#dykd review

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Spoiler free Moana review

I would like say another year another fine animated film from Walt Disney Animation. But this year in what I would assume was Disney’s way of trying to make up for the cursed nightmare that has been much of 2016 they have graced us with not one, but 2 phenomenal animated films. Yes if you were worried don’t be Moana is EVERYTHING you love about Disney classic’s from the renaissance almost to its determent but not quite! And it’s no shock given the creative directorial team behind this film who are John Musker and Ron Clements. As they have been responsible for some of my favorite Disney classics Aladdin, Princess and the Frog, The little Mermaid to name a few!

With that intro out of the way let’s get into the good of Moana because there is a LOT of it. For one the culture and research that went into making this film shows in EVERY detail laid out in it. From the tattoos to the dances, music, clothes, and design Moana is a clear labor of love devoted to Polynesian culture. I am serious when I say the dedication and respect for polynesian culture in this film is at the highest caliber I have ever seen for a Disney film and is what I hope the new gold standard when creating films based in different locations/cultures (looking at you Pixar’s Coco fingers crossed ;D). To see these ideas wonderfully animated it makes your jaw drop which brings me to what makes this movie shine. The animation. 

WOW did the team go all out for this one in terms of the animation for this movie. From the physics of the hair to the opalescent ocean and waves this movie is a pure technical marvel. There are several scenes that the use of just the color palette alone gave me chills (heck I’ll list them, Shiny, We know the way, How far I’ll go reprise, and Know who you are). It’s a movie that I am for sure excited to snag for a blu ray release just to see the colors pop at home.

Next up are the songs which again tie into the cultural devotion to Moana. What Lin Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina have done for this film is craft a soundtrack that is going to be in the Disney classic go to’s for some time to come. The best of them being How Far I’ll go and it’s reprise, I am Moana, Where you are, and of course We know the Way. The songs service the story fantastically and FINALLY gave me a 3rd act number again in a Disney film. Something that for some awful reason has been missing in Disney animated musicals since Princess and the Frog. The film even ends with a reprise which in my opinion is the only proper way to end a Disney musical. 

Last on the list is the Story which is good, but also where Moana hits a snag just a tad. When it comes to the story of Moana there is nothing new here that you haven’t seen in a Disney musical movie thematically speaking. Young teen goes on quest to find themself, there is a disapproving father who doesn’t want the teen venturing outside their boarders/home, snarky co adventurer who begrudgingly must go on the quest with the rather positive main protagonist, animal sidekick relief, etc. In short while the story is a fun and rather good one it’s not doing anything new or extraordinary when it comes to the narrative that plays out. Now this doesn’t ruin the film by any means and they make the story work well, but it doesn’t have anything definitive or groundbreaking in the way that a film like Zootopia did earlier this year. And while this is okay for Moana I do think think that Disney animation needs to challenge themselves with another idea like Zootopia and soon given that their 2 opposing forces/people go on an adventure formula is beginning to get rather played out in this new revival that they are enjoying. 

Beyond my small nitpick Moana is a fantastic film and is a sure fire hit for the ongoing Disney revival. One that will definitly bring a smile to your face and make you glad you went with your family to watch it. All in all I would give Moana about a 9/10 and say that if you are needing some Disney musical magic in your life to go an get it!

[didyouknowmagic]

Got me feeling emotions.... Inside out Spoiler free review.

So the question on everyone’s mind is this film Pixar’s return to form? Yes. Yes it is. Not since Toy Story 3 has a pixar film been this fantastic, seriously. There has been the loss of the “Pixar” touch in their recent films. They were missing that soul, the spark that made the studio the juggernaut that it is today. But with Inside Out not only have they reclaimed that spark, they have elevated it to bigger heights. 

So it’s safe to say this film is an emotional roller coaster, from start to finish it’s just a great ride. Without giving out too much of the plot this story is very much about how we deal with our emotions, or as the movie likes to put it how our emotions deal with us. And it never fails on capitalizing on that premise. The film handles this concept with such amazing wit sometimes you have to stop and smile just at how amazing it is on all levels.

That being said let’s get into the main cast, Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Bill Hader...Fear, Lewis Black...Anger, and Mindy Kaling as Disgust. This cast is too perfect in almost every way, everyone does a fantastic job with their respective characters and not once do you ever sit there and think they are too distracting. But the real breakout stars for this film are Poehler’s Joy, and Smith’s Sadness. And rightfully so as the film really is about their relationship and how Sadness might be more than what we consider it to be.  

The animation for this film is drop dead gorgeous and you can tell they really pushed their limits here. There is a playfulness with the characters movements, a more cartoony stretch to them (at least to the characters inside riley’s head). But many times you’ll find yourself staring at particle effects, or the way the characters don’t really have skin and are actually made up of what looks like tiny molecules. All little details that have been painstakingly crafted throughout the entire film. All in all this film just impresses at everything it does, this is film that’s a labor of love. 

In conclusion Pixar is back and they are better than ever, and to top that they have created easily one of the best animated films in their canon. Do yourself a favor and go see this film. You may feel a new thing or two. 

10/10

[didyouknowmagic]

PARK PACK REVIEW! Not much to look at here sadly. But here’s my take on it! LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE PLEASE! :D

[didyouknowmagic]

Tomorrowland Non spoiler review.

It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day........or is it? Tomorrowland as a film tries to answer this question many a times. And much like that 18 year old freshman who got a c in philosophy 101 and is now preaching to you about life, it does so very poorly. The film without getting into it has very little to with “Tomorrowland” and more to do with the change in our society and it’s views of the future. Which is a shame because what little time we spend in the city of the future is a delight, but sadly it’s short lived. The focus as I said here is a sort of passive aggressive message about how we as a society have lost our drive for the future and advancement. 

And while this is a very good theme and idea to touch on the film does it in a very shallow way. When in fact this concept could have worked and been thought provoking, emotional, and then some the film never takes it there. It just treats it all like one large action sequence where all the problems end with one climactic sequence of explosions. And for a film about tackling the idea the future and optimism it just doesn’t seem to fit that blockbuster structure well. 

As for the hook which caught many a Disney fan there are cameos of certain classic Disney iconia. Space Mountain, Monorails, It’s a Small World, it’s a great big beautiful tomorrow. All are cool but again never really utilized for anything huge in the film, and perhaps that’s the way it should be as the focus here is already rather all over the place. If there is any good to take from this film it’s the performances which are fantastic. 

It’s just a shame the script isn’t on par to match them. One breakout character from this film is easily Athena. Who manages to illuminate the screen everytime she’s on it and is easily the highlight of the movie. She took it from being poor to mediocre for me, it’s that great of a character. Although I will say I think the relationship she has with another character (don’t wanna spoil anything) and the way Bird and CO handled it with was rather dangerous and on the fence for a family film. But I digress, overall Tomorrowland tries to inspire you to do better and ream bigger and I suppose that in trying to do that it does get some points. But sadly it falls flat in the execution, this is probably one of the bigger letdowns I have experienced in terms of being excited for a film in quite some time. 

Overall 4/10

[didyouknowmagic]

Avengers Age of Ultron Review.

Any and all spoilers in this review shall be tagged as such! 

So this film does indeed deliver in terms of blockbuster action. With some of the coolest nonstop action sequences (the intro comes to mind) I have seen in recent memory. But that is exactly where part of the problem for this film lies. Much of the narrative and story is driven not to tell a compelling story or further our characters, but to bring us to these cool big action sequences. Even more worrisome is that Ultron our “damaged” antagonist is weak at best, and overbearing and cliche at worst. And that’s a real problem when your entire film is dedicated to the to the guy. 

Tom hiddleston knows how to walk the line between campy pompous evil and real threat evil, and in the first Avengers there are moments meant to tailor to that (Hulk beating him up after his ridiculous speech). But here in AOU Ultron is constantly babbling his 1 minute decision stock bad guy philosophies to the point where he becomes over the top and ridiculous.We have seen this same type of villain who sees humanity at it’s worst and thinks he can use that “inherent evil in us all” to destroy each other (COUGH NOLAN'S JOKER COUGH) except we have seen it done right and to a greater effect. Ultron never manages to be that villain. 

Spoiler territory below.

The problem here is that Ultron’s birth is literally done within a minute or two. And it’s so incidental and without anyones involvement it’s ridiculous. He literally spends 1 minute browsing the internet and the earths history and through that he decides that we are to be annihilated. And then right from there he gets a daddy complex with stark even though his interaction with him is almost non existent. They try and do the frankenstein monster thing here but it just doesn't work out, Ultron literally has had about as much interaction with Stark as a walkerby on the street. Yet he gets furious whenever someone mentions that he and stark could be similar as if he has some sort of abandonment issues. 

It’s just forced to high hell and you never feel like there was a connection to be bitter about between these two. Half of the film should have been devoted to ultron’s rise rather than him becoming the biggest threat the earth could face in 15 minutes or less. Cause if Tony Stark literally did that as an opps I would hate to see what he could do on purpose, seriously how is he not in jail? But besides that point the biggest problem I have is that for a Villain as smart as Ultron his plan is stupid as hell.

This is a robot with access to all the internet and it’s wonders minus nuclear codes, and your telling me his master plan at tearing humanity apart is dropping a floating city from the sky? It’s rather obvious that his plan was his plan so the finale could be a showstopping spectacular. But even so it’s just something that doesn’t fit the type of villain Ultron is or rather should be. He should have us tearing each other apart to prove his points, he should be inciting wars somehow or releasing secrets so that the people don’t even trust their own governments. But the best he does is a giant floating city that when dropped should annihilate all of us. But I think I reached my point on that. 

SO beyond Ultron is there good in this film? Yes. And their names are Vision, Wanda, and PIetro. By far these three characters are some of the most compelling new ones that Marvel has introduced. Vision is an absolute marvel to watch on the screen and seriously manages to have some of the coolest flying effects ever (sorry man of steel). And Pietro’s and Wanda’s playful and mysterious personalities offer some real fun in the film. 

As usual expect the quick fire wheadon jokes/writing that makes his media so consumable. There is a lot of that to take in here in this film and I am sure it will satisfy many a Marvel fan. And there are tons of great cameo’s and nods to current and future films all layered throughout this sequel. 

In conclusion is AOU good? Yeah, but that’s the problem. It’s just good. It sadly fails to reach the same perfect heights the first film established. And as a sequel that’s supposed to up the ante it fails to do that. It’s a rather meh send off for Joss Whedon which is a shame.  All in all I give AOU a 6.5/10.

[didyouknowmagic]

Cinderella Review.

I am going to be honest, before seeing this film I was completely dreading this picture. I thought it was missing the soul that made the original classic so loved and I was feeling rather flat about it. Then I thankfully went and saw the movie tonight, and goodness I haven't been so proud to have been so wrong in quite some time. 

To put it simply, Cinderella is probably the most lavish, beautiful, and carefully constructed live action film from Disney I have ever seen. The sets, the costumes (though inaccurate in their time period even though the time is never specified), and the cinematography all drip with quality and beauty. Seriously some of the establishing shots are so beautiful they look like paintings, I am not even kidding. It’s literally a confection from start to finish with dresses that even made me a little teary eyed at their perfection. This was a film meant to be enjoyed for theaters most definitly, it’s a shame I didn't see this one in imax as  I feel that would bring the hyper stylized sets and make them pop even further. 

Beyond that this film just has a lot of heart. With the overarching message seeming to be “Have courage, and be kind”. And while the cynic can point and say “There is a difference between that and just being able to endure a whole bunch of everything” I think this movie does a fantastic job at establishing the importance of that moral. Sometimes people will treat you unfairly, and more often than that in manners that are cruel simply because they are either hurt themselves or unable to treat others with kindness because they have never  experienced it. 

Cinderella tackles this idea with the Tremaines in a manner that is extremely endearing. It would be easy for her to hate their entire existence, and it would be even easier for her to lash out at them and shun them for the awful people they are. Instead she chooses to believe that perhaps if they are shown love and kindness they could be able to learn how to reciprocate it in full. And while there are moments that push that ideal to it’s breaking point (like her not leaving her house) the film never thankfully makes the scenarios too much for our heroine to handle.

As to be expected almost everyone is a gem in this film. Cate Blanchett's performance as a desperate house wife if she had the blood of satan is absolutely captivating.  Even when she is being wicked you can't help but think how amazing and fun she looks while doing so. She’s also a character with some depth, not a pool of it, but enough to let you know that the Evil Stepmother wasn't just a woman born to ruin lives. But someone who had suffered quite a lot and sadly let the world harden her heart.

 Lily James Cinderella will leave you delighted that someone so positively kind and happy could exist without causing an annoyance. The stepsisters are amazing, their retorts to each other and Ella always manage to dangle between cruel and sorta funny. The Prince is so dazzling I am sure many a straight man will leave the theater at least a little curious. He manages to be charming, and intriguing while also showing a real vulnerable side not often seen with male characters. Not going to spoil which scene but I think it’s very important that it was in the film. Helena Bonham carter is obviously a delight for the very brief moments she appears and manages to bring her own brand of kooky to the Fairy Godmother. 

Now while this film is a delight it has one issue that I still haven’t gotten over. And that’s the lack of any of the music from the original animated classic from Disney. If there were no music in this film at all I could forgive and move past that. But then a song by the name of Lavender’s Blue comes in the movie and serves as a bridge between Ella and her Mother and sort of plays as the films it song.

Here is my problem, Cinderella already has a very iconic it song. One that’s nearly synonymous with the Walt Disney Company and it’s ideal and purpose. Which is A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes. The Lavender song is so painfully inferior and forgettable in comparison to the classic song. The more I think about it the more I see that there was no reason not to use the original song in the final film. It almost seems like someone after production realized this was a mistake and had Lily James sing a beautiful rendition that makes me wish it was in the final cut of the film replacing the lavender song entirely. Same for Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, which also got a post credits rendition done by Helena Bonham Carter and is actually fantastic. The inclusion of these two songs could have elevated what is already a sure fire winner into something cosmic. But everything must have it’s faults. 

So all in all this is a Disney Live Action film that serves to tell a story, rather than profit off of one you already know. And that in itself makes it worth the watch. We finally have a real winner for Disney fans and a film that finally makes the live action craze worth it.

9/10