Category: The Sack Review

My reviews of movies, TV shows, and other properties. Enjoy!

Frozen II Review: A heartfelt journey into the unknown

I’m … not sure what the other critics are talking about. At the time of writing, the 58th animated film from Walt Disney Pictures has a 76 percent rating from critics, and 93 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. I know you can’t always take critics and audiences at their word, but when it comes to Frozen II, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was never going to top the 2013 smash hit that came before it, but it didn’t have to; all it had to do was entertain, and it did that and more.

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Knives Out Quick Review: See It

To go into too much detail with this review runs the risk of spoiling the movie for others. With that in mind, here are my brief thoughts about Knives Out, the latest film from director Rian Johnson: see it. Want a little more? Then let’s proceed. No spoilers, but this was a fun, thoughtful, suspenseful, brain-teasing film in the style of Agatha Christie that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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The Lion King (2019) Review: Can I Feel the Love Tonight? Not really, but I Can Feel the *Like* Tonight

Can I feel the love tonight? Not really. But the 2019 remake of The Lion King makes me feel the *like* tonight.

Remember a while back when I wrote about how I was vehemently against the “live action“ Lion King remake? And remember how I was against the live action Christopher Robin movie? Well, for the latter, I was proven wrong, as Christopher Robin ended up being one of my favorite movies last year. As for the former? Well, I didn’t hate Disney’s remake of my favorite movie of all time, but I also didn’t love it. At the moment, I’d say that I liked it well enough, but if I had a choice to watch this new one or the 1994 classic, there’s no contest: The Lion King (1994) is the one true king.

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Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Review: The best video game movie I’ve ever seen

Apart from a few phases that ultimately accounted for about six months of my childhood, I didn’t really grow up obsessed with Pokémon. I, like many people, at the very least saw that Pikachu was cute, and therefore had several Pikachu toys growing up. So when I saw the trailer for Pokémon: Detective Pikachu came out, my first thought was “oh that looks cute; hope it doesn’t stink.” Thankfully, this film does more than not stink; it’s also an enjoyable trip to the movies, albeit with a plot that a lot of folks will be able to figure out pretty quickly. But that plot isn’t the main focus; the focus is to bring Pokémon to the big screen in a believable way. With that goal in mind, this film succeeds and then some.

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Review: Christopher Robin is a Sweet Smackeral of Honey

Remember a while back when I was vehemently against Christopher Robin being made? My, what a difference two years makes. This movie could never live up to the books and films that introduced us to the Hundred Acre Wood, but this latest live-action Disney film does a fine job at capturing the sweetness that made us fall in love with these characters in the first place. While the original books were about growing up and letting childhood go, Christopher Robin is about growing up while not losing sight of your inner child. Sometimes you can figure this out on your own, and sometimes you need a silly old bear to help you find your way.

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Solo: a Star Wars Story, like the Millennium Falcon, is a bit rough, but a great ride

Did this movie need to exist? Probably not. Am I glad that it does? Yes I am. Solo: a Star Wars Story is the latest Star Wars anthology film, and while it is not as necessary as its predecessor Rogue One, it is a fun, action-packed, and enjoyable ride aboard the Millennium Falcon. It very much earns its “Star Wars Story” subtitle.

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My Top 10 Films of 2017

The 90th Academy Awards are coming up this Sunday, and we’ll soon see which movies that came out in 2017 were good enough to earn Oscar gold. Unsurprisingly, in the 12 months of 2017, there were good movies, bad movies, and movies that were just … okay. Thankfully, the good ones stood out from the rest. We watched as an Amazon demigoddess battled the God of War during World War I; we witnessed the evacuation of thousands of British troops off a beach in France during World War II; we saw humans and highly-intelligent apes clash for supremacy in a post-apocalyptic world; and we fans of a galaxy far, far away saw our beloved Princess onscreen one last time. Out of the many movies that came out this year, I have formed this, my list of my top 10 favorite movies of 2017.

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Quick Review: “Justice League:” mildly cluttered, still enjoyable

The results are in, and Justice League is … enjoyable. There are definite problems with the film, and many a diehard comic book fan will find many reasons to dislike it. But I go into these kinds of movies hoping to be entertained and to care about the struggles of the main heroes. I got that from Justice League.

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Review: Star Wars Rebels Season 4 Premiere: “Heroes of Mandalore”

After a seven-month hiatus, Star Wars Rebels is back for its fourth and final season today, starting with the two-part episode “Heroes of Mandalore,” which sees Sabine Wren lead a small force of Mandalorians to rescue her father and reclaim Mandalore from Imperial control. Back during Season Three, I commented on how my biggest issue with Star Wars Rebels was the lengths of the story arcs, with everything being tied up in a neat little bow by an episode’s end. While this was only the season premiere, the structure of these first two episodes are promising for the rest of the show’s run. As I will be discussing plot points of this season premiere, a spoiler alert is now in effect. Read on at your own risk.

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