MOVIE REVIEW: The Good Dinosaur (2015)

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Directed By: Peter Sohn 

In a world where animated movies are becoming more and more mature in substance it is refreshing to see the studio whose known best for doing just that take a step back and deliver some purely fun family entertainment. That is exactly what their newest film The Good Dinosaur is, a good time at the movies that can be shared with anyone. After delivering one of their emotionally heaviest movies earlier this year with Inside Out they come back this time around with something a little more light hearted for the holidays. What this film lacks in story and depth is more than made up for in the visual masterpiece that Pixar has created. While maybe not the most memorable of the studio's films The Good Dinosaur takes us into the next stage of digital animation.

The movie suggests a world where the dinosaurs were not wiped out by a giant meteor and are in fact left in peace to keep on living for another few million years. We focus on a young apatosaurus named Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) who is trying to survive in this world despite being afraid of just about everything. When he is swept downriver after a tragedy strikes his family he teams up with an unlikely ally; a young human boy who has coincidentally been ravaging their crops. Now together the two of them must navigate their way back upriver to find Arlo's family before winter comes. 

We as an audience have come to expect a certain level of intelligence and originality from Pixar films and although this is a fairly light movie for them it does what it needs to incredibly well. The world they have created makes sense, the differing species of dinosaur have different personalities that match them perfectly and the "social structure" put in place allows them to have fun with species all up and down the food chain. The main character Arlo and his human companion "Spot" are a delight to watch interact and will put a smile on just about anyones face.

When this studio first came on to the scene back in the mid 90's with Toy Story they took the world by storm because of their digital animation. What they were able to do with this new tool and what it did for the industry as a whole was massive and ever since they have been leading the charge in furthering this technology. The Good Dinosaur marks the beginning of the next era of what they started two decades ago. The digital animation done for this film is beyond compare and is at often times mistakable for reality and that is not an exaggeration. I found myself in awe throughout the film by how real they were able to make the landscapes look and feel. If it weren't for the animated animals and their exaggerated design it would have felt like more of a nature documentary than a children's movie. 

While it may not live on as one of the great and memorable Pixar films I do believe it will be remembered fondly for the strides it made technologically. I almost decided to miss this one on the big screen and I could not be more happy I changed my mind. The Good Dinosaur is a visual masterpiece that deserves to be seen on as big of a screen as possible. It may not pull at the heart strings like many of their other films, but is that such a bad thing around the holidays? I don't think so, take the family to see something that will make them smile this weekend. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Krampus (2015)

Krampus (2015)

Horror, Comedy, Fantasy

Directed By: Michael Dougherty

For most, Christmas is a time of merriment and love but for some it's a month of family hell and domestic troubles. The latter is what Michael Dougherty decided to focus on with his newest holiday horror film Krampus, and it is all the better for it. Taking us away from the usual holiday drab about a good hearted family and their wonderful christmas memories he gives us a story of a family akin to the Griswolds whose miserable family christmas leads a young boy to make a huge mistake. Boasting gorgeous practical effects and a brilliant cast Krampus manages to capture the spirit of the season while still being a creative and intelligent horror film. 

When young Max (Emjay Anthony) has his christmas spirit broken by his seriously dysfunctional family his faith in the holidays is lost. After a heated and animated family dinner where he is made a fool of in front of everyone, he declares his newfound hate for the holiday and destroys his yearly letter to Santa. When he scatters the tattered pieces of the letter into the winds something happens that he could have never imagined. His broken faith calls upon an ancient Christmas demon known only as Krampus who has now descended on their small neighborhood with his army of "little helpers" to deliver a holiday punishment. 

The film wastes no time getting into the good stuff, Max destroys his letter and Krampus has made his way to town all before the end of the first act. This is fairly simple when the majority of the characters are simply horrible and irredeemable people, all it takes is one quick dinner table scene to know how insufferable this family is. This isn't at all a bad thing either, much like in Dougherty's last holiday horror Trick'r'Treat this is a rather mean-spirited film. This family sucks, it's as simple as that and when Krampus comes to town you can't wait for him to deliver his wrath upon these whiny and annoying people. 

The biggest takeaway from this movie is the gorgeous blend of practical and digital effects that end up making this film feel like a more modern Gremlins style horror movie. Most of the creatures are done practically giving them and old school reality that we don't see too often anymore. Even when CG is used it is done as minimalist as possible and never feels out of place, in fact it looks damn good in the few places it is used. This is in large part due to the physical design of Krampus' little helpers, each monster has a unique holiday aesthetic to them that captures the holiday spirit. From a sadistic jack-in-the-box to deviant gingerbread men, this film is as "Christmas" as a creature feature can get. 

What helps to elevate this film to a higher level than most others that attempt to do what this has done is the cast, both in front of and behind the camera. Michael Dougherty has once again shown us that he has an understanding of the horror genre that almost no one has anymore and the fact that he keeps choosing to show us that in holiday form is all the better. Having written and directed both this film and Trick'r'Treat he has now proven beyond doubt that he is one of the best horror filmmakers working today. It isn't without some help though, and having comedic geniuses Adam Scott and David Koechner in your film never hurts. Not to mention Toni Collette and Allison Tolman in supporting roles that all come together to make this family feel truly authentic. 

With all of the quick cash grabs that studios have been releasing in the horror genre it is beyond refreshing to see one as original and off base as this one on the big screen. The movie blends horror and comedy seamlessly to create big scares followed by big laughs followed by more scares all while maintaining a PG-13 rating. Don't let that detract you from this film either, it in no way needed to be rated R and should be seen by as large of an audience as possible. Grab the family and head to the theater this weekend to support this brilliant horror film while it is still in theaters, Michael Dougherty has given us the best family horror film since Gremlins and it deserves all of the love it can get. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

Adventure, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Francis Lawrence 

All things must come to an end, and despite the studio's best efforts to bleed the franchise as long as possible, such is the case for box office juggernaut The Hunger Games. After nearly four years of following Katniss Everdeen through two Games and the beginning stages of a revolution the time has come to finally meet the end of her journey. Unfortunately, due to the money making ability of the property the studio went the Harry Potter route and split the final book into two movies. For better or worse this is what we were given and after seeing Part 1 and being pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the setup was I couldn't wait to see the final payoff. Staying quite faithful to the source material this final movie is action packed and emotionally distressing as we see the people of the districts give their final sacrifices for freedom. 

Due to being split into two movies, Part 2 of Mockingjay picks up right in the middle of the story leading into the rebellions attack on the capitol. They have just rescued Peeta from the clutches of President Snow, who has completely hijacked his mind in an attempt to turn him into Katniss would be assassin. Despite all that is going on however it is time for them to start their final assault on the capital and end this war for good. Much like in the first part, Katniss is used as propaganda for the rebellion. She and her unit are to stay behind the main attack and use their position to inspire the remaining troops and people throughout the districts. This is no cake walk though as the entire capital is rigged with "PODS", sadistic traps created by the game makers of the hunger games to stop any invading forces. The longer they can survive the better the chance the rest of the army has of making it to Snow's mansion and winning their war. In the Words of Finnick "Welcome to the 76th Annual Hunger Games". 

Mockingjay Part 2 is a fine ending to a franchise and a good send off of one of pop culture's favorite characters, yet it still felt a little flat compared to the other movies of the series. Yes it was packed to the brim with action and the PODS were done incredibly but it lacked weight. Some key character deaths and important moments lacked the emotional depth that you'd expect and it's directly related to the fact that this is a part two to a book that was barely 300 pages long. Stretching this story into two movies that each are over two hours was just too much and it ultimately fell to many of the same problems the two final Hobbit movies did as well. Splitting the story into separate movies meant that all of the setup and character specific moments happen in the first part so by the time we finally get to see the finale all of those moments are forgotten. This makes it difficult to connect with many of the characters in their biggest moments, ultimately killing all the emotion of the scene. 

This isn't to say the movie is a failure though, when something is making as much money as this franchise has it comes as no surprise that the people in charge of it would want to make that money as long as possible, so this was inevitable. Francis Lawrence has done an amazing job with this franchise and this final film is no exception. He captures the brutality of the war and the bleak reality of this world to near perfection and as a fan of the books I couldn't be happier with what he has done for these movies. Jennifer Lawrence gives one last knock out performance as Katniss and all of our other favorite players are back as well. Peeta, Haymitch, Effie, Prim, Gale and all the rest reprise their roles for one last time and give their send off to these beloved characters. 

With the amount of money this property has made I doubt this is the end of this universe on screen but one thing is for sure, this is the end of the story of the Girl on Fire. Despite it's problems from being split up into two films Mockingjay Part 2 mostly overcomes them all and delivers an action packed thrill ride of a finale. Fans of the series will be happy to see it all wrapped up in a faithful way that respects the books and doesn't steer away from the darkness that exists inside of it. If you have been following the franchise up until this point then this is a must see on the big screen so check it out if you haven't done so already. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later! 

MOVIE REVIEW: Spectre (2015)

Spectre (2015)

Action, Adventure, Thriller

Directed By: Sam Mendes 

This modern era of Bond has done something rather interesting that hasn't been done in the franchise until the inclusion of Daniel Craig. They have given his Bond an arch, he has been growing and changing through each and every one of his films with the events of each affecting the happenings of the next. After Skyfall broke all the molds and gave us an actual backstory on Bond in a movie that some of us see as one of the all-time best 007 movies we had no idea what to expect from the next installment. For the twenty fourth chapter in the James Bond franchise Sam Mendes (Skyfall) has returned to direct and Craig is back as the charismatic spy and they have brought a few new friends along for the ride. 

After the events of Skyfall the 007 sector of MI6 is under pressure from the government to prove their necessity going forward. The film opens on Bond in the middle of a mission in Mexico City, unexpected factors arise and his job goes south in a series of events that level an entire city block. After an insane fight in a helicopter over a large crowd of people the government finally decides to crack down on the MI6. With the 007 sector potentially seeing its final days Bond decides to operate outside the bounds of his governors and finally uncover the truth behind the global terrorist group SPECTRE. A mysterious message from an important member of his past sets him on the trail to finally discover the secrets behind this massive organization that has plagued them for too long. 

Spectre is a slow burn as far as Bond films goes, after Skyfall was two hours of almost non-stop action many audience members were expecting this next movie to be a lot of the same. This time around Mendes wasn't trying to dazzle us with huge action set pieces and life or death scenarios (though there are a few that are absolutely gorgeous) but rather give us a great story told within the boundaries of Ian Fleming's world. The most problematic aspect of this film is that the in depth story is almost relying on one last installment in the Daniel Craig era to fulfill what had been started here. The events that unfold in Spectre are left seemingly unfinished and if this is the end of Craig's Bond (as we have heard is a possibility) much of this movie will be for nothing. That being said, I found the story to be totally engaging and much of what is brought to the screen is catered to the fans of the franchise. 

A large factor in what makes these movies either great or not so great is the quality of the villain. From the beginning of the franchise the bad guy has always been a center of the 007 story lines and can always make or break a film. Last time around we were all dazzled by Javier Bardem's performance as one of the best Bond villains we have ever seen, so how do you top that? or at least try to? Well you go and get Academy Award winning actor Christoph Waltz, that's how. Playing the mysterious leader of SPECTRE Waltz turns in another fantastic performance, although he could have had a bit more screen time. The same could be said for his "Jaws"-esque henchmen Mr. Hinx played by Dave Bautista, a great callback to classic henchmen like Odd Job and Jaws he simply just wasn't used enough throughout the film. 

This may not be the most action packed movie in the franchise but it very well may be the best looking. Sam Mendes and company have created a gorgeous film to look at with amazing set pieces and location shooting. From the opening tracking shot all the way to the finale of the film the cinematography is incredibly beautiful.  Daniel Craig owns the part once again and further makes an argument that he is one of, if not the best Bond that there has ever been and after seeing this one I can only hope he gets one more turn to finish out this story. For the first time we are seeing a continuing story throughout multiple Bond films and it looks like it has all been leading to one crazy ending I can only hope we are fortunate enough to see.

If you are going into this film looking for a repeat of Skyfall then you will most likely be let down. Mendes didn't even try to make the same film over again and I respect him for doing so. Spectre is a great bridge between what we saw occur in the last film and what we will hopefully see in the next one a few years from now. There is often a lot of time between action sequences but if you can get into the story you will have no problem staying engaged for the entire two and a half hours. Despite a few minor flaws in the story and the lack of action Spectre is another great installment in the ever growing franchise with plenty of easter eggs for long time fans to have fun with. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!