Review: "Toy Story 4" Finds Great Reasons to Exist

Scene from Toy Story 4

In spite of being one of the most beloved family franchises for 24 years, Toy Story 4 has been put in an interesting position. It's the first to be met with strong skepticism. Why does there need to be another entry when Toy Story 3 wrapped everything up in a critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning, billion-dollar grossing bow? It's a fair assessment, especially as Pixar has made plenty of sequels that audiences don't love that much over the past nine years. However, that's arguably the greatest piece of marketing that this film could have ever wished for. The latest film, which also features breath-taking animation, is all about the sense of reaching that point when all hope seems lost; when your use has been used up. In spite of being a film that feels inessential, it's actually one of the best fourth entries in a franchise since Mad Max: Fury Road as well as evidence that there's so much more to explore in the talking toys genre than we ever thought there could be.

The Runner-Ups: The Wachowskis in "The Matrix" (1999)

Scene from The Matrix

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

Review: "The Neon Demon" Confrims Refn's Transition From Vulgar Auteur Into An Endurance Test

Scene from The Neon Demon

In 2011, director Nicolas Winding Refn saw himself in a lawsuit over his film Drive. It was claimed that it was misrepresented as a conventional action movie. To general audiences, it was a travesty of boredom. Five years and two movies later, it's hard to imagine what the audience appalled by atmospheric driving sequences would have to say about The Neon Demon: a film that's rich with provocative, sometimes disturbing, imagery that earned a healthy dose of boos at Cannes and for some reason is seen this past weekend in wide release. While a beautiful example of postmodern art, it's a film whose fans will be greatly isolated from the general consensus due to Refn's cryptic style that turns him from an auteur of masculine aggression simply into an endurance test. There's a lot to like about The Neon Demon. One just has to accept that it's buried underneath Refn's clear and distinct vision that is sometimes unpleasant or pretentious. 

The First "Neon Demon" Trailer is a Beautiful, Bloody Vision

Scene from The Neon Demon

Director Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the more interesting directors working today. While he has never sacrificed his style, the bright and popping imagery mixed with violence helped to make his 2011 film Drive a cult favorite. However, his follow-up Only God Forgives received a brutal lashing for being darker and more violent. Still, it reflected Refn's one gift as a filmmaker: he could turn the grotesque into art like nobody else. With his first film since then called The Neon Demon releasing its first trailer, it looks like it'll be more of the same deranged Refn charm. Thankfully, that's enough to get me in the door.