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Encanto (2021)
An emotional familial story
I loved Encanto. However, it is not without its flaws. In this review I'll talk a little about what I found to be the movie's positives and negatives.
Positives
I loved the Madrigals, the family at the heart of Encanto. Each of them feel unique and complex and like they have their own story to tell, and never come off as one off jokes, even the ones with less screen time. When you watch the movie a second time you notice how many little details they were able to put in about every character.
In the song department, they're all energetic and catchy and upbeat. Aside from the ever so popular "Surface Pressure" and "We Don't Talk About Bruno", I really liked both "The Family Madrigal" and "All of You", as well as Isabela's "What Else Can I Do?". It honestly has my favorite lyrics in the entire movie "I grow rows and rows of roses, flor de mayo, by the mile. I make perfect, practiced poses, so much hides behid my smile" - they just speak to me on a deep emotional level.
The Casita is among the movie's hightlight, being practically its own character, and it manages to have so much personality for an inanimate object, that it really is enchanting.
My favorite part of the movie, however, and the part that has the most emotional impact on me, are the themes of intergenerational trauma that are present throughout the movie but that come to a head in its third act. Both times I've watched Encanto, I have cried at Abuela Alma's flashback. Really great stuff!
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Negatives
The setting, for how vibrant and colorful it is, feels underdeveloped and I was never able to understand how things connected. This isn't a problem Encanto in itself, but something I've noticed about CGI animation. For all its advancements, 2D environments always feel more tangible to me, and you always get a better sense of where eveything is in relation with everything else. The way scenes are spliced together in the movie also contributes to this dishorienting and disjointed feeling. The miracle didn't just give Abuela an encanto and a house, it gave her an entire valley, an entire village of people, and I wish the movie had showcased that more.
The quest for Bruno, however, is my main problem with the movie, and where it falters, in my opinion. Oh, the second act. You are supposed to be the fun and games and you end up being bogged down by an "adventure" that feels claustrophobic by not being allowed to happen outside the confines of the house. It ends up feeling unnecessarily long and dragged out and wastes time that could've been spent elsewhere.
In conclusion, I loved Encanto, and I'm only a little hard on its shortcomings because I really adored it. It's among my favorites in the Revival Era.
Snowkissed (2021)
Useless B couple and Underveloped main characters
I could've done without the B couple. Also, the main character's fear of not leaving the place where she was born was never really explored or given any depth, which could've been solved by cutting the B couple from the movie and giving more development to the main leads. Also, the film tries to lean in to the "small city has a close knit community" but we never really get to see it in the movie. This could've been solved if, you guessed it, we didn't have the useless B couple.
The English Teacher (2013)
A Waste of Time
This movie was a waste of time. The ending was awful. I'd like to see what the hallmark channel would've done with the concept. Anything would've been better than this.