The Pliley Review

  Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical Rating:   PG Synopsis: After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced. *** After the huge success of the first Moana movie I had high hopes for this one.  Right off the bat this was just as visually stunning and the water effects are just breathtaking. The biggest highlights for me were the introduction of the little sister and the same amazing dynamic between Moana and Maui, Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. The vibe between them is just amazing to watch and each character feels genuine in their struggles.  I was slightly confused with the fact that the village is shown as still living on the same island as the last movie even though they made a big show of leaving at the end. I believed this indicated that the entire village were wayfinders but this ...

  Genre: Family, Musical, Adventure Rating:   PG Synopsis: When a powerful spell turns her parents into giant monsters, a teenage princess must journey into the wild to reverse the curse before it's too late. *** Watch out Disney I think Netflix is coming for you! It is hard to say much without giving away the story, however, I am happy to say that this is not your typical princess story and the twist-like ending is just perfection.  The animation is just gorgeous and the songs are catchy enough to keep your interest. The voice actors did a great job embodying their characters and bringing them to life. Special shout-out has to go to Rachel Zegler as Princess Ellian and John Lithgow as Bolinar who really brought out all the emotions through their journey.  This movie has all the makings of an adventure movie that kids and adults alike will love. Final Thoughts Interesting take on an animated princess movie and I’m here for it.  Score: 8 out of 10. Great family...

  Genre:  Family, Comedy Rating:   PG Synopsis: The Herdmans are six siblings, who have a reputation for being the worst kids in the world. However, when they take over the local church pageant during the holidays, they just might teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas. *** From the trailer, I had high hopes for a fun, festive, and heartwarming story.  The adult cast for this movie was wonderful. Yet full props have to be given to all the kids, especially Beatrice Schneider as Imogene who really nailed this role and embraced the complexities of the character.   In all honesty, the first 45 minutes of the movie I was seriously conflicted. Being a mom it's hard to watch kids bully other kids, but I had hope that it would get better. Though eventually it did, it almost felt a little too late since it was the halfway point of the movie at that point.  The storyline was straightforward so very predictable when all was said and done. However...

  Genre:   Family, Comedy Rating:   PG  Synopsis: Santa and his elite elf team use spy-like stunts to deliver billions of presents to all the world's children in one incredible night. But a child is missed! Now it is up to Santa's youngest son Arthur to fix this slip-up and make good on the promise of Christmas. *** The casting in this movie was perfect. The main character of Arthur is played beautifully by James McAvoy and while the rest of the star-studded cast brought theirs to life with ease, I can not praise James enough. The childlike wonder in Arthur makes you easily root for him and James encapsulates his character perfectly.  Within the first few minutes of the movie, you get a complete sense of who each character is and how they interact with each other. Bad or good.  The storyline is simple and heartwarming with the right amount of action and jokes to keep you interested even after the credits roll. The animation is smooth and will be sure t...

  Genre:   Family, Comedy Rating:   PG  Synopsis:   When the Whos down in Whoville decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, realize there is one way to gain peace and quiet. *** There have been a few adaptations of the Grinch over the years and following the footsteps of the Jim Carrey version, I was not sure what else they could do with it. I am so happy that I was wrong.  Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the Grinch fits the role perfectly. He encapsulates all the grumpiness you’d expect combined with the misunderstood creature who is just longing to belong. Cameron Seely made an adorable impression as the intelligent child of Cindy Lou Who.  The animation style captures the bright colors of the original book as well as the different emotions during the story, which I think adds to the story. The scenes spent on the recon of the town also added to the story as it is not just about the s...

  Genre: Family/Comedy Rating:   PG Synopsis:   Gru welcomes a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who's intent on tormenting his dad. However, their peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against Gru. *** Finally got a look at Despicable Me 4 last night with my son, 15, and I feel it was the weakest of the bunch. (He agreed).  Though it is always fun to see Gru and the girls, this one just felt all over the place, even for a minion movie. The storyline was all over the place and they were so determined to pull in multiple new characters that it just did not work together as a whole. Yes, the baby was adorable but after a few times pulling a mad face at Gru, the joke was already old and took way too long to stop. I can’t say much else without giving away spoilers, but younger kids may still really like it, but anyone above 8 may not.  I will say that even though the story let it down...

Genre:  Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Family Rating:  PG Synopsis:  When Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll and he has burned through eight of his nine lives, he launches an epic journey to restore them by finding the mythical Last Wish. Honestly, I am seriously shaken to my core by this movie. I love the Shrek movies and when I heard they were making another Puss in Boots I was not expecting much. The first movie was great, about a 7.5, but I wasn't rushing out to watch this one.  I was so wrong to wait. This movie has everything. Action, romance, fantasy, a great storyline, a terrifying villain, and an amazing twist. Once I finished watching it, my son and I had to watch it a second time.  I honestly could write a crazy long post just gushing about how amazing the villain of this movie is. Wagner Moura is a name I will most definitely be on the lookout for. His portrayal was just terrifying and awesome all at the...

Genre: Family, Adventure Rating:  PG Synopsis:  In an Italian village, the wooden puppet Pinocchio is brought to life by the Blue Fairy and seeks a life of adventure while striving to be a real boy. Pinocchio's life is turned upside down when he leaves his father to follow the circus. I'll be honest right upfront. I hate the original cartoon movie and I didn't want to review this one as I had no desire to watch it. However, I'll try and be as neutral as I can.  Tom Hanks is a super cute   Geppetto, though he is a little mumbling in the beginning. My first impression of the blue fairy,  Cynthia Erivo, freaking amazing. Such an incredible voice. All the characters are portrayed perfectly as from the original cartoon, which in this case is a good thing. A few new character additions were welcome and didn't take away from the story. I have to give extra credit to Luke Evans as The Coachman, is perfectly creepy and fits the role well.  If you're familiar with th...

Genre:  Comedy, Family, Fantasy Rating:  PG Synopsis:  When the Sanderson Sisters are accidentally brought back to modern-day Salem, three friends must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world. Right off the bat  Flashing Lights Warning . There are a few scenes that involve flashing lights so if you're sensitive please be cautious.  The movie takes place 29 years after the first movie with a  completely different storyline. This somewhat explains why other original cast members were not included. Although I was slightly disappointed that they didn't at least have a small cameo since we live in a time where cameos are very common.  Didn't really feel like a sequel as only 1 thing was the same, a virgin lit the candle. You do not need to watch the original as any references are clearly explained and some footage included. Personally, I think watching the original would still add to the experience so I do think it w...

  Genre: Action, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction Rating:  PG 13 Synopsis:  When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto the Super-Dog must convince a rag-tag shelter pack - Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle, and Chip the squirrel - to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes. I went into this movie not expecting much really and I was greatly surprised. Even with the rating as I thought it would be PG for little kids. There are t wo after-credit scenes for those interested. The movie started off like most Superman-type movies do and honestly I wasn't mad about it. The main character of Krypto is just freaking adorable and his growth throughout the movie is heartwarming. The others were also amazing and played up to their respective animals well. Though admittedly a lot of the jokes were shown in the trailer.  The overall plotline and story made sense and the execution was p...