Tag: 2023

Best Animated Movies of 2023

AdamLeave a comment

If there is one medium that was able to shine quite a bright light in the world of cinema, that would be animation. 2023 was an absolutely phenomenal year for animation! Regardless of what your favorite animation studio consists of, you were likely satisfied with at least one of their works in 2023. This is the first time in a while that whenever I hear someone say what their favorite animated film of the year is, I would have a legit hard time arguing with them. I could see almost any reason for any of the films I have on this list being someone’s absolute favorite of the year. If there comes a time where it’s time for cinema to quit underestimating the power of animation, that would be now!

To celebrate all the magnificent achievements in cinematic animation this year, I decided to go over my nine favorite animated motion pictures of the year! Regardless, these are nine animated films that are worth checking out if you haven’t already!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Acting as the highest grossing animated film of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the one video game movie that feels like it was 100% ripped straight from the games in terms of it’s animation, style, world building, and amount of fan service throughout. It even works quite well as a simple story of a complete zero turning into a complete hero along with the importance of brotherhood. It’s just so much fun seeing characters such as Mario, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toad kicking butt together on the big screen for the first time ever. Not even the common tropes from Illumination Animation that brought down their prior movies such as an obvious celebrity heavy voice cast and awkwardly inserted song tracks are able to bring this one down, which likely has to do with Nintendo’s influence. I don’t know how I would feel about this movie if I wasn’t a Mario but since I am, I couldn’t help but be very satisfied with this movie.

Suzume

Makoto Shinkai was at it again in 2023 with Suzume and once again he was able to deliver big time! This is a gorgeous and beautiful film where Shinkai once again lets his imagination and ambitions run wild in the form of animation, proving once again why he is once of the best animation folks in the business and why animation is in fact real cinema. Suzume acts wonderfully as a touching coming-of-age tale along with a strong mediation on grief and dealing with loss, with a strong emotional core as it’s center with it’s lead character of Suzume herself. If you are a die hard fan of Makoto Shinkai, then I can’t think of a reason that you will not love this movie. Even if you are not a fan at all, give this one a shot and you might be surprise how much this will engage and move you.

Elemental

Perhaps it has to with personal life experiences throughout 2023 for me but I most certainly believe that Elemental will stand the test of time as being an absolute gem of Pixar’s library. Maybe not the very best but definitely one that plenty will find to be another worthy addition to their library. It’s looks gorgeous, it’s very charming, the characters are engaging, the music is beautiful, and even the similar themes it tackles are done very well and might even stand out greater than other Disney and Pixar films that have done it to some people. I’m sure glad this film was able to have strong legs at the box office as this might be an encouraging sign for Pixar’s future in movie theaters. I might have not enjoyed The Good Dinosaur but director Peter Sohn was able to win me over in Round Two with Elemental. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend it.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Here’s a movie that Universal basically left to die! With little to no marketing and only given a 17-day theatrical window before it made it’s way to VOD, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was a movie that was very easy to miss because it looks as though the studios were wanting you to do exactly that. Which is a shame because judging the film on it’s own merits, it’s actually pretty good all things considered. The animation is bright and colorful, the characters are all likeable, and even if the story feels like a more diet version of Luca and Turning Red, it still works completely well as it’s own thing that it doesn’t hurt the enjoyment. It’s far from the best movie on this list or of Dreamworks library but if you were one of those that dismiss this film or were unaware of it’s existence, I’d say check it out and I think you’ll have a decent time with it.

Nimona

Disney’s trash turned out to be Netflix’s treasure with this animated fantasy adventure in Nimona. A movie made for kids that pulls no punches and will likely find a bigger audience with teens and young adults due to the film’s own subject matter and mature themes that come to play. It’s beautifully animated, incredibly engaging, has messages and representation that feels genuine, stellar voice work from Chloe Grace Moretz and Eugene Lee Yang, and Nimona herself is one of the most generally lovable protagonists in recent memory, managing to being the right kind of an “obnoxious” character. If this truly is Blue Sky Studio’s last film they ever do, not only is it grateful that they got to see their final work in a complete form but they were able to save their best film for last in the form of Nimona! Disney will certainly regret letting this film get away from them!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Of all the feature films that have we have gotten so far involving the TMNT brand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is probably the very best one since the 1990 original. The animation is top notch, learning the “right” lessons from Into the Spider-Verse, the characters are all well-utilized, defined, and bounce off each other perfectly, the story feels fresh yet faithful to the turtles themselves, the score is absolutely killer, the action is a lot of fun to sit through, and it’s able to exist in it’s own sandbox as being the kind of thing that can stand proudly on it’s own along with being among the best of what the Ninja Turtles have offered throughout their history. While I won’t go as far to say that it’s a perfect film in it’s own rights, it’s certainly a perfect TMNT film and one that will likely be the one to get a new generation into this successful running franchise. And if the next film and the new 2D series that’s in the works is as good as Mutant Mayhem, then this next wave of Ninja Turtles fans will have plenty to be spoiled by!

The Boy and the Heron

Perhaps the biggest animated film at the moment, The Boy and the Heron is another winner from the creative minds at Studio Ghibli. This makes for easily one of the best English dub anime flicks in recent memory, with the entire cast of Robert Pattinson, Mark Hamill, Gemma Chan, and Dave Bautista giving very strong vocal performances. Hayao Miyazaki succeeds once again in telling story that feels as witty as it is tragic, knowing how to balance both distinct tones and making it’s core set of characters feel more human than you could imagine. It’s not my absolute favorite from Miyazaki, with some issues in terms of pacing and certain story beats, but The Boy and the Heron is definitely worth your time and should be seen in a theater. Between this and the previously mentioned Suzume, it’s nice to see more animated films made outside of America getting the recognition that they deserve.

Merry Little Batman

What’s this? A new Batman animated film that takes place on Christmas and puts the spotlight on Batman’s own son in Damian Wayne? You bet and believe it or not, it works quite well. Nothing to get you in the holiday spirit in Gotham then a fun knock-off of Home Alone, where Damian has to learn at such a young age to become the Batman his father always wanted for him. It’s also neat to get a glimpse at a Bruce Wayne that is more happy and a Gotham City that isn’t as corrupt as before, giving the sense that Bruce had accomplished his destiny as Batman. And I don’t think the Joker has been this much fun in AGES! I’m not too crazy on the designs for most of the characters and you can definitely tell this was cater to young children, but for what it’s worth, Merry Little Batman is a cute, enjoyable superhero Christmas special that will likely put you in a good jolly mood the whole way through. It’s sure nice that this and eventually Coyote vs. Acme were able to escape the clutches of the evil Warner Bros and get released. Take that, David Zaslav!

And my pick for the best animated film of 2023 goes to…..

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

To be honest, did you really think it was going to be anything else? Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shows that the Spider-Verse could in fact make lightning strike twice. Everyone involved with the making of this movie wanted to take everything to the next level without holding anything back and they are able to exceed greatly with a sequel that manages to be as good as Into the Spider-Verse and in some ways, even better. The animation might be the very best I’ve ever seen in any film, the entire cast is perfect with everyone feeling like they are absolutely in LOVE with their roles, Miles and Gwen are some of the most interesting, engaging, and layered protagonists in any comic book film, the themes and morals of the story still resonate and fits the core elements of Spider-Man perfectly, and there’s plenty of well earned fan service throughout that never gets in the way of the main central storyline. While it does end on an obvious cliffhanger, it will no doubt make anyone excited to see how they will wrap up the story in the third and final installment. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the best animated film of the year and one of the very best films of the year, period! Bring on Beyond the Spider-Verse 

Also, to Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and the those at Sony Animation, PLEASE treat your animators right this time! Don’t put them through hell like you did with Across the Spider-Verse! We all can wait and be patience if it has to take a few more years for the next film to come out! Let’s not encourage crunch culture any longer and make sure the animators are treated with respect next time around! Please and thank you!

Why The St. Louis Blues Firing Craig Berube Will Backfire

AdamLeave a comment

After yet another tough loss on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues announced that they have fired their head coach Craig Berube, a man who has been the coach for them since 2018 and let the team to their first ever Stanley Cup championship in 2019. Hired to take his place in the meantime will be Drew Bannister, coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate. General Manger Doug Armstrong has gone on record claiming that this is only a hire to fill in the gap for the time being and will be looking for a new head coach that will guide the Blues for the future.

In hindsight, you can see why the Blues were compelled to let the one man that was able to win a cup in St. Louis go. The Blues were coming off a massively underwhelming season last year and this year seems no different so far. Much like the previous year, there have been stretches were the team got red hot and looked like they could make a potential playoff push but that momentum would easily get killed when they cut back to reality and play like crap for a good portion of the season. The biggest reason for this is the inconsistency of the regular players, key injuries, and the addition of veteran players that have not gone as planned.

At the moment, St. Louis sits one point out of the last wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Blues are 26th in goals per game, 22nd in goals against per game, and land in an ABSYMAL 31st place in power play goals. They’ve been hurt by the lack of production of top players such as Jordan Kyrou and Torey Krug along with a lack of a reliable or consistent back up goaltender, forcing franchise star Jordan Binnington with more work than ever behind the net. Of course, losing key pieces of that 2019 cup core in recent years such as David Perron, Vladmir Traenskeo, and ESPECIALLY, Alex Pietrangalo has not helped any wonders either.

When it comes to Craig Berube, while he was undoubtedly the perfect man to lead the team to their Stanley Cup run in 2019, that presence he brought when he was hired as head coach back in 2018 has not seem to carry over five years later. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that Berube’s prior teams were more filled with older veteran and experience skaters that could handle the toughness which these newer core of players can not. Perhaps he’s just a coach that’s always in a “win now” mindset that he has no problem ripping into players in ways that younger hockey players can not handle which leads to worse results on the ice. Or perhaps that he has been given a roster that is just absolutely lackluster and is not meant to strive deep into another Stanley Cup run that those brief hot stretches are more of just quick blimps in the radar! Even if I can understand a reason or two, I along with many Blues fans strongly believe that this firing is going to backfire spectacularly.

I know the first thing someone will point out is how the last time the Blues fired their coach in Mike Yeo back in 2018 and brought in a new voice in Craig Berube, that ended up being the voice that the team needed to hear and that group would go on to become Stanley Cup champions later on down the road. However, these are MUCH different circumstances with this current Blues team. That 2018-2019 team was always a good team that just had a poor coach that couldn’t keep the team together. This 2023-2024 squad on the other hand is an example of a good head coach doing what he can to win with a team that simple is not qualify or build to win meaningful games. With how many holes this roster has in terms of sloppy play and constant poor response to adversity from game-to-game, I don’t see how a new coach is going to change that much.

Much of the blame involving the current state of the St. Louis Blues has to go back to General Manger Doug Armstrong, who has been in his role as GM since 2010. While he has plenty of success with the Blues in terms of the number of winning seasons, playoff appearances, and bringing home the franchise’s first every Stanley Cup, he has made quite a number of mistakes that has hurt the team since the 2020s rolled around. There was letting fan favorites and key core pieces of that 2019 squad walk such as Alex Pietrangelo, Vladmir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, and David Perron, there was the poor signings of the likes of Torey Krug, and there’s the incredibly poor play from young players such as Jordan Kyrou. There is also basically betting the farm of goaltender Jordan Binnington for their future, who has been quite inconsistent since his phenomenal 2019 rookie season. Needless to say, Armstrong has not handle this team very well since their Cup win.

Even going back to that Cup win in 2019, a big reminder that the team was HORRIBLE to start off the 2018-2019 campaign. They were literally in dead last place in the entire NHL by the time that New Years rolled around. It was only once Craig Berube was able to settle in nicely as the interm coach along with the call-up of breakout rookie star goaltender in Jordan Binnington that the Blues were able to take off completely and make their remarkable Cup push. Imagine if neither one or those two worked out and the Blues ended up having as underwhelming of a season that they have had for the past two seasons. Would Doug Armstrong have the reputation he has gained for being one of the better GMs in hockey or would he have likely been shown the doors by the time that season ended, struggling to find a new job somewhere else? Your guess is as good as mine but no doubt, it was Berube and Binnington that made Armstrong look much better in 2019 than he is looking right now.

Which honestly convinces me that this firing will completely backfire on the Blues. Even if the Blues finish in a much better place by the end of the year or are even able to squeak into the last Wild Card, that will not fix the roles that are currently present on this roster. It’s not strictly the coaching that has been a factor into the lackluster play of the Blues as of late, it’s quite simply the roster construction. You have an offense who can’t score a power play goal to save their lives, you have a defense that is as soft as glass and are made as hard as swift cheese, you have backup goaltenders that can’t finish their own games on nights that Binnington needs a rest, you have a group of overpaid veterans whose mind is only on how much money they are stealing from Tom Stillman’s wallet, and lastly, you have a group of young players who crumble when facing even the slightest bit of adversity. As much as Craig Berube has not been able to get much results this year, you can’t make lemonade without proper lemons. It’s only when the right tools at play where a great coach like Berube can do some proper fixing.

I don’t know what the future of the Blues hold but there is one thing that remains clear, Doug Armstrong MUST pick a proper direction for this team going forward. Either go all in and pursue more talent or tear it all down and start over from scratch. This “one foot in, one foot out” approach doesn’t work and will only constantly lead to inconsistent results because of the team’s refusal to evolve and Armstrong being so ego-filled. Even if I don’t approve of the firing of Berube, what’s done is done. I along with other Blues fans can only hope that he has finally woke up and realize that major changes have to be made.

The biggest change out of all them that must come is Doug Armstrong being removed as his place as General Manager. He’s had a good run but it’s clearly time for a fresh voice, with someone that has a proper direction of where to go from here on out and know how to handle a rebuilding/reloading process. Despite all the success that Armstrong has had with the Blues, he has dug quite a whole for himself and the team ever since their Stanley Cup victory. All of those signs and more indicate that he no longer has anything to offer to the St. Louis Blues and it’s time to pass that mantle onto someone else. I don’t know if owner Tom Stillman agrees but clearly Armstrong has to be filling some sort of pressure with the way things have played out as of late.

Regardless, the St. Louis Blues will be playing in their first game under interm coach Drew Bannister tonight against the Ottawa Senators. It’s only then we will see if this firing is the actual correct move and will turn around this massively inconsistent season that the Blues are having. Guess we will all have to wait and find out!

Even after, despite his abrupt firing, Craig Berube will always be a legend in St. Louis. He will always be remembered as the man who led this this franchise to their first ever Stanley Cup championship and there is NOTHING that can take anything away from that! I wish him the best of luck wherever he goes next! Wouldn’t be surprised if he has a new job by the time the New Years rolls around!

Thanks for everything, chief!

Thanks for allowing me to see the team that I rooted for my whole life win their first every Stanley Cup!