Finally Friday - Cool off at the Movies

Hot afternoon. What to do? What to do?  Treat yourself to the Pixar film Inside Out 2. It's worthy of a small popcorn and small soda. 

I enjoyed Inside Out (1) in the theater a few  years ago,  and it's currently streaming on  Disney. But if you didn't see it, no worries. You can easily follow the story line. 

 Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Tony Hale), Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness, and Disgust (all  are in the command central body space)  are the stars running Riley's life. She's  excited playing ice hockey, she enjoys her friends, she's a kind  kid, and  she loves her parents. You get this synopsis in the opening scenes.  

Then, Riley's  innards undergo Puberty construction and who  shows  up but Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos).  Let the power struggle of  being a teenager begin. The original crew don't  know how to handle these new emotions, yet they know Riley to the core. 

This animated romp takes Riley to hockey camp - should  she stay with her old friends (nerds),  or try to  get in the cool girl group?  Being a teenage girl, emotions change by the minute and this movie does a very good job  of  depicting  the confusion. I enjoyed laugh out loud moments, and could completely identify and understand.  Inside Out 2 is a very fun  way to spend ninety minutes enjoying imaginative entertainment.  Big thumbs up
 

Movie Review Madness - Toy Story 4

The Toy Story trilogy now has a bonus episode 4 and it's just fun to go to infinity and beyond with this crew.

Woody (Tom Hanks) is a solid old school toy. He cares about his owners - first Andy, now Bonnie and it's their well being that's his world. Fearing for Bonnie on her kindergarten preview, Woody rides in her backpack, guides her quietly, and is pleased when she creates Forky (Tony Hale).

Her favorite new toy, Forky is not convinced and seeks the trash bin whenever he can. The animation, voicing, etc is hilarious, and Woody works to keep everyone on suicide alert for their newest friend.

Summer road trip with Bonnie's family adds to the chaos. And who pops up but a long lost love - Bo-Peep (Annie Potts) who's escaped an antique store and is quite the modern woman. Toys need rescuing. Who knew Charlie McCarthy dolls could be so creepy and villainous?  And what will Woody give up for the sake of another toy?

Toy Story 4 is poignant, raucous, funny, and all about family - the need to be loved. The voice characterizations are great (listen for Key and Peele - oh the riffs!), and of course Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is a solid helper for Woody.  Ray and I enjoyed this "kid movie" a lot. It's fizzy fluff for the summer movie season.