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"Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from the threat of force!" -Barbie As Andy (John Morris) prepares to leave for college the toys prepare to be put in the attic for the long haul.  Unfortunately, they are accidentally sent to Sunnyside Daycare, which seems like a wonderful place for a toy, but is actually more like a prison run by Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty).  With only a few days before Andy leaves for college, Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang has to find a way to escape Sunnyside before they wind up destroyed by rambunctious toddlers. What Works: If you had told me Toy Story 3 was going to be one of the best prison escape movies ever, I wouldn't have believed you, but here we are.  More than any other film in the series, this movie has a real sense of danger throughout and that gives the story high stakes.  The escape sequence is a lot of fun and the world of Sunnyside is utterly fascinating. Lotso is ha...

"This is for Tupac." -Chucky To help cheer up her son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman), after moving, Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza) gets her hands on a defective Buddi doll, which can not only act as a companion, but can control various electrical objects.  Andy and his doll, Chucky (Mark Hamill), become close, but soon Andy starts to suspect something is wrong with the doll who is protective of the boy to a murderous degree. What Works: Knowing the backstory of this movie, I really didn't want this to get made.  I think it's pretty disrespectful to original creator Don Mancini especially when the original series is still going on and is stronger than ever.  That said, I do respect the film for doing something different.  Chucky isn't a serial killer trapped in the body of a doll this time.  Instead, he is simply a defective A.I.  I think remakes should take the source material and do something different with it and that's definitely the case h...

"I am not a toy." -Forky As the toys settle into life with their new kid, Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), Woody (Tom Hanks) is having difficulty adjusting to no longer being the favorite toy.  While on a road trip, Bonnie's favorite toy, Forky (Tony Hale), is left behind and Woody goes after him.  The two end up in the clutches of a gang of evil antique dolls and the only way out is with the help of a familiar face, Bo Peep (Annie Potts). What Works: I'll be the first to admit, I was beyond skeptical of Toy Story 4 .  The first three films form a near-perfect trilogy and I though the third film finished on such a high note that I didn't want Pixar to go anywhere near this franchise again.  I didn't think there was any way this film could reach the heights of the first three.  I was wrong.  The story is incredibly engaging and doesn't feel tacked on at all.  It makes perfect sense in a way.  We all know how emotional the incine...

"You have saved our lives!  We are eternally grateful!" -Aliens While trying to rescue a toy from a yard sale, Woody (Tom Hanks) is kidnapped by Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight) to be sold to a museum.  While held captive, Woody learns more about his past and has to confront his future, while Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) launches a dangerous rescue mission. What Works: Toy Story 2 is similar to The Empire Strikes Back in many ways.  Sure, there are the obvious moments like all of the sound effects in the Buzz Lightyear video game and the plot twist surrounding Zurg (Andrew Stanton), but the story structure is similar.  This movie divides our characters into two groups.  I like that this movie does something different and doesn't make the same movie over again.  Plus it's really great to see a whole movie where Woody and Buzz are friends. Speaking of Woody and Buzz, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are, once again, fantastic.  They were born ...

"This isn't flying, it's falling with style!" -Buzz Lightyear Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks) is the favorite toy of a young boy, Andy (John Morris), and the leader of all of Andy's toys.  When Andy gets a new toy for his birthday, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) seems to replace Woody as the favorite.  The rivalry between them grows until they both inadvertently end up outside of Andy's house and in the next-door neighbor's, which is home to Sid (Erik von Detten), a boy who tortures and destroys toys for fun.  With only a couple days before Andy moves away, Woody and Buzz have to learn to work together to escape Sid's house of horrors. What Works: The real question is: what doesn't work with this movie?   Toy Story is in my Top 10 movies of all time and it's as close to perfect as a movie can get.  Nostalgia certainly plays a factor, but I can't honestly think of a single flaw.  The pacing is excellent and the story never gets t...

"This isn't going to end well." -Officer Ronnie Peterson Due to polar fracking, the rotation of the Earth is knocked out of whack and the dead start coming back to life.  The citizens of Centerville find themselves in an undead nightmare and have to fight to survive. What Works: Bill Murray and Adam Driver are the best parts if the film.  This film follows multiple groups of people, but when they are on screen the movie shines.  It feels like a buddy-cop zombie movie and it's straight-up hilarious.  They have excellent chemistry and I'd love to see them work together again. This movie feels like three different comedies jammed into one movie, so the tone is all over the place, but the best comedy moments are the really dry, dark jokes.  Most of them come from Murray and Driver, which isn't surprising.  Murray has such a "meh" attitude towards everything and Driver is remarkably calm in the horrifying situation.  They both ha...

"Language!" -Steve Rogers The Avengers reassemble to take out the last remnants of Hydra and discover some interesting tech in the process.  Frightened that these adventures will result in the death of every Avenger, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) manages to build an artificial intelligence, Ultron (James Spader), to help protect the human race.  Unfortunately Ultron comes to believe that humanity must be destroyed and creates a massive army of robots to do so.  The Avengers have to band together to destroy Ultron before he can destroy them. What Works: The core Avengers are all pretty great.  Tony Stark is perfect as always and we also get some really funny moments from Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth).  I also like the relationship that forms between Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).  It's sweet and unexpected and I wish we got more of that in the future MCU films. I also like...

"This is your fault, Charles." -Hank "Beast" McCoy During a mission to space, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) absorbs a mysterious substance that begins to reveal memories that had been blocked out and boosts her powers to extreme and uncontrollable levels.  After multiple tragedies, humans and mutants alike attempt to stop Jean, some wanting to help her, others wanting her dead.  As unlikely alliances are made, a force from another world arrives with their own sinister intentions for Jean. What Works: No matter how bad a movie is or how bad a script is, there are some actors that can deliver no matter what.  James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are two such actors.  Every scene they have, they deliver, and the few scenes they have together are magnetic.  They have been two of the best parts of this franchise ever since their first appearance in X-Men: First Class  and the remains the case as this series ends. Sophie Turner also does a g...

"We are Groot." -Groot After being abducted by aliens when he was kid, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) has essentially become a space outlaw and goes by the name Star-Lord.  Quill discovers a mysterious orb and quickly realizes many dangerous forces also want to get their hands on it.  After being thrown in prison, Quill teams up with two bounty hunters, an assassin, and a ferocious warrior, all of whom are at least somewhat unstable, in order to escape prison, make some money, discover the truth about the orb, and, just maybe, save the galaxy. What Works: Cards on the table; Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite film in the MCU.  It's a film no one realized they wanted, but once we got it, we realized just how special it is.  Coming on the heals of the amazing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy is a radically different film in every way, shape, and form.  It marches to the beat of its own drum and I love it for t...

"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?" -Steve Rogers As Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) continues to work with S.H.I.E.L.D., he becomes more and more disillusioned with who the good guys and bad guys are.  Things become even more complicated when one of Rogers' friends is killed and a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. is uncovered.  On the run and not sure who he can trust, Rogers has to reveal the enemy within and take on a legendary assassin in order to save the day this time. What Works: Up to this point in the MCU, I think The Winter Soldier is the strongest film.  What helps it most is how politically relevant it is.  This movie was released about a year after Edward Snowden and the NSA reveal; confirmation that the government is spying on us.  This movie takes that and dials it up to 11.  The threat of HYDRA poses in this film is terrifying.  Their goal is to wipe out 20 million people who they believe would cause pr...

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help." -Loki While searching for a way to reunite with Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) enters a portal to another world and accidentally absorbs a powerful weapon called the Aether.  This awakens the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who intents to use the Aether to plunge the universe into darkness.  Thor takes Jane to Asgard to try and extract the Aether from her, but the Dark Elves are coming and the universe's fate may rest in the hands of Thor's treacherous brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). What Works: Up to this point, Loki has been, by far, the best villain of the MCU.  It's interesting to have him in a role where he isn't the villain.  Instead, we have Thor and Loki working together towards a common goal.  We know we can't trust Loki and the film does a good job of messing with our expectations.  Hemsworth and Hiddleston have amazing...

"In case I don't see you; good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight." -Truman Burbank Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is a perfectly normal guy; he has a house, a wife, and good job.  He's also the star of the number one reality show in the world, but has no idea.  Truman's entire world is directed and controlled by showrunner, Christof (Ed Harris).  As Truman starts to figure out the truth, Christof is willing to do anything to keep the show on the air. What Works: I don't know if anyone other than Jim Carrey could have pulled off the role of Truman Burbank.  I simply can't imagine anyone else in the role.  He is extraordinarily likable and easy to root for, but manages to keep the Jim Carrey comedy we know and love.  He has some wonderfully dramatic moments and we really get to feel what he feels.  It's an outstanding performance and it's a shame that Carrey was not nominated for Best Actor. This story is brilliant and per...

"You're a monster." -Madison Russell Five years after the events of Godzilla , an eco-terrorist, Alan Jonah (Charles Dance), begins attacking Monarch facilities that are holding various Titans at bay in order to unleash the monsters on humanity.  When his ex-wife and daughter are kidnapped by Jonah, former Monarch member Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) has to return to the organization to save mankind, but to do so they will have to turn to the creature that killed Mark's son, Godzilla (T. J. Storm). I will be spoiling this movie below, but I do recommend this film.  It's on the stupid side, but it's a lot of fun and exactly what I want from my monster movies. What Works: The single most important ingredient in making a good monster movie is the destruction scenes.  This is what King of the Monsters gets perfectly.  The fight sequences are so much fun and far superior to anything in the 2014 film.  They're exciting and intense, plus...

"It's lonely out in space." -Elton John A biopic about the life of Elton John (Taron Egerton) that carries fact into the realm of fantasy.  This film shows the rise and fall of Elton as he learns who he really is and how to love himself even when it seems no one else will. What Works: What Rami Malek did for Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody , Taron Egerton does for Elton John here.  Egerton absolutely nails the role, both the highs and the lows.  He's a blast in all of the musical performances and brings the film to soaring heights, but when Elton has low points, Egerton brings us right back to Earth.  It's amazing that this is the same guy from Kingsman and it might just get him a nomination for Best Actor. The musical numbers are a ton of fun.  This movie isn't just a retelling of events, it blends some fantasy into the story.  The songs really feel like musical numbers to the extent that it feels like a stage play at certai...

"You have no idea what's coming." -Joe Brody When a massive, winged, insect-like creature emerges from the ruins of a old nuclear power plant, humanity bans together in order to find away to stop it, but they aren't the only ones.  The legendary beast, Godzilla (T.J. Storm), returns from the depths to hunt down the creature, but is Godzilla a friend or a foe to the human race? What Works: The visuals effects for this movie are really fantastic.  The insect creatures (MUTO's) and Godzilla both look amazing and the action sequences have a spectacular look.   There are a couple of fun moments throughout the film like the monorail sequence and the trestle bridge sequence.  Both have a couple of really cool shots and interesting moments. The 3rd act battle between Godzilla and the MUTO's is pretty awesome.  This is why I watch monster movies; to see monsters beat the crap out of each other and destroy buildings.  What we get here i...

"Don't make me drink alone!" -Ma A group of teenagers are trying to get someone to buy them alcohol and eventually convince Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington (Octavia Spencer) to buy them some booze.  Worried about them drinking and driving, Ma invites them to drink in her basement which quickly becomes the hottest drinking spot in town, but Maggie Thompson (Diana Silvers) starts to notice something off about Ma and fears her intentions may be more sinister than she lets on. What Works: Far and away, Octavia Spencer is the best part of this movie.  She absolutely nailed the enthusiasm and insanity of the character.  She pops every time she is on screen and is simply a ton of fun.  She 100% carries the film and I hope she gets more lead roles in the future. I appreciate that this movie is a slow-burn.  It takes a long time for things to get really crazy.  The filmmakers took their time to really develop Ma and slow us how she goes full crazy ...