Inside Out

This is not only one of the best animated films of the year, it's one of the best films of the year, period. I'm glad to see Pixar slowly returning to form, by making charming, original films for the whole family. I've noticed that they've evolved from making movies that were considered "kids films" and going into deeper, more complex themes. As the audience who first saw Toy Story in 1995 (20 years ago) has grown up, so have Pixar's movies grown up with them. Pixar does the impossible. They make films for older audiences, while at the same time keeping them appropriate for the children who want to see it. We all know that this will win Best Animated Film at the Oscars next year simply because it has the Pixar name attached to it, but this is one of those times where I agree. (So far. That may change, because we still have Minions, Hotel Transylvania 2, Peanuts, and Pixar's next film The Good Dinosaur coming out this year.) I enjoyed the more subtle bits of humor for older audiences, that 10 years from now kids will rewatch this film and say "oh, now I get it." I thought I would be able to predict the plot, but the movie proved me wrong. I was not able to predict any of the plot other than what was shown in the trailers. This is one of Pixar's best. It makes up for Brave and Cars 2. I liked those, just not as much. I wouldn't say those are their best. This movie made me very emotional. (No pun intended) It's definitely a film that little kids won't appreciate as much as older audiences, because it's so deep. There is also a short before the movie called "Lava" about 2 volcanoes who fall in love. I thought that was great, too. The whole story was told through an island song which I felt was very unique. That definitely deserves some Oscar love too in the Best Animated Short category. 

Grade: A+  10/10 5/5 stars

Jurassic World

The great thing about this movie is that it has throwbacks to the original "Jurassic Park." The scene with the injured Triceratops in the original is now an injured Brachiosaurus. It's great that this is a remake and a sequel at the same time. The nostalgia factor is there for those who saw the original when it first came out, while at the same time keeping it fresh for a new generation. Chris Pratt doesn't disappoint with his special brand of sarcastic humor. His performance as dinosaur wrangler Owen is great. I said in my Iron Man 3 review that I hope the kid who played Harley does more acting in the future. He is in this, and he is as funny in this as he was in Iron Man 3. Some critics have complained that the story focused too much on the humans and not enough on the dinosaurs.  I disagree. There was just enough teasing the dinosaurs to keep me interested even when they weren't on screen. A footprint here, a claw there, but never actually a full dinosaur until much later. And I won't spoil the finale, but its easily the best thing this franchise has ever done. 

Grade: A+. 10/10. 5/5 stars 

San Andreas

While it is a bit cliche (even for a disaster movie), overall, the film is fun. One of the great things about it is it manages to be campy, yet serious. There are moments that were unintentionally hilarious because they were overacted and far-fetched, and yet it works. It's funny that "The Rock" is in a movie about an earthquake. The movie is a great mix of humor and drama. Amidst all the destruction, and death, and people running for their lives, there's still the occasional funny one-liner. It feels a bit like the movie "2012" at times, but that's a good thing, because I liked that movie. This film is the kind of film where you just turn off your brain for two hours and let the visual effects do the talking. Nothing more than that. If you try to take the film seriously, you probably won't enjoy it, but if you watch it as what it is, a film meant to be fun and nothing more, you will enjoy it more.

Grade: B   8/10. 3.5/5 stars