Media Review

Disney Pixar's Lightyear (2022) is the 2020s attempt to make a 1990s movie, yet it's still fun. The movie is inspired by the character of Buzz Lightyear who is a prominent character in Disney Pixar's Toy Story (1995) franchise. Lightyear (2022) even opens with context relevant to Toy Story (1995) , referring to a pivotal plot point in the movie where the toy of Buzz is purchased by Andy.   Lightyear (2022)  imitates aspects of 1990s characters being white males who are often supported by more interesting and quirky characters; while utilizing modern animation and referring to more diversity than would be seen in a 1990s science-fiction film.  The movie provides a fun adventure for audiences regardless of being a fan of the Toy Story (1995) franchise. The film builds on many of the protagonist's established quirks from the franchise while having him adapted for a new generation. 

Netflix's They've Gotta Have Us (2018) provides astounding insight into the development and progress of black filmmaking and filmmakers in the United States of America. The limited docuseries takes its audience through the history of pioneers in the mid-20th Century to the developments made in the early 21st Century.  The docuseries has multiple black directors, producers, and actors elaborate on their experiences and influences while working in the film industry. The series also presents an amazing multi-generational perspective by interviewing people from three different generations of filmmaking.  As a white male curious about the entertainment and film industry, I think this series must remain on Netflix as a stepping stone to further understand and hopefully learn from the issues prevailing as a result of centuries of discrimination.  If interested in learning more social issues prevalent to the United States and film industry at large, I would also recommend Netfli...

As a fan of  Bob's Burgers , I loved the movie. Unless audiences have seen a few episodes of the show, there might be confusion as the movie builds on the established quirks of the several characters in the show. The movie seems like a very long  Bob's Burgers  special almost indistinguishable from an episode of the show.  I vaguely remember being bedazzled by The Simpson's Movie (2007) because it was not like any other episode of The Simpsons , as its movie explored all the characters nuances while guiding the audience through a high-stakes adventure. This was a great standalone movie, whether or not the audience had seen an episode of The Simpsons .  The Bob's Burgers Movie holds similar themes of exploring the nuance of characters with high-stakes adventure, but does not seem to stand on its own - apart from the show. If you are a fan of Bob's Burgers , or have enjoyed a few episodes, I would recommend this movie! 

Yesterday evening I saw the Disney movie Onward and found the film to be amazing to all Role-Playing game players and families. I was drawn to film initially expecting a fun adventure between brothers, and a few subtle homages to role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons , and I was not disappointed.  The most obvious nod to D&D (other than the gelatinous cube), is the last name of the two elf brothers, Lightfoot, which is the name of a halfling subrace in the Players' Handbook.  Another aspect of the movie that I was drawn to was the significance of how much a brother can be in a person's life. This may be where a lot of my bias shines through but I see my brother as my best friend. He's always been supportive of me, and stood by me when I needed him. I will admit that it's not the same as the characters in the movie, but the connection that they shared strongly resonated with me.