Coco

Again, the hell are people doing not talking about this more?

I'm serious man like Coco is a great film, I rate it higher than Brave and I really really liked Brave! It shares some similar elements of films I've seen before like Corpse Bride and even Pixar's more recent movie Soul but it doesn't detract from the story, characters, animation, emotion, and entertainment this movie brings. I cannot talk about this plot too much because it really and truly not only hit me with a twist I had no idea was going to happen but it kinda is one of those movies that is incredibly hard to summarize. Every moment that takes our young protagonist Miguel on a journey to the land of the dead, leads into another pivotal moment in the plot. Obviously there's more to it than just a young boy that gets transported to the afterlife and has to get back in time, but just seriously take my word for it when I say it is a very good story that effortlessly and effectively plays your heartstrings like a harp and is some of Pixar's most recent best work. I think it genuinely belongs up there with old school Pixar movies like Toy Story and A Bug's Life, and new Pixar classics like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. The animation is stellar, with terrific character designs, a color pallete that already was bright and vibrant but when you reach the afterlife it is kaleidoscopic in it's beauty. I love the total Grim Fandango design vibes the characters have in the land of the dead, and it must be commended how much pieces of mexican culture they put into this movie. I mean obviously with me being a person that hails from Texas, we're good neighbors with that country in more than just geography. I'm not even novice level in speaking spanish or even understanding it but I was getting lots of little bits of the dialogue, and I actually kind of commend the movie for not giving subtitles and it would be a trip to watch this whole movie in espanol. I really have so much praise to give this movie in many many facets than just blanket terms of animation, and story, and so on but I don't dare give anything away. There was only one part of the movie I took slight issue with and I'm not usually super personal here on the site but the family drama and severe mean spirited at times behavior of Miguel's family both living and dead brought back some not too great memories of my own. I wish I could say I was a better person and didn't pick sides and just say family is family, that forgiving someone shouldn't be an impossible thing to do. Compassion is not weakness, anger is not a solution, families are never perfect. But I chose my side, and while I do not hate them I can't fully forgive them. That's hard man, and the fact that an animated movie, a movie for young kids, can make me feel that way is...really something. The movie's theme essentially is memory, Dia de Muertos is a holiday to honor and remember family that is no longer around like they used to be, Miguel's great grandma has memory problems and it becomes a giant part of the finale, the fact that technically you can die and go even further beyond in the afterlife when no one remembers your name or who you are, but it does show comfort in the world after death and to cherish the memories of your family. And yet again very much like Brave, I feel it's a movie that's being forgotten. I don't hear that much talk about it since it came out just 5 years ago, and I find that just unforgivable bordering on criminal. It's almost kinda Soul before Soul, and while unabashedly different still has a meaningful message and similar ideas. I almost can't believe how strong the movie is, it's been a hot minute since we've had a week this good on this show and I can't guess what Turning Red will have for us but I'm looking forward to the future. 4 stars, 9/10.

Toy Story 3

What we thought was the end.

Toy Story 3 is a good movie, I like the way the series has progressed but I have a few nitpicks if you can even call some of them that. It's a beautifully animated movie with just as much heart and care put into it as the last two movies, I got invested into it, I enjoy it, but there's some off things I need to bring up. Okay so we flash forward after a great opening by about 6 or 7 years, Andy is now 17 and headed to college (guess he was really good in school), and his poor toys have not been played with in years. Through a series of events our lovable lot get whisked away to a daycare center, and all seems well. You know, until it's revealed as a prison that would make Alcatraz look like a pleasant vacation spot, forcing our friends to try to find a way back home. I have no issue with this scenario, it brings up a lot of truths in this world for these characters, and the daycare setting is a brilliant idea for the toys to travel to. We meet a few new characters, Barbie finally meets a Ken whose even voiced by Michael Keaton (Yaaaay!), a few toys who might as well be a street tough gang from an 80s movie, and our "warden" of the daycare Lotso. I....ooh, I really don't like this bear. I hate him with a fiery vengeance the world has not seen for millenia, which is odd because villains have always been my favorite since the beginning but this fffffflip flappin bear is a massive prick. And his story tries soooo hard to elicit sympathy but garnered nothing but contempt from me, basically he was a happy go lucky bear yet somehow was left accidentally and instead of this kid's parents going back to get him they replace him, and he goes from Care Bear to controlling psycho in the span of oh about 5 seconds. He really does run the daycare like a combination of the warden from Shawshank and Jackie Treehorn from Road House. I swear if they sold legit toys of him I may have to take the Shaq-Fu angle and dedicate my life to destroying every one of them. The hate was so real, it damaged my love of the movie. I really don't want to watch this movie again and all because of a jerk bear. I guess that's a good villain if they can pull that sort of reaction out of a person but God, I need to take a woodchipper and a tank of gasoline to that bear for me to feel better. But I dig the whole prison escape feel the movie has for a good majority of it's length, and sweet Jesus does it get dark at that climax. I mean. Whoa. I'm not saying it's too dark or it's going to severely screw your kid up but even I was shocked to see it get that bleak. But if Don Bluth has taught us anything as long as the movie has a happy ending you can do whatever the hell you want with kid's emotions. Speaking of endings, this ending...sort of perplexes me. The fact that Andy was fully ready to take Woody to college with him seems well, stupid. I had favorite toys I held onto even to this day, but I didn't need to take them to COLLEGE with me. And when he introduces all the toys to a little girl, who I swear is the most pwecious thing in human existence, and has one final playtime I just, ugh. I'm not saying it's forced or contrived or even bad. But seriously, what is this ending? Even on my first viewing of this movie which I will freely admit I did not see opening day, nor did I not see it when it hit video, hell I didn't even see it until about 3 years after it came out when I was in highschool, the ending didn't do much for me. Oh sure, it's a touching and very bittersweet ending but if Andy came by, told the little girl about them and then left with a bittersweet but ultimately happy expression on his face, I'd pretty much call it perfect. Maybe it's too sweet that I practically got 5 different types of diabeetus from it, and maybe I'm an old cynical bastard that doesn't like anything anymore, but I still enjoyed it. But I mainly blame it on the bear. I should have seen stuffing shoot out in 80 different directions when he went through those cutting blades. Why am I so angry?? I don't know! Toy Story 3 is a good movie, I still recommend it, I give it a solid 3 stars, it just had elements that, shall we say diminsihed my enjoyment factor. Other than one character, and one ending, I very much liked the movie, maybe not loved but certainly not hated. All that's left to say is, this is not over bears!!

But how will Toy Story 4 impact the series? It ended the best way it could, so is the fourth movie going to be a completely unnecessary sequel and a quick cash grab, or is it going to be a welcome and fine addition to the series? Tune in tomorrow to find out.