Frozen

Frozen

Property of Disney

One of Disney's most anticipated films in recent years is their Nov. 27 CGI release, Frozen.

Unlike most of Disney's newest films, this one really captures the essence of their classics in the sense that it's a true musical.  With thoughtful and powerful compositions consistently dispersed throughout its entirety, this animated piece is akin to some of the entertainment powerhouse's biggest hits.

The 108-minute show takes place in the fictional land of Arrendale and focuses on the story of two royal sisters.

The narrative initially seems to be about the younger, spunky sister, Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell.  As the plot progresses, however, her older sister, Queen Elsa, voiced by Broadway star Idina Menzel, takes center stage as a young woman with the power to freeze anything near her.  With each passing year, Elsa's power (or curse) gets stronger and proves to be something of a Midas touch.

A large portion of this film's beginning revolves around Anna and Elsa's parents urging the older girl to conceal her power.  Predictably enough, it's when she cannot hide away from the world that she loses both the trust of her kingdom and the self-control she had over exercising her power of freezing.  

Throughout the plot, Elsa sings about her struggles between whether to conceal her true self or to accept and appreciate the "ice queen" side of herself.  This, along with many other realistic themes, is beautifully explored in a storyline that is equally relatable to adult viewers as it is to the children in the audience.

In addition to the thoughtful nature of the film, what really makes it worth watching is its wide variety of characters and its hilarious, yet family-friendly comic relief.  While Elsa and Anna are fantastically strong female leads, the male roles are the ones an audience can count on for a good laugh.  The silly duo of the gruff, handsome Kristoff, voiced by Jonathan Groff, and his reindeer bestie, Sven are unforgettable as Princess Anna's heroic companions.  Furthermore, the film's snowman character, Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad is more than comparable to extraordinarily funny animated characters, such as Mulan's Mushu or Shrek's Donkey.

Oh, and if that's not enough, the animation is spectacular.  Although Disney animation is often executed by the untouchable Pixar, this heartwarming movie proves that Disney Animation Studios are also topnotch when it comes to creating a beautiful new world.   

If you get the chance, this is a great movie to see on the big screen!

Grade: A+

WWZ, The Lone Ranger, & Monsters University

These reviews have been a long time coming!  The next one will be up much sooner.  I am making that vow as of now!


World War Z

This poster is property of Plan B Entertainment, et. al.

Let's get real here, 2013's best zombie movie was Warm Bodies, but that's a matter of opinion.

Brad Pitt stars in this apocalyptic film that explores yet another zombie takeover.  If you can't get enough of The Walking Dead, maybe this will be your new favorite movie.

One of the impressive features of this film was certainly the portrayal of zombie mobs.  Sometimes zombies are portrayed as being slow, but this film puts that idea to rest.  These brain-eaters could outrun a cheetah!  Okay, so that's a bit extreme, but when you throw together masses of running zombies, it makes for a truly frightening experience. 

Another factor of this film that was great was the various "cures" for the spread of the disease, which I won't spoil for you here.

If you are looking for a thrilling apocalyptic flick, look no further!




The Lone Ranger

Property of Walt Disney Pictures

 If you haven't yet had your fill of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter being their usually unusual selves, this is one just for you!

This Disney film has been marketed as being a family-friendly film but it leans a bit too far on the violent side to be truly appropriate for the whole family.  At times, viewers and critics described the 149-minute film as being slowly paced, which may help to add enough room for young minds to process so much violence, but I'm not so sure Disney found the right balance.

As a more mature viewer, however, I want to express that this movie was a really fun summer release with great action scenes, good acting, and a pretty interesting story.  I don't typically give ratings, but I would give this a 8.0 out of 10.0!









Monsters University

Property of Walt Disney/Pixar

 I'll be totally honest here, out of these three movies, this one was my absolute favorite.  Plus, I think it was better than the first Monsters movie AND totally family-friendly. 

As usual, John Goodman and Billy Crystal were great as the voices of Sullivan and Mike, respectively, but the whole cast of this movie was really what made it worth the watch.  The voice actors include (but are not limited to): Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Sean Hayes, and Aubrey Plaza.

If you are looking for a feel-good, clean comedy to watch on one of these hot summer days, I think you've met your match.











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