INSIDE OUT REVIEW

Pixar is back! After what has been a few dodgy films, I was a tad skeptical coming into this film despite what the critics were saying, HOWEVER i have never been so happy to be wrong.  It was a lovely sweet film with a terrific and original story.

"Inside Out" is about a 11 year old girl named Riley. who lives a terrific life in Minnesota. She has loads of friends, and is the star on her hockey team.  But when her dad is forced to move them to San Fransisco because of work, she gets deeply depressed. We discover she has 5 emotions in her head that keep her well balanced. Joy, played by Amy Poelher, runs the place. She keeps the negativity down, and always wants Riley to have good thoughts and memories. She has to make that happen with the understanding of Anger, (Lewis Black,) Fear, (Bill Hader)  Disgust, (Mindy Kaling,) and lastly Sadness, who is played by Phyllis Smith. Sadness is constantly trying to make things sad, and it makes Joy's job that much harder. But Joy comes to realize that to make Riley truly happy, she needs to experience Sadness too, so she knows what to be grateful for. The journey that Joy and Sadness take together, looking out for one another and learning to sacrifice for each other is pretty amazing. I can safely say this is one of the best Pixar movies out there. The voice acting is superb. Included in the cast are Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Rileys parents, each of whom has their own group of emotions running their every day lives. We realize we are all connected by our feelings. There are no weak links in this film. from start to finish, each aspect is incredibly well done.

THE VERDICT

"Inside Out"is not only as one of the best films of the summer, its one of the best of the year. I give Inside Out an A

TERMINATOR GENYSIS REVIEW

I'm a huge fan of the first 2 Terminator movies, and I was excited for this one, because Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke are terrific actors. But, ladies and gentleman, I hate to say it, the Terminator franchise is dead.  Killed by a bad script, and outlandish sub plots. 

"Terminator Genysis" starts as a rehash of the first film, with John Conner, Uber solider, sending Kyle Reese back in time to save his mother, Sarah Conner. Not telling him that Reese is his father, Conner makes sure that Kyle has heard enough stories about Sarah to want to do anything for her. Kyle witnesses John get attacked by a terminator before he leaves his time line, and finds himself in a second rehash of Terminator II, with Schwartznegger acting as Sarah Conners protector. The rest of the film is a convoluted mess about the Genysis project, and how it gives birth to Skynet's taking over the world. It also has a small role by Academy Award winner JK Simmons as the only cop in the US to have seen time travel up close, (He meets Reese in a store 30 years before and never forgets it.) and really, he's the best supporting part in the whole film.

 The acting is fine, with Schwartznegger and Simmons delivering the best parts, but holy moly the script is bad. Peppered with cliche's and some of the most awful one liners. The action is decent,  I mean who wouldn't like Schwartznegger doing his thing? And  Jason Clarke, so terrific as the CIA torturer in "Zero Dark Thirty," leaves us cold as John Conner. Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtenay, who plays Kyle Reese have little chemistry, and in the end, with a plot twist designed to tick off the die hard fans, leaves you cold. Like, "This is dead to me now," cold.  The ONLY thing I thought was ok script wise, was the relationship between Sarah and Schwartzneggers Terminator who she refers to as "Pops." He saved her as a child and in raising her for years, she grows fond of him. The relationship, though someone un emotional, ends up being the most emotional thing in the film. 

                                                        THE VERDICT

Though Schwarzenegger and Simmons are great, and the movie has a great father/ daughter relationship, "Terminator Genysis" is a huge disappointment with a bad script. "Terminator Genysis" gets a C-.