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Established by early shots, that somehow manage to capture a sky too big for any camera, The Dig reminds viewers that life is more than the ground panning by our stumbling feet. Each and every camera shot is painstakingly placed matching up time of day to the emotions and nuance of the script. One can almost forgive some of the stilted, and all too perfectly worded exchanges late in the film as inconsequential; weighted against the larger picture enveloping the viewer. Yet for every stumble in that script, a verbal polished relic of adoration emerges to further bind image to sound.

With the sheer volume and regularity of movies being released in the arms race of streaming services, the script and story are often the lynch pin in weather or not a movie stands appart, and yet, the casting in The Dig almost asks us to forgo these thoughts and coalesce like water colors into a scene simply by the remarkable cast put together by Lucy Bevins. The directorial work Simone Stone cannot be understated here. His vision possibly shines the brightest in how understated yet convincing all of the actors take to their parts. Every actor on display sheds their persona and let the ensamble of characters, story, and music take the forefront.

The score by Stefan Gregory fades and crescendos in harmony with the poetry on display continually throughout The Dig's runtime. Comparisons with Jóhann Jóhannsson's exceptional work in Arrival would probably be a solid association for moviegoers that enjoyed that sound scape. The interweaving violin and cello work had my breathe weaving in rhythm as the cinematography constantly impressed.

If you are simply a fan of cinema, The Dig will leave you feeling a sense of awe, hope, and comfort, knowing that the form as art is alive and well.

I watched Soul with my parents and son, hoping to relive the nostalgia of classics like 'Toy Story' and 'Cars'. We were all very excited to see the new release from Pixar after their recent 'Inside Out' film that we also greatly enjoyed by us.

Unfortunately 'Soul' never quite got going for me, in the same captivating way that other films from Pixar had in the past. The first half hour was particularly slow, which may have put me off a bit for the remainder of the film. A lot of the comedy was clearly expressed towards a younger generation (or two!?) than some of the old nods to adults sprinkled throughout their films. Overall I never really got that invested in the storyline and found it tedious to watch the film to conclusion.

There were some sections that I did appreciate however, especially some of the musical interplays with their animated world.

My family was mostly mixed in their post film exchanges, and I could see how this might be a divisive film.

I wouldn't tell you to pass on this film, but it doesn't get the same must see recommendation that I'd be happy to give most of Pixar's back catalog.

To start off, I wish there were more movies like this. Another sci fi war movie of humankind vs. unkown alien forces. Tons of action, special effects, explosions, it's about as much as you could ask for now with nothing in theaters. Honestly some of the vfx shots were extremely well done given whatever the budget for this movie actually is. Yeah, it's a little slow, and dubbed from a foreign language, but overall, it blew my expectations out of the water and that is something more and more rare as my decades of cinema continue to age.

Popcorn Action Sci-Fi, turn out the lights and crank up the sound, it doesn't have to be perfect to be a good night at the movies.