Review: The LEGO Movie

EVERYTHING IS AWESOOOOOOME! EVERYTHING IS COOL WHEN YOU'RE PART OF A TEAM!
This song will be stuck in your head for a long time after seeing this instant animated classic, and for good reason. In The LEGO Movie, everything IS awesome. In a mostly bland sea of animated movies (save for the Disney empire), The LEGO Movie is a refreshing movie that has excellent visuals, great voice acting, and a surprisingly touching and bitingly funny plot. While not perfect, it is a great way to open up the 2014 movie season, and one of the best animated movies I've seen in recent memory.
One thing that really stands out about the film is its eye popping visuals. It's almost entirely stop motion, and it's really freaking fantastic. Every color flies off the screen, and the intensity of battles shows off incredible detail and technical prowess. For being an animated movie, it's really not all that animated.
The performances also add to this monumental movie to celebrate the monstrosity that is LEGO. Chris Pratt really shines as his run-of-the-mill, pretty-much-a-nobody-until-he-suddenly-becomes-somebody Emmett. He's funny, like laugh out loud funny, and his endearing enthusiasm never wears thin as the movie's run time progressively shortens. Wildstyle is your stereotypical punk girl, being as cool as cool can be, while being incredibly quirky and never too tough for her own good. Though the biggest star of the show is Batman, played by Will Arnet. Almost every other line is a Batman pun, and Arnet delivers them skillfully with the perfect blend of coolness, cheesy darkness, and overall jerkiness. He's incredibly funny, and even though he plays one of the most iconic characters in character history, you never lose that classic Will Arnet charm that shows in all of his shows and movies. And then there is Morgan Freeman, I don't think I've ever laughed at a Morgan Freeman performance. He's so funny here, and there's definitely a comedic side to him that I desperately want to see again. Sometimes he just spews random words of "wisdom" that really means nothing, or he'll just casually walk across the ceiling, or he'll keep watch while being completely blind. The laughs never stop.
One thing that this film does expertly is bridging the gap between age groups. Never have I seen (save for Disney) an animated movie that's so classically funny, that anyone can watch it and have a good time. It told a wonderful story, one that surprisingly touching, and has a whole lot to say on the "everyone is special" topic, and not in the way you'd expect. I expected the ending to be cheesy, light-hearted, and one that would really end the movie on a good vibe, but The LEGO Movie hits it out of the park. The way Chris Pratt ends one of his monologues with Will Ferrel towards the film's finale is really well done, and seems as real as it can get while still being portrayed through the classic LEGO minifigure. It's really something to behold, and is an ending I will hold future animated movies to in the future.
Now, as with almost all movies, there are a few downsides to this wave of praise.
While it's filled with great laughs, many of the characters make a brief appearance, leave, and make no impression on you except "why are they here?" Yes, the film is used to celebrate everything that is LEGO, and the many trademarks it has at it's disposal, but it sometimes just feels like a hodgepodge of super names. Now, the core group of protagonists do actually leave a mark on your viewing experience so we can count them out. But people like Gandalf, Dumbledore, Abe Lincoln, Superman, Green Lantern, and Han Solo, really have no substantial impact on the plot or anything that has to do with the plot.
Though stuffed to the brim with stitching puns and dry humor, quite a few of the jokes fall flat. Leaving you with the feeling that they just tried too hard. These are both minor complaints, but still make a serious impact on the viewing experience.

Score: 9

+Great performances
+Awe-inspiring stop-motion animation/CGI blend
+Celebrates the brilliance that LEGO has created
+Everything Is Awesome
+Bitingly funny...
- ... But sometimes tries to hard
- Flash in the pan characters 

Review: 12 Years a Slave

I've just finished watching this film. It is 9:33 PM, Sunday, March 9th, 2014. The film is about Solomon Northup, who was a slave for twelve years, from 1841-1852. In the two and a half hours I spent watching this marvel of a film, I still shake, still hold my breath, and still pray that this sickness that is slavery will never return. Those of you who know me rather well know that I love Andrew Ryan, a character from Irrational Games' Bioshock. In the game, he says something that has impacted my decisions for a long time now.
"A man chooses, a slave obeys"
Six words, yet they define so much of history. Back in the revolutionary war, we could have stayed the figurative slave of England, but we chose to be free, just as in the time period that this film is based on, Solomon obeys, and later on, he chooses. He chooses to no longer stand victim to the claims that he is less of a human than any other white man.
"A man chooses, a slave obeys"
I could go on for a very long time on why slavery was such an irrefutable evil, but that's not what I am here to write about. I'm here to write about the masterpiece of a film that is 12 Years a Slave. Those of you who watched the Oscars this year, or even heard about them, knew that this picture won the Best Picture award, and rightfully so. Lupita Nyongo was nominated for her role in this film as Patsy, and won, deservedly so. Michael Fassbender was nominated for his supporting actor role, and lost to Jared Leto. Chiwetel Ejiofor was nominated for best actor, but lost to the powerhouse that is Matthew McConaughey. It was even scored by the brilliant Hans Zimmer, who's pieces have graced the screens many times. He was also nominated, but did not win. All this hype adds up, and did it disappoint? No, I assure you, it did not.
The film follows closely the true life story of Solomon Northup, once being a free black man, then kidnapped and sold in to slavery. The change of events is quite abrupt, and can be a little confusing at times because, early on, he flashes back to the life he once had. Though this abruptness it met with gruesome violence, almost immediately after you realize what has really happened. This movie is violent, dark, and malicious, in the same vein as Schindler's List, and The Passion of the Christ. Though to some it may seem overdone, I assure you, it was in no interest of being violent just to be violent; it accurately portrays what these people suffered through.
Each actor, whether big or small, plays a very large part in the overall scheme of the film, and each outspoken character is displayed with passion. Much of the film, Michael Fassbender held me the entire time. The corrupt, evil, quick-tempered man with no need for a filter or a stayed hand let loose every time he was on screen. He terrified me. And that's not something I can say about most actors in this vein. The last person I believe I can say truly terrified me with their performance was Heath Ledgers Joker, and since his appearance on screen, no other Joker has been able to meet the exceptional standard he set for them. Epps (Michael Fassbender) was brilliantly portrayed in his crooked smiles and whipping hand, and is one of the best acting performances I've seen to date.
Now, with this much praise, I do have a few flaws that need to be pointed out. There are a few moments in the film that the cinematography goes in a completely different direction than what is shown most of the film. One that stands out to me is towards the end. Solomon looks out in to the distance, and just kind of sits there, for a good five minutes. It pulled me out of the experience for a moment, but I didn't want to be pulled from it. There are quite a few other moments like this as well. Also, this film is portrayed in media ray, meaning that it starts somewhere that isn't the beginning, throws you back to the beginning, and then halfway, meets up with where it began. In 12YAS, it doesn't work that well, and left me feeling rather confused. They are minor complaints, but still those worth pointing out.

12 Years a Slave is a masterpiece, and if you have the stomach to experience it fully, it's a must see.

Score: 9.5

+ Awe-Inspiring Performances 
+ Historically Accurate
+ Thought-provoking
+Disturbingly realistic
+Michael Fassbender
- Some cinematography issues
- Media ray proves to be confusing here