‘ENCANTO’ A Magical Reckoning With Generational Trauma

November 15, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Angie Cepeda, Bryon Howard, Charise Castro Smith, Diane Guerrero, Disney, Disney Animated Movies, Encanto, Jared Bush, Jessica Darrow, Lin-Manuel Miranda, María Cecilia Botero, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Stephanie Beatriz 2 Comments

After being forced out of their Colombian homeland by political unrest, the Madrigal family is blessed with magical gifts. When they come of age, each member of the family is granted a unique power; Luisa (Jessica Darrow) has the strength of a titan; Isabela (Diane Guerrero) summons flowers to beautify anywhere and everywhere; Julieta (Angie Cepeda) heals physical ailments with her culinary treats; and Bruno (John Leguizamo) sees visions of the future. Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) is the only member of the Madrigal family who was not granted a magical power. The natural consequence of this is that she’s seen as a bit of a familial outsider, especially from the judgmental Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero) but her spirits remain high. When the family’s powers unexpectedly flicker and fade, Mirabel takes it upon herself to bring the family together and save the magic before it’s too late. Read More

Inferior ‘THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART’ Still Relentlessly Catchy

February 7, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alison Brie, Animated, Charlie Day, Chris Miller, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Mitchell, Nick Offerman, Phil Lord, Stephanie Beatriz, Tiffany Haddish, Will Arnett Leave a comment

Five years after The Lego Movie stormed theaters and unexpectedly blew back the hair of critics and moviegoers alike (only to be shut out of the Oscars animated film contest entirely), the world is a very different place. The White House is occupied by a hot Cheeto-colored p*ssy-grabber. White nationalists march the streets with tiki torches. The world’s climate is going haywire, meaning raging summers of fire and winters of blistering cold. Basic civility has sunk to dwell with Davey Jones locker. Everything is decidedly not awesome. Even the toys know so. Read More

SXSW ’17 Review: ‘THE LIGHT OF THE MOON’

March 12, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Jessica M. Thompson, Michael Stahl-David, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Stephanie Beatriz, The Light of the Moon 2 Comments

The Light of the Moon is an ambiguous enough film title. Jessica M. Thompson’s movie ostensibly could be a werewolf coming-of-age independent film. A non-canonical sequel to Moonlight. Even a bone-headed YouTube short about community college bros flashing their buns to one another. It’s none of those things, thankfully. Instead, The Light of the Moon, while a whole lot better than any of the above pitches, will catch you equally off guard. Read More