Movie Review: Inside Out

Courtesy: Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios

Starring the voices of Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, and Phyllis Smith

Directed by Pete Docter

Rated PG

My Rating: *****/5

The 15th film from Pixar Animation Studios has arrived in the form of "Inside Out". This "major emotion picture" is the ideal film to celebrate 20 years of animation since the original "Toy Story" first graced theater screens in 1995.

The story concerns a young girl named Riley (voice of Kaitlyn Dias) and her parents (voices of Diane Lane and Kyle McLachlan) moving to San Francisco and trying to cope with this change. The emotions that such a change can instill consist of Joy (Poehler); Sadness (Smith), Anger (Black); Fear (Hader), and Disgust (Kaling). With some difficulties (such as changing schools and unsavory pizza toppings); they try to guide Riley through the changes in her life.

Then crisis strikes when Joy and Sadness get lost in Riley's memory banks (literally- the film portrays them as a central hub of the human mind; with a lively environment to match); and the two distinct personalities must find their way back while Fear, Anger, and Disgust try to deal with the chaos of the whole thing.

The situation is instantly relatable to anyone who has gone through the situations portrayed in the film. Not only that; the personified emotions play off each other in a manner worthy of their actors' diverse backgrounds not only in film; but in TV series such as "Saturday Night Live" and "The Office." Pete Docter; who had previously made the wonderful "Monsters, Inc." and "Up," has managed to deliver another film that can easily get you on the same wavelength as the emotions you see onscreen.

The animation is also; as usual, worthy of the studio's pedigree. The way the characters move is slick; and the use of color and lighting is masterful. The environments also make great use of the San Francisco location as well as giving the state of Riley's mind every nuance short of its own zip code in terms of design (a key scene shows how dreams are made in a film studio; even down to scripting situations such as enchanted unicorns).

Of course, the film is also preceded by one of Pixar's traditional shorts; in the form of the film "Lava." A love story of two volcanoes is the ideal curtain-raiser to such a great film.

Even though the revolution Pixar brought along in 1995 has long since become the establishment; "Inside Out" proves to be just as grand in making you feel as any live-action film. Whether it's a group of toys or a midwestern family adjusting to life in the Bay Area; Docter knows how to hit all the right notes for any age group. Whether it's fear of being the new kid in town; joy over bonding with your family, sadness over leaving your old life behind; anger about your belongings being held up by movers, or disgust at garish fashions; it is the ideal family film that will easily be remembered for another 20 years as Pixar continues to build a legacy on par with Disney themselves.

Movie Review: Jurassic World

Courtesy: Universal Pictures

Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent Do'nofrio, and Judy Greer

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Rated PG-13

My Rating: ****1/2:5

The "Jurassic Park" franchise has been given its ideal successor in "Jurassic World." Director Colin Trevorrow; who previously made the little-seen but much-loved "Safety Not Guaranteed" has not only made what's easily the best film in the franchise in a long time, but also managed to rekindle the wonder and thrill that we all felt when the park first opened its doors in 1993.

The story concerns two young siblings (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson) being sent on vacation in the eponymous Jurassic World; where John Hammond's vision has finally come to fruition after 22 years (the genetic lab in the park is named in honor of the character; commemorating Richard Attenborough's passing at age 90). In that time; herbivore dinosaurs are now able to be mounted by children in petting zoos, mosasaurus are fed sharks in a manner similar to that dolphins are fed minnows at SeaWorld; and velociraptors are trained by the finger snaps of Owen (Pratt, "Parks and Recreation," "Guardians of the Galaxy").

Seeking to "up the wow factor;" Claire Dearing (Howard) is supervising the creation of a new species known as the Indominus Rex, with the cloning process from the first film now having made way for outright gene splicing of numerous species. As Ian Malcolm warned; however, things can go awry with that power in one's hands.

Sure enough; the I-Rex gets smart enough to wonder why it has to be in captivity, and begins a rampage in the park that puts humans on the main course. The action scenes that ensue "up the wow factor" in their own way; showing off 22 years of advances in paleontology and special effects at hand. To describe how the film captures the chaos and sheer thrill a setup like that promises: imagine a little boy playing with dinosaur models in a homemade diorama. Now imagine if that boy grew to be a man; and you gave him a camera and a budget of $150 million. That is exactly what Trevorrow has done with this film; reinvigorating the franchise with a sense of terror and childlike wonder that the previous sequels (most infamously "Jurassic Park III") notably lacked.

The script he has crafted alongside Derek Connolly, Rick Jaffa; and Amanda Silver also slyly satirizes the state of the film industry in the form of audiences' love for showy effects; as well as corporate backing for many films. What began as simply using the tie-in merchandise as props has expanded to pteranodons making meals out of panicking patrons of the park's local Starbucks and Ben and Jerry's (a park worker in a bit part notably laments the state of the whole thing, all while wearing a vintage t-shirt from the park's early days).

The only real flaw of note is that sometimes; the villains of the film can be a bit too cartoonish, as can the complacency of some of the patrons; most notably Robinson's jaded teenage character. That's OK, however; as you get to watch the dinosaurs devour them, and he does genuinely love his brother (Simpkins) warts and all. 

The heroes' dialogue is worthy of the late Michael Crichton, volleying witty remarks back and forth throughout the 123-minute visit to the park (even despite Joss Whedon's criticism of Pratt and Howard's dynamic). Much like the characters in "Safety Not Guaranteed;" Trevorrow never forgets to imbue his characters with heart and soul; nor the film.

Forget everything you know about the term "thrill ride." Much like the original film; "Jurassic World" manages to take that clichéd term of praise, chew it up; spit it out, and crush it into the mud. It is a film that redefines it in a manner where you actually do feel the experience of everything that goes through the film. In the course of one showing; it can easily channel a feeling of nostalgia for "Jurassic Park" from the moment you hear Michael Giacchino's arrangement of the theme music and leave you with an experience that successfully reimagines it for a new generation. The park is open.