2018 Movie Releases - Luis' Reviews/Thoughts

I loved the first Wreck-it-Ralph film, it felt like a Pixar film created by Disney Animation, it was heart-warming, original, clever, and very relatable, I thought it was really great. This new film promises to take Ralph and Vanellope to the grand scheme that is the internet in an attempt to find a steering wheel for Vanellope's broken game. However, after seeing such a spacious world free of restrictions and with millions of possibilities, our characters are challenged in a whole new way. The main thing about this movie is how fun it feels, as we get to visit many different places in the internet and see the oblivious characters interact with things that are all too familiar to us, it's just really clever, and oftentimes hilarious.

The film never loses track of its core, which is Ralph and Vanellope, and particularly their connection - it never loses sight that this is the essential element and it uses it to power the other fun parts of the film. The colorful animation and settings kept everything extremely fun, and there was never a dull moment in the film. There is also a fun list of cameos and a very fantastic sequence that takes place in Disney's own world. There really isn't all that much to say about Ralph Breaks the Internet, it's just really fun, charming, and heart-warming, it's a film that is very easy to like.

SCORE - 85/100

Steve McQueen really impressed me with his hard-hitting and riveting film '12 Years a Slave' and with his new film 'Widows' I could use those same two adjectives to describe: hard-hitting, and riveting. Unlike the former film, 'Widows' is a much easier film to swallow, it is nowhere near as brutal as '12 Years' but it is just as engaging. The film follows a recently widowed woman whose life is threatened after her husband's crime-infested endeavours come back to haunt her, now she must take matters into her own hands. I found this film to be riveting from beginning to end, it is rich in characters, tight in its pacing, and nail-biting in its action sequences and character dynamics.

Viola Davis was electrifying in her role, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up being a major contender for award season, she stroke just the perfect balance between distressed and committed, her character was ruthless and I completely bought into the role. The supporting cast was just as charming as well, the dynamic seen on screen with the ladies was a joy to watch. The villains of the film were also appropriately handled, they were established as a colossal threat very early on and it kept the film balanced. Once the crime shenanigans were put in motion, I was glued to my seat for the entire ride - it was so well done, the action was well choreographed and smoothly edited. An excellent film that pinpoints the mental anguish that leads to desperate actions, it grabs you from the beginning, and never lets go.

SCORE - 87/100

This film will undeniably get and is already getting an abundance of award buzz - it has a killer cast, an extremely arresting and inventive concept, and a well framed commentary on racism on modern America today. This isn't a biopic in any stretch of the word, but it is based on a true story. The film follows an man of color who is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. After a short time there, he takes on the tremendous job to expose the Ku Klux Klan with the help of his colleague played by Adam Driver: who goes undercover to directly engage with the group.

What follows is two hours of an incredibly packed film; with edge-of-your seat character moments, fun detective missions, humorous interactions, and a potent punch of social commentary. My favorite aspect was John Washington's and Adam Driver's charisma and chemistry on the film. Their interactions are powered by great dialogue, and the pair feel so organic on screen. I mentioned that I found the plotline to be inventive, and the execution finds a way to squeeze so much juice out of that initial concept. It completely takes advantage of the kind of story it has in its hands, and it uses it to bring forward thought-provoking themes about humanity and how we progress, or worsen as a society. It is never too heavy-handed, oftentimes desentized with humor and fun sequences, but never sugar coated. Overall, the film manages to combine traditional buddy-cop movie shenanigans with intellectual societal undertones. Definitely check it out.

SCORE - 86/100

You can watch any other film, a variety of different genres, an explosion of unique art styles, and you would still struggle immensely to find anything remotely close to the exclusiveness of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film follows Miles Morales, a teen who struggles to juggle his new responsibility as Spider-Man and his complicated life at home. It's your run-of-the-mill Spider-Man story on the surface, but the concept is twisted on its head relentlessly as many Spider-People escape their dimension after an altercation with Kingpin.

Miles' interaction with the other Spider-People is incredibly well realized, the juxtaposition between people who have already engraved their responsibility as part of themselves and a panicked boy still struggling to figure it all out is nothing short of genius, and a clever way to bring forward the Coming-of-Age elements that a Spider-Man film calls for. The art style is incredibly arresting, extremely colorful, and so incredibly dynamic, it's like watching a moving comic-book. The movie brims with creativity in every single aspect; the character choices, the art-style, the explosive action sequences, the mere-concept alone which is daring in every sense of the word, and yet, it all works. It's an exciting superhero film unlike anything you will ever see, it's a poignant realization of family connections, and a deeply human story about finding your place in the world and learning to sacrifice things for the better. Overall, Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse has an ambitious story to match its arresting visual style. It's anything you would want from a project like this, and then some.

SCORE - 96/100

Been hearing NOTHING but POSITIVE things from this movie. Hope to see it soon.

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Suspect's Reviews

fOh please do, looking forward to hear your thoughts.

Cuarón is undeniably one of the most captivating directors working today. I adore Prisoner of Askaban, was completely enraptured by Children of Men, and Gravity kept me in the edge of my seat. His new passion project comes in the form of Roma, a human story about a housekeeper and a Mexican family living in Mexico City in the early 1970s. That's it, that's the plot, Cuarón lets the film unravel in its simplicity, and in turn creates one of the most deeply layered films of the year.

One of the indisputable arguments one can make about this film; is how immacculate the cinematography is - I'm confident this is the best constructed film of the year in the shot department. The way the film is framed, the way the camera is used as an extension of what's going on screen, it's like a character all it self. The film is appropriately poignant, it never overdoes anything, instead it subverts viewer expectation and maintains the narrative at a steady pace. It feels so authentic, so real, and so human with its delivery that it oftentimes feels like I'm watching a real documentary of this family going through all of this stuff. There really isn't much to say about the film, it's just all around amazing, the characters, the cinematography, the simplicity of a story that is still profound, the performances and the perfect pacing. As a Mexican-American, I was so pleased seeing such an authentic take on my culture. What a treat, please watch it.

SCORE - 95/100

Glad to see that you really liked Into the Spider-Verse as well. I'm actually kinda surprised that I rated it higher than you, haha. I'm planning on watching Roma soon...

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