[Julio Riddols]

My Life As A Zucchini - 7/10 - Short little french stop motion animation with English dubbed by the likes of Nick Offerman, Ellen Page, and Will Forte. This little film covers some mature territory as "Zucchini" spends the first few minutes of the film in his bedroom in the attic building castles out of his moms empty beer cans. She comes upstairs to beat him after he accidentally knocks over the tower and makes a racket, but he closes the door to the attic out of fear, causing her to fall and die from some unseen trauma. The film pulls no punches when it comes to the reality he and the other kids at his new orphanage face, but it is ultimately a hopeful tale that I think should be seen by kids who think they have it rough in life, as well as kids who can relate to the plight of Zucchini and the other kids at the orphanage. Over the next hour or so, it covers the ups and downs and trials and tribulations as Zucchini grows accustomed to his new life and its a really good film IMO. It veers into pretty mature territory at times, but I think kids films shouldn't be afraid to get into this kind of territory. The world is a brutal place and there are a lot of painful things to deal with, but the film tries to show that there can be hope.

Watch it before you dive in with the family blind, but I think for many of us this kind of animated film is going to be something with a little more substance than the average fare.

Raw - 8/10 - Gotta watch this one with subtitles, but it has some serious edge to it as well. Another French film, this time about a vegetarian girl who goes off to veterinary school where she learns there might be a deeper reason why her family was vegan her whole life. A visceral film with some interesting and dark themes. Raw indeed. If you like slightly off beat horror/thrillers, this one is worth a watch, but go in as blind as possible.