Short Reviews #10

By: James Southworth

Movies
Love, Simon
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

I have been interested in seeing this movie ever since I heard about it, and the trailers for it looked genuinely charming and sweet. "Love, Simon" was talked about pretty heavily on social media, with it and "Black Panther" both being touted as two of the most important movies out there for minorities in America: respectively the LGBT community and African Americans. I finally saw the movie, and figured it would make more sense to put this in one one of my Short Reviews series since it's been such a long time since the movie was out. If you didn't already know this film is about Simon, who says in the film that he has it all. He has the great accepting parents, a sweet sister, a strong group of friends, and is very well-liked in his school community. He has just one big secret: he's gay, and still hasn't told anyone about it. However, he soon meets this person online who just calls themselves "Blue", and it turns out both of them have the same issue. Simon soon falls for this person while also going on his own journey of trying to gain the courage to tell everyone his big secret. Now, this film isn't perfect (and I'll get into why later). But, it is undeniably charming. A lot of critics have said this film feels like something John Hughes would've made, with obviously some modern tendencies thrown in. And I can totally see that. In many ways, this film feels like a throwback to 80s rom-coms and coming of age films. This isn't too surprising coming from director Greg Berlanti, who has also worked on the heavily 80's inspired TV show "Riverdale". Berlanti confidently leads this film along in its plot, as the movie moves on at a very enjoyable pace, giving the audience room to breathe when needed. I loved particularly the comedic potential he brought out of Simon's dream sequences, especially one where Simon imagines straight people "coming out" to their parents. I actually laughed aloud at that sequence; it was ingeniously delivered. I found some of the performances to be good. The only one that I would say really impressed me is Nick Robinson as the titular character. He brings so much charisma to Simon, and even makes Simon likeable in the midst of some of his faults. I can see why this film is being called important in context of this character: we get a fully realized LGBT individual whose sexuality is a part of them. But, there is also so much to him beyond his sexuality: he has friends who care about them, a family life, and most importantly, he has flaws. It's not like this is the first time we've had a fully fleshed out gay character, but this is one that will find relatability with the modern generation. It was nice to see Katherine Langford's acting talents get utilized to their full potential here as she plays Simon's best friend Leah. And though Jennifer Garner as Simon's mom doesn't have a big role to play, she does get what is probably the best scene in the film with him. I found Keiynan Lonsdale and Alexandra Shipp highly enjoyable in their respective roles as Bram and Abby as well. There are some issues with this film. One is that it's almost too predictable. The movie tries to present this big mystery: who is Blue? But I pretty much had it figured out from Simon's second interaction with one of the possible Blues. I also feel as though some of the performances here were a little underwhelming or didn't fit the movie. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Nick was not too memorable. Logan Miller's turn as Martin, the antagonist of the film, was very cringe worthy. He felt like the ultimate embodiment of an obnoxious jock stereotype- which is weird, because Martin is supposed to be a theatre student. His personality doesn't really work with that, and I think that may have been due to his misguided and often bad turn. While both Tony Hale and Natasha Rothwell as two high school teachers gave me a couple laughs, I still felt their over the top performances didn't quite fit what was an overall grounded film. If the film was a bit more ridiculous in context, they would've worked fine, but as they are, it's a bit disorienting. Still, I can't find it in myself to dislike too much of "Love, Simon". In fact, I really like this movie. It's charming, touching, and has a conclusion that will probably leave you with a smile on your face. Even if it's not one of my favorites of the year, I'd still recommend it!

Music
"III" by Hillsong Young and Free
Rating: 3/5 Stars 

Music has been a bit underwhelming this summer (with one exception, which I'll be giving a full review to in a separate post soon). This is to be expected, as usually in the summer nothing that interesting comes out. Most records around this time are trying to be fun, with not too much deep stuff going on in them. That was not the intent, however, with Hillsong Young and Free's newest album "III". Now, if you know me, you know that my overall opinion of this worship group is heavily negative. While this group did have a pretty solid song in "Sinking Deep", I've felt that pretty much every other song/album of theirs embodies the most generic tendencies of modern worship music. When there are so many other bands innovating and rejuvenating this genre, Hillsong Y+F felt like they just wanted to be safe. That is frustratingly still the case for their newest album "III", although it's not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, there are a couple songs on here that impressed me. The lead single "Love Won't Let Me Down" is legitimately catchy, containing a chorus with an excellent hook. They even use their electronic effects in a way that doesn't sound overblown and cheesy. This album actually takes some risks on a couple songs. "Push/Pull" is one of the best examples of this. It has beautiful vocal chemistry between the lead male and female vocalist. "Peace" is probably the best song on the album, containing some of this band's best lyrical content: "You are peace to a restless soul/Peace when my thoughts wage war/Peace to the anxious heart". It's not mind-blowing, but it's far better than what they've done in the past. Opening track "Let Go" also has some infectious energy to it, and "Highs and Lows" ends this album on a surprisingly epic note. Unfortunately in this album's 17-track run time, there's WAY too much content that is either tedious or cliched. "Just Jesus" and "Jesus Loves Me" both repeat their chorus to the point of absolute boredom, and both are excessively slow and droning. Songs like "Hindsight" and "Every Little Thing" feel like they're trying to have fun. However, the band just doesn't put enough energy into them in any aspect, especially from a musical standpoint. There are these "Selah" interludes that occur. I guess they're meant to make the album sound cohesive and flowing. The problem is, they feel pointless and like they're meant to draw out time. This album is over an hour an eight minutes, which is way too long. If there were better content, maybe I wouldn't have minded too much. This album isn't bad. I appreciated the fact that this band was taking risks. If they push their boundaries more like they did on "Peace" or "Push/Pull", then I might even grow to like this band. But for now, this release is still pretty middle of the road. I would recommend listening to the highlights I mentioned, and maybe even giving the album at least one listen.

Favorite Songs: "Peace", "Push/Pull", "Highs and Lows", "Let Go", "Love Won't Let Me Down"
Least Favorite Songs: "Jesus Loves Me", "Just Jesus", "Hindsight", "Selah I/II/III"

"Vicious" by Halestorm
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

There has been a consistent trend among some of the biggest radio rock bands this year with their new releases. Whether it be Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Fall Out Boy, or now Halestorm, all of their releases have felt just so watered down. Some of them have even been straight up awful (looking at you, FOB and TDG). Halestorm's newest, "Vicious", doesn't quite fit into the "awful" category. But, it is still pretty disappointing. I don't know why I was expecting much. After all, this band released "Into the Wild Life" three years ago. That album was a very cringe worthy attempt at southern rock. Maybe the reason I was so disappointed in this album is because I really love the lead single "Uncomfortable". That track is just a ball of manic energy, never once letting up. Lzzy Hale actually gets to show some grit in her vocals in a way that's reminiscent to one of the band's best songs, "Love Bites". There's even a sort of rap/rock style to this track that felt different for the band. Unfortunately, most of the rest of this release fits safely within the confines of basic radio rock. There are some moments that leap off the page. Beginning track "Black Vultures" is pretty heavy with some excellent drum work. The chorus is memorable as Lzzy shows off some brutal anger there. I also adore the guitar work in "Killing Ourselves to Live". I wish there were more shredding moments like that on this album, because this track actually ended up being my favorite moment on the whole album. I guess "Heart of Novocaine" is an earnest enough ballad, even if it is cliched in equating love to a drug. That's where the positives for this album come to an end. Speaking of comparing love to drugs, there are so, so, so many songs doing just that. Whether it be "Painkiller", "Buzz", "Conflicted", or "Skulls". That's nearly half the album that makes a comparison that listeners have heard in dozens of other rock songs. "Conflicted" and "Painkiller" are both especially obnoxious in how they utilize them. The worst song comes in "Do Not Disturb", which is trying to be sexy but made me internally gag. Lzzy's vocal performance comes across as annoying and without charm, and the chorus doesn't work at all. Closing track "The Silence" leaves this album out on the least memorable note possible. This release is pretty bad. It's not the worst thing in the world, and it's an improvement over the band's last album. However, that's not saying much. I wouldn't recommend this album, save for the few good moments on here.

Favorite Songs: "Killing Ourselves To Live", "Uncomfortable", "Black Vultures"
Least Favorite Songs: "Do Not Disturb", "Conflicted", "Painkiller", "Skulls", "The Silence"

"Cage to Rattle" by Daughtry
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Remember when Daughtry used to be good? That time has been so long ago. There was a point where, as a kid, I was actually sort of addicted to them. The band's self-titled and "Leave This Town" are both pretty still good releases. I will say now that I'm older, neither of them hold up as much. I hardly ever listen to either of them. In fact, I haven't listened to Daughtry at all ever since the colossal catastrophe of "Baptized" came and went without much fanfare. That album was awful, but somehow, this release may even be worse. At least on "Baptized", the band went full on ridiculous in a way that could be remembered. This album has hardly anything to it at all. The album's title would make you think it's this intense rock album. Chris Daughtry has claimed that this release is the hardest the band has ever worked on an album. But there's 10 tracks, and this release is only about 36 minutes long. It feels lazy and downright frustrating at points. The only song I absolutely enjoyed on here was "Gravity". It at least has Chris delivering some passionate vocals, and the instrumentation is solid enough. "Bad Habits" is a somewhat intriguing track to me as well, with some off the wall lyricism that I've never heard the band attempt before. Otherwise, this release is a struggle to get through, even with its short run time. There are some of the most groan inducing love songs I've ever heard on this album, with two of the worst being "Just Found Heaven" and "As You Are". I don't know who Chris is writing for at this point, as I can't see what demographic these songs would appeal to. "Stuff of Legends" is almost laughable in how hard it's trying to be this edgy rock track. It has some of the absolute worst lyricism I've heard all year long: "Fight with mercy, love and anger/They won't get to me, get to me/Cause that's the stuff of legends". I haven't heard the expression "stuff of legends" used in ages, so this track feels already outdated. It's handily one of the worst songs of the year. Just please...whatever you do, don't waste your time on this trash. I predict that this album is only going to put Daughtry into further irrelevance. 

Favorite Songs: "Gravity", "Bad Habits"
Least Favorite Songs: "Stuff of Legends", "Just Found Heaven", "As You Are", "White Flag", "Death of Me" 

Top 10 Anberlin Songs

By: James Southworth

It's been a while since I've done a top 10 countdown. I figured it would be fitting for my next one to be Anberlin. This is partly because they are one of my top 5 bands, and the fourth anniversary for their final album "Lowborn" was just two days ago. Anberlin had an excellent run for the time they were together, releasing five stellar albums, one good album, and one that was slightly weaker ("New Surrender") but still relatively solid. This band did a great job at traversing the boundaries between their Christian and secular audiences, making songs that could appeal and relate to both sides. So here they are, my top 10 favorite Anberlin songs of all time!

Honorable Mentions: “A Whisper and a Clamor”, “The Resistance”, “Self-Starter”, “Cold War Transmissions”, “Type Three”, “Reclusion”, “Hearing Voices”, “Birds of Prey”, "Closer", "Impossible"

10. "Someone Anyone" (Vital) 

For the longest time, this was my favorite Anberlin song. Before "Vital", this band leaned strictly within the rock genre, although they of course took some risks with their sound. But fusing electronics with rock was a concept to me that, at my younger age, I never thought could work. I really hated anything that had to do with electronics/synthesizers back in the day, as I associated it with pop music. But when I heard "Someone Anyone", my eyes were opened to the potentials that could be offered when genres are fused together- and done well. Anberlin seamlessly used electronics along with guitars, creating a soundscape that worked for them immensely well. It's a little bittersweet to me that they only got to do this sound for two albums (using electronics even more heavily on "Lowborn", and it working about as well), but I'm glad I at least got to hear it. Stephen Christian's vocals are on point in this song, as he uses his typically beautiful singing voice, but also lets his vocals actually have some grit in the chorus. I love how complex this song is in questioning whether wars, literally/metaphorically, are truly effective. The song doesn't really reach an answer, and that's what I like about it. A topic so deep can be hard to answer, and the band does a good job at exploring the nuances in context of what is one of their most intense songs out there.

9. "Paper Thin Hymn" (Never Take Friendship Personal)

I don't really listen to this song that often, because it is so heartbreaking and powerful. Every time I think about this cut, I associate it with what is a legitimately wonderful music video that conveys the emotion of the song perfectly. Anberlin has made plenty of tracks that pack an emotional punch, but the artistry of this one makes it particularly poignant. This song talks has Stephen telling a personal story about a dear family member who passed away from cancer. Christian talks about how important it is to keep the ones you love close, utilizing beautiful visual imagery to illustrate his point: "August evenings/Bring solemn warnings to remember/To kiss the ones you love goodnight/You never know what temporal days may bring/Laugh, love, live free, and sing". I mean wow, I don't know if I've ever heard this thematic arc done quite the way the band presents it. Musically, this song does a good job of staying within soft rock, while incorporating some harder rock tendencies that are reminiscent of their early years. This was only the band's second album, and you could already see how well Stephen does at having his voice deliver emotion in a way that doesn't sound overdone. This song is just beautiful. It's a fan favorite, and there's good reason why.

8. "The Unwinding Cable Car" (Cities)

Like I said in my intro, I've always felt that Anberlin has done a good job at writing lyrics that can connect to both Christian and secular songs. This song, however, feels like it was written specifically with Stephen's faith in God in mind. This isn't a bad thing though, as once again poetic lyrics illustrate the message he's trying to get across without it being over the top. Instead, the emotion of the track comes out in a natural way, which is what I've always loved about Anberlin. This song is also unique in another way, it's almost entirely acoustic, with drums only coming in near the end of the track. The band doesn't have too many strictly acoustic driven songs on their studio albums. Normally, I am not the biggest fan of bare bones song structures, but for this song it works. It feels like Christian is talking in a direct and personable way to his audience. I love the line in the song "This is the correlation between salvation and love". This track, to me, is Stephen telling another person that they are loved by God no matter where what place they might be at. It even seems to me that this person could have a mental illness, which makes Stephen's graceful explanation of God to them all the more compelling.

7. "Stranger Ways" (Lowborn)

I still remember where I was when I was listening to this track. I had already been somewhat dismayed to hear that Anberlin was breaking up after this final album, so I was hoping and praying that their last album would be something memorable. This song was the lead single, and it blew my expectations even higher for the album (and thankfully, my expectations were met, as "Lowborn" is flawless in my opinion). This track is unlike anything the band has done, sounding nothing like any of their other tracks to this day. The 80's influences in this track are apparent. When you listen to this song, I think you will instantly be enraptured by the wonderfully executed synth lines going up against a menacing piano riff. This song, on surface level, is a love song. But there's a bit of a dark vibe to it. The lyrics in this track are off kilter and might seem confusing on first listen, but I think that's the songs intent: "A little bit closer to finding the real you/A little bit closer to finding the truth/Stranger things have happened/Stronger men have answered". To me, this song is a dark ode to Anberlin's legacy as a band. They found a love for making music together, which seemed like a once in a lifetime, strange opportunity. But now, they're not so strong and can't make music together anymore, so the "truth" is that they can no longer be a band together. Even if that interpretation isn't the band's intent, I still find this song to be so intriguing. The musical soundscape here is absolutely wonderful to the ears, and Christian's vocals reach some unexpected heights. Seriously, check this song out!

6. "Orpheum" (Vital)

Speaking of menacing tracks, this song has always given me cold chills, and I've never been able to quite explain why. Maybe it's because this track does such a good job at encompassing the various era of sounds Anberlin has gone through. It has a little bit of everything: the harder rock grittiness of their first two albums, the more radio rock accessibility of their later three albums, and of course the electronics of "Vital". This song is a compilation of what made Anberlin so unique within the rock genre. I can't even really describe it, like "Stranger Ways" this is a song that is something you need to experience for yourself. Christian tells a story here that seems entirely metaphorical or symbolic to me. He talks about how he felt he was so confident and knew everything about himself, until someone else comes into his life and starts doing their own thing. This makes him question everything he thought he was certain about. I've always felt that this might be Christian talking about his problems with temptation. This high that he's seen is making him want to lose control, so much so that he might even be losing his soul. I've always felt this track is a dark warning about addiction and how easy it can be to relinquish your soul. This track is deep, there's no denying that, and it might take a few listens for you to really peel away the layers and appreciate all this song has to offer.

5. "Glass to the Arson" (Blueprints for the Black Market)

If you want to see Anberlin at their raw, hard rocking best, then you have to hear this track. It may even surprise you to find out that this song actually comes from their debut, when even in their first album this band sounded like they were already veterans. I find myself constantly thinking about how underrated this band's debut is, because most everything about it works well. This song right here is the cream of the crop in the album, though. I love the intro of this song where Stephen Christian's vocals seem on the verge of screaming but not quite there yet. The guitar also seems to be on the cusp of exploding- and then it does, and in delightful fashion. This is one of the few Anberlin songs that I would say you could call a headbanger. Christian bleeds nearly unbridled anger towards this person that has deceived him time and time again; it has made him cold to the world. This is definitely the band at their angriest, but almost in a way that is shameless fun. I've heard this song live, and it's a real treat to see everyone screaming the lyrics along with Stephen. Easily the most fun I've had listening to an Anberlin song, which is why this one ranks within my top 5.

4. "Feel Good Drag" (New Surrender)

It might be cliched to have debatedly Anberlin's biggest single on my list, but I don't care. How could you not like this song? I will say I struggled a bit of whether to put the more intense "Never Take Friendship Personal" one here instead (which has a surprising gut wrenching scream from Christian that he's never done again, with the exception of "Dissenter"). However, that one is a bit rougher around the edge production-wise, and I heard the "New Surrender" version first, so I'm a bit more biased towards it. I still think that, even though this version is more radio friendly, it still hits hard. The guitar riffs at the beginning were destined to be iconic. They deserve to be remembered, as they are indicative of the most classic tendencies of Anberlin. The lyrics are also pretty standard Anberlin affair, as Christian discusses how deception in relationships of any kind can almost be a type of high. It's not a good kind of high, but hate and blame can be something that gets people off very easily. He talks about this quite frankly within the lyrical content "Everyone in this town/Is seeing somebody else/Everybody's tired of someone/Our eyes wonder for help". Christian isn't accusatory of any specific person; instead he talks about how all of us have this disease that we don't want to get rid of. Let me just repeat again that the musicality of this track is excellent as well. There's a delightful guitar solo, and the explosive riffs and drumming at the end of this song makes the tracks conclusion all the more memorable.

3. "Fin" (Cities)

My number three and number two pick are both nearly neck and neck with one another. Both of them embody probably the thing I love most about Anberlin: their concluding epics. All of my top 3 Anberlin songs are all easily of the epic genre, having a grandiose feel to them while also being surprisingly subdued and subtle. I know that epics aren't usually meant to have subtle tendencies within them, but something about "Fin" does. Man, this track is haunting. I remember being left broken when I first heard this song as Stephen Christian sings "Aren't we all to you just lost causes?". This song is, at first, about the hypocrisy of all Christians. Stephen Christian tells four different stories, with one of them being about his own personal battle with God and Satan. All of them are meant to show that Christians without God are, ultimately, lost causes. Stephen shows his conflict with wondering why Christians should be accepted into heaven above those who are not, because Christians are hypocritical and not any more deserving of God's grace. It's such a raw honesty that I don't see many bands going for. This song is brutal in how it talks about the faults of all humanity. No matter where we end up, even on an island by ourselves, it will still be permeated with us... the lost causes. But there is a redemption in this song at the end where Stephen cries out to God to help him see the Heaven in his life rather than the Hell he's living in. What a song.

2. "Gods, Drugs, & Sex" (Vital) 

Some people have characterized "Fin" as Anberlin's most hopeless and tragic song that they've ever penned. While I see where people come from with that claim, I stand by my opinion that "God, Drugs, & Sex" takes the cake for the most bleak song that Anberlin's done. Like I've said many a time before, it takes a lot to win me over with a relationship centered song. This track is certainly a break up ballad in every sense of the word. But, like with a lot of the band's other relationship tracks, they do a good job of framing it in a unique way. This track tragically details a relationship that continues to drift away over time. Stephen is very specific in the reasons why the two drifted away: they believe differently about key things that define them: their views of God, drugs, and sex. Clearly Stephen would be on the side of viewing God as real, and that drugs and sex should be things approached with caution. But the other person doesn't really care about any of them. They don't matter one way or another. There's something disturbing about this to me; that a person could be so lifeless as to not care about any of the things that make them who they are. But then the reality of the situation is explored, as Stephen also says, "I don't mean a thing/By it now, do I now sweetheart". This is what is the even bigger problem: the other person in the relationship doesn't think he means anything. That hurts, a lot. The musicality of this song helps accentuate the tragedy with subtle electronic flares ebbing and flowing. This is also the only song Anberlin has with a featured vocalist; Christie DuPree only serves to make the cut even better. This is the best song on "Vital", which also happens to be my favorite Anberlin album as well as one of my favorite albums of all time.

1. "Harbinger" (Lowborn)

There was no doubt in my mind what I would put at number one when I was figuring this list out. It may come from Anberlin's most recent album, but even when I first heard this song in 2014, I knew it would hold a special place in my heart. It probably does in a different way than what it means for the band. Let's talk about what it means for the group first, though. This song marks Anberlin's last hurrah. This is the song that they wrote to define their legacy. More specifically, it's Stephen Christian's heartfelt goodbye to the fans, as well as him detailing the reasons why the band is "leaving". There's a bittersweet sadness in this song, as Stephen was talking about how he doesn't want to leave but knows he has to. The chorus of this song seems to be the band's main point- we will all see each other again one day in heaven: "We'll live forever, forever, forever/We'll come together, together, together". If you compare the lyrics of this song overall to the other two epics in my top 3, it at first seems simplistic. But the idea of our souls living eternally is far more of a complex idea than one could imagine. Now for me, this song actually defines my personal philosophy. There's a specific lyrical section in this track that represents how I want to live: "Love's pressure is just kisses/And what's last's to come and/Look back with a lighter soul/Harbor motion into the great unknown". These lyrics make me tear up ever time I hear them, especially paired with Stephen's compassionate voice and the soaring guitar/electronics. I love what these lyrics are saying: that there are times in life when we have to transition to something else. While it can be hard to move on from certain points in life, we should still look on those times fondly while eagerly looking forward into uncertain territory. I'm so thankful for this song. Thank you, Anberlin. We will live forever.

"Sicario: Day of the Soldado" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

I still remember vividly the first time I watched "Sicario", my first introduction to director Denis Villeneuve. The concept of the movie is deceptively simple: FBI Agent Kate, an idealistic rookie, is enlisted by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and is also introduced to Alejandro (Benecio Del Toro), who happens to be an assassin who works for whoever pays for him. The three of these people go to fight in the escalating drug war between the U.S. and Mexico, and in the process Kate sees the evils that the U.S. commits. She constantly questions whether they are necessary or not. The movie is a masterpiece (one of many from Villeneuve), and effectively dealt in grey morality rather than clear cut black and whites. The movies ending lines from Alejandro, who ended up being the most interesting character thanks to Del Toro's performance, still give me chills whenever I think about them. I wasn't really expecting a sequel to this movie, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a trailer for it earlier in the year. Del Toro and Brolin (the best parts of the first movie) are both back reprising their respective roles. This drug war has only escalated in between films, with terrorists now being trafficked across the border. So, Matt recruits Alejandro for another mission. In the process, the viewer sees the depths of corruption both Alejandro and Matt will go to achieve their goals, which mostly works to both this film's benefit.

Even though Villeneuve is not at the director's helm for this film, we still have writer Taylor Sheridan. I have loved most of what Sheridan has written, including "Hell or High Water" and especially "Wind River". The guy's only had five writing credits, and he's already got some really powerful work under his belt. I was certainly interested to see how he would further his narrative from "Sicario", and for the most part, he succeeds. Where I've noticed that Sheridan really excels in his writing is having a relatively simple premise being a powerful foundation for interesting character development. Like the first movie, this sequel does, on first look, have a seemingly simple premise. But something that Taylor does with this that he hasn't done with his other films is complicate it even further. There's a lot of different twists in the plot that you may not be expecting. The film frequently shifts focus from character to character, with debatedly both Matt and Alejandro having about equal screen time. The film also focuses on two children characters who become harrowing victims in the crossfire of this drug war, Isabel and Miguel. I personally find all four of these intersecting stories to be very interesting. Taylor knows exactly the type of arc he wants to give every character. I found both Isabel and Miguel's journeys to be tragically relevant to events going on in America right now. It can be undeniably hard to watch children be repeatedly exploited in this movie for other characters' gains. That goes for both sides of the drug war. Matt and (to a lesser extent) Alejandro both use Isabel as a pawn to try and get the drug cartel to cave to their demands, as Isabel is the daughter of a prominent drug lord. The Mexican cartel uses Miguel, making him seem like he's a valued new member. However, he's only used so the blood can literally and figuratively be off the prominent leaders' hands. Matt and Alejandro are both affected as they see the way that they and the other side exploit children, and it probably won't be in the way the viewer expects. This movie frequently subverts expectations in the best way possible.

The performances in this film are almost all amazing. Josh Brolin may be even better as Matt Graver than he was in the first movie. This role seems like the type that Brolin was born to play. He brings a disturbing arrogance and menace to this no-holds barred FBI elite, who will do literally anything to get what he wants. There wasn't a moment in the film where Brolin wasn't fully invested. He's been on a role in 2018 with having to play demanding roles, and I personally think Matt may be his most demanding yet. He definitely nails it pretty much pitch perfect in my opinion. Like in the first film, Benecio Del Toro is the undeniable highlight here as Alejandro. In the first movie, I felt as though Alejandro was a bit of an enigma; you didn't know what he was going to do next. That was appropriate though, as we saw him through the perspective of Kate. In this film, Alejandro gets a lot of heavy development. Del Toro plays him as this strong, silent type whose dark side might be even more frightening than Matt's. I really appreciated how Del Toro shows that Alejandro's driving motivation for what he's doing is still in avenging his daughter. He won't stop taking revenge for her murder until every last member of the cartel is dead. I like how his caring for his daughter crosses over into his compassion for Isabel. I'm obviously not going to spoil it, but Alejandro's relationship with her takes a turn that I wasn't expecting, and made me even more invested in the second half of the film. I can't go without talking about Isabela Moner as Isabel. She's a relative newcomer in the film industry, and she absolutely shines here. Isabel is easily the most sympathetic character in the film, as the child who is caught in between a war she didn't ever want to be a part of. Even though she is the daughter to a drug lord, it's still easy to feel for her. Moner doesn't let Isabel be an entire victim, as there are moments when she shows inspiring, resilient strength in spite of her circumstances. Elijah Rodriguez is also really great as Miguel, playing his character with a surprising amount of powerful subtlety. Like most of the other actors here, Rodriguez has a tough character arc to navigate. He does well at making you feel for this child as he is becoming more and more indoctrinated into the drug cartel's way of life. The only main performance I wasn't into was Catherine Keener as Cynthia. She's not bad per say, but she just pops up every once in a while, seemingly just serving as a cliched voice of reason. I also found Matthew Modine to be disappointingly underused as James Riley, a role that really wasn't necessary for this film.

I do have a few issues with this film, although none of them really reduce my enjoyment of it significantly. Perhaps the most significant is that it's hard to truly sympathize with either Alejandro or Matt. Yes, they are both played magnificently by their respective actors. But, I totally agree with other people's criticisms that having both of them in the spotlight can be tough to watch at times. At the end of the day, they're both morally reprehensible, which this film does make abundantly clear to its credit. Even though the first "Sicario" was definitely not an easy watch, it still had Emily Blunt's Kate to be the moral objector. We had a likeable main character. Now of course, I actually appreciate films that have people who aren't necessarily good, but sometimes the evil both of these characters stoop to can make this film an unpleasant watch. There are very few moments of calm or levity throughout. This is more the case as we near the ending.  But, like I said, this doesn't reduce my enjoyment of the film too much. There's also a few moments of over the top violence in this release that feel out of place. Most of the violence in this film works, as it's brutal and not glorified. But there were one or two moments that felt a little hyperbolic. I also question this film's ending shot. I think it was trying to give a similar commentary to what the first film had, but it doesn't pack quite the same punch. It's not an awful ending moment, but I think it could have been executed better.

Overall, "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" was a pleasant surprise for me all around. I've been surprised at how mixed critics have been to this film. I personally found it to be very well-done in many ways: it's well shot, well-acted, and well-written. The themes of this film, about how children become tragic victims and pawns in our political games, and how evil is appears in different ways on both sides of a war, are compellingly presented. Even if this movie can't match up to the first (which, to be fair, would be a hard thing for it to accomplish no matter the circumstances), I don't know if this sequel was actually trying to be as good as the first. It still stands well enough on its own. I would recommend it just to see both Brolin and Del Toro. They are absolutely in their element and give career defining performances. This may actually end up being one of my favorite films of the year!

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 2/5 Stars

I think it would be a fair assumption to say that the vast majority of people consider "Jurassic Park" to be a timeless masterpiece. And it is. It has moments of awe inspiring imagery, horrific violence, great acting, and compelling themes about how we as humans are fated to try and fail at playing God. I love the first movie. I don't know if I'd say it's within my top 10 movies of all time, but it's certainly one that I will always cherish. The same can't be said for any of the following movies. I dislike "Jurassic Park 2" more than the third, which is probably an unpopular opinion. But both of them definitely are not good in my opinion. It's confusing to me that Spielberg couldn't make another great movie about dinosaurs. The awesome concept alone should speak for itself. Thankfully, "Jurassic World" came out in 2015. It revitalized my hopes for a refreshing take on the movies that still kept the atmosphere of the original. Even though I don't consider the movie masterful or anything, I still enjoyed it. I was interested to see what "Fallen Kingdom" would do. In this movie, we see that the island the dinosaurs are living on has a volcano that is ready to explode. So, a debate spurs on about whether we should save dinos from extinction or not. Ultimately, Owen and Claire are recruited by Dr. Lockwood (a friend to Dr. Hammond) to rescue the dinosaurs, but it is soon discovered that Lockwood's younger partner Eli Mills has ulterior motives.

Before I get into my problems with this movie, I'll talk about what I enjoyed. Unfortunately, there really isn't that much. I think that at least the beginning half hour or so of this movie is pretty good. All the stuff on the island is relatively enjoyable and stays in line with the quality that the first "Jurassic World" movie offered. I thought the island was visually interesting, and I can't deny that I enjoyed seeing all different types of dinosaurs. The very beginning of the movie is perhaps one of the only moments where you can feel the tension as a character is inevitably about to be killed by a dinosaur. The lighting, rain, and music score all make the suspense palpable. The very beginning scene of this film might be the best; it's somewhat unfortunate that is the case. I also think all the dinosaurs are well-animated, but that sort of goes without saying. The visuals in this movie are well done, and the CGI actually blends well with the surrounding environments. I liked anything to do with the T-Rex. I'll straight up admit, no matter how over the top it is, that I don't care; I will always eat up any scene that has the T-Rex doing something cool. It's so frustrating that those moments are in such short supply. The acting from our two leads is pretty solid in this movie as well. This is the one aspect of this movie that's slightly better than the first. Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire thankfully feels like she has a lot more to do in this film. She's the only character that really has a somewhat tangible arc (though it's small at best, more on the problematic lack of character arcs later). Chris Pratt brings his natural charm to Owen. He still has a lot of generic action-hero cliches, but I liked following Owen well enough. Ultimately, a lot of elements in the main stars' acting and visual department are decent at best, and unoffensive at worst. None of these good elements truly blew me away, but none of them made me angry either.

The biggest problems of this movie are within the story telling, character development, and the rest of the actors. There are so many choices made in this movie that are unbelievably stupid to me. For one, why wouldn't director J.A. Bayona capitalize on the opportunity to have this movie take more time on the island? We are on the island for only 30 minutes, and then it's gone. The movie seems to be trying to have us emotionally attach to the island, but viewers can't do that when the island is in the movie for a relatively short amount of time. The rest of this film's main set piece is at Eli's mansion. Now, on paper, I could see this set having potential aplenty. I mean, having several dangerous dinosaurs living in an enclosed area with hundreds of people ripe for eating/killing? It's a fun premise. But, in my opinion, we already saw in "Jurassic Park 2" why bringing dinosaurs into the real world is a bad idea. In an island setting, there's a sense of detachment from the real world. Seeing dinosaurs attacking people feels a little more grounded, dare I say believable. Look back at the first movie if you want to see all the cool visual possibilities that can be done with dinosaurs attacking humans. The dinos are within their element, meaning they can camouflage; they can use the environment to their advantage. In the real world, it just seems a little ridiculous. That proves to definitely be the case in this movie, especially with this new dino created by Dr. Wu (I'm sure you totally care that this generic villain is back again) called the Endoraptor. This dinosaur looks visually pretty cool, and it's frightening to think that this dino is quite intelligent and a literal killing machine. But, what does this dino do once it is finally released? Well, it decides to come specifically after Dr. Lockwood's granddaughter Maisie. It actually stalks her into her room, and sneakily attacks her in a manner akin to Michael Myers or Freddie Krueger. I actually had to put my hand to my face because of how dumb this was. Why would this creature decide to attack the girl (and also hesitate to kill her and act like a slasher villain) rather than just escape out into the real world? What grudge does the dinosaur hold against this one girl, as anyone else out in the world could be food for him? But, it doesn't matter, because hey we get to see cool dinosaur action! I'm sorry, but if that's the director's excuse, then it's a bad one. Basically, what I'm saying is that the potential of dinosaurs being inside a big mansion is totally squandered. The way it's executed in the film is horrible, and Bayona should've realized this idea was already badly executed in "Jurassic Park 2". And that film only did it within the last part of the movie. This film focuses on dinos in the real world for almost the whole time. It suffers for doing that.

There are so many performances (aside from the leads) in this movie that really don't work. Rafe Spall as Eli Mills is the embodiment of your typical corrupt corporate individual. The only reason that he wants to capture these dinosaurs and take them to his mansion is for monetary gain. Like we haven't seen that as a villain's motivation before (hopefully you hear the dripping sarcasm in my words). BD Wong, who I love in Mr. Robot, is entirely forgettable here in his reprisal of Dr. Wu. Out of all the characters that people were wanting to see return in this sequel, I don't think Dr. Wu would be one of them. There is nothing to him besides just being an evil scientist. The other "villain" in this movie is Ted Levin as Ken Wheatley. Unlike the other two villain actors, I could tell that Levine was at least trying to make his character somewhat intriguing. But, you can't really do much when the only trait of your character is that that you collect dinosaur teeth. I'm not quite sure what's so malicious about that, but the movie seems to think it makes him a menace. Wheatley's preoccupation with collecting teeth is what actually ends up freeing the Endoraptor. His own idiocy ends up killing him (and trust me, he's not the only character here who makes dumb decisions like that). But believe it or not, I haven't even gotten to the worst performance. That honor goes to Justice Smith as Frank Webb. If this character had been in the movie any longer than he was, I would lowered this movie to at least a 1/5. Good, lord, is Frank insufferable. He embodies this "lol relatable millenial humor" type of character. It feels like old men gathered into a room and said, "What would teens find funny today?" The attempt at humor from this character is woefully misguided, and that may also be partly due to Smith's very weak performance. I don't think I've disliked a "comedic relief" character so much since Jar-Jar. Daniella Pineda as Zia, the other college-aged character in this film, can also be quite annoying. I don't know how on earth she knows how to operate on a dinosaur.

What might be most laughable about this movie is its attempt in presenting a moral dilemma. At the beginning of this film Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Malcolm (who, despite the trailers presenting him as an important character, is in the movie for a mere 2 minutes or less) posits that dinosaurs should go extinct, because we brought them back out of a sense of a corrupt desire to play God. Now, I don't know about you, but I agree with him. Dr. Malcolm's moral objection to dinosaurs coming back was shown in the original "Jurassic Park" to be totally accurate. The rest of the characters in that movie agreed with him, except for Dr. Hammond and a shady lawyer, the antagonists. But this movie, in some ways, seems to disagree with Malcolm. It's not really entirely clear, though. Both Owen and Claire seem to be for the rights of dinosaurs and that they should be put into a safe location. I don't know why either of them think this, as both of them have been threatened and attacked by dinosaurs multiple times in the previous film and this one. The question of whether dinosaurs should go extinct or not is never properly answered. Instead, it's just confusingly there. The movie tries to present itself as deep, but when you don't even wrestle with your own moral dilemma, then you just have it there because you can. There's a "payoff" at the end of the movie where there is a button in the mansion that could open the door to free all the dinosaurs. Claire decides not to press it. But, when both Own and Claire aren't looking, Maisie ends up pressing the button, effectively releasing dozens of murderers upon the world. Her reasoning for doing so is bottom of the barrel dumb, and it basically takes away any purpose for the theme even being in the movie. In fact, this theme only seems to be there so it can set up a third movie. That feels like the whole purpose of this film frequently; it's just a trailer for another movie that Bayona wanted to make. Even he has basically confirmed this in interviews.

There's a lot more issues I have with this film (a stupid reveal involving Maisie that feels entirely pointless, the lack of legitimate growth from Claire and Owen, the whole sequence of the dinosaurs being auctioned off, excessive nostalgia baiting), but to try to address all of them would lead to a overly long review. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" really disappointed me, especially after how much I liked the first one. I know that a lot of people actually didn't like that film, but I personally found it to be considerably better than all the other JP sequels. It shocks me to say this, but I would rather watch "The Lost World" over "Fallen Kingdom". This is, no question, my least favorite of the "Jurassic Park" movies. A premise with so much incredible potential is destroyed in service of a nonsensical plot, badly written characters. and an incoherent thematic arc. I can see some people enjoying this movie, and of course it's had immense success. But this release is definitely not for me. It marks what is one of the most underwhelming as well as one of my least favorite movies of 2018.

"Tag" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

When I first saw that the movie "Tag" was based on a true story about a group of friends who played an ongoing game of tag well into their adult years, I sort of thought it was crazy. But, to my surprise, it turned out to be true. There's a whole article published in the Wall Street Journal about it, and this movie is heavily inspired by that article, which is written by journalist Rebecca Crosby. I couldn't help but smile and laugh, because this clearly showed a group of men who had strong friendships as well as a desire to keep the heart of their childhoods alive. I only wish the movie could've translated this theme. As a comedy, "Tag" works well sometimes and has a cast that's clearly enjoying themselves. But, the comedic aspects too often delve into excessively raunchy or inappropriately dark levels, and this movie's attempt at trying to have an emotional heart falls somewhat flat.

What works the best consistently about this movie is the performances. That doesn't surprise me, as the cast here are all incredibly talented comedians. Most of the cast take what is a sometimes weak script and can even elevate some of the more poorly written moments to a better level. I found Ed Helms to be consistently charming as the main character Hoagie. He carries this film capably. I found that out of the whole cast, he did the best at balancing the comedic aspects of his character as well as the more dramatic ones. I know that Helms has plenty of weak performances beyond his time on "The Office", but thankfully this movie isn't one of them. One of my favorite turns comes from Isla Fisher playing Hoagie's wife, Anna. Out of all the actors here, she really does a good job at embracing the absolute ridiculousness of this movie's plot. She plays her character very over the top, but I think it's fitting within the atmosphere of the film. She is probably the most consistently hilarious performance in the film; in fact, in some ways I wish the film had focused more on her. The same goes for Jeremy Renner as Jerry Pierce. He's sort of the "antagonist" of the film, as he is the one character out of everyone in the friend group who hasn't been tagged once in the decades that they've played this game. Renner relishes in portraying Jerry's innate obsession with not wanting to ever be tagged. Even in some of the more unbelievable moments with his character (more on that later), I still found him to be fun to watch. Kevin Sable as Hannibal has some of the worst written lines in the movie, but he still somehow manages to make several of them sound absolutely hysterical. Jon Hamm is good in pretty much everything I've seen him in, and the same goes for his portrayal of Bob. There sadly aren't many moments where director Jeff Tomsic lets Hamm's comedic talents shine through, but Jon still finds ways to have a good time. The weakest performance comes from Jack Johnson as Randy. This isn't entirely his fault, as his character's one personality trait is being high all the time; that's where all his punchlines come from. Annabelle Wallis is very underused as the reporter Rebecca. She's off screen for most of the movie, which makes any contribution she has unavoidably forgettable.

Like I mentioned in my introduction, the comedy of this film can simultaneously be the strongest and weakest point of this movie. The beginning of this movie is much better with the comedy it uses. A lot of it is interesting visual gags, and even the verbal jokes work pretty well. There's a whole interaction where Reggie is with a psychologist and the friend group all barge in just so they can tag him. That concept is hilarious on its own, and thankfully I felt as though the comedic potential it had was utilized well. Maybe it wasn't the best thing you could do with that situation, but it was still funny enough for me. After the beginning half hour of this movie, the jokes start to become a little bit more of a mixed bag. Some of the jokes did legitimately make me and the audience I was watching with laugh out loud. But then there were some others that just weren't funny at all, and the movie theater was deafeningly silent. Some of the jokes felt like they may have been awkwardly improvised rather than written out. That probably wasn't the case, but the fact that they felt like they weren't well-planned speaks to the often weak writing this film suffers from. There is a particularly distasteful miscarriage joke that goes on for a bit too long near the end of the movie. It felt like it was in really bad taste, and it seems like even Tomsic didn't know what to do with it. It just left me feeling gross, and I think the same goes for the audience. It really reduced my enjoyment of the ending of the film, especially as the joke and its innate cruelty is forgotten about very quickly. There's no consequences for the characters who made this joke/trick, and it really made me lose sympathy for both of them. The comedy with Jerry could also come across as weird. The scenes with him facing all his friend group trying to tag him was usually done in slow-motion. The movie also delved into his thoughts of how he was planning to evade his friends, pretty much copying the style of the Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" movies. I'm not sure why this movie thought using slow motion as a comedic vessel so often would constantly be funny, because it really isn't. I'd be a bit more forgiving to this movie if there was more of a balance between bad and good jokes (because most all comedies have at least a couple jokes that inevitably won't land for one audience member and will for another). There were just a few too many, for me, that didn't work. It doesn't make the movie insufferable; I could watch it and still enjoy myself. At least until the third act.

The third act of this movie is getting a paragraph all to itself, because it is easily the worst part of this movie, and left me feeling sour upon leaving the theater. Be warned, there will be spoilers in me talking about this section, because I just have to mention specific plot points in order to get my critiques across. First off, the third act is running off of the poorly done miscarriage joke- which was basically a trick done by Jerry and his soon to be wife in order for him to avoid being tagged. It's such a bad "joke", and felt needlessly cruel. Anyway, there's a somewhat cliched moment of weakness afterwords from Hoagie, who says that he's done with tag. But this short-lived (literally only like 3 minutes) moment of weakness is immediately forgotten about upon Hoagie and the friend group going to Jerry's wedding. Hoagie suddenly decides that he actually hasn't given up on tagging and that he's going to try one last time to get Jerry. It's just mind-boggling how quickly he changes his mind. But things actually get worse upon Hoagie falling over (after failing to tag Jerry) and seemingly becoming unconscious. After that we cut to him in a hospital, where we discover that Hoagie has cancer (which he's known about all this time but hasn't told his friends), and that this will most likely be his last game ever of tag. It's such an out of nowhere thing. This movie tries and fails to be dramatic. Hardly anything else has been taken seriously, up to and including a "miscarriage", so why does Tomsic expect the audience to suddenly take this last-minute reveal seriously? I just sort of checked out at this point in the movie. There are definitely raunchy comedies out there that have heart- just look at something like "The 40-Year Old Virgin". This movie is not that, and its attempt to do so felt misguided. I think Tomsic's heart was probably in the right place, but he should've put more serious moments in this movie or just went all out and made it just a comedy.

Before going officially into the credits, the movie shows some footage of the real-life men who played this game of tag. I actually found myself being charmed and even laughing at them. It was only about 2 minutes of footage, but I'd say I found that to be more interesting than most of this movie. I honestly think that a documentary about this true story would've worked better. This movie isn't the worst comedy I've seen, not by a long shot. The highly enjoyable performances by the talented cast and the solidly executed jokes might make this movie worth one mindless watch. I would choose other comedies over it, but if someone were to want to watch this movie with me, I wouldn't object; I would probably just casually watch it. "Tag" is not a great movie, nor is it entirely horrible. If you like comedies that are raunchy, then you'll probably enjoy this. Otherwise, you wouldn't be missing much if you decided to skip out.

"Incredibles 2" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

There is no denying that I love Pixar as an animation company. Most people do, and it's completely justifiable that they continue to be the most popular in the sphere of animation. They have been highly consistent over the years, releasing wonderfully animated films that can appeal to children and adults alike in different ways. But, of course, Pixar hasn't always been bulletproof. They have released some medicore (not awful, but not memorable either) films, and most of them have actually been their sequels (besides obviously the "Toy Story" sequels), particularly the "Cars" follow ups. I have always questioned why there were Cars sequels and even an unnecessary (but still pretty decent) sequel to "Finding Nemo". I mean, why wouldn't Pixar do "The Incredibles" instead, a film that had an ending that was ripe for great sequel potential? Well, fourteen years later, we finally have one. Needless to say, I was very excited for it, as the first "Incredibles" is one of my top 5 favorite Pixar films. We are once again back with the Parr family, with this film taking place directly after the events of the first film. After the Underminer defeat ends with more damage than good being done, the Parr s have to go into hiding again. Then an opportunity comes knocking at their door in the form of Winston Deavor, who wants to make superheroes legal again. Thus, Helen Parr instead of Bob gets recruited on to be a superhero, and for the first time in a long while she gets to relive her glory days solo. Meanwhile, Bob has to try his hardest with a new challenge: being a stay-at-home dad.

Director Brad Bird stated in interviews previous to this film being released that he didn't want to make a second Incredibles movie without being absolutely for sure that he could do it right. Now that is something that I can completely respect, especially in a movie culture where sequels and remakes are pushed out to the point of tedium. The fact that Bird took this long to continue honing the story he wanted for this film and trying to make it the best he possibly could made me very excited to see how this film would hold up. Thankfully, this movie is excellent. It gave me, for the most part, a lot of what I wanted out of an Incredibles sequel. One of the things that the first Incredibles did so well was giving some surprisingly powerful character development to most every character, particularly the adults (something you don't typically see in movies aimed at children). The second Incredibles does this as well, and in fact this may be the one aspect where the second film actually does a little better than the first. Bob and Helen's relationship is still a joy to watch, as you can tell how much they care for one another and how they both try their best to provide for their family despite living a superhero lifestyle. There's one particular conversation between the two of them where they are talking by a pool that was just so great to watch. This film takes a surprising amount of time to leave breathing room for characters to just talk to one another. In fact, the whole subplot with Bob being a stay-at-home dad is relatively low-key, with not too much action occurring. But it still works, because the relationships between Bob, Violet, Jack-Jack, and Dash are so well-established. It is also very interesting to see how Helen acts as a superhero by herself. She embodies a certain confidence and poise that comes across as inspirational and not forced. I like that the movie still keeps her sense of motherhood in tact as well, showing how she can be a powerful woman in more ways than one. The same goes for Bob. He has only ever seen that his power can come from being a superhero, so it's actually touching to see him realizing that there's a sense of heroism he can gain from just being a parent, too. The family dynamic is the heart of this movie, and what really made me like it so much.

I'm sure no one will be surprised when I say this, but of course, the animation in this movie is awesome. Pixar only seems to be upping their game with each film they make. I like all the flairs of classic 60's movies this film has, which is clearly the style that Bird was going for. There are so many shots that are just gorgeous, especially some of the cool night shots. The use of lighting in this movie can be interesting too. There's even a scene where Helen is going into a darkened apartment room, trying to uncover a mystery about the main villain, the Screenslaver. The scene is almost shot like a horror/suspense movie, and I could actually feel the tension. A scene like this shows that Brad Bird doesn't want to talk down to children, but rather wants to create animated films that treat them like equals and the intelligent people they are. I wish more animated companies did this more frequently, as it works so well in this film. Lighting is also used in a really cool way in a fight scene between Elastigirl and Screenslaver, with the flashing of the lights creating a cartoony/almost comic-book looking fight animation style. I'm sure that I am not the only one who thought it looked that way. In fact, all the action scenes in this film are pretty awesome, including a hilarious one including a racoon (that's all I'm going to say about that; you need to experience the scene for yourself). There's a whole lot of hilarious gags done with Jack-Jack in animation that always come across as charming. I was afraid that a character like Jack-Jack could be overused, but Bird knew who to utilize him just right.

The voice acting in this is respectively great. It was a delight to see most of the original voice cast returning. Craig T. Nelson is still an absolute natural in playing Mr. Incredible, effectively balancing the character's innate heart of gold with his natural strength. Bob was already my favorite part of the first Incredibles, and he comes across as even more likeable in this film. A big part of that is due to Nelson's dedicated work in making this character feel as real and fleshed out as possible. Holly Hunter is clearly having a blast in voicing Helen, and taking this character in directions we haven't seen from her before. Sarah Vowell continues to do great work as Violet, and Huck Milner does well at matching the original voice actor for Dash. It was slightly unfortunate to me that Samuel L. Jackson didn't have quite as much in this movie to do as Frozone, but I still liked any time he came on to the screen. Like in the first movie, Brad Bird hilariously voices Edna Mode, and once again, Edna practically steals the show. There's an intriguing relationship between her and Jack-Jack that is created. I don't want to spoil it, but it's just so freaking funny. The whole scene with her had me and the whole audience laughing hard, so I'm sure I missed several great punchlines here and there. It was a delight to have Bob Odenkirk in this movie as Winston Deavor. It's clear that Odenkirk is confident in this role, and really makes Deavor an interesting (though unfortunately underutilized- more on that in a moment) role in the film. Jonathan Banks as Rick Dicker also isn't in the film for that long, but I enjoyed the work he did. The "Breaking Bad"/"Better Call Saul" fanboy in me wanted to see Banks and Odenkirk share a scene together, but it unfortunately did not happen. Still, the idea of Bird putting them in another universe together seemed like an intentionally clever move.

For all the stuff I like about "Incredibles 2", it isn't without its flaws. One of the bigger problems I had with it is that, in some ways, it seemed like a bit of a repeat of the first movie. The idea of a superhero coming out of hiding, of superheroes being illegal, of a villain that wanted to take all superheroes out and replace them with technology; all of that felt very familiar. It's not too irritating in my opinion, but it was something I noticed. The film makes up for it because of the characters, but the plot itself may not be the best plot that Pixar has done. The plot was, in fact, very predictable, especially in figuring out who the villain was. The reveal wasn't surprising at all, and the villain's motivations, while making sense in relation to the plot, still aren't that interesting. I almost would've preferred that the Screenslaver stayed a mystery, as I actually found them to be a bit menacing previous to the reveal. There was a great scene where they are talking about how people would rather be passive than involved in the world around them. There are definitely points in the movie where it feels like it's being nostalgic towards the first just for that purpose, rather than furthering the plot. This, once again, isn't something that bothered me a whole lot, but it was still noticeable. The main problem was definitely the villain, as well as not developing Winston Deavor that much. I wanted to know more about Winston. I understood his motivation in wanting to make superheroes legal again. I still think there could've been even more done with him, like maybe he could've had a more established relationship with Elastigirl. He just sort of seems like an ambitious business-man; there's not much to him beyond that. I also wish that more development had been given to Dash and Violet. Their characters by the end of this film seem exactly at the same place where they were in the ending of the first movie.

The problems with this movie didn't detract significantly, if at all, from my enjoyment of this movie, if I'm being honest. I just have to point them out. Also, be warned that there are several moments of flashing lights in this film, which are definitely possibilities of causing seizures for those who have epilepsy. I don't have epilepsy, but the flashing lights even came across as a bit irritating to me. "Incredibles 2" does not match up to the first, but I don't know how it could for me, with the first one being one of my favorite Pixar films ever. This sequel is still very much so a worthy follow-up, with the animation, thematic arcs of family, and the voice acting all being top-notch. I am so glad that this sequel is out in the world. With how successful it has been, I'm crossing my fingers for a third one. I definitely recommend this movie, as it is one of the better Pixar sequels in recent memory!

Short Reviews #9

By: James Southworth

Here is my ninth segment of short reviews, where this time I thankfully have a bit of a better balance between movies and music. I'm finally getting caught up on films I've wanted to see, though there's plenty more I've missed. Be ready for a full review of "The Incredibles 2" soon!

Movies
Solo
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I have had a very complicated relationship with the Star Wars franchise lately. I was a huge fan of "The Force Awakens", but every other new SW movie that has been released hasn't really impressed me that much. Sure, "Rogue One" is better than most of the prequel films, but not by much. And, while there are some really good things about "The Last Jedi", there are also just way too many things about it that make me angry, so I can't be anything but indifferent about it. I was very hesitant going into "Solo". Its directorial disaster story is the worst I've heard for any movie in this franchise. I would've loved to see what original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were doing with the movie that was so against Disney's agenda. Replacing them with Ron Howard, who reshot most of the movie, was a very safe move. While I like Howard, he hasn't been a super innovative director as of late. That remains somewhat true with "Solo", which could be described as a "safe" Star Wars movie. But that isn't an entirely bad thing. I think general audiences will be satisfied coming out of the theater. There is a lot to like about this film, one of the most primary being, thankfully, Alden Ehrenrich's performance as Han. He shoulders this role pretty well and does the best he possibly could with it. I actually found him quite likeable, particularly how he brought a certain sense of optimism to Han that we hadn't seen much previously. I thought I was going to dislike his portrayal because of how inextricably tied Harrison Ford is to Solo, but Ehrenrich honors Ford's performance comfortably. Donald Glover is about as fun as everyone was expecting him to be as Lando; he's easily the best part of the movie. I only wish he was in it a little longer. Paul Bettany is also clearly having a ball playing the antagonist Dryden. While he's not very menacing, he fits well in the world this movie establishes. Where this movie tends to do best is in the central relationship between Han and Chewbacca. There are some great moments between them. Han and Lando's relationship was also very well-done. There are some great action sequences, and visually this movie is pretty solid, with one scene in particular actually blowing me away. There are plenty of issues with this movie, though. A lot of the side characters aren't interesting... at all. Woody Harrelson is highly disappointing as Beckett. I don't think it's his fault; it's just that the character is pretty generic, and you know exactly what this person is going to do. Emilia Clarke is disappointingly underused in the role of Qi'ra, Han's predictable love interest. There's not much to her beyond that. There's also some characters that die at the beginning of the film. The film acts like we're supposed to care, when there's no logical reason to do so. Where this film's biggest weaknesses are, though, is in its inconsequential story telling. A lot of this movie just feels like characters casually moving from plot point to plot point, with not much really keeping Han himself interested in what's going on. There's nothing that surprises in this film; for the most part I could see what was happening. There is one surprise in the form of a cameo, but the surprise is not a good thing. The cameo is one of the dumbest parts of the movie, and the only part where I got angry. It ruined what was a pretty good scene happening previous to it. "Solo" is safe and, admittedly, fun. If you're looking for a Star Wars movie that you can just casually watch with popcorn in hand, then this one will do the trick. However, if you like the deeper parts of other SW films, this might not be for you. I enjoyed it enough, and would not complain if someone put it on.

Isle Of Dogs
Rating: 4/5 Stars 

Director/writer Wes Anderson continues to be on a hot streak of making truly great movies, impressing in multiple ways. "Isle of Dogs" is Anderson's second turn at doing stop motion, his first being the critically acclaimed "Fantastic Mr. Fox". That was a film I thoroughly enjoyed. While I didn't enjoy this movie as much as the aforementioned one, "Isle..." is still an excellent film, and holds up to the quality one would expect from Wes. This movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic Japan, where dogs are hated by the government and banned to Trash Island, due to them having a seemingly incurable disease. We follow a group of dogs headed by stray Chief, who meet a human named Atari in search of his dogs "Spots", the first dog to ever be put onto Trash Island. What follows is an incredible adventure with Atari and the dogs in search of Spots, while Chief insists that dogs should not have masters. There is so, so much to love about this movie. It is, first and foremost, a visual marvel. I can't begin to imagine how painstakingly hard it must be to do this much animation work, as most all the animation is done through building models. There's so much detail in every shot of this movie, so much so that I'll need to watch it again in order to appreciate all of it. It's really cool that the animators even got the dogs' hairs to move in the wind. It's such a tiny thing, but it makes the film feel all the more real. The themes in this movie are simultaneously simplistic and very adult in nature, which I appreciated. Animation meant for an older audience is a rarity these days, so it's nice to see Wes making a movie that works for that audience immensely. The voice talent in this cast is star-studded, so of course all the voice work is good. Bryan Cranston, unsurprisingly, is excellent as the lead stray dog Chief, really doing a good job of drawing out that heart of gold that is hid under this animal's seeming bitterness. Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Murray all have fun in their respective roles of Rex, Boss, and Duke. It's fun that these dogs seem to reflect the actors' individual personalities, which makes them stand out in a natural way. Probably the most significant weakness in this movie is a subplot surrounding foreign exchange student Tracy Walker, who attempts to expose government corruption. Her plot feels a little unnecessary and like it was meant just to pad time out. I also felt that there were a few too many interspersed flashbacks. They ended up taking momentum away from the present story. Still, I loved this film. Anderson's apparent respect for Japanese culture comes through many times, whether it be the incredible music score, the subtle tributes to anime, or the fact that Anderson shows all the Japanese humans as complex individuals. Even the ones who seem evil on first glance. I definitely recommend this movie; it's one of my favorites of the year!

Music
"Pray for the Wicked" by Panic! At The Disco
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Anyone who is a fan of Panic knows that the band has had a complex history. Brendon Urie is now the sole remaining member of the "band", perhaps due to the relationships between previous members being tense, or maybe something out of everyone's control. None of that matters for this review, though, as we have a new album out. I am a mild fan of Panic's previous work, really loving "Pretty. Odd." and "Vices and Virtues", but being lukewarm to somewhat disliking of everything else. I would definitely be on the latter end of the spectrum for the band's previous work "Death of a Bachelor", an album I felt was way too all over the place with only a few highlights (with "LA Devotee" being a song that I absolutely love, but unfortunately was the only track that really impressed me). Thankfully, "Pray for the Wicked", which is clearly inspired by Broadway musicals, is a significant improvement over the last album. It is not, lyrically or musically, the most deep thing in the world. If I were to compare this album to other musicals, it might be along the lines of something more mindlessly enjoyable, like "Wicked" or "Legally Blonde". This isn't a bad thing; just don't go into this album expecting profound moments, and you'll enjoy yourself. I certainly did... for the most part. The lead single "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" certainly sticks out, having a big hip-hop flare, and Brendon is clearly enjoying himself. My favorite track comes in "The Overpass", which has delightfully executed usage of brass instrumentation that makes this song feel big in all the right ways. This song is a JAM, pure and simple, and may actually be one of my favorite songs of the year. Other highlights include the unashamed fun in "Dancing's Not a Crime", the most Broadway-esque track "Roaring 20's", and the emotive closing ballad "Dying in LA". There are definitely some issues with this album, though. "Silver Lining" annoys me to no end with its super repetitive chorus, as well as the cheesy line "Everything is cherries on top". "Old Fashioned" and "One of the Drunks" are both nearly insufferable to listen to. Brendon's vocals and the instrumentation sound obnoxiously bloated. Overall, though, the negatives don't hinder this album too much. If you want a release that goes down easily, then this album is for you. 

Favorite Tracks: "The Overpass", "Roaring 20s", "Dying In LA", "Dancing's Not a Crime"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Old Fashioned", "One of the Drunks", "(F**k A) Silver Lining"

"Gravity" by Bullet For My Valentine 
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

I have no shame in admitting that there was a time when I had a pretty big obsession with Bullet For My Valentine. In fact, I'd still argue that their first three albums are among the most enjoyable out there in the heavy metal genre. They got surprisingly weak with their fourth release "Temper Temper", which even with this new album, I'd still say is undeniably their worst. It's a pretty painful attempt at trying to be radio friendly. It seemed the band were coming back to form with "Venom" which, while it didn't match up to their first three releases, still had a good amount of content to enjoy. The same mostly can't be said for the band's newest release "Gravity", which is the very definition of mediocre radio rock/metal. The good tracks on here are actually really good, which is what makes the bad moments of this album all the more puzzling to me. "Don't Need You" is one of the most fun BFMV songs in recent memory, reminding me heavily of their first album. The guitar work in it is superb, the chorus is criminally catchy, and Matt Tuck's vocals are on point (to be fair, he is consistently good on this album, even on the weaker tracks he's at least serviceable). The ending track "Breathe Underwater" really surprised me as this song with a lot of emotional heft. It's a powerful ballad, and definitely the best track on this release. I also found the title track to be rather good, and opening track "Leap of Faith" is a headbanger. Unfortunately, not much else stands out. There's not any track that I'd call cringe inducing, but songs like "Over It" and especially "Not Dead Yet" feel tailor made for radio success. They easily blend into all the other boring radio rock out there. I find songs like "The Very Last Time" and "Piece of Me" to be forgettable as well. There's a lot of filler "whoa"s on this release, too, which doesn't help it any. The first half of this album in particular feels like filler in almost every track, while the second half is a little bit better. Overall, this album doesn't get me angry or anything, but I don't think I'll find myself coming back to it anytime soon.

Favorite Songs: "Breathe Underwater", "Don't Need You", "Gravity"
Least Favorite Songs: "Not Dead Yet", "The Very Last Time", "Over It", "Piece of Me" 

"The Now Now" by Gorillaz
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I'm going to keep this one somewhat brief, as I don't lean passionately one way or another for this album. After listening to it, though, I would like to listen to some other material by Gorillaz, as I haven't heard much from them. The good stuff from this album does stand out in an interesting way. The vibe of lead single "Humility" is incredibly intriguing to me, with the vocal performance from 2-D just sounding so interesting. He's so chill and relaxed, but talent still exudes from him. I actually adore the track "Hollywood", which has one of the coolest beats I've heard in recent memory. The feature from Snoop Dogg is actually a highlight for me, something I never thought I'd say. I find the song's comparison of Hollywood to a deceitful seductress a fitting metaphor, making this track the best on the album. "Tranz" has creative usage of synths, and "Fire Flies" has a somewhat chilling mood to it. There aren't any tracks that I'd call bad, but there are some moments here that feel like just "guy with an acoustic guitar", which is somewhat disappointing when you compare it to the standout moments. I guess that "Sorcererz" and maybe "Idaho" are my two main negatives, but nothing much else stands out either way. The good tracks are ones that I could see myself coming back to repeatedly throughout the year, but the album as a whole is just decent. Not great, but not bad either.

Favorite Tracks: "Hollywood", "Humility", "Fire Flies"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Idaho", "Sorcererz"