Hit Me with Your Best Shot: Zootopia

July 19, 2016July 18, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

I haven’t participated in Hit Me with Your Best Shot in a while because of traveling and not being interested in the selections but this week I had to participate! If you don’t know Hit Me with Your Best Shot is a series by Nathaniel over at the Film Experience where a bunch of bloggers all watch the same film and pick one shot that conveys that film to us. You can see all my entries here. Like I said, this week I had to participate because the topic is Disney’s latest animated classic Zootopia!

I have spoken, dissected, reviewed Zootopia in about every way you can. My friend AJ and I spent over 90 minutes discussing every last detail of the film.

I even recently reviewed The Art of Zootopia.

But I want to address one of the complaints I’ve heard about the film. People say the messaging is too heavy-handed and that the metaphor falls apart. To those that make this claim I would like to introduce you to something called a FABLE!

As the definition implies a fable is a story that exists to teach a lesson usually to children. To me saying Zootopia is heavy-handed is as insane as saying the Tortoise and the Hare or the Boy Who Cried Wolf are too heavy handed. THEY ARE FABLES!!! Again, they exist to teach lessons to children. Are nursery rhymes heavy handed? Do we need to not read the Lion and the Mouse or other Aesops Fables to kids any more because they are too heavy-handed? Give me a break…

I mean what’s next someone claim the tortoise and hare metaphor is flawed because it doesn’t show a broad range of athletes in the race! Of course not, all fables and all metaphors are at a certain point flawed. But they teach the lesson they are meant to teach to children. Talk about overthinking it.

But Zootopia isn’t just a fable for children. There’s lots for adults too-

Now what makes Zootopia special is it takes a fable about prejudice (amongst other things that people always forget about like bullying and never giving up) and adds a detective story that’s very entertaining. It has all the flavor of a film noir buddy cop story we used to get in the 80s with great chemistry between Judy and Nick. AND even more than that it has amazing world building with an incredible attention to detail for each of the lands of Zootopia. The voice acting is superb and it has tremendous heart.

But even adding to the greatness of Zootopia is how funny it is. There are tons of background jokes in signs, dvd covers and the like but there also great primary jokes. My favorite that still makes me laugh each time is Mr Big and his skunk rug. This is a play up on the Godfather meant to entertain adults. Everything down to the design of the wedding is a perfect send up and it makes me laugh.

In this scene with Mr Big, you also get some key elements of the fable. We learn that “My child. We may be evolved, but deep down, we are still animals.” Deep down inside we all have weaknesses and prejudices we pretend aren’t there but that is no excuse. Through the story Judy realizes her own ‘deep down inside’ feelings and learns to be a better person (or bunny)!

So for me the best shot combines humor, beautiful lighting and design, and a memory of what Judy has just learned. It has everything I love about Zootopia- a film which I think is the best Disney non-musical since 101 Dalmatians and one of the only truly memorable movies of 2016

Ice Age 5: Collision Course Review

July 17, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

There are times when I wonder about my commitment to see all of the animated films of the year. Watching the latest Ice Age film, Ice Age: Collision Course, is one of those moments. It’s kind of crazy because I just saw it this morning but I’m having a hard time remembering anything that happened just hours later. This is a completely lame animated film that hopefully will be the end of the series.

The core story is Scrat, the squirrel who is always looking for his acorn, activates an asteroid in space that is headed towards Earth. Manny and company see the asteroid coming and follow Buck to a prophesied place that will keep them safe. Along the way you have lots of attempts at humor, sheer randomness and Manny dealing with his soon to be son in law. If that sounds boring it kind of is.

There are moments where the randomness can be interesting but other times it’s just frustrating. Characters will wander off just for a joke that isn’t funny or pay off well. And some stuff is weird more than it is funny. Like Neil de Grasse Tyson appears inside Buck’s brain explaining the science of the asteroid.

There is of course a lot of scatological humor but most of the jokes are more characters complaining about each other. Plus, you have the specter of the world coming to the end which gives the whole enterprise a rather downbeat feeling.

They end up meeting this Shangri Llama who is doing yoga in an asteroid that grants a fountain of youth. Then they had to take the crystals and make a pit that would then repel the asteroid. This is as convoluted as it sounds and it never worked in creating tension or empathy for the characters. I frankly just didn’t care.

They also keep zipping back to Scrat and his silly antics can be amusing but at this point it’s a very tired gag. A few of the characters land jokes but mostly it’s complaining more than actual jokes.

The 3D also looked terrible- instead of immersing me in the experience it kept shoving things in my face.

The best joke of the screening was when Scrat turns a planet into Mars and a little boy behind me said ‘that’s not how it happened Mommy”. That made me laugh!

Ice Age Collision Course is a definite skip.

Overall Grade- D+

I was able to review this on my channel with my friend Rachel and I would love if you gave it a watch and thumbs up. I am getting close to 1,000 subscribers so thank you!

Ghostbusters 2016 Review

July 15, 2016July 16, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

Today I saw the movie that broke the internet. For months the battle over the Ghostbusters remake has been raging strong. It has a female cast, some idiots trolled, people involved overreacted and then a bunch of lousy trailers came out. Plus, like Independence Day it’s another movie that others feel much more nostalgia for than I do. You can see my best shot pick and thoughts on original Ghostbusters here.

So is this new version the monstrosity that some people hoped for? (Yes some idiots hoped it would be bad). No, in fact, I liked it very much!

Going into Ghostbusters I looked for a few things. 1. I wanted charismatic, likable female cast, 2. I wanted to laugh, 3. I wanted some entertaining ghostbusting action. This film gave me all of that. I left with a big smile on my face.

So let’s start with our leading ladies. We have Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. I like that they aren’t exact copies of the 4 original Ghostbusters. McCarthy and Wiig are long time friends who have written a book on the paranormal. They had great chemistry together and I thought McCarthy stole every scene she was in. I know some are tired of her shtick but it’s really not here. There isn’t a single fat lady joke in the whole movie. She’s just funny.

All of the ladies have great chemistry together and things like Leslie Jones being from the street was actually well done. For the most part character-wise what worried me in the trailer didn’t come to fruition. Kate McKinnon verges on being a little annoying but I was ok with it.

A lot of people have complained about the depiction of men in the film. I think this complaint misses the subtle humor these roles have. I can’t even tell you how many movies I’ve seen where every female character is a dimwit, shrew or hooker. Now they turn it around. That’s part of the joke! It’s called turning the tables to make people think and maybe laugh a bit at the way we see gender played out in film. Chris Hemsworth isn’t just the idiot, he’s a satirical jab at every dopey receptionist babe we’ve seen in a thousand other films.

Let’s get to the humor. I must own I actually haven’t seen many Paul Feig films because they are usually hard R ratings. Here he is working in PG-13 territory and for the most part I laughed a lot. The banter between the ladies was very funny and dry.

Also Chris Hemsworth is hilarious in every scene he is in as the dopey receptionist. I also liked little moments like when Melissa McCarthy can’t get her broth to wanton ratio right from the Chinese restaurant. Things like that made me laugh.

Now the action it is not as horror influenced as the original but I liked it. I thought some of the designs of the specters was cool and how the women had to use their brains to take them down was also cool. I particularly liked a set of ghosts that were giant balloons that felt very day of the dead influenced.

It was also cool to see all of the new gadgets that McKinnon’s character invents. I think young girls will see this movie and have fun playing scientist and killing those ghosts! It’s the same thing that makes me excited to see girls playing Rey. I had Ariel and that’s basically it. Nothing tough and fighting like this.

That does bring me to a negative I had in the movie. Most of the movie is so kid-friendly that it bummed me out when unnecessary crude and vulgar humor was thrown in for no reason. Like a character gives another the middle finger repeatedly. Why did that have to be in there? I don’t need that for my little girl. You also had a joke about female anatomy I could have done without. That said, those crude and vulgar jokes are much worse in the original so it’s not really a surprise.

There are also a number of cameos and callbacks to the original and some of them do feel forced. It didn’t bother me that much but it is definitely fan service. I particularly could have done without Slimer and his wife driving around.

I honestly hope there is a sequel because I think that will be even better. I think these fan service moments are out of the way and we can move on to an entirely fresh story.

Overall, if you can turn off the critics I think you will have a good time. Is it the greatest movie of the year? No but honestly neither was the original- at least to me. They are both fun summer movies with quippy dialogue and scientists taking down ghosts! Give it a shot. I don’t think you will regret it.

Overall Grade- B+

I did something new with my youtube video this time. I hope you guys like it

Secret Life of Pets Review

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

So I’m back friends from Spain!!! I hope you guys enjoyed art book reviews while I was gone. I enjoyed writing them very much and if there are any art books you would like me to review in the future let me know. Being gone for 12 days I naturally missed a number of movies, which I will now need to play catch up.

The first one that needed to be looked at was of course the animated film- The Secret Life of Pets. This is made by Illumination, a company which I have not been a fan of. I particularly did not care for their entry last year Minions. But I enjoyed the teaser trailer for Secret Life of Pets and was excited to see something from Illumination without little yellow men in it…

And I saw the film and you know what I actually enjoyed it. It’s a ring down from Finding Dory and Zootopia but I was charmed by the film. Here is my youtube review.

I also had the honor and privilege yesterday to be a guest host for the Rotoscopers podcast! I have followed the podcast for some time and am a patron so this was really neat. I hope you guys like my contribution. Please give the video some love and maybe they will invite me back again someday.

Anyway back to the movie. Let’s go over some of the pros and cons of the film.

The first thing that struck me right away about the movie is how great the cityscapes and NYC skyline looked. It is the best NYC has ever looked in a film IMO. Not that many films are set in a city so I really enjoyed the urban environment. It reminded me a little bit of NYC in Oliver and Company.

I am not a dog owner but the whole premise of the secret life of pets is adorable. What do pets do after their owners have left the house after all? Unfortunately the movie abandons that premise for a generic search and rescue pretty early on but I still liked the set up. I liked that it wasn’t just dogs and cats but all kinds of pets like guinea pigs and birds as well (even a crocodile at one point!).

I didn’t mind the lead characters Duke and Max but my favorite were the side characters particularly Chloe and Gidget. They were very funny. The writing for these side characters was on point and I laughed quite ae bit.

Overall I was engaged in the story and thought it was a charming film.

But there were some cons so let’s talk about them.

A big problem many will point out is the similarity to Toy Story. As you can tell by my love for Good Dinosaur I have no problem reusing storylines from other films; however in this case I feel they missed out on a few things that make Toy Story special. The movie never achieves an emotional moment like the Toy Story films do. There is a weak attempt to do so with Duke’s former owner but it doesn’t work. I think what would have worked better is if their owner Katie had realized they were gone and was upset missing them. That would have given the movie more emotional heft than just a search and rescue film.

Also they make Duke a little bit too unlikable. One of the things that makes Woody so jealous of Buzz is how much everyone loves him. We never get any moment to see what makes Duke special or why we should love him. He’s just the annoying new presence in Max’s life and nothing more. Also when they do become a team working together it doesn’t feel earned.

My other problem with the movie is the Underbelly section with Kevin Hart bunny planning a revolution against the humans. There was actually some funny writing and jokes in this section but I found Snowball to be an annoying character. Every line he gives it feels like he is shouting and clenching his fists. I wanted to say ‘calm down for half a second’. The whole underbelly sections of the film feels generic and didn’t do much for me.

I also feel certain characters don’t really fit like Tiberius the hawk voiced by Albert Brooks. Maybe I’m too attached to that voice from Marlin in Finding Dory but it didn’t work. Other characters like Pops we don’t really get to see enough of to make him an effective character.

However, like I said the banter between Gidget and Chloe is very funny and I liked Max as our lead hero. There’s also some good laughs throughout and our second animals driving a car scene for the summer. I also felt the music cues and score by Alexander Desplat really worked well.

So overall The Secret Life of Pets did have problems but I left feeling happy I have seen it and charmed by the film. I think your kids will enjoy it; although there are some moments of pet peril so be forewarned. It’s not a film you have to jump in the car and see but I liked it. It’s definitely Illumination’s best film by far.

Also the Mower Minions I can do without! Get them out of here!

My end grade on Secret Life of Pets is a B-. What would you give it and what did you think of the film? Let me know in the comments section.

The Art of Zootopia Review

July 7, 2016June 24, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

I think someone that doesn’t like Zootopia may actually like the Art of Zootopia. It is so great. It gives you such a clear image of the attention to detail that went into the film that it is so fascinating. Details like vending machines and buildings that are briefly seen are incredible in addition to all the major set pieces getting fleshed out. It’s my favorite movie of the year and one of my favorite art books.

It starts with an introduction from John Lasseter where he shares his excitement for the all-animal world “I challenged the filmmakers to imagine Zootopia as a world that is truly and uniquely animal, where there are no people and mammals have evolved to human levels of intelligence. For inspiration I encouraged them to dive deeply into research on animals and their habitats”. His happiness with the finished product is evident “I believe the cleverness and fun add up to make Zootopia one of the most entertaining films we’ve ever made. At its heart, it’s pure Disney. But it’s also unlike anything we’ve ever seen before in animation”

Next you have a foreward from Byron Howard and Rich Moore. They talk about how they changed their vision from a futuristic tone to more natural in feeling. “But through our research we came to understand that cities are a reflection of their inhabitants’ history and lifestyles, and that Zootopia had to evolve as a human city does. It had to haave layers built up over time to make it feel like a place that truly exists”

Then we take a world building approach to the rest of the book. We get to see the thought that went into each of the burrows and learn about little details we might have missed. What I loved is seeing details like this page on Koslov’s Palace a place I don’t think even made it in the movie, or if did it’s brief. They even have the borscht served designed!

You also get layouts on the lead characters and see their evolution.

And I loved learning more about side characters like all the planning behind the 2 polar bear guards of the shrew.

There are great design details that didn’t make it into the film like an amusement park of sorts.

It’s details like these that make The Art of Zootopia a great find and one you should put in your collection. It’s got enough reading to be informative and the artwork to dazzle.

If any of you pick up the Art of Zootopia let me know what you think.

The Art of Finding Dory Review

June 29, 2016July 2, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

While I am happy vacationing in Spain the first 2 weeks of July I thought it would be fun to post a couple of reviews of animation art books I own. If you don’t have an art book it’s pretty self explanatory. It’s a book that explains and shows the art behind a particular film. These are not limited to animation (Marvel, DC and Star Wars for example have them) but all that I own are. I might not be quite as quick to respond to comments as I usually am on these art book posts because I will be gone. Have patience with me and I hope you enjoy them!

The first book we are going to look at is from the most recent animated release, Finding Dory. It is the Art of Finding Dory.

It’s kind of interesting because this art book has a preface, introduction and forward. The preface is by John Lasseter and he talks about the first time Andrew Stanton pitched Finding Nemo (“You had me at the word fish”) and then Finding Dory (“Nemo had as its canvas the entire ocean, but Dory expands that world even more…where even the plainest quarantine tank is lit by intricate caustics of light playing along its walls and floors). That emphasis on light and how it was used by the artists is a big theme of this art book.

The forward by director Andrew Stanton is quite moving. It shows the emotional connection he had to Dory from get-go. He says “Dory was lost. Most people overlook that fact…You see, Dory was looking for her family, too, only she had forgotten that fact. Dory had been lost for years, no knowing where or when that tragic separation occurred. I’ve always wanted to believe every audience member sensed that longing in her- that a fish with short-term memory loss, wandering the ocean alone, couldn’t truly be happy”. I know feel thoroughly guilty for never thinking that much about Dory- the poor fish! I’m so glad Andrew Stanton told her story because clearly he was very moved by it and it shows in the finished film.

Finally, the introduction by author Steve Pilcher, pencil and marker man on Finding Dory, shares his perspective on the design of Finding Dory. “The way shapes, color and light worked together to support the intent and focus of a shot became a carefully coordinated balance from sequence to sequence, shot to shot”.

You can tell The Art of Finding Dory is written by a technician like Pilcher because it is very technical but I found that fascinating.

The first part of the book is all about the production design. They focused a lot on lighting and how the ocean illuminates things differently than on the land/tank sequences.

I really liked pages that showed the sketching process to making Finding Dory.

They then have tons of information on character design for both small and larger characters.

Next we get tons of storyboards showing the evolution of the film’s story. I love looking at storyboards. It reminds me there are men and women actually drawing this stuff!

Finally we get to see the layout of the Marine Life Institute and all the small details from the flags, maps and signs.

They designed everything for the park- even stuff you don’t really see like the Kidzone bag you see above. That’s so cool!

If you liked Finding Dory then I think you will definitely like the Art of Finding Dory. It’s beautiful to look at but very enriching as well. I learned a lot about computer animation and the Pixar brainstorming process.

Let me know if you get to check it out what you think. Thanks!

Legend of Tarzan Review

June 28, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

Today I had the chance to see the new Legend of Tarzan film, and I must admit to being pretty disappointed by it. Most people will say this is better than Independence Day: Resurgence and they are right but so much of our enjoyment of a film goes down to our expectations. It’s not that I was expecting Tarzan to be great but I was expecting it to be a Tarzan movie. What do I mean by that? To me a Tarzan movie has a man raised by apes flying through the jungle swinging on vines and falling in love with Jane. With Independence Day: Resurgence I expected a dopey alien movie with destruction and that’s basically what I got. My expectations were not similarly satisfied by Legend of Tarzan.

In fact, we get probably under 5 minutes of Tarzan swinging on vines through the jungle and never once with Jane. In this version of the story he is buttoned up in stiff suits and colors until well into the movie and he is already married to Jane from the beginning. You get to see a little bit of how they met but never any romantic jaunts through the jungle. Is that too much to ask in my Tarzan movie?

Instead you get basically a jungle war film. There is a tribal leader played by Djimon Hounsou who has a grudge against Tarzan. . This particular leader guards valuable diamond mines that Christoph Waltz wants to get his hands on. He makes a deal to lure Tarzan to Hounsou for a trade of diamonds. Jane played by Margot Robbie insists on coming along with Tarzan and ends up getting abducted by Waltz.

Then Tarzan and Samuel L Jackson’s George Washington Williams’ character must save Jane. There are lots of battles, some of them quite violent. I wouldn’t recommend it to kids.

Alexander Skarsgard could make a good Tarzan but we literally don’t see him with his shirt off until about 30 minutes into the film and even it’s for purposes of conflict and war. There’s little to no joy or fun in the picture. Samuel Jackson gets a few laughs but that’s about it.

The movie does look nice and the cast has decent chemistry but it’s just not what you want in a Tarzan movie. And Christoph Waltz isn’t good as the evil Captain Leon Rom. He must be great in those Tarantino films because every movie I’ve seen him in he’s been very bad. He’s definitely the worst 2 time Oscar winner I’ve ever seen.

The special effects are amazing throughout and I didn’t hate it but it wastes a lot of potential. In a way it kind of reminds me of Man of Steel. That wasn’t my Superman movie and this isn’t my Tarza movie. I think it is going to be a big bomb for Warner Brothers and why on earth did they spend $180 million on a dark and gritty Tarzan movie? It makes no sense.

Overall Grade- C (on the video I gave it a C+ but I’ve changed my mind!)

Independence Day: Resurgence Review

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

So I had the chance to see the Independence Day sequel today and I will be very curious to read what you’all think of the film- especially if you are a big fan of the original. I left feeling like it was just ok. It’s not horrible but it’s not great either. Here’s my review on youtube:

However, recently I rewatched the first one and was honestly a little disappointed. It’s not as good as I remembered it. It ends well but the first hour and 45 was a lot of standing around staring at screens and talking. It was more boring than I remembered and the explosions felt more repetitive than I recalled. It’s not awful but it was a bit of a letdown on the rewatch.

Anyway, I went into this sequel with pretty low expectations. I just wanted to be moderately entertained and I’d say it kind of achieved that standard. There’s attractive people and some decent special effects. Jeff Goldblum is good and there are moments that are dumb fun.

Unfortunately for me it all felt a little forgettable and silly but not necessarily in a good way. It just was ok. The acting is ok. The special effects are ok. The story is ok. It’s probably the kind of movie that will make a decent cable watch on a Saturday but not worth the $20 ticket price some have to pay these days. But like I said it’s not awful so if you are bored and need something to do you could do worse.

The story recalls a lot of elements from the first movie but none really stand out. Like in this film there are multiple scenes where the band of pilot brothers fight the aliens like the Grand Canyon scene in the original and they are all fine but nothing special. There are at least 2 scenes where a president or former president makes a speech and they are fine too.

One odd thing is characters are eliminated without much mourning or sense of loss in the script. Also certain characters try to provide comic relief and fail miserably. The romance is also very bland.

I don’t want to spoil things but certain moments with the aliens are extremely silly, and I guess that is fun. There are actually different aliens they interact with which I thought was kind of clever and interesting. You see a lot more of the aliens this time around than in the last. You also get a little more explanation of why they are doing what they do.

The destruction is very intense this time around but you expect that in Independence Day movie. I guess I struggle a little bit with these kinds of scenes in a post 9/11 world. They just aren’t fun for me any more but that’s just me.

They also try to get you to believe Vivica A Fox goes from exotic dancer to doctor in between the two movies which seems like a stretch. The special effects in a scene with her are especially bad. Also the actor who plays Will Smith and her son, Jessie Usher, isn’t very good and certainly doesn’t have near the charisma as Will Smith. Liam Hemsworth is ok.

It’s a fine movie but not a good one. I can see having fun with it and I did have some dumb fun but it’s forgettable. Let me know what you think if you see it- especially if you are a big fan of the original. That’s just kind of my jumbled thoughts on this one!

Overall Grade- C

Best and Worst of 2016 So Far

June 23, 2016June 23, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

So we have hit the half way point of the year and it seems appropriate to look back and say what is my favorite and least favorite films so far. I did a video on youtube about it that I would love if you check out.

But here are my best and worst lists

BEST OF THE YEAR

Zootopia- still most creative film I’ve seen this year. Sure the metaphor has some flaws but I think most fables do if you nitpick them. Fables are used to teach lessons to children and I think this is as close to a modern new fable we’ve ever gotten. I loved Judy Hopps as a character and her bond with Nick. I thought the mystery was great and the world building stunning. Plus, a lot of hilarious laughs too!
Sing Street- the movie that made me smile the largest and that I immediately wanted to force everyone around me to see. A coming of age story of a teen in Ireland in 1985 who forms a band to impress a girl. Completely charming and witty with great music. I loved it, loved it, loved it, loved it.
Love and Friendship- a deliciously saucy take on Jane Austen. Great writing and direction by Whit Stillman. Lady Susan is kind of a Jane Austen anti-hero and her manipulation of others was so much fun to watch. Costumes, production design and acting all fantastic
Finding Dory- Pixar’s latest charms and improved upon the second watch. Great message about the unique gifts of those with disabilities but also quite possibly Pixar’s funniest movie. And it looks fantastic of course.
Everybody Wants Some!- another fantastic period piece by Richard Linklater. More R-rated than I typically go for but I loved spending time with these crazy boys! Amazing performances and great soundtrack also.
April and the Extraordinary World- bold steampunk 2D animated film about a girl who is searching for her parents. It was unlike any other film I’ve ever seen. The animation captures the tone and feel perfectly. Its just refreshing and suprising.
Captain America: Civil War- a fantastic pay off of the arcs we’ve seen grow from both Tony and Steve. One has learned to fear control. Another has learned to embrace its protection. Friendships are tested, people are betrayed and some awesome action goes down. I can’t imagine not being entertained by this film.
Presenting Princess Shaw- a heartwarming documentary about a girl who makes youtube videos of her singing and an Israeli man who finds her singing and shares it with the world. If you ever feel depressed about the internet this is the movie to watch. It shows the benefits of this crazy interconnectivity we all have. Sometimes we can help dreams come true.
10 Cloverfield Lane- I’m not normally a horror person but this was so well done. John Goodman is very scary and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fantastic. She’s not a stupid shrieky female from a horror movie. She’s smart and the screenplay kept me guessing. I didn’t hate the ending like some did.
Midnight Special- Jeff Nichols plunges right into the heart of this scifi film. No exposition or lead up. No we are immediately in the story. I loved how it showed the different types of belief and how it affects each person’s behavior.
Eddie the Eagle- if you are having a bad day this is the movie to watch. It will make you feel good and give a big smile on your face. Being a huge Olympics junkie I loved Eddie’s crazy story. All the performances are great and the ski jumping scenes are compelling enough.
The Abolitionists- fantastic documentary about project underground which stages operations to free children from sex trafficking. It’s not a dry documentary but you see these operations and some fail, some work and it is nerve wracking and exciting to watch. Heroic what these men and women do.
Kung fu Panda 3- it seems like most aren’t as high on this film as I am but I loved it. I thought it was the best of the 3. It combines the comedy of the first with the action of the second. Plus, the animation is stunning. It’s some of Dreamworks best.
Jungle Book- I liked this movie but I’m definitely not as high on it as everyone else seems to be. I thought it got a little slow in the middle and the songs didnt work; however, the visuals are amazing and I really like how they made Mowgli a more dynamic, less whiny character. The ending is so much better than original film
Only Yesterday- this is half a great film for me. I enjoyed it but for Studio Ghibli I was expecting a little more. Particularly the parts with the adult girl felt false and preachy to me but the kids stuff I loved. And of course I always love Takahata’s animation.

WORST OF THE YEAR

Do-Over- Adam Sandler does it again with a film I had to watch in batches just to get through it. He’s so annoying in this movie as a man who cons his friend played by David Spade into faking their deaths and starting over in Puerto Rico. It’s offensive, disgusting and worst of all not funny.
Mother’s Day- Another offensive film that tries to get a laugh out of a woman calling a man a ‘towel head’. Maybe a sharper comedy could make that work but not here. None of the plotlines are given enough time to be interesting and the performances aren’t great. Worst of all it didn’t say anything insightful or funny about mothering, motherhood or mother’s day!
Norm of the North- I know animation is hard to do so I try to be forgiving but it is really hard with Norm of the North. The characters are inconsistent. The plot is inane. The animation is awful. The story is tired and preachy. It’s awful.
Me Before You- should be an innocent little romantic tearjerker but when you throw in an acceptance of assisted suicide by someone who does not face an imminent death than I have a problem. The movie and book expect us to celebrate this choice but it doesn’t work because the character isn’t given enough choice for the choice to feel valid. For example, he’s not given any mental health care or counseling or shown any other way to live his life. It’s very offensive ableist nonsense. Plus, the lead is a manic pixie dream girl we’ve seen a thousand times. Snore.
The Choice- more incompetently made than Me Before You but it didn’t really offend me. It’s funny because it is called the choice but the character actually doesn’t make the choice. It’s dopey romantic tearjerker but everything was badly done down even to the makeup which looked heavy and caked on at times.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2- what a letdown because I LOVE the original. This not only repeats all the jokes of the original but does it 3 or 4 times till I was rolling my eyes. The big family shenanigans were way over the top and the acting was surprisingly poor. So disappointing.
Bling- I reviewed this for rotoscopers.com here. The animation is actually pretty good but the message is so strange. It’s all about getting the biggest ring to propose to girls even if in one case they have no intention of marrying the character at all. The focus on materialism in a movie clearly aimed at very small children I couldn’t get over.
Warcraft- one of the worst fantasy movies I’ve ever seen. I was bored in the Hobbit movies but at least the narrative made sense. I had no idea here who was fighting who, what their names were, what the rules of the portal or fel was…There is no lead protagonist or central villain making things muddled. There is this pool that I didn’t understand. I guess this is just for the fans because I thought it was awful
Alice Through the Looking Glass- I was not a fan of the 2010 film and this may be worse. It’s a bit brighter but that’s about it. The time travel story is generic at best. Everything is based on this deep relationship between Alice and the Hatter and I never felt that. And it all comes down to a lie over tarts which when you think of all the apocalyptic horrors in last film and destruction in this it is so absurd.
Ride Along 2- I didn’t like the first Ride Along and they didn’t improve upon it here. Kevin Hart is very annoying in this and the story is from a rejected episode of Miami Vice.
The 5th Wave- another young adult dystopian borefest. I hate these kind of movies and this was grim without any interesting characters or new storyline. It’s just really boring and predictable.
Saturday’s Warrior- for the Mormon audience only. Poorly made and acted but some good songs for the faithful. That’s about all it has going for it. Extremely cheesy.
God’s of Egypt- I can’t believe this is this high on the list but darn it all if it didn’t make me laugh. A so bad it’s good situation but make no mistake this ridiculous CG fest is very, very bad. The plot makes no sense, the acting is awful but it is just over the top enough to be funny.
X-Men Apocalypse- what a huge letdown after Days of Future Past. Honestly I don’t understand what other people saw in this film. It’s fractured and no characters are sufficiently developed. The horseman agree to follow Apocalypse without any real explanation. The final battle is bland and boring. I hated Apocalypse as a villain and most of the plotlines we’ve seen in 8 other X-Men movies. It’s a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. Honestly it reminded me of the 3rd Transformers movie and I’m a huge X-Men fan so that’s depressing to say
Zoolander 2- I didn’t hate this movie but it isn’t good either, but I don’t love the first Zoolander. There are some funny cameos that got me laughing but it also can be very boring and silly

So there you have it. The best and worst of 2016. What would be your list? To see where other movies fall in my ranking check out my letterbox account. http://boxd.it/DSqm