INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) – My rating 7.5/10

Incredibles 2 is categorized as a computer-animated superhero film, produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Written and directed by Brad Bird and is a sequel to The Incredibles (2004) and the second full-length installment of the franchise. The story follows the Parr family as they try to restore public’s trust in superheroes while balancing their family life, only to combat a new foe who seeks to turn the populace against all superheroes. I don’t think this sequel measures up to it’s original but still a fun family movie.

The Incredibles, which consist of  Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), who is the father of the family and possesses super strength and limited invulnerability; Helen Parr / Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), who is the mother of the family and has the ability to stretch her body into many shapes and forms; Violet Parr, (Sarah Vowell) the family’s daughter and first child, who can become invisible and project force fields for limited lengths of time; Dashiell “Dash” Parr, (Huckleberry Milner) the family’s troublemaker first son, who has superhuman speed and Jack-Jack Parr, (Eli Fucile) their infant son who has a huge variety of powers; as well as Frozone / Lucius Best, (Samuel L Jackson) the best friend and close ally of the Parr family who has the ability to create ice and freeze surfaces by manipulating moisture.

In this sequel, The Incredibles and Frozone battle The Underminer,  (John Ratzenberger) a powerful supervillain, criminal, bank robber, and terrorist whose ambition is to destroy peace and joy and has just appeared to terrorize Metroville. Despite preventing the destruction of City Hall, The Incredibles are unable to stop The Underminer from robbing a bank and escaping. The collateral damage caused by the incident outrages the government and prompts them to shut down the Superhero Relocation Program, leaving the Parrs without financial assistance. Tony Rydinger (Michael Bird) a classmate and love interest, discovers Violet’s superhero identity, forcing government agent Rick Dicker (Jonathan Banks) to erase his memory.

In the meanwhile, Lucius informs Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl of an offer from Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk), a wealthy businessman who wants to bring back the public’s faith in superheros. He and his sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) a technical genus who has never encountered a problem she couldn’t solve,  propose sending the superheroes on secret missions that will be recorded and publicized as evidence of their importance.  Due to Mr. Incredible’s tendency to accidentally cause collateral damage, Winston chooses Elastigirl for the initial missions.  Accepting the challenge takes Elastigirl away from home, leaving Bob, who struggles with his new role as a stay-at-home parent.

Incredibles 2 continues with a story that is action packed and quite entertaining.  The film moves quickly, paralleling between Mr. Incredible’s new role as a stay at home dad vs his wife, Elastigirl’s action packed adventures as a solo action hero.  Mr. Incredible is dealing with domestic issues that are out of his comfort zone, with no help. Elastigirl is thoroughly enjoying her solo performance fighting and solving crime.  Incredibles 2 is well done and children everywhere will surly enjoy the movie.  You can see Incredibles 2 on Netflix. Check It Out!

[Incredibles 2 is Oscar nominated for Best Animated Feature Film]

 

GET OUT (2017) – My rating: 8.7/10

I went to see “Get Out” thinking it was going to be a horrible horror flick focused on race, the rich and immortality.  I’m so glad I did go to see the movie instead of forming an incorrect opinion.  Jordan Peele wrote a very creative story that borders on science fiction, dark comedy and horror.  The surprises are multiple and starts when a deer ends up flying across the road after being hit.  The story is filled with a bunch of rich, sinister people who are hard to figure out, so don’t look to solve “Get Out” easily. I particularly liked that this film didn’t go for cheap thrills using extremely loud sounds and surprise pop-up appearances, like a lot of other horror flicks.

TSA Officer Rodney “Rod” Williams (Lil Rel Howery), was just tasked with dog sitting for his best friend, a Brooklyn-based photographer, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya).  Chris and his girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) are preparing for a long weekend drive to meet her parents, Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy Armitage (Catherine Keener). Chris is apprehensive because Rose has yet to reveal to her parents that her fairly new boyfriend of 5 months is African American.

As Chris and Rose arrive at the Armitage estate, they pass an African American groundskeeper, Walter (Marcus Henderson). Rose’s parents welcome Chris with big hardy smiles and hugs.  Dean proudly offers to give Chris a tour of the house, at which time they encounter their maid, Georgina (Betty Gabriel), who is also African American. While the family sits with Chris for a friendly get-to-know you-better-chat, Missy innocently queries Chris for personal information and finds out that his mother died in a hit-and-run accident when he was eleven years old. They also discuss Chris’ smoking habit, and Missy, a psychiatrist, offers to help him overcome his addiction through hypnosis, which Chris declines. At that time, Rose’s brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones) arrives and they all sit down for dinner.

That night, when Chris goes out into the backyard to smoke a cigarette, he observes strange behavior from Walter and Georgina. When he re-enters the house, Missy brings up Chris’ smoking habit and invites him to sit down with her. She again offers to hypnotize him before asking him about the night his mother died. Chris reveals his guilt for not calling 911 as soon as he realized his mother hadn’t come home, and that he instead sat watching television. He finds himself unable to move or stop talking about his mother,  realizing he is being hypnotized. Missy commands him to sink into the floor, and he falls in an endless void while looking at Missy through a large screen; Missy tells him that he is now in “the sunken place”.  Chris suddenly wakes up and believes that the encounter with Missy was just a nightmare; however, after a conversation with Walter, he realizes that the encounter was real and that he had been hypnotized because he no longer wants to smoke, not remembering anything else.

From this point on, the film takes on a more sinister approach.  Get Out is different and leaves us wondering if such things really go on.  Without revealing any more of the story, I urge you to see this really good horror movie for the answers to what’s going on with this family.  BTW: the family is having an annual weekend party with many other friends who will bring more drama and questions to the game.  I thoroughly enjoyed Get Out and highly recommend it to everyone.

[Get Out is nominated for BEST: Picture, Actor, Director and Original Screenplay]