Jon Negroni

Jon is one of the co-founders of InBetweenDrafts. He hosts the podcasts Thank God for Movies, Mad Men Men, Rookie Pirate Radio, and Fantasy Writing for Barbarians. He doesn't sleep, essentially.

Now Conspiring Podcast: Our Favorite Movies of 2016

movies

It’s that time of year again for the Now Conspiring podcast to count off their favorite movies of 2016! There were a lot of great movies to pick from and some obvious overlap here and there (aside from our Top #1 picks), so sit back and relax as we reflect on our most enjoyable cinematic experiences of the year.

We also recorded a Bonus Rogue One episode this week, which you can stream directly here.

Question of the Week: What was your favorite movie and/or movie moment of 2016?

Go on…Now Conspiring Podcast: Our Favorite Movies of 2016

The Pixar Detectives: Here’s Every Animated Movie Coming Out In 2017

This week, we Pixar Detectives (Jon Negroni and Kayla Savage) took a close look at the animated movies coming out in 2017, and our live audience helped us decide which movie to be most excited about!

To catch our show live (and win our weekly giveaways), be sure to tune in to Super News on Facebook every Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. Pacific Time.

Thanks for watching, and here are all of the movies we talked about:

  1. The Boss Baby – March 31
  2. Lego Batman Movie – February 10
  3. Despicable Me 3 – June 30
  4. Cars 3 – June 16
  5. Coco – November 22
  6. The Emoji Movie – August 4
  7. Captain Underpants – June 1
  8. Blazing Samurai – August 25
  9. The Nut Job 2 – August 18
  10. The Lego Ninjago Movie – September 22
  11. Animal Crackers – January 13

Enjoy the show! And if you have any suggestions for future episodes and prizes, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading this. Seriously. You can subscribe to my posts by clicking “Follow” in the right sidebar. 

Or just say hello on Twitter: @JonNegroni

 

Every Epic Movie Coming In 2017 (With Trailers!)

COCO

The best and biggest movies of 2017 are coming sooner than you might think. Here’s a quick guide to all of the ones we’re most excited about…and some we’re not so excited about.

I’ve been off the grid for two weeks on holiday, but I did manage to squeeze in this comprehensive list for Heroic Hollywood this past week. In it, I cover each movie, its trailer status, and whether or not it will be any good. Plus, I provide some insight on whether or not you should catch up on other movies, shows, and reading in order to get the most out of these releases.

You can check out the full guide and more here on Heroic Hollywood.

For 2017, I’ll be continuing more weekly shows, write-ups, and videos here and elsewhere. The Now Conspiring podcast comes out on Mondays, I have a weekly editorial for Heroic Hollywood on Tuesdays, my Facebook Live show “Pixar Detectives” hits Super News every Wednesday at 7pm pacific time, a new video or Snarcasm comes out on Thursdays, and my weekly movie reviews arrive on Fridays.

Here’s to a great year of snark, film analysis, amateur videography, surreal podcast moments, and as always, conspiring!

 

 

Review: ‘Rogue One’ Is About Half Of A Great Star Wars Movie

rogue one

Before Rogue One, which is aptly subtitled “A Star Wars Story,” even begins, it suffers from a remarkable weakness no other movie in this franchise has ever had. A real purpose.

It’s a standalone prequel to the original trilogy, filling the gap (and space) between Episodes III and IV, but it does nothing of note beyond that, except to elaborate on a minor plot point that sets up A New Hope, in the form of a ragtag suicide squad on a mission to retrieve the Death Star plans so Luke Skywalker can find them in a droid days later.

All the while, Rogue One presents side character archetypes as protagonists to a well-realized war movie, one without much of the Force or any stunning lightsaber duels to balance against the space battles. It’s exactly one-half of what we love about Star Wars, but lavishly treated with respect for fans who’ve always yearned for a shift in emphasis toward the “Wars” in “Star Wars.” Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty) managed to make this universe feel big again, and one of the film’s greatest strengths is its sense of location and a visual consistency begging for a better story to match it.

There’s no doubting this is the galaxy far far away, just taking place a bit earlier than what George Lucas and his team established aesthetically 40 years ago. The colors, technology, and overall atmosphere are masterfully recreated, less so however with the CGI-rendered actors we recognize from A New Hope as well, not that they’re the prime focus of what’s essentially an ensemble film. Less recreated, however, are any deep or enriching characters to serve as a compelling thread throughout this surprisingly complex (and fast) war drama.

rogue one

It seems at one point that Disney and Lucasfilm intended to give a weightier role to Jyn Erso, played rather straight here by Felicity Jones, once again one of about three women in a Rebellion consisting of hundreds of men onscreen, which is a noticeable step back from the more balanced Force Awakens.

Much of the material used in the trailers for Erso seem to have been shifted in those pesky reshoots, so that the rest of the “Rogue One” rebels too rebellious for the rebellion could have thematically interesting moments of their own. That was the intention, anyway. Instead, even the most creative characters are quite thin, falling short of what’s done so successfully in Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a more cohesive and ultimately satisfying “misfit ensemble in space” movie.

Rogue One is a classic example of what happens when a beautiful and polished movie filled with colorful characters fails to come together by the third act, which is more bombastic and methodical than anything epic or narratively  fulfilling. The story builds to something far more grand in scope, while also personal in its individual characters’ struggles against the overwhelming Empire, but instead, everything simply fizzles out and fades to the distance to make way for New Hope matters, muting the questionable triumph for these rebels, instead of what the dialogue suggests we ought to feel for them.

rogue one

That said, Rogue One is an easy sell for fans of Star Wars, who will love it anyway for everything that does work—like the complexities rendered for a tougher, less forgiving Rebel Alliance and world-class sci-fi cinematography and sound mixing—and overlook what is sorely missing that would have made this good film actually great, or at least as memorable as something like The Force Awakens, a flawed movie that had a much easier time justifying itself.

Come for the snarky droid, stay for the blind Force monk, and prepare for one scene in particular toward the very end that will make you yearn to see a “real” Star Wars film.

Grade: B

Extra Credits:

  • Now I’m really worried about that Young Han Solo spinoff.
  • Better than the prequels, but that’s about it.
  • First Star Wars movie not scored by John Williams, which is pretty sad. But Michael Giacchino did a tremendous job, and this one has a main score I found much more memorable than in Force Awakens. Edit: I do wish, though, that the music matched the movie’s actual tone. I just don’t blame Giacchino.
  • Alan Tudyk as the aforementioned snark droid, K-2SO,  was easily the best character. Not just in terms of comic relief, but as the obvious heart of the team, similar to Tudyk’s “Wash” in Firefly.
  • Some of the cameos and Easter eggs are great. A handful are just pointless and completely unnecessary, similar to the prequels. Still, I won’t spoil any so you can view them as surprises. Not enough of this movie is a surprise, anyway.

    Thanks for reading this. Seriously. You can subscribe to my posts by clicking “Follow” in the right sidebar. 

    Or just say hello on Twitter: @JonNegroni

How ‘Moana’ Finally Settled The Disney Princess Debate

disney princess

Disney’s Moana was a fantastic animated musical, and one of the main reasons why has to do with its handling of the female protagonist, Moana herself.

The animation studio was essentially founded on the cornerstone of the “princess” being a driving force of fairy tale movies, which eventually evolved into increasingly more diverse types of stories. Specifically, Snow White laid the groundwork as one of the best films of all time (animated or otherwise), as well Disney’s first feature film. And they later built upon this with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty as smart ways to repeat Snow White‘s massive success.

This ended up being a saving grace for Disney after multiple near-catastrophes with bad box office, animator strikes, and so on, though Walt still believed in experimenting with non-princess movies like Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Dumbo, and of course, Mary Poppins.

Long after his death in 1966, the Disney Princess transformed from an idea to an actual media franchise worth an insane amount of money and indicative of Disney’s influence over generations of children. In the early 2000s, it became an official thing, combining the classic Disney princesses of the old days with recent heroines of the 90s renaissance. And the criteria, at the time, was confusing to say the least.

disney princess

Obviously, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora were “inducted” into the official Disney Princess brand. Joining them was Ariel from The Little Mermaid, another obvious choice though different in the sense that she’s royalty of an underwater culture. Then Belle from Beauty and the Beast, who doesn’t technically become a princess until the very end of the movie.

Jasmine from Aladdin was another obvious choice, though striking because she was the first Disney princess to be nonwhite, and she’s more of a supporting character than a lead protagonist. Jasmine was followed up by two consecutive nonwhite Disney princesses, though: Pocahontas and Mulan. Though Tinker Bell from Peter Pan was technically a Disney Princess for a short time before getting replaced by Tiana and becoming a home video sensation.

They didn’t include Nala or Kiara from Lion King, which seems to be because animals simply don’t qualify. Same goes for Esmerelda from Hunchback of Notre Dame because she’s technically a gypsy, Megara from Hercules, and Jane from Tarzan. The first “modern” princess was Tiana from Princess and the Frog, then Rapunzel from Tangled was added as the first CG character. And the last Disney Princess in the official sense is Merida from Brave, a Pixar movie rather than a Walt Disney Animation one.

disney princess

These are the “official” Disney princesses, but that hasn’t stopped many other fans from considering the wider breadth of characters to fit the bill. Simply because the criteria isn’t always consistent (like with Tinker Bell and Mulan not being royalty). Eventually, Anna from Frozen will be added along with Moana, but no one really believes their status as princesses is held back until Disney slaps their own label on it and has their clique running around Disney World.

A lot of this might sound a bit silly and inconsequential, but there are actually heated debates held by…some…who argue over which Disney female characters are “allowed” to be called Disney princesses. And this is a big deal, in part, because countless kids look to the mainstream Disney princesses as a representation of themselves in these movies. Parents want their kids to have positive role models, and the Disney princesses, like it or not, are a major cultural force in that regard.

The more recent Disney princess from CG animated films definitely fit the more literal interpretation of what’s become such a pervasive line of business for these animated films. But Moana subtly settles this debate, I believe, once and for all. It points out that the semantics don’t matter, really, as Disney seems intent on including future princesses as it sees fit.

moana

The pivotal line between Maui and Moana is what specifically points this out. Maui tells Moana she is a “princess,” but she denies this because she’s actually the daughter of a Chief (the literal view). But Maui banters back with self-awareness on the writers’ part:

“If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, then you’re a princess.” 

What he really seems to be saying here is that it doesn’t really matter. What makes these characters “princesses” has very little to do with royal bloodlines and more with the tropes that Disney infuses in its protagonists and supporting characters. A dress and an animal sidekick are incredibly broad. so Disney can in effect say from here on out that there’s no reason to overthink this merchandising franchise they’re so clearly benefiting from.

And that’s fine because it allows Disney to incorporate as many different cultures, hair colors, and clothing styles as they can with their princess characters, but not at the expense of the story making sense. Or worse, always falling back on traditional princess tales instead of doing something as “culturealistic” as Moana and Mulan.

moana

Moving forward, I like to think that this line by Maui was allowed in the movie because they’re acknowledging how limiting it is to hold back the Disney Princess inclusivity for the sake of being so literal. It’s not relevant how these characters look on a family tree, but rather that they’re interesting characters who follow a consistent aesthetic and type of storytelling that’s proven incredibly successful for Disney since the 30s. Maybe one day, it won’t even be questioned whether or not a Disney princess is one because she wears a dress, especially if you consider the fact that they included Merida, a princess who is usually shown with her bow and arrow rather than a bucket of glitter.

But one thing’s for certain. The best Disney princess is obviously Lilo.

Thanks for reading this. To get updates on my theories, books, and giveaways, join my Mailing List.

Or just say hey on Twitter: @JonNegroni

We Now Know Exactly What Pixar’s ‘Coco’ Is About And Who’s In It

Pixar’s next big movie, Coco, has so far been mostly shrouded in mystery…until now. The post below is a transcription of the video above.

Coco is the next original Pixar film that isn’t a sequel, but it’s also the last original Pixar film for a few years in a row as the studio releases Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4.

So obviously, there’s a lot riding on Coco being a superb movie. Because it will have to satisfy our appetites for quite a while, in the same way Inside Out and Good Dinosaur prepared us for Finding Dory and Cars 3.

But until now, we’ve known very little about Coco, a movie about a young Mexican boy who discovers a family secret about his past. The movie was announced in 2012 and was revealed to be centered around the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. And it’s directed by Lee Unkrich, the director of Toy Story 3, co-directed by Adrian Molina, and produced by longtime Pixar veteran Darla K. Anderson. Yes, that Darla.

I should stress that the information I’m about to share is very plot-heavy, so if you don’t want to know too much about Coco, then you may want to click away.

That said, here’s a bunch of new stuff we just found out about Coco, starting with the basic plot. You can also watch the video at the top of the page, or read the transcription below.

coco

Coco stars Miguel, voiced by 12-year-old newcomer Anthony Gonzalez, a young boy with secret musical ambitions in a Mexican village full of vibrant and festive music-lovers. Unfortunately, his family of shoemakers despises and even forbids music in their household and apparently for good reason: they believe they’ve been cursed by music due to an old family story about Miguel’s great-great-grandfather abandoning his wife, Imelda, in order to become a musical performer. As a result, the family outright bans music.

Secretly, Miguel wants to become like his favorite singer, the now deceased Ernesto de la Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Brett. And he accidentally enters the Land of the Dead believing he has some link to the singer’s ghost.

(Like any good Pixar Theorist, you might be thinking the movie is setting this up to be a reveal that De la Cruz is Miguel’s late great-great-grandfather, but this almost seems too obvious, right?)

Anyway, Miguel explores this beautiful underworld and stumbles across the souls of his family, the Riveras, which includes his great-great-grandmother Imelda. He’s joined by a mischievous skeletal spirit named Hector, who is voiced by Gael García Bernal, and they team up to find De la Cruz somewhere in the Land of the Dead. And of course, there’s a time limit, so Miguel has to do all of this and return to the Land of the Living before he supposedly gets trapped their forever.

coco

Like I said, that’s a lot of information, though the movie is less than a year away and we can expect to learn even more in the coming months. And thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we also have some specific insights from the creators of the movie that you can check out here. For example, Unkrich points out that this is an all-Latino cast, which is pretty new for Disney and Pixar, and he also provides some extra info on the voice cast that you might find interesting.

One last thing: Pixar is telling us that Coco has a ton of music in it, but it’s definitely not a musical, at least in the classical sense. Pixar has never been shy about featuring music beats in their movies (think the Toy Story movies, Monsters Inc., Wall-E, etc.) So it’s interesting to hear that Coco will be pushing that line a bit further since it centers around famous singers. I think we can at least expect a fun soundtrack, if nothing else.

Coco will hit theaters on November 22, 2017, and as always, I’ll be hitting the books on how this movie could potentially speak to the greater Pixar shared universe, if at all, as we learn more about it. For now, let’s all wait patiently for that first teaser.

Thanks for reading this. Seriously. You can subscribe to my posts by clicking “Follow” in the right sidebar. 

Or just say hello on Twitter: @JonNegroni

 

Ep111: What We’re Watching In December

december

We’ve watched a lot of movies this year, but as we wind down in December, what are the movies we plan to check out in theaters and at home? Featuring special guest and the film critic’s film critic, Will Ashton.

This week, we talked a lot about early reactions to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and did our standard Show & Tell segment toward the end of the show for a change.

You can also download this podcast episode on iTunes and Stitcher.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What was your favorite superhero movie of 2016, if any? Also, what movie from 2016 do you want to see the most that you missed in theaters?

Go on…Ep111: What We’re Watching In December