Shrek 2

I saw the first "Shrek" a couple of months ago but didn't write it up at the time due to a massive migraine. I had liked it, found it rather clever, and rated it a solid 4 stars. I was hoping the sequel would live up to its predecessor, and it almost did.... almost. I thought it was a clever story, and the animation was gorgeous of course, but it lacked the heart the first had. The characters became much more stereotypical than in the first film, and Fiona's agency was severely reduced. I get what the script was going for, I do, but I never felt it hit the mark. I hope the third regains more of the magic of the first. 3/5

Shrek 2 on Netflix

The Painting

This has got to be the most original film I've ever seen. Visually, it's really unlike anything else. I don't want to say too much, but the realization of the vision of this film is extraordinary. By the end I was truly stunned at how the visuals so perfectly tied the whole story together. The base of the story was also really cool and different from anything I've ever seen. The morals of the film, those I've seen before, but never done like this. I could watch this again right now, easily. One of the best films I've seen in recent memory. 5/5

The Painting on Netflix

Colossal

Sorry for the long absence, I have been dealing with some bad health issues. But let's get to this film, because I have some things to say. This is not a comedic film, which was what I was expecting. The trailers would have you believe it is, but it is in actuality very, very dark. It starts somewhat dark, gets darker, has a few witty moments, and then dives full-on into some pretty serious stuff. I feel like writer/director Nacho Vigalondo wanted to make something funny with a bit of darkness, which is a combination that works well. But, instead, he made a very dark and disturbing film with some bizarre moments of levity that were definitely out of place, and I found the occasional humor a bit unsettling. Having said all that, the actual meat of the story is quite good. It's daring, interesting, and it's brought to life with knock-out performances from Hathaway and Sudeikis. As the film barrels towards what becomes an inevitable and tragic end, I found myself wishing Vigalondo had just dived in and really dedicated himself to the darkness of this story, because it would have been amazing. Instead, I found myself both wowed and confused, so a mixed bag here for me. 3/5

Colossal on Netflix

Toy Story 2

Am I weird? I must be weird, because I wasn't a huge fan of this. I liked the characters and their development, especially all the new folk from Woody's Roundup. I liked the sense of adventure and the moral of the story. But, honestly, the plot got a little much for me. Okay, I know this is an animated story about toys that come to life when no one is watching, but it got a bit ridiculous. For example - Woody's arm tears from gentle play, but he can handle the air velocity of a plane taking off without injury. RIIIIIIGHT. The whole film is filled with these types of gaffes, where we're given a rule of the world one minute and it's broken the next. It really bothered me after a bit, if I'm being honest. I'll be interested to see the third one now. 3/5

Toy Story 2 on Netflix

Sleight

This wasn't the movie I was expecting from the ad campaign, which I always find a bit disconcerting, but it was a movie that I became more and more interested in as it developed. The acting was quite strong from a group of young actors with whom I was not familiar. I enjoyed the direction and pacing as well. I do feel like the script left a few things out I wish had been further developed, and the ending was just a big giant tease for an apparent sequel with no pay off for the film I had just been watching. Overall I thought this was a fun and fairly strong film. 3.5/5

Sleight on Netflix

Moana

Well, I think I'm in the minority with this film, because I wasn't really jazzed by it. I saw a lot of similarities between this film and "Kubo and the Two Strings" in terms of message and how the story unfolded. But I also felt that it was trying to be witty and clever and endearing ln the way that "Trolls" was. Unfortunately, because those two purposes were at odds with each other, I felt this film failed to really deliver on either front. I thought the message of the film came off as trite and actually played into some of the gender stereotypes it was trying to overcome. I also felt much of the humor felt stale and the songs weren't nearly as good as in other Disney films or in "Trolls". In the end, this didn't really do it for me I'm sorry to say. 3/5

Moana on Netflix

Trolls

This and "Moana" arrived together, and I have the worst food poisoning of my life and needed something funny. All I knew about "Trolls" going in is that most said it was damn funny and I liked the theme song. I didn't know it was a musical, so that caught me off guard, as I'm kind of meh on many musicals. This was really really funny though - the script was both snappy and witty. I'm absolutely awful as placing voices, so I was really surprised to see everyone who voiced this in the credits - they were all great, with special nods to Zooey Deshenel and Russell Brand, and obviously the two leads were awesome.. It really did make me laugh out loud quite a bit, so I'm happy I went with this tonight, I will watch Moana in a day or so. 4/5

Trolls on Netflix

Finding Nemo

This is officially now my new favorite animated film. It had so much heart and wit and actual drama, I was really moved by it. I laughed really hard quite often, especially at Dory, who I just loved. Honestly, I loved everything about this. It's funny, I always think I don't like animated films, but, way more often than not, I really enjoy them. So, resolved, to watch a bunch of the animated films I've missed, in particular the Shrek series, the Toy Story sequels, Moana, the Despicable Me films, Trolls, and the Kung Fu Panda films. All added to my queue, with, of course, Finding Dory, which will be next. Loved this so much! 5/5

Finding Nemo on Netflix

The Space Between Us

This was an adorable movie, it really was. It's soft sci-fi that's actually a romantic drama at heart, and it was sweet and lovely. It did fall a bit flat with me, though, because I never felt the stakes were high enough. I should have felt more afraid for people's lives, I should have really believed that tragedy was afoot all the time, but I didn't. So, while I did really enjoy it, I felt it could have been far more impactful if it was slightly less charming and slightly more serious. Still, a cute film. 3.5/5

The Space Between Us on Netflix

Kubo and the Two Strings

This animated film was just gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen stop-motion done quite like this - it was insanely beautiful. I really loved the story, the pacing was excellent, the comedy was witty and yet dark enough to convey the tragedy of the story. My one gripe? Maybe this is being a little hard, but I didn't understand why we heard Theron, Fiennes, Mara, and McConaughey voicing Japanese characters. It just seemed like a awfully strange choice to me. The movie tried so hard to ground this in Japan and Japanese culture that I really didn't get why I wasn't hearing Japanese accents and voices. But, that aside, this is a wonderful film. I normally don't watch much animation, so this is high praise from me. 4.5/5

Kubo and the Two Strings on Netflix

Doctor Strange

While I have always been a Marvel girl, I was mostly an X-Man fan and never knew anything at all about Doctor Strange. Because of this, I have to say right at the start that I have no idea whatsoever if this film is true to the books, so I can't base any part of my review on that. What I can say is that this is a spectacular film with some of the best effects I've maybe ever seen. It's like an incredible update to things I remember from "Inception", only far better with the advances technology has made. The acting was mostly strong, and I was happy to see a superhero film coming in at only an hour and forty-five minutes. I really enjoyed this and am curious to see how this film and its characters will integrate with the rest of the Marvel Universe. 4/5

Doctor Strange on Netflix

Closet Monster

This is a fairly solid coming of age drama with a few glaring flaws. The direction is very good, with layers of visual metaphors that repeat and enhance the subtext of the film. The lead actors are all quite good, especially Connor Jessup in the lead role of Oscar. My problem is with some of the character development. When we meet Oscar's father when Oscar is a young boy, he is a loving and kind man who treats his son wonderfully and with respect. Quick cut, and now Oscar is a teenager and his father is somewhat of a monster, with the implication being he was always this way. This confused me, as in the scenes from Oscar's early life there was nothing to support this, and I didn't know what I was missing. In fact, all the characters took major detours between where we met them in Oscar's youth and where they were when he was eighteen. This, I felt, was a big flaw in the film that kept me from getting too emotionally tied to any of the characters. Still though, a solid effort with a strong ending. 3.5/5

Closet Monster on Netflix

Creative Control

There's a lot to like about this sci-fi drama. The idea is intriguing and lives in the same world that "Her" does. The direction is beautiful and kept me engaged throughout. However, the acting is average at best. And, while it lives in the same world as "Her", "Her" is such a superior version of this story that it's badly outclassed. For a small indie drama with a limited budget, this is a good effort, but the script needed more fleshing out to take it from good to great. 3/5

Creative Control on Netflix

Batman: The Killing Joke

It's been a long time since I read this graphic novel, so my memories of the actual story are shady at best. However, I sure don't remember there being two separate and distinct stories going on, with the first half of the movie all about Batgirl and the second half being all about The Joker. I feel like this film played very fast and loose with Batgirl's story, and that whole part of the movie just doesn't fit with the second half. I wasn't a fan of the animation, and I felt the horrors the Joker puts Gordon through could have been done much better. And the ending..... what? I'm very confused. This is not the film I was hoping for, that's for sure. 2/5

Batman: The Killing Joke on Netflix

Star Trek Into Darkness

I'm really struggling with a rating for this film. There was a lot that was good. The acting was good as always, the first two-thirds of the story was good, and I actually really enjoyed Cumberbatch's version of Khan. What I find utterly unforgivable, however, was the last third of the film. How can Abrams get "Star Wars" so right and this film so badly wrong? Without spoiling anything, the changes he made to the end of this story I felt betrayed the characters he is attempting to honor with these films. I so strongly disagree with these choices that I have to condemn this film. And, as a bonus, Abrams' lens flare penchant was worse than I've ever seen it before. It's not a bad movie, but it's a terrible Star Trek movie. I'm going to give it three stars and call it a day. 3/5

Star Trek Into Darkness on Netflix

After Earth

Well, this wasn't good at all. However, it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. Let's start with the positives. The effects were decent. The plot wasn't overly complicated. And, for once, there was no big twist to screw up the end of a Shyamalan movie. I've certainly seen worse Shyamalan films before. However, that's where the praise has to end. The acting in this is awful, just awful. Jaden has a bizarre way of speaking that made him extremely difficult to understand. Many of his lines just seemed garbled, and I felt that the other actors in the film were almost trying to copy his "accent". Will Smith was bad, but Jaden was *really* bad. But perhaps the thing that bothered me the most was the central point of the film, that fear is a choice. Well, Mr. Smith, since you wrote this garbage, I would like to invite you to live in the body of anyone with an anxiety disorder and tell me fear is a choice. It's not, everything we know about biology and psychology says it's not, and I couldn't get past that to actually enjoy the film. It was just poor writing and there was no real way through it. Unless you're a Shyamalan completist, skip this one. 2/5

After Earth on Netflix

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

I have mixed feelings about this movie and this series as a whole. I enjoyed the first film, but I felt the second veered too far into the "main character as a Christ-child" trope. This last film in the series doubled down on the Christ-child imagery and didn't give me enough of the people and city in which I had developed an interest. I appreciate knowing more of the story, but I felt it was at the expense of everything this series had worked so hard to build up. I saw every turn coming and every plot point the script was going to hit way before it did. However, in spite of that, I was engaged by the film and did enjoy it on some level. I would be interested in seeing the fourth installment if it ever gets made, as this really wasn't a satisfying ending for me. Overall, it was okay, but nothing spectacular. 3/5

The Divergent Series: Allegiant on Netflix

Midnight Special

This sci-fi thriller was not your average fare. It was thoughtfully composed and never obvious in its intent. We are never given easy answers to the questions being asked, which was refreshing. The tone and feel of the film was very modern, but the direction felt a throwback to movies like "Close Encounters", which was, again, very thoughtfully done. The script was a bit barren at times, and there was no character development to speak of, which is why this isn't getting a higher rating. Still, a solid sci-fi film - I enjoyed it. 3.5/5

Midnight Special on Netflix

Miles Ahead

I get what Cheadle was trying to do with this film, I do. I feel it's much in the same vein as Spacey's ode to Bobby Darin, "Beyond the Sea", in both style and form. And, like Spacey, Cheadle wrote, directed, starred, and played much of the music in this film. Cheadle's acting was strong, but the script.... not so much. It became cartoonish for the most part and never sat down to tell a coherent story. Cheadle let the direction get away from him quite a bit as well. There was one moment when Cheadle, as Davis, pushed the camera out of the way as he passed through the scene. I was so shocked out of the story I had to rewind it and see it again. It was egregious and just tore me out of the film. I was left not knowing what to think about Miles Davis, which I suspect is the opposite intention of the film. Not great for me. 2.5/5

Miles Ahead on Netflix

Jurassic World

I expected this to be terrible, but it was actually quite fun with really good action. Granted, Chris Pratt is wasted, as are most of the actors with the exception of Jake Johnson, who was great. A fun film, certainly better than Jurassic Park 2 or 3. 4/5

Jurassic World on Netflix