Cinema Civilian

*This review will contain spoilers for Incredibles 2. 14 years ago, The Incredibles amazed us with a compelling story of family and self-identity set in a superhero universe. After viewing the film, I couldn't wait for the sequel. Now, we finally have it, and it is fantastic. Incredibles 2 takes a similar relationship to its predecessor as Toy Story 2 did, with a secondary lead facing several of the same ideas in the first film. In The Incredibles, Bob constantly sneaks around his wife to continue to be a hero, and now Helen is the one doing hero work while Bob watches the kids. This role reversal works incredibly well, and leads to some fascinating development for everyone involved. Furthermore, Helen even saves a speeding train, a direct homage to the opening of the first film. One major strength of this film is the recognition and respect for the original film. We see "archival footage" on the news using footage from the interviews at the beginning of the firs...

This summer, PIXAR Animation studios releases their 18th film,  Cars 3 . To commemorate this film, I have created a list of my top ten films by the studio, as of the conclusion of the 2016 releases. You can click the title of a film to watch it on Amazon Video. Doing this helps support the blog and enables me to review more films currently in the theater. In tenth place, we have  The Incredibles . PIXAR created a superhero film that actually had a villain with a compelling story. Most movies of this genre really don't give strong cause to the villains, but Syndrome's origin is actually truly tragic. I won't spoil it here, but it makes you wonder about how your actions can shape another person's life. The animation is very crisp and clean, despite having a lot going on, especially the jungle chase and the final battle. If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth the time. Coming in ninth is  Cars . I remember being unimpressed by the trailers of this film,...

*This review will contain spoilers for Big Fat Liar and Bigger Fatter Liar Well, we've reached a new milestone on this blog: I have found a film I do not like. But, before I get too into the new film, a little background on the original. Big Fat Liar  was a 2002 comedy about a high school student who lies. A lot. One day, his final paper is accidentally left in a limo with a Hollywood director. When he finds his paper is being turned into a film, he and his girlfriend travel to LA to get revenge, and hijinks ensue. I enjoyed this film fifteen years ago, and still find it amusing today. The slapstick and timing was perfect, and there was a reasonable background on the characters. Bigger Fatter Liar  is about the same thing, only it's a video game instead of a movie. It also lacks the comedic nature of the film. The lead male, Ricky Garcia, has none of the charismatic charm of Frankie Muniz, and thus the premise is less agreeable. The original benefited from the...

*This review will contain spoilers for Song of the Sea This is not your average animated film. Do not let the simple art style fool you; this film covers some very serious ideas. The entire film is a journey of emotions. The story focuses on Ben, a young boy who had always wanted a little sibling. However, when his mother "vanishes" on the day of his sister's birth, he grows to resent his new sister. He criticizes her at every chance he gets. However, through a journey through the mythology of his mother's stories, he finds the spirit of their mom lives inside his sister. Furthermore, there is a sub theme about the need of emotions, even painful ones. This exists in two main ways: Maka, the Owl Witch, and Ben's grandmother. Maka sees emotions as evil things, as her son nearly drowned himself in his tears. Maka removed the feelings of her son, and anybody else she could, believing in her very soul that she was helping them. However, in the process of remov...

*This review will contain spoilers for BFG I remember hearing about this film last year, and being cautiously hopeful. The visuals looked nice, and the character of BFG seemed to be true to the concepts from the book. Little did I know how impressive this film would be... First, I want to address the visual adaptation of the book. The original contained small illustrations, created by Quentin Blake, to help a child envision the world of the story. Some examples of these are pictured her:   These are stunning visuals, and are very well drawn. I am very happy to say that the creators of this film captured these perfectly, from Sophie to the brothers to the BFG and his job, everything captures the whimsical nature of the story. I have very mixed opinions about child actors. I have seen great performances, like McCaully Culkin in Home Alone , and very weak work, such as the Baudelaire orphans in the film version of A Series of Unfortunate Events . That being...

I love Beauty and the Beast . I have seen the animated film countless times, and have even performed in two productions of the stage musical. As a result, I know the story rather well... That is... Until I saw this version... Disney has hit it out of the park once again, proving the effectiveness of these live action remakes of the classics. Emma Watson clearly embodies the character of belle, but also has her unique version, having more in-depth character that justifies how she grows throughout the film.  This is a major plus for this film. We get to learn the backstories of these beloved characters, even more than the original and the musical give us. We learn how the beast became spoiled, selfish, and unkind. We learn the fate of Belle's mother (seriously, why does Disney seem to hate protagonist's mothers), and an origin for Gaston and his ego. In addition to the enhanced development of character, Disney improved the story by filling in several plot ...

I remember seeing the original Pete's Dragon as a child, and I've got to say it's one of the weaker live-action Disney movies. The characters were dull, the plot rather boring, and the music irritating. I am glad to say these issues are not present in the 2016 remake. This version, while still working within the story of a boy trying to find a place to call home, really develops the relationship between Elliot and Pete. The film opens with an explanation of why Pete is in the woods, as well as establishes the reason the dragon is ultimately named Elliot. This immensely improves the viewer's connection with the dragon, and really makes one feel for the moments of conflict for our main characters. The hillbillies of the old film, who open the movie with a song about killing Pete are replaced, in essence and purpose to the plot, by a logging company in the woods where Pete and Elliot reside. These characters actually care about the world they are in, and have ...

Lego and Warner Brothers have struck gold again. This film focuses on the classic DC super hero Batman. However, rather than bore us with yet another origin film, Lego has created another moral film, this time focusing on the necessity of having other people in your life, similar to the theme of Big Hero 6, but without the added motive of revenge. The film begins with Batman narrating the opening logos of the film, claiming that he is the one who mad DC great. This was only the beginning of the pokes that were made throughout the film. Other jabs were made at the Adam West era of Batman, the Tim Burton era, the Christopher Nolan trilogy, Suicide Squad, as well as Batman V Superman. Furthermore, it mocked Marvel, seeing as the password to the Batcave is that "Iron Man sucks", a testament that is true in regards to the third solo film. There is even jabs at Green Lantern, whose emails from Superman are often delayed for years. However beneath all of these jokes ...