Sunday, June 23, 2019

TOY STORY 4 - Happy Trails

The Toy Story Trilogy is one of the rare perfect trifectas in film history. An original film that was a trail-blazer in animation, followed up by an unlikely sequel that began as a direct-to-video cash-in then wound up even better than the original, and capped a heartbreaking/warming finale that remains a high water mark for Pixar Animation's signature mixture of whimsy and quietly devastating emotion.

There was absolutely no need for a fourth film.

So, of course, Pixar went and made one anyway, and it's brilliant.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS - Matinee Majesty

As the most recent entry in the shared Toho "Monsterverse" franchise (also including 2014's Godzilla and 2017's Kong: Skull Island), King of the Monsters very obviously aims to be "The Avengers of Giant Monster Movies."

It's. . .not quite that good.

It does, however, handily manage being "The Independence Day of Giant Monster Movies," and I absolutely mean that as a compliment.