Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Frances Ha) returns to Netflix with this heart-wrenching drama revolving around a couple going through the process of a divorce.  This film is a horror romance, not because it is scary or creepy, but merely because it shows the real-life consequences of marriage.  Marriage Story displays the fragility of love and the effects it can have on even the happiest couple.  Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Paterson, Inside Llewyn Davis) and Scarlett Johansson (Her, Lost in Translation, The Avengers) lead the cast as a seemingly happy couple, but divorce leads the couple to make choices that they did not foresee happening in their relationship.

At times, the film is hard to watch and tears at the moviegoer's heartstrings.  When the project was first announced, I was a bit concerned that Johansson and Driver were an odd choice to play the lead roles.  Yet, their chemistry cannot be denied and it is hard to picture any other actors playing these roles after viewing the film.  Baumbach clearly knows how to cast a film and this may be his best project to date.  Definitely look out for the multiple Oscar nominations that this film will get.  I'm not one to cry often during a film, but it was sure hard to hold back the tears during this one.  The film has the best scene between two characters that I have seen in quite a while.  Leaving out too much detail, there is a major climax in the film between the married couple, that builds more and more with intensity leading to a payoff that will leave the viewer heartbroken.

The film is subtle to create a realistic story, but the implications are nonetheless concerning.  Randy Newman's (Toy Story, Meet the Parents) original soundtrack creates a nice background for the onscreen dialogue.  The soundtrack has nice piano melodies that play off of the subtle environment and act as a more classical soundtrack. 

Baumbach's script is so real.  He is able to create slight comedy in a script riddled with wrenching emotion.  He can take a cast of well-known actors without giving any of them a sense of entitlement.  This film is NOT a blockbuster, but has the intensity of one.  As one of the best films of the year, I am quite excited to see how it will perform at the awards ceremonies.  Baumbach is no stranger to nominations, but this year has a very bloated field of great films so it will be tough to pick which actors and films will win it all.

The Bottom Line: Marriage Story is subtle, but heartbreaking nonetheless with a professional cast that carries the film to the next level.

Score: 9.4/10

Image Credit: ​By Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59740186

After rewatching Frozen, I realized that the film as a whole was far from perfect.  With endless plot holes, a basic pop soundtrack, and a familiar story, it was hard to appreciate the original film.  I recall liking it the first time, but maybe it was just catchy and really stuck in my head for the months following.  While Frozen 2 still has a lack of needed explanation for certain plot lines, it is a definite step up from the first film.  This is already a contested opinion between fans young and old, but I stand by it for the following reason...

To start, the music in the sequel holds more weight.  Children may not like every song as much as they did for the original film since none of the tunes have stuck as much as "Let It Go".  The break-out song of this film was marketed to be "Into the Unknown", which is not the most creative song on the soundtrack, but still seems craftier than "Let It Go".  Kids might struggle to catch on to the melody, but the lyrics are more fulfilling and Idina Menzel's (Enchanted​) voice carries it quite well.  Her voice truly defies gravity and is such a treasure to the listener.  Along with the new hit, audiences can enjoy a cheesier song from Olaf and a hard-hitting love ballad from Kristoff.  Olaf's song is similar to his debut in Frozen, but Kristoff brings older viewers the nostalgia of artists like Meatloaf or REO Speedwagon.  It's a fun and intentionally ridiculous 80s tribute.  These songs are a treat for adults and kids alike.

Furthermore, the voice work and script for this follow-up are more exciting and creative.  While Olaf did not have too many lines in the original film and still annoyed me, it appears he has more lines in the sequel but never comes off as overly annoying.  Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter), and Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast, 21) round out the cast again with a few extra voice actors in minor roles.  Menzel and Bell voice the young sisters so fittingly.  Gad plays a slightly more matured Olaf, but still sounds like a curious snowchild.  The big breakout for me with this film was Groff's ability to sing.  I'm a big fan of Mindhunter and Groff's character in the Netflix show is so different from Kristoff; it took me a while to realize they are played by the same person.  I can see this ensemble making a few more films together if everyone stays aboard the wintery franchise.

While I do like the sequel more than the original, there are a few choices that are flawed and leave the viewer pondering.  A couple of the things that were left unexplained in the first film are brought back and explained in this film, but this film has characters choose certain paths that are unnatural.  At one point, a main character (trying to avoid spoilers still) makes a choice that contradicts everything the film sets up.  It left me scratching my head and wondering if they just couldn't figure out a better way to progress the plot.  I still give praise to this plot for being more original than the first film, with no real villain for the sisters to face off with.  This is more about character development than it is about a battle at the end, creating a refreshing story for Disney.

I would go amiss without mentioning the visual effects.  I saw the film in Laser IMAX and it was totally worth the big screen experience.  The ice shimmers across the screen and while there is not a lot of real action sequences, there are quite a few moments where the beautiful landscape shines bright with the reflecting snowy overlay.  There was one point where the pine trees looked so realistic that I had to do a double-take and look away from the screen for a minute.  It truly is amazing what modern technology has done for artists and animation studios.  

The Bottom Line: This darker sequel progresses the characters that kids and adults already love, but has flaws that are left unexplained and contradictory.

Score: 7/10

Thanks to AMC, I got the chance to see this film a week before it's wide release date.  This was certainly one of my most anticipated films of the year, and the anticipation was absolutely worth the wait.  Fresh off of his controversial Star Wars film (which I admittedly saw three times in theaters), Rian Johnson (Looper, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi) is back with an original murder mystery.  When family patriarch, Harlan Thrombey, leaves behind a large fortune in his mysterious death, his large family is left behind to solve the cause of his death and what will happen to the fortune.  Johnson hits the genre right on the head, but adds an entertainingy comedic twist to keep the audience fully engaged throughout the whole film.

Johnson's writing is so strong that it is only fitting his cast is full of top-tier names.  Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine, Hereditary), Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies, Freaky Friday), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Don Johnson (Django Unchained), and Chris Evans (The Avengers) create a dysfunctional family dynamic that is believable and yet shocking to watch.  If those names aren't enough to keep you interested in this film, the cast also includes Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049), LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Short Term 12, Selma), Katherine Langford (Love, Simon), and Jaeden Martell (It, Midnight Special).  Every member of the cast is nothing short of amazing.  No one is given too much time on screen or too little time on screen.  To me, Daniel Craig really stands out in his role, with an accent that I would have never expected to hear from him.  With a southern drawl, it takes a good ear to stay focused on what his character is saying.  Furthermore, I have seen very few movies with Ana de Armas and this film really makes me want to become more familiar with her acting.  Certainly, everyone will find a character that is most enjoyable or most relatable to them in the film.

This cast works so well because the script and story is consistent throughout the whole movie.  This is a suspenseful and yet comedic murder mystery.  There are constantly new revelations in the story, but with so many twists and turns one might expect the film to grow tiring.  Contrary to this expectation, the twists and turns are perfectly timed and keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.  Within the plot we get a lot of family banter, especially with Chris Evans's character.  Evans plays Ransom Drysdale, a rebellious grandson of Harlan, who constantly bickers with the family.  Ransom provides most of the comic relief in the film, being crude and clever with his banter.  

Once all of the pieces are put together for the mystery, the audience is left craving more still.  Similarly to a Soderbergh (Traffic) heist film, Knives Out, releases the audience's tension at the end of the film.  The payoff is worth the nearly 2 hour wait, just as it was worth the wait for Rian Johnson's first original film in 7 years.

The Bottom Line: Rian Johnson is back with one of his best films yet. This is a wholly original murder mystery with a crazy cast that portrays Johnson's writing skills with gravitas.

​Score: 9.7/10

Image Credit: By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Rian JohnsonUploaded by maybeMaybeMaybe, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22894471

For those of you patiently waiting for a glimpse of Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio, I feel your pain.  With my bias towards the friendly neighborhood superhero, I need to see the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home and I need to see it asap.  In the midst of the wait, I was able to see an early screening of the new animated Spider-Man film.  Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best movies that Marvel has released to date.  I truly believe that Stan Lee (Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron​) would be extremely proud of this film.  Combining diversity with animation and a stacked cast results in a new type of Marvel movie.  The story somewhat follows the same formula as previous Marvel films, but this is a new evolution for the powerhouse that is pushing out at least three movies a year.  

Sony Pictures Animation succeeds in a fresh style for the superhero that has been around forever.  Spider-Man was always my favorite Marvel superhero and this film keeps the character fresh.  The animation style is like nothing I've seen before, ranging from blurry vision to clear-cut characters.  The vibrancy of the colors kept my eyes glued to the screen at all times.  I have heard some complaints about the blurriness, but personally it makes for a beautiful big-screen experience.  Unfortunately, I only saw this on a regular screen and will need to see this again on either Dolby or in 3D to get even more out of the experience.

Spider-Man fans have been waiting for the debut of Miles Morales in the MCU, and we finally get a brilliant portrayal of this character.  Shameik Moore (Dope) contributes the voice for the new Spider-Man, but he is joined by many other characters that voice the hero.  Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, The Edge of Seventeen, Ender's Game), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed), John Mulaney (Mulaney), Kimiko Glenn (Nerve), Nicholas Cage (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies), and Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman) all voice different renditions of the superhero (unless I am missing someone, which is totally possible with the amount of characters).  This stacked cast could have slowed down the film, but rather the film proceeds smoothly so that children can remain entertained throughout the film.

Furthermore, the soundtrack is perfectly chosen for the hero's big-screen debut.  Post Malone's original song for the film is worthy of an Oscar-nod along with the original soundtrack that is crucial to the fluidity of action.  Pop culture references constantly pop onto the screen, creating a re-watchable animated film.  In fact, images of Chance the Rapper are on the screen so often that I wonder if he is making royalties off of the film.  Either way, there are some great Easter Eggs throughout the film for adults to enjoy.  No matter how often they pop up, it is exciting to see them.

The Bottom Line: With all of the live action Marvel films from the past to the present, it is a nice refreshment to see this unique animated take on one of the foundation characters for the MCU.

Score: 9/10

Image credit: ​By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Stan LeeUploaded by maybeMaybeMaybe, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22896794

With the Barnes & Noble Criterion Collection sale ending today, I chose a movie from my Criterion collection to ponder last night night.  My Beautiful Laundrette is an aged film that seems ever-so-relevant to this day.  The film centers around a young Pakistani Briton named Omar (Gordon Warnecke) with ambitious plans to promote within the working world.  When greed, corruption, sexual tension, and racial inequality start to affect his lifestyle, he continues to work hard and tries to make a difference for the people surrounding him.  Omar opens a laundromat in order to continue rising in the working world, against the wishes of his father.  

For a film released in 1985, the message is quite progressive even in the modern world.  Gordon Warnecke (Venus, A Fatal Inversion, Boon) turns the main character from an innocent Pakistani young man into a hard-working money-oriented individual.  The character's identity is always shadowed by other characters, as Omar reaches out to his family and his white co-worker/boyfriend for advice along his journey.  Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans, Lincoln, Gangs of New York) plays the white boyfriend that causes a lot of the conflict surrounding Omar's life.  Day-Lewis hardly needs to talk in order to grab the audience's attention towards his character.  Johnny is a tough but also charming white Briton, raised around a rough group of friends.

Through clear direction, Stephen Frears's (Philomena, The Queen) early film portrays many powerful messages.  Hanif Kureishi's (Venus, My Son the Fanatic, Le Week-End) screenplay is simple, but includes many different aspects.  As a Pakistani in Britain, Omar is seen as a threat to Johnny's white friends.  The world is currently struggling with immigration policies, and this film displays some of the reasons why immigration is such a heated topic.  Furthermore, Omar and Johnny's relationship is a conflict for both of their friends/families.  The more the viewer looks into this film, the more conflicts arise throughout the short runtime.  While the score for this film is not the most powerful, it is interesting to note that Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Inception, Dunkirk, Interstellar) composed the music.  The music fits into the film well, but I never would have guessed that Hans Zimmer created this subtle soundtrack.

The Bottom Line:  While My Beautiful Laundrette dates back to 1985, the topics discussed are still relevant to modern society's political struggles.  

Score: 8/10

Image credits:

By Nrbelex - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8954299

By Towpilot - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1289613

​

For a film revolving around a game that most of us have not played since we were ten years old, Tag is enjoyable and funny.  Walking into this film I expected another lame comedy, but Tag surprised me.  The film is not for the easily offended or squeamish, considering many of it's jokes are over-the-top and sexual.  In fact, a family walked out of my theater within the first thirty minutes, but they should have expected the humor given the film's R-rating.

Director Jeff Tomsic (I'm Having a Difficult Time Killing My Parents) uses a cast that is well-trained in the comedy genre to portray this story based on true events.  Ed Helms (The Hangover), Jon Hamm (The Town, Baby Driver), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed), Hannibal Buress (Neighbors, Spider-Man: Homecoming), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), and Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Avengers, Wind River) bring some ironically shallow characters to the big screen.  The story does not require much flash and pomp from the cast, but all of the actors are great at bringing their average lives out.  Supporting actors also make for exciting circumstances throughout the movie.  From the childhood crush portrayed by Rashida Jones (The Social Network) to the one-track minded gym employee portrayed by Thomas Middleditch (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Kings of Summer​), the smaller roles help to progress the storyline.

Unlike during many new comedies, I found myself chuckling throughout Tag.  The fact that Tomsic was able to make an interesting film based on the simple premise is surprising, but certainly shows storytelling talent.  I certainly don't think that there is any further progression for this story, so hopefully there won't be any sequels for this one.  One of the reasons why this film was so enjoyable was the fact that it brings out the inner child in the viewer.  As the characters constantly discuss, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing" (George Bernard Shaw).  This is a great message to back up the comedy.

The Bottom Line:  Viewers can happily return to their childhood as they watch old friends reunite for their annual tag competition.

Score: 7/10

Over a decade later, Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Iron Giant​) picks up the story of the Parr family right where he left it in 2004.  Once again, the Parr's are back in action as they balance their family life with fighting crime.  Incredibles 2 spends more time on the family life than the original film, bringing out a relatable experience for moviegoers.  Sarah Vowell (A.C.O.D) and Huck Milner create the voices of Violet Parr and Dashiell Parr as they both go through the struggles of growing up.  These characters are sassy, but also clever.  At times they act smarter than their elders, which is reflective of real life families in many cases.  The youthfulness of this film shines the brightest with the "innocent" baby, Jack-Jack.  Jack-Jack is a fun character to watch and he makes us question whether or not superpowers are dangerous or not. 

The relationship between Bob Parr and Helen Parr has a lot of interesting development in this sequel as well.  Their roles from the first film are nearly flipped around entirely.  Bob acts as the stay-at-home dad while Helen fights crime to protect her family.  Craig T. Nelson (The Family Stone) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) return to voice these characters respectively.  Once again, they are well-spoken and perfect fits for the characters.  As the story unfolds, Bob and Helen make the audience question stereotypical family roles.  Certainly, there can be enriched discussion after the film about these roles and their place in modern society.

For the most part, I really loved this sequel.  However, the original story still stands taller than this new installment.  The villain in Incredibles 2 is not nearly as strong of a character as Buddy from The Incredibles.  The effects are improved, but storyline is more important to me than visuals.  If this installment had stayed more focused on the Parr's family dynamic throughout the whole film, then it might have held more weight than the addition of Screenslaver.  Screenslaver is a decent villain, but does not introduce anything new to the superhero filmography.  Updated effects make for smooth animated action sequences, although Screenslaver is nothing special.  

The Bottom Line: Incredibles 2 is a fantastic watch because of the Parr family, but falls short with the crime-fighting subject.

Score: 8/10

While Blockers is certainly a comedy, the dramatic performances truly stand out to make the film meaningful.  The film was marketed as a stupid comedy full of chuckles here and there, but after viewing the film it is clear that there are deeper messages portrayed through the plot.  Parents often think that they know what is best for their children, but Blockers displays the fact that sometimes teenagers should be able to choose how to live themselves.  Leslie Mann (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), John Cena (Trainwreck), and Ike Barinholtz (Suicide Squad, Neighbors) act as "mature" adults who are trying to prevent their daughters from making rash decisions on prom night.  The immaturity of these three points out the flaws in trying to control the destiny of a younger person.

The real standout performances come from the three teenage girls portrayed by Kathryn Newton (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird), Geraldine Viswanathan (EMO the Musical), and Gideon Adlon (American Crime).  These actresses rebel against their parents to make a point.  The character development leads each of them down a different path even after they originally decide to follow the same path.  While the first half of the film slowly unravels, the story quickly picks up to lead the characters into certain directions.  Each of the storylines are relatable and seem like plausible occurrences.  These teenagers create realistic characters even when the parents are exasperatingly over-protective.  

The Bottom Line: Blockers may not be as funny as audiences were hoping for, but the message hits the nail on the head.

Score: 6.5/10

Image credit: ​https://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjE0ODIzNjkzMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODQ3MzU4NDM@._V1_SY1000_SX632_AL_.jpg

After 18 films, Pixar still continues to release it's greatest content yet!  When I first heard about Coco, I admittedly had extremely low expectations for the film.  None of Pixar's recent films had felt fresh, original, or great since Inside Out.  However with Lee Unkrich at the film's helm, Coco transcends the recent films to become a masterpiece from the studio that started it's animation dominance with Toy Story.  

Coco is beautiful and full of detailed animation that is hard to fully admire through the constantly progressing storyline.  Taking place during Dia de los Muertos, the animators are burdened with creating intricate costumes for many of the characters.  With all of the pressure, the animators do a great job of creating smooth transitions and glorious settings.  One of the highlights of the artwork was the spirit animals.  These neon and often glowing animals are vivid and full of imagination.  Aside from that, the movements of the characters are fluid and there never appears to be a slip up in the film that probably took many years to produce.

Similarly to Inside Out, the storyline for Coco is full of heart and empathy.  The film centers around a young boy struggling to find himself between his passions and his family's values.  Of course, there are multiple twists and turns along the way.  We meet sensitive characters and awesome creatures that help guide Miguel towards the correct path.  While the film is formulaic, it still feels fresh because of the revelations that occur.  A nice addition to this Latin film is the soundtrack which includes mariachi tracks and orchestral Latin compositions.  For a film that centers around music, the original and compilation soundtracks mesh together well.

The Bottom Line: Coco is the greatest Pixar film to be released since Inside Out, revolving around a young boy's journey in finding himself.

Score: 9.5/10

This film is truly special and unique to Martin McDonagh's (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) well-crafted genre.  McDonagh's films are hard to compare with others because they come with a full serving of drama and a good amount of comedic sides.  While it might be hard to digest everything going on upon a single screening of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, there is plenty left for our cinematic tastebuds to indulge in this film many more times.

It takes really smart writing to create such deeply dumb and interesting characters.  The trio of McDormand (Fargo, Almost Famous), Harrelson (No Country for Old Men, Zombieland), and Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Green Mile) brings acting perfection with some of the most underrated actors of our time.  After Fargo, it seems as though McDormand had been forgotten for a while.  Yet, her portrayal of Mildred is spot-on with the dark tone of McDonagh's direction.  After the death of her daughter, Mildred has a hardened heart and is looking for her own definition of justice.  One of her targets is the police chief of the town, played by Woody Harrelson.  Harrelson brings the only respectable character to life with twists and turns that will surprise first-time McDonagh-ers.

While Harrelson and McDormand are great in their roles, my favorite part of the movie would have to be Officer Dixon (played by Sam Rockwell).  Rockwell is fantastic in his role as the dumb and conflicted officer.  His character is relevant to modern news stories, and is a portrait of many issues with America's police force.  Without going into too much detail, I will say that there are a lot of interesting aspects on this character's journey.

Of course, it wouldn't be a McDonagh movie without a thin balance between darkness and comedy.  While the script-writing is not quite as solid as In Bruges, it is damn-near close.  One-liners often dominate the film, creating an uncomfortable awkwardness in the theater.  Personally, I love when directors drag audiences into an uncomfortable tone.  Good filmmaking does not have to be happy and joyous, as long as the audience is able to ponder what they are watching and the message being sent through the medium.  

The Bottom Line:  So far, this is my favorite film of 2017 because of the solid screenwriting and intriguing tone portrayed by every single character.

Score: 9.8/10

Image credit: ​By Dixiekin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49330101