Review: "Soul" Comes Together For a Mesmerizing Experience

Scene from Soul (2020)

What has always made the realm of animation at times superior is the endless possibilities. There are no commitments to the familiar, and yet sometimes it's often more real. Few directors have understood this as well as Pete Docter, who has used the abstract to understand everything from our fears (Monsters Inc.) to cognitive function (Inside Out). With his latest, he has continued to outdo himself in the realm of fantasy, finding a wondrous way to explore the most abstract thing that's fundamental to the human condition. What drives our soul to continue pursuing passions, to live a life that isn't, ahem, "soulless." Using the vibrant background of a jazz musician, the story unfolds into the surreal, introducing high concepts in accessible ways. What makes this all a miracle is how easily everything goes down, finding equal parts entertainment and inspiration in every scene. Whatever Docter is doing continues to work, even if it's a bit raggedy and confusing at times. 

Composing Greatness: #4.The Musical or Comedy Scores - "Toy Story" (1995)

Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #40-44

Scene from The King's Speech (2010)

As 2019 reached its end, another decade of cinema had passed. It's amazing to think about how things have evolved since 2010 when the biggest controversies were about recognizing genre movies. Things look different now, especially as genre films like The Shape of Water and Parasite are winning Best Picture and the voting body looks incredibly different with each passing year. With this period in the books, it feels like a good time to celebrate their accomplishments by ranking all 88 titles nominated for Best Picture from worst to best with the goal of seeing which films are more likely to stand the test of time. Join me every Saturday and Sunday as I count them down, five at a time. It's going to be a fun summer looking back on what was, especially as we prepare for the decade ahead and an even more interesting diversity that we haven't even begun to think of.

"Toy Story 3" Remains Just as Emotional 10 Years Later

Between 2000 and 2010, Pixar had done an incredible job of defining the decade of family entertainment with an annual masterpiece. Not only were each of these films special, reflecting different ingenuity in storytelling that gave them an insurmountable presence in the culture, but they were all innovative in different ways with each being an original look into something new and exciting. In that time they did everything from exploring sea life (Finding Nemo) to superheroes (The Incredibles) to outer space (WALL-E). No place was off-limits, and the fact they were having a flawless record, racking up Oscar nominations along the way, it was easy to see Pixar as a legitimate threat. 

How did they choose to celebrate a 10-year track record that remains unmatched? By returning to the world of Toy Story with a third entry that itself was a big risk. As the first unoriginal property since, well, Toy Story 2 in 1999, it was a celebrated return that was also cautious, making many wonders what value there was to returning back to the world of sentient toys who had the power to create this emotional complexity inside us. In that respect, Toy Story 3 may have been their greatest hat trick ever: producing a sequel that not only expanded the franchise but brought with it a tale that's regarded as one of the studio's best, going into darker and more fragile places. In the process, they brought an end to an era, even if it wasn't intentional. It was a farewell of sorts to a great decade and the start of the studio's rockiest period to date. 

Pixar Reveals Their "Soul" in First Trailer

Scene from Soul (2020)

It is likely that if you've been to a movie theater or watched sports in the past few months, you'll know that Pixar already has one film to look forward to. Onward looks to be a comedic take on fantasy full of fun hijinks. However, 2020 is looking to be one of those years with not one but two films from the beloved animated studio. Their other film, Soul, finds the filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning Inside Out returning with a film that asks the question "What does it mean to have a soul?" With the first trailer now out, it looks like another promising journey into the metaphysical, finding a way to make abstract concepts into family film gold. It looks like another hit for the studio that keeps reexamining what it means to be human.

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.

Why "Inside Out" is My Favorite Pixar Movie

Scene from Inside Out

It's that time of year again. It's when the internet gathers together to make the argument for which film exemplifies what makes Pixar brilliant. It's an exciting, thought-provoking period because, on the one hand, there is no right answer. Who's to say that WALL-E  is greater than Finding Nemo? The diversity of each film is astounding and explains why they're towering giants in the American animation market. However, this is my chance to make the argument not only for why I think that their 2015 film Inside Out is yet another masterpiece, but is a masterpiece that explains most succinctly why Pixar remains a vital company in the 21st century. It's got everything perfectly in place and does so with the familiar formula better than it's ever been.

"Toy Story 4," "Frozen II," and the Race for the Best Animated Film Oscar

Scene from Frozen II

This morning, Disney released the trailer for their latest film Frozen II. Most audiences will know the franchise very well, in part because of the 2013 film but also because this is the third year in a row that Elsa and Anna will have appeared on the big screen. Following Olaf's Frozen Adventure in 2017 and brief cameos in Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet in 2018, it's the long-awaited follow-up to the highest-grossing animated film in history that also spawned two Oscar wins. Considering that this trailer is likely to play in front of Toy Story 4 in 10 days, it also begins to raise another question: how is this year's Best Animated Film Oscar category shaking out? Have we seen the winner already? Considering that Frozen II AND Toy Story 4 are both sequels to previous winners, the answer may be staring us in the face. That is if the pattern continues to hold up.

Composing Greatness: #9. Thomas Newman - "WALL-E" (2008)

Scene from WALL-E

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Composing Greatness: #6. Thomas Newman - "Finding Nemo" (2003)

Scene from Finding Nemo

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Best Song: "Remember Me" (2017)

Scene from Coco

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Theory Thursday: My Issues With the Best Animated Film Oscar Category

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Review: "Coco" Brings the Dead to Life in a Joyous and Memorable Way

Scene from Coco

There are few holidays as desperately in need of cinematic adaptation quite like Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The idea of it may sound macabre, but to see the imagery displayed every November 1 would suggest that it is a joyous occasion. With colorful sugar skulls and vibrant music, it deposits the idea that death isn't the end of someone's life. It lives on in the memory of the living, which is celebrated with colorful tapestries. Pixar's latest Coco is a film that fully realizes what makes this holiday so special not by detailing every custom, but by embodying the mood and themes of the holiday. It's a family film that ironically is full of life even as 90% of the cast is seen in the land of the dead. With beautiful animation that pays attention to details no matter how small (the on screen depiction of instrumentation has never been better for an animated movie), this film serves as a great introduction to secular audiences about not what Dia de Los Muertos is, but why it is celebrated.

Theory Thursday: "The Good Dinosaur" is Underrated

Scene from The Good Dinosaur

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Check This Out: Dug From "Up" Comes to Life in a Park Near You

Scene from Up

There's no denying that Pixar has made some great films. Among their very best is Up, which was best known for the elderly Carl (Ed Asner) tying balloons to his house and flying to a land of wonder. Among those wonders was one of Pixar's greatest characters: a talking dog named Dug. Over the course of the film, his heroic and comedic duties make him one of the most endearing canines in modern cinema. In a campaign launched by Disney (named Disney IRL), they have taken Dug to a place that they've taken most of their other properties: the real world. In a short video that should cheer any gloomy person's day, Dug comes to life in familiar adorable -- squirrel.

Best Song: "We Belong Together" (2010)

Scene from Toy Story 3

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Best Song: "Jai Ho" (2008)

Scene from Slumdog Millionaire

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Best Song: "I Need to Wake Up" (2006)

Scene from An Inconvenient Truth

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Why We Need More Kid Friendly Best Picture Nominees

Scene from Pete's Dragon

With August coming to a close, the general conversation has switched over to the familiar broad topic: was this a good summer at the movies? Most people would argue that everything was disappointing, and the three weeks of Suicide Squad topping the box office remains disconcerting for some. However, August has made a strong case against this being a total waste with the presence of Pete's Dragon and last weekend's phenomenal Kubo and the Two Strings. Despite middling box office for both, they reflect that best that blockbuster entertainment can be. In a time where the Oscars want to branch out and reflect a more diverse pallet of genre fare, there is one question that could be asked: Can family cinema get nominated for Best Picture? To be totally honest, I think that we should greatly consider these two movies when it comes time to fill out those ballots. 

Best Song: "If I Didn't Have You" (2001)

Scene from Monsters Inc.

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.