The First Trailer for Laika's "Missing Link" is a Delightfully Curious One

Scene from Missing Link

With exception to maybe Pixar, there have been few animation studios with as strong of a recent track record as Laika, who caters to stop-motion stories that skew a bit more horror and fantasy. It's the type of cinema that the oddball kid would definitely enjoy and their films (Coraline, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings) all have earned a reputation for provocative stories that are wholly original as well as having some of the greatest animation in their given year. It makes sense then that their latest, 2019's Missing Link, takes on a lot of familiar elements as they tackle another odd subject: the "missing link" between man and species. It looks a lot more comical and silly than the other films, but it's no less of a marvelous visual delight that promises to be another joyful experience. 

Nothing But the Best: "Birdman" (2014)

Left to right: Edward Norton and Michael Keaton in Birdman

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

Review: "Birdman" Flies Very High... Most of the Time

Michael Keaton

Long takes is the last great cinematic art form. Effects can be thrown in to make anything look fancier, but what is missing is a performance or kinetic energy moving on screen. The power of films such as Code Unknown are made more impressive with the stakes feeling higher after every second. The longer a scene is held, the more that it captures something stronger. Gravity elevated the basic thriller nature and now director Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu has done it to the meta drama category. The results are staggering and capture something profoundly complex about a familiar story. Birdman flows like a stream of consciousness experiment: a play about theater that is strangely like Rear Window. However, just as much as there's greatness, there's the lull that connects these moments and turns the third act into something absurdly over-the-top. Does it work as a story? Not really. However, as an experiment of craft and ego, there's fewer films that are this ambitiously weird.

The "Birdman" Trailer Debuts a Potential Comeback for Michael Keaton and Superhero Movies

Michael Keaton

This morning came a surprise to the movie community. It was a moment that many consider to be the potential return of Michael Keaton. It involved fighting Edward Norton in his underwear and a whole lot of confusing imagery. However, there is one thing for sure. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman has struck a chord. Playing over an altered version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," the trailer plays as a highlights reel for one of the strangest superhero films of the year. Then again, the idea of Inarritu doing a superhero film was equally unexpected. However, it does raise some questions, notably if the two time Oscar-nominated director can make caped crusaders a viable option when it comes to Oscar nominations.