Monsters University Review

Director: Dan Scanlon

Writers: Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scalon

Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Charlie Day

Much has been made of Pixar's supposed decline in quality. One of the reason cited as evidence of the decline is their choice to develop sequels instead of original stories. Their most recent effort revisits the world they introduced in "Monsters, Inc." all the way back in 2001. 12 years later "Monsters University" brings us back to the world where monsters use the screams of to power their world. This time we go back to Mike and Sulley's time as students at Monsters U. They don't exactly get along at first. After endangering their spot in Monsters University's prestigious School of Scaring, they must put everything on the line and participate in the Annual Scare Games to prove they are the best of the best.

All Roads Lead to This: Fast & Furious 6 Review

Director: Justin Lin

Writer: Chris Morgan

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Sung Kang

"Do you believe in ghosts?" This question could just as easily apply to the Fast and Furious franchise. 2001's "The Fast and the Furious" didn't exactly take home any Oscars. It wasn't nominated for any nor was it even a part of awards season conversation. The film, however, did have a good share of cultural impact especially with the way the street racing culture was blowing up at the time. I was just young enough at the time that I had a blast with the film. It was exciting and had these tough guys driving these extravagant cars really fast. After that the series languished and by 2009's "Fast and Furious", it seemed that the series had nothing left in the tank and was effectively dead. The series' third entry, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift", was the lone bright spot and I mainly enjoyed the original for the sheer nostalgia factor. Then "Fast Five" came along and breathed life back into this franchise. It proved that director Justin Lin and writer Chris Morgan knew exactly where to take this franchise to make it not only relevant again but also quite enjoyable. "Fast & Furious 6" promises bigger action and that "All roads lead to this." Does it live up to the hype?