Piece By Piece

Piece by Piece; Clever conceit to use LEGO animation to prop up biopic that doesn’t have much drama but a ton of great music to spotlight. Pharrell’s beats tell the story w/some pretty great music heavyweights weighing in, made all the better in their LEGO form. Elevates an otherwise simple story; B
 

Trolls Band Together

Trolls Band Together; The film no one asked for returns w/blender of pop tunes only mildly pleasing in the first place, hoping for a hit of nostalgic dopamine before realizing the songs are only tolerable in bite size form. Animation cuts corners to keep cash grab profitable; D

Reptile

Reptile; Moody, atmospheric police investigation deliberately sets the pace so the audience experiences the unveiling along with Del Toro. Characters are slowly developed and fleshed out exceptionally by the talented cast. Police relationships are deftly depicted, well acted; B

Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour; Serviceable sequel doesn’t hit the heights of the original in terms of catchy hits & emotional stakes but offers plenty of fun new characters to the Troll cornucopia. Bloom is particularly excellent in the limited screen time she has. Harmless frivolous fun; B

Trolls

Trolls; Candy coloured animation pays tribute to 80s toy through music > story. Family fun in style of Seuss or Dahl, but not as good; B