Pete's Dragon Review

Keep in mind that there will spoilers. Skip past the synopsis if you don't want to know the ending. 

Well, here we go again...Another favorite childhood classic of mine gets the Disney remake treatment. When will you learn, Disney? When will you learn??

Upon hearing the announcement for this film, I was immediately worried. For one, you have to understand that Pete's Dragon is an extremely silly movie. I mean, it's really great, but still silly. The main plot centers around an orphan boy who is running away from his abusive "adopted" family with his pet green and purple dragon named Elliot. He then goes to a town called  Passamaquoddy where a evil conman who sells faulty medicines wants to capture and kill Elliot so he can use his various body parts to put in his remedies. All the while, its a musical. So you can see what I mean when I say it's kinda silly. As a result, I wondered how it would be possible to adapt such a film to today's audience. Did this remake succeed in making a serious and current take on the Pete's Dragon story? Or did it fail in more ways than one?

"God's Not Dead 2" Review

In 2014, a film was released that questioned the ethics of the college education system. God's Not Dead was a huge hit in the box office grossing almost 61 million dollars. The story of a college boy whose faith in God is persecuted and challenged by his professor seemed to really strike home with many people. When hearing about a sequel to one of my favorite Faith-Based films, I couldn't help but wonder how they were going to "up the ante". Did God's Not Dead 2 extend on it's predecessor? Or should it have itself been taken to court?

"Miracles from Heaven" Review

As you could probably tell from my review of Heaven is for Real, I'm not a big fan of these "true story of miracles" movies. It's not that I don't believe in miracles, I do, it's just that these are rarely done even slightly well. So when I saw that Miracles from Heaven was coming out, I wasn't excited and wasn't planning on seeing it. But through curiosity and certain circumstances, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot. So, was this a bigger flop than Heaven is for Real? Or did give miracle movies a better name?

"Zootopia" Review

Disney is THE  leading source of family entertainment today. Not only do they own Pixar, but also Marvel, ABC, and Star Wars. But the films they make that I always look forward to are the animated ones, and the first of the two they have lined up for this year is Zootopia. I was surprised to see that not a lot of people were talking about this before it's release and that they were more excited for Moana coming out in November. As for me, I was very excited when I saw the first stills and trailers. Does Zootopia meet my expectations? Or should I have just waited for Moana?

"Risen" Review

Christian movies have been on the rise in the last few years, but with the likes of the Kendrick and the Erwin brothers, come people like Darren Aronofsky and Ridley Scott. These secular filmmakers have tried to take the stories of the Bible, and present them in completely fictional ways that only shame the original source material. When Risen was announced, it wasn't presented like some of the other Biblical-fiction movies. So, does Risen shed a new light on Christian media, or does it only cast a shadow?

The Good Dinosaur Review

Two Pixar movies in one year?!?! Yes, indeed. Along with Inside Out (which I loved by the way) comes Pixar's second 2015 film, The Good Dinosaur. Because we didn't see a Pixar movie last year, we expected there to be two awesome movies in return. Inside Out made a home run, but did The Good Dinosaur strike out?

The Peanuts Movie Review

When I first heard of this movie coming out sometime back in early 2014, I was a bit hesitant. There have been a lot of movies based on cartoons come out of major studios for the last couple of years, and while some are not all that bad, some have been just terrible(i.e The Smurf movies.) At the time, I didn't know if they were going to make it a live action film, a animated/live action film, or what. But as soon as I saw the first trailer, I was interested. The producers said there wouldn't be things like cell phones, or current pop culture references. That furthered my interest. But, after seeing it, did it do what it promised, or was it just another adaption flop?

Pan Review

Along with Goosebumps, I saw Pan. I've been super excited for this film since I saw the first trailer. I'm a huge fan of the Peter Pan story, and love basically anything to do with it. And even though this isn't a direct adaption(more like Hook) I was still anxious to see it. So, did this movie make me want to join Peter in the sky, or did turn me into a stinky old pirate?

My Top 20 Favorite Animated Villains Part 2

I know. It's not Halloween. But look at it this way. Here's a way to get you back into the spooky spirit for a few minutes before all the Christmas jingle bells start ringing.

Welcome back to part 2 of My Favorite Animated Villains list! I hope you enjoyed the last. Same disclaimers as last time. If you haven't read part 1 here is the link: http://filmfilosopher.blogspot.com/2015/10/my-top-20-favorite-animated-movie.html

And, of course, there may be spoilers. So, enter at you own risk. MUAHAHAHA!!!

My Top 20 Favorite Animated Movie Villains Part 1

 Well, it's Halloween again. Last year I did a countdown of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes.  This year I decided to do something a little different. So here it is--My favorite Animated Movie Villains Part 1! 

There are a lot of awful people in the world of cinema. And some of the worst are, funny enough, in animated films. So today, I am going to be counting down my favorite villains from some classic animated movies we all watched as a kid or as an adult.

First, a few disclaimers. These are not necessarily the baddest or most terrifying of all the villains. These are just the ones I thought were interesting. I originally was going to include Walt Disney Animated Film villains, but while making this list, I realized it is really hard to make a list of variety if including Disney. A lot of the ones were Disney, cause we all know Disney has some of the best villains. So instead I am not going to include them, and make another list later of just Disney villains. Now, I am including Pixar, simply because I do not view them as "Disney" but instead as their own separate studio. 

Also, some of these will including me talking about the endings due to some villains only being revealed in the end. If you haven't seen a particular movie, either skip it, or read it if you don't care about spoilers. Thank you.

Goosebumps Review

First of all, just look at how awesome that poster is. Just look at it!!

I've been a huge fan of the Goosebumps franchise for quite some time. Though I was a bit late to the party, I still began reading with the first book "Welcome to Dead House." And of course, I also grew up watching the TV series. When I heard that there would be a movie come out, I was beyond excited. So did it meet my expectations, or should I just have kept on reading?

War Room Review

War Room is still out in theaters right now, so I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it. Here is the basic plot: Realtor agent Elizabeth Jordan meets an elderly woman named Clara who is selling her long time house to live with her son. Clara begins to witness to Elizabeth, telling her that she needs to rely on Jesus and pray for the situations in her life. Soon Elizabeth confides in Clara about her failing marriage and broken relationship with her daughter. Through Clara's encouragement, and the power of prayer, Elizabeth's life could change forever. But she will she choose to rely on Christ?

War Room was created by the Kendrick Brother who also made such wonderful movies as Courageous, Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel. They have an impression track record in making hit Christian films that not only encourage Christians to rely on God, but also to help non-believers to understand the life of a Christian and how rewarding and difficult it can be.

In His Steps Movie Reivew

 In His Steps is based on the book by Charles Sheldon. It is about a homeless man who is on the verge of death. He comes to the church and other businesses around the town of Raymond for help, but finds none. One Sunday, he comes into a local church pastured by Henry Maxwell. He makes a vibrant and true speech about how Christians no longer help people, and only play the part of a "Christian" but really do not do anything about their faith. Bro. Maxwell is moved by the man's words, and challenges his congregation to ask, before making any decisions, "What Would Jesus Do?" Only some come forward and partake in the challenge, while most complain about the pastor's efforts. Will the ones who took the challenge be able to complete it? Or will they fall into temptation?

This was written and directed by Zack Lawrence, a fellow reviewer, of christian independent films. I have been watching his videos for some time now, and when I heard he was making and releasing a movie, I could not have been more excited. I admired his film taste, and knew he would do a great job. And he definitely did!

The story is very well pieced together and never drags. The cinematography is done beautifully, and uniquely. There were plenty of twist and exciting scenes to keep the audience intrigued. The acting on many parts was done very well, but some needed great improvement. But, it wasn't enough to make me lose interest.

The greatest thing about this movie was the message itself. It really is about being a Christian, and not seeming like a Christian. Christianity is not only about the profession, but about the performance. As it says in the Bible--"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone," James 2:17. This movie is not a "feel good about yourself" Christian movie. It really makes you think about what you are doing to please God. This movie challenges everyone watching to ask themselves what Jesus would do, just like the people in this movie are asked to do. But, we don't just see the happy side of things. We see the struggle one would have in this situation, and because of that, In His Steps is very unique. Sadly, not many Christian films do this.

This was a very well made film with a fantastic message. If you haven't seen In His Steps, I highly recommend it!



Also, if you would like to check out Zack Lawrence's review show, go to this link:
http://www.indychristianreview.com/

And click here to go to Standing Sun Productions, the studio that made In His Steps: http://www.standingsun.com/

Frozen Fever: A Disney Animation Short

Last week I reviewed Cinderella. But, I didn't mention the short film that was presented along with it: Frozen Fever

As soon as it was announced, every Frozen fan was excited for it coming out. The trailer for it has over 28 million views on Youtube! So, did Frozen Fever live up to it's big brother sister? Or did it let all the Frozen fans down?

The story basically surrounds Anna's birthday. Because Elsa wasn't really around for Anna's birthday, she wants to have a big surprise party for her. She leaves Olaf and Kristoff in charge of watching the cake, while she goes to get Anna from her sleeping chambers. Shenanigans ensue.

While the story, is entertaining and makes sense (Elsa wasn't around for the majority of Anna's birthdays, so it make sense that she wants this one to be special), the overall writing and humor of this short leaves a lot to be desired.  

 The jokes are copied from Frozen and pasted all over this. There are not many jokes that are original in this thing. As you can see from the picture above, they use the "Anna is lazy and has messed up hair in the morning. Isn't she just so like you?" joke. They use the Kristoff speaking for Sven joke again. And they take the most funny joke from Olaf, and do the exact same thing, just with different words!

The song that is the bulk of this short, is pretty decent, but no where near the magnitude of  "Let it Go" or "Do You Want to Build a Snowman." Because, while I could remember at least a stanza or two of those songs after watching the movie, I can't remember the tune or even what it's called for that matter.

But, nevertheless, there are some good things about Frozen Fever. The animation, as expected, was gorgeous! And I do like the story overall. Oh, and there is one really cute and funny thing that happens.

Overall, this is not a really good short. It is basically a way to get all the "Frozen" fans in the theater. But, for what it is, it has a few good things about it. I wouldn't say don't go and watch "Cinderella" because this is in front of it. Just don't get your hopes up...

 Oh, and I forgot to mention...Elsa changes her clothes green! How? How does she do this? I understand changing it to ice, cause that's what she does--make ice appear. But how did she make leaves and flowers appear??

Cinderella (2015) Review

Today, we are looking at Disney's newest live-action remake flick, Cinderella


Does anyone remember that review I did of another recent Disney live-action remake, Maleficent?
Well, if you do, you probably know that I didn't enjoy it at all...I mean, I hated it. And it is absolutely in my "top five most hated films, by me" list. (That's actually a good idea for a blog post. I need to write that down...)

Anyway, as I was saying. I didn't like Maleficent, and when seeing the half-a-second trailer they had put out about a new Cinderella movie, I was more than displeased.

I thought, "How can they do this to me? I can't take two terrible Disney remakes. I just can't!"

You see, as much as I like Sleeping Beauty, I like the original Disney classic Cinderella more! I  definitely grew up watching it way more than Sleeping Beauty and I just all around love the characters and story a bit more than that of Sleeping Beauty. So seeing this was going to be a must, even if it did not peak my interest. I just had to see what they were doing with this movie. To my surprise, when I went to see Into the Woods (another Disney remake), a little pressure was pulled from me.

 I really really enjoyed Into the Woods, and I thought "Hey, if Cinderella is as good as this, I definitely want to see it!"

Turns out, when I saw the full length trailer for it, it actually looked "decent." I didn't know for sure though. So, I didn't get my hopes too high. I saw the movie...And what did I think of it???

A Charlie Brown Christmas Review

This is not my living room. But, one can wish can't they?

Well, it's Christmastime once again. Everyone has been scurrying around trying to find the perfect gift for their loved one.

"You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe."  -The Bishops's Wife (1947)

 By now, everyone one has thrown their decorations against every wall in and outside the house. People are no doubt baking cookies in the shape of gingerbread men and Santa Claus. Speaking of which: children are sitting in the poor old guys' lap, asking for every known toy. On Christmas morning, children will rush to the tree, retrieve their gifts of all sizes and colors, unwrap them with no knowledge of how long it took to wrap, and oo and awe at the many wondrous things that lay before them. Families will travel from California to New York, or maybe two house down, to see their long forgotten relatives who have been through the same things they have this season. Gifts will be exchanged. Hugs of thankfulness will be also, even if they hated the present. They all return home, and go back to their everyday lives. The kids go to school, parents go to work. Then they wait. Wait for it all to happen again; only 364 days away.

Christmas, I regret to say, has become an over-lapsing occurrence. It happens every year, and we do the same things. This is what got Charlie Brown down. You see, all the things I just mentioned, most of which I do myself, are commercial. I'll explain what that is in a moment. But first, let's take a look at this timeless classic of a Christmas Special: A Charlie Brown Christmas.

My Personal Top 20 Favorite Twilight Zone Episodes of ALL TIMES! Part II : 10-1

I have no idea who made this, so...Whoever made it, nice work.

 Welcome back my children to the second part of "My Personal Favorite Top 20 Favorite Twilight Zone Episodes of ALL TIMES! PART II! 10-1! YAY!

My Personal Top 20 Favorite Twilight Zone Episodes of ALL TIMES! Part I: 20-11

Well, I'm back!! SO, SO, SO, sorry for the long wait for the reviews. I'm trying my best to get back on track. Anyway...

                                                          It's HALLOWEEN!!!!

The Boxtrolls Review

Before we get to the review, I want to apologize. Life has gotten a bit hectic and I haven't found the time to be on the internet at all, least of all write a review. Until further notice, I can't promise that I will have a review out every week. But, as you all know, it is October 1st, and you know what that means!! HALLOWEEN!!! This month I want to do something super special. So, I am going to try my very very best to get all sorts of great Halloween themed reviews for ya'll; the last being that of a "Top Whatever" list that I am so excited about. The first review I'm doing for this Halloween season is The Boxtrolls.

Which is kinda Halloween themed

Baby boy, Eggs, is taken by the boxtrolls, little blue trolls who wear boxes, that also have their names on them. The night Eggs was taken, boxtroll hunter Archibald Snatcher, makes a deal with Lord Portley-Rind, that if he can capture and kill all the boxtrolls, Portley-Rind will give him a "white hat" and allow him in their club for cheese-tasters. Portley-Rind agrees. Years later Snatcher still hasn't captured all the boxtrolls, but has many of them. Snatcher plans are all coming together to capture the entire clan of boxtrolls. It is up to Eggs, boxtroll Fish, and their new friend Winnie to foil Snatcher's plans. 

Dreamworks Animation Project- Shrek: Pop Song Montages Everywhere!

Well, after many weeks of waiting (Sorry), may I now present to you the 5th installment of...

The Dreamworks Animation Project!! OH YEAH!!

This week is the ever popular, 2001 film Shrek.


                                        WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE, 
                                                          SKIP TO THE END WHERE I GIVE THE SCORE!

What is a better way to start off a movie, but with a disgusting displayed of horrendous grossness. I'm serious, this beginning is just plain gross. And...that's partly okay because the person (or rather thing) that is partaking it this grossness, is an ogre. This ogre's name is Shrek. He lives in a house inside of a swam. There he lives his life out; eating eyeballs and taking showers in the mud.