Movies of a Petite Aspie

Chief and Atari (voices of Bryan Cranston and Koyu Rankin) Director/Screenwriter: Wes Anderson Voices of: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for  thematic elements and some violent images Genres: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy Theatrical Release Date: April 13, 2018 (wide); currently in limited release Rotten Tomatoes Score : 92% Clip: "What's Your Favorite Food?" Isle of Dogs  is, in a way, a summation of director/writer Wes Anderson's cinematic works, from his first feature film,  Rushmore,  to the 2014 Oscar-winning The Grand Budapest Hotel .  All of Anderson's films are synonymous with a certain brand of eccentricity and creativity that is unique to him.  As varied as they are, even a casual filmgoer can easily spot a Wes Anderson film, whether it's animated or live-action -- and not just because he often enlists the same talent (such as actor Bill Murray and compos...

Tye Sheridan and Lena Waite Director: Steven Spielberg Screenwriters: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline (author as well) Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Mark Rylance MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for  sequences of sci-fi action violence, bloody images, some suggestive material, partial nudity, and language Genres: Action, Adventure, Science-Fiction, Fantasy Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 75%   Clip: "The Prize Awaits" Ready Player One is, to sum up in two words, a "geek's dream."  And that is, honestly, a compliment, as I consider myself at least somewhat of a geek and adore pop culture and pop culture references.  (Why else would I have a blog?)  And Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg -- with whom you may be familiar -- has surely created an adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling science-fiction that is rampant with pop culture references.  I will admit that I have not read ...

Daniel Wu and Alicia Vikander Director: Roar Uthaug Screenwriters: Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Alastair Siddons Starring: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and some language Genres: Action, Adventure Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 50%   Clip: "Waterfall" Tomb Raider  is much better than it has any reason to be.  Not that it needed to be bad, but with the plethora of remakes and reboots as of late, it is easy to have low expectations for the majority of them.  Director Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider is definitely more of a reboot than a remake, as it is a far cry from the poorly-made Angelina Jolie-starring Lara Croft movies (of which there are two).  Jolie's Croft was certainly slick, but the focus seemed to be more on her sex appeal than anything else.  Tom Raider , however,  Is more about Croft’s br...

Storm Reid & Levi Miller Director: Ava DuVernay Screenwriter: Jennifer Lee (based on the novel by Madeline L'Engle) Starring: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine MPAA Rating: Rated PG for thematic elements and some peril Genres: Action & Adventure, Drama, Kids & Family, Science-Fiction & Fantasy Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 42%   Clip: "This Is Wild" A Wrinkle in Time is disappointing in many ways yet I couldn't help but be entertained regardless.  Reese Witherspoon's Mrs. Whatsit says that she's "underwhelmed" with Storm Reid's Meg, and one could easily say the same about the film.  Madeline L'Engle's children's novel, on which the movie is based, is a difficult work to adapt for the big screen, although this is often the case with beloved classics such as this.  And, in the more-than-capable hands of Ava DuVernay ( Selma, 13t...

Action/Adventure 1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2. Star Wars, Episode V - the Empire Strikes Back 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowhsip of the Ring 5. Star Wars, Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 6. Raiders of the Lost Ark 7. Star Wars, Episode IV - A New Hope 8. Inception 9. Avatar 10. The Matrix Animated 1. Finding Nemo 2. Toy Story 3. WALL-E 4. The Lion King 5. Shrek 6. Beauty and the Beast 7. Toy Story 3 8. Lady and the Tramp 9. Bambi 10. The Incredibles Comedy 1. Father of the Bride 2. The Princess Bride 3. Shrek 4. Heaven Can Wait 5. The Breakfast Club 6. A Fish Called Wanda 7. Roman Holiday 8. The Incredibles 9. Some Like It Hot 10. The Graduate Drama 1. It's a Wonderful Life 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 3. Titanic 4. To Kill a Mockingbird 5. American Beauty 6. Schindler's List 7. The NeverEnding Story 8. The Green Mile 9. The Lord of the Rings: The Tw...

Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell Stars (Voices of): Kelly M acd onald, Billy Conn olly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters Genre(s): Animation; Family; Adventure ; Fantasy DVD Release Date: N ovember 13 , 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 78 % Brave , nominated this year for the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar, is the latest Disney/Pixar movie, and every Pixar flick [released in the last several years] has had to live up to exceedingly high expectations, which were built by such films as Toy Story , Finding Nemo , and WALL-E .  Unfortunately, Cars 2 , the last Pixar movie released prior to Brave , was a huge disappointment with audiences and with critics.  Brave is as close to a return to form for Pixar as they could possibly get this time around, which is to say that it is not perfect but it is a vast improvement over Cars 2 .  What is so important about Brave , however, is that Pixar has finally put a f...

Julia Roberts and Lily Collins Director: Tarsem Singh Stars: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane Genre(s): Adventure; Comedy; Drama; Fantasy DVD Release Date: June 26 , 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 50% Honestly, the only reason I watched Mirror Mirror , Tarsem Singh's light-as-a-feather take on Snow White, was because it received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.  Although I foun d the Kristen Stewart-starring Snow White tale, Snow White and the Huntsman (co incidentally, also nominated for Best Costume s) to be more well-done and exciting, Singh's comedic approach was not a s terrible as I would have expected.  I thoroughly enjoyed some bits and pieces, and I thoroughly disliked other bits and pieces.   It is interesting to contrast the bright, vibrant colors of Mirror Mirror with the bleak, dark colors of Snow White: in both circumstances, these color palettes serve th e ir purposes for the most part, though I'd gi...