Elves and Beasts and Lightsabers

I found a few of my old reviews from my time on LEGO Flickr (I would build LEGO characters from the movie and post them with my review in the description. My first one was of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but it has unfortunately been lost to time. INTERSTELLAR Spoiler Warning! I thought this film would turn out to be one of those films where a family is separated and then they reunite. This didn't go that way and this film showed the tragedy of this character missing out on his children's lives and developed the relationship he had with his children. It showed a future civilization that was realistic, talked about its problems and the effect they had on people. I also loved the robots, and their designs were very unique. Some people complain about the exposition, but I think the fact they were on a mission for the sake of humanity itself and wanted to be careful excuses that. The sound was very powerful when it stopped in several scenes and the music added to the e...

No doubt primarily caused by Pixar's misfires over the decade, people have been viewing this film as jumping the shark, no more than a cynical cash grab. But I think what's seen as a cash grab will be a success. I think that it's because they are still trying here to make a quality project. This newest trailer ostensibly shows the basic plot of the movie, slightly skewed. I love Forky. He and Gabby Gabby, who seems like she'll be a fun character, are unprecedented new viewpoints, new perspectives. A toy with identity crisis who's just trying to figure it all out, and even when he thinks he has an answer, he's still unsure. And Woody helping him, not fixating about his own status at a toy, shows how far he's grown since the first movie. That shot of Andy playing with Buzz and Jessie was beautiful. We also saw a brief glimpse of Keanu Reeves' driver character; I'm curious as to how he'll play into it, presumably another independent toy. I...

Treasure Planet is an underrated film. While, as Roger Ebert noted, the science fiction elements come off as somewhat gimmicky, it is still astonishing animation-wise and heartwarming story-wise. The film could have been set in its initial mundane reality, and little about the story would change; the film could have done the more difficult task of painting the reality of the seas in a different and adventurous light. However, this is a minor issue. The setting is otherwise impressive in its scope and imagination. The animation is traditional 2D blended in with 3D-animation, and both are seamlessly combined. The themes of fatherhood and the character arc of classic villain Long John Silver serve as a successful driving force of the movie. Jim Hawkins, the protagonist, goes through a classic coming-of-age story. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was an ambitious story for Disney. The main weakness of the film is that its format as a Disney film renders it unable to commit 100% to the darkness ...

Lilo and Stitch is a genuine story from an industry threatened with cliches, overdone tropes, and a lack of public interest in archaic values. It is an unconventional story from Disney, who usually produce romance and fantasy stories. It is a story that goes into dark places. It directly addresses the loss of loved ones, another unusual feature for a Disney Animation Studios production. It is two stories of trouble intertwining, a mutualistic relationship wherein both sides help each other to grow and develop; people helping each other out, despite their initial plans. It is beautiful. The humor and the animation are also unconventional, the humor being partially derived from both Lilo and Stitch’s charming eccentricities and use of watercolor backgrounds, another unusual decision that ends up benefiting the movie. It gives it a unique style. This is not to say that being unusual or different is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s important to note when people are both bold enough to...

Unbreakable is a superhero thriller film about the sole survivor of a trainwreck, questioning why he survived. David, (played by Bruce Willis) comes across an art dealer named Elijah (played by Samuel L. Jackson) who begins to convince him that he has superpowers, and who seems to be right. It was followed up by the stealth sequel "Split" with a man suffering from DID kidnapping three teenagers, and both films were concluded with the apparently middling 2019 film "Glass". SPOILERS: David does actually have superpowers and finds a new path in life helping people with them at the end. However, it turns out that Elijah was behind the train accident, as well as others, all to cement his own purpose in life by creating a hero. Unbreakable is a genuinely great deconstruction of the superhero concept, as well as a play on fate and consequent fatalism. The ludicrous static reality of “comic books” is juxtaposed against a brutally sobering, and subsequently dream-ki...