Movie Madness: Reviews and Critiques

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead! Interested? Watch the trailer above! I wanted to wrap up this genre with a movie that encapsulates the whimsy, bright, wholesome, and sweet atmosphere of animation: Ponyo (2008), a Studio Ghibli movie that launched itself into the hearts of all viewers. While the plot of Ponyo is a little strange and some of the events are absolutely wild, this story and animation are full of nothing but love and innocence. This story follows a goldfish princess (yep. goldfish princess) who slowly turns human thanks to her best friend, Sosuke. This film explores the beauty of the natural world with amazing and colorful imagery, and just makes viewers happy. Movie critic Richard Propes summarizes the beauty of this movie perfectly: “In a world in which innocence is so rarely portrayed with any conviction on the big screen, Miyazaki [the director] does so with incredible majesty and grace and awe-inspiring wonder.” If you want a sweet, beautiful animation, this one’s for ...

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead! Interested? Check out the trailer above! I have to admit this to you, fellow movie fans. Meet the Robinsons (2007) might just be my favorite animated movie. Ever. And for those curious, it is a Disney movie! Just highly underrated. A lot of critics thought of this film as an animated knock-off of Back to the Future but that is simply not true. As Mike Massie notes “with innovation, creativity, and heartfelt storytelling, this is solid entertainment for audiences of all ages,” which is the actual truth. This story is so wholesome and heartwarming, with a perfect splash of comedy. For anyone unfamiliar with this cinematic masterpiece, here’s a quick synopsis: Lewis, our protagonist, is a 12 year-old orphan and a science genius. He’s an inventor who is determined to create a machine that will allow him to remember his mother who gave him up for adoption as an infant. After his failure at a science fair, a strange boy (Wilbur) claiming to be from the future a...

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead! Trigger Warning: Murder Interested? Watch the trailer above! So I couldn’t finish up the horror genre without discussing one of the biggest horror movie franchises - Friday the 13 th (1980). This film isn’t exactly the best horror film - movie critic Mike Massie even noted that “although nothing about the film stands out as incredibly imaginative, the production isn't without a certain level of amusement” - but it is unique and spurred an entire franchise which has done very well for itself. Even the date, Friday the 13 th , is now synonymous with bad luck and misfortune. The thing that I think makes this movie so successful is the campiness of it. It didn’t set out to be a worldwide thriller, and if anything, the camera work is very experimental. The audience follows a group of camp counselors as they prepare for a summer with kids, but slowly they get slaughtered one by one. The really cool thing about this idea - this is a MAJOR spoiler - is that...

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead! Trigger Warning: Murder, Disfigurement, Cannibalism Interested? Watch the trailer above! Today’s post is a feminism celebration. Sorta. As close as you can get within the horror genre, at least. I mean, that’s what movie critic Tara Brady said of the movie - going so far as to state that Fresh (2022) “celebrates female camaraderie, resourcefulness, and good humour in the face of monstrous behaviour,” which is a pretty good description. Fresh , starring Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones, has become an instant classic in my movie repertoire. I watched it three times within the first month it came out, which is not a norm for me. This movie is so, so, so good. The acting is amazing, and even better is the cinematography. I know, up until now I haven’t talked a lot about the actual making of the films, but this movie is so good because of how it was made, so it’s impossible for me not to talk about it here. This is a film about cannibalism - yeah, so stro...

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Murder Interested? Watch the trailer above! I’m going to preface this movie review with a warning: Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) is not a movie for everyone. Aside from being on the longer side, this film deals very heavily with abuse and sexual assault. It’s impossible to write this review without acknowledging that, as it is the entire basis of the movie. This mystery asks one question: Did she do it or not? She being Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), and the “it” being “kill her rapist” (Harris Dickinson). The story is told in parts, where the audience first meets Kya as a little girl. She lives with a rather big family in a swamp. Slowly, one by one, each member of the family leaves, due entirely to the abuse at the hands of the family patriarch. Kya is the only one who remains and she learns how to live in her environment, catching fish and selling them to earn money. Eventually, her father completely abandons h...

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead Trigger Warning: Murder Interested? Watch the trailer above! Welcome back to another week of movie reviews! This week’s topic is… Mystery! Who doesn’t love a good mystery? For the first post, I want to discuss a newer mystery which I immensely enjoyed, just as I enjoyed its predecessor. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) is SO good. The characters - all of which, except for Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) and Helen Brand (Janelle Monae), we love to hate - are hilarious and the script does a really good job of poking fun at itself. Glass. Onion. A thing with multiple complex layers. Made of glass. Completely see-through. This movie tells you from the get-go that it’s going to layer itself, but that you will never lose sight of the center, and yet by the end of the film you’re left amazed at how you missed the absolute obvious. For anyone who doesn’t know the reference, “Glass Onion” is a song written by the Beatles, in which they poke fun at their audien...

Warning: Movie Spoilers Ahead Interested? Watch the trailer above! I was determined when I selected the action genre to not review a Marvel or DC movie, and I’m proud to say that I stuck to it. Today’s movie is one of my all-time favorites, ever. Jurassic Park (1993). And I’m not talking about the whole cinematic universe they’ve since created, I’m talking about the very original “we’ve re-created dinosaurs and now they’ve escaped.” This film is so good, so funny, and the CGI is honestly amazing for the time. As far as the action genre goes, this is the only one I can think of that has dinosaurs - already it’s unique and breaks the typical action mold. And, despite its age, this move truly holds up. The characters feel real, the CGI and puppeteer work are superb, and the suspense mixes wonderfully with the beauty. After all, even if you haven’t seen this movie from start-to-finish, everyone knows the iconic beauty of the brachiosaurus climbing out of the water to the mesmerizing music...