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PhilGood Films, Greenville, NC (2024)

01/31/2023

Will be looking at new methods to make my content more easily consumable. I will be trying to make video content on this page soon, so I am taking a break from posts to be exploring new methods.

01/28/2023

To finish off Pixar week I wanted to look at the latest release that is not connected to the Toy Story universe. This is film is part of the trend that Pixar has lately with films focusing on human characters while this was something that wasn’t as common before 2017. While centering around something that was controversial, it should be looked at as its own film and ignore all the noise surrounding it.

Turning Red

This film did great with introducing concepts, but not so well with following through on them. They made a point in this film to address subject matter that may not be a easy to discuss for younger viewers, but it was done in a way that makes it receptive to them. The animation is always amazing as we continue to see in Pixar films. It hurts the film where so much work was done to animate this film and go over some uncomfortable concepts, but the ending falls flat. All of the resolutions to conflict are completely rushed and poorly written. This makes what could have been an impressive and memorable film into one that leaves you disappointed.
Rating: 5/10

Monday Morning Director: Turning Red
SPOILERS BELOW!!

Disclaimer:
The term Monday morning coach refers to individuals that act as if they have all the answers the day after the game and provide none on Sunday, the day of the game. The information presented is not to insult those who contributed to the making of this film, but to provide an analysis of what could have been done given the knowledge beforehand. I do not know the difficulties the individuals making this film went through, so I make this disclaimer beforehand to show my respect for those in the industry that put in their time making this film.

There was a great design to the characters and setting that should be acknowledged first. Pixar has shown they are great with rendering furry animals ever since Monsters Inc so the fact that Mei as a red panda looked great was no surprise. It always amazes me how expressive Pixar animals and creatures are with just their faces even when they have to do so much with just the animation of the body in general. It feels like Pixar was animating an anime at times with the numerous references to anime tropes. You see how the eyes change for characters when they see something cute or the animation that comes after Mei makes her final hit on her mother’s panda form. I like those nods to that genre since it is something that deserves recognition while it also works because it is centered around an Asian family.

The message is one that is very uncommon in a family film, and it is a welcome one to help dialogue with parents and their children. The film is not afraid to bring up the taboo concept of a female growing into womanhood and all that entails. They bring up the use of pads and how natural it is. While this is all that discussed regarding specifics about a woman and her period, it is a great launching point for discussion for families and for any girl that may have questions. They still move forward with the awkward social and psychological moments that comes with puberty. She is overcome with more intense emotions towards boys, and it seems to take over her in certain moments. Normally it would be strange to focus on one of the boys in school during the film with no reference to him later, but this is appropriate for reflecting the mindset of Mei during this time in her life. Her mother is also having to contend with her personally changes, though she isn't as accepting of her becoming her own person. This film's main focus should have been the complicated nature of the relationship between a mother and daughter but representing different issues of that relationship than what was shown in Brave.

The conflict feels very forced in multiple parts of the film. The biggest issue comes when Mei rejects her friends when her mother shames them at Tyler’s party. It felt like a cheap way to add tension to the end of the film without a satisfying setup. The conflict between her and her friends wasn’t ever brought up. Whenever they had any conflict, they worked together to find a resolution. This was a great example of how a healthy friendship is supposed to work. Almost right after Mei forced the divide with her friends, she came back in and all was forgiven. This is why it felt cheap and meaningless to have this conflict between them ever happen. A better way to move this plot forward is that Mei stands up for her friends and says that she wanted to come to the party. Her mother’s response would be denial that her daughter would do this out of her own volution and accuse her friends of warping her mind while taking her away. This would cause her mother to force the separation between her and her friends without it feeling cheap. This would also feed into the conflict with Mei and her mother so it can be a better payoff at the end.

The ending didn’t work as well because none of the resolutions felt earned. The writers push a resolution between Mei and her mother right at the end when the mother was given no time to redeem herself prior to their talk at the end of the film. She appears as someone who goes overboard with how she treats her daughter and her husband. She only goes more extreme from there. It takes you out of the film because of how far she goes to be in her child’s business and interrupt her life. She shows off perverse drawings her daughter made of a boy to that boy and also breaks into school to spy on her daughter and hand her pads in front of her class. This goes way past reason, even for a silly animated film. It makes her completely unlikeable without giving off the idea that is still a good person. It gets to the point where she becomes a Kaiju and literally attacks her own daughter. Instead of coming to a resolution Mei just knocks her out. This is when we have out been resolution between the two. This is not how you make the antagonist sympathetic. By making violence the only means to calm her, she was essentially made into a villain instead of just an antagonist. Following this up with her just making up with Mei after a brief conversation about her changing makes this too quick of a pull back to center. There was also a reconciliation between the mother and grandmother that came out of nowhere. It seemed like an offhand joke at first when the grandmother called and the mother didn’t want to respond to her. There is tension between them when they are together briefly and the only semblance of the background was given in exposition by the father later in the film. This leads up to another weak resolution that just compounds the one with the other two earlier. They show a resolution between the girls and Tyler just because he was at the 4*Town concert which is again, rushed and unsatisfactory. They should have just had something silly happen to him where he got karmic justice without it ever involving the girls whatsoever. It could have been something simple like him getting upset that he isn’t getting their attention anymore and makes a fool of himself at school. It never felt like the resolutions were important to the writers so ones were hastily done to get to the end of the film.

01/27/2023

Caught in the middle of what was considered a slump in Pixar’s history was a film exploring the world of human emotions. It served as a bright spot between all the sequels that were being thrown out during this time such as Cars 2 and Monsters University. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay and won for best animated feature.

Inside Out

The writing of the film was amazing to be able to go over such a complex message in such a way that it is easy for the audience to digest. There is such a great story with just the relationship between the two main characters and it works to reinforce the message of the film. There are some perfect choices for the voice acting roles that work wonders to add life to the characters. So much more can be said about how well this worked and it one of those films that hits you deeply each time you see it.
Rating: 9.5/10

Monday Morning Director: Inside Out
SPOILERS BELOW!!

Disclaimer:
The term Monday morning coach refers to individuals that act as if they have all the answers the day after the game and provide none on Sunday, the day of the game. The information presented is not to insult those who contributed to the making of this film, but to provide an analysis of what could have been done given the knowledge beforehand. I do not know the difficulties the individuals making this film went through, so I make this disclaimer beforehand to show my respect for those in the industry that put in their time making this film.

The relationship between the characters of Joy and Sadness are the crux of the film’s story. Joy struggles to accept the fact that not every moment needs someone in their face with a toxic amount of…well…joy. It becomes apparent early on that she is the problematic person in the group with her territorial and oblivious nature surrounding Riley’s experiences. While she can seem entertaining for younger viewers with her vibrant colors and her eccentric personality, she can become a bit insufferable over time. You can see the type of environment that was set up before Riley because of Joy. She seemed to be someone with a Messiah complex regarding saving Riley and looked to be gaslighting sadness as the source of Riley’s problems. This is made obvious when Sadness seems to be trying to connect to Riley in the appropriate circumstances and Joy pushes her away and shames her for doing her job. You know she views herself as superior and how she acts with others starts to become concerning. Her main change was hinted at with Sadness’s consolation of Bing B**g. After that, she finally has her revelation about the importance of Sadness while in the memory dump.

You start out seeing Sadness as the issue at the beginning because we are all inclined to believe that sadness in reality is not something positive, but this film flips that idea on its head and introduces the audience to the real reality. It is a message that is surprising to see in a kids film and even more surprising to see how well it was pulled off. It isn’t afraid to explain the importance of sadness in life and tries to be a counselor in a way to the audience that sees the main goal in life is the same as what the character Joy sees. She understands that there is no joy without sadness because if we have something or someone to love, we have to accept the risk that we may lose it one day and have to feel sadness. For the film, Riley loved her life in Minnesota and now that she has lost her life there, she has to take in this lowly feeling that comes from not having a place with those memories anymore. They work to help the audience, as well as the emotions in Riley’s head, understand that memories that have sad aspects to them are just as important as the happy memories. This is an amazing job by the writers to bring this message in not just for the young, but also for the adult viewers.

It is hard to say that this film is a kid’s film in the strictest sense. The humor doesn’t take the forefront of this film since the main emphasis is put on the emotions and psychology. They definitely have comedic and silly moments, but it seems like the target demographic for the film is at least those in middle school and above. There are plenty of gags that seem to be directed to those that have studied Psychology to some extent. With the description of the subconscious and the gag regarding abstract thought it feels like they were not trying to target those who were unfamiliar with the functions of the brain and memory. This film ties in a lot of its humor from that so I can’t see children in elementary school and kindergarten really grasping much of what is going on throughout the film. That’s not to say it is a bad thing, but this wouldn’t be something I would recommend parent to have their children watch when they are still really young because the concepts would likely go over their head or confuse them. It isn’t as engaging for them as it would be for middle school students and older.

They made some excellent decisions when it comes to casting with the best being Lewis Black as Anger. You would not think being how he is that he would be working on a family film, but he was made for the role. You can definitely see how he seamlessly fits into the role. This work just as equally for Phyllis Smith as Sadness. She was remembered for so well for her lowly and sullen character while on The Office and her character was very similar to that from the show. This isn’t a slight towards Amy Poehler, Bill Hader or Mindy Kaling. They all worked well in their roles. It just felt that them two were the most perfectly selected for their roles. I just wish we got more of Sadness instead of being cut off by Joy all the time. If felt like she had a lot to show in the film and the focus of the film snubbed her to go back to Joy’s character.

01/26/2023

Pixar decided to push the boundaries yet again with the release of this feature film. They made an even larger world they have previously, and it was graced once again by a score from Thomas Newman who also did the score for Finding Nemo.

Wall-E
A visually stunning tale that has an amazing and compelling tale for the opening part of the film. While the message becomes more heavy handed later on, you can tell there is heart in this Pixar Project. The robots with little dialogue have much more heart than any human character. The humans on screen try to fluff the film with unnecessary reinforcement of the message and comedy. The message shows humans as the enemy and are also the enemy of this film’s quality.
Rating: 8/10

Monday Morning Director: Wall-E
SPOILERS BELOW!!

Disclaimer:
The term Monday morning coach refers to individuals that act as if they have all the answers the day after the game and provide none on Sunday, the day of the game. The information presented is not to insult those who contributed to the making of this film, but to provide an analysis of what could have been done given the knowledge beforehand. I do not know the difficulties the individuals making this show went through, so I make this disclaimer beforehand to show my respect for those in the industry that put in their time making this film.

Wall-E is made to be an intriguing character that we explore the world from. His purpose has been to support and protect the Earth even before he was made aware of the plant life that becomes the center point of the film. He tries to protect the creatures of Earth including humans. His friendliness to others makes him very likeable. He is always greeting others and trying to shake their hands. His point is to take care of others while Eve is only known initially for her destructive capabilities. She makes it even more apparent how peaceful his character is. While he is trying to bond with her, she is blowing up ships in anger. He makes for a great focal point of the film even with his flaws.

While an adorable and caring character, Wall-E does bring up some issues regarding his presence in the film. One of the more obvious issues is that he is modeled very closely to Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. Director Andrew Stanton claims that he was not aware of the similarities to the robot until later on when others pointed it out to him. This issue can be forgiven though it is difficult to separate one from another which takes away from his uniqueness as a character. The problematic part of his character is the often stalker-like nature of his early relationship with Eve. It is understandable that his curiosity of another robot or living thing forces him to investigate her. The problematic part comes when he tries to hold her hand and she appears to reject his advances. He then carries her around with him once she goes into a sleep mode. It makes it seem like he is forcing her inanimate body to be a romantic interest for him. This is played off as a sweet gesture in the film when Eve sees the recordings for herself. It makes their relationship together feel a bit sour. It is similar to the often criticized stalking and manipulation tactics that males use in romantic comedies.

The amount of detail that is put in with each scene is what makes this film such a spectacle. Starting on Earth, we see garbage forming towers taller than some buildings. You also see that the world is set in a rust-colored palette with no vibrant colors to be seen aside from the screens that advertise Buy n Large. It sends off such an impactful message right away to the audience without saying much. This film does great in the first half where so much is said with just the visuals alone. The characters of Wall-E and Eve (though I keep thinking it was Eva due to how Wall-E pronounces her name). The sounds are worked well into this as well. Mostly we hear only the wind and the film score while Wall-E and Eve traverse the harsh landscape of Earth. All of this atmosphere gives a great satisfaction at the end once we see the hill populated with green plants and it was perfect for the message that is being delivered for the film.

While the message of the film surrounds the preservation of Earth, this can turn problematic for the story. The beginning of the film creates a wonderful story with amazing visuals without needing much dialogue. This is a dramatic contrast from what the majority of the film ends up being. The message was clear with just two robots with minimal dialogue and now we are thrusted into a large spaceship filled with representations of what was obvious in the first minutes of the film. We see large screens advertising BnL and sedentary humans being waited on by robots with no human connection aside from their screens. While we do still see the message, it is pushed to the forefront of the story instead of being the driving background force of the film. The message of the film is strongest when they don’t have to tell the audience and shove it down their throat. They literally have overweight humans stuck to their chairs and glued to their screens so badly that they can’t see the world around them or interact with others physically. That’s a bit too on the nose that it hurts the narrative of the film.

01/25/2023

I wanted to jump a few years ahead of Toy Story to see what Pixar made of themselves in the years that followed their success. Monsters Inc was another classic to some that utilized a formula that was set In Toy Story with excellent animation, a star-studded cast, and Randy Newman’s score.

Monsters Inc
A fun film that has plenty of things to keep you amused, but it lacks the depth that makes so many Pixar films greater than what’s on the surface. There are moments that seem to be thrown together for nothing else, but a cheap laugh without adding anything to the story. There is still much to be appreciated about the film. Goodman and Crystal work well together as a comedic duo and are voiced well. The animation is the biggest highlight with the detail they have gone into with shadows and fur. Worth the watch if only to appreciate the work that was put into the film visually though the story may not offer everything you want.
Rating: 7/10

Monday Morning Director: Monsters Inc
SPOILERS BELOW!!

Disclaimer:
The term Monday morning coach refers to individuals that act as if they have all the answers the day after the game and provide none on Sunday, the day of the game. The information presented is not to insult those who contributed to the making of this film, but to provide an analysis of what could have been done given the knowledge beforehand. I do not know the difficulties the individuals making this show went through, so I make this disclaimer beforehand to show my respect for those in the industry that put in their time making this film.

The environment of the film gave a feel of an office space from the 60s. It was set as beings navigating a modern cityscape while working in an enormous factory. The animation is a great leap even from Toy Story 2 that was released two years earlier. The biggest example is definitely Sully and the large amount of fur that they had to animate and move in space. It looks fantastic and is amazing compared to the hair you see on the kids from the previous Toy Story films. There is so much detail that was done just for him and the Abominable Snowman. The music from Randy Newman was one of my favorite parts of the film. The jazzy tunes that fill the background of the first two-thirds of the film kept the mood upbeat. This made the film pleasant as just the baseline while it relied on the characters and story to build it to more than that.

The story didn’t feel as deep as it could have been. There was a lot going on with the plot and subplots, but nothing ever felt as deep as Pixar has shown plenty of times that it could be. They had plenty of stories that they threw in that seemed written at the last second. One of the bigger examples was the exposure of Roz to be number one of the CDA. This came out of nowhere at the end and had no need to have her be anything but a character that delivers deadpan lines for a hilarious comparison to the much more lively persona of Mike. It would have been interesting if there was any hint of this at all earlier in the film. This didn’t change anything with the plot so just to have CDA members take away Mr. Waternoose would have been just fine.

It feels like there could have been some theme surrounding alternate energy sources since they discovered laughter is more powerful than screams and doesn’t cause harm to those that it gets the resource from. If they could have spent some time developing this as a bigger part of the story, it would have done wonders for the longevity of the film. They could have made a subplot where Sully is trying to convince Mr. Waternoose that laughter from children is much more powerful than screams. He could have his capabilities as a scarer questioned because of his connection to Boo. This could lead to him discovering the scream extractor that is being worked on to impress the public of the new way to power cities much better. This could be a great change because instead of him trying to fight against a villain, he is trying to convince the public of a better way to get power. Sully would have to contend with the monsters thinking of humans as a threat to them and to “get them before they get us” attitude. There is much more of a possibility for that. The only issue that could arise from this is the possibility that audiences were not ready for this type of message in a children’s film back in 2001.

The main characters of the film was set to drive the narrative and provide the majority of the entertainment with one exception. John Goodman’s Sully seemed to be the adult while Billy Crystal was the child in the duo. Goodman’s performance seemed directed to the adult viewers with him being widely known for his roles in more adult-oriented shows and films like Rosanne and The Big Lebowski. He was a lens for the adults watching with their kids to see the film and still get something out of it. Mike is the louder and more high-strung individual that children can get entertainment from. Boo’s voice was done by Mary Gibbs when she was a toddler. It was extremely impressive that they got that young of a child in the sound booth. You can tell that this was a child’s voice and not one of an older voice actor. It is appreciated that they took the voice acting so seriously.

01/24/2023

It would be a crime if I didn’t start Pixar week off with the first film in the company’s incredible history. This also is the first film that was made completely using computer animation. There was a lot of firsts that make this such an interesting film to not just watch but understand the creation of. It is a challenge to see how much of the film holds up nearly 30 years later.

Toy Story

An amazing display of creativity in the story. This is surprising for a script that was created in about a week. The animation can sometimes show its age with the main issues stemming from the non-toy characters. The biggest highlight is the voice acting of Tim Allen and Tom Hanks and the chemistry between them. A miraculous breakthrough in technology and well deserving of the recognition it has even if it has a few cracks in its façade over the years.
Rating: 9.5/10

Monday Morning Director: Toy Story
SPOILERS BELOW!!

Disclaimer:
The term Monday morning coach refers to individuals that act as if they have all the answers the day after the game and provide none on Sunday, the day of the game. The information presented is not to insult those who contributed to the making of this film, but to provide an analysis of what could have been done given the knowledge beforehand. I do not know the difficulties the individuals making this film went through, so I make this disclaimer beforehand to show my respect for those in the industry that put in their time making this film.

The story is multi-layered one with a focus on friendship and growth. Woody is written well as someone who is torn between his feelings and his purpose in life. He tries to rationalize this conflict because Buzz isn’t in the correct mindset to be a leader to the toys in Andy’s room, but in reality he is just scared of there being something lesser. Buzz is completely dismissive of the dynamic that has been set in Andy’s room since before he got there and seems to ignore Woody’s continued remarks about how he and everyone in Andy’s room is designed to be a “child’s plaything.” They both are butting heads while struggling with their own internal conflict and that is set as the main conflict of the film. The great writing between just those two alone shows no need for a villain when they just have to tackle the natural stresses of life. I love when any kids film throws out the idea of having a villain altogether and just has a conflict between main characters that is worked to be resolved. It makes for a more complex story and is a good teaching moment showing that morality isn't always black and white.

While the film has a wholesome story, there are a few issues when it comes a specific plot hole. Woody struggles throughout the film to convince Buzz that he is not from space and is actually just a toy. Buzz has been under this delusion since the beginning of the film yet this is ignored by the rest of the toys in Andy's room. This is compounded by the fact that Buzz still feels the need to freeze when other kids are around. This goes back and forth in the film and punches the biggest hole in the narrative since it is related to a specific plot point that is focused on in the story.

The animation is something unheard of for a film from that year. The texture on the toys look very realistic from the bumpy texture of Rex to how shiny the smooth plastic is on Woody and Bo Peep. There wasn’t enough money to go and animate a lot of human faces, so we only see their bodies most of the time they are on screen. They knew their limitations and it actually worked well for how the film is shot. Not having the humans fully in the shots makes it easier to stay in the perspective of the toys throughout the film and helps us see the world to be as massive as they do. I appreciate that Disney hasn’t gone back and changed the fact that all the kids have Andy’s face. This was something brief that you would have to be looking for to notice and keeping it in is a great reminder of everything they have come from. There are definite moments where the kids in the film give off an uncanny valley vibe. Especially Andy when he opens his mouth. That may be just me, but if you ever look at a still frame of him with his mouth open, you might see what I’m talking about.

The voice acting was even better than the animation. Tom Hanks was the perfect choice for a character that is both comical while can also balance being both compassionate and authoritative. He really plays off the idea that he is struggling with his loss of being the top toy. He doesn't come off as a straight bully and instead seen as someone who is conflicted. You can believe that he yearns to still be in that top spot while still caring about what Andy wants. Tim Allen does well to play it straight as a stereotypical superhero with a deep and resonating voice. His voice is perfect as an oblivious superhero It works for the film and it plays off how problematic his mindset is for the situation they are in.

01/21/2023

While all of my other films this week have looked at films from the East that have been made over twenty years ago. This is a modern classic that went on to be the first non-English language film and South Korean film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. This is a definite high point to finish off the Week of the East with.

Parasite

There is so much effort put in to show the contrast of lifestyles with there being more revealed with each rewatch. The Kim family is cunning and likeable while still never being shown as the heroes of the story. The Park family never shows they deserve what happens to them in the story, but at the same time are not portrayed as innocent. It makes sense that all the resonating tension leads to the explosive climax of the film. Having so brilliantly placing the themes of social issues within the story makes it flawless film to keep you thinking long after the credits roll.
Rating: 10/10

Monday Morning Director: Parasite
SPOILERS BELOW!!

Disclaimer:
The term Monday morning coach refers to individuals that act as if they have all the answers the day after the game and provide none on Sunday, the day of the game. The information presented is not to insult those who contributed to the making of this film, but to provide an analysis of what could have been done given the knowledge beforehand. I do not know the difficulties the individuals making this film went through, so I make this disclaimer beforehand to show my respect for those in the industry that put in their time making this film.

The Kim family is a close and cunning family that is the center point of the film. We are continuously reminded of their place in the world starting with any details of their home. They do such an excellent job in just the first ten minutes with showing what type of life they lead, what type of people they are, and how they are viewed by the world. The son, Ki-woo, is the primary focus of the family for the film and has a more hopeful mindset to oppose his father, Ki-taek. There is a bit of conflict between the two because of their mindsets towards the future. Due to his multiple business failures, Ki-taek has stopped looking hopeful at the future and is very apprehensive when his son discusses a plan for them all to work for the Park family. This comes out in a sad an painful scene near the end of the film where he discusses how making plans leads to sadness so he never makes plans. You feel his pain of failure even harder knowing how they lost everything in the flood and makes the audience sympathetic to his cause. This relationship with the father and son culminates to the end where Ki-woo makes a new plan to buy the house one day and release his father from his captivity inside. Since the audience is set with a painful reminder of the failure of his last plan, we have to decide to be hopeful that his plan will work or reflect on his father’s mindset and have doubts.

The Park family is put into direct contrast to the Kim family. They are set as the perfect affluent family at first, but shown to be quite vulnerable. When you are first introduced to them, you get a good look at their home. You see the wide expanse of their house with so little filling in the open areas. They have the living room with a giant window to view their beautiful backyard. This is greatly different from the cramped living space of the Kim’s with their living room window only able to view the feet of the public walking by and drunks relieving themselves. The Park family leaves all the cooking, cleaning, and driving to others and do nothing for themselves. This is especially true when looking at the children. They don’t have a true connection with them which leads to issues over time. The daughter has a distant relationship with them when you see how the parents only focus on her success in education. This is likely why she feels so drawn to Ki-woo after only a brief time with him. The son has dark past that the parents have tried to shelter him from instead of trying to work with him on it. Seeing something so traumatic that it leads to him having a seizure is cause for alarm and the parents should have done more to help him with it. It shows how broken this family was even before the Kim family came into it. The differences between the two is what leads into the ultimate conflict of the story.

There has been a strong emphasis about class warfare in this film. We see the drastic differences in the lifestyles of both the Kim and Park family. I appreciate that neither family is seen as perfect or innocent. The Kim family works to find the cheapest and easiest way of making a living and accomplishing their wealth. The Park's live oblivious to the suffering of others below their station in life. The tension builds up between them once Ki-taek overhears the father's complaints about his odor. They treat this as a symbol of his low status, and it seems that Ki-taek is almost ashamed of it. He hates the idea of being viewed as something lesser so much that he winds up killing the father of the Park family in the end. Ki-woo tries his best to assist his family and they all get the same idea on how to better their station in life by using the nearly wasted wealth of the Parks. They clash because they both focus on what they want and not what they need, and it leads to neither family being happy in the end.

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