“Spy x Family Code: White” stars Takuya Eguchi, Atsumi Tanezaki, Saori Hayami, and Kenichirō Matsuda. Released in Japan on December 22, 2023, the film has the Forgers unexpectedly finding adventure during a winter getaway.

The film was directed by Takashi Katagiri, and it is based on the manga series by Tatsuya Endo. Families are anything but ordinary, but we love them regardless of their dysfunctional personalities, whether they’re by blood or not. However, this family takes “abnormality” to another level…by pretending to be one. Tatsuya Endo’s manga series about a spy forming a “normal” family to prevent a war between rival nations was a bonafide hit when released in 2019, selling over 34 million copies as of this writing. It even received critical acclaim for its comedy, story, characters, and action. In response to the massive success, the manga spawned an anime television series in 2022, which gained the same amount of praise for translating the manga to the screen. Currently, the series only consists of two seasons, and its third season has yet to be announced. While the show’s future hasn’t been written yet, that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the Forgers.

Following the release of the first season of “Spy x Family”, a feature film was announced at the Jump Festa 2023 event, taking the characters on an unforgettable winter vacation. Although, this vacation is far from relaxing, especially with the Forgers around. After having a successful box office run in Japan around the holidays, the film finally reached the United States this weekend for American fans to join the spy-centric party. Considering my immense enjoyment of the series, this was something that I shouldn’t save for last. Does it deliver a continuation as fun and hilarious as the series, or is this family vacation a bust? Let’s find out.

The story centers on the Forgers, a seemingly regular family that isn’t without their secrets. Loid (Eguchi) is the father who’s secretly Agent Twilight, a spy sent on a mission known as Operation Strix to form a pretend family and maintain world peace between the East and the West. Yor Forger (Hayami) is a kind-hearted yet sensitive mother who’s also a skilled assassin called the Thorn Princess. Anya (Tanezaki) is their adopted daughter with telepathic abilities. Neither know each other’s true identities, and they strive to keep their secrets hidden. Loid finds himself in hot water when he receives an order from her handler, Sylvia Sherwood (Yūko Kaida), to be replaced in the operation. To maintain his position, Loid must help Anya pass a cooking class at Eden Academy by making the school principal, Henry Henderson (Kazuhiro Yamaji), his favorite dessert. However, the dessert originated in a snowy region, resulting in Loid and the Forgers traveling there via a “family vacation”. His mission quickly turns south when Anya sets off a chain reaction that puts the world and her family at risk of destruction. As a result, Loid must protect his family from the country’s military squad led by Snidel (Banjō Ginga).

“Spy x Family” was one of the shows I didn’t expect to love that much until I started watching it. What seemed like another goofy anime comedy was actually a spectacular mixture of spy action, slice-of-life comedy, and heart. Packed with vibrant animation, memorable characters, and boatloads of charm and laughs, the series is one of my favorite shows in the anime department, sitting comfortably alongside “Demon Slayer” and “My Hero Academia”. Plus, Anya is exceptionally adorable in the series, and Yor’s badass persona was just as satisfying as her motherly side. Yor can kick my butt anytime she wants, and I won’t bat an eye.  

When I heard about the film, I immediately became excited to see how the franchise would translate as a feature-length movie, let alone one made for theaters. The only anime films I thought were great as theatrical experiences are the ones based on “Demon Slayer” and “My Hero Academia” regarding the animation styles and scopes. Of course, there are also the “One Piece” movies, but I’ve only seen “Red” in the theater, so it’s not enough to compare. So, where does “Spy x Family Code: White” lie regarding the trend of anime theatrical experiences? I would say it’s similar to “One Piece” and the recent “My Hero Academia” movie regarding the canonical universe. It may be inconsequential to the series's overall arc, but the film is a bundle of fun regardless, with just enough stylish action and charm to craft a delectable dessert for anime fans to consume easily.

For fans of the show and manga, “Spy x Family Code: White” is a highly fulfilling and comically entertaining expansion to the “Spy x Family” lore whose world-saving plot and scale are worthy enough to receive the big-screen treatment. But that’s not the only reason for the film’s success. It is also a fantastic starting point for newcomers and a fun, witty action comedy for casual moviegoers. The film periodically explores the manga’s concept amid its original narrative, especially regarding its characters and world-building, which should help ease people’s concerns about going into it blind. This direction assists the audience in immediately growing attached to the main characters and their attempts at keeping the faux family together. Unfortunately, this approach also includes squeezing every supporting character from the show into its 110-minute runtime, along with new characters made exclusively for the movie. It can often come across as stuffed or unnecessary, with the prime offender being Yor’s brother, Yuri Briar (Kensho Ono). If you remove him from the film, the story will remain the same.

Despite its overabundance of characters, “Code: White” offers exactly what you’d expect from the series: amusing misunderstandings and comical scenarios that balance exceptionally well with its action-packed set pieces and irresistible charm. The difference is that the film is longer and more cinematic. Does it provide quality storytelling on the same levels as Pixar or Studio Ghibli? No, but it doesn’t need to. It’s straightforward but also packs enough heart and humor in its scenarios and characters to compensate for its simplicity. Part of that is due to its stellar voice cast, who reprised their roles from the anime, including Eguchi and Hayami as Loid and Yor, respectively. They delivered the charismatic and infectious flair in their chemistry as they have been in the show, especially Atsumi Tanezaki, who continues to remind me why Anya is one of the best characters in anime history. Anya is undoubtedly adorable, and Tanezaki nails that personality as always. Banjō Ginga was also decent as the film’s antagonist, Snidel, who plans to use a microfilm chip to ignite a war between the East and West. That is, until Anya unintentionally got in the way.

Like the show, “Code: White” is produced by Wit Studio and CloverWorks. "Spy x Family" boasts an exemplary animation style that seamlessly integrates satire and action, making it one of the most outstanding elements of the show. The animation's cartoonish expressions and vivid backgrounds capture the essence of this genre-defying series, providing the best of both worlds that left me either laughing my butt off or amazed by its set pieces. Unsurprisingly, “Code: White” shows that the animation companies haven’t lost their groove, especially regarding its exciting action sequences. It also provides a combination of traditional animation and CGI for specific scenes. A few of them may look rough at times, but they’re hardly an issue when this blend is used to the best of its capabilities.

Overall, “Spy x Family Code: White” is an immensely entertaining and wholesome addition to the franchise that easily accomplishes its cinematic mission. It’s no secret that the film doesn’t reach the high standards of animation quality regarding its inconsequential plot and abundance of characters. However, it’s still the most fun I had from an anime movie this year, let alone one based on one of the best anime shows in recent memory. Not only does it cater to fans of the manga and series, but it also works for casual moviegoers as a hilarious and suitably simplistic spy adventure that benefits from its lively humor and heart. With its stellar voice cast, great animation, delightful characters, and diverting story, the movie shows that there’s no family vacation without “family”. If you’re eager for more lighthearted adventures with the Forgers or are in the mood for teen-rated anime goodness, you should definitely accept this mission. ​

​“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” stars Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Nick Mohammed, and Miranda Richardson. Released on Netflix on December 15, 2023, the film has Ginger and her flock encountering a new threat determined to destroy their sanctuary.

The film was directed by Sam Fell, who also directed “Flushed Away,” “The Tale of Despereaux,” and “ParaNorman.” It is a sequel to the 2000 film, “Chicken Run”. Before Laika came around, Aardman Animations changed the stop-motion animation game with their iconic shorts, mainly the ones involving “Wallace & Gromit”. It wasn’t until 2000 that the studio imploded with success thanks to its first feature-length film involving “The Great Escape” but with chickens. Since then, Aardman has been delivering back-to-back stop-motion hits full of charm, wit, and heart, even though they’re not as financially successful as “Chicken Run”. All it took was a lot of effort, creativity, and clay. For its next feature, Aardman decided to revisit the classic that started its theatrical and booming trend by showing what happens to the brave chickens after escaping their farm-sized prison. Not everyone would like to know since the movie doesn’t need a sequel, but hey, someone’s got to distract the kids with something during the winter season. Does it offer the same charm, humor, and heart as its classic predecessor, or is this chicken better off cooked? Let’s find out.

The story centers on Ginger (Newton), a chicken living in a peaceful bird sanctuary with the other chickens after successfully escaping from their prison farm. She is happily married to the former circus rooster Rocky (Levi) and is raising their young and adventurous daughter Molly (Ramsey). However, the chickens’ harmonious lives come crashing down when they discover a new and heavily-improved farm by their island village. This tightly-secured farm is set on turning its captured chickens into nuggets. Even worse, Ginger’s former owner, Mrs. Tweedy (Richardson), is now part of the operation as she seeks revenge against the chickens that escaped her grasp. To protect their freedom from becoming food, Ginger and her crew must do the impossible by breaking into the farm and shutting its business down for good.

“Chicken Run” was one of the first movies that introduced me to stop-motion animation, along with “Nightmare Before Christmas”, let alone one made of clay. I may not have returned to it that much recently, but I remember liking it for its clever story and humor when I was young. It’s also why I grew fond of Aardman for providing charisma and charm to its simplistic stories and old-school stop-motion animation, especially “Wallace & Gromit”. So, this long-awaited sequel on Netflix was like a family reunion for my childhood nostalgia. However, it’s also another Netflix film I couldn’t find the time to watch and review due to my holiday plans getting in the way. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t deny the importance of spending quality time with my family. With that now behind me, I found the time to reunite with the talking, strategic chickens I grew up with. Was it worth the wait? Well, it’ll heavily depend on how you like your nuggets.

“Dawn of the Nugget” is another animated sequel that doesn’t need to exist but offers enough enjoyable moments in its plot and charming antics to provide a delightful, family-friendly diversion. If you didn’t mind “Chicken Run” getting a sequel, then there’s a good chance you’ll have an easy time digesting this piece of fast food. However, if you’re intensely passionate about the first film regarding its clever and fun premise, you probably won’t find anything special in this long-awaited follow-up. Personally, I’m on both sides of this chicken coop. While “Dawn of the Nugget” has its fair share of charm and heart we’ve come to expect from Aardman, its story lacked a special kind of seasoning that made its predecessor a delectable classic.

We all knew that “Chicken Run” is a family-friendly version of the Steven McQueen classic, “The Great Escape,” but with chickens. For “Dawn of the Nugget,” the concept flips into a heist-like adventure involving Ginger and the others breaking into the farm to rescue the chickens instead of escaping. Additionally, the movie provides a family-friendly message involving bravery and freedom, mainly from Molly's willingness to save her kind regardless of the danger. Ginger also learns that freedom isn’t just about escaping from the fear corrupting her but facing it head-on to protect her family. It isn’t without a few instances of Aardman-esque charm and British wit that’ll delight several fans and newcomers. Unfortunately, its narrative didn’t have the same flavor as its predecessor to match Aardman’s previous works.

With the story shifting gears into heist action territory, the sequel resorts to several familiar cliches to carry its charismatic plot. That includes its characters, with Ginger being the overprotective mother attempting to leave her past behind, Molly as the brave yet curious pre-teen, and Rocky has the looks and heart that compensate for his stupidity. It’s the usual narrative we’ve seen in other family-friendly movies, making it seem like another unnecessary piece of animated direct-to-video mediocrity, or in this case, direct-to-streaming. However, it’s another example of making a straightforward plot watchable and mildly fun regardless of its derivativeness. Aardman usually provides these ingredients to craft clay-filled art that entertains young kids and their parents, and “Dawn of the Nugget” is no different. Sure, its narrative may not live up to some of the other quality-filled animated features, but that doesn’t make it less entertaining, at least in my eyes.

Regarding its voice cast, “Dawn of the Nugget” saw a pretty big overhaul in its lineup. Most of the first film’s main cast, including Julia Sawalha (Ginger) and Mel Gibson (Rocky), have been replaced with different actors, including Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi. However, some of the supporting actors from its predecessor managed to reprise their roles, including Jane Horrocks as Babs and Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy. As expected, the new-ish cast made a decent effort to maintain the characters’ likability and humorous charm despite them being formulaic, especially Newton as Ginger. Zachary Levi is pretty much an actor who’s just here to provide a bigger draw for his audience, even though his performance as Rocky was fine. Nothing too special other than Zachary Levi being himself. Bella Ramsey, who recently had a successful run with “The Last of Us”, was also decent as Molly, and Jane Horrocks as Babs always makes me smile with her dimwitted but kindhearted personality.

Finally, we have the film’s stop-motion animation. It bears repeating that Aardman can do no wrong with its presentation and production designs. The studio delivered another engaging piece of stop-motion craftsmanship that emphasizes its locations, slapstick, and often intense action. The Chicken Island is a lovely chicken-filled paradise, and “Fun-Land Farms” is a bright and colorful sanctuary that hides a dark secret. Everything you expected from the iconic animation studio remains present in “Dawn of the Nugget”, which is more than enough to overcome its less-than-stellar narrative. I’m not sure how else I should explain it. The animation is just that good.

Overall, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” offers the usual Aardman ingredients to provide a mildly tasty nugget that lacks the strong flavor of its predecessor. It’s not without a few fun moments involving its cast, hit-and-miss humor, and animation that’ll delight specific viewers who have fond memories of the first film. They also might be enough to entertain families looking for content to watch with their kids. Unfortunately, regarding its formulaic storytelling, the film doesn’t add much else to this juicy chicken to savor everyone’s taste, especially those who don’t need a follow-up to the already-perfect animated classic. It’s unnecessary but delectable enough for me not to mind its existence.

​“Maestro” stars Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman. Released in limited theaters on November 22, 2023, followed by a Netflix release on December 20, 2023, the film chronicles the life and career of composer Leonard Bernstein.

The film was directed by Bradley Cooper, known for directing the 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born” and producing films like “American Sniper” and “War Dogs”. We have a lot of things to look forward to this year, including movies. Of course, one of them is the tail end of the awards season, where the nominated films and stars go head-to-head to win the trophies that none of us cared about recently. Well, except me, of course, as I watch the award ceremonies to show my support for the nominees. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t get caught up on the other 2023 nominees I missed out on. That includes the latest feature film from actor/director Bradley Cooper that just came out on Netflix last month and was nominated for four Golden Globe awards. Does this movie strike a harmonious chord in the cinematic biopic genre? Let’s find out.  

The story centers on Leonard Bernstein (Cooper), a young man working as an assistant conductor in New York City. He experienced his first sign of fame when he made his conducting debut a rousing success. As Leonard raptures in his newfound fame and explores his homosexuality, he eventually meets and weds an aspiring actress named Felicia Montealegre (Mulligan). Afterward, their relationship experiences several obstacles while Leonard continues to climb his way toward music glory.

I’ve been on and off about watching “Maestro” since it appeared on Netflix. I was waiting to see if my mother wanted to see it, but we couldn’t find the right time to sit down together. The same could be said for me as I was busy accomplishing my new year goal, which is going well if you’re wondering. After days of speculating, I decided to take the day off from other things and watch this depiction of the famed conductor before the upcoming Critics’ Choice Awards. Did I make the right choice regarding my quest to watch as many award contenders as possible? Of course, I did. It’s far from the greatest thing since Bernstein’s remarkable debut in 1943, but it does serve as another suitable and well-acted representation of Cooper’s talents as an actor and filmmaker.

“Maestro” depicts the life of Leonard Bernstein inside and outside his career as a famous conductor. You know, like the many other biopics we’ve seen before. However, the story is mainly about his relationship with Felicia Montealegre, who gains success through her acting business. The best way for me to describe “Maestro” is that it resembles life as music. It’s full of emotions that drive the people living and breathing in it, whether they’re listening to it, playing it, or, in this case, conducting it. The relationship between Leonard and Felicia has its happy moments, but it also isn’t without moments of sadness and anger, mainly the former for its poignant third act. It’s a complex yet endearing and heartbreaking reflection of the ups and downs of marriage and the strength these people carry to overcome their secrets. Of course, those include Leonard’s homosexuality.

Regarding the screenplay by Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, the film doesn’t quite reach the high standards of its emotional themes and storytelling, especially when it barely scratches the surface of most of Bernstein’s life. Then again, the film would’ve been way longer than it should when you consider its slow pacing. Thankfully, the sour notes from its solid story and pacing were easily overpowered by most of its melodic ones. One note worth mentioning is the cast, especially the main leads. Bradley Cooper delivered another marvelous performance that should emphasize his acting career. He completely disappeared into the role of Leonard Bernstein with his authenticity and sheer charisma, especially when he highlights the complexity of his choices. Carey Mulligan was also fantastic as the emotionally compelling Felicia, with the scene involving her and Leonard during the Thanksgiving Parade being one of the best parts of her performance.  

With these two talented actors on display, they create a chemistry that’s as harmonious and sublime as an orchestra due to Cooper’s direction. What I loved about Cooper’s iteration of “A Star Is Born” is how he made the musical elements and the characters go hand-in-hand in perfect harmony. He understood that the characters' relationship and chemistry are as critical as the symphony driving them. If the characters are humane enough regarding the actors playing them and the script, you have a compelling musical composition that’s pleasant to the ears. Cooper provided a similar tactic for “Maestro”. While it didn’t match what his directorial debut offered emotionally, it still delivered sweet music for my eyes and ears to endure, even with its pacing. Additionally, Cooper developed a well-crafted vision that fits the aesthetic and visual style of Bernstein’s life, which benefitted from Matthew Libatique’s cinematography and the film's production design. It also had some impressive editing moments that made the transitions and presentation look seamless and upbeat, especially for the 1940s sequences.

But, of course, the actors aren’t the only reason the characters look and feel authentic. Another reason is the outstanding hair and makeup design that brought these people to life. The person responsible for these designs is Kazu Hiro, who recently won an Oscar for “Darkest Hour” and “Bombshell”. Based on what I’ve seen, I think his work in “Maestro” could earn him his third award because of his passion for transforming recognizable actors into the characters they’re playing. That includes Cooper, who’s almost unrecognizable as Bernstein thanks to the prosthetics they used. Speaking of which, I would like to point out that the “Jewface” criticism was unnecessary.

Overall, “Maestro” is a well-crafted symphony that has more tuneful notes than the less-than-harmonious ones. Regarding the narrative, 2018’s “A Star Is Born” left more of an impact on me than Cooper’s sophomore debut. Fortunately, it has enough melodic beats in the music, cast, and presentation to provide a solid performance worthy of Cooper’s conductive filmmaking skills. If you like Cooper and have a Netflix account, the film is worth a watch, but be prepared for the emotional moments amid its orchestral sequences.