• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

zootopia

The Best Animated Film of 2016

January 3, 2017 by Jacob Sahms 1 Comment

Last week, the staff of ScreenFish had a lively debate about animated flicks in 2016. We couldn’t agree on which one was best – but given that I’d seen more of them than not, I felt compelled to argue. That left me with this list of films from 2016 – and the reasons behind them. Counting up from the bottom, I present you with the least (and most) worthwhile animated flicks of 2016.

ratchet

In the “Don’t Waste Your Time Department”…

#12 Ratchet & Clank. I’m not sure what just happened.

ice-age-collision-course

#11 Ice Age: Collision Course. Seriously, does everyone still love Raymond (Romano)?

norm

#10 Norm of the North. I bet 97% of you have never heard of this one.

angry

We Were Compelled But We Shouldn’t Have Been…

#9 Angry Birds the Movie. I get it, he gets angry. But did we just make that a positive character trait?

panda

#8 Kung Fu Panda 3. Were we actually worried about where Po’s dad was? He’s not a crane?

slop5

You Know You Want To, But Then The Trailer Said It All…

#7 Secret Life of Pets. Seriously, the cat slayed eating out of the fridge. But there wasn’t any additional laughs, and the story didn’t have an emotional payoff.

FINDING DORY

#6 Finding Dory. Ellen DeGeneres is regularly solid; the idea of all of these animals overcoming disability was truly a solid message. It just wasn’t funny.

sing

In Any Other Year, They Would Have Been Amazing …

#5 Sing. American Idol meets Animal Farm … or something. The soundtrack rocked; the ‘find your voice’ message was powerful. Again, not enough laughs to be top dog.

storks2#4 Storks. Funny throughout, with excellent reminders about family. In another year, I’d be raving about it.

I Have to Rank Them But These Are All Great…

kubo#3 Kubo. This is the best animation that I saw all year. The stormy seas, the snow, the fur on the white monkey. The end, community reconciliation and restoration, is as powerful as the end of any live-action film I saw this year. Unfortunately, the lead-up story suffers a bit with predictability.

moana3#2 Moana. Arnaldo’s favorite animated flick of 2016, this one has an awesome story to tell about call and stepping up when others fail to lead. Mark Henn’s animation is solid and it’s funny … sometimes. I found the ending to be a bit slow but still powerful in meaning.

zootopia3

#1 Zootopia. While it’s in the trailer, the sloth scene gets me every time. Like, reduces me to tears. If it doesn’t make you laugh, you’ve never been to the DMV. But the story of the community made up of individuals/races/subgroups who all bring their own strength and have to learn to work together? Geez, I wish we could’ve watched that as a national community right before heading to the ballots. There’s much here to consider about immigration, call, strength, grace, duty, honor, and, dare I say, faith.

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Angry Birds, Ice Age Collision Course, kubo and the two strings, Kung Fu Panda 3, Moana, Norm of the North, Ratchet & Clank, Secret Life of Pets, Sing, storks, The Rock, zootopia

The Best Films of 2016 (Updated)

December 15, 2016 by Jacob Sahms 1 Comment

deadpool
This year, there are no blockbusters, no Marvel superheroes, on my list of my favorite films. This year, the films that caught my eye – and held onto my imagination, days later – weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets, or even always the most-known cast and crew. This year, the films were films that captured my heart thanks to the power of their story, the visual presentation of their message, and the size of heart that that they conveyed.

Film criticism is a lot like politics in the media – everyone has an opinion, but they think they’re objective. [Seriously, Trolls holds a better Rotten Tomatoes score than Allied, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, and Collateral Beauty? C’mon, people. Trolls are just little plastic guys from a 1980s fad – or are we rating Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick?]

So, with apologies to Benedict Cumberbatch, and that unkillable antihero Deadpool, here are my top ten for 2016, trimmed down from the 135 films I saw. We won’t all agree, but we have to start somewhere.

hf

Hidden Figures is the best film I didn’t see coming. Thanks to solid performances and an incredibly bold story about faith, race, power, dreams, and engineering, it left me in tears – laughing and crying at the same time. When several women dream about breaking the glass ceiling of race and gender, they literally put a man on the moon. Octavia Spencer, Tariji B. Henson, and Janelle Monae provide a film that inspires and entertains.

 

unknowns

At Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb Guards or Sentinels keep watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier twenty-four hours a day, 365 days of the year, regardless of weather. In Ethan Morse’s film, The Unknowns, we were treated to an inside look at how the men of The Old Guard, a select unit from the U.S. Army, serve. With simple interviews, ‘live’ shots of the work these men do in front of the public and behind closed doors, the film carries with it a reminder that our flag still waves thanks to the bravery of some whose names will never be known. Months later, I am still reminded of its beauty, both in pure patriotism but also in faith – faith that one day, war will end and all people will be free.

 

rogue-one-jyn-ersa-geared-up

Bumping The Accountant from the list, Rogue One, a Star Wars Story proved to be the best film I’ve seen from the Rebel Alliance in thirty years. While the field has been increased – we finally have a non-Skywalker family drama – the power of the Force remained strong. With ample banter about faith, a wildly diverse cast, and a story that squeaks in at Film #3.5, we had a prequel to A New Hope with plenty of time to spare.

 

kubo

Startling in its animation, thanks to the beauty of Laika’s stop-motion  capture, Kubo & the Two Strings spins a fantasy adventure around a one-eyed boy and his epic adventure to thwart his grandfather’s evil plan. Accompanied by a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey) and a snow monkey (Charlize Theron), the young boy goes questing. With fewer laughs and more intensity than you might expect from a ‘kid’s cartoon,’ Kubo asks us to consider how we forgive, and what it means to care for our ancestors as they age. In a wonderful way, the fantastical road trip morphs into deeper explorations about life, death, and where we go from here.

 

birthofanation

While it was impossible to watch The Birth of a Nation without considering the allegations against the story’s creators, Nate Parker and Jean McGianni Celestin, it was equally impossible to watch the film blind to the racial unrest in the United States almost two hundred years after the Nat Turner rebellion. Powerful in its simplicity, poignant in its relational dynamics, and spiritual in its evaluation of the use of religion to control, direct, and comfort, Parker’s film is haunting in its violence, and its awareness of the latent power of racism. While Turner was himself a preacher, the film’s use of Scripture from both sides stirred and troubled my soul.

 

insanity

This year, two documentaries captured my attention, with The Insanity of God shining a light on the family of missionary Nik Ripken as he struggled with his faith after great tragedy. While this is Ripken’s story, it is also the story of others who bled and died for the gospel, told unflinchingly. I’ll never forget Ripken’s own admission, after interviewing others persecuted for their faith: “Now, I’m in deeper danger, because the Bible is coming alive. Satan had tricked me into believing that the Bible was an old book, with things that God used to do. And here I was experiencing the Bible in the present tense, with the things God did coming alive.” A movie that will surely ask you to consider what you believe, and what you would do to pursue your faith.

 

midnightspecial

What would you do to protect your child? What sacrifices would you make if you saw how beautiful, special, or powerful they were that no one else understood? Those are the questions that Midnight Special poses, thanks to writer/director Jeff Nichols’ emotionally wrestling with his own son’s mortality. In a stripped-down sci-fi exploration that would make Philip K. Dick or Steven Spielberg proud, the director of Loving gives us another chance to unpack our own humanity.

 

hellorhighwater

On the surface, Hell or High Water is a Jesse James/Butch Cassidy & Sundance kind of Western lark, set in the present. But thanks to Taylor Sheridan’s script, we explore the aging process of Jeff Bridges’ senior Texas Ranger and the us-against-the-system dynamics of two brothers, Toby and Tanner (Chris Pine and Ben Foster). [Ironically, I don’t always enjoy Foster’s movies, but he always impresses with his performance.] While there’s a bit of clever banter and action/adventure, the film’s heart is driving at the financial crisis of America and the futility for some when trying to improve themselves. Who is the villain here in this spiritual parable about love and grace? The bank and its overarching line of credit.

 

zootopia

It was a good year to be animated, and Zootopia was the crown jewel. I declared it a candidate for Best Film of the Year when I walked out of the debut, and it didn’t miss by much. Disney’s film about a ‘utopia’ where animals are divided into different boroughs, showed kids and adults alike what it meant to fight and get along. While the struggle was real, it also blended in some lessons about what it means to follow your dream – and be who you’re supposed to be even when others say you shouldn’t. In our bipartisan day and age, Zootopia asked us to consider whether we could love each other for what we brought to the table, rather than manipulating each other for what we could get out of it.

 

hacksawridge

My most anticipated film of the year – Hacksaw Ridge – did everything I hoped it would. Challenging patriotism, courage, and pacifism, the film asked us to consider the stances we take, and that others make, and how we respond to them. While faith was front and center, it still felt subtle – and somehow, more powerful. Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Desmond Doss tied the legend of the Medal of Honor winner to a story that felt real and grounded. Mel Gibson’s direction plus Terry Benedict’s research? This is one I hope to hear talked about next spring.

What did I miss? What do you need to see now? What criteria would you use instead? Post below and share your thoughts.

[Editor’s note: I still haven’t seen Collateral Beauty, Loving, Rogue One, or Sing as I write this. Edits pending?]

Filed Under: Current Events, DVD, Editorial, Featured, Film Tagged With: accountant, Birth of a Nation, Deadpool, Desmond Doss, Dr. Strange, Hacksaw Ridge, hell or high water, insanity of god, Jeff Bridges, kubo and the two strings, Marvel, Mel Gibson, Midnight Special, Moana, Rogue One, storks, the unknowns, Walt Disney, zootopia

Moana – Breaking The Status Quo

November 30, 2016 by Arnaldo Reyes 1 Comment

moana posterIt’s no surprise that Disney holds a monopoly when it comes to films about fairy tales and princesses. Not only are the films all-time classics, but the princesses themselves cross generation to generation, with the help of the parks of course. Over the last few years, Disney has made a 180 degree turn in the stories they tell about their princesses. Early on, these young beautiful princesses needed a prince to save them and define them, but now in our ever-changing culture, that is no more, and that’s a good thing. There was a prince near to Tiana, but she was a strong and independent character that didn’t need him. Merida taught young girls to be brave. Anna showed us the power of love and fearlessness when the odds were not in our favor, and taught us to be there for your family even when everyone is against them. Moana follows this same path and, quite frankly, goes beyond it as well.

Moana is the daughter of the chief of her tribe and next in line to be chief. The island is all she has known her entire life, yet she feels drawn to the Ocean. It is forbidden to go past the reef because beyond it the Ocean is an unforgiving and relentless force of nature. As her father and mother try to teach her the ways of her tribe, her grandmother (known as the crazy lady) pushes her to follow her own path and what she was truly called for. Her island is dying, the world is dying, and the only way to fix it is to right the wrong that the demigod Maui caused many years ago. Moana discovers the true identity of her people, ancient voyagers and then sets sail on a mission that will allow her to discover her own identity and not be tied to the one her people say she should be.

moana2A few years ago, Frozen fever took over and it still goes strong today. As good as the film was, I feel Moana is leaps and bounds better. Maybe it’s because I find the Broadway style to the Island music more entertaining, but also, I felt that the story was much more powerful and heartfelt. Moana is a strong-willed character that tries with all her might to do what she thinks is right, and that’s be the chief her father is teaching her to be, but she can’t ignore the pull inside of her to go out into the ocean and explore. She teaches us that we should embrace the path that we are called to and not the one everyone says we should live, even if it goes against what the popular position is. Her courage and resolve blended with her heart and compassion jumps out on the screen and is really felt as she interacts with Maui.

Maui is a fun and dynamic character who is full of himself but Moana teaches him more about himself than he’s ever known. That is what is so great about Moana is that during an ocean adventure, the film makes you laugh (sometimes hysterically), cry, cheer, and feel hopeful all in one. Moana brings that out because she isn’t just on an adventure to save the world, but it’s a journey of finding herself.

mauiMaui is strong, immortal, arrogant, funny and yet sad and lost. Maui just wants to be loved but has no idea how that works. He tries and tries and tries and it’s never enough. The world is dying because Maui just wanted to be loved and did something that he shouldn’t have done. We’ve met many people like Maui. Good people that are lost because at some point when they were young they were abandoned. It’s only when they reach a low point that we can learn who they really are. Moana was on an adventure to save the world and find her identity, but during that adventure Maui ended up finding the same. With all of his great charisma, we are able to see a vulnerability in the character that allows us draw close and emotionally connect with him and fall in love with him. It was a well-developed character that was perfectly cast with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

What strikes me most about the story is the similarities of not just the story of creation, but really the story of man and God. The film shows that man is not satisfied with what God has done for us. With everything in the garden, Adam and Eve were tricked into thinking it wasn’t enough, that ultimately being equals to God was the end goal. Sin entered the world and since then mankind suffers with a bout of “god-complex”. We are not equipped for that and in our effort to achieve it we have let loose darkness in the world. But darkness cannot hinder the light. When Christ died for us, it is similar to Moana restoring what was broken and at the end, just like Maui was forgiven, we also find forgiveness when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, in other words restoring the heart back to where it belongs.

Moana is getting lots of praise, and rightfully so. It is a fun and heartwarming film that is perfect for this time of year. A princess that breaks the status quo a long with a fun and charismatic companion in Maui that just makes a for a great time with the family. And if my daughter is any indication, the music can very well catch on just like Frozen fever (and frankly, I don’t mind).

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Dwayne Johnson, Frozen, Moana, musical, The Rock, Walt Disney, zootopia

Podcast: Dividing ZOOTOPIA

March 23, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

zootopia3

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2.11-Zootopia.mp3

This week on the show, ScreenFish writer, Darrel Manson and Steve Norton talk about the racial barriers between lions, foxes and bunnies (Oh my!) in Disney’s ZOOTOPIA!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

2.11 Zootopia

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: animation, Disney, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, Jason Bateman, zootopia

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • GIVEAWAY! Advance Screening of 80 FOR BRADY!
  • Close – End of childhood innocence
  • Unstoppable Shorts at Slamdance 2023
  • Slamdance 2023: With Peter Bradley
  • Still more from Slamdance 2023
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

GIVEAWAY! Advance Screening of 80 FOR BRADY!

Close – End of childhood innocence

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

 

Loading Comments...