"To Infinity and Beyond!" A Toy Story Retrospective: #1.

The staff of Pixar, including director John Lasseter, all had one ultimate goal in mind: creating the first full length computer animated feature. Under the guidance of Disney, and retooling an originally planned Tin Toy Christmas special, they finally earned their chance to do just that. Produced under the name Toy Story (a working title that stuck), their original effort - mainly by influence of Jeffrey Katzenberg - was a terrible affair that was the complete joyless antithesis to their optimistic spirit.

But that was never deterred, as they reworked the film from scratch, steering it closer to the vision THEY saw as best for the film, and in 1995, their hard work paid off, as their debut feature became a smash hit with audiences, soon forming one of the most beloved franchises of all time. As Pixar has evolved, however, it's easy to take for granted just what an achievement this movie was. I know I've taken it for granted, but upon revisiting it, there's just no denying what a magnificent movie this is, and through sheer virtue of its power, it still remains superior to every imitator that comes its way.

"To Infinity and Beyond!" A Toy Story Retrospective: Introduction.

In 1986, computer science icons Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith co-founded the newly independent Pixar Animation Studios. Once employees working under the banner of George Lucas, the innovators and top of the field technicians broke many boundaries, pioneering the now ubiquitous practice of computer generated effects, ushering in a new wave of creative freedom and experimentation.

But their ambitions went far beyond stained glass knights or terraformed planets, as under the backing of Apple founder and tech giant Steve Jobs, and with the creativity of budding animator and director John Lasseter, they hoped to take what they learned, and create what would become the first full-length computer animated film.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 movie review.

Three years ago, Illumination gave us a glimpse of what our pets do when we're not around in The Secret Life of Pets. Despite the fact that it was an almost shameless Toy Story rip-off, it was really popular with audiences at the time, garnering positive word of mouth, and nearly a billion dollars worldwide. I myself still believe it to be Illumination's best film, but I think that's not out of its own merit, but simply because of how aggressively mediocre their output as a studio is.

In fact, that film's success speaks greatly to Illumination's true superpower: They are killer businessmen. Having been trailed out over a year before its release, and aimed at as broad an audience as possible, it's no surprise why it was so successful, but that did little to hide what a carefully calculated product it felt like, certainly not helped by them shoving a poster for their next film Sing in our faces. Nevertheless, it was a huge moneymaker, so it's no surprise to see them back with a sequel to their hit film. I'm of two minds on this movie. While in some ways it is more inspired than it's predecessor, it's also a lot less consistent as it progressively runs on fumes.

Aladdin (2019) movie review.

Aladdin is one of the best, most fondly remembered films from the storied Disney Animations Studios lineup. It's a beautiful movie with dazzling color and design work, anchored by an endearing love story, and features unforgettable songs. But more often is best remembered for its humor, mainly off the back of Robin Williams' virtuoso voiceover as the Genie. It may not have been innovative like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were, but it's aged and held up just as well.

So with Disney hip-deep in their live-action remake phase, it was inevitable that Aladdin would see new life in this format, finally brought to us in 2019, via Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie. Alas, I find myself in a similar mindset that I was in with Beauty and the Beast two years ago, in that while the pieces can be enjoyable, this new take ultimately struggles to justify its existence under its predecessor's shadow.

Rocketman - Early access review.

Pinner born musician and songwriter Reginald Dwight - better known by his stage name Elton John - is one of the most influential artists to ever live. Alongside lyricist Bernie Taupin, he's created some of the greatest songs of all time, spanning five decades since his debut album Empty Sky, and is currently in the midst of a farewell tour before his well earned retirement. But more importantly, having led such an incredible life, and touchdown ready to bring him back around, his story is prime material for a juicy biopic. Being as jaunty and fantastical as any of his albums, Rocketman mostly does justice to the wild, crazy, and sometimes tragic extended journey of its legendary figure.

Brief thoughts on John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

It's been a rough few weeks for retired assassin John Wick. Starting with a brutal, but riveting revenge flick, the original John Wick was an entertaining rush of pure action bliss, especially off the back of Keanu Reeves' stellar title performance. But that wasn't the end for John, soon evolving into a saga as a debt to an old ally pulled him back in, but at the end of that second Chapter saw him disowned with a bounty on his head. Now he'll have to run for his life as every assassin has their crosshairs set on him, in the weaker, but still incredibly rousing Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

Tolkien movie review.

The impact and legacy of author J.R.R. Tolkien cannot be understated. A lover of fantasy and academics, in 1937 he published The Hobbit, a simple, adventurous fantasy tale, soon followed by The Silmarillion, and the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, a mammoth achievement in literature that changed the face of fantasy forever, has never been out of print since, and directly inspired Peter Jackson's spellbinding cinematic trilogy.

But Tolkien was a firm believer that even the best and happiest of fantasies are also the saddest ones. Though Tolkien was not a fan of allegory, he had no shortage of sadness and struggle in his personal experiences to draw from, forming lifelong friendships, finding love, serving his country in war, and living an incredible life that itself felt like a fantasy. So with that, you'd expect this biopic - of his early life before The Hobbit - to be just as enchanting and engaging. But stripped of all fantasy, it lacks that imaginative spirit of its title figure, and simply feels tired.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu movie review.

I absolutely adore Pokémon. The brainchild of Game Freak founder Satoshi Tajiri, the series has spun-off into a multitude of RPG video games, trading card games, and the long-running anime that I grew up watching religiously. Even as my devotion cooled off in my adulthood, it's one of the few childhood obsessions I've retained to this day. In fact, my dream movie has always been a live-action Pokémon, a pipe dream I'd given up seeing realized until the runaway freight train Pokémon Go! restored interest, paving the way for Legendary Pictures snatching up the film rights.

As a result, It wasn't long before we'd see a film become a reality, but about what was the question? The answer came inspired by Game Freak's Nintendo 3DS spin-off Detective Pikachu, brought to us by Goosebumps director Rob Letterman. Going into this movie, I had a lot riding on it. I don't think I've ever been more emotionally invested in a movie before seeing it. There was a real chance my dream project could have been a nightmare. So imagine my surprise, that even though it wasn't the "great" movie I'd hoped for, it was still great fun to watch, satisfying (almost) every hope I'd expected it to fulfill.

Brief thoughts on Booksmart.

We live in a world where proper comedy movies are becoming not only a rarity, but a disappointing return in investment. Despite the likes of Game Night, more often we find the comedy scene is dominated by those of Holmes and Watson, especially with former comedy icons branching into more serious output. But every so often, one does show real promise, and with coming of age films centered on young women making a comeback, why not combine the two for a sweet, but also genuinely hilarious romp? That's what we have in Booksmart, which I'm among the lucky few to see early.

Avengers: Endgame movie review (SPOILERS!)

It does feel like a thousand years ago, doesn't it? Since Marvel's once impossible idea for an ambitious crossover universe gradually became a beloved reality. And 11 years later, the first saga of that universe finally comes to an end. It's been a journey filled with emotional baggage, satisfying character growth, and a liiittle bit of punching. But part of the journey is the end, and the end may not always be happy.

That was certainly so in our last Avengers crossover, where Earth's mightiest heroes failed to stop the tirade of Thanos in the Infinity War, leading to cataclysmic losses. But they wouldn't be the Avengers if they didn't, y'know, avenge, and in the culmination of their epic 22-film journey, they're back for a gigantic, hilarious, exciting, and above all satisfying send-off, here in the Endgame.

But before getting into my thoughts...

SPOILER WARNING!: There's a lot I want to say about Endgame, but to do so will require me to drop potential and major spoilers, so for the purposes of this write-up, I won't even attempt to hold myself back. So if you haven't seen Endgame, stop reading and come back later.