There’s an interesting case to be made that Aladdin is the most influential non-CGI animated picture of the last 50 years.
Categories
Aladdin (1992)
Author: Dan Stalcup
Categories
Elvis (2022)
The King of Rock and Roll deserves better than a film biopic.
Categories
Annie (1999)
The older I get, the more shrill and manipulative Annie seems. But this TV production by a pre-Chicago Rob Marshall is well-cast and a sturdy enough rendition.
Categories
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
The title of “Where the Crawdads Sing” suggests that the central concept of the story is its setting.
Categories
Bears – Disneynature (2014)
The first few minutes of Bears, created by nature documentary powerhouse Disneynature, dangle a threat in front of viewers.
After the success of Strictly Ballroom, Baz Luhrmann was a rising star in Hollywood
Categories
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Most genre parodies only work if they truly love the genre they’re mocking. Luckily, DodgeBall is a goofy, enthusiastic execution of a sports movie even outside the relentless conveyor belt of gags and cameos. Terrifically funny film.
Categories
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
I might be biased because it came out a few days after my 16th birthday, but Spider-Man 2 is perhaps my favorite popcorn movie of the 21st-century
Categories
The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)
I am totally amped about the increased stylization and experimentation of all mainstream American animated films, especially Dreamworks movies, but this is the first one where it feels like the obsession with visual energy and innovation completely outstrips any consideration for the narrative. (Trolls 2 is also bananas, but determinedly so.) Anyways, I felt like I’d eaten a bowl of candy after I watched it, but I am still encouraged by it (if this is what the oddball stinker looks like for Dreamworks in the 2020s, how far they’ve come). That’s not the same as saying it’s good, but it’s close.
Categories
Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (2006)
Probably even better than the first one, though for largely the same reasons the first one was good, so the thrill of the surprise is gone. The tension between Elina and Nori is out of control — I love the bizarre chemistry of the characters in this and the barely-veiled queer vibes.