Minions: The Rise of Gru

Minions: The Rise of Gru review by Tanya Djavadzadeh

Written by: Matthew Fogel, story by Brian Lynch

Directed by: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, & Jonathan del Val

Rating: 🏆 most excellent

Minions: The Rise of Gru is a blast from the past as we get into the groove and go back to Gru’s childhood set in the 1970s. The aspiring villain dreams of joining the supervillain supergroup  - The Vicious 6. He gets the opportunity to interview for the team, which is quickly bombed, and the chaos begins. Gru’s loyal Minions, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto will do anything to protect their leader and help him reach his goal to become the world’s greatest villain ever known! 

The film is full of colorful, psychedelic visuals which make for such an exciting watch. We’re in the disco era, baby! This is represented in the entertainment industry through music and film a lot more lately to the point where Apple has even given us a disco ball emoji - exciting times. The musical influences from the 70s are portrayed through the soundtrack in the background, but also during fun scenes with the Minions who created their own adapted versions of some songs. The editing in certain scenes enhances the visuals in a way that makes many moments very suspenseful. The outfits the characters wear throughout the film truly give you a groovy feel! I'm obsessed. 

Minions are amazing, loyal beings who deserve the world. Sometimes, Gru doesn't realize what is right in front of him which can truly hurt the Minions' feelings, but to them- it’s okay. They will do anything to make Gru happy. I feel like I resonate with a different Minion in each film of the franchise. In this particular film, Otto stole my heart. I loved him from the moment he started his Banana language rants. Otto is a superstar in my eyes and should be cherished by the masses. 

Minions: The Rise of Gru is a silly, lighthearted, and enjoyable time. It's probably one of my favorite animated films to come out recently. I laughed with the children around me which made my inner child jump with joy. I left the theater with a huge smile on my face. I love the energy Minions have and feel like we need more of that in the Universe right now. Go watch it!

The Mitchells vs the Machines

written and directed by: Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe

Rating: ⭐ better than a psl

Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) has always felt like an outcast, but when she gets into a film school for college she’s excited because she’s finally found her people. Her father (Danny McBride) is sad that he and Katie don’t really connect anymore, so he cancels her flight to college and plans one last road trip for family bonding. But along the way a robot apocalypse starts and the fate of humanity now depends on the Mitchells.

I seriously loved this movie so much. The themes are universal and I think audiences young and old will appreciate and relate to the story of a parent being afraid of their child slipping away, and a teenager’s need for independence and pursuing their own dreams. The movie does a great job of incorporating a pretty serious theme, but still making it lighthearted enough to entertain younger audiences. The animation style in this movie is really fun and adds to the film’s offbeat humor. You feel like you’re in a YouTube viral video at moments, which totally plays with the tech elements in the film. This is one of 2021’s best movies and it’s a must watch with or without kids!

Review written by Zianna Weston

Cruella

written by Dana Fox and tony McNamara

Directed by Craig Gillespie

Rating: 👌 ok

Cruella tells the back story of one of Disney’s all time best villains, Cruella de Vil. Before she set out after Roger and Anita’s beloved Dalmatians, who was Cruella? And what made her such a cruel devil?

I really wanted to like this movie. 101 Dalmatians is one of my favorite Disney movies, and a huge part of why it works so well is because Cruella makes the perfect bat sh*t crazy villain. But I spent most of Cruella’s 2+ hour runtime wondering when this film would finally end. They throw a lot at you. FASHION 💥 POP MUSIC 💥 DISRUPTING THE STATUS QUO 💥 But it left the film feeling overworked from start to finish. 101 Dalmatians is such a simple and well executed plot, and Cruella is the complete opposite. I don’t mind a longer run time when every scene is important and moves the plot forward. But a lot of Cruella felt like it could have been replaced with a fast paced montage.

It had elements of a heist movie, which worked really well and I wish that had been explored more. But at the end of the day, Cruella feels like little more than a cash cow left wide open for sequels. It’s not a bad movie per se, but it’s definitely not good.

Written by Zianna Weston

Scoob!

Written by Matt Lieberman, Adam Sztykiel, Jack C. Donaldson & Derek Elliott

Directed by Tony Cervone

Rating: 🙅🏻‍♀️ thank u, next

Scoob! is the origin story of Shaggy and Scooby Doo that literally no one asked for. It goes for an irreverent, edgy humor that a) isn’t funny to adults and b) feels downright inappropriate for a kids movie. The villain’s name is Dick Dastardly, and there are SO MANY DICK JOKES IN A KIDS MOVIE. Thank god I watched this movie without kids because it would have made me uncomfortable to have to explain the humor to a child. Scooby Doo is such a beloved character, but he talks in full on sentences in Scoob! and it’s weird and takes away from his charm. Do yourself a favor and stick to reruns if you’re looking to get your mystery machine fix. 

Review written by Zianna Weston

The Addams Family

Written by Matt Lieberman

directed by greg tiernan and conrad vernon

rating: 🔥

The beloved mysterious and spooky Addams family are back in this animated film.

This movie was really cute. I enjoyed the freedom afforded to the storyline from being an animated film. It allowed the filmmakers to be creative and try new things which is important when you’re telling a story that has been retold so often. I won’t give away any of the plot, but I will say that Alison Janney voicing the antagonist is a highpoint of the film and I really enjoyed the conflict presented in this movie. Watching this movie has made me rethink my 🔥 rating for the 1991 remake. While I really enjoyed the animated version, it fell short of the live-action version in every way, ESPECIALLY in regards to Uncle Fester. I’m giving the animated version a 🔥 and the live action remake a ⭐️.

Review written by Zianna Weston

The Addams Family

Written by caroline thompson and Larry Wilson

directed by barry sonnenfeld

rating: ⭐️

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky, the Addams family.

It’s always pleasant to rewatch a childhood favorite and discover that the movie still kicks ass, and that’s definitely what happened with The Addams Family. The film has everything I look for in a kid’s movie; Rube Goldberg contraptions, over-the-top costumes, adults that don’t take themselves too seriously, clever dialogue, and plot twists. The acting is top notch, the script is well-written, the story arc is fully actualized, and the costumes and set design are iconic. I didn’t know it was possible, but I love this movie more now than I did in the nineties.

Review written by Zianna Weston

The Princess and the Frog

written by Ron Clements, John Musker, and Rob Edwards

Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker

Rating: 👌🏼

The Princess and the Frog. Tiana is desperate to open a restaurant when she accidentally kisses a frog, the enchanted Prince Naveen, and the two must work together to overcome voodoo magic and become human again.

I am a self-proclaimed big freaking Disney fan, and although the storyline is cute, I can’t help but feel like this film was undercooked. The jazzy songs are forgettable, the animation looks like it was done in the 80s and not 2009, and the voodoo subject matter is pretty dark for a kids movie. While I enjoy this movie, I can’t help but compare it to other Disney films, and this one falls short of most of those films. But I do have to give my girl Tiana a special shoutout because she’s the closest I’ll ever get to having a Disney Princess named after me.

Review written by Zianna Weston