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With the holiday season here, one of the biggest themes in our society will be that of family. Whether near or far, we think of our loved ones and hopefully will be able to spend at least a little bit of time with them, celebrating another year of life, both its peaks and valleys. Along with this time comes another expected release from Pixar/Disney, and this year, it's "Coco".

Up and coming young actor Anthony Gonzalez voices Miguel, a young man living in Mexico as El Dia de la Muerte approaches. Since this is the Day of the Dead, his family has gathered to honor their ancestors before them, as four generations of his family live under one roof, working their days away making shoes. Due to his great, great grandfather leaving the family to pursue music, the art form has been banned from the family itself even though Miguel has the gift within him. When he decides to defy his family and play in a talent show, he "borrows" a guitar from the grave of his hero, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), but when he plays it, he finds himself amongst the dead with his ancestors in a race against time to not only get back to the Land of the Living but also help a new friend named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) get to see his family and not be forgotten and lost forever.

I was able to take my good friend and "sister" to this screening, and I think she said it best as the end credits rolled: "Pixar and all of their feels". There will be many people (including myself) that saw the trailer for "Coco" and wondered if this was The House of Mouse's version of Jorge R. Gutierrez's 2014 "The Book of Life," but the setting is about where those comparisons will come to an end outside of both of these films being wonderfully enjoyable. Outside of being nothing short of gorgeous visually, there is a story that goes along with those visuals that is rich, engaging, and packed full of fun and emotion along with voice talents (which also includes Gabriel Iglesias, Edward James Olmos, and Cheech Marin) that really bring the characters to life. The themes of family, love, respect for tradition, and the need for tradition are incredibly strong here co- written by Lee Unkrich (who also directed the film) that had me laughing out loud in certain points as well as getting misty in others. Running almost two hours (which seems to becoming the norm for animated features in recent years), this is yet another example of Pixar knowing their audience and delivering on it, as the screening we attended was chock full of young'uns that were both focused and well- behaved throughout this film. There will be a short film that will be shown in some theaters that is a holiday special from the cast of "Frozen," but we did not see it at our particular screening.

If you are looking for a film this holiday season that is a lock for being enjoyable by each and every member of YOUR family, "Coco" is right up your alley. Whether it is fun for the kids as they follow Miguel's journey back to HIS family or an engaging story that the adults and everyone in between can both identify with and enjoy, this is another home run for Disney and Pixar!

Films like "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" are an interesting case study to me in that there is a lot of buzz around it as it has been making the rounds on the festival circuit for a bit now. However, given the subject matter of the script that was also directed by "Seven Psychopaths" writer/director Martin McDonagh, I will be interested to see how it is accepted by a mass audience. Submitted for your perusal:

Mildred (Frances McDormand) lives in the small town of Ebbing, Missouri, where she is mourning the brutal death of her daughter. Nine months have passed with no leads, no arrests, and no real questions answered. Her grief in this time has gotten more and more intense, and she decides to take matters in her own hands by bringing more awareness to her community in a grand matter, getting the attention of local sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), his direct report Dixon (Sam Rockwell), and an entire community of people who take sides in a tale of the consequences of the choices we make as well as the consequences of those consequences.

Like I alluded to earlier, this is definitely not for everyone. Listed on IMDb as a "darkly comic drama," they ain't lyin'. There is subject matter in "Three Billboards" on multiple levels that could make the sensitive types a bit uneasy. The odd part here is that I cannot really get into all of them without leading you down the primrose path of spoilers, so you just need to kind of roll with me on this one. And to truly convey not only the subject matter but even McDonagh's script itself, it takes a special kind of cast, and he went out and got the right people here. McDormand (who is always on her "A" game) continues her streak of great performances here bringing what could easily be portrayed as a woman devoid of emotion and almost downright detestable and making her on some levels a sympathetic character. Mildred's anger fuels her, even in the wrong ways in some cases, but the maternal side of her reminds her that she still needs to be a role model to her surviving child in a son, Robbie (Lucas Hedges). Harrelson continues to wow me here as the lawman that really wants to do the right thing, even in facing adversity in both his professional and personal lives and works well with McDormand and Rockwell by understanding what the dynamics have to be dealing with both characters. And if you know me, you know what a fan or Rockwell's I am, and he also does not disappoint as the cop that knows that this is really his only course of career after growing up in the same small town he wants to protect if it wasn't for the fact that he just cannot seem to get out of his own way. Peter Dinklage also has a great turn here in less of a role, but his character of James becomes very important as the third act progresses, and it all comes together in a well-crafted story that takes some turns that even caught me off- guard in a way that was a bit shocking without being "shock value" and adds more layers to the story in the way that McDonagh has shown with his past work in films like "In Bruges" and "Six Shooter".

I truly enjoyed "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" more than I expected to, even after being told by multiple colleagues and friends how much they enjoyed it. I would not be surprised if there is at least a small buzz for members of this cast when hardware starts becoming a factor in our consciousness here in a couple of months, and with the end-of-year push hitting full throttle ahead of us for the next one hundred and forty-four days, this film may be able to find its niche amongst them.

When was the last time Hollywood gave us a true old school style "whodunit" type of film? (Don't strain your brain here. You can take it as rhetorical.) These types of stories, where a detective is presented with a crime scene and figures it all out with just their intellect and powers of observation have always been a big part of my life. Trying to figure out the culprit before its eventual reveal was always challenging to me, and putting these stories on the big screen have kind of faded into the background. So, what do you do when you want to bring them back? Call Kenneth Branagh.

In his latest film, he brings to life one of the most famous detective novels in Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express". He plays the famous (and infamous, depending on who you are) Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who is taking a bit of a vacation on his way to his next case on the famous Orient Express. Unfortunately, fate has its own plans for him as a murder most foul (I have always wanted to use that phrase in a review) happens during a snowstorm that derails the train. No one is seen by Poirot as innocent as he questions the passengers, follows the clues, and races against time to solve the case before the local authorities arrive and could accuse the wrong person of the murder.

OK, so let me run down the cast for you: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom, Jr., Tom Bateman, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Olivia Coleman, Willem Defoe, and Dame Judi Dench. And yes, they are ALL in this thing, as well as Branagh, who also directed. Given all of that paired with the fact that this runs less than two hours, and I was intrigued on multiple levels. And trust me here: this film does not disappoint. Sure, there are some liberties taken from the source material, but none of them are so far out of the norm that will drive the fans of any previous iterations of this story. Branagh is truly enjoyable as the character who is a genius but has his own issues that actually enhance his powers of observation, and his direction is top-notch here. This is gorgeously shot, including a few shots where there is a nod to the old ways of effects, giving a tighter and more nostalgic feel to the modern telling of this tale.

The performances here are exactly what I expected from a cast of this caliber. With a story that has been around as long as "Murder on the Orient Express" has been (the book was written in 1934), there is a bit of a minefield when it comes to bringing it to life that could easily fall down the slope into parody or cariacature, but diverse screenwriter Michael Green, whose resume covers everything from "Green Lantern" to "Everwood" and even "Logan," is able to write dialogue that lets the actors really get into the skins of these characters to treat them with the proper respect and dignity. Yes, there ARE a few liberties taken with the characters themselves, but there was nothing done that gave me even a little bit of growling. Each character has its own arc and motivations that work into the larger picture in a way that is engaging with no wasted space at all.

There will be people that will find this film to be a bit outlandish, but I feel that those people are those that have not taken the time to really study the genre. Not every film has to dumb itself down to cater to the lowest common denominator, and I really enjoy it when a film tells me to engage my suspension of disbelief and simply entertain me. For great escapism and a reminder of a simpler time, "Murder on the Orient Express" achieves this goal for an audience that can truly appreciate its greatness.