When she discovers a Yeti on the roof of her apartment, Shanghai teenager Yi decides to return him to his Himalayan home. So she sets off with her neighbors, Jin and Peng, to reunite their furry white friend with his family. But their journey won’t be an easy one, as there is a crazed billionaire who wants to capture the Yeti hot on their trail. Continue reading
When his father goes missing and is presumed dead, former Pokemon trainer Sam journeys to Rhyme City, a high-tech utopia where humans and the multi-colored, super-powered animals live in harmony. There, while searching through his dad’s apartment, he encounters a Pikachu, who, shockingly, can speak English. Pikachu claims to have known Sam’s father and says that the man is not, in fact, dead. Realizing that there may be a chance to save his dad, Sam teams up with the talking, lightning-tailed mouse, and sets off to unravel the mystery of his father’s disappearance. Continue reading
Everyone dreams of being a superhero. But what does it take to actually become one? Well, in the case of Billy Batson, a 14-year-old foster kid looking for his mom, all it takes is uttering a single word: Shazam! Doing so transforms him into a grown man, with flight, super strength, hyper speed, and the ability to shoot lightning from his fingers. And yet this grown-up version of Billy retains his childlike mind, so, naturally, he does all the things a teenager with superpowers would actually do. Namely, show off for girls and make money. But he’ll have to grow up fast because there’s a villain on the loose, and he’s looking to take Billy’s powers, and use them for things far less innocent and fun. Can Billy and his foster family stop him in time? Watch the movie to find out. Continue reading
One night, while running away from bullies, young Alex Elliot stumbles into a construction yard. There, he finds a sword lodged in a stone, and being a curious 12-year-old, decides to pull it out. Upon doing so, he discovers some Latin written on the hilt, which, when entered into Google Translate, reads “Sword of Arthur.” Alex is skeptical at first, thinking it impossible for this to be the real Excalibur, but when demonic warriors try to kill him, and an eccentric young man, claiming to be Merlin, tells him that he must assemble a group of knights to stop the evil Morgan Le Fay, or else the world will end, he starts to reconsider. Continue reading
Deep in the hundred acre woods, where Christopher Robin plays, you’ll find the enchanted neighborhood of Christopher’s childhood days. A donkey named Eeyore is his friend, and Kanga, and little Roo. (And Tigger too!) There’s Rabbit, and Piglet, and there’s Owl, but most of all, Winnie The Pooh. But soft, it seems that all is not right, for Christopher’s now grown up. He’s married, a father, and works all night, with scarcely a beat to look up. And so, without their friend to play, the toys have vanished into the blue. Someone must find dear Christopher Robin, and that someone is Winnie the Pooh.
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Picking up precisely where the last film left off, The Incredibles 2 follows the Parr family as they continue to struggle with the government, homework, boys, and pretty much all the same problems they had before. Except, this time, there may be a solution to their woes. See, even though superheroes are illegal in this world, there are people, powerful people, who want to bring them back into the sunlight. One of them approaches the Parrs, and offers to let them stay in his mansion, and get superheroes legalized again, if they come and work for him. Specifically, if Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl, comes to work for him. See, of all the classic superheroes in this world, she had the best track record when it came to not causing collateral damage, so if they want to convince people supers should be legal, they need to show that they can stop crime without blowing stuff up. So it’s up to Bob, aka Mr. Incredible, to watch the kids. Will he be able to manage? Will Elastigirl help make supers legit again? Well, watch the movie, and find out.
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Miguel Rivera is a young Mexican boy, descended from a long line of shoemakers. Many years ago, his great, great grandfather left his wife and child to pursue a career in music, a betrayal which lead to all vocal and instrumental sounds being banned in the Rivera household. Miguel, however, yearns to become a Mariachi, idolizing the now-dead musician, Ernesto de la Cruz. So, to prove to his family that he is a talented guitar player, and that he should be allowed to pursue music, Miguel signs up for the day of the dead talent show. Problem is, he doesn’t have a guitar, and no one will lend one to him. So he decides, “screw trying to buy one. I’m gonna go rob a tomb.” And that’s precisely what he does; breaking in to Ernesto de la Cruz’s mausoleum, and taking the dead man’s guitar. However, as soon as he touches the instrument, he finds himself transported to the realm of the dead. Now, if he wants to get home, he must find his ancestors, and receive their blessing. Problem is, they want him to go back under the agreement that he will never play music again, and Miguel isn’t willing to accept this. So he decides to track down the ghost of Ernesto de la Cruz, whom he has convinced himself is, in fact, the great, great grandfather who abandoned his family all those years ago, and receive his blessing instead. Will he do so? You’ll just have to watch the movie to find out.
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Greetings Loved Ones! Liu Is The Name, And Views Are My Game.
Imaginative, moving, and in many cases, very, very funny, Pixar’s latest feature, Inside Out, is a magnificent movie, well worth the price of a ticket. Regardless of whether you’re old or young, black or white, straight or gay, I guarantee that you’ll walk out of this film with a huge smile on your face. It’s that good, loved ones! It’s that good!
Now, I realize that that’s a pretty bold assertion to make, and that I might be the slightest bit biased in this matter. After all, I grew up on Pixar movies. Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monster’s Inc–these films were my childhood. Still, I’m more than a little convinced that my adoration of this picture has nothing to do with my own nostalgic love of the company that made it. The movie currently holds a 98% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. It’s made more than $400 million at the box office. I saw it in a movie theater packed with people–most of them adults–who were laughing just as hard, if not harder, than myself. So, yeah, I think it’s safe to say that the movie’s objectively good.
But what is the movie about? Well, it’s essentially the story of what goes on inside a little girl’s head. Her brain is a massive city. Her emotions are people with differing personalities. Her memories are these little glowing orbs that form the foundations of all the buildings. And if they get lost, oh boy, bad things happen! And that, in essence, is what this story is about–the little girl, RIley, loses her core memories, and two of her emotions, Joy and Sadness, have to go retrieve them in a wacky, colorful, and downright beautiful adventure.
As I’ve said before, there’s a lot to admire about this film. The animation is amazing. The writing is brilliant. The humor is spot on. And the creativity with which the filmmakers crafted this world is nothing short of spectacular. I don’t want to waste anyone else’s time by being redundant, so I’ll just say this. Inside Out is a near-perfect movie that I’m sure you’ll all enjoy if you choose to go see it. It’s a 9 out of 10. Watch it, love it, and watch it again!
If you agree, and would like to share your thoughts, please leave a reply. If you disagree, and would like to express why, don’t hesitate to do so. And if you enjoyed this post, and would like to see more, feel free to follow my blog at liusviews.com
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