'Soul' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.

Won: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

Synopsis: Joe Gardner is a middle-school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful gig at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth. 

Runtime: 100 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG (for thematic elements and some language)

Who should see it? Families and fans of Pixar.

Joining Pixar's catalog, Soul is the twenty-third feature from the eclectic animation studio. This year, Pixar released two of their first original films since Coco after a recent string of sequels. Unfortunately, both had their box office hopes dashed by the ongoing pandemic. Onward's theatrical run was cut short by theater closures, only for it to be fast-tracked to VOD and Disney+, while Soul forewent a theatrical release altogether and was released exclusively on Disney+ for Christmas. Release circumstances withstanding, Soul was co-directed by Kemp Powers and Pete Docter with a story and screenplay by Powers, Docter, and Mike Jones. Of this year's two Pixar releases, Soul was the one I was most anticipating for a few reasons. For one, it seemed to offer a more innovative premise and a unique animation style based on trailers. Secondly, the film had an exciting blend of creative voices behind the scenes. 

Soul is Powers's directorial debut and stands as the fourth feature credit for Docter. Pete Docter's involvement stuck out as he previously co-directed Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out, three films I rank among Pixar's very best. Docter also happens to be Pixar's Chief Creative Officer, so I found it fascinating that this story compelled him to jump back in the trenches and shepherd a budding filmmaker. Pixar's filmography continually covers complex topics in an easy-to-digest manner, entertaining and moving audiences of all ages. You'd think this creative well might run dry after twenty-five years of storytelling... Well, think again because Soul is Pixar at its most imaginative, emotional, and existential. 

Central to Soul are universal musings over life's meaning and the blurred line between passion and unhealthy obsession. Ultimately, Docter and Powers implore the viewer to take a deep breath and enjoy the little things. Fixating on one's purpose and self-worth is simply not good for the soul. Though, Soul has much more to offer than resonant messaging. It's gorgeously animated with a tremendous amount of detail and vibrancy. The world-building is also well worth mentioning, as "The Great Before" and "The Great Beyond" are fascinating, fleshed-out locales for the audience to explore. Even New York feels fully realized as an environment with a personality of its own, true to life. While awe-inspiring, the settings never overtake the story, as Docter, Powers, and Jones are careful not to get lost in the vast world they've created. The cohesive element holding everything together, though, is the soundtrack featuring jazz compositions and arrangements by Jon Batiste as well as an original score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. 

It only makes sense for music to play a pivotal role in a movie about a musician. And the music featured in Soul is incredibly varied, ranging from upbeat jazz riffs to a soothing, ethereal synth to melancholy melodies. While Docter, Powers, Jones, and the animators establish the framework for a sincere story with breathtaking visuals, Batiste, Reznor, and Ross make it sing. Their soundtrack is seriously transcendent at times, and an ear-worm for sure!

Leading the gifted voice cast, Jamie Foxx lends dweebish, impassioned qualities to Joe Gardner, while Tina Fey's 22 is a mischievous and stubborn source of comic relief. Their dynamic brings plenty of heart and levity to the proceedings. They're also backed by a host of compelling supporting characters in the human and soul worlds, voiced by Graham Norton, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Donnell Rawlings, Daveed Diggs, and Questlove, respectively. Within the soul world, there are abstract constructs called Counselor Jerry(s), portrayed by Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster, and Zenobia Shroff. Rachel House's Terry is a colleague of theirs who seeks to keep things in order, obsessing over ensuring the correct count of souls enters "The Great Beyond."

The first ballad between Docter and Powers stirs the soul, occupies the mind, and unfastens the tear ducts. Soul rivals the beauty and sincerity of Pixar's most cherished work and will resonate even more in the years to come. As someone who's loved quite a few Pixar releases since Toy Story 3, I don't say this lightly... Soul is, without a doubt, the best film released by the studio in the last decade. It's such a shame it had to debut on Disney+ because this would have been incredible to experience in theaters. However, I take solace, knowing it will be safely seen by audiences of all ages. 

Film Assessment: A+

'Blindspotting' Review

Blindspotting follows Collin, a convicted felon with three days left on his yearlong parole sentence. Struggling to make a new life for himself, he begins to re-evaluate his relationship with his volatile best friend.

Making their feature debut, real-life friends Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in Blindspotting while first time feature director Carlos López Estrada helmed the indie. For a first film, their work is commendable and competent. Rarely anything more, rarely anything less. Estrada admittedly is able to effectively draw out some powerful moments of intensity as a result of Collin witnessing an instance of police brutality. Collin's haunted by what he's seen, and Estrada authenticates that sense of paranoia and post traumatic stress remarkably well. It's a shame he wasn't able to reign in everything else because the film's very messy from a narrative perspective.

Casal and Diggs took it upon themselves to address a multitude of socio-policial issues, but they ultimately are overwhelmed by the task and lose sight of their end goal. Instead of presenting a fair, balanced stance on the issue of police brutality, Blindspotting finds itself slanted towards one side and offers no concession for the opposing point-of-view. To Casal and Diggs, it seems that good cops are a myth and they're all out for blood. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, police brutality certainly is a concern for minorities in our country. I'm not refuting that, but presenting all police as the enemy won't make matters any better. It just adds more fuel to the fire. 

Otherwise, I thought certain things clunkily fell into place a little too conveniently and it was bothersome that particular plot lines weren't resolved at the end. I was also quite irritated by the treatment of the ensemble. Collin's ex-girlfriend Val is positioned as antagonistic and high-maintenance for wanting Collin to reform himself when her viewpoint's totally valid, and that annoyed me to no end. Collin's then depicted as having bettered himself, but a scene towards the end of the third act doesn't do his character any favors in that regard. At least Mile was consistently a messed up human being... With a grill and poor temperament, he's an unruly punk that will test your patience as a viewer. 

The whole "street" lifestyle was eye-rolling and cringe-inducing to watch as a matter of fact. There were just several instances were I was completely disinterested with anything happening onscreen as questionable behavior grew more and more tiresome to see. Over time, I just became more indifferent to the film as a whole. 

As I touched on earlier, I can at least concede that Blindspotting is competently made in regards to its technical attributes... It just has a much sloppier screenplay than most are currently willing to acknowledge. If I were to commend the film on anything else though, it would be that the human interactions feel incredibly genuine thanks to some exceptional performances. Daveed Diggs, in particular, really sells his character's inner turmoil and spirited personality. Meanwhile, Rafael Casal is fittingly downright scummy as Miles. Casal's real-life rapport with Diggs is reflected in the bond between their characters, and that in-turn lends more credibility to their friendship. Elsewhere, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Ethan Embry are worth mentioning for sincere supporting roles. 

Ironically, I couldn't help but see two things at once while watching Blindspotting. On one hand, it commendably tackles the racial injustices in America through socio-polical commentary. On the other hand, Blindspotting's viewpoint on the issue is so skewed that it treats its own perspective as infallible. The filmmakers were far more concerned with making a statement than a film. 

Film Assessment: C+

'Ferdinand' Revew

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature.

Ferdinand frolics inside a Spanish bullfighting camp alongside a young bull named Ferdinand. Ferdinand isn't like the other bulls in the training camp because he's not interested in the sport of bullfighting. All Ferdinand wants to do is sit around and smell flowers. One day, Ferdinand gets his wish when he escapes the camp and is adopted by a young farm girl, Nina. Ferdinand grows up under Nina's care and the two become friends who relish in nature's beauty together. After a massive misunderstanding, Ferdinand is captured and taken from his new home to train at a bullfighting camp. Fueled by an innate desire to reunite with the family and avoid ending up in the ring against legendary bullfighter El Primero, Ferdinand forms a motley crew of critters and sets out on an exciting adventure.

Ferdinand is steered by director Carlos Saldanha, featuring a screen story from Ron Burch, David Kidd, and Don Rhymer as well as a screenplay by Robert L. Baird, Tim Federle, and Brad Copeland that adapts the classic children's book written by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson. If you're at all familiar with The Story of Ferdinand, you'll know that it's quite short and straightforward. It's generally agreed to contain valuable messages as it encourages kids to be themselves and takes a commendable stance in supporting pacifism.

However, as much as Ferdinand wants to champion those worthwhile themes, it also can't help but MOOO-ve around the creative pasture a little too much. Like most mediocre animated works, Ferdinand is all over the place and shoehorns as many needless jokes as you can possibly imagine. For every clever incorporation of tasteful humor like an literal interpretation of the age-old idiom "Bull in a china shop," Ferdinand has a dance-off featuring twerking bulls. Why? Because that's exactly what every kid is dying to see, right? Probably, but I just wish they hadn't stooped so low. 

Elsewhere, the animation in Ferdinand is adequate and well-constructed while the music incorporated in the feature helps to maintain Ferdinand's fast pace. I just wish the filmmakers had been more focused in their efforts to translate what could have been an endearing story because what they brought to the table was a half-baked attempt. 

In the wide stable of voice actors, Ferdinand features the likes of John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Anderson, Peyton Manning, David Tennant, Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias, Flula Borg, Sally Phillips, and Boris Kodjoe as Ferdinand and his merry band of animals. The supporting caricatures include an assorted band of bulls, a kooky calming goat, three troublesome hedgehogs, and some haughty German horses. They all factor into the narrative somehow though, whether it be for the purposes of a quick one-off joke or a running gag.

I'm someone who has always been bothered when others refer to animated films as "kid movies" when there are so many exemplary animated films out there with depth and substance, but then you have family films like Ferdinand that remind you where that idea originated from. Ferdinand had potential to be a sweet adaptation of a beloved children's book, but is okay at best. It's fine for young children, and will keep their attention for about an hour and a half, but parents may have their patience tested rather quickly. All I can really say is "Well, at least it wasn't a load of bull crap!"

Film Assessment: C+