Elvis-Del-Valle

Released alongside Moana in 2016, Inner Workings is a rather unusual short film that stands out quite a bit from what Disney has done in its feature films. Of course, ever since Disney decided to resume making short films for theaters, it has given its filmmakers enough creative freedom for each short to have its own distinct esthetic. With three-dimensional animation and cubist elements in some character designs, this short film offers an anatomical portrait of the sensations the human body experiences thru its organs and how these influence the decisions made. The organ given the highest priority in this short film is the brain, as a representation of reason. Here, the brain governs over the other organs and focuses heavily on the well-being of the human it controls. The brain calculates everything and tries to make the individual avoid any risk that could endanger their life. The short film portrays it in an exaggerated way, but you get the point about how logic and reason prevent us from making a serious mistake. What you see in this short film is how the brain ends up arguing with organs like the intestines and the heart. Those organs seek satisfaction, but the brain opposes them because of the risks involved in giving in to certain desires. The dispute between the brain and the heart is the deepest because the heart represents sentiment and goes against the brain's rationality. This is an interesting point in the short film because people often undergo that internal struggle of listening to what their heart dictates or using their brain's reason. What happens next leaves a reflection on how letting logic take over and repressing feelings can lead to an empty, monotonous life. The brain reflects and realizes that not enjoying life can lead to a depressing existence. No matter how hard the brain tries to make its host avoid any risk of death, the truth is that death is inevitable and can happen at any moment. Even if risks and dangers are avoided, it doesn't change the fact that death will always come at the end of the road. That's when the brain realizes that there's no point in avoiding death if you haven't enjoyed life. The message of the short film is that life is full of things worth enjoying, and you should savor them because you only live once. The brain and the heart always enter into debate when reason and feelings don't agree, so you have to find a way to synchronize them. Inner Working may be different from what you're used to seeing in Disney's works, but its message makes it a very interesting watch. My final rating for this short film is 8/10.

After Star Wars was brought back by Disney with The Force Awakens, it made a good enough impression for Disney to expand the franchise with new installments. Something that would end up sparking discussions in the fandom and even dividing fans, but it's a fact that this would be a new opportunity to continue exploring territories of this universe that had never been seen. Until now, this universe could only be explored thru animated series, but with Disney at the helm, it was possible to go beyond that. Rogue One takes place some time after the events of Star Wars Rebels and shows its characters involved in an important mission that would lead directly to the original film that launched the franchise. Jyn Erson is the character who serves as the starting point leading to the events of A New Hope. Her goal is to discover what happened to her father, and upon doing so, she is tasked with acquiring the plans for the Death Star. It is known that this powerful weapon has been in development since Attack of the Clones, and one of the minds behind its creation is known. The great significance of Jyn Erson in this film is that her mission and the rebels' involvement largely orchestrate the mission Leia would undertake to deliver the Death Star plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Simply put, it explains here how those plans were obtained and how the reactor was discovered as the weapon's weak point. That makes the film have many elements that fit quite well with A New Hope and serve as an important point of connection between that film and Star Wars Rebels.

The cameos by some well-known characters also greatly strengthen this connection. One of the most striking things about this film is that it also managed to bring back Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. His only appearance in this franchise was in the original film, and Cushing had already passed away in 1994. So bringing him back thru digital technology was a miracle, and it really looks like Cushing is in the movie. This is a nice treat for those who have enjoyed his films, given how iconic he is in British horror cinema.

Esthetically, it's a modern update of the original trilogy's vision, just like The Force Awakens, and on the surface you can see the difference in era. Of course, that difference didn't prevent the films from maintaining a strong canonical connection. That was the case with the original trilogy and the prequels, and it also applies to these new installments. Despite the creative differences, the esthetics of Star Wars are very much in line with modern technology. That might generate some mixed feelings about this film for looking more modern, but as a canonical installment it fits in quite well. They went to great lengths to maintain an esthetic connection by replicating the set designs, costumes, and some of the machinery. They even brought back the original Darth Vader suit design that had been used in A New Hope. There's no denying that the entire Star Wars vibe is behind its stunning visual spectacle.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a film that lives up to the original installments. Disney has delivered another thoroughly satisfying effort and set high expectations. Regardless of what fans have said since, Disney managed to keep the franchise on the right track, even with the various creative decisions made in later installments. This film is one of the franchise's most outstanding installments, and after watching it, it's reason enough to revisit the original trilogy. My final rating for this movie is 9/10.

After resurrecting Scream with two films that honored Wes Craven's work, the directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett brought a new offering that makes a small contribution to the world of Universal's classic monsters.

Abigail isn't exactly a film that combines kidnapping, vampire cinema, and dark humor. Its concept is actually a reinterpretation of a character that already existed, but didn't have much relevance. To be clear, the film is a reimagining of Dracula's Daughter, the sequel to the classic starring Bela Lugosi. Dracula's original daughter was Countess Marya Zaleska, who didn't achieve the same fame as Lugosi's version but was reappraised decades later as an early figure in LGBT cinema. As a character who didn't gain much prominence, the Count's daughter has been reimagined only a few times. The most notable instances of her reimagining are Lily from the TV series The Munsters, Sibella from the movie Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Mavis from the Hotel Transylvania saga, and Draculaura from the Monster High franchise. The titular character of Abigail is another reimagining of the same character, with a greater emphasis on her love of ballet and an angelic face that conceals her monstrous nature. Although these versions of Dracula's daughter are different, there's something they all have in common: they're quite elegant. Lily, Sibella, and Mavis lean more toward a gothic style, but they also have some of that elegance seen in their other variants. Abigail's fascination with ballet shows that she too is very elegant, and using it as part of her attack techniques demonstrates that she still adheres to the model established by Marya Zaleska. The young Alisha Weir portrays the character very well and far surpasses her role in Matilda The Musical. The film never mentions that Abigail is Dracula's daughter, nor does it make any reference to the Count. But there are many hints that indicate Abigail's father is Dracula. Interestingly, the film opens with the overture to Swan Lake by composer Tchaikovsky. This musical piece is the same one used in the opening credits of Tod Browning's film Dracula. Moreover, it's clear that this is Abigail's favorite composition, so it's more than just a nod to the Lugosi classic. The mansion where the film takes place is an old place, and while it might be something any millionaire could own, the fact that it's an old mansion is too coincidental. When Abigail's father finally appears, he never reveals his real name and is only referred to by an alias, just as throughout the entire film. But his appearance and mannerisms give away that he's Dracula. No matter how many different versions the legendary count has had, it's very easy to identify him in most of them. The background of this version of Dracula is unknown, but everything indicates that in this universe he managed to gain power over several centuries until he became a major boss in the underworld. Abigail mentions that her father is never there when she needs him most, and it's clear that Dracula must now be someone very powerful with a major operation under his control.

Aside from this new conception of Dracula and his daughter, the film also makes a couple of changes to the vampire's image. First, it plays with the characters discussing the most basic weaknesses of a vampire. A few fundamental traditional aspects were retained, and only three were discarded. Mind control is portrayed thru manipulation rather than hypnosis, and a means of control akin to possession was applied to a bitten character. The notable changes made to the vampire's image in this film are the traditional fangs, replaced by sharp teeth, and a bloodier bodily explosion. It's interesting how this film reinterprets Dracula, his daughter, and vampirism.

Now, watching it as a film, you can see that they decided to take almost the same direction as Renfield here. It doesn't play like a traditional vampire movie, and at the outset it presents itself as a kidnapping film. Its characters are a team with distinct qualities that make them well-suited for a heist and kidnapping movie. Each of them has their reasons for doing this job, and almost all of them turn out to be very interesting characters. The film has few characters, but they all turn out to be good, even tho there were some limitations in getting to know each one's past better. The tone sticks pretty closely to humor, which keeps the movie from being very scary, but it maintains a steady pace. The film's humor provides some fun moments and doesn't rely heavily on comedy, since it's humor that can be taken seriously. Much of this movie goes pretty well until the final moments, when it loses a bit of coherence in one specific situation. When Joy and Abigail meet, it seems like they're going to become friends, and although it later appears that it was all just manipulation by Abigail, what happens during the final confrontation suggests that they should have developed the relationship between Joy and Abigail more so that the events of the last few minutes would make more sense.

The only thing you can say about Abigail is that it offers a very interesting reinterpretation of Dracula's daughter and is one of the most notable updates Universal has made to the characters in its monster franchise. It's not a film that leaves a mark like its original predecessor did, but its version of the character makes it worth giving a chance. My final rating for this movie is 8/10.