As the lights went dark in the theater last weekend, I watched my son’s face in anticipation. I’ll always remember how I felt at the start of The Lion King. The singing call and the sun rising startled and shook me inside. I remember being amazed, mystified and engrossed in the film, especially in that stunning beginning. I think The Lion King pushed me from a kid who liked movies to a young film fan. I was eight then, my son is only three now. As the opening number slammed shut with the title in red on the screen, my son asked in his movie-theater whisper, “Can I hold the drink?” I sighed with nostalgic tears in my eyes and handed over the drink. I hope one day he finds a movie the defines his childhood like The Lion King defined mine.
The Lion King is more grand than your average animated film. The story isn’t a fairy tale, but a story of power, family and destiny set within the animal kingdom on the African savanna. Simba (voiced by 90s teen star Jonathan Taylor Thomas and 80s teen star Matthew Broderick) is a young prince excited about his future as king. His wise father, Mufasa (voiced by the even more iconic James Earl Jones), tries to teach Simba what it means to be king while his uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), plots to worm his way onto the throne. After Scar murders Mufasa, in one of the most devastating scenes known to Disney, he convinces young Simba the death was his fault. Afraid, Simba leaves the Pride Lands and Scar rules with his band of hyenas. After years of Hakuna Matata, Simba learns that his kingdom is in ruins and he must face his uncle to reclaim it and fulfill his destiny. The story is basically Hamlet with animals, but most American 90s kids didn’t realize it.
Everyone loves the music from The Lion King. Many kids grow up knowing all the songs by heart. And rightfully so, even the bouncy I Just Can’t Wait to be King has aged wonderfully. Three of the songs, Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata were Oscar nominated, with Can You Feel the Love Tonight winning.
The score is also Oscar winning and perfectly reflects the movie. It’s heavy, yet whimsical, can be very serious and solemn and rooted in its African themes. I can easily listen to The Lion King’s score for hours. It’s such a beautiful soundtrack to envelop an equally visually beautiful film. The styles compliment each other perfectly and it feels like a beautiful celebration of life.
I personally believe The Lion King defines the height of the Disney Renaissance. Never before had Disney animation been so crisp, flawless and intense. And the level of storytelling was raised to a level that could fulfill the hearts and souls of all. I feel very lucky to have been at the perfect age to see this film in its original release and to grow up on its ideas of owning your past, fulfilling your destiny and stepping up to take charge of your own life. Now, sharing this film with my child is an amazing treat, and give the circle of life greater meaning.
“You see? He lives in you.”
Christopher Nolan’s newest film, Dunkirk, is a war film like no other. Personally, I made sure to see this film in a 70mm IMAX cinema and I highly recommend doing so. For many film fans, it is an experience not to be missed. 
Enemy Germans surround Dunkirk and are closing in. All the British troops have been driven onto the beach, waiting for ships to take them home, just across the channel. Overhead, German planes make bombing runs, taking out ships carrying wounded home and scattering men on the beach. Only a few daring British pilots are taking the planes down, one by one. And across the channel, British civilians are bringing their own boats to rescue the troops and bring them home. 
The camera’s point of view often feels like we are alongside the men we see. This is especially intense below deck when a torpedo strikes, on deck as a ship capsizes, and underwater as all hell is breaking loose above. The aerial views are both beautifully serine and intense, many of them filling the full IMAX screen. The images throughout the film do not feel sensationalized, or emotionally pulled toward a certain character, but focused on portraying this intense moment in history in an honest, frank but respectful manner. There is also no images of enemy Germans, which can make them all the more terrifying. 
I expect Dunkirk to receive quite a few Oscar nominations in the coming season. Right now I’d bet that it can easily take both sound categories. The sound effects were amazing and some of the noises left me rattled. Cinematography and visual effects seem very likely nominations as well, especially with the great and daring uses of the IMAX cameras. And depending on the competition, there is a good chance Nolan could get a directing nomination. I hope to see Dunkirk nominated for Best Picture. It’s truly a great film.
Cars 3 takes the loved four-wheeled franchise back to its racing roots. This time, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the older racer looking for a new edge against the next generation. The rookies are all highly trained using the newest technology, statistical analysis and fancy simulators. After a devastating wreck in the first act, McQueen wants to make a comeback. And if he doesn’t, he’ll be forced into retirement.
When McQueen meets his new trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), that phrase about old dogs and new tricks comes to mind. It’s fun to watch Cruz, a fan of McQueen’s since she was a child, work with him and try to ease him into new exercises, including hanging him upside down and making him name his tires. But McQueen needs to get his wheels dirty and soon he and Cruz set out across the American south to find the car who taught his mentor, Doc Hudson.
My favorite scene, and my son’s too, is when McQueen and Cruz accidentally enter a demolition derby. Not wanting to ruin his reputation, McQueen is in disguise. The track is a muddy figure eight, with banged up, souped up cars aiming straight for them. The car who steals the scene is Miss Fritter, an old school bus with flame-exhaust longhorns. She’s the town’s favorite and what she’s done with her stop sign made my kid yell, “Whoa!” 
However, I believe they more than make up for the bumbling sequel in 3. Under the guise of stock car racing, the storytellers have once again woven a wonderful story about personal growth, much like the original. The film is driven by McQueen’s drive and given a new heart with the introduction of Cruz. The story of mentor/mentee and how those relationships evolve over time is wonderfully done in a perfectly Pixar way. Cruz’s backstory is poignant and rings true for anyone who has dreamed, but been too intimidated to go for it. 
First off, let’s state the obvious. It’s refreshing to see a superhero movie with a woman in the spotlight and not on display for her body, but for her abilities. Sure, we’ve seen female superheroes before, but they’ve never had the opportunity a feature film like this. And if we look back at some (not all) of their past film roles, things look really sexist. Not so for Wonder Woman.
In Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman, Diana (Gal Gadot) is raised as the only child on an island of Amazonian women. The island life is peaceful, beautiful and idealistic, as are many people’s childhoods. Diana’s mother, Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), is reluctant to train her to fight. All the women are fierce warriors and just as Diana becomes the fiercest, a man crash lands just off the island. Diana saves him and learns of a great war plaguing the world. She leaves to fight and bring peace to mankind again.
For a feminist film, Wonder Woman gets a lot right. Diana is both beautiful and strong, with her power often overshadowing her beauty. She wears her iconic suit, allowing her free movement, but not making her an object of male gaze. Unlike other superhero ladies, the visual emphasis is not focused on her butt or breasts and she is not adorned with an unrealistic amount of makeup. 
The film uses Diana’s girl power for some tasteful comedy. A few scenes between Steve and Diana bring some light sexual flirtation, but the line, “When it comes to procreation, men are essential, but for pleasure, not necessary.” puts Steve in his place. That’s as crass as it gets. There are no jokes about boobs, periods, mood swings or anything that really demeans women. I love it. I especially loved and identified with the scene where Steve’s secretary takes her shopping for an outfit more acceptable for 1910s London. If you don’t kick your legs up in the dressing room to see if your clothes can move with you, then you’re missing out.
Welcome to Oscar weekend! Tomorrow night all the glitz and glam of Hollywood will be on the Academy Awards red carpet strutting their stuff and taking home some trophies. 
La La Land 
Animated Feature
Original Score
Film Editing
Actress
Not since 1998, with Saving Private Ryan, has there been a gritty war film depicting the bravery and American heroics of WWII nominated for Best Picture. With Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson seems to bring the genre back for a new generation. Not for the blood-lust glory of a seasoned warrior, but to tell the story of a young medic who refused to carry a weapon. 
Private Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) was a young man from Virginia who volunteered to serve during WWII and due to his beliefs as a Seventh-Day Adventist he refused to carry a weapon or kill any enemies. This does not make him very popular during training, his superiors constantly calling him out on the matter. Doss is beaten by his bunk mates, has to fight being accused of insubordination and is even put on trial for refusing to carry a weapon. In the end, Doss is allowed to train as a medic and go into battle without a weapon. 
The beacon of light in the intense battle is Doss. Even after all the other able men have retreated back down Hacksaw Ridge, which is a sheer cliff with base camp below, Doss stays behind and looks for wounded men. He searched in the desolate, corpse and gore ridden battleground searching for men he can help. With each one he lowers them by rope down the ridge, one by one. It’s truly an amazing feat of bravery worthy of the Medal of Honor. 
To be honest, Hacksaw Ridge seems to be bringing up the rear in this year’s Oscar race. The training scenes had an archaic, out of date, boys-will-be-boys vibe. Some CGI moments were not at all convincing and distracting. And while a little violence can go a long way, but after a while, I was numb to yet another soldier with his legs blown off. 
Based on a true story, Lion shows us the story of a young boy who got lost in Calcutta, India in the mid 1980s and the journey of the boy twenty five years later searching for his lost past. 
In India, five year old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) has a mother, a little sister and a teenage brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate). They live together in a small room in a remote village. Saroo takes pride in helping Guddu with jobs to help the family, whether stealing coal off moving trains or carrying melons. But after being too tired to help Guddu one night, Saroo wakes up at a train station, lost. Looking for his brother, Saroo finds himself on a moving train and when it stops, he doesn’t realize that he is 1600 kilometers away from home. 
Saroo adjusts well to life in Australia, the same cannot be said for his adopted brother, Mantosh. When both boys were adopted, the parents got more than just the child, but their troubled pasts. Even when away from danger, they still know the fear and pain and Mantosh particularly struggles with it all well into adulthood. 
The cinematography throughout Lion is absolutely beautiful and connects both halves of the story spanning twenty-five years. In the first part of the film, the images show what a big, frightening world Saroo has gotten lost in. Later, as Saroo is trying to recall images from his past, we see how his present life is mirroring his past. An image of him walking down a narrow sidewalk cuts to an image of him as a little boy walking down a similar narrow path in India. Wading out into the ocean, he thinks of his mother in India looking for him down by the river as other boys swim. The visual parallels and connections are a stunning way to visually tell this story and make it worthy of the best cinematography Oscar nomination.
