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Cats (2019)
In the words of our lord and savior, John Papa
"Gabriel... is blowing his trumpet. Can't you hear it? The day of reckoning is coming, but you all crawl over each other like rats in a sewer. I have fallen to Earth from Heaven's grace, and now you all point and laugh. Can you hear me now Pizza God?! Can you hear my cries?! They have clipped my wings and I can no longer fly to you! I am chained at this rock, this desolate place, so full of isolation that the voices in my mind are the only ones to bring me comfort. The day will come. Judgement will be made. You will scream, but they will fall upon deaf ears. Cheese and Bread will be the cornerstone of this Utopian future. I will cover the world with my passion! Gabriel's trumpet is sounding now... can you hear it?"
-MeatCanyon
In all seriousness, this movie was terrible.
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Deserves a better review than many give it, however movie does have quite a bit wrong with it.
This movie has received quite a bit of flack from movie viewers of all ages and creeds for quite a few reasons; While many of the reasons do, in fact, detract from the film in its entirety, this was not a "bad" movie by any means, it simply could have used a little better direction . So, I am going to break this down into 4 categories and give my two-bits on what I thought was done well and what could've worked better for the movie. FIRST, there is the animation itself. The animation was flat-out the best animation I have ever seen in a movie. The water, countryside, rocks, pebbles... it was all so realistic I could've sworn I was watching this on a live-action background; The beautiful tapestry of that background did so much for this film and actually made me want to pay attention to that rather than what was happening plot-wise. With that being said, it bridges over to the negative aspect of the animation which was the characters. Perhaps Disney/Pixar wanted to go with a more "kid friendly" aesthetic, almost like play-doh, that would make it easier to market/ship for children. While I can respect that decision, the fact that the beautiful scenery when compared to the characters made them all the more bland. It would be akin to having a steak dinner where the steak looked overcooked and tasteless while the side dishes were exquisite. SECOND, the story itself. While the story itself was campy and a bit misguided, it had everything a plot needs and was executed decently. Kid lives on a farm with his family (Beggining), Kid gets lost (Conflict), kid must traverse a large terrain whilst conquering his fears/the elements(Middle), kid finds a home for spot and also gets to go home to his family(Resolution). So while it has the basic elements to a story, I feel the translation of the story gets lost in it's execution with how it played out. The bits where he meets other dinosaurs that all have distinct societal groups (herders, farmers, hippies, scavengers) felt like they all were rushed through and never quite came to fruition. Rather, if he had made the journey alone or with only spot at his side it could've cut down on the cliché side-characters and added more to the inner feelings, movement of Arlo's character. THIRD, the characters. The only character that ever really felt "real" seemed to be a Arlo. Sure, the other characters had personalities, but from what little we did get to see of characters' personalities was a very small and cliché renditioning of the type of character they were. For example, the father T-Rex was a grizzled, scarred herdsman with a mouth that, from which, only wisdom and a deep, somber voice could be heard. The only other character that I felt had anything else about them was Thunderclap (the pterodactyl leader), if only for the blatant religious extremism that he portrayed, which was at least interesting to witness; Overall, however, his fanaticism did little to save the integrity or give the other characters any form of real importance or meaning to the movie as a whole, if this film had another dynamic character (not counting spot because what does he learn? Essentially nothing, he is the same character at the end of the film as he was at the begging the only difference is he has a new friend and a family) it may have had a better character resolution than what the ending provided. Speaking of which, that transitions into the FINAL bit, the ending. I think the ending is where I draw the line between a 6/7 for this film. The fact that Arlo jumps into the water AND goes down the giant waterfall without at least himself or spot being severely injured is just the big, painful stroke that puts the final bad taste of bland steak into your mouth. The whole scene just throws everything out the window and makes most viewers ask the question, "If Arlo, small, tired, and weak as he is, could survive that experience, then why couldn't his father who was stronger, healthier, and not to mention 3ish times Arlo's height and at least 10 X his weight survive it as well?" It just stumps me how they let that bit play out given what happened at the begging of the film, but I digress. THE POINT: This movie is flawed, filled with useless characters whose animation paled in comparison to the scenery, a run-around plot, unneeded and out-of-place moments, and has a horrible ending. However, I still came out of it with a positive enough reflection due to: the more depressing scenes tending to hit their marks, the astonishingly amazing scenery, and a wholehearted feel that still kept me entertained throughout the entirety film despite its flaws; Solid 6/10 and I would say is worth your time if you have a free hour and a half.
The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)
Terrible to the point of Abhorrence
How can my dislike of this movie be put into simple words? It would be quite difficult, but I can try. First off, let us begin with the tone of the movie. If you had watched the first Fox and the Hound, you would see that the tone has a great mix between uplifting and melancholy moments that adds a sense of depth and growth to not only the characters, but the entire film as a whole. This "sequel" (if it can be called that) ruins that perfect sense of balance and has the usual Disney sequel problem of being far to frivolous, as compared to the original tone of the movie. Second, within the first 10 minutes of the film, all the hope that I had for it being a great sequel to an amazing classic had vanished. The movie had introduced Chief and Amos Slade as bumbling, old idiots instead of the loyal, yet jealous, companion and calculating, yet obsessed, hunter that they had been in the previous movie. This further adds to the antipathy that this movie had produced within only a few moments of watching it. Finally, the plot of the movie. Really Disney? As if we needed another movie about how one of the main characters doesn't "fit in" or can't find his niche, so he goes out and joins whatever the blindfolded monkey throws a dart at on the "Disney Sequel Plot Table." Also, with all the new characters being added, it detracts from some of the more important/memorable characters from the original movie. Considering how the original was released in 1981, you would think that this movie would be tailored toward the children that had watched the original film at that time; However, after watching the movie I can now see that it was intended for the children of the individuals who had watched it. This movie has only been watched because the individuals who had watched the original recognize the name and think that it would perhaps appreciate to see what had happened after the events that had unfolded in The Fox and the Hound. Very disappointing movie and Disney should be ashamed for tarnishing the name of such a great classic. "Goodbye may seem forever, but in my heart a memory." That basically sumarizes my feelings in one sentence. While the original left a great implant upon my heart, this one will leave nothing but a sad thought that they could have at least tried with this sequel.