ethan

**“we were there at the right time to help her along.”** toy story as a franchise has never missed in my opinion. while i felt like *toy story 4* was probably the weakest, it still stood on its own as a terrific film and justified the franchise’s continuation. *toy story 5* is a film i’d place right in front of *toy story 4* as another excellent installment in pixar’s tentpole franchise. the genius of this film lies in its direction. andrew stanton returns but shifts the focus onto jessie and places her in the protagonist role. it immediately sets this film apart from the others and feels fresh and exciting because of it. woody, while great to see him again, has already had his four movies. they showed a lot of restraint and i really appreciated how they acknowledged his arc is complete. the next major introduction and core idea explored is technology and smart devices and their role in a child’s life. it is a very “home run” direction to take in this era we live in and i believe it does a great job at playing with the nuance it brings. with technology now playing a role, that also means new characters. conan o’brien’s smarty pants and greta lee’s lilypad are fantastic and add so much humor and charm to the already great ensemble of toys. the film tackles the idea of tech becoming a replacement for play and i admire how hopeful and creative the solution it offers is. toys and technology aren’t two opposing means of entertainment. they can coexist and both serve different means of entertainment if enjoyed in moderation and with human connection. while that is a lot of the film portrayed in the marketing, the thesis lies in jessie’s plot line. just because someone is no longer in your life, doesn’t mean you didn’t have an impact or that it didn’t matter. i would be lying if i said i didn’t tear up at a specific scene in the latter half of the film. the animation is, as expected, top notch. pixar continues to innovate and leave disney animation studios in the dust. i especially loved the brush strokes and painting-like design of the imagination sequences. there are not many franchises where i am eager to see more and more sequels. there is something so timeless about these toys and what they represent and i cannot wait for them to continue this saga. just don’t make any spin-offs (i’m looking at you *lightyear*).

**“you’re not letting go. you’re just not holding on anymore.”** my favorite show of all time is *cowboy bebop* and an iconic quote from that show is “you’re gonna carry that weight.” *the death of robin hood *is basically that quote as a two hour film with a unique spin on the robin hood mythos. this is an incredibly somber and gloomy tale about a violent and horrible man attempting to heal both physically and psychologically from the trauma committed by his own hands. some may roll their eyes at yet another simple “cycle of violence” narrative but the stellar cast and production design do a ton to ease that hindrance. the opening act of this film left me not very impressed and i was actually kind of bummed that there was plenty of runtime remaining. it is ultra violent and the filmmaking is distractingly smokey and dark. once the plot refocuses, *the death of robin hood* does a great job at developing each characters’ turmoil, especially robin hood. hugh jackman channels a lot of the old man logan energy in his performance and he truthfully carries the film. my main issue lies with the narrative momentum and how it can feel boring and repetitive throughout. perhaps that is the point, with the film capturing the cyclical nature of the main conflict, but i wish i was entertained a bit more. performances across the board were great with jodie comer and noah jupe bringing the emotion and restrained rage so effectively. just as violence can be taught, so can love. revenge narratives don’t have to end with a broken or continued cycles — they can begin a new cycle: love. i’m a big fan of the storytelling here and i hope more people can push through the meandering nature of the film to experience this.

**“just because you chose this for her doesn't make it any less real.”** ran this one back and wow. it is still absolutely incredible while simultaneously being one of the most sickening things i have ever seen. *obsession *truly showcases how to take a simple concept and fully deliver and commit. i was definitely catching things on the second viewing that i didn’t see initially. i was especially observant with anything regarding bear’s friend, ian, and how manipulative he is throughout the runtime. bear is absolutely a piece of s**t and deserves everything that happens to him, but ian’s fake advice and misdirection also showcase further nuance. there is a ton of subtle foreshadowing that works great and i still cannot get enough of how good the performances are. inde navarrette is definitely the highlight and she is absolutely going to be the one of the performances everyone will be talking about at the end of the year. michael johnston is also incredible and his scream in the car is something still ringing in my ears. there are simple reasons this film has been having such good legs at the box office and it is all because of amazing word of mouth and the fact that *obsession *is a terrific film. people want original, effective, and entertaining stories that are worth the exponential cost of going to the theater. if you haven’t had the privilege to see this film yet, just go and i promise you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. you might say you’ll become *obsessed* with it.

**“empathy is the highest and purest form of evolution, and our denial of this truth will be the cause of our extinction as a species.”** spielberg has and will always have the sauce. he will always be my favorite director not just for his technical and artistic prowess, but he understands a core thing about film: the feeling. what separates the good from the generational is whether the film makes you really feel something and push you to reflect on the ways you navigate the world. *disclosure day* is a very different take on alien conspiracy cinema. rather than focusing on the aliens themselves, the film turns the focus back on us humans and how we choose to navigate information that we aren’t alone. i think the brilliance in spielberg’s latest lies in what the aliens represent. we are living in a country and world that is constantly at war and always resorts to violence and fear mongering as a means to create “control”. like in the quote that i chose above, the distinct lack of empathy our governing bodies have is what is holding us back. empathy, understanding, and just taking a moment to listen and reflect is the most essential thing we can do for our survival. the aliens aren’t just some extraterrestrial creatures, rather, a physical manifestation of our fear of sharing the feelings and experiences of others. we live in a massive universe and no matter your circumstances, religion, or beliefs, you shouldn’t navigate it alone. secrets and government cover ups only prolong the journey towards truth and understanding. the main mcguffin of the film is literally an alien communication device and if that doesn’t clarify the intent, i don’t know what does. i feel like while *disclosure day* is quite messy at times, its themes struck a serious chord with me and made it easier to blissfully ignore the spotty cgi and plot conveniences. it also helps that you have steven f**king spielberg behind the camera. for a dialogue heavy blockbuster, not many films this year have felt this kinetic and exciting to watch. the film just throws you right into the conflict and follows daniel (o’connor) trying to escape scanlon (firth) and his goons with evidence of extraterrestrial existence and immoral experimentation. his goal: disclose this information to the whole world. from this point, the narrative never gives the characters much room to breathe and kickstarts this game of cat and mouse, later introducing margaret (blunt) into the mix. emily blunt gives an oscar worthy performance and i will be shocked if she isn’t given recognition of any kind. she is absolutely insane here and i was especially impressed with all the languages she had to partially learn for the role. josh o’connor and colin firth are also great in their respective roles but colman domingo’s supporting role as hugo stood out to me. there is a particular dialogue exchange he has with noah scanlon about halfway through the film that just hit me to my core. the overall ensemble is incredible, not that it is much of a surprise. for a summer blockbuster, the action is great here. superb car chases and the entire third act had me on the edge of my seat. i particularly loved the scene involving a train and the scene with an invisible escape. there are moments where it is spotless and everything is amazing, but i’d be lying if some of the visuals didn’t look a bit off. anything involving animals looked awkward and i wish it felt more grounded visually in accordance to the seriousness of the film’s tone. this also applies to the alien designs. i think the stereotypical alien designs, while recognizable, show a direct contrast to the themes. it is something visually familiar to us and it detracts from investment in the desired disclosure of their existence. technically speaking, the dynamic oners and creative transitions made for an endlessly engaging watch and i feel like even the most stagnant parts of the film had crazy artistry behind it. it was an absolute treat to see this in a full 70mm projected auditorium at the vista theater. i feel so privileged to be able to see a new steven spielberg picture on the big screen and *disclosure* *day* feels like a perfect swan song of extraterrestrial cinema for him. incredibly timely but also still connected to his roots as a filmmaker, this is a film you don’t want to miss in theaters.