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Coco (2017)
Coco (2017)
2017 | Adventure, Animation
PIXAR movies have a formula that expertly combines an adorable hero/heroine with a story that tugs at the heartstrings. There is always a moment or two where you have to reach for tissue or surreptitiously dash a few tears away with your sleeve. With writers and directors from Finding Nemo, the Good Dinosaur, Toy Story 3 and Monsters University, Coco is no exception.
Coco is the colorful tale of a young boy named Miguel who dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, the late Ernesto de la Cruz, despite his family’s ban on music that has spanned multiple generations
When an opportunity arises for him to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in desperate need of a guitar. So desperate, that the plan he devises ends up taking him to the colorful Land of the Dead.
In the Land of the Dead, Miguel teams up with Hector, a trickster voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal, who promises to help him meet the great Ernesto de la Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt, and get back to the Land of the Living.
Anthony Gonzalez infuses Miguel with charm and earnest determination which, of course, you can’t help but root for. Bratt brings a perfect blend of suave and smarm to Ernesto while Bernal brings a good dose of mischief to warm-hearted Hector.
Rich with cultural lessons, stunning animation and beautiful music, Coco is simply a delight. I learned a lot about Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, which is very similar to my own culture’s observance of All Souls Day and All Saints Day in the Philippines.
Coco’s winsome depiction of what honoring our departed loved ones means is incredibly heartwarming, and honestly if the Land of the Dead is truly how PIXAR imagines it, I hope they are right.
Much like Moana, so much of the family in Coco reminded me of my own that I left the theater emotionally compromised at the end. You will, too, especially if you’re easily touched by sweet songs and tender moments between parents and their children. Coco is a moving lesson about the love of family and believing in yourself and how one can strengthen the other in turns.
  
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Julian Schnabel recommended Raging Bull (1980) in Movies (curated)

 
Raging Bull (1980)
Raging Bull (1980)
1980 | Drama

"…and it’s something that happens with Raging Bull, also. And Marty Scorsese’s notion of sound — the memory. Sound memory is so important in Raging Bull; when you see the scene where Robert De Niro shows Cathy Moriarty his father’s house and tells him about the bird — “It was a bird, it’s dead” — and what’s going on around in the street, and you realize how important sound is. The other thing is the acting: Joe Pesci and Robert are so great together. I mean, the hardest thing in the world to do is just shoot two people in a room. All these other things are very easy to do — you get 150 people, you turn your camera on, you create a situation and as long as nobody looks at the camera you can make them seem very real. [Two people in a room] is really difficult. If I think of Robert Duvall, say, talking to Al Pacino in The Godfather two, when Al says to him, “Well what’d you get my son for Christmas?” and he says, “I got him a little car,” and Robert Duvall puts his hand over the couch — these are gestures that people understand as human gestures and they bring you into the storytelling."

Source
  
Halloween (1978)
Halloween (1978)
1978 | Horror
I'm not one for horror films, but classic movies at the cinema are something to behold so I snapped up a ticket for what turned out to be a packed screening. It was a nice surprise to be treated to a little documentary before the film too.

I had always assumed that Halloween was going to be scary, and it was, sort of. It was scary in a very different way to modern horrors though. The reason I tend to ignore the genre is that the story lines don't make up for the amount of "jump out of your skin" moments they put in. Something can be scary without having to make you jump.

On the modern scale of films Halloween isn't very good on several levels. That being said though, it's still an excellent film and the fact that it's so simple and plays on the basic human feeling of unease is great.

It's good to see that the horror movie staples were at their peak in the 70s: not turning the lights on when searching a dark house; only stabbing your attacker once, even though you thought he was dead when you stabbed him once the first time... AND the second time; and my personal favourite... I've stabbed my attacker and he's down, he looks dead so I won't bother checking, instead I'll just turn my back and take a breather for a moment.

One things that I couldn't help doing while watching this film was laughing. Come on, it's funny. But it's only that way to me because I've seen so many films now that I know what's going to happen. The bad guy is always going to have vanished when you try and point him out to someone, there will always be a creaking window or door, and 4 times out of 5 there will be a body behind/inside whatever you open. I still got those chilling feelings while watching it but I was also drawn in by the fact I was sitting there willing things to happen that I knew were coming.

What should you do?

It's definitely a classic and well worth seeing. Just remember it isn't the big budget movies you're used to seeing if you only watch modern things.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

Normally I would say it's difficult to want something from a horror film, but in this instance I'd quite like some of the immense luck that's going around. Michael and Laurie both have an amazing ability to survive life threatening situations. That's something I would definitely want.
  
Smallfoot (2018)
Smallfoot (2018)
2018 | Animation, Comedy, Family
I'm not one for horror films, but classic movies at the cinema are something to behold so I snapped up a ticket for what turned out to be a packed screening. It was a nice surprise to be treated to a little documentary before the film too.

I had always assumed that Halloween was going to be scary, and it was, sort of. It was scary in a very different way to modern horrors though. The reason I tend to ignore the genre is that the story lines don't make up for the amount of "jump out of your skin" moments they put in. Something can be scary without having to make you jump.

On the modern scale of films Halloween isn't very good on several levels. That being said though, it's still an excellent film and the fact that it's so simple and plays on the basic human feeling of unease is great.

It's good to see that the horror movie staples were at their peak in the 70s: not turning the lights on when searching a dark house; only stabbing your attacker once, even though you thought he was dead when you stabbed him once the first time... AND the second time; and my personal favourite... I've stabbed my attacker and he's down, he looks dead so I won't bother checking, instead I'll just turn my back and take a breather for a moment.

One things that I couldn't help doing while watching this film was laughing. Come on, it's funny. But it's only that way to me because I've seen so many films now that I know what's going to happen. The bad guy is always going to have vanished when you try and point him out to someone, there will always be a creaking window or door, and 4 times out of 5 there will be a body behind/inside whatever you open. I still got those chilling feelings while watching it but I was also drawn in by the fact I was sitting there willing things to happen that I knew were coming.

What should you do?

It's definitely a classic and well worth seeing. Just remember it isn't the big budget movies you're used to seeing if you only watch modern things.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

Normally I would say it's difficult to want something from a horror film, but in this instance I'd quite like some of the immense luck that's going around. Michael and Laurie both have an amazing ability to survive life threatening situations. That's something I would definitely want.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) Sep 25, 2019

I think you've posted the wrong review here. I'm reading it thinking.... Smallfoot? Horror?! 😂

Night of the Creeps (1986)
Night of the Creeps (1986)
1986 | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
8
8.2 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Thrill me! Just got through watching the director's cut of "Night of the Creeps". What a great throwback movie to end the weekend! Hands down one of Tom Atkins best roles. The DVD had tons of great special features with interviews and all of that good stuff. If you have a hot date tonight, hope they don't show up dead. If they do, then give me a call and it'll be miller time. Thrill me!