A fun kid's movie and a beautiful ode to the best toy ever invented. It manages to balance being entertaining, bringing a positive message to the audience, and including enough inside jokes and homages that a second viewing is required. The message of the film seems to be about not always following the directions and allowing ourselves to be as creative as we want, even if all we can come up with is a double-decker couch.

I only wish the Lego company could take this advice themselves. Every time I look down the Lego aisle at my favorite toy store I see endless kits with franchise tie-ins and stringent building plans. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to find a decent tub of just basic blocks nowadays with Star Wars, Spongebob, and Harry Potter taking up all the shelf-space. It's hard for kids to be creative when building from an already preconceived world.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

If it wasn't for the talented cast this film would've been unwatchable. It tries so hard to show that men have feelings and can be emotional like women that it overshot turning them into cartoon characters. Mmm, ice cream and whiskey go together, see, cause it's girly and manly, at the same time! And can we please be done with bets or arrangements between friends in movies, like agreeing to all stay single, for no good reason? Why would you be friends with someone who won't let you date someone you really like? Maybe these plots worked in the nineties, but it's time we moved on.

2.0 Stars (out of 5)

Her is a beautiful and romantic science-fiction film that is perfect for the times. Joaquin Phoenix is amazing in it, the story is ever interesting, and the production design is incredible yet subtle. The film takes place in a not-so-distant future but isn't about flashy futuristic technology. The world instead has gone back to basics, adopting a minimalistic approach, integrating future tech into everyday items. It looks like a world designed by designers, rather than engineers. The film's love story is relatable on a human level, but the story of Her goes beyond the simple love story. It also tells the story of how the machines will rise against us. Unlike T2 though, Her's "Judgement Day" is a bit more subtle.

4.0 Stars (out of 5)

This is my favorite film of the year, perhaps it is the best film of the year. It moved by faster than any film I saw half its length this year, and I wouldn't have minded if it was thirty minutes longer. It was that good. The story was always interesting, the directing masterful, and the acting fantastic. The film is full of energy and ingenuity and is as unapologetic for being as over the top as its main characters. Scorsese has made a masterpiece of a film. It has comedy, drama, and characters so bad they're good. Bravo.

4.5 Stars (out of 5)

Why? Just why?

1.5 Stars (out of 5)

While this is a fun and often times moving film, I worry it is exactly the sort of thing P.L. Travers would have frowned upon, turning her personal story into a fanciful caricature for commercial gain. I'll admit I smiled and laughed, and even cried while watching, and it was well-worth a watch, but during the end credits they play actual audio recordings of Mrs. Travers making her "crazy" demands back in the writing room, and it all made me feel a little dirty. It's as if the filmmakers are trying to say, see, we're not even making this stuff up! And we the audience are meant to laugh at how ridicules she was being. Laugh at a real woman trying to do her best to keep her legacy from being mocked by future generations. The irony is not lost on me.

All in all though the film does help remind us all the joy the Mary Poppins film has brought to many people over the last half-century, including myself. If it happens to sell more Mary Poppins Blurays in the process for Disney, then I suppose it's a win-win for everyone. And it might even mean another Oscar for the deserving and always entertaining Emma Thompson.

3 Stars (out of 5)

Here's one of those situations where the characters themselves are far greater than the very vehicles they originate from. This movie is long, awful, and sometimes flat-out painful. Yet for some reason we'll keep coming back for more. I'll admit I laughed my ass off during two sequences in particular, but then sat in uncomfortable silence for the other 110 minutes. One star for each of those scenes, but nothing else.

2 Stars (out of 5)

I was really looking forward to this film but it didn't live up to my high expectations. The acting was top-notch, most notably from Amy Adams, who blew me away scene after scene. The film was shot well and looked great, but everything fell flat, felt long, and offered nothing really special or fun. I love David O. Russell's last film Silver Linings Playbook, and while I still think he's a director at the top of his game, I didn't enjoy this one much at all.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

Finally a Disney animated feature that's a true musical again! The songs were well-written, beautifully performed, and spaced out evenly throughout the film. Bravo to Disney for remembering what made the films of the Disney Renaissance special. Frozen has a complicated and somewhat less conventional plot for a Disney film, especially for one with princesses. Building on the themes of individuality in Tangled and Brave, Frozen is much less about romance with a handsome prince to solve all your problems and more about staying true to yourself as the real way to true happiness. Plus, don't ever take advice from trolls.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

This film looks tremendously better than Disney's recent works. Tangled, Bolt, and even Wreck it Ralph don't come close to the richly textured world of Frozen. Also, it's rare to see a widescreen format animated film, but it really added an epic feel to everything and the 3D was used tastefully bringing the rich backgrounds to life. In other words, now that Pixar is waning it looks like Disney is ready to pick up the slack. As long as someone fires their trailer cutting staff!