Encanto

With Encanto, Disney has its 60th film from its well known and loved Animation Studios since 1937's Snow White. Much like Raya and the Last Dragon, this one also has a very diverse cast, though of Hispanic actors with many of them being Columbian wherein this movie is set. Set in a small village, the Madrigal family are the main proprietors due to each member having a special magical gift, given to them by an enchanted candle, that helps and gives hope to everyone. The family and village is led by Alma, whose husband's sacrifice created the candle and a sentient house. When a member of the family reaches a certain age they are given their magical gifs, such as healing with food, animal communication, or super strength. Mirabel, Alma's granddaughter, however never got any powers and has often been looked down upon by the rest of the family despite trying to do the best she can. While everyone celebrates when her cousin, Antonio, gets his powers, Mirabel notices things going wrong in the Casita and fears that the magic is dying. Concerned, Mirabel's questions causes many of her family members to question themselves and what they want to actually do. Needing answers, Mirabel finds a long lost relative, whose prophecies made him an outcast, and the answer they get leads to some trouble that eventually causes the magic and Casita to fail. Realizing that her controlling nature led to many in the family not being happy and true to themselves, Alma apologizes to Mirabel and when the entire family rebuilds Casita on their own the magic is restored. Props for everyone involved in this movie for the precise and exact attention to detail towards the Columbian culture. Having most of the cast be Columbian adds to such an authenticity as they all give strong, fun, and emotional vocal performances. Whether it be well known actors like Stephanie Beatriz, Wilmer Valderrama, and John Leguizamo or less well known like Maria Cecilia Botero and Adassa, all of them were amazing. The writing for this movie is really smart, not just in how great it tells its story but how it deals with the emotional repercussions of each family members' powers. Luisa has super strength and thus is relied upon by everyone as they think she can handle everything, though she frequently questions herself and is too worried about failing. Isabela makes beautiful flowers and is thus seen as needing to be perfect until she learns she can make more exotic plants and gets to reveal her true self. Another aspect to the writing that not only makes it great but unique is how it doesn't follow the typical Disney animated formula as Mirabel doesn't have an animal sidekick, no antagonists to fight, and the plot is more to prevent a possible disaster rather than dealing with it head on. As it has been proven time and time again, having Lin-Manuel Miranda be in charge of your songs is a recipe for great success. Between Miranda's songwriting and Germaine Franco's scoring, you have one of Disney's best music. Of course, none of that can work well without the absolutely fantastic, beautiful, and detailed animation. If there's one negative thing I can find about Encanto is just how short it is, but other then that it's a masterpiece. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. Encanto

2. In the Heights

3. No Time to Die

4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

5. The Green Knight

6. Candyman 2021

7. The Suicide Squad

8. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

9. Last Night in Soho

10. Dune 2021

11. Free Guy

12. Nobody

13. Black Widow

14. A Quiet Place Part II

15. Respect

16. Raya and the Last Dragon

17. Malignant

18. Eternals

19. Halloween Kills

20. Jungle Cruise

21. Cruella

22. Wrath of Man

23. F9

24. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

25. Snake Eyes

26. Old

27. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Far From the Tree

Shown before Encanto, Far From the Tree is a Disney short done traditionally rather than animated through CGI. The short sees a parent and baby raccoon venturing out into beach in search for food, though the parent, who has a scar over its left eye, is very protective of the baby who tends to wander off. Due to the baby's over curious nature it ends up separated from the parent and comes face to face with a wolf whose attack leaves it with a scar on its nose. Though the parent saves its baby and are able to evade the wolf up a tree, the baby is scolded for putting them in danger. Years later, the baby is now grown up and has its own child and tries to teach it the same safety from so long ago. Doing things differently, the new parent climbs up a tree and shows its child a wolf to explain the danger and show the nose scar, thus helping the child understand what could happen before they go back looking for food. While computer animation will always improve year after year, one should never forget that traditional can still tell and show beautiful stories. Director Natalie Nourigat crafts such a well told story all without any use of dialogue, preferring to keep the animals sounding like how they would in real life. The score is kept minimal but you still get faints of it that grab both the emotional and the curious from what the raccoons face. This short's animation style is absolutely breathtaking, has the right amount of color and lighting, and has a bit of a anime-esque quality to it due to its quick pace and surprisingly violent moments that fit the story its telling. Sometimes not all stories need to be hours long to tell something so well crafted, and Far From the Tree is a great example of that.

Savage Avengers (2019-) #1

Savage Avengers (2019-) #1, the beginning of a Marvel series that is still going today, has a group of characters you wouldn't expect to ever team up. Also titled Chapter One: Once Upon a Time in the City of Sickles, this introductory issue sees Wolverine meeting, fighting, and then teaming up with a time displaced Conan the Barbarian in the Savage Lands. With the two taking on a faction of the Hand that is kidnapping and sacrificing people, mainly warriors, in order to summon a destructive god, they learn that one of Conan's old enemies, Kulan Gath, is also involved and happens to have a symbiote. When Brother Voodoo, an ally of Wolverine, is brought out to be sacrificed, the violent heroes get out of the shadows to confront the cultists. Elsewhere, the Punisher finds the grave of his family having been tampered and left with things originating from the Savage Lands. This comic really does deserve its savage title due to how violent and bloody it is, and considering what characters appear in this it makes sense. Is there a standard hero vs hero fight when Wolverine and Conan first meet, sure, but it is so fun and creative in how they end their fight through their shared love of beer. Writer Gerry Duggan knows that with that title and premise you'd expect something absolutely and extremely grim, edgy, and violent, which you do, but he manages to add good touches of humor, self awareness, and well executed drama that allows for investment in the story. Both the narration and dialogue are done in such a quick and detailed way without needing to over-exposit much of the backstory of certain story aspects. Travis Lanham's work as a letterer best exemplifies how well the dialogue and narration works by their placements in the artwork. Artwork is done through the combination of the penciling, inking, and coloring by Mike Deodato Jr. and Frank Martin Jr.. Its use of dark colors benefits its premise while still having lighter tones so as to easily tell what's in each panel. Well designed characters, detailed backgrounds, and a style change when looking at the distant past all lead to some great artwork. Every once in a while you get a new story that may not seem like much, but Savage Avengers (2019-) #1 is one of those that turns out to be a lot more then what it initially promises. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:
1. Superman: Secret Identity #1 (of 4)

2. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers FCBD 2018 Shattered Grid Special

3. Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1

4. Savage Avengers (2019-) #1

5. Aliens: Defiance #1

6. Iron Man (2020-) #1

7. Free Comic Book Day 2018: Riverdale

8. Free Comic Book Day 2018: 2000 A.D. Regened

9. DC Universe: Legacies #1

10. Free Comic Book Day 2017 I Hate Image

11. Shang-Chi (2020-2021) #1 (of 5): Brothers & Sisters Part One

12. Champions (2020-) #1

13. Infinite Frontier (2021) #0

14. Green Lantern Vol. 2 #76

15. DC Retroactive: Green Lantern - The 70s #1

16. Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020-) #1
17. Showcase (1956-1978) #17
18. Werewolf By Night (2020-) #1 (of 4)

19. Free Comic Book Day: Bongo Comics Free For All 2018
20. Free Comic Book Day 2017: Riverdale
21. Marvel Comics (1939) #1

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Taking over from his father, Ivan, Jason Reitman has the enviable and stressful task of making a sequel to one of his classics with Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Focusing on the estranged daughter of Egon Spangler and her kids, who after learning of his death inherit the dilapidated farm the eccentric scientist owned in a small town in Oklahoma. Once there, Egon's grandkids, Phoebe and Trevor, not only uncover his Ghostbusting devices, including the proton packs and Ectomobile, but also the reemergence of ghosts and the return of a familiar villain that he feared would come back to bring out the apocalypse. With the help of other kids in town, and eventually the return of the original team, a new Ghostbusters team must stop the ghostly threat from endangering the world. As been said before, making another film in this franchise isn't easy, especially after the 2016 film, but going from father to son, with Ivan staying on as producer, is a reassuring way of having someone close to the original still be involved and having any changes at least be done under the original creator's eyes. Having some of the original cast also helps in making the passing of the torch to the new ones feel a lot more natural. Seeing Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson in their old ghostbusting outfits alongside the spirit of Egon with CG used to recreate Harold Ramis was both exciting and emotional. Them, alongside newcomers like McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd all give strong and fun performances and it's very obvious how passionate everyone involved in this is. Jason and Gil Kenan's script manages to capture most of what made the 80s films so loved while having some unique aspects that fit the younger Reitman's style. You still get some rather eccentric but lovable characters, fun moments involving the first use of new tech against ghosts, and a final destructive battle against the main threat. The biggest differences is its setting in a small town in the middle of nowhere, being more character driven rather than just relying on jokes and gags, and a slower pace focusing on drama. While it does tend to have numerous references and call backs to the classics, some of them do feel forced sometimes, its story relating to Gozer and Ivo Shandor does feel very natural and the way they're handled at the end does manage to go a different way. Other aspects that make this film work and have a different feel is the lush cinematography, well-paced editing, computer and practical effects blending well together, and the score evoking the original theme while adding new stuff. Even if this isn't that well regarded, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a worthy sequel with a post credit scene that hints at something bigger akin to the larger ideas Aykroyd originally envisioned for the original. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. No Time to Die

3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

4. The Green Knight

5. Candyman 2021

6. The Suicide Squad

7. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

8. Last Night in Soho

9. Dune 2021

10. Free Guy

11. Nobody

12. Black Widow

13. A Quiet Place Part II

14. Respect

15. Raya and the Last Dragon

16. Malignant

17. Eternals

18. Halloween Kills

19. Jungle Cruise

20. Cruella

21. Wrath of Man

22. F9

23. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

24. Snake Eyes

25. Old

26. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Eternals

The fact that it took 13 years and 26 movies for a an entry in the MCU to have a Rotten Tomatoes score lower than a fresh 60% just shows how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is such a strong, but still flawed, franchise. Being the first film to have that, with a low 47 percent score, Eternals has issues but it's not without strengths. Centering on the title characters, a team of synthetic immortal beings each with their unique abilities, who are tasked by the ancient and powerful Celestials to protect the people of Earth from the demonic and animalistic Deviants. The Eternals spend thousands of years protecting humans throughout many lands, often influencing history and the civilizations they meet along the way, while also some in the team growing closer to one another. Hundreds of years after believing to kill the last Deviants and the Eternals splitting up, a new batch of them appear and once the Eternals reform they soon learn of a dark secret tied to their origins and the Celestials. In my opinion this is not the weakest entry in the MCU, I still see Thor: The Dark World as that, but I can understand the reasons why this has such a low score. Being over two and a half hours, this movie has a lot to unpack with a big cast and a lot of exposition to explain what's going on. Chloe Zhao, who directed and cowrote, is remarkable at keeping it all together despite either being too short for all of the exposition and information or too short for not keeping things consistently focused. There's a lot you learn throughout this film that often times feels like it should have been done as a show on Disney+. Especially with how many flashbacks there are to look at the team's past adventures and their relationship, which at times proves it could have been told linearly. What makes Zhao such a unique director for this franchise is the much slower pacing, a much more indie like camera work, dealing with darker themes, often focusing on the love life of the characters, and shooting in many real locations rather than in a studio. There's also the brisk and astounding cinematography from MCU regular Ben Davis that gives it a more unique look compared to the past entries. Zhao being inspired much by Zack Snyder's work, especially Man of Steel, you can really see that influence. Unlike the previous MCU movies, Ramin Djawadi's work on the score is more ethereal and doesn't go for a bombastic style. The cast in this are all strong, with the biggest standouts being Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, and Brian Tyree Henry. Though huge praise for casting certain diverse actors you wouldn't expect in a big studio film like Salma Hayek, a Hispanic actress in her 50s, and Ridloff who's deaf. Despite how great each actor is, having ten members of this team also means that not all of them will go through a lot of development. There's also the very typical MCU over editing in the action scenes, the rather weak villain with the Deviants' evolutionary abilities, and overuse of comedy that clashes with the darker tone it's trying to get through. But you do get really strong effects that often mix the actors with what's practical and computer generated when it comes to locations and objects. Eternals is by no means terrible and one of the MCU's most intriguing projects thanks to the direction, acting, and feel, but it's storytelling, sluggish pace, and uneven tone keeps it from reaching great heights. Over all: 96%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. No Time to Die

3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

4. The Green Knight

5. Candyman 2021

6. The Suicide Squad

7. Last Night in Soho

8. Dune 2021

9. Free Guy

10. Nobody

11. Black Widow

12. A Quiet Place Part II

13. Respect

14. Raya and the Last Dragon

15. Malignant

16. Eternals

17. Halloween Kills

18. Jungle Cruise

19. Cruella

20. Wrath of Man

21. F9

22. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

23. Snake Eyes

24. Old

25. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Last Night in Soho

Edgar Wright writes, alongside Krysty Wilson-Cairns, and directs Last Night in Soho, a psychological horror starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Diana Rigg in her final performance before dying last year. McKenzie plays Ellie Turner, a fashion student in London with a love for the clothing and music of the 1960s. After moving to a new place, Ellie begins to have visions centering on Taylor-Joy's Sandie, an aspiring singer from the '60s. Initially inspired by her visions and Sandie's style, Ellie changes her look to match her's and creates clothing inspired by that decade. What starts out as a wonderful gift soon spins into horror when the visions continue and Ellie witnesses Sandie's abuse at the hands of men she initially trusted, her murder, and then Ellie being haunted by shadowy ghosts. Fearing that she may be going crazy like her mother, Ellie sets out to discover what happened to Sandie and bring justice to her. As always expected with Wright, this film has his typical style, colorful imagery, and highly detailed writing, though not focusing on the quick comedy he's known for. Being a full on horror that focuses more on drama and very little in the comedy, this absolutely works thanks to such an engaging story that from the beginning gives us a message of how young aspirational women are often treated by men, especially those who promise them big dreams. Wright's direction not only makes the visions and ghosts scary, but he makes the abuse that Sandie and other women go through just as terrifying. One flaw I do have to give towards the writing is a bit of the message it tries to say about mental health issues, as it's slightly murky in combing that and a ghost story. Regardless, the performances from everyone in this movie are all incredible powerful with special mention going to the late Rigg due to the twist surrounding her character. As a modern movie that looks back at a decade so long ago, the music choices, cinematography from Chung Chung-hoon, and the score by Steven Price all keep the two time periods from being too distinct from one another. Plus I do love the message that just because you have a love for a certain time period, it doesn't mean it was all perfect. Initially seeming like a love letter to the 1960s, Last Night in Soho shows that you could be grateful and love a time gone by, but it's still important to regard what is going on now and what to expect in the future. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. No Time to Die

3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

4. The Green Knight

5. Candyman 2021

6. The Suicide Squad

7. Last Night in Soho

8. Dune 2021

9. Free Guy

10. Nobody

11. Black Widow

12. A Quiet Place Part II

13. Respect

14. Raya and the Last Dragon

15. Malignant

16. Halloween Kills

17. Jungle Cruise

18. Cruella

19. Wrath of Man

20. F9

21. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

22. Snake Eyes

23. Old

24. Space Jam: A New Legacy