Raya and the Last Dragon - Movie Review

The Movie: Raya and the Last Dragon

The Directors: Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada

The Co-Directors: Paul Briggs and John Ripa

The Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, Izaac Wang, Thalia Tran, Alan Tudyk, Lucille Soong, Patti Harrison and Ross Butler

The Story: In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

Frozen II - Movie Review

The Movie: Frozen II

The Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

The Cast: Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Evan Rachel Wood, Jason Ritter, Idina Menzel, Sterling K. Brown, Alan Tudyk, Josh Gad, Rachel Matthews, Ciarán Hinds, Alfred Molina

The Story: Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom.

Ralph Breaks the Internet - Movie Review

The Movie: Ralph Breaks the Internet

The Directors: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore

The Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Ed O'Neill

The Story: Ralph breaks the internet and then tries to fix it.

2016 Recap - The Performances

In 2016, I watched a lot of movies. Probably more in one year than I ever have before so there was a lot of acting to take in. Most are passable and get the job done adequately and then there's a few that make you cringe and wish the casting director had made a different choice. Finally, there is a select handful that really catch my attention and never for the same reason. These performances are so unique, often very powerful, and, if nothing else, they are just fun to watch on screen.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Movie Review

The Movie:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the latest installment of the Star Wars saga and tells the story of how the rebel alliance obtained the plans for the infamous Death Star battle station. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the movie features acting performances from Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelson, Jimmy Smits, and James Earl Jones.

Moana - Movie Review

Moana, created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, introduces audiences to a young girl who will be chief of her island tribe and a demigod who must help her save the world. The film features vocal performances from Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Sina, and Alan Tudyk.

Zootopia - Movie Review

Zootopia is the latest animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and was co directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush. The film features the voice talents of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira.

Trumbo - Movie Review

Trumbo, directed by Jay Roach (The Campaign), is an historical drama based off of a book written by Bruce Cook. The movie stars Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, James DuMont, Alan Tudyk, Louis C.K., Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Elle Fanning, and John Goodman.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - Movie Review

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is directed by Wes Ball who was also behind the cameras for the first installment of the franchise which is based on novels written by James Dashner. The movie stars Dylan O'Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden, Alexander Flores, Jacob Lofland, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, Aiden Gillen, Lili Taylor, Barry Pepper, and Alan Tudyk.

Big Hero 6 - Movie Review

Big Hero 6 is the latest animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios and was co directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams. The movie features the voice talents of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans, Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, and Maya Rudolph.

Frozen - Movie Review

Disney continues a long tradition of family friendly animated features with Frozen which tells a tale of two sisters who must overcome the icy walls that have been put up between them. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee also co-wrote the story alongside Shane Morris and voice acting is provided by Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana, and Josh Gad.

42 - Movie Review

If you don't know who Jackie Robinson is, then you really need to brush up on your American history as it pertains to civil rights. 42 stars Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford and is based on the real life story of the courageous and talented individual who broke Major League Baseball's long standing color barrier and the efforts of Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey to give him the opportunity.

Wreck-It Ralph - Movie Review

Disney's animation department has seen its share of ups and downs over the years with Pixar taking the spotlight away from what was once considered the gold standard and basically the only game in town. Now you also have Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox raising the level of competition to even greater heights to the point where Walt Disney Animation Studios has lost some of its former luster, but hopes to regain that former glory with an all new hero in Wreck-It Ralph.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Movie Review

When you look at director Timur Bekmambetov's previous efforts like Nightwatch, Daywatch, and Wanted, you instantly think he would be a perfect fit to make a movie like "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". The examples I mentioned all have a visual style that is a ideal for a movie about how the 16th President of the United States wages a war against the undead while leading the nation towards freedom and equality.