DarthNihilus

Disney and Pixar have struck gold with this animated feature about a struggling musician that finds the secret of life through a literal out-of-body experience. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I wasn't blown away but after watching it I must say it is not at all what I expected but that is a good thing. Soul is a film that does a lot of things right. It's main character is interesting and gets a decent amount of character development that helps audiences connect with him. The animation is stunning, the supporting cast is superb and the story is deeper than I could have imagined. I love stories that have a purpose and leave its viewers with a lasting effect long after the credits roll and this film certainly accomplishes that. Soul might not be a kids film but it is one of the best animated films of the year by a long shot.

BACKGROUND I was very excited for this movie when it was initially announced. I was even more excited when we were told it would be coming straight to HBOMax because of the pandemic. I thought it would be a nice Christmas present but boy was I wrong. I honestly don't know how this movie made it off of the cutting room floor. STORY The film has a double opening structure that artificially extends is ridiculously long length even more. from then on the movie begins to showcase the poor writing skills of director Patty Jenkins. The entire film is based around a Macguffin that basically every character wants for their own purposes. There is no explanation given for how the Macguffin even made it into the movie and why it is important. I guess it's meant for us to suspend disbelief. The Macguffin causes all kinds of trouble that WW now has to undo and by the end of the movie it becomes clear that nothing that happened in this movie will have any lasting effect on the future of the franchise. EFFECTS The film's CGI isn't too bad overall. Kristen Wiig as Cheetah looks pretty good in my opinion. The main issue I had was with the wire work of the lasso effects and how WW uses them. It looks very low budget and they could have cleaned it up more. CHARACTERS Wonder Woman is living her life as an Anthropologist at the Smithsonian in D.C. and for some reason still hasn't gotten over Steve Trevor despite him being dead for DECADES. Kristen Wiig plays Barbara Ann Minerva (Cheetah) who is basically a dorky scientists that wishes she was as beautiful and sought after as Diana. Pedro Pascal does his best as the sleazy, snake oil salesman Maxwell Lord. Steve Trevor is basically the same as the previous movie. The plot revolves around these 4 main characters and their interactions with the Macguffin. QUESTIONS -If WW can fly why didn't she use that ability in BvS or JL? -Why did WW swing between lightning bolts when she was already FLYING? -Why does Maxwell Lord have an Asian son that has no purpose in the plot? -What was the point of the Golden Armor when it is ripped to shreds so easily by Cheetah? -Why doesn't Maxwell just have someone wish Diana dead? -Why is this movie so long? -What was the point of the Amazon Olympics opening sequence? -Why did Steve Trevor inhabit some random guy's body and why was Diana ok with that? MY SCORE: 4/10 this movie was totally unnecessary. The plot was incredibly stupid, the characters were very forgettable and this film did nothing to setup future installments. They've already announced a sequel in development. I sincerely hope they bring back the writers of the first movie and don't let Patty Jenkins anywhere near the script.

Usually third movies of any trilogy can be stale and quite easily overdone but this movie felt fresh and introduced new life into the series. This already the best blockbuster of the year. The movie is thoroughly entertaining. Nobody goes to watch these kind of films for a deep story, they want to be entertained and this film does that very well. Bad Boys For Life is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and plays to its strengths. It is the best movie of this franchise and downright hilarious. The comedy in this film is perfect, never too much and the timing is always just right. Great film and highly recommended.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This is one of the best films of 2019 and easily among the best of both Matt Damon & Christian Bale's careers. As a lover of history and cars, I can see that my expectations for this movie were high and it did not disappoint. Usually racing movies show us the good guys winning in the end but this one was different. It made the audience care not just about the characters but also the historical significance of what they achieved. This should be considered an American classic. Beautifully written and well acted. HIGHLY Recommend it to anyone that loves cars

Very solid film, the direction was good and the acting was spot on. As someone who was alive in '96 but too young to have remembered this story, it was good to see it fleshed out on the big screen. Richard Jewell deserved to have his story told in the right way and I believe this film did him right. A good film is one that stays in your mind after you leave your seat and this film definitely had that effect on me. I felt compelled to research the bombing in Centennial Park and the unfair media coverage that Jewell received. Clint Eastwood brought his A game for this film and it shows. Highly recommend to anyone that likes a good drama based on historical events.

I love a good space movie as much as the next person and I'm also a Brad Pitt fan so when this movie was announced it seemed like a no brainer that it would be good. Unfortunately that was not the case. The slow pacing of the film makes boredom set in very quickly. Also the confused tone of the film is another hard pill to swallow. Throughout the entire movie I had the feeling of anticipation. I was waiting for something interesting to happen to take the movie to the next step and validate my expectations but that never happened. The film seems like it wants to convey a messag but isn't quite sure what it should say. By the end of the film, you get the sense that this movie was completely unneccessary

I was cautiously optimistic when this movie was announced. The Joker has always been one of my favorite comic book characters. I've always known Joaquin Phoenix to be a phenomenal actor so I was interested to see what he could bring to the character. After watching the film, I can't explain the amount of disappointment I felt. The movie itself is an incredibly slow burn that takes quite a bit of patience to endure. This movie is extremely loosely connected to the Batman mythos and that is putting it mildly. The title of the film is probably the only thing "Joker" about this movie. The film portrays itself as a deep, methodical view on mental health struggles and how society treats those that struggle from them. This would have been a better film if it was not in any way connected to the comic character. Not basing this portrayal on any story from the comics was a very bold move and one that made me worried and rigtfully so it would seem. The movie doesn't really know what kind of story it wants to tell. I wouldn't call this an origin story since Arthur Fleck is in no way the Joker that we all know and love. He is like the Party City version of the beloved character. Imagine if some fanboy tried to emulate what being the joker is like for college film project and that's what you get with this film. I felt like I had wasted two hours watching this disaster. The only bright spot in this movie would be Phoenix's acting. He did the best with what the script gave him.

I have to say I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie when it was announced. After seeing it, I'm convinced it has to be one of the most beautifully animated movies I've ever seen. The direction and art style is truly visually stunning and the story is actually pretty nice. It helps expand the mythos behind the Spider-Man mythos in new and interesting ways without doing too much. I especially liked the fact that they used Miles as the main character instead of Peter. It showed an appreciation for diversity that is often lacking in films. Top notch film that will be on many people's favorites list.

I was initially skeptical that DC could catch lightning in a bottle twice after how good Wonder Woman was but boy was I wrong. Aquaman is a very entertaining and self-contained movie that breathes more life into the DCEU. Gone are the overly serious tones of previous DC flicks. This movie required no prior knowledge and everything was explained without being condescending to the audience. The action was solid and believable. The acting was great and the characters all lived up to the hype. This is how you build a franchise, I like that DC is now focusing on standalone films instead of going straight for the big team up. It shows maturity on the part of the studio. Aquaman was never really a hugely popular character to begin with but this movie succeeds in making him cool to an entire generation of new fans. Once he was the most overlooked and ridiculed member of the Justice League but now he may just be many people's favorites. I don't understand the level of criticism towards this film from various critics. It's like they want DC to fail. If this was a Marvel movie they would have us believing its the best thing since sliced bread. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a HUGE favor and go check it out.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Coco is one of Pixar's best films in years. You don't have to be of latin/hispanic descent to appreciate the culture and history that this movie puts on display. It is truly a beautiful homage to family, tradition and Mexican heritage. I loved the songs, the story and the characters. The humor was spot on and the emotional investment definitely paid off. Its the first animated movie since Toy Story 3 to almost make me cry. It is a very well structured movie that is great for both adults and children.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Even star power couldn't help this film. Despite having an all-star ensemble cast (who can all act very well), this film was a massive dud. The marketing campaign was very, very good and the only reason that this film ended up on my radar in the first place. I was bored to death in theater and even fell asleep a few times due to the uninteresting plot, horrible dialogue and lacking character development or depth of story. Just an all around bad movie.

Being a huge fan of animated films I had to give this one a try. I was not disappointed. This is easily one of the best animated films since "Finding Nemo". It has a light hearted touch with very subtle subliminal messages that appeal to both children and adults. The film is blessed with so much organic humor that doesn't feel forced or artificial that I forgot it was animated. If you love animated features then this film will definitely appeal to you. I highly recommend it to anyone. Hoping for a sequel!

Having lowered my expectations going into the film upon hearing about the castings of Jesse Eisenberg and Ben Affleck I was still amazed at how bad the film turned out. PROS: -The film is mildly entertaining even though it buckles under the weight of its uber serious tone -The cameos from other superheros (Cyborg, Aquaman, Flash and Wonder Woman) were some of the best parts of the film. -Wonder Woman was easily the best thing about this film. She stole every scene she was in. Even her theme song outshone everyone elses. - Ben Affleck was actually believable as the Dark Knight. Better than Clooney and Kilmer but worse than Bale and Keaton. CONS: -The storyline was hastily written and doesn't seem to be drawn from any comic source I can think of. The narrative is so bad that most of the time you are left wondering why Batman and Superman are fighting and how neither of them can see they are being manipulated by Lex. -Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. NEVER in my life have I seen an actor more horribly miscast. Watching him play Lex literally makes anyone wish the film would end quicker. He ruins every scene he is in. - The film is basically a 2 1/2HR trailer for the next movie. - The editing leaves much to be desired. I grade this a solid C-

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]