Big Hero 6 (2014)

4/5

Big Hero 6 is a wonderfully enjoyable animated film by Disney. Much of the film centers around the relationship between Hiro (Potter), a young technophile and "bot fighter," and his older brother Tadachi (Henney), an engineering student at a futuristic tech institute. Tadachi has created a health-focused robot called Baymax (Adsit), but Hiro is less than impressed at the huggable marshmallow of a machine. After a catastrophe at the institute's tech fair, Hiro must join up with a band of misfit superheroes to protect the city from a nefarious villain.

The same production company behind Frozen makes essentially its action-oriented counterpart, focusing on brotherly love in the context of a superhero world instead of a princess fairytale. It features similar themes and predictable plot points, but the repetition surprisingly does nothing to take away from the overall experience. Disney films are never really about shocking audiences with plot twists but about wowing them with stellar storytelling and magical details. Big Hero 6 delights--it's adorable, exciting, and fun--and is another big win for Disney.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/

The Informant! (2009)

4/5

Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! is a rare mix of comedy, drama, and annoying music. The plot follows Matt Damon as a biochemist in a corn processing conglomerate in the 1990's who starts helping the FBI set up a case against his company for price-fixing lysine. He wears a wire and provides evidence, but as the trial looms closer the agents on the case (Bakula and McHale) can't help but feel that he isn't telling them the whole truth. The storyline could have easily been turned into an action thriller or a sentimental drama, but Soderbergh chose to emphasize its sometimes outlandish scenarios and turn it into a comedy. And in order to make sure the audience fully appreciated its levity, he soaked the movie in the musical equivalent of urine. One review I read called it "wacky, circus-like music," but that is an understatement. My ear felt like it was ravaged raw. I had to nurse it back to health.

Despite the aural travesty, this movie had a lot to like. From the simplest decisions like font choice to the complex decisions like voice-overs and shot-by-shot editing, Soderbergh does a fantastic job. The movie feels like it was made in the 90's, which may be a good or bad thing depending on who the viewer is, but it was impressive nonetheless. It was the subtleties like overblown highlights and faded colors that really made the film feel 15 years old. Certainly not one of Soderbergh's best or worst films, it's still a solid piece of entertainment with some sadness, some sympathy, and a whole lot of humor. If the previews piqued your interest, it's definitely good enough for you to drop $10 on it. But don't say I didn't warn you if you come out of the theater with bleeding ears.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130080/