Pixar

Incredibles 2 - 3/5

First the good, then the bad. The action is a lot of fun, the overall color palate and many of the costumes and gadgets are spot on. The fight scenes are creative again, and one in particular is particularly stunning. Unfortunately, this movie is clumsily trying to say about 6 different things and not saying any of them well. The feminists got to the script, apparently, so the most consistent message is that women are good at everything and men have a hard enough time doing relatively simple asks. Even that message is muddled, though not enough to subvert it, and it ends up not really saying anything, though it's clearly trying to. The visuals are mostly good, but the costumes on the other superheroes are bizarre and many are downright ugly. I wanted this to be better, at least a 4/5, but it's not quite there.

Coco (2017) - 5/5

Well, they've done it again. Leave it to Pixar to take an all-encompassing issue like Family and do it justice. The animation is breathtaking, of course, but it's the story that really shines. It walks a razor's edge path to avoid every pitfall and to continually go unexpected places. Characters that would have been two-dimensional cardboard cutouts in a lesser film are instead flushed out and complex. Great music, inspiring message, and tear-jerking conclusion.