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Cars 3 (2017)
Cars 3 (2017)
2017 | Animation, Comedy, Family
2017 was not a good year for Hollywood, but it was a great year for cinema. That year gave us modern masterpieces like Blade Runner 2049, Get Out, and one of Pixar's absolute best. And of course I'm talking about Lightning McQueen's swan song. Oh wait...yeah I misread my list. That 4-letter word read Coco. At the very least, CARS 3 doesn't do anything misleading or unexpected, and that's mostly for the best. A highly unoriginal retread of superior sports films, CARS 3 is content with taking Lightning McQueen down the same path as Rocky Balboa, Ricky Bobby, and Happy Gilmore, but it does so without as much heart needed when exploring concepts of mortality and obsolescence. To its credit, it is, at times, a poignant story about days gone by and longing for glory, but what this movie really excels in is only hinting at emotional drainage and not having the nerve to do something really involving. Owen Wilson is still great in the lead role, and it’s redeeming to see Lightning in the same position as his former mentor, Doc Hudson, who makes a brief return thanks to an archived cameo from the late, great Paul Newman. Much like the film itself, the residents of Radiator Springs, and their voice actors, are as harmless as ever, and the new characters fill the screen nicely enough without making much of an impression thanks to respectable voice work from veterans like Cristela Alonso and Chris Cooper. All of this is well and good, but what the film lacks in the overall wave of melancholy that makes some of Pixar's best efforts shine, it makes up for in returning to its roots and leaving the previous adventure where it stands, as if it never happened at all. While the series protagonist goes out on a predictable, if not fitting, final note, his character arc, thanks to his special relationship to studio big John Lasseter, is highly reminiscent of the studio itself: knowing when to end and move on to better things. CARS 3, to put it in an overly Thanosian way, is inevitable.
  
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
2019 | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Alita the character, actress Rosa Salazar's performance, the visual effects, the fight choreography and film cinematography as well. Mahershala Ali was also very charismatic. (0 more)
If you are a fan of the original anime (OVA), it fails to live up to it in certain aspects. The plot kinda fell through to the end and things were condensed and happened too fast. (0 more)
A Phenomenal Anime Adaptation - 8/10
Alita: Battle Angel is a sci-fi/action movie based on the manga/anime by Yukito Kishiro, written by James Cameron and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Set to officially release on February 14th, it stars Rosa Salazar, Christolph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, and Mahershala Ali. This movie was phenomenal and does a great job of transporting the viewer and immersing them into the world that is Iron City.


Dr. Ido (Christolph Waltz) searches the scrap pile junkyard of the metropolis known as Iron City for parts to repair patients at the clinic he owns and operates. He finds a badly damaged female cyborg (Rosa Salazar) that is still alive and chooses to repair her. When she awakens, she has no memory of her past, her name, or who she is. Dr. Ido allows her to live with him and names her Alita but doesn't permit her to venture out at night into the treacherous and dangerous streets of Iron City. However Alita has a wide-eyed view of looking at the world and with the help of a young boy named Hugo (Keean Johnson) she begins her quest to remember anything about her past and who she is.


Looks like Hollywood finally got an anime movie right. If you have any doubt you need to see this film for yourself. Definitely recommended if you like sci-fi and action movies but the heart and soul of the film is Alita herself. Her journey and transformation and her personality steal the show and make this movie great. The visual effects were awesome as well as the fight choreography and film cinematography. I'll admit that somethings plot wise fell through with the storyline towards the very end but this movie had a lot of emotion (heart and soul). I give this movie an 8/10.