Directed by Josh Cooley

Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Pots, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, and Ally Maki

Backstory

This past decade has become one where Pixar became infamous for cranking out sequels. It gave us Cars 2 & 3, Finding Dory, Monsters University, Incredibles 2…and it began with Toy Story 3 and now ends with Toy Story 4. Did we really need another Toy Story? The third one seemed to be such a perfect end to the franchise. Well, let’s find out.

Plot

It’s been two years since Andy went to college and gave all his toys to neighbourhood girl Bonnie. While everyone has settled in, Woody still hasn’t found his role in this new playgroup. Woody sneaks along with Bonnie to her first day of kindergarten, where Bonnie makes a new toy out of a spork, that she dubs Forky. To Woody’s surprise, Forky comes to life, and Woody introduces him to the rest of Bonnie’s toys. This doesn’t sit well with Forky, though, as he’s convinced it’s his destiny to be trash and keeps trying to throw himself away. As Bonnie and her family embark on a summer’s end road trip, Woody and Forky soon find themselves separated from Bonnie in an old antique shop, where they run into Woody’s lost love Bo Peep. Woody and Forky are soon making new friends and reuniting with old ones as they try to escape the antique shop and get back to Bonnie. Will they be successful? Will Woody find new purpose?

What I Liked

There’s such a wealth of rich, new characters introduced. From Forky, to our villainous doll Gabby Gaby, and then there’s Duke Caboon, Canada’s greatest stuntman, voiced by Keanu Reeves giving it so much energy. It’s been 24 years since the first Toy Story, and this film just kind of drips with nostalgia for that first film. And you know me, I don’t mind nostalgia. The voice acting is great. This is probably the funniest Toy Story movie with tons of gags. But, they still manage to inject a lot of heart into it, with an ending that brought me to tears.

What I Didn’t Like

With these films, I often wonder what the point is of getting a celebrity to voice every role when they only get one or two lines. I’m going through the credits as I write this, and marveling at all the talent that was wasted on just two lines.

Final Verdict

A very worthy addition to the franchise, and another very satisfying end for Woody, Buzz, and the gang. If Pixar finally decides to end it, I’ll be very happy.

4 Nibs

Directed by Simon Kinberg

Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Ty Sheridan, and Jessica Chastain

Backstory

X-Men truly is the granddaddy of superhero film franchises. The film historians will tell you that the entire dominance of superhero films began with the first X-Men back in 2000. And 19 years later, we have the end. With Disney’s recent buyout of Fox, the movie rights to X-Men are heading back to Marvel and they’ll soon be re-joining the Avengers. Dark Phoenix truly is the end of a chapter, and what better way to end than with one of X-Men‘s biggest and most famous story lines? Can they pull it off?

Plot

It’s ten years since X-Men: Apocalypse, which now places this in the 1990s. The X-Men have become beloved superheroes worldwide. It appears that Charles Xavier’s goal of using the X-Men to demonstrate that mutants are not to be feared has come true…but some worry that the fame is starting to go to Charles’s head. The X-Men are called in to rescue a doomed space shuttle, and they succeed, but in doing so, Jean Grey is pushed to her limits. She starts exhibiting strange cosmic powers that she can barely control, and before you know it, she’s inadvertently hurting those she loves. No longer trusting herself or Charles Xavier, she goes on the run. But who will get to her first? The X-Men, those who seek to destroy her, or aliens who covet this cosmic power for themselves? And what dark secret is Xavier hiding from Jean? Will it destroy the X-Men?

What I Liked

Well, the opening space rescue sequence certainly is a great scene. McAvoy and Fassbender continue doing top-notch work as Xavier and Magneto.

What I Didn’t Like

Well, with our newer, younger X-Men just being crammed in in the last film, we barely get a chance to know them, so it’s tough to feel for Jean Grey and what she’s going through. The plot seems fairly routine. The entire thing just feels surprisingly…small. It’s a lot like the first X-Men film. If you’ve gone back and watched the first X-Men, and compared it to what we’ve gotten in superhero films, you’ll be amazed at how small it is. Same with Dark Phoenix. Given weighty themes and cosmic entities and invading aliens, it could have been — should have been — much bigger.

Final Verdict

Mild disappointment in the whole affair. For a grand finale to the whole franchise, Dark Phoenix sadly came off rather bland.

2 Nibs

Directed by Michael Dougherty

Starring Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi.

Backstory:

It’s been five years since Godzilla and a lot’s changed since then. The producers of the latest American remake also got the rights to King Kong, and with that, decided to get a cinematic universe going. We got 2017’s Kong: Skull Island to re-introduce us to Kong, and now we get our Godzilla sequel, all building up to next year’s Kong vs. Godzilla. But that’s not all! Thanks to the success of the 2014 film, those American producers were able to procure the rights to Godzilla’s best-known foes: particularly Mothra, Rodan, and Godzilla’s arch-enemy, the three-headed hydra known as Ghidora. How will all this monster action play out?

Plot

It’s been five years since Godzilla’s first attack, and the world is still wondering how to handle these Titans. Monarch, the shadowy agency that monitors them, isn’t so shadowy any more and wants to study them. And then there’s the military, who wants to hunt them down. Caught in the middle is the Russel family, a pair of Monarch scientists who lost their son in the Godzilla attack. The father, Mark, walked away and started studying wolves. The mother, Emma, stayed with Monarch and has invented a device called the Orca, which will allow communication with these Titans. But, Emma and daughter Madison are kidnapped by eco-terrorists who seek to use the Orca to revive all the Titans. The first one they resurrect: Ghidora, Godzilla’s main rival for apex predator back in prehistoric times. As all the other Titans begin rallying around Ghidora, the humans come to a shocking truth: the only way to survive is to help Godzilla. In the battle between Godzilla and Ghidora, who will be crowned king of the monsters?

What I Liked

Yes! Some truly epic giant monster fights! For those who complained that 2014’s Godzilla didn’t have enough giant monster fighting, you will get more than you share here. The music is wonderful as well, incorporating many of the classic themes from the original Japanese film franchise. In fact, there are lots of great callbacks and references to the original franchise, even embracing some of the crazier aspects. This film loves its monsters

What I Didn’t Like

My common complaint with these kinds of films…giant monster movies seem to struggle at coming up with something interesting for the humans to do, as our human plots kinda drag a little bit. And I understand that it makes the computer animation cheaper and easier, but I do get tired of these giant monster battles taking place at night, in the rain.

Final Verdict

A popcorn film in the best sense of the word…just a very fun film.

3 Nibs