The Babadook

Ever since this film's release at Sundance 2014 I have been on the lookout for it. It was a limited release so I was waiting for a local theater to show it. It took awhile, but it finally showed up almost a year later. I've got to say that the wait was well worth it. I was not exactly sure what I was going into because I tried to stay away from reviews. The only thing I looked up was the Rotten Tomatoes score, which was 98% at the time.

This is by far the best horror film that I've seen in a long time. This film is very creepy but does not rely on the conventional “jump" scare that so many movies use. This movie is extremely story driven, which allows the audience to really understand the dynamic between the two main characters. The characters draw you in with their relationship, which makes you feel strongly when something happens to one of them. This is a rare feat that most horror movies cannot pull off.

Mister Babadook is going to go down as one of the most memorable horror icons of all time. Every time he was on the screen, all the hairs on my body stood up. I’m going to follow this director closely and look forward to seeing what her next film is going to be.

9.5/10

Big Hero 6 Review

Disney Animation does it again! They have been red hot with their last few productions (Frozen and Wreck it Ralph), and Big Hero 6 is no exception. I saw the trailer before my screening and can say that the movie is much better than the trailer suggests. The trailer played for laughs, but I think that is misleading - yes, there were funny parts, but the best parts of the movie are found elsewhere. I was extremely surprised with the action in this movie - think of a mix between Iron Man, The Incredibles, and How To Train Your Dragon.

From the first scene the audience is introduced to this fictional world of Fransokyo. The movie did a great job of featuring "out of the box" technology, which sets it apart from your typical action flick. Instead of this technology being a sidepiece, it is an integral part of moving the story forward. This keeps you invested in the characters as the movie goes long.

Even with all this priase there was still a couple of things that I felt the movie could have done a better job with. There were a few scenes where it felt like the characters were explaining something to us rather than showing it. I also think that the final scene could have been a littler shorter, which would have given it more of an emotional impact.

Besides those few nitpicks this movie is definitely a must see for Disney or animation movie-lovers. Make sure to stay until after the credits!

9/10