This review may contain spoilers.

You wanna know how to make a great mystery film? Well just watch this movie and take some notes because I’ve seen the ending of this movie before and that didn’t stop me one bit from being invested the entire runtime. There’s something great to be found in every frame of this movie, it’s hilarious, witty and incredibly well directed.

It really does make you want believe that different of the family could have done it because it gives all of them some type of motive to throw you, and the legend himself Benoit Blanc off. Speaking of him Daniel Craig was brilliant here, that scene where he was singing in the car on the way to the police station was pure gold, as far as fictional detectives go I’m not sure if he’s up there with Monk, Sherlock, Patrick Jane etc, but he’s more than competent here.

I love that Linda was the most harsh on Ransom for not having any type of achievements to his name like the rest of his family, but when she loses the chance to get her father’s inheritance she’s the most angry by far. Like 80% of the comedy in this film is the Thrombey’s being horrible to each other (and to Marta) but it’s done in a way to where when it wants to be funny it is, and when it wants to say “yeah they’re actually ruthless and hellbent on getting that money” like when Walt confronts Marta it works flawlessly.

There’s so much to love here, can’t think of a better way to get back into my detective arc, eventually I’ll get around to the Twin Peaks film, I just started the show but if you guys have any recommendations for good detective media I’m listening. But overall it’s just a brilliant story, with some hilarious characters to top everything off.

Robert Rodriguez put a lot more thought into this film than anyone gives him credit for, he created a whole fleshed out paradoxical plot by having the plot of the film inside of Max’s journal. Everything that happens is either the direct result of Max’s imagination as the film goes on, or another reality warper/dreamer in-universe bending the narrative to their will. That’s why no one is surprised by anything that happens, because they either caused it, or the people around them have come to expect this from them (didn’t figure this out on my own, I rewatched The Theorizer’s video on this film).

And to confirm that this was not an accident by any means, the movie outright says in the journal that Max’s powers are known by people around him (possibly the government) because of the fact that everything happened because there was a book left under his bed with techniques to “dream better”. I’m telling you that this is one of the most insane films I’ve ever seen, and it does not get the credit it deserves because it looks like crap.

Alright I’m gonna be honest, after watching series 1-10 of NuWho this was extremely underwhelming in comparison, maybe it’s just that I haven’t seen any of Classic Doctor Who. I wanted to get a glimpse at what The Doctor was like before the Time War and I did get it, but it seems like he gained a lot of depth as a character after his experiences in the Time War. This Doctor didn’t really get the time to shine he deserved so I won’t say it’s a bad film but it could’ve been much better if he was more developed here.

I can’t help but compare this to the first 9 series of NuWho and pretty much everything is a downgrade except for the soundtrack, Grace and Lee really aren’t interesting characters at all in my opinion they kinda just stuck around without adding much for the better part of the movie. The Master is perfectly fine, he’s evil but nowhere near as evil as Saxon Hale Master or as entertaining as Missy, he was giving me some Terminator vibes in that jacket though so he wasn’t all bad.i really don’t know about this one, it just felt sort of incoherent beyond the characters with the pacing, at first it felt like a film which is strange after watching the show.

After the first half it refuses to take its foot off the gas and leaves out time to develop the characters in place of chase scenes and it didn’t work. Not horrible but the 8th Doctor deserved better.

Chicken Joe is that one unhinged but chill homie we all need, probably my favorite character in the whole film. The idea of this movie is so creative, crazy and fun that I love it, I watching this years ago when I was like 6 but I didn’t much about it so I gave it a rewatch and it held up really well. It’s really funny and has a charming cast of characters. The message about finding your values and sticking to them is pretty well handled even if it is a relatively simple one compared to some of Sony’s masterpieces.

I did notice that Cody’s arc was really kind of half baked and from the beginning it didn’t seem like he needed the arc he was given about putting relationships above awards. He kinda just realized that he was being a jerk to Big Z out of nowhere and just goes off of that, I did like their father/son bond so I don’t mind it too much. But the real question is why these 2000’s penguin movies are super horny? First Happy Feet with some very interesting animation sequences and then you have Tank fantasizing about doing it with his trophies, what was going on lol.

Does Peter Weir just not know how to direct a movie that isn’t great? This is my third time watching a masterpiece he’s directed, and even if I would say this is the weakest of the bunch being edged out by Dead Poet Society and The Truman Show. I’ve been wanting to watch this one for a while, and I was definitely not disappointed because this film is a masterpiece of practical filmmaking and visceral realism.

Immediately it pulls you into this maritime adventure of Lucky Jack and his brave crew of Englishman standing against the threat of Imperial . Everything about this film feels real, the acting, script, characters and depictions of life as a Naval soldier at the time are all crafted to near perfection. I don’t think I’ve felt as uncomfortable watching a scene in a movie as I was watching Stephen operate on himself since Joyce trying to seduce Edward in Edward Scissorhands, that was rough.

The themes of this film are subtle but natural and are well developed through the story, asking questions about human leadership and the question of when sacrifices are truly necessary. Stephen and Aubrey have a great dynamic throughout the film, with Aubrey being a strict, no-nonsense warrior that puts the idea of duty and responsibility above all else contrasted with Stephen’s naturalist, liberal outlook on life. Some people would say it’s boring for the better part of the story but I was invested the whole time, wondering how Aubrey would react to losing his men and questioning if he should’ve gone home in the beginning.

But speaking of the action, it’s perfectly captured here, that final battle is so chaotic and messy that it just feels real, not a choreographed Hollywood spectacle like something Pirates of The Caribbean would do (no hate on those movies though). Overall it’s just a great, brilliantly put together film that you should definitely watch if you like seafaring stories.

I finally got around to it, when I saw Batman Begins I knew that this trilogy was going to be great, there are few trilogies that have the kind of cultural impact and reverence from as many people as The Dark Knight trilogy has gotten. As high as Batman Begins got my expectations this film is superior in almost every respect, especially it’s action because one of the few problems I had with Batman Begins was it’s choppy cuts in the action sequences.

But here that’s completely gone, tons of amazing action scenes in this film, I think my favorite was the truck chase like you can’t say that whole sequence is anything less than peak cinematic gold. But most importantly to me, what did this film really have to say about its characters? It said a lot, I was getting my hopes up with the philosophy of Heath Ledger’s Joker, which as everyone has said is a truly immaculate performance from him. I was sort of disappointed that this is an adaptation that embraces the “it only takes one bad day” philosophy for the Joker, but at least they didn’t use it for Joker himself by giving him an inconsistent origin story.

Seems like I can’t talk about anything Batman without mentioning BTAS and Mark Hamil’s take on Joker, unlike this version he never really got an origin story. And it wasn’t that it was an inconsistent origin story it’s that the identity of Joker himself is something that he always was, thanks to Mask of The Phantasm the only thing we know about his past is that he already was a monster before his skin was ever bleached. I did really like how it took so many dynamics between characters and made it work flawlessly, it did tie together what happened to Scarecrow which was great, but it didn’t pull an Amazing Spider-Man 2 and make a huge mess of underdeveloped villains.

Even if Scarecrow had one sequence it was good enough, doesn’t seem like more of him would’ve helped anything especially compared to the far superior villains in the forms of Joker and Two-Face. Speaking of him I do like how it incorporated the “one bad day” philosophy with Two-Face to contrast it with Batman, in the span of one day he lost his finance, half his face, and worst of all, his faith in his own integrity. Two-Face is supposed to be a tragic character by nature, the hero, Gotham’s light falling from grace into a vengeance fueled monster. Even if I do like BTAS take on Two-Face slightly more, this is a very close second because as disturbing as the scenes with Joker were, nothing he did had my jaw physically dropping like that scene in the warehouse with Gordon.

Batman gets pushed to his absolute breaking point in this film and it creates such a great dynamic between him and the Joker, the thing I liked most about this Joker besides Heath Ledger’s performance is the nature of the character. It was a conscious choice to become who he is, he’s a psychopath but he’s cold and calculating not like the actually sick people he enlisted and we know his skin wasn’t bleached because he takes the makeup he wears off to try and kill the mayor. He’s well aware of everything that he’s doing, which makes him a perfect villain for Batman, because as evil as he is, he had a point. We saw what happened when he put out the order to kill Reese, in doing so he was able to make other people become vigilantes in order to save a hospital.

The fight between Batman and Joker in the building under construction really was the perfect way to end Joker’s part of the film, because Batman proved that as alone as he is, at the end of the day he can still say he did the right thing. So can everyone that refused to turn that key, Joker’s manipulation of the masses failed because the one thing he didn’t count on was the comion of the people that aren’t like him.

He pushes people to do what he wants by using their sense of justice against them, kill one man, save hundreds in that hospital so he knows someone will take the deal and try to be the hero, just like how he sees Batman. But the big difference between the other people he’s pushed and Batman is Bruce Wayne never directly sacrificed another person for the greater good, in the end he sacrificed himself. Like the Joker he’s not just a man, but a symbol not of chaos but of an ideal, a selfless knight willing to go out and put himself on the line every day just so whoever is unfortunate enough might not have to deal with the pain he felt in that alleyway. Not the hero Gotham needs at the end of this film, but the hero that they deserve, he truly is The Dark Knight.

Y’know I used to play Disney Heroes: Battle Mode all the time, I had a huge collection of the different characters and The Rocketeer was one of them. I was always confused where he came from and then I saw a video talking about this movie and the graphic novel it’s based off of, so I knew what I was watching today.

And I’m glad I did, it’s a really fun film that gives me a lot of those classic Indiana Jones adventure vibes, you’ve got the Nazi antagonists, charming and rugged hero and of course “the girl” (Jennifer Connelly was really good in this role though). It’s an all around enjoyable time with some great action sequences in it, I think my favorite character is Lothar just because of that scene when he was trying to get Peevy to talk.

Because when he hit him with a lamp it wasn’t that it hurt him, because it’s a running gag that he pretty much can’t be hurt (except that one time Jenny knocks him out but let’s not talk about that). It was more that he was just shocked that he tried to do something, he looked offended that he even tried. I highly recommend this movie, surprisingly underrated considering it’s a very solid and fun watch (don’t worry ya’ll The Dark Knight is the next on my list).

Uncanny Garfield IS real, and uncanny Garfield CAN hurt you…… I’m currently in a psychiatric ward awaiting further evaluation, God help us all (watch The Theorizer’s theory on this film and it’s sequel it’s actually crazy).

I watched this with one of my friends, it’s crazy to think that Jerry Seinfeld invented comedy in 2007 with this underrated masterpiece of a feature film. Movies like this make Empire Strikes Back look like The Secret Life of Pets, that’s how good this movie is.

This review may contain spoilers.

Y’know I was looking through YouTube movies and saw this, and it reminded me that The Fantastic Mr. Fox was the only Wes Anderson movie I’d seen. And that’s a film that absolutely adore, one of my all time favorites not only because of the gorgeous stop-motion animation but Wes Anderson’s signature deadpan style. Now I don’t personally believe this movie is on the same level thematically or emotionally, but I really enjoyed it.

It gave me a lot of Lilo & Stitch vibes, there’s not really a central antagonist that follows throughout the whole film, and it’s about two emotionally disturbed children learning to move forward through their connection with each other. There were a few parts that didn’t really make sense to me though, I still don’t understand why the kid that got stabbed did a 180 degree turn to helping Sam then five minutes later they fight for no apparent reason (seems like an excuse for a chase scene, which was very fun but not necessary). Sam should’ve also gotten more time either out in the woods to bond with Susie, or gotten more screen time with Captain Sharp so taking him in would be more natural feeling but it didn’t ruin anything.

Don’t really have much to say about it right now other then I enjoyed it, I’ll be rewatching it sometime and maybe I’ll change my mind ( at the end when it panned to the painting, and then to the coastline with the title, that was pure cinema).

Possibly the greatest bird movie of all time, everything about it is solid, it’s very funny, has some really good emotional moments between Monk and Paulie in the institute basement. Marie’s father was just kinda stupid, like you could see that he wasn’t really “bad” but at the same time how is flipping out and getting angry gonna help her speak? As someone that has a problem with speech influencies myself I really liked Marie’s bond with Paulie.

Can’t believe that her father said “she can’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality” HAVE YOU SEEN A FIVE YEAR OLD BEFORE? He’s not a villain, just an idiot, and using her falling off the roof as an excuse to get rid of Paulie was foul. The sequences on his journey to find Marie were really good, I like how we see him get more context of humans and learn how to deal with people that aren’t as sweet and kindhearted as Marie.

From Ivy to Misha all of the people he met contributed to his journey and it didn’t feel like a ton of filler, like how Ivy reignited her zeal for life after meeting him (even if it was right before she died). But Misha is my favorite, he’s not unlike Paulie back when Ivy got him outta the pawn shop, unappreciated and longing for his past life. But he learned the importance of giving yourself a sense of urgency, because if you don’t speak up you might never get that chance again.

I actually wish we got more interactions with Misha and Paulie outside of the journey sequences he retells to him, but other then that it’s just as good as I it being (rewatched this movie with my mom, she loves it).

Peak cinema right here, thanks to the legendary Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s brilliant performances, the whole film centers around their dynamic. I think this is both it’s greatest strength and weakness because it also applies to the main antagonist, would’ve loved to see him get fleshed out more along with Sang.

But that being said the Dynamic between Lee and Carter is great, as great as the action scenes are in this film especially the climax at the art show. It was actually the scene before they go after Juntao in the restaurant, where they argue about who’s dad was more badass is my favorite scene in the whole movie, it’s like two kids arguing and it’s such a vibe. Not really a lot to say other than if you haven’t seen it already, I think you’ll have a great time with it.

A cosmic horror/Sci-Fi version of The Truman show, now with more cussing and less nuance. I still liked it though.

Is it Mandela effect or was this called The Wild Life before? I distinctly it being called that when I first watched it. Oh yeah, it’s true this movie is almost completely worthless no matter what it’s called.

This is my Rocky, and ironically this movie is loosely based on the real story of Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, feel free to look it up he’s got a great story. Sure it isn’t a perfect 1:1 remake (not even close) but I still adore this film. Seems like this one is pretty controversial, I grew up with this movie and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it but the smile on my face never leaves when I’m watching it.

Now as someone that’s Mexican by heritage, I always watched this movie with my parents when I was little and I watched it with them again today. Still peak comedy in my eyes, sure it’s not the most sophisticated or complex comedy but honestly, if you’re looking for that past the first five minutes I think that’s a personal issue. The awkward, deadpan line deliveries are charming to me, makes the movie kinda feel like a rejected Wes Anderson project.

Jack Black is the heart and soul of this movie naturally, I don’t know why other people got mad at this film and his performance as a Mexican man for “not being accurate” because what do you expect? That’s like watching Indiana Jones and being upset that the Nazi’s are bumbling idiots, it’s a parody and it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. I could never say anything bad about this movie, it’s not perfect but it’s mine (Chancho may be the greatest character in cinema history, no lie).

This review may contain spoilers.

There’s a beautiful finality to this episode, it’s been built up for a while but this is where it was time for David Tennat’s run to end. The Master returning and being even more insane was great, weird how whenever the Master wins the Doctor always ends up being wheeled around in something. I love that the twist that the Time Lords were never truly killed isn’t the biggest twist in this episode. I’ve heard that people didn’t like his regeneration into the 11th or at least what happened before where he expresses that he doesn’t want to die.

But I think it makes perfect sense for his character, because it wasn’t necessarily for completely selfish reasons. He knew that he had to die, it was the prophecy for him to die after the fourth knock so he knew it was coming and another Doctor would come to protect the universe. But the idea of him not being there to see it, to not feel the joy of watching other species prosper in joy like the Time Lords once did. That’s what he didn’t want to let go, what he did with his final moments as the 10th Doctor really tell you what kind of man he is.

He said he could do so much more, so he did what he could for others at the end of his life. The only thing I didn’t like is that they forget about Madame de Pompadour, if he would’ve went back and met her before she died then it would be a perfect conclusion to his character.

The killer Christmas tree is one of the best things I’ve ever seen (Eccleston really should‘ve got at least one more season the 9th Doctor got snubbed)

I’m telling ya’ll, this movie is Zootopia if it was peak and I’m not kidding.
Let’s think about it for a second, between the queen herself Darla Dimple and Dawn Bellwether, who’s more memorable? And who’s got an underrated villain song? Bellwether isn’t even worthy to be considered to have a villain song. Let’s not forget about Max either, perfect character design, no notes.

This movie has fish and birds as well mammals, Zootopia never explained why they don’t exist in that world but we’ve got em here and it works because this world is much less grounded and a lot more cartoony. It still works as an allegorical film though, I think it makes a lot more sense to have humans be prejudiced against animals than animals towards themselves. And there’s really no underlying cause for that prejudice unlike with Zootopia, like if you knew that people around you could randomly go insane and want to tear you apart would you wanna be anywhere near them?

This movie just talks about the barriers that can be put between people from prejudice without cause, which makes it much more affective as an allegory even if it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And I will it I’m biased because as a Quantum Leap fan, I’m gonna like almost everything Scott Bakula is in. Still a really good movie regardless, had a great time rewatching it.

This review may contain spoilers.

“Oh Captain, my Captain”

This movie has been on my watchlist for a good while now, I’ve heard many people talk about this film and how great it is. The late Robin Williams is usually known for his manic energy and his incredible ability to breathe life into whatever scene he’s in. But in this film we see another side of his mastery of the art of acting, we see everything from another perspective.

Now if you’ve seen my review of Edward Scissorhands you know how I feel about movies with anti-conformist messages done right, this film is another perfect example of that. It has such a powerful message because of how it’s balanced from the worldview of the characters, instead of being anarchist and giving a message about rebellion, it makes you think. Neil is such a tragic character, it’s horrible how his father had a choke hold over his life and refused to see his view of things.

Neil tried to stand up early on and in the middle of the film, but right when he embraces himself, his dreams, and his ion, it gets ripped away from him. Poetry survives to this day because it’s a way for us to learn without experiencing things firsthand, instead of bullying people and calling it “discipline” it beckons us to ask ourselves questions. To read and ponder over life, over the questions that matter. It doesn’t have to be poetry either, that’s just what any great artist can accomplish because that’s the message of this film.

You can try to shatter someone and mold them into the form that you want them to be, society at large focuses on productivity and profit. And Neil’s father adopted this view, he was going to force him to fit into his mold by force just as the school did. And that’s what makes Mr. Keating such a brilliant character, he doesn’t just challenge them, or bark out orders while they’re helpless. He’s down there with them at every step of the journey, because he isn’t there to mold them. Keating is there to guide them to become the best versions of themselves that they can be, and he knows he can’t show them what that is.

That’s a question we must all ask ourselves, we need to mold ourselves into the people that we wish to be for our own benefit. His students saw that in him, he really is the best possible teacher because of how he understands the nature of free will and ion. Seeing his students stand up for him at the end was so heartwarming, you know that they’ll never forget that experience (I like the detail that not everyone stood up for him just a select few, it made it very personal). This truly is one of the most powerful and thought provoking films I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure on rewatch it will only get better.

Very well done, I don’t usually watch a lot of short films but whenever I do I’m shocked at how much you can fit into such short runtimes. It’s a very touching exploration on grief and coming to with loss, at only three minutes long it manages to say so much.

Sometimes you need a movie that makes you appreciate cinema, this is perfect for that because this is not it. The concept of cinematic art is gone, nothing to be ired here.

Watched this for the first time today and it was a blast, it’s just such a fun slice of life experience with some really good character dynamics between the main trio. Ferris himself is a perfect protagonist for this type of movie, he’s intelligent, charming and meticulous but also carefree and immature. Him and Cameron have a great brotherly chemistry which made for some great scenes.

It’s a very clever film that knows how to get laughs with physical comedy, and ironic humor. I like how Cameron learns how to face his fears by going out with Ferris and Sloane. Their confidence and fun loving nature lets him see life from a new perspective, the total silence from them when he went crazy on the Ferrari was gold.

Ferris famously breaks the 4th wall multiple times, but it doesn’t happen so often to where it disconnects you from the experience but also happens often enough to always cut the tension. This film is love letter to fun, doesn’t take itself too to seriously while still being charming, funny and very enjoyable.

This review may contain spoilers.

I’ve been super excited to watch this movie after seeing Treasure Planet and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. But after watching it now I’m seeing that this movie is literally just the weaker precursor to Osmosis Jones with no Thrax to carry it. This film isn’t moving, intelligent or charming enough to warrant itself as the serious movie it thinks it is.

From the beginning I could tell the screenplay wasn’t going to be great but dang, it only got worse as time went on. There’s not a single line from this movie I’m going to , it’s all recycled and cliche, not even in a self aware witty way because that would require deeper thought. There’s reason I compare it to Osmosis Jones is because it has that same sort of edgy, gross out style that Osmosis Jones is famous for now. The movie includes fight scenes that make characters bleed for the sake of “ooooohhhhh look at us guys, we’re so edgy and mature animating blood when this character got shot with a laser gun that would’ve cauterized the wound.”

But the difference between them is Osmosis Jones is funny at least, I didn’t get any laughs out of this movie just a few frustrated groans because of the dialogue and non-existent dynamics. The double twist villain thing was so stupid, both of their plans are horrible because either way they both know the Drej will kill them in the end. Don’t even get me started on the tonal inconsistencies, they straight up bring Sonic logic into this movie where characters go out into space, no suit or shield bubble or anything and don’t freeze instantly. The plot armor is just insanity here, at least make it somewhat believable.

This movie could’ve been good, I would’ve given it a 6/10 if it wasn’t for the twist villains but that threw me over the edge. Never watching this one again, if Thrax was in this movie it would’ve been infinitely better. Wasn’t all bad though, most of the time the animation was fairly solid even if the 3D is very dated by modern standards. The backgrounds are well detailed and help flesh out the world, the climax is really visually interesting. Too bad there’s no actual characters with depth in this Sci-Fi world they’ve created.

This review may contain spoilers.

I was just scrolling through Netflix looking for a decent pull, and I found Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in the same thumbnail. Never heard about this movie before, but I had to watch it. And it was really fun, they have a great chemistry with each other throughout the movie and the fact they’re genetically engineered to be opposites is super funny.

It sort of touches on the Nature vs Nurture argument which was the last thing I was expecting, it’s because of the way that they were conceived. They explained that Julius had received all the good genes, everything that would make him intelligent, strong and naturally caring. On the other hand Vincent was a “side affect” as the movie says, so he’s the opposite of Julius because he got all the genes making him predisposed to be a moral failure.

But it was a really fun movie, it’s charming and goofy in the best ways possible. If you’re looking for an enjoyable watch I’d recommend this one.

This review may contain spoilers.

This is some of the best psychological horror I’ve ever seen, and psychological horror is much harder than something like a slasher film. Because in order for it to work you need to be attached to the characters, in a slasher film you see gore and you can place yourself in the position of the character and THAT scares you. But with psychological horror you don’t even need to be there, because it has to be from the perspective of the characters themselves in order to work.

You are watching their story, in this case it’s Michelle and her struggle for survival against Howard Stambler. It’s the uncomfortable tension throughout the film that scares you, you like Michelle and you see that she’s a good person so the idea of someone hurting her is what scares you. This is why psychological horror is harder to pull off, but this film is a masterclass in the genre with John Goodman giving the most disturbing performance I’ve ever seen. Howard is such an interesting character because of his shattered mind, you see that he does have some sort of moral code and he does care about Michelle to some degree.

But he’s also a serial killer that brings women into his bunker in order to keep the memory of his daughter alive, he develops this insanely creepy vibe as the film goes on and when you realize why she’s wearing that shirt I know chills will go down your spine. And you see it’s about control with him, his daughter left him with her mother so Howard is attempting to keep that relationship alive through other women near her age. He acts normal for the most part, and that’s the scariest thing about him. Because when he feels like he doesn’t have control then he snaps, this happens multiple times throughout the film and each time it gains more tension.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when they’re playing a guessing game and it was Howard’s turn, the answer was Little Women and Emmet used Michelle as a hint. But Howard couldn’t refer to her as a woman because he’s associating her with his “Little Princess” so he can’t acknowledge that she’s a woman that can think for herself. Because that’s what the real Megan did by deciding to leave with her mother. He needs control over Michelle as a substitute for the loss of his daughter, which I’m sure he only has himself to blame for but it gives his character a lot of depth in these subtle ways. So many little details that just bring everything together here, I’ve heard some people complain about the ending ruining the tone of the movie and I’d agree. But questioning if Michelle knows how to make a Molotov cocktail doesn’t make sense to me, we’ve seen she’s very creative and she’s also good at thinking on her feet. So it’s completely in character for her to escape using what she has at her disposal.

I can make a whole essay about this movie and I probably will someday, one of the best movies I’ve ever seen because of its amazing cast and well written characters. Without any doubts in my mind the best of the Cloverfield franchise.

This review may contain spoilers.

Alright now I’m continuing my Batman marathon and I really loved this movie, it’s a great dive into Batman’s origins and his worldview as a protagonist. They show the moments that would lead him to adopt the title of Batman (although a bit shaky but in all fairness so was the Mask of The Phantasm version) and they make it clear that Batman is the real dominant persona and Bruce Wayne is the mask. Which is a take of the character I’ve never really cared for myself, I like to believe Batman and Bruce Wayne are both still that lonely, shattered child back in that alleyway.

Christian Bale really sold the character, the Bat-voice was a little questionable but it wasn’t so distracting that it bothered me, but what did was that when Batman was exposed to the fear toxin he spoke to Alfred in the Bat-voice but later on when he saved Rachel he spoke to her as Bruce. Probably because he wasn’t thinking clearly but it sort of threw me off, I really like this version of Scarecrow, probably my favorite version besides The New Batman Adventures version of him.

The film came up with lots of clever ways to explain different parts of Batman’s iconic character, like how the Bat-signal spawned from strapping Carmine to a high beam I thought that was really funny. Overall I think this movie is great, Liam Neeson was a perfect main antagonist for this movie. Acting as a version of Bruce without comion, but believes he can have justice without it. I’d like to think that deep down he knew he was wrong in the end because of his death scene, knowing that punishing the desperate along with the cruel and corrupted isn’t justice and Batman sees that.

This review may contain spoilers.

“A true act of goodwill, always sparks another”

I’ve been sleeping on this one for a while, I kept telling myself I was gonna get around to it and see what the hype was about but here we are finally. I think it was watching Elf that pushed me over the edge, and I’m glad I watched it. Jesper is so Kuzco coded it’s hilarious, the moment he was there sitting in the tent with the cucumber I literally just said “oh hey it’s Kuzco, it’s this kind of movie?” And I was pleasantly surprised with how the movie handles his character, much like Kuzco he’s entitled and selfish at the beginning but over the course of the story he gains perspective on life. He’s able to find purpose and humility during his time spend in Smerenberg, I went through the whole movie smiling.

Whether it was the unapologetically comical, mean-spirited townspeople or the heartwarming friendship between Jesper and Mr. Klaus himself who’s also a great, compelling character. Jesper and Alva are so cute together, I love their dynamic so much especially when he saw what she’d done to her fish market. She also acts as a great parallel to him, because she also just wanted to work so she could escape the violence and pettiness of the townspeople but they both grow as the film goes on. What I really liked is that this movie isn’t about “the spirit of the season” or “the Christmas spirit” or anything like that, at its core it’s about how one simple act of kindness can have a profound affect on people’s lives. Especially those that aren’t used to it, and that’s an important message.

I liked how it uses lighting for visual storytelling, at first the town is all bleak and gloomy but as it goes on the beautiful warm lighting pours into the town. It’s especially powerful when Alva finds her ion for teaching again as the town builds a community, I thought that was great. But maybe it could’ve been better if the toys really did fall off the cliff and the children still acted with kindness to each other out of the goodwill the movie speaks about without expecting anything. But as it is, I think it was great.

This review may contain spoilers.

Watched this one with my family, and I’ll be honest this is not a Baseball house. But despite that I can enjoy a good sports movie, and this is definitely one of the many good sports movies out there (nothing beats Sandlot though). Roy Hobbs is a really strong protagonist, his determination and integrity he displays throughout the film is very irable and you’re rooting for him. Although I will say his relationship with Memo is questionable at best considering that Cruella was right there, like they belong together and Memo is only in it for Gus’ money.

The scene where he gets shot is very strange, there’s no real motive for it and it really doesn’t get explained properly in the film but I’ve heard theories she was a serial killer. Gus was a pretty good antagonist, he’s like the opposite of Roy because instead of playing for the love of the game he’s in it for profit. I do think it might’ve been a bit too long for what it is, but I still enjoyed it. That ending scene where he plays his last game, even when he’s been told it’s more than likely it’ll kill him was very powerful. Not perfect, but a movie like this isn’t trying to be, I still think it’s good despite its flaws.

This review may contain spoilers.

I’ve seen most of this movie before, but never the first part until today. And I figured I shouldn’t write a review until I’ve seen the full thing, and the truth is that the first time I watched it, it turned out to be a lot better than I thought. It’s actually a good story, with a compelling romance which is something we don’t see in Disney movies anymore. And an actual villain that’s plainly stated to be evil and manipulative? Twist villains are one thing, but twist villains that are only twist villains within the narrative itself are my favorite.

Mother Gothel is obviously manipulative and condescending to Rapunzel, constantly talking down to her and minimizing her feelings. I like how whenever Gothel compliments Rapunzel it’s either insincere or just about her hair (she’s literally just a watered down Frollo), just really hammers in how all she cares about is her hair. There’s some little details spread around that I liked, like how when Rapunzel figures out that she’s the missing princess and finally defies Gothel, she backs into a mirror and breaks it. Like this whole relationship has just been for her own selfish gain, and the illusion of love and concern she gave to Rapunzel has been shattered.

Another thing I liked is how natural the romance between Eugene and Rapunzel felt, they don’t immediately warm up to each other and Flynn is constantly trying to worm his way out of his end of the deal. It’s really funny to watch but also important for Eugene’s character arc, at first we see he’s selfish and narcissistic when he abandoned the McStabbington twins. But as the film goes on and he spends more time with Rapunzel on their journey she helps him to grow as a person and develop humility and find a real connection. It’s because of Rapunzel that he’s willing to sacrifice himself to save her from a miserable, confined life. And in return he helped her to discover her true identity and live her dream of exploring the outside world, showing her Gothel was wrong about the people out there. It’s just a very charming, funny, well told story. Had a great time watching this one.

This review may contain spoilers.

It’s been a couple years since I last seen this movie, but I’m back on track with my Batman marathon and there’s no better way to be welcomed back than with that iconic opening theme (my personal favorite Batman theme). And so far it still holds its title as my favorite Batman movie, even if The Dark Knight trilogy will probably be better on an objective cinematic level I can’t see how they can be better “Batman” movies. The reason so many people including myself love this film so much, is because of how it gives Bruce Wayne depth as a character.

He isn’t the psychotic cardboard cutout he is in Burton’s films, this is the most fleshed out version of Batman I’ve ever seen on screen. The way that his ideology is challenged in this movie is perfectly handled because of the fact that Andrea Beaumont, his only chance of ever living a normal life is his own broken reflection. Instead of handling the loss of her father in a more positive way like Bruce who dedicated his life to making sure no one else would need to endure the feelings of helplessness he felt when his parents were murdered. She becomes consumed with her desire for vengeance, and instead of moving on she decided to dawn the name of The Phantasm. An angel of death that will avenge her father’s murder at the hands of the mafia.

The scene at the graveyard is probably my favorite Batman scene ever, it just perfectly shows how deeply his parents death affected his life. To the point where he doesn’t believe that he deserves to be happy, he needs to always feel that pain he felt in that alleyway and never move on in their “honor”. It shows the flaws in his character but at the same time his loyalty to not only his parents, but to the people of Gotham which we see in BTAS. Mark Hamil as The Joker is brilliant as always, he’s the inextricable link between both Batman and The Phantasm and that final battle in The World of Tomorrow was executed so perfectly.

Having the ending of this chapter of his life end in this extremely important location was a stroke of genius. I’ll be moving on to the Dark Knight trilogy now, but this one will always have a special place in my heart. Kevin Conroy’s Batman is still one of my favorite characters in fiction because of this film. I cannot recommend this movie enough, even if you aren’t a Batman fan it’s just a brilliant movie. I’ll be talking about this one more in my animation video.

This review may contain spoilers.

“All my life you’ve told me the world is a dark, cruel place. But now I see the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!”

I’ve seen parts of this movie before, but never finished it until today. And I really have to say, this could be one of, if not the most powerful film Walt Disney Animation has ever made, and at this rate, will ever make. From the very beginning it doesn’t shy away from depicting prejudice and injustice in extremely upsetting and sadly realistic ways. Everyone talks about how great of a villain Frollo is, and I’ll talk about that in a second but first Quasimodo has gotta be one of my all time favorite Disney protagonists. Despite being raised by the embodiment of humanity’s hypocrisy and cruelty he remained a pure soul, even if Frollo gave him serious self esteem issues over the years because of his deformity he never became bitter. Just sadly accepted that it was the reality that no one could love someone like him.

And without any context from anyone else he believed him of course, but we can clearly see between them, the “monster” and the real monster. Frollo is just absolutely disgusting on every level imaginable, some people bring up The Coachman from Pinocchio right up alongside him as Disney’s worst villain but honestly. It’s one thing to do horrible things to others without remorse, but as evil as that is it’s an entirely different issue to do so with the excuse that you’re justified in the eyes of God. Many people have done this over the centuries, we’ve seen people like Frollo far too many times throughout history and even today. That just makes him all the more appalling as a character, and without any doubts the rawest, most despicable character Disney has ever made. People like Frollo, claiming to represent God are exactly the kind of people Jesus spoke about at Matthew 7:21-23.

Esmerelda is also an amazing character in her own right, I haven’t read the novel so the only context I have for her character is this movie. But that being said she’s probably my favorite Disney heroine, a courageous, kindhearted, strong woman who isn’t afraid to speak out against Frollo’s religious hypocrisy and stand up for her people (God help The Outcasts is such a powerful song). And the way the movie handles how she affects both Quasimodo and Frollo is brilliant, because it perfectly contrasts their characters by playing Heaven’s Light and Hellfire back-to-back.

She gave Quasimodo hope that he could be loved, that he wasn’t the monster Frollo has always told him he was. Quasimodo saw “Heaven’s light” as he calls it and it’s just beautiful. But on the other hand Frollo gives us a glimpse into his cruel and warped mind, Hellfire is regarded as the greatest villain song of all time for a reason. It perfectly captures just how far gone Frollo is, how far away from God he is because of his extreme lust and pride. The song tells you right off the bat because the first thing he does is insist upon his own “righteousness”. It’s haunting, powerful, and even downright scary knowing there are people that think like this. It could’ve been the greatest movie Disney has ever made, but they couldn’t go all in.

If they had only not put in the gargoyles and the stupid slapstick that’s scattered around the film, and focus on the powerful story and brilliant characters it could have been a true masterpiece. Some would say The Prince of Egypt has this problem but I’d disagree because the comedy is largely contained to the first half. The rest is the ethereal, heartfelt masterpiece that we know today. I will say, that this is the darkest movie Disney has ever made, but at the end as all great movies should in my opinion, it gives hope.

This review may contain spoilers.

This truly is the greatest compilation of video game cutscenes since Lego Batman: DC Super Heroes Unite. Guys I’m really sorry, I really am but this one was not hitting at all with me. This movie has no 3 Dimensional characters, no story, no plot and no antagonist. It builds up an interesting world with tons of questions to be asked but the lack of dialogue holds it back from diving into anything. I think it’s really cute and I had a pretty fun time with it but I honestly don’t understand why everyone loves it so much. Yes it is from a foreign animation studio, and everything considered it is a remarkable feat on their part.

I know I’m never watching this movie again, it never went beyond a cute distraction for me. It did have some really beautiful animation with multiple scenes while the animals were on the water and that out of pocket rapture scene with the Secretary bird. Speaking of the Secretary bird, the cat should’ve died when the other birds were pinning him down because they all went there with the intention of eating it. But then one defends him and they just leave? It’s like they’re trying to humanize the animals by showing their intelligence but do it very inconsistently and there’s no balance between their survival instincts and showing what humans would’ve done.

It was fairly interesting, but the only reason I give it a rating this high is because I honestly wanna see what this studio can really do. I see the potential they have, and I want them to find it. The soundtrack really threw me off, this movie needs a stronger soundtrack than the aquarium ambience it has in the more intense scenes. It’s pretty good, I really wanted to like it a lot more than I do though.

Now it seems like this is one of the most controversial Disney Animation movie quality wise, seems like you either just don’t like this movie or you think it’s one of if not the best film Walt Disney Animation has ever made. If you ask me it’s solid, I like pirate movies, especially animated pirate movies after growing up with The Adventures of Tin-Tin. Steampunk space pirate movies also qualify so naturally I gotta like this movie, Jim is a really strong protagonist and his bond with John Silver is my absolute favorite part of this movie.

The problem is that beyond the concept, art style and Jim and Silver’s father-son dynamic, I really can’t get behind much else. The side characters are perfectly fine, Captain Amelia is super cool and I love how fluidly she moves. Niles Crane was really good as well, Doctor Doppler is a fine character, Mr. Arrow is fine and that’s kinda the problem. It doesn’t set out to be a masterpiece but has a relationship that belongs in one, if the side characters were more fleshed out, the dialogue was cleaned up a bit and B.E.N is removed entirely than I can definitely see it reaching the greatness it could’ve reached. Maybe even on par with Atlantis, which is really just a better version of this movie in my opinion because it does the opposite.

The central bond between Milo and Kida is sort of untouched because she spends the final parts of the movie captured and then bonded to the Heart of Atlantis (the movie totally hints at a romance though). But it’s still good, every side character in Atlantis is well developed and given a distinct character and personality which is what this movie needs.

Ya’ll know something? Any actual criticism on this movie just shouldn’t exist, this movie KNOWS exactly what it is and embraces itself. It’s goofy, it’s insane, it’s filled to the brim with pop-culture references from the time and I love it for that, it’s perfect. This was my first DreamWorks movie and set the stage for a journey through the films and lore of the studio, the characters are all funny somehow. Gloria is a perfect motherly figure for the gang and she keeps the other three in check, Alex is the pampered “leader” that’s the opposite of what you’d expect from a lion. Marty is a strong willed free spirit type of guy that’s waaaayyyy more competent than Alex despite being his natural prey and he’s always great, Melman is a charming a-dork-able guy that doesn’t get a lot of time to shine but his bits are some of the best.

King Julien was created in this movie, that’s really all I need to say because besides the actual DreamWorks kid/The Man on The Moon he might as well be their mascot. Like if you walk up someone on the street and show them a picture of King Julien they’ll immediately know who it is, icon of cinema. And we got the Penguins from this movie, it’s peak fiction what else do you want me to say? You already know all this, but I still really love this movie even if I think the second is better.

This was definitely an interesting one, Cooper was really creepy, the way he just smiles as he’s talking about what he did to Spencer even when he doesn’t have to is genuinely unnerving. He’s a great evil protagonist, you’re always guessing how he’ll escape especially during the first half. As good as The Butcher himself was, the acting from the ing cast wasn’t that great, and I’ve never liked Shyamalan’s directing style with line delivery but I think his POV camera did work to make things feel uneasy.

It’s pretty good but nothing particularly special, it would’ve been more interesting if they dove into his psychology in a more in depth way. Like I genuinely wanna know what happened with him and his mother but it’s very vague, I’m calling it right now that he’s going after Jodie’s mother in the sequel. The post credit scene is gold and that convinced me to give it this rating, my family didn’t like it as much as I did.

This review may contain spoilers.

I’ve seen three studio Ghibli Movies as I’m writing this review, Grave of the Fireflies and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya are the other two. So as one might imagine this is the one I enjoyed the most, it takes such emotional and devastating themes like self loathing and survivors guilt and presents it in the most lighthearted way possible. But it still doesn’t sacrifice the impact of the story being told, it has a consistent brighter tone but when it hits, it hits hard. Porco is a really important protagonist, the survivors guilt he carries is just awful, and the fact that the curse is just a manifestation of how he views himself is brilliant and it makes his arc so moving to watch.

If I had any complaints it probably just boils down to Fio being sexualized, like yeah I get that she has to be viewed as attractive so that she can be half the stakes in the final battle with Kurtis but like she’s so small, if you didn’t tell me she’s 17 (which they do multiple times just to be safe) I’d never know. At multiple points in the English dub they talk about……. how big her butt is? Like c’mon guys what are we doing here this ain’t even funny anymore, but other than that I think it’s a great movie.

I can’t believe that I waited this long to watch this movie, I distinctly that my stupid little self watched the second movie back when it was on Netflix first, and never went back to watch the original. I can barely what I did see of the second movie but this, this is amazing. The animation is so smooth and vibrant, the action scenes are a thing behold especially with the climax. Every side character is either funny, investing or both and Milo is no exception because he’s a great relatable protagonist that just feels human. He doesn’t just do the right thing simply because he’s the protagonist with no further explanation. He has a distinct worldview and explains his reasoning being the scholar he is.

His relationship with Kida was really fun and the scenes they get with each other are just great (I think he had better chemistry with Audrey though honestly). Rourke was so good in his own right, “If you took every stolen item out of a museum, you’d be left with an empty building”. I’ve missed out on some gems over the years, this is definitely one of them.

Why’d I have to just get into this series and now it’s ending, like I started watching NuWho and a week later Ncuti Gatwa quits it’s crazy. But I guess it’s for the best because I was watching some of the new specials and it wasn’t good, at all. But on the other hand this was a blast, David Tennant just feels like he was born for a role like The Doctor.

Neil Patrick Harris stole the show every time he was on screen though, the Spice Up Your Life sequence will now be stuck in my head forever but y’know what I’m not mad.

Santa mozzarella! This is a fine Pixar movie if I’ve ever seen one, it’s charming and full of character. The friendship between Luca and Alberto is really wholesome and their dynamic is great, watching Alberto get all jealous when Luca is spending time with Giulia was funny until it wasn’t. I would give it a higher rating if it didn’t force the third act breakup as heavily as it did. But it doesn’t aim to be a grand and emotional masterpiece, it’s just really sweet and charming.

I enjoyed it from beginning to end even if I didn’t really like the forced breakup, because there’s always something to enjoy here. Ercole was also not the best villain Pixar has ever made, he doesn’t need to be but I still didn’t care for his character at all. He’s an obstacle and nothing more, but that’s fine because the rest of the movie is great.

This review may contain spoilers.

Alright I have a confession, I really don’t like this movie. It’s definitely not the films fault either. It’s the fact I grew up with BTAS Kevin Conroy Batman who’s probably the most comionate and truly heroic version of Batman we’ve ever gotten in a film, Mask of The Phantasm really fleshes his character out beyond what we got in the show and I adore that movie to this day. Batman as a character is pretty much lost in this movie, he has no distinct personality and just kills criminals without a second thought.

He’s not a symbol of hope or justice, he’s another lunatic killing criminals in Gotham, no emotional weight or depth to his character besides that (Michael Keaton is always great though). I understand that it sort of had to be this way because of Adam West’s goofier version of Batman, but even if this is what was required to eventually get versions like Kevin Conroy than that’s fine and if you love this movie that’s okay. But I don’t think I’ll be watching this again anytime soon. On the brighter side, Danny Elfman’s soundtrack always hits and I definitely think it’s the definitive Batman theme even if this is far from the definitive version of Batman.

This is the first Cartoon Saloon movie I’ve seen, and I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without watching their work. This movie is incredible, it portrays such mature and depressing situations while still offering hope by the ending. My heart goes out to the people that live in nations like this, especially women after watching this movie.

I feel like the closest comparison I can make between this and a live-action movie would be The Pursuit of Happyness, it’s not a movie you enjoy. But it’s important to watch just so you can get a new perspective and develop empathy for others. It’s gotta be one of the best animated movies I’ve ever seen, it’s sad by nature, but the fire in Parvana’s soul won’t be extinguished. I think everyone should watch this movie at least once.

Wow, I’m glad I finally got around to watching this one. I thought it looked very unique compared to the rest of Pixar’s movies because usually they shy away from more otherworldly stories even when they’re more outlandish. I feel like it’s sort of similar to Ratatouille in its theming, centered around ion and the beauty of life but it also has a very distinct identity. Joe is a really well developed character, his mission is clear from the beginning because he just wants to follow his musical ion, which is something I can really relate to.

But the larger message of the movie isn’t exactly to follow your ions, because the real message is that you can have ions, you can feel that spark that makes you wake up in the morning and be excited about what the day will bring. 22’s arc showed that those ions aren’t everything, but Joe made his ion his entire life and obsessed over it. Music was his life, from morning to night it’s all he thought about. But ultimately he learns from 22 that it’s the small things in life, those little sparks that make you feel joy and appreciate just…… being alive that are just as beautiful. It’s a great movie, but some of the dialogue didn’t really work for me and I thought it was weird how the mystics chose that name even though it explains life and death with science and no mention of God. It’s a special movie in Pixar’s ranks, and that’s saying something because we all know how great they can be.

Kinda surprised more people haven’t talked about this movie, I really enjoyed it.

This review may contain spoilers.

Some friends recommended this to me, and y’know what I actually really liked it. Sure it isn’t the best movie ever, but for what it is I think it was well crafted besides the notion that by half listening to a language you’ll instantly learn it. The logic behind everything is inconsistent, because at first he just has an enhanced memory and faster thinking, but somehow when he ups the dosage suddenly he’s able to just translate random languages to English? The chase scenes with the NZT assassin were pretty tense, probably one of the best parts of everything.

I thought the vibrancy of the scene changing whenever someone takes the pill, that was pretty cool. Not the greatest thing ever but it’s still a solid watch.

Yeah this movie is weird, it has some really weird interactions between characters especially between Carlyle and Ann Wheeler during the rewrite the stars sequence (you know). But despite that, I cannot ignore just how hard this soundtrack goes. As far as cinema soundtracks go this is probably in my top ten, for years it was my favorite musical before I saw The Prince of Egypt. You don’t come here for the story, or the strangely watered down version of P.T Barnum Hugh Jackman plays you come here for an amazing album that comes with a pretty good movie.

This movie is what Chicken Little wishes it could be, this is meta Disney humor done right. Having Timon and Pumbaa watch and react to their own movie is comedic gold, because unlike the entirety of the Chicken Little cast they’re enjoyable, funny characters. It’s just fun from beginning to end, with some really funny moments when they’re causing different events from the first movie it’s great. Timon proposing to Shenzi is something I never knew I needed.

This is my Pixar ranking, The Incredibles was winning from the start even before I watched the rest. And I was right, but it’s pretty close between the top three in my eyes. I’ve never gotten the hate on Finding Dory so I put it that high just to make a statement.

1. The Incredibles
2. WALL·E
3. Ratatouille
4. Toy Story 2
5. Inside Out
6. Soul
7. Toy Story 3
8. Up
9. Monsters, Inc.
10. Inside Out 2

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranking some Batman films that I’ve seen, I’m very biased towards BTAS so putting Mask of The Phantasm in first is unquestionable. I’m looking forward to The Dark Knight trilogy though.

1. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

   The greatest “Batman” movie ever made, because of its masterful exploration of his character. Along with the interesting parallels it draws between Bruce and The Phantasm, a masterpiece of cinema in my eyes.

2. The Dark Knight
3. The Lego Batman Movie

   It’s been argued this is the most faithful adaptation of Batman, and I definitely think it’s right up there with Mask of The Phantasm in of character exploration. But doesn’t hit quite as hard because it’s a comedy primarily, still doesn’t take away from its overall quality though.

4. The Batman

   I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would, it looked like another bleak, Burton take on Batman but I was wrong. It focuses on Batman’s detective side, and offers another version of his early years as the Dark Knight and that’s always interesting to see.

5. Batman Begins
6. Batman Returns

   I don’t care what anyone says, this movie is better than 89’ Batman by a mile, Batman is still a lunatic but at least this time he’s fun. Michelle Pfeiffer was great in her role as Catwoman even if her transformation is pretty questionable. But I’ll just chalk that up Burton doing his thing, which I didn’t really get in the first movie so I just like this one a lot more.

7. The Batman/Superman Movie: World's Finest

   I don’t really a lot about most of this list because I haven’t seen them in years, I this one being very fun and it made me think Joker died. I’ll rewatch it and maybe it’s place here will change.

8. Batman vs. Two-Face

   Not my favorite version of Two-Face but it was a really cool version of him, I love how it blended Adam West Batman’s goofy good nature with a more serious tone. Two-Face was a good antagonist but I really gotta rewatch this one as well.

9. Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

   I do love a good villain team up, it’s not the best of the bunch but it was nice to see Adam West’s return in animation form. Very charming and fun.

10. Batman

    I put it this high out of pure appreciation for the work behind it and the performances from Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, other than that this is probably my least favorite besides Batman and Robin.

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A combination of my favorite animated and live-action movies, not an objective list by any means I’m balancing out things the same way I did in my animation top ten. Even if it’s lower on the list that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t like it as much as listings higher up. I just can’t put them any higher on an objective level, because maybe it has a really similar plot to a movie that ranks higher. Like how Megamind and Wreck-Ralph are both redemption stories. I’ll be updating this one every now and then.

1. Rango

   My favorite animated movie of all time, everything that I want in a movie is present in this masterpiece of cinema. Hilarious writing, witty dialogue, intense and brilliantly crafted action sequences that pushed the bounds of animation as a medium and most importantly the single greatest example of a character finding their identity I’ve ever seen. Rango has it all for me, it’s been a special experience rewatching it over the years and picking up new themes or fun little details each time. It’s really that experience of finding myself along with him over the years that makes me love this film so much.

   I’ve already explained the scene that’s had the most impact on me over the years in my real review of this movie. And I’ll be talking it about more in my animation list on my YouTube channel that I’m currently working on. I know a lot of people respect this movie, but I’ve never really met someone that would even begin to think of putting it this high. Even though I think #2 is an objectively better movie this one has had the biggest impact on me, that’s why it’s here.

2. The Prince of Egypt

   If you ask me what the greatest animated film I’ve ever seen is, I will say without a single moment of hesitation that it’s The Prince Of Egypt. Everything about this film is immaculate, the expressive and stylized character designs, the majestic and awe-inspiring sequences displaying the power of God and the transcendent soundtrack. If it was a more objective ranking then this would be number one for me. Seeing Moses have to face the reality of his life is incredibly impactful especially when it paints its story with as much focus on the humanity in each character as it does.

   The rift that grows between Rameses and Moses as the film goes on is nothing short of heartbreaking, Rameses is probably my all time favorite DreamWorks antagonist. The movie doesn’t follow scripture word for word often because it’s story is trying to send a specific message that revolves around family dynamics between Moses’ true people and the people that have shown him love for so many years. It never misses the point of the original even if it does rewrite some parts of it, the message of relying on God and strengthening faith are still there but it doesn’t preach to its audience, it simply tells one of the most powerful stories ever put to film.

3. Ford v Ferrari

   For a while this was my favorite movie, I still adore it to this day though because I still don’t fully understand why this movie appeals to me so much. I’m not very interested in cars or racing, but the performances in this film are top tier, everyone is giving it their all in the acting department especially Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Their dynamic throughout the movie just feels so real, from the funny moments they have to together to the raw emotional scenes that still get me every time.

   To me this is peak cinema, when you can convince me to not only sit through, but enjoy a true story I would not have cared about otherwise, then I know you’ve made a truly special film. And that’s just what this movie is, that nod Enzo Ferrari gives to Ken Miles will always live rent free in my head.

4. The Truman Show

   Probably the tightest most well crafted screenplay I’ve ever witnessed, it’s near perfect from a quality perspective and one of the few movies I’d give a serious 10/10 rating too. It’s really the greatest psychological horror movie I’ve ever seen, every time Truman discovers something that makes his grip on reality just slip a tiny bit feels so disturbing. It completely alienates Truman from everyone else in this movie except for Sylvia and even though they only spend a couple scenes together the bond that’s created between them is one of Truman’s main motivations to leave.

   Sylvia is the only person there that genuinely cares for him, the only person that respects him enough as a human and not as some kind of prop that should be used for entertainment without his knowledge. This film is a perfect example of the human spirit and pure determination from Truman, he’ll find the truth, whether it is better out there or not is for him to decide not Kristoff. That final scene with Truman is one of my favorites of all time, the most anti-climactic ending possible for the show, no final speech or monologue about his life or hopes. Just the same line he’s used for the last 30 years, walking out into the unknown and we aren’t there to see it, because he’s free. And we don’t deserve to view his life any longer.

5. The Pursuit of Happyness

   People say that movies need to be studied sarcastically, but I’m 100% serious when I say that everyone needs to see this movie and it should be shown in schools and studied. This is a movie that’s either very sadly relatable or a movie that will make you value everything that you have and no matter which side you’re on you will gain something from this experience. It’s just authentic and genuine, a real struggle, a fight to make it to the next day with a hope that things will get better. The Pursuit of Happyness is without any doubts one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen, if you haven’t seen this one it doesn’t matter who you are. It’s a life changing experience.

6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
7. Lilo & Stitch

   I just absolutely love everything about this movie, is a personal, heartfelt story about found family and familial connection. But it presents it in such an authentic way that even though it has the Sci-Fi aspect, it never feels out of place because the aliens (especially Stitch) elevate the story. Nani and Lilo’s relationship just works flawlessly, their dynamic of sort of struggling to find a balance between Nani being a mother and sister figure to Lilo after losing their parents is genuinely great.

   And the way the film draws the subtle parallels between Lilo and Stitch throughout the movie shows a clear progression in their characters, and watching them grow together and bond is just so sweet. I can’t say a single bad thing about this movie, I loved it back when I was a kid and it’s only gotten better with time. My favorite Disney movie to date.

8. The Incredibles
9. Edward Scissorhands
10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Check out some of my songs here: www.youtube.com/@Midnight-8262/featured

I love music just as much as film, as an amateur composer myself I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from film composers. These are some of my favorite soundtracks ever, I’m basing it entirely on soundtracks that I personally enjoy so if some big movie soundtracks aren’t on here it’s probably intentional. But feel free to recommend anything you think I’d like. I’ve got my thoughts in the notes.

1. The Prince of Egypt

   This is my favorite soundtrack ever, out of every medium that allows a soundtrack this stands above the rest. From the very beginning when Deliver Us started playing I knew that this was not a normal film, just like the film itself, its soundtrack is an ethereal masterpiece that goes above and beyond to immerse you into the story. Because a good soundtrack s the scene, a transcendent soundtrack elevates scenes into a greater experience.

   Hans Zimmer is my favorite film composer, and we all know Stephen Schwartz is a genius with lyrical writing and they work together to give us this masterpiece of a score. Deliver Us is a 15/10 in my book.

2. Edward Scissorhands

   This soundtrack is the most whimsical thing I’ve ever heard, while also crushing my soul at the same time. The Grand Finale is one of my favorite songs in cinema history, it’s just so perfect for that final scene in the mansion.

   The entire soundtrack is perfect, it doesn’t transcend the rating system quite like The Prince of Egypt though so I think a good 10/10 is fair. Danny Elfman is one of my favorite composers because of this soundtrack, I don’t think any of the other soundtracks on this list are on the same playing field as these first two. At least in of how they’ve affected me as a composer.

3. The Adventures of Tintin

   Yeah this is my favorite John Williams soundtrack, am I biased by nostalgia? Absolutely, but this is definitely one of the soundtracks that inspired me to pursue music. I grew up with this movie and it’s one of my favorites to this day, when Sir Francis and The Unicorn kicks into high gear during the pirate scenes it’s so good.

   It’s not the best John Williams soundtrack, and it’s far from the best soundtrack I’ve listed here. But this one is mine.

4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

   This is a total vibe, it’s everything a great soundtrack should be because it weaves in and out of different tones flawlessly. There’s silly and fun songs like Mumbattan Madness, than there’s nightmare fuel The Creation of The-Spot and it all works. It’s a masterfully built puzzle of a soundtrack, everything fits.

5. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

   Best Batman title theme, no questions asked it’s simply my truth. I may hate 89’ Batman but it does have the definitive Batman theme, personally I like the gothic choir this film uses more. And it isn’t just the main title theme, the rest of the soundtrack is great too, I Never Even told You is so good.

   I noticed that 90’s Batman movies always crafted amazing romance pieces for the end credits, did ya’ll catch that? First this, then Kiss From A Rose it’s crazy.

6. The Lion King

   Ya’ll already know this is one of the greatest soundtracks in animation history, and by proxy also film history. It’s grand and majestic just like the film itself, but just like the movie it falls short of The Prince of Egypt in my opinion. Still amazing though, This Land captures pure bliss and majesty in a way few songs can.

7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

   Greatest villain song of all time, brilliant character development from each and every song without a wasted lyric in sigh- THOSE STUPID GARGOYLES HAVE A SONG? Well I guess I need to deduct points for that than, soooooo it’s like a 9/10 soundtrack now. You know Hellfire is perfect, God Help the Outcasts is heartwarming and Heaven’s Light is a perfect contrast to Frollo.

   Just like the film, it could’ve been perfect but those gargoyles refuse to let it be.

8. Atlantis: The Lost Empire

   James Newton Howard is this good? I can’t believe it, I watched this movie a couple weeks ago and not only is it now one of my favorite films. But the soundtrack is up here too, Kira’s Return is such an incredible piece. I’m not even sure why but I love this soundtrack to pieces.

9. The Incredibles

   Yeah, even after my Pixar marathon this is still my favorite soundtrack in Pixar’s catalog. You can’t tell me Life’s Incredible Again doesn’t make you wanna start pumping iron, like that song should be the self improvement theme song. Michael Giacchino is an amazing composer, I haven’t really pinned him down to have a specific style like Hans or John Williams.

   When I John Williams soundtrack I know it’s going to be grand and spectacular first and foremost. Hans Zimmer focuses on production value and sound design by layering. Michael Giacchino? He just makes great soundtracks I don’t know what to tell you.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

    It’s been years since I’ve seen this movie, but that final battle in the maelstrom has to be one of my favorite climaxes in cinema history. And the soundtrack around it is just perfect, this is where I realized that Hans stands out among other composers.

    Because he always gives it 100% effort no matter what films he’s doing a soundtrack for. We can all learn from his work ethic, beautiful score.

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Feel free to recommend any movies in this genre you’d think I would enjoy, I’ll be sure to check them out. I explained why this genre of horror appeals to me so much in my 10 Cloverfield Lane review but basically it’s just that you need to try a lot harder in the writing department to make it work. If you feel disconnected to the story or the characters in it, then the horror aspect falls apart because you simply don’t care unlike something like a slasher. So truly good psychological horror takes a great amount of effort and well-thought out writing.

1. The Truman Show

   Within the context of Psychological Horror it doesn’t get any better than this, because is there truly anything more terrifying than the idea that your entire life is fabricated? Nothing is authentic, no one truly loves you, everyone has been playing their roles to keep you from experiencing true joy. And that the god of your world has been doing this? That’s true horror.

2. 10 Cloverfield Lane

   Another perfect example of the genre, while I like The Truman Show slightly better this one really leans in to the horror elements. The tension in multiple scenes in this movie are insane, Howard Stambler is one of my favorite antagonists in fiction because of John Goodman’s performance in this film. The gold standard of Psychological Horror in my eyes.

3. What About Bob?
4. A Quiet Place

   Sure it’s got plot holes, but if you’re telling me you wouldn’t be dead in this universe I can almost guarantee you’re lying. It’s not a perfect movie but it does a fantastic job at connecting you with the main cast, without words at many times. I gotta rewatch this one, but this was where I found my love for the genre. The dads sacrifice scene is so good.

5. Jaws

   I’d like to say that this counts, the fear of the ocean is something that a lot of people have. Simply because it’s the fear of the unknown, every time you swim in the ocean how do you know there isn’t a shark under you? See this movie is why I always wear a snorkel, take notes people.

DreamWorks is my favorite animation studio, so this list was bound to happen eventually. They either make landscape changing masterpieces of cinema, or Sharktale and that’s why I love them so much. I will be watching the Shrek franchise soon hopefully, probably after my Batman marathon but we’ll see. I’ve got my thoughts on all of them in the notes.

1. The Prince of Egypt

   In my opinion the greatest animated film ever made, a film so moving and majestic that no other movie I’ve ever seen can rival its awe-inspiring majesty. This movie beat Disney at their own game in their absolute prime, a bold musical feature that told a story so important to people of many different faiths including myself as a Christian. Even though it doesn’t follow scripture word for word often, it knows what it wants to be, the story that it wants to tell using the character from the scriptures.

   It never deviates from the point of the at its core, to develop humility as people so that we can find faith and contentment with our lives. It simply is the most bold, heartfelt, immersive masterpiece that DreamWorks studios has ever made.

2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

   Compared to the first movie, this is a miracle of cinema. A story so investing, touching, scary and enjoyable is a Puss in Boots movie? How can that even be possible? DreamWorks did it, and they did it for us. I’ll talk about this one more in the animation video and my review for when I rewatch it. This movie is so good anything DreamWorks released after wouldn’t be able to reach this level of spectacular filmmaking.

3. Megamind

   The DreamWorks movie of my childhood, the film that made me fall in love with this studio and its brilliant works of art. Most people probably wouldn’t put it this high, and I will it this is heavily biased by nostalgia but I adore this film. After rewatching it a couple weeks ago it’s still just as good as it was back when I was 6. A subversive masterpiece one might say.

4. The Wild Robot

   I was not expecting DreamWorks to release another movie comparable to the quality Puss in Boots 2 brought to the table so soon. But us DreamWorks fans are eatin’ good because this movie just hits all the right places, it’s so sweet and heartfelt and touching with this story about motherhood and building a community through kindness. Kindness is a survival skill, thank you Chris Sanders.

5. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

   I love stop-motion animation, this movie and Chicken Run were my first experiences with the medium and I love both of them to this day. I think the comedy in this film is perfect, the British humor and great characters just make this one of the most enjoyable movies DreamWorks has ever made. The Golden Duo of stop-motion never miss, and in my opinion this is their best movie.

6. Mr. Peabody & Sherman

   Oh I love this movie so much, now I will it I’m partial to movies with good father/son dynamics so naturally this movie is gonna rank pretty high. And they’re hilarious together, Mr. Peabody telling history puns and Sherman failing to put it together is so unfunny it’s hilarious. And that’s the best way I can describe this film, it’s sort of like the Paddington effect, it’s so charming and lovable I just can’t say anything bad about it.

7. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

   Underrated classic, animation is gorgeous and smooth and tells a story that relies on the expressive animation to tell the story and not dialogue (YOU SHUT UP MATT DAMON I ALREADY KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED).

8. How to Train Your Dragon 2

   It’s been years since I’ve seen this film, I gotta rewatch it along with the other two but I it being very good. The villain wasn’t the greatest thing ever but the movie overall is still great.

9. Over the Hedge

   Peak fiction right here, one of the funniest movies DreamWorks has ever made and has a strong protagonist. The way it uses RJ’s character arc to really let the comedy aspect sink in is honestly amazing. The Verminator is the greatest DreamWorks villain of all time and you can’t say otherwise because you don’t have an associates degree from Verm-Tech.

10. The Road to El Dorado

    “EL DORAAAA-DO THE MAGNIFECENT, AND GOLDEN” 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥

    The soundtrack on this movie is so freaking good I can’t get over it, you’ve got Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereira cooking up one of DreamWorks finest soundtracks. The movie itself is a really strong comedy too, Miguel and Tulio have such a great chemistry together it’s always a joy to watch them. Chel is the greatest baddie in animation history and I will not accept anything rebuttals to this, it’s simply a fact of life.

...plus 19 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

These are my favorite animated films, I tried to balance out how objectively good each movie is by its own merit, how much enjoyment I get from the experience of watching them, and how ionate I am about them (Rango is still my absolute even if I believe The Prince of Egypt is the greatest animated movie ever made) If it was objective of course it would different but honestly, where’s the fun in that? Art isn’t about “better” or “worse” often times it’s about what we as individuals can take out of each piece and that’s the beauty of it.

1. Rango
2. The Prince of Egypt
3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
4. Lilo & Stitch
5. The Incredibles
6. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
8. WALL·E
9. Megamind
10. The Iron Giant