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"Moana" conveys a beautiful message about self-discovery, understanding what we want out of our life and which path we want to follow. We should not feel too much pressure from people around us to make certain decisions that do not make sense with ourselves. The plot structure is a bit of a return to the origins for Disney: stories with a moral that are easy to follow and that everyone can enjoy. I liked how the journey of Moana was portrayed: it is a constant rollercoaster of tough moments and achievements that will bring the two protagonists to work together in order to accomplish their mission. The relationship between Moana and Maui has an interesting development, where we see them slowly gaining trust and respect for each other. Auli'i and The Rock provided a solid interpretation and the songs were a nice addition that actively contributed to progress the script. The magical element was nicely integrated in the movie and I am happy that the director did not rely too much on it, providing a balanced product. The comedic relief represented by the rooster Heihei was genuinely funny, but I feel that some of the scenes could be cut off, as the jokes were very repetitive, to the point that it got annoying.

The film has vibrant colours that transported me to a lush world, even on the darkest scenes. The water animations were particularly stunning, with many particle effects that enriched the visuals. Considering that the movie has as its unique location the ocean, I believe that the director absolutely nailed this part. Overall it is an enjoyable movie that presented to the audience a brand new intellectual property, and not yet another remake of a Disney princess classic with enhanced graphics. Who knows? Maybe by presenting original characters, Disney Animation Studios might create a new generation of classics. Final rate: 7/10.

The second season of "Silo" begins with Juliette exploring the post-apocalyctic world and finding another twin structure. This season is split into two separate storylines. On one hand we have Nichols trying to find a way out from the almost abandoned Silo 17, in order to get back to her people and tell them what she saw. On the other side, the audience will see what is happening on the building of the first season, after the entire population saw Juls climbing on top of the hill, disappearing from the camera view. This obviously generates a turmoil that soon transforms into riots, as the people demand to know the truth. As always, there are a lot of subterfuges and dubious strategies from the mayor and the high management, trying to keep order in the silo. In this context of tension, I was constantly wondering which was the next step from the Mechanical department and the expectations were not disappointing. There are a lot of twists that make the plot engaging and unpredictable. This season develops the two storylines evenly, by constantly showing new details. However the show keeps that veil of mystery that pushed me to come back to watch the episodes on a weekly basis. I really felt that this time there was a lot at stake. This for me is good writing.

The creators introduced a group of brand new characters that enriched the plot. Steve Zahn, portraying the role of Solo delivered the best performance, as he was able to convey all the trauma that he had to experience. His presence really added value to the show and I hope that he is coming back in the next few years, considering that the show was renewed for two more seasons. This will allow the screenwriters to do a complete adaptation of Hugh Howey's book series. I think that there were several improvements on the narration pacing, that was more dynamic and engaging. Certain cast roles got redimensioned, giving more space to actors that makes the story more interesting such as Lucas Kyle. My only complaint would be about Common, he should definitely be replaced by someone else as he is disrupting the overall quality. Aside from this hiccup, "Silo" had a good run. My rate would be 8/10.

"Alien: Romulus" wanted to be an homage to the Alien Saga. There are so many visual references that reminded me about the very first movie, to the point where it gets annoying. The director did not have one single original idea, and he straight-up copied from the previous chapters. I am a fan of the franchise and I appreciated some scenes, but this is definitely too much. It is very clear that Cailee Spaeny is portrayed as the new generation Sigourney Weaver, but obviously she cannot come even close to her skillset. Maybe 20th Century Fox wanted to catch new and younger fans with this production, but many plot elements feel forced. The characters constantly make wrong decisions and they seem to have no sense of self-preseration. I could not feel the tension and overall the plot is extremely simple and predictable. I am okay with having a spin-off story that is loosely connected to the Prometheus Saga, but I am wondering what even was the purpose of this film. Seeing a bunch of teenagers putting themselves in a dangerous situation on purpose, in order to retrieve the necessary resources to proceed with their crazy adventures? Seeing a great saga that was on the right path, being ruined by a random director is really saddening and if these are the premises, I am not putting too much faith in the soon to be released TV show "Alien: Earth".

The only thing that I save about this film is the CGI, that was actually very nicely done. Some shots are absolutely stunning and the aliens design was well curated and faithful to the original '79 production. The cast members were average, and their performances were quite forgettable. The dialogues are pretty much bland, with some cheesy lines worthy of a facepalm. I am not sure why this project was greenlit, I would rather wait for a proper sequel of "Covenant", that actually progresses the main storyline, than this absolute inconclusive mess that does not bring any additional value to the Ridley Scott work. Rate: 5/10.