Carson King

Absolutely incredible. Somehow this brand new short already feels nostalgic, like a lost classic Disney film. The animation is gorgeous, truly the kind of hand drawn style I’ve really missed, and you can instantly feel the influence of its co-director from Brother Bear in the best possible way. The story is surprisingly deep, tackling loneliness and the simple ache of wanting a friend with so much heart. It’s both incredibly warm and unbelievably sad. Even without a single word spoken, every emotion the polar bear feels is crystal clear through the animation alone. Stunning work, and one of the best shorts I’ve seen.

Kind of cool to finally see an origin style story for the Warrens and how they got into this line of work. This for me is easily the best Conjuring movie since the first. Honestly the first time I’ve been both entertained and scared by this series in a long time. The connections to the wider Conjuring universe, especially Annabelle, were really fun and felt more intentional than in past entries. The story is stronger too, making this a surprisingly solid return to form.

Absolutely loved this. It’s nonstop action from start to finish, there’s never a dull moment, and honestly that might be why it worked so well for me. The story is strong and engaging enough to keep everything moving, but the real highlight is the cast. Maybe I’m just a huge Glen Powell fan at this point, because he absolutely crushes it again. Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin were great too, but Powell really steals the whole movie. Just a total blast and easily one of my favorites of the year.

Pretty good overall. It’s definitely a slow burn, but one I actually enjoyed sitting with. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal are incredible, no surprise there, and the rest of the cast really brings it too. The story is interesting and unfolds in a way that keeps you hooked even when the pacing is deliberate.