heartwarming, and it's beautifully animated. One of the best animated films I've ever seen. Watch it now and you're heart will be filled with joy.
The same guy who did all the Mad Max films made this...
Why?
Ducky > Blane don't @ me
Finally getting to see this movie again, I forgot how many good things were in this. I was especially surprised at how convincing the child actors were in their roles. I thought Jim Carrey could be annoying at times, but it's actually not a bad adaptation like everyone makes it out to be. Definitely better than Nickelodeon's other movies based on books.
"How big is an F5?"
"Finger of God."
This is a great fast-paced and tense action flick. The late Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty and the late Bill Paxton are both fantastic actors in this. Each of the characters have unique and extremely lovable personalities. Their quest to finally be able to study tornadoes accurately is a good enough reason to root for these hilarious scientists.
Please give it a shot. It's full of great practical and digital effects that still hold up years, it has outstanding performances from the entire cast, and some great music from Mark Mancina.
Today, on February 26th, 2017, we say goodbye to "The Extreme." The one, the only, Bill Paxton. I love him so much in everything he's in, but this is the one role that stands out to me the most.
R.I.P. Bill Paxton
This has a very big soft-spot in my heart. I saw it when I was still a kid, and I absolutely loved it.
R.I.P. Bill Paxton
I just saw the trailer for this before The LEGO Batman movie.
I've never cringed so fucking hard in a cinema.