Wildwood

Wildwood, based on Colin Meloy’s 2011 novel and Chris Butler’s screenplay, is an enchanting dark fairytale about finding one’s courage.

Thirteen year old Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) lives with her parents (Maya Erskine and Jake Johnson) and baby brother Mac in the woods outside the city of Portland, Oregon. When Mac is abducted by a group of murder crows led by the mysterious Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), Prue, along with her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), venture into the forbidden magical forest inhabited by talking animals and birds to search for Mac.

With a theatrical run-time of 131 minutes, director Travis Knight creates the longest ever stop motion animation and the most technically ambitious film produced by Laika Studios, resulting in an immersive cinematic masterpiece.

Sixteen years in the making, this breathtaking animation was intricately hand-crafted without the use of A.I. Every frame of the film includes extraordinary detail especially in the epic battle scenes, aerial sequences, and foliage. 

Chest movements to mimic breathing, biceps flex, and facial expression changes bring the puppets to life. For example, 24 faces were produced for one second of footage to convey one character’s changing expressions. 

Astonishing are the hundreds of feathers rippling in the wind of a golden eagle, with a five foot wingspan, while flying and spinning.

Due to battle scenes, violence and death, the film is not geared to a young audience, and is rated PG-13.

The Odyssey

Academy award winner (Oppenheimer, 2024) writer director Christopher Nolan’s epic blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, is Nolan’s largest, most challenging and among the most expensive films of his career. Co-produced with his wife Emma Thomas, Odyssey is the eleventh highest grossing film of all times.

Deviating from the traditional fantasy genre, the film combines mythology with tactile realism by depicting the actions of the gods through natural phenomena. Nolan’s distinctive introspective narrative style focuses on respect, loyalty, and trust.

Following a ten year long Trojan war, Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, embarks on a perilous return trip home. 

The numerous mythological adversaries encountered along the way, delay his homecoming by an additional ten years. 

Due to his prolonged absence, he is presumed dead, leaving behind his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland). When he finally arrives to Ithaca, Odysseus has to reclaim his family and throne.

The feature brings together a superb all-star ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, Tom Holland as well as Robert Pattinson as the villain Antinous, John Leguizamo as Odysseus’ half blind servant Eumaeus, and Samantha Morton as the witch Circe.

Elevating the cinematic experience are Ellen Mirojnick’s costume designs, Ruth De Jong’s elaborate production designs and Hoyte van Hoytema’ s cinematography, which adapt visual styles and atmospheric tones through various terrains during on location filming in Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara, Malta as well as at the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles.

Odyssey is the first feature shot entirely in IMAX 70 mm cameras offering the highest resolution available today and enhancing the immersive action-packed sequences and sea storms. 

Maintaining the momentum is the extraordinary pulsating sound design by three times Oscar winning composer Ludwig Göransson who evokes Bronze Age’s materiality through the use of bronze gongs layered with synthesizers, bronze instruments, ancient lyre and aulos, flutes and vocals.  Complimenting the sound landscape is Travis Scott’s original song When I’m home.

Odyssey (R 172 minutes) is a type of epic feature rarely produced today. Its masterful creative direction and technically accomplished, modern cinematic approach is best seen on the largest possible screen for maximal enjoyment.

Minions & Monsters

 

Returning director Pierre Coffin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Brian Lynch, created a fast paced, animated comedy that may be the best in the Despicable Me franchise.

Set in 1927 Old Hollywood, a group of Minions decide to make their break in Hollywood with a monster movie, but things go quickly awry.

Reminiscent of Hollywood’s Golden Age, is John Powell’s beautiful score. This is the first Despicable Me installment not to be composed by Heitor Pereria.

A 15 minutes fictionalized version of George Lucas makes a cameo appearance. In addition, Gru, Dr. Nefarious and Agnes make cameos during credits.

Minions & Monsters is an entertaining film with affectionate characters, charming animation, wild mischief and slapstick humor.

Toy Story 5

Disney and Pixar explore the thematically relevant and relatable theme of how modern technology impacts play time.

Eight year old human Bonnie joins a chat group on her new computer and stops playing with her favorite toys mainly Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Cowgirl Jesse (Joan Cusack). Jesse enlists the help of Woody (Tom Hanks) to introduce Bonnie to a new friend, Blaze (Mikal-Michelle Harris), who still plays with toys.

Director Andrew Stanton well balances the comedy, emotional weight, and entertaining animation, while creating a heartwarming and engaging film for theentire family.

Tangles

Debuting director Leah Nelson’s adaptation of Sarah Levitt’s biographical graphic novel Tangles: A Story About  Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me, is a black and white animated drama for adults.

When Midge’s (Julia Louis Dreyfus) Alzheimer’s takes over her vivacious personality, her daughter Sarah (Abbi Jacobson) returns to her family and conservative small town to take care of her mother, leaving behind her romance and career.

The stellar cast deliver moving and engaging performances, providing moments of levity and laughter to the drama.

Iron Boy (Le Corset)

Set in the agricultural landscapes of the Beauce region of Paris, France, Cristophe (Gary Clichy) an eleven year old boy diagnosed with scoliosis, is prescribed to wear a rigid iron back brace. 

No longer able to help his family on the farm, Christophe has to re-invent himself and overcome his emotional constraints. 

Visually compelling hand painted water colors with Chinese ink brushes renders the emotive and expressive tone of this coming of age film.

Director Louis Clichy co-wrote the film with Franck Salomé and used unprofessional voice actors, with Clichy’s son playing the main character. 

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco’s Ouragan and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem soundtracks complement the film.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s bestselling autobiographical short novel The Character of Rain (2000), by debuting co-directors Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade, follows Amélie (voiced by Loïse Charpentier), a toddler born in Japan of Belgian descent, as she becomes aware of her physical and cultural surroundings in1960s Japan. 

Accompanied by Mari Fukuhara’s beautiful score, this immersive, vibrant, 2D impressionistic-like animation is reminiscent of Han and Vallade's earlier works, Long Way North (2015) and Calamity (2020) under the direction of French animator Rémi Chayé.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain's heartwarming and humorous, yet thematically complex story, is relatable to all ages.