The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part movie review.

Not everything is awesome, but The LEGO Movie certainly was. For what many assumed looked like a cynical feature length commercial, it instead was an inspired surprise embodying the insane creative spirit of its toy blocks. An hilarious, sweet, and subversive movie in how it upended audience expectation and classic animation clichés, it was by far one of this decade's funniest movies, launching into breakneck mile-a-minute speed with gags of every sort of variety, soon launching into a riotous solo spin-off with Batman, and then with Ninjago (which I admit I haven't seen).

The film even ended on a funny sequel baiting note, with the arrival of the Duplo Block invaders. And five years later, with the release of the sequel to The LEGO Movie, the second film to the original first film, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, that invasion comes full circle as the second half of that two-part circle. But... is it as awesome as the first? Is it as cool when we're part of the team? I can't say that, but it's still a funny and inspired film nonetheless.

Glass movie review.

Unbreakable is, in my eyes, one of the most underrated films ever made, M. Night Shyamalan's follow-up to The Sixth Sense that starred Bruce Willis as the sole survivor of a deadly train crash, soon discovering that he has incredible strength and resiliency. It was a very grounded, but progressively fantastical deconstruction and celebration of vintage comic book tropes and stories, and featured some of the best performances of Willis', and especially Samuel L. Jackson's career. Back then, Shyamalan had intentions to turn the film into a trilogy, but as he turned to other films and a long slump, that intention seemed unlikely.

That is, until that fire was stoked yet again with Split, that starred a virtuoso James McAvoy as a man with 24 distinct personalities, and its last scene revealed itself to be set within the Unbreakable universe. Two years later, we finally have the culmination of his vision, the crossover Glass that acts as the final installment of his trilogy, as the shattered and unshattered clash in the ultimate battle of good vs evil. But is it the culmination that we really wanted?

Roma movie review.

It's been far too long since we last saw Alfonso Cuaron. One of the most engaging and technically precise international filmmakers working, Cuaron has always been a singular and distinct filmmaking force unto himself, affirming himself with independent fare such as Y Tu Mama Tambien, before truly announcing himself with the likes of The Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men, and 2013's nail-biting space thriller Gravity. But despite the high quality of his films, that only makes the wait for them more agitating.

Cuaron is something of a perfectionist, taking careful time to iron out his projects before releasing them (like the 7 years after Children of Men it took to see Gravity), and with each of his films showing incredible technical sharpness as a result. These projects come to feel very personal for Cuaron, and nowhere is that personal touch more keenly felt than his latest film, the Netflix released Roma, set within the titular neighborhood in Mexico City, as it follows the experiences of a family over the course of a year, that sees Cuaron at his most stripped down, and emotionally powerful result yet.

Brief thoughts on If Beale Street Could Talk.

Beale Street is a historic district in New Orleans, Louisiana, an early birth place of Jazz and Blues, where figures like Louis Armstrong have come and gone. But Beale Street, as transcribed by author James Baldwin, is more than its name. Beale Street is a feeling, a sensation unifying the African-American experience, and the commond ground, love, and heritage the people share. It's an abstract concept, but intentionally so, in which Baldwin encourages the reader to find his or her own meaning to the text. And in media form, we have Moonlight director Barry Jenkins bringing to life his meaning to it, finding the sensitive heart and beauty of If Beale Street Could Talk, creating an intimate, but fully engrossing saga of love and struggle

2018 year end mini-reviews.

The year finally draws to its close, and once again, here's my chance to talk about some films I've neglected to mention, or didn't have much to say about them (It's hard to give everything a thorough write-up). So enjoy my mini-reviews, and I'll see you in the next year.

The Favourite movie review.

At one point in The Favourite, a room full of wealthy aristocrats take wagers and cheer raucously as prized ducks take part in a makeshift race. Why? For no other reason then they can. Seeing it play out, it is absolutely ludicrous, but perhaps no more so than many of the most outlandish moments of the film, the latest dark comedy from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, a director able to concoct such Gonzo high-concept premises, he lacks nothing in originality.

But despite that originality, I've always found his films incredibly forced and inhumanly candid in their humor, which gave them this very cold and distant touch, especially with last year's The Killing of a Sacred Deer that completely put me off. The Favourite, on the other hand, proves an interesting deviation, as he isn't writing his own script this time, and thus has the benefit of fresh blood to fuel his approach. And such is an approach that absolutely pays off for The Favourite, that while easier to digest is still unmistakably a Lanthimos joint, one teeming with rich dry humor and wickedly entertaining venom.

Mary Poppins Returns movie review.

Mary Poppins is one of my very favorite movies of all time. In fact, it may be the quintessential example of the perfect movie musical. Loosely based on the stories by P.L. Travers, it's one of the most effortlessly charming films I've ever seen, a perfect mixture of musical bombast and enchanting whimsy, showcasing an amazing soundtrack, and the title nanny a practically perfect performance from the legendary Julie Andrews. As far as I'm concerned, it's the single greatest film that Walt Disney ever had a personal hand in. But it also wasn't an achievement without hurdles.

Travers became notorious for butting heads with Disney in the film's early stages, attempting to stifle its spoonful's of sugar, and for years tossing relentless criticism for its deviations, showcased in the watered-down 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks. As a result, Travers refused any sequels Walt and the company wanted to make, but fifty years later finally coercing her estate to let them go ahead with one in the form of Mary Poppins Returns, with Chicago director Rob Marshall leading the charge, and Emily Blunt taking over for Andrews. Finally, we have the chance to see if we can adore it in grateful chorus, or in short we have a ghastly mess. Personally, I'm inclined to believe the former.