The Good Dinosaur

THE GOOD DINOSAUR
2015 | Dir. Peter Sohn | 100 Minutes

"Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side."

In an alternate world where dinosaurs and humans exist side-by-side, a young dinosaur named Arlo is separated from his family after chasing a wild human boy that steals food from their farm. Stranded in the wilderness far from home, Arlo and the boy learn to survive together as they fend off predators and endure the perils of nature to find their way home.

The Good Dinosaur is another innovative technological marvel crafted by Pixar Animation Studios that is heavy on themes of family, featuring a strange but not unpleasant mesh of stunningly animated natural environments that are virtually photo-real inhabited by decidedly-cartoonish characters. At the forefront is the relatable and heartfelt story of Arlo’s struggle to overcome his fear, made more severe by a tragedy early in the film, and his quest to accomplish a task that is greater than him alone. Amusingly and unfortunately, there isn’t much development for Spot, the feral human child Arlo learns to forgive and befriend. While the world established in the film is populated by other intelligent dinosaurs with colorful personalities, where the film truly shines are in its quieter emotional moments shared between Arlo and Spot.

Young actor Raymond Ochoa does a lot of emotional heavy-lifting as Arlo but manages to pull it off in spades with a vocal performance that carries the film, supported by Jack Bright as the grunting and howling Spot. Jeffrey Wright plays Arlo’s poppa with a stern but kind guiding tone. Sam Elliott is featured as the patriarch of a family of ox herding tyrannosauruses with his signature grumble, with Anna Paquin and A. J. Buckley as his rowdy children. The featured antagonist of the film is a slightly unhinged pterodactyl played by character actor Steve Zahn. The film also features, Frances McDormand as Arlo’s momma and director Peter Sohn in a brief but memorable turn as a crazed styracosaurus named Forrest Woodbrush.

Like all of the best Pixar films, The Good Dinosaur pushes emotional buttons that are universal, offering a mixture of funny visual gags without relying on topical humor and a genuine emotional core at its center. Though it may not have the most complex story to tell, it is told with beauty and technical magnificence.


JOHN RATZENBERGER AS…
- Earl the Velociraptor


007 CONNECTIONS
- Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and No Time To Die)

Creed

CREED
2015 | Dir. Ryan Coogler | 133 Minutes

"You belong in here. They don't know what you've been through, and they sure don't know what we've been through."

Adonis Johnson, the son of former boxing world champion Apollo Creed born out of wedlock, is driven to brawl his entire life. A self-taught boxer eager to fight professionally but reluctant to take on his father's name or legacy, Donnie forgoes a life of luxury in Los Angeles to seek out Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia, his father's friend and another former champion, for formal training. Donnie and Rocky quickly form a close bond, but when the inexperienced Donnie receives an opportunity to fight the current world champion, tragedy strikes Rocky.

Creed is a phenomenal film that can be seen as an astoundingly natural extension of the Rocky film series, but more importantly it stands on its own merits. With the touching moments, the epic training montages, the tense boxing matches, and the sort of ending one would expect from a Rocky film, Creed falls in line with the themes and familiar trappings established in Sylvester Stallone's Rocky. Where the picture finds its own identity is its focal point set on the story of a young man who fights for his own integrity separate from the preconceived expectations others may have of him based on his lineage. While events from previous Rocky films are mentioned in passing, they are in no way required viewing to appreciate the emotional impact of this feature. Director Ryan Coogler helms the film with confidence and style, utilizing long single takes in several boxing scenes and graphics highlighting each fighter's statistics before a match. Coogler also brings out truly excellent performances from the two central figures of the film.

Michael B. Jordan delivers a passionate and charismatic performance as Donnie, skillfully evoking the pain, anger, inherent kindness, and ambition of the complex character while still absolutely convincing as an actual contender that belongs in the ring. For the first time in his career, Sylvester Stallone plays his signature character with dialogue he didn't write himself. However, Stallone seamlessly returns to the role that made him a star nearly forty years ago without losing any of the character's inherent charm. In his best dramatic performance yet, Stallone brings a new layer of melancholy to the endearingly goofy champ, as old age begins to wear Rocky down. Though seemingly unlikely from the outset, the chemistry between Jordan and Stallone is genuine and incredibly moving, especially after the revelation of Rocky's deteriorating health during the final stretch of the film. Bringing dimension to the role of Donnie's love interest, actress and musician Tessa Thompson is delightful as the singer Bianca with a tragic struggle of her own. British professional boxer Tony Bellew makes for a formidable opponent to Donnie as the hot-headed world champion Ricky Conlan. The film also briefly features Phylicia Rashād in a small but vital role as Apollo's widow Mary Anne, Wood Harris as a trainer in LA who refuses to train Donnie, professional boxer Gabriel Rosado as first Donnie’s first professional opponent Leo Sporino with Ritchie Coster as his embittered father and trainer, and British actor Graham McTavish as Conlan's manager.

Like Donnie, Creed is a film that succeeds on its own strengths. It is supported, but not carried, by its famous and well-established pedigree. On its own, it is a crowd-pleasing and inspirational story of self-made success, not unlike the original Rocky.


FRAGMENTS
- While establishing a new musical identity for Donnie's character, composer Ludwig Göransson's musical score also sparingly but poignantly shares a few musical themes with Bill Conti's work on the Rocky series primarily in scenes focused on Rocky

- When Donnie first meets Rocky at his restaurant, he finds out who won the private fight between Rocky and Apollo in the last scene of Rocky III

- Part of Donnie's training regimen with Rocky is chasing live chickens just as how Mickey trained Rocky in Rocky II


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Video: Funny Or Die - Scott Stapp Reviews "Creed"


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Wood Harris (Officer Gale in Ant-Man)

- Sylvester Stallone (Stakar in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

- Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Marvels)

 
- Michael B. Jordan (Erik "Killmonger" Stevens/N'Jadaka in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Inside Out

INSIDE OUT
2015 | Dir. Pete Docter | 94 Minutes

"This is crazy, this is crazy! No, no, no, Joy. Be positive... I am positive this is crazy!"

11-year-old Riley struggles to adapt when she moves with her mother and father from Minnesota to San Francisco. The personified emotions of Joy and Sadness within Riley's mind are stranded in labyrinth of long-term memory after Joy attempts to prevent Sadness from influencing Riley's core memories. While Joy and Sadness journey back to Riley's emotional headquarters, Anger, Disgust and Fear run amok at the control panel.

Pixar Animation Studios breaks new high-concept ground with Inside Out, setting the majority of the action within the mind of a person. It's a challenging film, telling the larger story of the difficulty an average person faces trying to find emotional balance during a major life change, but director Pete Docter and his story crew of writers created a miracle of a film, cleverly turning various emotions, psychological concepts and cognitive functions into fully-realized characters and set pieces. Memorable sequences include a dangerous shortcut through abstract thought, a frightening caper in the subconscious, and an extremely affecting daring escape from the memory dump.

Comedic television stars Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith shine as the voices of Joy and Sadness, with much of the film anchored on Poehler's sunny personality and the banter between the two characters. In a key supporting role, Richard Kind delivers performance that is in turn lighthearted and heartbreaking playing Riley's forgotten imaginary friend Bing Bong. Brilliantly cast, providing the voices of Anger, Disgust and Fear are stand-up comic Lewis Black, and comedy actors Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader. Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane play Riley's parents while SNL alums and seasoned comedic and voice actors Paula Poundstone, Bobby Monynihan, Rashida Jones, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz complete the supporting cast.

Inside Out is unlike any film before it, animated or otherwise, a truly unique experience. On the journey to maturity, Joy and Riley are put through the emotional ringer and ultimately learn that there is a place for Sadness in their lives alongside all of the other emotions. Few animated films aspire to tell such a complex story, and Inside Out not only attempts to do so, the film succeeds with style, clever humor, and genuine resonance.


JOHN RATZENBERGER AS...
- Mind Worker Fritz


A113
- Riley's classroom number

- Graffiti on the streets of San Francisco seen when Riley runs away from home


PIXAR INTERCONNECTIVITY
- The birds from 2000 Pixar animated short For the Birds can be seen sitting on a powerline at the beginning of the film

- Forrest Woodbush, the mentally unstable Styracosaurus from The Good Dinosaur, appears in Riley's memory of the dinosaur picture taken on the way to San Francisco

Monsters University

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
2013 | Dir. Dan Scanlon | 104 Minutes

"Mike, you're not scary. Not even a little. But you are fearless!"

Ever since a childhood field trip to Monsters, Inc., university student Mike Wazowski dreamed of becoming a professional scarer, to secretly enter the human world and obtain screams from children as a source of electrical energy. After they are expelled from the scare program, Mike and his naturally-talented rival James P. Sullivan join misfit fraternity Oozma Kappa to compete in a campus-wide scaring contest, their only chance to rejoin the scare program should they win and prove themselves worthy to the dean.

A college comedy with the signature Pixar Animation Studios touch, Monsters University is fresh and full of charm. The touching story centered around Mike and his struggle to fulfill a seemingly impossible dream despite his tireless efforts is strong enough to stand on its own without relying on familiarity with Monsters, Inc., although fans of the first film would find this experience more rewarding than the uninitiated. The MU campus is rendered in loving and highly believable detail and the film is an absolute delight, from the various amusing Scare Games events through a suspenseful finale in a highly unexpected place.

Returning from Monsters, Inc. the chemistry between Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sulley is as organic and hilarious as ever. Also returning is Steve Buscemi's Randall Boggs who is given a more sympathetic subplot that elegantly sows the seed for his heated rivalry with Sulley. Dame Helen Mirren brings an astounding level of class to the role of the intimidating Dean Abigail Hardscrabble. Alfred Molina is a natural fit in the role of Scare Professor Derek Knight. Pixar animator Peter Sohn, comedic actors Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, and Charlie Day play the quirky members of Oozma Kappa. The voice cast also features Nathan Fillion, Bobby Moynihan, Aubrey Plaza, John Krasinski, and Pixar regular Bonnie Hunt.

A wonderful addition to the Pixar canon, Monsters University takes an optimistic look at the discrepancy between life plans and reality. Despite his failings as a scarer, Mike does not give up, and although he does not end up where he thought he wanted to be, he ends up exactly where he is supposed to be. It's a great lesson for audiences of any age.


POST-CREDITS STINGER
A snail monster seen hurrying to his first class at the start of the film finally enters his classroom only to learn that the school year is over


JOHN RATZENBERGER AS...
- A soon-to-be-banished Yeti working in the Monsters, Inc. mailroom


A113
- Scare 101 is in Classroom A113


PIXAR INTERCONNECTIVITY
- A crude spray-painted version of the ball from 1986 Pixar animated short Luxo, Jr. is seen as an example of a deadly object among other human items during Toxicity Scare Games challenge

- The Pizza Planet delivery truck from Toy Story is seen parked outside a house party


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Nathan Fillion (Kyln Inmate in Guardians of the Galaxy, Master Karja in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Headpool in Deadpool & Wolverine)

- John Krasinski (Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

Brave

BRAVE
2012 | Dir. Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman | 93 Minutes

"Legends are lessons. They ring with truths."

Determined to follow her own path in an act of rebellion against the old ways of her people, Princess Merida inadvertently curses her mother to take on the form of a bear. On her quest to undo the spell and save the kingdom, Merida learns to communicate and bond with the cursed queen.

At its heart, Brave is the story of the struggle between a mother and daughter to speak honestly with one another - thematically, the value of youthful independence against the value of time-honored traditions. With Pixar Animation Studios' trademark humor, heart, and technological brilliance, the filmmakers introduce a brand new addition to parent company Disney's long line of princesses in the form of the headstrong and courageous Merida. Unlike any Disney Princess before her, Merida embarks on her own journey without relying on male heroes to drive her plot or determine her destiny.

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald is the perfect vocal fit for the vivacious Merida. Emma Thompson is in turns regal and hilarious playing the dignified Queen Elinor with expert comedic timing. Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, and Craig Ferguson round out the cast playing King Fergus and the bickering lords of the kingdom, with Julie Walters as a friendly retail witch.

Brave continues Pixar Animation Studio's tradition of gorgeous groundbreaking animation and quality storytelling. The film is a worthy addition to Pixar's crowd-pleasing and award-winning library.


JOHN RATZENBERGER AS...
- Gordon the guard


A113
- ACXIII is written above the entrance of the witch's shack


PIXAR INTERCONNECTIVITY
- A wooden figure of the Pizza Planet delivery truck from Toy Story, and a wood carving of Sulley from Monsters, Inc. are hidden in the witch's shack