MOVIE REVIEW: Inside Out

The other half and I saw the latest Disney Pixar film Inside Out during the big July 4th weekend. We had a number of other movies to choose from: Magic Mike XXL, Terminator Genisys and Mad Max Fury Road. Unfortunately, Mad Max has been in theaters so long that it is not playing anywhere convenient and Magic Mike XXL and Terminator Genisys were in their opening weekend and had somewhat sketchy reviews (Magic Mike XXL 68% and Terminator Genisys 65% from rottentomatoes.com audience members).

So we went downtown to L.A. Live (after having astonishingly good tacos at Guisado's on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park) and saw Inside Out, which has a pretty astonishing rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.

The main attraction of Inside Out for me was that it was helmed by the creative guy behind Up (Pete Docter), which is one of my favorite Pixar films (although my all-time favorite is still The Incredibles). Inside Out is also interesting because it is literally about the voices in your head, and apparently is based on recent research in cognitive science and psychology.

The story follows an 11-year-old girl named Riley who moves from Minnesota (where she loves to skate) to San Francisco as her father pursues new business opportunities. This causes big changes in Riley's life as it means she has to leave her friends, go to a new school and adjust to urban as opposed to rural living.

The real action takes place inside Riley's head as we see animated depictions of how Riley's emotions work together to create and influence her response to stimula. The emotions in question are Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black). We also see an interesting visualizations of how the brain works, from the storage of short term and long-term memories, to the idea of a "control center" and a vast unconscious.

As my other half put it, the plot is really an(other) example of the hero's journey into the Underworld, as we watch our main protagonist (Joy) try to get back to the control center with Riley's important permanent memories intact, hopefully before large segments of Riley's personality have been irrevocably altered. The most interesting aspect of the film is the interaction between Joy and Sadness. The two spend the most time together (of any two emotions in the film) and although they would seem to be polar opposites they have to figure out how to work together to do what is best for Riley in the end.

Overall, Inside Out is an interesting, unchallenging film that the whole family can enjoy and then have an interesting conversation about afterwards on the nature of emotions and relationships.

Title: Inside Out.
Director: Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen.
Running Time: 94 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some action.
Release Date: June 19, 2015.
Viewing Date: July 3, 2015.

Writing: A-.
Acting: A-.
Visuals: B+.
Impact: A.

Overall Grade: A- (3.67/4.0).

MOVIE REVIEW: Toy Story 3 (3D)

The latest installment of Pixar's Toy Story 3 was released on Friday June 18th and MadProfessah and the Other Half saw it on opening day at our usual favorite theaters (Regal Cinemas 14 in Alhambra).

Pixar is of course the studio that has an (almost) unbroken record of perfection, having brought us such instant classics like The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Up and Wall-E.

The original Toy Story should probably also be on this list of classics, but this threequel is actually probably a better movie than the original (it's definitely better than Toy Story 2).

Interestingly, although Pixar had originally stated that they would only make original films (and not do sequels) they have now done two sequels to Toy Story and the Los Angeles Times reported recently that due to pressure by Pixar's new owners (Walt Disney Company) three of the next four releases will be sequels: Toy Story 3, Cars 2 and Monsters, Inc. 2. Bizarrely, it seems to me that they are making sequels of their least successful films, NOT their most successful. My only explanation is that they are trying to correct mistakes they made the first time. One of my favorite films of all time is The Incredibles and I think a sequel would be a blockbuster, even for Pixar whose less successful films generally have worldwide grosses in the half-billion dollar range. Their most commercially successful film is Finding Nemo which I know is a favorite of many other people (and is also a great film).

Toy Story 3 is really a very good film, one of Pixar's best, which is saying a lot. It currently has ridonculous 99% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com. It is not in the stratosphere of Finding Nemo and The Incredibles but it is about as good as Up (2009) and better than both Wall-E (2008) and Ratatouille (2007).

What makes Toy Story 3 so good is that it has a brilliant, suspenseful script which makes complete sense and is consistent with a cartoon universe where toys can talk and move on their own volition and they are animated by being played with by owners who love and care for them.

The same can not be said for recent summer blockbusters like Iron Man 2 which has a script that at times makes no sense whatsoever. Toy Story 3 is always interesting and always very, very clever. It is also often very, very funny. The director does an excellent job of making apparently cuddly toys seem ominous and threatening.

And of course the ending has a scene which will even make someone as cold-hearted as Dick Cheney cry. Kids will come out of the movie smiling and parents will come out smiling through tears. A very memorable cinematic experience.

A word about 3-D. I saw the film in 3-D but I think it would have been just as effective in 2-D, so if you want to save 3 or 4 bucks, I'd recommend doing that, but definitely see this film!

Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes. MPAA Rating: G for general audiences.

Plot: A+.
Acting: A.
Visuals: A+.
Impact: A.

Overall Grade: A+/A (4.167/4.0).

Top 10 Movies of 2009

For the first time, (unlike my lists from 2008, 2007, 2006 or 2005) my annual Top 10 list will only include movies that I saw in 2009, not just movies that were released in 2009 (and are eligible for the 2009 Oscar) but that actually I saw later. Anyway, here is MadProfessah's list of Top 10 movies for 2009:

10. A Single Man. The film debut by fashion designer Tom Ford, and featuring Oscar-worthy performances by Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, A Single Man is a film about loss, grief and hope.

9. Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos). It's always a good year when there is a new Pedro Almodóvar film released. Features an incredible performance by Penelope Cruz and some fun self-referential jokes in the movie within a movie.

8. Outrage. A brilliant documentary about media hypocrisy in the coverage of homosexuality in political circles by the director of This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Kirby Dick. Senator Larry Craig, Governor Charlie Crist, Governor James McGreevey are just a few of the names that are bandied about in the film.

7. The Hangover. A bawdy, ridiculous comedy about a bachelor party weekend in Vegas that goes hyperbolically, hysterically wrong. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and the apparently ubiquitous Zach Galifianakis are pitch perfect in this screwball comedy directed by Todd Phillips.

6. Star Trek. J.J. Abrams has the Midas touch. The director took the dross that was the Star Trek brand and turned it into cinematic gold with this energetic, smart re-boot of the most venerable science fiction franchise in Hollywood. Yes, the plot is a mess, but the film (and its youthful stars) are well worth ogling.

5. District 9. Who says summer blockbusters have to have huge budgets and be mindless? South African director Neil Blomkamp is able to amaze and provoke the audience with his allegorical tale of mistreatment of a despised minority group by the government, in a country which has its own unique history with state-sanctioned mistreatment of its citizens.

4. Food, Inc. After seeing this film you'll never look at dinner the same way again, but you will be happy that you did. An absolutely must-see documentary in the spirit of An Inconvenient Truth and Sicko that tells uncomfortable truths about the way our society is organized and offers suggestions for how we can stop being complicit in making things worse for us all.

3. Up. Yet another Pixar masterpiece. It seems like the geniuses at the computer animation are just messing with our heads now. They just showed how to take a curmudgeonly old man, a socially awkward, chubby Asian kid and a talking dog and make an emotionally evocative, suspense-thriller summer blockbuster out of these unlikely elements. One of the better Pixar animated films, and that is saying something.

2. The Hurt Locker. After being exposed to another ecstatic review as the summer was winding down, me and the Other Half went to a nearly empty late screening of Kathryn Bigelow's masterpiece and were unceremoniously blown away by the visceral power the film has to transport the viewer into the heart of a war zone and too close for comfort to the mind of an adrenaline-junkie bomb dismantling soldier played with devastating impact by Jeremy Renner, in a performance that is now beoming widely celebrated.

1. Avatar. The most enjoyable time I spent at the movies all year (really, in several years) was the nearly six hours I spent immersed in watching this film by James Cameron twice in three days in 3-D. It brought back the joy of going to the movies that I remember the first time I saw Star Wars. An instant class and without a doubt the Best Picture of the year.

Honorable Mentions: Terminator Salvation, Up in the Air, Julie & Julia.

Not Seen in 2009: Precious, Fantastic Mr. Fox, A Serious Man, An Education, Invictus.

UPDATE: You might want to check out my Top 10 movies for the decade 2000-2009.

My Favorite Films of the Decade 2000-2009

Here is my Top 10 list of my favorite films seen in the last decade, from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009.

1. The Lord of the Rings. The pure cinematic achievement of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings is absolutely stunning. The films were box-office blockbusters and universally critically acclaimed, even by people who had never read the book(s). I first read the book(s) at the age of 9 and loved these perfect filmic realizations even more than the original(s). Director: Peter Jackson. Released: 2001, 2002, 2003.
   
2. Memento. I still remember the sense of wonder and amazement I felt during and after watching Christopher Nolan's debut feature film. My mind was blown but I knew that I wanted to see it again, and that I would make sure to see everything this director would ever release in the future (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Batman Returns, Insomnia). Director: Christopher Nolan. Released: 2001.
   
3. Avatar. Yes, believe the hype! James Cameron confounded all the doubters who refused to believe that the director of Aliens and Titanic could (again!) reinvent the cinematic experience with an(other) original story. I saw the film twice in the first weekend of release and know that I will see it again several times. This is the current generation's Star Wars: a film which restores the sense of wonder to cinema. Director: James Cameron. Released: 2009.
4. The Incredibles. From the director of the instant classic The Iron Giant and the wizards at Pixar came this incredibly poignant and action-filled story of a family of superheroes. The Incredibles, like Finding Nemo, Up, WALL-E and Ratatouille demonstrate that animation can be as emotionally powerful as live-action. Whenever I see this film on TV I must stop what I'm doing and watch it all the way to the end. If I believed in God, I'd pray for a sequel! Director: Brad Bird. Released: 2004.
5. Tell No One (Ne Le Dis A Personne). An innocuous little French thriller that grabs your attention from the first scene and leaves you breathless at its satisfying conclusion. The story is adapted from Harlan Coben's thriller "Tell No One." It also does a very good job of illustrating contemporary life in Paris, subtly challenging preconceptions that ideal living standards must be American. Director: Guillaume Canet. Released: 2006 (France), 2008 (United States).
6. House of Flying Daggers. Although Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was more widely acclaimed (winning the 2000 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and being nominated for Best Picture) I think that this film is the more amazing cinematic achievement, although this is admittedly a very close and somewhat arbitrary call. Together with this director's Hero, this trio of films (all featuring the incredible Zhang Ziyi) are must watching for anyone who likes martial arts and gorgeous spectacle. Director: Zhang Yimou. Released: 2005.
7. Dreamgirls. Who said the musical was dead? Openly gay writer-director Bill Condon achieved the impossible by adapting the thinly veiled 80s-era musical about the 60s supergroup The Supremes and finding someone who could handle the tsunami posing as a song "(And I'm Telling You) I'm Not Going." Jennifer Hudson won a well-deserved Oscar in her debut movie role and Beyoncé showed that she was born to inhabit the role of Miss Diana Ross. Director: Bill Condon. Released: 2006.
8. Spirited Away. This is not a Disney cartoon! Any serious student of film in general and animation in particular knows the name of Miyazaki. The Japanese filmmaker makes emotionally resonant films with curious stories that contain heart-stoppingly strange and beautiful images that are hard tp forget. In Spirited Away Miyazaki is at the top of his game and we are all the richer for it. Director: Hayao Miyazaki. Released: 2004.
9. Far From Heaven. Written and directed by Todd Haynes but animated by Julianne Moore's heart-wrenching performance as a 1950s-era wife married to a man with a secret played by a surprisingly good Dennis Quaid, this film is like a nearly perfect confection: short and sweet and leaves you wanting more. Director: Todd Haynes. Released: 2002.
10. Brokeback Mountain. The first film to have millions of gay men leave the theater shattered at finally seeing an emotionally true depiction of homosexuality in a major motion film. The relationship between Heath Ledger's Ennis Delmar and Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist is the core of the film but it is the story and beautiful direction that really twists the knife. And, yes, I'm still bitter it didn't win Best Picture! Director: Ang Lee. Released: 2005.

And since I couldn't just mention only 10, here are ten more (not in any order) that should not be forgotten.

Honorable Mentions: Pan's Labyrinth, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Prestige, Finding Nemo, Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, Kill Bill, United 93, Milk and Moulin Rouge!

MOVIE REVIEW: Bolt

MadProfessah and The Other Half saw the animated film Bolt at our local theater in Alhambra, CA and paid the extra bucks to see it in "Disney Digital 3-D." Since some of my favorite movies of the last few years have been Pixar's The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007) and Wall-E (2008) we generally try to see well-reviewed animated films, although we still have not seen Madagascar 2 or Kung Fu Panda.

Bolt features the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus and was written and directed by Chris Williams. It is the story of a dog (named Bolt, voiced by Travolta) who is the star of a television show where he plays a "super dog" who repeatedly goes on missions to save the world. The conceit is that the dog does not know that he is just the star of a television show, in a sort of animated canine version of The Truman Show. However, through a mishap Bolt gets sent out into the real world, where he meets a canny cat (named Mittens, voiced by Susie Essman) who teaches him some amusing truths about cats and dogs.

As a pet owner, Bolt is particularly meaningful, and the 3-D aspect is fun for anyone who is into technology. The story is not particularly significant but overall the movie-going experience is an enjoyable, kid-friendly one that is thoroughly entertaining.

OVERALL GRADE: B+.

ACTING: N/A?
IMAGERY: B+.
PLOT: B+
IMPACT: B+.