Not So ‘Brand New’ Cherry Flavor
The fun tricks used in the production design and lighting read extremely well on-screen but hardly fulfill their purpose of trying to inject glamour into a lack-luster story with nothing to say.

A traumatic event in a boy’s life underlies a surprising answer to a guidance counselor’s question. This is a simple, yet powerful, largely animated work that addresses the sad reality for Black people in America in a white supremacist world.
The fun tricks used in the production design and lighting read extremely well on-screen but hardly fulfill their purpose of trying to inject glamour into a lack-luster story with nothing to say.
Where is Lilo's face? Disney marketing sends a chilling signal: that even in 2025, an alien is more palatable and marketable than a brown girl.
Films can alleviate alienation by presenting realities where the viewers feelings are shared by onscreen characters. 'The Little Mermaid" film can be interpreted as a transgender story.
If Top Gun needed to say it, Top Gun: Maverick makes you feel the need... the need for speed.
Remember when there was this amazing comedy titled "National Lampoon's Vacation"? To this day, it is a true classic of the genre and certainly put a new spin on precisely what KINDS of insanity could occur when taking the fam on the road. Then, like with so many successful films, there was the sequel (which for me was even MORE of a classic than the original!). However, the third film emerged....and then a fourth. Suddenly, the luster was gone and disappointment set in.
Disney remakes have often gotten a bad rap for their consistent reliance on the originals and overuse of CGI. However, Mulan is a remake that is able to transcend beyond Disney's other remakes with a confident and bold earnestness.