Frozen (2013) - 10 stars out of 10

Frozen (2013) - 10 stars out of 10

Disney musicals of the past 15 years have been reduced to “movies with the inclusion of songs,” but “Frozen” is a true musical experience that offers a full expression of the characters’ thoughts and emotions through music.  It is almost operatic in nature, with a series of musical numbers that tell the story and set it apart from any other animated feature.  “Let It Go” is clearly an aria and is vital to understanding Elsa so that she is not viewed as a villain, and the duets between Anna and Elsa set the tone for their relationship.  It is hard to believe that these songs were not written by Alan Menkin.  They perfectly capture the magic that made my generation fall in love with Disney in the 90’s.  I have to admit to growing emotional during “For the First Time in Forever,” simply because it was so overwhelmingly Disney.  Without question, “Frozen” is the “Lion King” of this generation.  It has been 20 years since I saw a Disney film become such a fad.  Everybody is talking about it.  Constantly.  Just like “The Lion King” and “Cinderella” before it, this is the film that has brought Disney back into our hearts and could very well be the beginning of the next Disney renaissance.  The success of this film begins with its unique story.  Unlike any Disney film of the past, the story centers around two female heroes.  The story maintains an ambiguity of who is good and who is evil, which allows the focus to remain on the broken relationship of the two sisters instead of the typical “we have to conquer the bad guy” storyline.  This also allows for a very unexpected twist that usually is not an option since the bad guy is generally defined from the beginning in Disney films.  There was even a moment when I thought “There isn’t really a villain in this film,” which made the moment of realization so much better.  The next step to the success of “Frozen” is its ridiculously impressive animation.  The ice in “Let It Go” is incredibly artistic and that will become one of those iconic Disney sequences.  Everything is so realistic, from the icy mountains and the snowstorms to the texture of the characters’ skin.  The visual appearance of the princesses is stunning and their big Disney eyes are magical.  Disney really hit the mark with their casting of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel.  I really value when the voice actors provide the speaking and singing voices for their characters, and this might be the best combination of vocalists for any Disney movie.  I am intrigued by the casting of Josh Gad as Olaf.  This seemed like the perfect character to use as a cameo for someone popular like John Ratzenberger or Nathan Lane, but I applaud Disney for just picking the right voice for the part.  As expected, Olaf’s comic relief did interfere with a few moments where the writers could have built up a strong emotional moment (a la Mufasa’s death); however, his role was small enough that he did not distract from the story and I enjoyed nearly all of his sequences.  The thing that makes this film reminiscent of the classics from the 90’s is its blend of drama and pure comedy.  All of the quick jokes that are not necessary to the plot show an attention to detail that places comedy into every scene.  The introduction to the Duke of Weselton and the song between Kristoff and Sven are prime examples of this, while the running joke of falling in love with someone that you just met is cleverly used to poke fun at the classic Prince Charming love story and give a bit of foreshadowing.  The musical numbers by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are the icing on the cake.  They really figured out the equation to create the sound of Disney magic.  It is no wonder that I get choked up by their music, just as I do by their scoring for Finding Nemo - The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  While I loved this music, it lacks that “instant classic” quality of the music from Aladdin (One Jump Ahead-Friend Like Me-Prince Ali-A Whole New World) and The Lion King (Circle of Life-I Just Can’t Wait to be King -Hakuna Matata-Can You Feel the Love Tonight).  I was singing “Let It Go” walking out of the theater, but most of the songs feel a bit more high brow than the simplicity of the music from the aforementioned films.  And yet, the Sing-Along version of this film is evidence that after hearing it a few times, the music can become just as addicting as the classic soundtracks from the 90’s.  I do question whether it was necessary to include Olaf’s “In Summer” fantasy sequence AND the trolls’ “Fixer Upper” which are so closely related in character, but I can look past that because “Love Is an Open Door” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” are so incredible.  More important than anything about this film is its theme that “an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart.”  Without spoiling it, I will also say that Disney did a great job of departing from their stereotyped definition of true love and ending the film with the focus on the right relationship.  The experience of this film is designed to lead you into a unique fantasy world, give you a few laughs, and leave you with a warm heart.  I cannot remember the last time that a film was such a huge deal, but I don’t believe that we will realize the true impact of “Frozen” on the Disney franchise until several years down the line.

The Lego Movie - 7 stars out of 10

The Lego Movie - 7 stars out of 10

“The Lego Movie” is perfect for young children and grown men.  Girly-girls need not apply.  While the visual slapstick will keep kids laughing, the clever allusions to Batman and Star Wars are definitely intended for the dads.  This movie is hilarious because it is honest about every stereotype out there, but that is okay because they are legos and not real people.  This is the only film where the worlds of Superman, a pirate, a space guy, Gandalf, a unicorn/kitten hybrid, and Lando Calrissian can all collide and nothing seems out of the ordinary.  I thought the the story was very clever and just right for this lego world, but realistically it is just an excuse to create stupid little moments like Green Lantern constantly annoying Superman and the 1980-something space guy that just wants to build a spaceship.  The visual gags occur one after another for constant laughs.  It actually has more similarities to an episode of “Robot Chicken” than it does to a motion picture, and that is fine in this instance.  In spite of the goofball quality of the film, the animation is actually really impressive, creating the stop-motion feel that you would expect from legos while giving them realistic textures.  It is really cool that, from start to finish, you never see a lego in a position that cannot be replicated in real life.  A lot of the comedy comes from the fact that we have played with many of the lego characters and settings portrayed in the film.  The voice casting is excellent as it brings in big names like Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson for characters that perfectly echo their personalities.  Will Arnett was the perfect choice for Batman, combing the gruff “Christian Bale Batman” voice with fantastic comedic timing.  It got a little too cheesy at the end, but I suppose that we must bear in mind that it is still a children’s movie.  I wish that I could just list all of the hilarious visual jokes in this film but I would much rather go watch it again.  I cannot wait to enjoy this film with my children someday, but not because I think that THEY will be the ones with tears of laughter in their eyes.

Frost/Nixon - 8 stars out of 10

Frost/Nixon - 8 stars out of 10

Sheen/Langella, er... Frost/Nixon was another beautifully crafted work by director Ron Howard.  Portraying an historical, political event in a fresh way often ends in a very boring 2 hours for the audience, but Howard truly succeeded with this film.  The film is an interesting historical interpretation of the famous 1977 tv interviews that attempted to elicit an apology and/or admission of guilt from Richard Nixon.  The script (adapted from the British play) and costumes bring the events to life, but the real draw of this film is its raw acting (as indicated by its Oscar nominations).  Frank Langella plays Richard Nixon so perfectly that the next time that you see video footage of Nixon, it won’t look right.  Meanwhile, Michael Sheen builds momentum through the entire film as he works toward that final interview.  The supporting cast of Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and Matthew Macfadyen enhance the realism of the story by bringing the backstage preparation for the interviews into the spotlight.  It is interesting that the story involves so much problem solving.  Nixon was an expert at filling the interview time with random stories that avoided any negative commentary about his administration, and I love how the story explores the research and the strategy necessary to lead Nixon into a corner.  This is just a film that you have to see to understand its historical significance.  “Frost/Nixon” is a no-holds-barred mental boxing match that leads to one of the most unlikely on-air confessions in history.

Rush (2013) - 8 stars out of 10

Rush (2013) - 8 stars out of 10 

“Rush” is the first Hollywood blockbuster to drive into the world of Formula One racing and Ron Howard does so with great success.  The rivalry of James Hunt and Niki Lauda is a bit exaggerated but it does not matter – this film transports us into the dangerous setting of Formula One to help us to understand the death-defying courage needed by each driver every time that they drive onto the track.  While the film was snubbed of any Oscar nominations (amidst a very competitive film), the story definitely has that “Oscar feel” to it.  It builds suspense and intensity through the depth of its characters, extremity of their situations, and the really incredible race care special effects.  Chris Hemsworth is good as Hunt but Daniel Brühl is amazing as Lauda.  The true treat of the film is the extreme contrast between these two characters, one cool, calm, and collected while the other is an unpredictable party animal.  The dynamic of their rivalry toward the end is intriguing as they inspire each other through competitiveness.  While I wouldn’t call it the best movie of 2013, I really enjoyed “Rush” and would definitely see it again.