SAUSAGE PARTY: Clean-up on Aisle Five

Directors: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Writers: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jonah Hill
Cast: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Edward Norton, David Krumholtz, Salma Hayek, Nick Kroll, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, James Franco, Paul Rudd
Runtime: 89 mins.
2016

Sausage Party is blatant, and Sausage Party is naughty. Sausage Party is both a coming of age story, and a story about community upheaval. Sausage Party thinks it's being really deep, but Sausage Party doesn't really think it's being deep.

Sausage Party is an animated film about a sentient hot dog named Frank.

The idea is that all the food at the grocery store is actually alive, even though we're not aware of it. This is actually explored more thoroughly than your typical "talking ______s in a world of humans" film, with the camera occasionally shifting to the humans' drab normal perspective. This is one of the many ways in which Sausage Party uses its form to strong effect. Another is the base pleasure of getting to see all this weird grocery food anthropomorphized in the most juvenile way possible. These characterizations are as a rule tied in with some crass joke about class, race, sexuality, religion, or gender. We'll get into that more later.

Frank (Seth Rogen) wants what any hot dog wants--to get taken to the Great Beyond by the gods (shoppers) and to be inserted into the love of his life, a hot dog bun named Brenda (Kristen Wiig), for some sweet sweet lovin'. Contact before that time is forbidden, because according to grocery store lore, the gods would find that to be impure, and you'd miss your chance at the afterlife. So Frank and Brenda stay in their packages, yearning for that fateful day. However, through a needlessly complicated series of events, Frank and Brenda find themselves out of their packages far away from their aisle, and Frank comes to be armed with the knowledge that the afterlife is not what foodkind thought it was.

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS: Guitar Hero

Director: Travis Knight
Writers: Marc Haimes, Chris Butler, Shannon Tindle
Cast: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei
Runtime: 101 mins.
2016

Kubo and the Two Strings is both an action blockbuster and an animated children's movie, yet it succeeds where those genres typically fail: It is a tight, well-crafted dramatic narrative that amounts to something more thematically substantial than the rote "be yourself" morality of most youth entertainment. In fact, the film is in many ways a direct refutation of the individual-obsessed attitude of the Disney/Dreamworks brand of Western animation. Kubo is the protagonist and the hero, but his hero's journey involves no refusal of the call. He is never anything but kind and caring to his community of friends and family. His ultimate triumph comes not from a sudden discovery of inner strength, but from connection with his predecessors and peace with his legacy.

Certainly it can be said that Kubo plays heavily with cliches. His home destroyed, he sets out in search of three mystical items of warfare, collecting a crew of colorful companions along the way. Yet in the telling of the story, these cliches barely register because 1) They are always earnestly in service of the story rather than propping it up as a crutch, and 2) The true value of Kubo lies in its craftsmanship.

I don't believe I've seen a more beautiful film this year. Since Coraline, studio Laika has cemented itself as the last bastion of stop animation in the mainstream contemporary landscape. Here they've honed their craft and made a film so gorgeous that it also functions as a compelling argument for the survival of the medium.* From the opening scene of a minuscule boat set against the backdrop of an ocean in turmoil, it is clear that Laika is committed to filling every frame with life, beauty, and wonder.

*Though not fiscally. Nobody goes to see these movies. Each of Laika's films since Coraline has made less than their budget in the domestic market. It's likely that the only reason the studio hasn't folded is that it's bankrolled by a Nike billionaire as a passion project for his son (Laika studio head and director of this film Travis Knight).

DON'T THINK TWICE: You Only Laugh Once

Director: Mike Birbiglia
Writer: Mike Birbiglia
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia, Kate Micucci, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher
Runtime: 92 mins.
2016

I expected Don't Think Twice to be a goofy little movie. It's a film about improv, so I anticipated a lot of funny jokes and a fair amount of charisma. What I did not expect was for this film to be emotionally devastating.

The story follows six comedians who together make up a successful improv troupe called The Commune. Unfortunately, their venue is closing down, so The Commune as they know it will either have to adapt or die. This means something different to each of the characters, as they all have their own personal drama to contend with. Jack (Keegan Michael-Key) is driven to transcend the improv community by becoming a member of Weekend Live, a transitional process which alienates him from his friends. Sam (Gillian Jacobs) has the potential to be on the same trajectory as Jack, whom she has been dating for a while, but she is in danger of squandering that potential because she feels uncertain about her path. Miles (Mike Birbiglia), on the other hand, does not have that same potential, and refuses to admit it to himself despite continuous failed attempts to rise up in the comedy world. Bill (Chris Gethard) is mourning the death of his father and trying to find renewed meaning in life. Allison (Kate Micucci) dreams of publishing graphic novels, but fears appraisal of her work. And Lindsay (Tami Sagher), whose wealthy parents preclude her from ever having to work a real job, is in a weed-scented rut.

Alone, any one of these narratives would make for a functional if not original film about artistic aspirations. Birbiglia is careful about showing us, sometimes subtly and sometimes not, every step of these characters' journeys, and every arc is dramatically sound. But the real beauty of the film comes from the intertwining of these arcs. Everyone's personal drama feeds back into the group dynamic and significantly affects the way that The Commune, the seventh character, develops. With each character's personal baggage influencing the trajectory of the group, it almost feels like a low-stakes Avengers movie, except that Don't Think Twice is so personal and earnest that the stakes feel far higher than any superhero shenanigans.