msaphra

This film was so disappointing! In true iconic Hollywood fashion, the creators of this movie took the sweet and unique story of Roz, a sentient but non-human machine that adapts to its surroundings and in doing so picks up very human traits, and turned it into a cliche-ridden overly saccharine annoying film, focusing on action over ideas. Animals are humanized in cartoonish ways, and unnecessary additions to the plot are added, sacrificing many of the charming details of the wilding of the robot. If you want to see a film that does animated animal adventure right, go see Flow instead. Or read The Wild Robot book.

A badly animated movie in which a narrator drones on about his family's life in Texas in the 60s. Having lived through those years I could not but marvel at how he managed to make that era much more boring than it actually was The conceit of a young boy secretly becoming the first astronaut to land on the moon gets deceptively little screen time. Instead there is much maundering on the joys of growing up in Houston in the 1960s. Skip it.

A beautifully conceived and filmed movie depicting the lives and persecution of the Kurdish population in Syria, Life, seen through the eyes of a young Kurdish boy, who has to deal with hardship and violence, is portrayed with enough warmth and humor to soften the harshness. The child star gives an amazing heartfelt performance, and so does the rest of the cast. You get a real feel for the people and region where the story takes place, as well as its history.