2015 is a much different story than 2014 in terms of animated movies. While 2014 had no animated film gross over 260 million, 2015 had 2 mega blockbusters, each grossing over 335 million and becoming two of the biggest movies of the year. Inside Out from Disney/Pixar was met with near universal acclaim, with an RT score of 98%, with many calling the film a heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting return to form for the studio so famous for making everyone from 2 to 102 cry. The other, Minions, was widely derided by critics as lacking any sort of heart, message or cohesive story, and seemingly made just to sell merchandise. Its RT score is 55%, a far cry from the Despicable Me movies’ 81% and 75%.
Other animated successes for the year included Dreamwork’s Home, starring Jim Parsons and Rihanna, which despite mixed reviews became Dreamworks highest grossing original film in two years, and Hotel Transylvania 2, which combatted expected franchise fatigue to ultimately out open and out gross its predecessor. Both are rotten, sitting at 47% and 55% respectively.
This year’s biggest disappointment was easily Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur, receiving the weakest reviews for an original movie from the studio since Cars, and sold just more than half the tickets of Cars 2, the studio's previous box office low. The film was praised for its visuals, but criticized for the cartooniness of the dinosaurs, unlikable characters and its derivative, childish plotline. The Peanuts Movie did a bit better at the box office and with critics, but couldn’t match the year’s heavyweights. Critics hailed it as a refreshingly simple story perfect for all ages, even if it delivered exactly what a fan of the Peanuts gang would expect and nothing more. The Good Dinosaur and The Peanuts Movie are Certified Fresh at 77% and 87% respectively.
Shaun the Sheep made barely a dent at the American box office, but it did nothing to end Aardman’s streak of critically acclaimed animated movies, calling it insanely fun, and easy for both kids and adults to enjoy. Anomalisa from Paramount Animation is a rare animated film aimed directly at the adult audience, and was praised for its stop motion animation and being a thought provoking exercise in introspective cinema. These sit at 99% and 92% respectively.
Lastly, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is live action/animated, but the majority of it is animated, so I figure it’s worth mentioning here. It received better reviews than the original film, with critics calling it fun and refreshingly unconventional. It sits at 79%.
But here are the films World of KJ nominated for Best Animated Feature
Inside Out, Directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen
Shaun the Sheep Movie, Directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
The Peanuts Movie, Directed by Steve Martino
The Good Dinosaur, Directed by Peter Sohn
Anomalisa, Directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson
1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
I never saw The Good Dinosaur. I meant to and meant to and meant to, but never pulled the trigger. I expect it was an error to not experience it on the big screen.
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1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
Sun Feb 21, 2016 9:24 pm
zwackerm
Hold the door!
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm Posts: 21553 Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Best Original Song Category is always scattershot; often, the songs that are nominated have never even been heard by the majority of Oscar viewers. This has changed in recent years, with The Muppets “Man or Muppet”, Adele’s “Skyfall” from the James Bond film of the same name; and of course the infamously overplayed and catchy “Let it Go” from the Disney megahit, Frozen. Last year’s Oscars were a bit of a setback for the category, with the very forgettable “Glory” from Selma winning over the far better “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie”.
2015 looks to be a better year, with all of the KJ nominees but Sam Smith’s “Writing on the Wall” receiving near universally positive reviews.
“Love Me Like You Do”, performed by Ellie Goulding, from the film “Fifty Shades of Grey”, was acclaimed as a sultry power ballad, with a sweeping and grandiose sound. Goulding’s sweet voice remains so despite the dark subject matter of the film, and it plays in nice contrast to the synthesizers playing beneath.
“Writing’s On the Wall” performed by Sam Smith from the film “Spectre”, was quite the polarizing song, with praise and criticism for its attempts to emulate the feel of Adele’s more acclaimed Skyfall. Smith has reported that the song was easy to write and that he did it in 20 minutes. It includes the slow piano beat found in many Bond songs, and includes a chorus sung in Smith’s falsetto range. The falsetto range of a male is divisive among music fans, with some saying it sounds sweet, and others saying it sounds grating.
“Earned It”, performed by The Weeknd from the film “Fifty Shades of Grey”, is the song that put the Weeknd on the map as an artist, along with his singles “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face”. “Earned It” captures the ominous but sexy tone of the film with its foreboding percussion contrasted by The Weeknd’s sensual lyrics and smooth vocals.
“Lava”, performed by Kuana Torres Kahele and Napua Greig from the short film “Lava”, is a sweet, catchy love song sung by two volcanoes who due to natural geological events, go many years without being able to be together. The song effortlessly conveys the emotional core of the short film, and the ukulele helps to make the song feel right in the setting of the short.
“See You Again” performed by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth from the film “Furious 7”, beautifully meshes a slow piano ballad and a traditional rap to tell a poignant story of loss. The song honors the end of Paul Walker’s character in the franchise due to his untimely death during shooting. The song has a beautiful message that we need not dwell on our longing to be with a loved one, but to focus on the one day that we may see them again
I dig every song here except "Writing's on the Wall." I voted for "Love Me Like You Do."
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1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
Sun Feb 21, 2016 9:30 pm
MovieGeek
Grill
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 6:38 pm Posts: 3682 Location: Here
1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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