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:  Musical, Fantasy Rating:   PG Synopsis: Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads. *** Disclaimer: I’ve never seen the musical and going into the movie knew nothing about the plot and only vaguely 2 songs.  Right off the bat, I was on Team Green as I hate bullies. Yet I have to say the harshness of the opening definitely pulled me in. The library scene had me cringing as I’m a huge book lover, but all the songs were amazing during the entire movie.  Though I have nothing to compare the performances story or character-wise, high praise goes to both Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in their respective roles. Ariana, of course, took to the songs like a fish to water and although I had never heard Cynthia sing before the vocals for both were i...

  Genre: Documentary, Music & Musicals, Social & Cultural Docs.  Rating: TV-MA - language Synopsis:   Global superstar Jennifer Lopez reflects on her multifaceted career and the pressure of life in the spotlight. I'm not usually one for documentaries and it's not for any specific reason, aside from the lack of dragons. I tend to lean more towards fantasy, science fiction movies, TV shows, and books just simply because real life is already too depressing.  However, I'm a fan of JLo but I wouldn't say that I'm a super fan who has all her albums etc though I do love some songs. I have seen all of her romantic comedy movies as I love watching her in those roles. I also watched the super bowl halftime show that was just incredible.  I also think she is a fascinating person so I was intrigued when I heard about this documentary she released about her journey to the super bowl show and her life before that. I honestly did not know much about her life until this...