This movie missed a perfect opportunity to use the Pixar Disney castle logo used from 1995 to 2007 since this movie takes place in 2002. Pixar’s Turning Red is written and directed by Domee Shi who also wrote and directed the Academy Award winning Pixar short Bao. Turning Red is about a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl named Mei Lee who can turn into a red panda whenever she feels strong emotions.  

I think Mei Lee is a very likable protagonist. The movie focuses a lot on the relationship between her and her mother. I do like that they have a flawed but still nice relationship. I also really enjoyed Mei Lee’s friends. Each one has unique character designs, ethnicities and personalities and work off each other wonderfully. There is sort of a liar revealed bit that involved Mei lying to Mom and using her red panda abilities to raise money for a concert. While not as bad as A Bug’s Life it still leads to a scene where Mei Lee throws her friends under the bus.

The animation in Turning Red is really good and practically has the same style as Domee Shi’s short Bao. This film has more unique character designs compared to other Pixar movies much like how Luca also has unique character designs. What really stood out to me in terms of animation were the facial expressions. I heard the animation was inspired by anime and it really shows. I also really liked the comedy in this movie. The wide-eyed facial expressions, fast paced jokes make this one of the funniest movies Pixar has done.

Again, like Luca last year I’m really glad Pixar has been giving new animators who proven there protentional through shorts opportunities to write and direct movies. I’m really exited to see who will be given that opportunity again in the future. Turning Red is one of the more fun outings in Pixar while also being heartwarming and hilarious.

Verdict:

+Mei Lee and her friends

+Mei Lee and her mother

+The animation

+The comedy

-Liar revealed cliche

Score: A

The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves who also directed “Dawn of” and “War for” the Planet of the Apes. It’s also the first DC movie where Batman has gotten a movie all to himself since The Dark Knight Rises nearly 10 years ago. At 176 minutes it is the longest Batman movie and will admit that’s my biggest gripe with this movie. It really does feel like it goes on for a very long time but too be fair it is a huge story.

Most of the cast is terrific but the biggest highlights are the hero and villain. Robert Patterson is terrific as a younger and angsty Bruce Wayne/Batman. I really like his character arc about him turning from a vigilante symbol for fear and vengeance to a heroic symbol of hope. Characters calling him Vengeance is a nice touch. I also think the Riddler played by Paul Dano is a huge improvement from Jim Carry. Not only was I surprised that Matt Reeves turned this joke villain into a really creepy character yet still had a bunch of humor to him. Batman villains are great when they balance being both threatening and funny. Heck even The Penguin is enjoyable and his makeup is amazing.

A problem I’ve had with recent Batman movies is that Gotham City looks too much like a real city, especially in the Dark Knight trilogy. I always felt like superhero cities especially Gotham City should feel like another world. Fortunately, this movie’s Gotham City is incredible. It’s both dirty, gothic and full of video screens like in Time Square. Gotham City’s Time Square might be my favorite location in the movie. Probably the best movie version is this city since Tim Burton’s Batman. Matt Reeves managed to pull off the film noir style thanks to his direction and cinematography.  

The Batman everything a great Batman movie should have, a great Batman, a great villain, and a great Gotham City. It is up there with Batman 1989 as one of my favorite Batman movies. Heck I even say it’s better than all three Dark Knight movies.

Verdict:

+Film noir feel

+Gotham City

+Robert Patterson as Batman

+The Riddler

-Long runtime

Score: A