FINDING DORY MOVIE REVIEW

★★☆☆☆

Finding Dory is a spin-off to one of the highly acclaimed animated films of all time, Finding Nemo. It’s a story about the iconic and forgetful Dory in search to find her family who she lost when she was young.

I remember watching Finding Nemo: and even though I mostly forgot some scenes (as I only watched it twice), there’s only ONE thing that lingered to me up to this very day, and to which that thing is exactly what highly lacks in the sequel Finding Dory: the feels.

Although it also suffered from the story quite a bit, the emotions swirling throughout the film was present but wasn’t strong enough for me to become sympathetic towards the characters. And for me, Finding Nemo was all about the heartily emotions that can’t stop you from crying or feel melancholic because Nemo, Marlin and Dory were incredibly developed. It was maybe due to the fact that the scenes felt rushed that I can’t feel the connection to the characters.

It somehow also bored me in the middle part as well, yet picks up on the hilarity during the climax part.

Nevertheless, the fun was still there and the adventures were still enough to keep me from getting my phone to see a nonexistent text.

The Beluga whale named Bailey was, for me, the funniest of all. His low self-trust at first was adorable and upon discovering his ability to echolocate had me laughing my ass out like I’m losing my breath.

Anyway, the kids will love it even though the concept and comedy was most of the times for adult’s understanding, but the visuals and the concept of family will surely be enjoyed by the kids.

THE JUNGLE BOOK MOVIE REVIEW

-★★★☆☆

I know most of us adults grew up having watched The Jungle Book movie in our younger years: it was one of those films that we just can’t forget. And now, this 2016, it’s revived as a live action film and I have to tell you straight: it has the bare necessities of what an entertaining movie is.

THE JUNGLE BOOK – (Pictured) MOWGLI and BALOO. ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The film is action packed, heart-warming, scary and most of all, charming, just like a true Jon Favreau movie. It’s with a great cast that is 99% voice, yet truly remarkable on how fitting their voices are to the characters. Also, I have to talk about the stunning visual effect that truthfully transported me into another world because of how natural and believable it looks.

Although the film is mostly for kids, adults can’t help but find true to life relationship with the storyline. There’s a nurture-nature psychology weigh in, the socio-political war, the social status realism and many other things that makes this film borderline adult, but not vulgar.

It’s good for parents and kids alike. It’s a perfect family movie.

BIG HERO 6 MOVIE REVIEW [NO SPOILERS]

 

-★★☆☆☆

It’s been a year since one of the most successful animated movies of all time, Frozen, which not just created a huge fanbase all around the world, but also invaded the music scene, but to sum it all up; it devours pop culture. And now Disney-Pixar is spending some dime for another action packed animated movie which is Big Hero 6.

 

OVERVIEW

Big Hero 6 is a story of a kid named Hiro who dreams to become one of the best robotics engineers. Together with his brother, Tadashi, who introduces him to his lab in the university, as well as with his circle of ‘nerd’ friends. Hiro’s brother not only just inspires him but also helps him with his dreams in enrolling in the university.

Hiro created a super intelligent microbots that can act upon telepathy that wowed audiences gaining him entrance to the university but this did not end well due to the demise of his brother after trying to rescue the professor in a burning building.

Hiro then became depressed and only to find out that the healthcare robot named Baymax is in their room. Series of funny events happened as well as finding out a villain in their midst using his microbot technology.

He then realized that he needed to take back the microbot with the help of his friends that have technological stuff to battle out the villain, only to discover many things that will push Hiro to the bad side as well as realizing so many things about Baymax and his brother.

 

BIG HERO 6

After the success of Frozen, to be honest, this kind of fall short. If we see this film as it is, it’s also the type of film that’s quite funny, somehow genius and very cute.

The film starts of really cool with all the technological and robotic stuffs happening, I could imagine that it would surely captivate eight to ten year old boys. Then the story continues with the cuteness of Baymax that I find really funny. But the fun cuts off somehow in between the film for a more serious note. The ingenuity of the main character to create cool costumes and weapons made the film really sophisticated in a childish way.

Now what I also loved about this film is it is accidentally educational. Baymax is a healthcare partner designed to help those in medical need and people of all ages will really learn a lot from it and I was really impressed by that.

 

OVERALL

To be honest, this film is mediocre compared to all Disney-Pixar films. It fell short even when it’s been advertised as ‘from the creators of Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph’ which are both successful films, Big Hero 6 is a cute adventure film, sometimes funny but not that compelling to penetrate pop culture. This is a type of film that is just a passerby, and Disney could’ve done better.

To sum it all up, this film is strictly for kids to totally enjoy but not for adults. And to think, the creators made the films Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph a film for all ages.

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2013 IN TWO PERSPECTIVES | MOVIE REVIEW

It’s reasonable enough to create a one sided critique because it’s somebody’s opinion and it matters. But when two heads come together to pick their tops; you have the comparison and a conclusion that one differs from the other and that’s important in understanding criticism; that one may experience epic in a certain something, and the other might not; that one may have pleasure in watching the movie/TV Series, and one may find it absurd.

So, my partner and I decided to create a Top 10 Movies we’ve watched in 2013 since we are both movie-goers and below follows mine first and then my partner’s:

MY TOP 10:

I’ve come up with these top 10 by the process of elimination: by first listing down all of the movies I’ve watched and started to eliminate down to 10.

1. Man of Steel – When I was asked by my partner to write about my top 10 movies in 2013; Man of Steel came in naturally. A revamped story of Superman plus stunning visual effects made me proud to have seen a perfect revision.

2. Frozen – Perfect plot, fancy songs and a fairy tale story that did not focus on Boy meets girl, boy marries girl and they lived happy ever after. Frozen is a musical spectacle that culminates wonder and fun.

3. Iron Man 3 –Iron Man 3 who took it to the highest level. Tony Stark’s struggle in being Iron Man and a continuity of the Avengers and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is exciting. Although panned by fans due to the unprecedented twist in ‘Tony Stark’s most powerful villain of all’; Mandarin, but fanboys can be irritating sometimes; but truth is, Iron Man 3 sums it all up for Tony Stark.

4. World War Z – Zombies for me is just as lame as vampires (hi Twilight) but this heart pounding version is not like any other. Zombies do run fast and scientifically created, not mythical. The dénouement gives me satisfaction too.

5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Probably the most exciting movie of the year. All of the other movies were full of amusement, but this one, I’ve heard and felt all of the emotions from people in the cinema. Catching Fire surpassed its predecessor and I love how it was true to the book.

6. Gravity – What I loved about Gravity was the cinematography play and the depth of Sandra Bullock’s acting. Although the plot was straight from point one to point two (survival plot), the way it was created was as of its perfection.

7. Now You See Me – The underrated movie of the year is one of my most favourites. Although this movie is on the top of the most found plot-holes this year; the story-telling in the movie is satisfying and shocking. Visually entertaining and fascinating.

8. The Croods – The most heart-warming movie of the year goes to The Croods. With indefatigable comic sequences to exciting plot, you could never go wrong with The Croods.

9. Insidious 2 – The unexpected sequel and the plot is terrifyingly enthralling. I loved how they made continuity to the first one that made sense and how daunting it was up until I got home from the cinema.

10. OZ: Great and Powerful – Visually entertaining and exciting. The movie is long yet satisfaction guaranteed by the end of it.

MY PARTNER’S TOP 10:

1. Iron Man 3 – Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man I think is reason enough why this movie is on my list.

2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The book is my favourite in the trilogy and the movie was faithful to the book. What’s not to love?

3. Gravity – Alfonso Cuarón’s style partnered with good cinematography makes an excellent outer space movie like we have never seen before. Putting Sandra Bullock as lead and George Clooney for support makes a movie only a fool would miss.

4. The Croods – I love a family movie where I can watch with my mom and niece and just laugh our hearts off. I could barely stay on my seat.

5. We’re the Millers – This is not the typical family movie and definitely not the type you watch with your parents. But what I like about this film is this is the movie that made me realize that Jennifer Aniston is indeed funny, really funny!

6. The Great Gatsby – The movie criticizes the often irresponsible lifestyles of wealthy people and Leonardo DiCaprio as the lovestruck Jay Gatsby just feels so right.

7. Frozen – Several film critics considers this to be the best Disney animated musical since the studio’s renaissance era. The story, the songs, and the humour adds up you will have to agree the critics are right.

8. Now You See Me – I enjoy a movie about magic because there are endless possibilities how the movie can end. I almost always see how a movie can end but this time I was in for a surprise.

9. The Purge – Let’s just put it this way; I like a movie where almost everyone gets killed. I know there’s something not right with me.

10. Trance – This is a Danny Boyle film and I love manipulative women who play with danger.

CONCLUSION:

Basically, my partner and I have six out of ten common movies in different sequences, and these are Iron Man 3, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Gravity, The Croods, Frozen and Now You See Me. Obviously, Iron Man 3 scored the highest in this top 10 of ours (since I also rated 5 stars for the movie), because it was sincerely good; actually great! We thought that creating Iron Man 4 would be a suicide since the third film is the peak of all the Marvel movies before it.

Catching Fire made it on my partner’s top list, also I rated it 5 stars; so it’s obviously one of the best movies in 2013.

What made it shocking to most is having Now You See Me in our list. I have to be honest, but it was really, really good. Although some might take it as a cheap thrill, having too many plot-holes and a shocking twist in the end; but the theme was all about illusion and the science of it. So, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and clearly didn’t find answers to all the questionable plot-holes I realized while still watching the movie. It’s really captivating and terrifyingly good. I can’t help but to put it on my top.