Never have I seen a film like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The animation style is like nothing I had ever seen before. It’s so exciting and refreshing, yet hard to describe. It looks a little like the creators took inspiration from the style in A Scanner Darkly, made it a whole lot better and then gave it some comic book and graffiti art embellishments. I didn’t see the film in 3D, it’s not my preference, but I bet it would work great, especially how some images that are supposed to be out of focus have a 3D style on them. Like I said, it’s so hard to describe the visual brilliance of this film, so I highly suggest you run out to the theaters and see it.
This fun, kid friendly Spider-Man movie focuses on a young teen from Brooklyn, Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore). Though he’s a bright kid at a new fancy school, he focuses on his graffiti style art, slapping stickers where he thinks his dad, a cop, won’t notice. His uncle is more encouraging of his art. After Miles is bitten by a strange spider and given super powers he freaks out and runs into Spiderman who is trying to shut down this crazy, huge inter dimensional portal blaster collider thingy. Before he can, Spider-Man DIES! (I know, right?) And leaves Miles with the task to shut the portal collider down for good. But Miles is just a kid who doesn’t know how to use his powers yet. Thankfully, that portal gun opened up a few other dimensions and brought other Spider-people into his universe. They’ll have to work together to destroy the portal collider.
Of all the Spider-Man movies I’ve seen (which is all in the past 20 years except the Andrew Garfield one), this is the most fun, charismatic and visually striking. Miles is such a relatable kid that we love him throughout his whole origin story. I think the older-sadder-sweatpants wearing Spider-Man is a great addition for laughs and keeps adults more invested. Spider-Gwen adds some girl power. And when dark and angsty Spider Noir (Nicholas Cage), Looney Tunes inspired Spider-Ham and anime style Peni Parker come in, they work together to well for being so hilariously different. I loved the running rubix cube joke.
I took my four year old son to see Spider-Man around Christmas and realized during the film that I had taught him nothing about Spider-Man. Just another one of my many parental shortcomings. However, my kid was not lost, in fact he came home excited to tell his father all about Spider-Man. (“Did you know Spider-Man got super ‘cause a rainbow spider bited him?!”) Though I think some of the story was over his head, he enjoyed it, wasn’t afraid of anything and it kept his attention. And can I say it is so refreshing to take my little kid to a superhero movie that isn’t Disney? Thank you Marvel!
But the thing that makes Spider-Verse so great is the way it shows us that anyone can be behind the mask. With infinite spider-verses, there are so many chances to be the hero. The fact that this story focuses on an African-American Puerto Rican kid from Brooklyn is wonderful and I’m so happy that my little boy gets to see so much diversity in film at an early age.
The Oscar nominations are mere weeks away from being announced and I can feel my spidey senses tingling for this film, especially after the Golden Globes win. The animation here is so unique, cool, colorful and fun for all ages I can feel myself taking a leap of faith and saying this film will absolutely be nominated for best animated feature. Will it win animated feature? Honestly, I hope so.
“That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.”
In Monster House, DJ lives across the street from Mr. Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi), the creepy old man on the block, and his equally creepy house. Whenever a ball lands on his lawn or a little girl veers her tricycle off the sidewalk, Nebbercracker runs out yelling, “Get off my lawn!” and takes the toy, scaring the kids away. Lately, DJ has been watching his every move. 
The unique design used in Monster House sets it apart from most other animated films. The characters are a slightly stylized out of reality but not created to be overly cute, like in so many other animated films. Nebbercracker and Bones are both wonderfully creepy characters in very different ways while DJ and his friends are lovably dorky kids. Even better, the imagination and style used to turn a creepy house into an all out monster works great here. Little details go a long way, from the way shingles ruffle and the porch contorts to teeth to the interior’s dark and cavernous appearance. 
Monster House is a lovably creepy film perfect for Halloween that will engage the whole family. Some themes might be a bit much for very young kids, but the older ones will appriciate a cartoon that isn’t watered down too muh. And while you may think you know how this story is going to go (duh, the house is a monster) there is more here than you would have expected. Way back when I first saw this film, my brother and I really enjoyed the major revelation and how it became a very redeeming factor. That and the high caliber animation helped seal the film’s Oscar nomination for best animated feature. I suggest enjoying this film as a family before trick-or-treating. 
Ever since I was a kid there was this particular image associated with the name Hellraiser. It might come to your mind as well; a man wearing tight black clothing and all over his chalk white face in a very geometric pattern are thin needles protruding out. Like a human albino cactus. I saw this image with nearly every visit to the local video store, slapped on countless VHS tapes of Hellraiser. It intrigued and scared me. Now over twenty years later, I’ve finally seen the movie that scared me with its box.
…And it kinda sucked. But hear me out! It’s not a complete loss. While I can’t say it’s a very good movie or that I really liked it, in the moment I honestly enjoyed and appreciated this sick, twisted, gross, creepy mess of a film. 
Yeah, the plot is a hot mess, but it is kind of fun in a dumb way. By the end of the movie I was enjoying how over-the-top some moments could be and I had some serious questions. Like who was that guy at the pet store and why did he turn into pterodactyl bones at the end? And why? Why, god why? But honestly, I don’t care, I was just happy to witness this weird, messed up wild ride.
From the very beginning, the filmmakers of The Conjuring want you to understand that what you’re about to watch is based on a true story. Maybe they know that makes this story all the more terrifying. With any movie, we expect some exaggerations and liberties to be taken for dramatic effect, but when deciding how much of this horrific tale is true, I’d be left aghast at any of these creepy occurrences being true. The Conjuring tells the story of a case Ed and Lorraine Warren (portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) took in the early 1970s. Supposedly, it’s so terrifying that they decided to keep it under wraps, until now. 
When the Perron family move into an old farm house, they start noticing some creepy occurrences. As the family happily walks into their new home, the dog refuses to go in. They discover a cellar that’s been boarded up. And soon strange noises happen. The youngest child starts talking to an imaginary friend. Another starts sleepwalking, always bumping into an old wardrobe. Soon, doors start closing, the mother has unexplainable bruises and one daughter sees someone behind her bedroom door. This case has it all and the family call the Warrens for help.
The whole setting is designed to be so dark and foreboding. That dog had the right idea to not even step foot in that creepy house. The inside feels like a cave; hollow, deep and dark. The walls are a creepy texture of gray with a touch of green for a sickly color. The whole house looks like no happiness could ever occur within those walls. Only fear, pain and tragedy. 
What I believe makes this film so truly scary is the careful storytelling. We see these events unfold so organically around this family that we can relate to so easily that we cannot help but be pulled in and feel a part of this terror. And when Lorraine explains the history behind these hauntings, the story gets a whole level deeper and thrills viewers even more. By the crazy-intense third act, we are hanging onto our seats and crucifixes for dear life. 
Overall, The Conjuring is a truly scary movie and one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen. The dark setting, the uneasy suspense and horrific third act all add up for a terrifying ride. Whether or not you choose to believe, the based on a true story bit can make it even more horrific. I watched this film at home, in the middle of a hot summer day with my newborn son. I’ll admit that at one point I jumped so hard while holding him that he woke up and was not happy with me. And I tried my best not to think about this movie during his late night feedings. Unless you’re really not scared of anything, keep the lights on and don’t do it alone. 
The first time I saw Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey was about ten years ago on a computer screen across the room. Though I was intrigued, it was late and collectively, my husband and I slept through half the movie. Disappointing, I know. However, a few weeks ago, my brother gave me a wonderful birthday gift: the chance to see this great film the best way possible, in 70 mm IMAX. It was a beautiful, immersive experience that blew me away and made me truly appreciate this amazing science fiction classic. 
Sometimes even after seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey people have trouble putting into words what exactly this film is about. It’s not the sort of film that focuses on a tangible story, but more of a medication of linking images that connect to show the human race advancing thanks to some help from mysterious beings across the universe. That’s how I interpret it anyway, but let me try to plot out a plot. 
By the end of the film, we’re left more questions than answers. Who brought the monoliths to Earth and the moon? Why does it make such an ear-piercing noise? Does HAL want to prevent humans from reaching the next monolith? Where exactly did Dave go? What’s up with the space baby? I don’t know if there are any concrete answers, and that’s fine by me. I feel that this film is supposed to make us feel a bit uneasy, question our existence and what’s beyond everything we know. 
What makes this film so amazing is the spectacular visuals. The Earth, moon and Sun align with the triumphantly iconic opening music. An ape smashes sun bleached bones that fly into a dazzling blue sky. The bone white spaceships move gracefully along a background of stars. We see huge, spinning space stations and spacecraft moving together in a mesmerizing cosmic ballet. Inside the spacecrafts, people move in precise, gravity defying ways that boggle the mind. HAL’s menacing red eye is ever-watching. Traveling beyond the infinite is a technicolor ride that I had me holding onto my seat in Indiana’s largest IMAX theater. 
It’s been fourteen years since we first met Pixar’s family of superheroes, yet their story picks up from the moment the first film ended. It opens with the Parr family springing into action to stop The Underminer, while they juggle babysitting Jack Jack, and it ensures us that this film will be full of fun, family focused, fast paced action. 
However, the day does does not end well for the Parrs, as superheroes are still illegal. The agent who has been helping them stay undercover for years can only offer them two weeks in a motel before they’re on their own. So when a wealthy, nostalgic benefactor hoping to make supers legal again offers Elastigirl a job, complete with a swanky high tech house for the family, the Parrs take it. Soon a new villain rises, targeting Elastigirl and could jeopardize the plan to legalize supers. 
One of the funniest scenes shows Jack-Jack fighting his first enemy: a raccoon in the yard. Many of his powers are revealed as Jack-Jack moves through the glass door, morphs into his monster-baby form, bursts into flames throwing lawn chairs and splits into multiple clones, chasing off the hilariously bewildered raccoon. And when Bob finds him, the excitement about his baby’s new powers is soon met with the insurmountable task of keeping him safe. Thankfully, Edna is willing to help, in her own fabulous way. 
One thing I want to warn viewers about is the fact that the film uses a visual effect similar to a strobe light in multiple parts of the film. For those sensitive to such visuals, beware or wait to watch the film at home. It was pretty intense in a dark, crowded theater. 
Hello readers, sorry it’s been a while. As of the last post here, I was uncomfortably 31 weeks pregnant with kid number 2. Since then, I swelled up to the point that I could barely walk and gave birth to a nearly 9 lb baby. My son was born on July 4th, so we’ll be watching Yankee Doodle Dandy and Born on the Fourth of July at some point when he’s older. Between diapers, late night feedings, postpartum recovery, and taking my 4 year old to preschool, there has been little time for film fun. 
