Rating: Full

 

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgard, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jocobi and Helena Bonham Carter

 

Director: Kenneth Branagh

 

Writer: Chris Weitz

 

Producers: Simon Kinberg, Allison Shearmur and David Barron

 

Music by: Patrick Doyle

 

Song: Strong

Performed by: Sonna Rele

Music and lyric by Patrick Doyle, Kenneth Branagh and Tommy Danvers

 

Rated: PG for mild thematic elements

 

Quote: “Have courage and be kind.”- Ella’s Mother

 

Fun Fact: There’s a scene at the back of their house where Cinderella is feeding the animals while she’s humming the song “Sing, Sweet Nightingale”. The song is also sung by Cinderella while doing her chores in the animated film Cinderella (1950).

 

Favorite Part: When

 

Favorite Character: Kit

 

Synopsis: Ella has a happy childhood but her mother died. Her father then married Lady Terrence and Ella had a stepmother and stepsisters Anastasia and Drazelle. But soon her father died and Lady Terrence dismissed the household, causing Ella to do all the chores. When she rode into the forest to get away from her cruel new family members, she meets Kit but doesn’t even know that he’s a prince. Can’t stop thinking about Ella, Kit’s dying father declares that all maidens must attend the royal ball. But Lady Terrence forbids Ella to go. But a fairy godmother transformed her and her animal friends and she is finally off to the ball but must be back at midnight which she leaves without telling Kit her name. Having a great time, Kit demands to find her and hopefully marry her.

 

The Review: It looks like the fairy godmother had transformed the tacky costumes and sets and made them so gorgeous. A 1950’s Disney film with twists. We’ve got Robb Stark in children’s film. The beginning goes from one story to another. The way Cinderella meets the Prince is charming. Cate Blanchett’s stepmother makes the animated one look nice. Cinderella is full of magic!

 

 

 

Rating: Overflowing

 

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, and Rosemarie DeWitt

 

Director: Damien Chazelle

 

Writer: Damien Chazelle

 

Producers: Fred Bergner, Jordon Horowitz, Gary Gilbert, and Marc Platt

 

Music by: Justin Hurwitz

 

Song: City of Stars

Performed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

Music by Justin Hurwitz

Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

 

Quote: “City of stars. Are you shining just for me?”- Sebastian

 

Fun Fact: Emma Watson turned down the role of Mia due to scheduling conflicts with Beauty and the Beast (2017), while Ryan Gosling turned down the role of the Beast in that film to appear in this one. Coincidentally, both are musicals.

 

Favorite part: when Mia and Sebastian went to the observatory.

 

Favorite Character: Mia Dolan

 

Synopsis: Mia is a so-called actress who fails auditions so her roommates took her to the party to cheer her up. She then goes to the restaurant and meets Sebastian, a jazz pianist who is also struggling. They soon meet and fall in love with each other, but it could mean effecting their dreams.

 

The Review: Chezelle has hit it greatly for his second time directing a great film. Whiplash may be tremendous but La La Land, who would fall asleep while watching it? Like Whiplash, this will make part of your body dance (basically, your feet) when you hear music. A great chemistry and performances by Gosling and Stone. The ending is realistic and emotional. The traffic jam number is a great way to start with a bang! La La Land is pure Hollywood magic.

Rating: Overflowing

 

Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk and Shakira

 

Director: Byron Howard and Rich Moore

 

Writers: Jared Bush and Phil Johnson

 

Producer: Clark Spencer

 

Music by: Michael Giacchino

 

Song: Try Everything

Performed by Shakira

Music and lyric by Sia Furler, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen

 

Quote: “It’s called a hustle sweetheart.”- Nick Wilde

 

Fun Fact: Duke Weaselton is a reference to Duke Weselton from the 2013 disney movie Frozen, and they are both played by Alan Tudyk

 

Favorite Part: When Judy discovered that Nick and his “son” are actually con foxes.

 

Favorite Character: Judy Hopps

 

Synopsis: For thousands of years, animals envolved and the predators and prey come together of harmony in the city of Zootopia. A bunny, Judy Hopps, had dreamed of becoming a cop of Zootopia, but everyone is saying she’ll never be one. But somehow, she graduates from police academy and ends up as the meter maid when the 14 mammels went missing and needs to be found. While on the job she meets Nick Wilde, a con artist fox. The chief of police then, gives Judy 48 hours to solve a mystery and she will solve it, even if it means working Nick.

 

The Review: As the best animated movies come from Disney, Zootopia is no exception. Highly entertaining with great characters. Who could not forget the DMV with the sloths, that is so true! The thick plotline really connects the dots. This film will make you keep on guessing!

 

Rating: Full

 

Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron

 

Director: Ridley Scott

 

Writers: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof

 

Producers: Ridley Scott, David Giler and Walter Hill

 

Music by: Marc Streitenfeld

 

Rated: R for Sci-Fi Violence including some intense images and brief language

 

Quote: “The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.” David

 

Fun Fact: The Orrery was one of the most complex visual effects, containing 80-100 million polygons and taking several weeks to render as a single, complete shot.

 

Favorite Part: When the crew members explores the caverns

 

 

 

Synopsis: In Scotland in the future, a group of explorers discovered what they believe that will explain the origin of human civilization. So, they and other people aboard the spaceship “Prometheus” and went to sleep so that when they wake up, they will be close to the edge of the universe. They found the planet and explore hoping to get some answers. But the storm causes the crew to run back to the ship, leaving two members behind. The next day they find two of those members dead and realized that they may find more than what they’re looking for.

 

The Review: Ridley Scott does it again! With incredible set of the caverns and the hologram of the galaxy, the space crew members seemed to have found the sci-fi of this generation. You take the Alien franchise and add a cup of mythology and you get this movie. Too bad the alien doesn’t have enough screen time.