Inside Out

Dustin: 4.5 of 5 stars Nick: 4 of 5 stars Average: 4.25 of 5 stars (Live canary)

“America needs the wisdom of Herman’s Head now more than ever.” - Comic Book Guy, The Simpsons

Dustin: Disney/Pixar’s latest animated film takes place almost entirely in the head of its protagonist, Riley, an elementary schoolgirl dealing with her family’s move from Minnesota to San Francisco. The characters in Riley’s head each represent a different emotion, voiced by different comedic talents: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith, The Office), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).

Nick: I haven’t said this since The Matrix (regretfully) but I can’t wait to see the sequel! If they actually show Riley at 13 the movie might need to be PG-13 because not only will things dramatically change, but she will more than likely be a total bitch as are all 13-year-olds.

Dustin: She seemed a little more mature than most girls her age, but maybe she just had to grow up fast because of her circumstances.

I appreciated almost everything about this movie from beginning to end. The set-up, while familiar, was still handled with a lot of inventiveness, the ideas dealing with psychology were fun, while not really condescending to children, and I definitely applaud Lewis Black for being funny even when he’s toned down to a PG rating.

Nick: It’s quite an achievement to constantly put out material people of all ages and from all over find just as entertaining, but for reasons that are quite different. Inside Out is a film I think I need to see again because it’s normally me telling people how I cried or almost cried in an animated film, but I was never even close here, while most of the people I know are talking like that. Was it emotional for you? I rarely felt anything that would bring out a solitary tear.

Dustin: I got a little misty eyed when it was clear Riley was suffering from depression, something that was masterfully shown rather than told. Also Bing Bong’s final scene. But compared to Toy Story 3, which had me bawling like Nancy Kerrigan throughout, this felt relatively light.

Nick: Toy Story 3, Up, Wall-E and Ratatouille all almost did the job, but not this film. While the sadness is there, I feel showing Sadness as a comical character inside her head might ease that a little. It was obvious to me from the first 20 minutes how the movie would end. Where Joy learns happiness is not the only emotion that can make one happy. It’s cathartic to cry and let off steam, and from doing those things one can be even happier.

Dustin: Joy’s character arc was definitely more satisfying than Riley’s. But I guess the characters in her head are what make up her character. I thought that was a powerful lesson for Joy to learn, that a person needs an emotional range, and someone shouldn’t be cheery every moment of their life.

Nick: The most enjoyable parts were when we were thrown inside other people’s heads and shown their emotions. I wonder if your emotions become more ONE the older you get, which is why they all look similar. It seemed as if they were all of the same gender in the parents’ minds while Riley had three girls and two boys as her emotions. This movie had me thinking a lot. Another of my favorite parts was whenever their was a nod towards film in general. Like the area of abstract thought where the characters get thrown into abstract shapes which is a nod to all the animation styles of the past.

Dustin: I also liked the nod toward the TV show Herman’s Head. When I saw the trailer, I thought, What a shameless ripoff. But at one point, Bill Hader’s character, Fear, was hyperventilating into a paper sack, just like the Wimp character on Herman’s Head. That little homage was enough for me to forgive any plagiarism.

Nick: I have no idea what that is, but I would like to know! I’m assuming its a kids cartoon show, which means we have both referenced a kid’s show in the past two reviews!  

Dustin: It was a live-action sitcom on Fox from the early ‘90s. It was fairly PG-13. One of the emotions was lust, and the character was always horny. It featured the talents of Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) and Hank Azaria (many characters on The Simpsons, including Comic Book Guy). You should try to find the pilot on YouTube or somewhere to get a sense of what it was. It was actually a pretty good show.

Nick: I just looked it up, sounds interesting, though I highly doubt it was the first story with this premise. And I’m curious if it was just a fluke that anxiety would need a paper bag, because I used a paper bag when I had an anxiety attack and it was not an homage to anything.

Dustin: I don’t think it was coincidence. A good writer is aware of similar works when they are working on a project. That’s why I never bought Suzanne Collins’s story about being unaware of Battle Royale when she wrote The Hunger Games. My wife also informed me there was a Japanese manga with the same premise as Inside Out/Herman’s Head.

Nick: Yes, but when you think of a caricature of anxiety, I would picture someone hyperventilating into a paper bag. Not saying you’re wrong, but that’s a thing, so unless there was a comment with it I ain’t buyin’! Archer reference! And Suzanne Collin’s is full of shit! The Hunger Games was a full story ripped off from Battle Royale, which was brushed aside by Collins.

Inside Out had great side characters and gags throughout, from the imaginary friend Bing Bong to Riley’s dream boyfriend, who is a popstar and is obsessed with her and would do anything for her.  

Dustin: Even though this movie wasn’t a tear-jerker like some of Pixar’s other recent films, it was an imaginative, fun adventure with enough visual and emotional variety to carry it. The stakes were refreshingly small-scale for a big-budget film, but felt very real.

Cinderella

Dustin: 3 of 5 stars Nick: 2.5 of 5 stars Average: 2.75 of 5 stars (Woozy canary)

Dustin: Kenneth Branagh’s take on the well-known (overtold?) fairy tale is pretty much a live-action, frame-by-frame remake of Disney’s animated version of the tale. This version has updated special effects and spends a little more time developing Prince Charming, but it will appeal mainly to little girls.

Why the hell are we reviewing this?

Nick: Because It Follows isn’t released yet where we live. Though I see there is A showing Saturday.

This is one of those films that’s purely for children, and I honestly don’t know whether I would’ve liked it as a child. There’s not much fun. It’s very moody, and a lot of people falling over crying. The single scene I remember being any fun is when the Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella. I was obviously bored.

Dustin: I was bored through most of the first half, and things sort of picked up during the Prince’s ball. I blame part of this on the fact the story is so familiar there isn’t much room for suspense. But I’m not entirely sure that’s the case. There’s a small handful of movies I can watch over and over and find something new to like. The main reason the first half was boring is because it rushed through Cinderella’s backstory and just injected the elements in the least-imaginable way possible. It felt more like a summary of her life rather than an actual story.

Nick: I think if the wicked stepmother’s backstory was touched upon a bit more the film would have been better served.

Dustin: The movie had us laughing a lot, though unintentionally, because we’re both so jaded. This would have made for some good Mystery Science Theater 3000 moments, but some things have to be muttered rather than blurted out because of the children in the audience.

Watching this as an adult, the plot holes stand out more from the original story. For example, why don’t the glass slippers disappear at midnight along with the rest of the gifts from the Fairy Godmother? Also, if the Fairy Godmother really wanted to help Cinderella, why didn’t she just waste the evil stepmother and stepsisters? Or at least clean the house for Cinderella with a wave of her wand so she doesn’t have to spend every day doing menial labor?

Nick: Beyond the montage we really don’t see Cinderella cleaning too much. I was laughing a lot because whenever the Prince asked her a question and she answered with a silent look, one of the little girls in the crowd would say, “Yes!” for her. It was unbearably cute.

Dustin: I think my favorite element of the film was the casting of Cinderella and the evil stepmother. Cate Blanchett was perfect as the stepmother. She has a certain class about her that makes you believe she could be a woman used to status and wealth. Once she has fallen on hard times, she quickly turns vile. At times her performance gave me the creeps, and she was a believable character. We all know someone who is a kiss-up, kick-down sort. And Cinderella (Lily James) was hot!

Nick: My favorite part was recognizing most of the actors from two of my favorite shows. Lily James and quite a few of the other actors either star or have appeared on Downton Abbey, while the Prince and a few others, including his best friend, either star or have appeared on Game of Thrones. So it was fun to see TV actors get their chance at film. I think they all did a great job especially, Nonso Anozie as the captain.

Dustin: I also appreciated Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. Seeing her wave her wand around sort of recalled her performance as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies, which was fun for me.

Nick: So all in all, we pretty much just enjoyed seeing actors that we knew from other things we love.

This film did intrigue me as it was filmed by Kenneth Branagh whose Shakespeare adaptations I absolutely fawn over. While Cinderella is better and closer to his older material than his last movie that I saw, Thor: The Dark World, it’s still very forgettable with not even the visuals standing out.

Dustin: I’d recommend this movie strictly to families who want to take their little ones to see a well-made children’s movie. This isn’t a revision of the fairy tale and doesn’t really have much to add to it. Not even ironic nudges to adult audience members. But at least it has high production value and doesn’t insult children’s intelligence the way so many other upcoming movies will (you’ll see plenty of trailers for those before this film, however).