Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Wreck-It-Ralph was a great movie that didn't really need a sequel but I'm quite satisfied with this. The underlying plot is deeper than a little kid could comprehend. The movie ruminates on finding meaning in life. Ralph is content doing the same thing everyday. But Vanellope is looking for something more. More familiar to children will be the internet. Kids who have grown up with the internet have an inherent understanding of what it is that the rest of us had to learn on our own. Disney visualizes cyberspace with much humor and cleverness that people of all ages can appreciate. It's hard to overlook the nonstop product placements that we are bombarded with. I'll make a small distinction between the Internet product placements and the Disney "synergies" that are written into the plot, like the Disney princesses. But it's so obvious and shameless. Despite this, the movie is fun. And the voice cast is fabulous, especially Sarah Silverman.

Battle of the Sexes (2017)

This is a fun movie about a sport I love and an iconic American. The importance of Billie Jean King transcends sport (and she is arguably the one of the most important athletes of the 20th century). Her story is interesting, daring and entertaining. The Battle of the Sexes was obviously a big and important event, but the US Open awarded equal prize money the same year to the men's and women's tournaments apparently outside of that context and it would have been useful to include that more directly. A little less of their personal lives would have been fine too. It was kind of long, otherwise they could have included more tennis politics. The movie is quite funny and it boasts a big cast of comedians, even in small roles like Fred Armisen, who has a couple lines and then sits quietly.

Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust (2017)

Sarah Silverman is edgy. And some of the jokes are genuinely funny. Whereas before it was just plain raunchy, she seems to have gotten better. It's not just raunchy anymore. There's more to her storytelling. She crafts her jokes in a more clever way. I think edgy is a better word to describe her comedy now than raunchy. 

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

My biggest criticism of this film is also its greatest asset. That is Andy Samberg. I can handle an SNL Digital Short for five minutes. I like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is basically the Andy Samberg show. I can handle twenty minutes of him, but a full-length feature is just too much. His stupid jokes are funny for a little bit, but you get tired of them. He just lingers on them for too long and turns the dial up too high. He plays his usual man boy character. There are a plethora of celebrity cameos from singers and other music industry heavyweights. How did they get all of them? And did they know the movie would be so bad? They each only have a few seconds, a single line. And their appearance is actually so ridiculous in this movie that it makes you laugh. The movie is in a mockumentary format. Taking a page out of 7 Days from Hell, Andy Samberg really likes making fake documentaries. The Lonely Island isn't meant for long form comedy.