Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a robot named Roz must learn to adapt to its new surroundings. Building relationships with the native animals, Roz soon develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling.
Director: Chris Sanders
Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated PG for action/peril and thematic elements.
Runtime: 1h 42m
Review:
The Wild Robot is simplistic in its storytelling, but its eye-catching visuals and emotional punch makes it one of the most impressive, animated film from Dreamworks in a longtime. Chris Sanders' film has a dreamlike look to it thanks to an impressionist animation style for the backgrounds and non robot characters. Its visually impactful throughout as there's nary an inch wasted onscreen as the island vibrantly brought to life. There's an impressive efficiency to it all as he gives you a sense of the geography as we're introduced to the colorful cast of anthropomorphized animals. The character designs are naturalistic which serve in contrast to the shipwrecked robot at the center of the story Roz. Her slinky arm and legs give the character a fun sense of motion, particularly as she emulates the varied wildlife she encounters. Her large camera lens eyes paired with wonderful voice work from Lupita Nyong'o really make the character live and breathe. Nyong'o has an ability to bring a sense of humanity and authenticity to all her performances and it serves this film as the beating heart of story. It makes the character's emotional arch as a surrogate mother even more impactful which makes certain moments, especially in the final act, primed to elicit waterworks from even the most cynical viewer. The supporting cast is solid, particularly Pedro Pascal, but its Nyong'o that holds it all together from start to finish. It helps that the story is unafraid to show all aspects of the circle of life in an honest way that doesn't pander the way some animated films. There are hints of Wall-E, especially as we are exposed the futuristic human world that exist outside of the island. Much like that film, there's an elegance to The Wild Robot's story and overall production that set it a cut above most animated family films.
When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
Release Date: June 27, 2024
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated PG-13 for terror and violent content/bloody images.
Runtime: 1h 39m
Review:
A Quiet Place: Day One never provides a tangible reason for its existence since it never expands or explains much we didn't know from the previous film but that doesn't keep it from being a well-crafted thriller, grounded by excellent turns from Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn. Michael Sarnoski takes over behind the camera for this spin off and proves to be more than capable as he delivers the tension the series is known. He makes solid use of the Manhattan setting by using evocative imagery that recalls 9-11 paired with not so subtle hints of War of the Worlds both the 1953 and 2005 adaptations. He effectively sets up the mass chaos and destruction of those initial moments as the creatures rampage through the cityscape. The linchpin of the previous film's was human element which grounded the story and made it easier to overlook some of the glaring logical holes in the overall concept. Lupita Nyong'o is the focal point here and she delivers a nuanced performance in the central role. Nyong'o's character isn't your usual apocalyptic survivor as she's not focused on her survival for the same reason everyone else. Its makes for a more interesting journey that provides some much needed texture and depth to what could have been a paint by the numbers role. Joseph Quinn's character isn't as well written and the story provides painfully little about his backstory but to his credit he manages to overcome those shortcoming with an understated and believable turn. Nyong's and Quinn's strong chemistry, plus an incredibly smart and quiet cat, makes the simple and straightforward narrative engaging enough to carry the film through to the finish line. Those looking for more backstory on the creatures or won't find much new in A Quiet Place: Day One but as a self contained story it's solid piece of genre filmmaking.
Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with Nakia and Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action and some language.
Runtime: 2h 41m
Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an emotionally charged comic book movie wake that is trying to pay tribute to its fallen star while moving the franchise forward into a new era. Mourning is the central theme throughout the entire film even amongst the usual comic book action that the film provides in spades. The film handles it about as well as can be expected even though the film is overstuffed with required checkboxes to mark off for the ongoing Marvel franchise. If anything, it gives the film a very different feel than most of Marvel's entry but its never entirely removed from it either. The comic book side of the story is surprisingly straightforward with very little in the way of surprises since it follows a predictable path from start to finish. The big introduction of Tenoch Huerta's Namor is one of the film's strongest and intriguing story thread by delivering an antagonist with a bit more depth than the usual baddie. Huerta effectively conveys the character's deep-rooted desire to protect his people at any cost, serving a mirror to the Wakandans. It’s an engaging performance from start to finish which makes him the most interesting performer whenever he's onscreen. Using the Mesoamerican imagery is a masterstroke to juxtapose both cultures who have been subjugated and create something different enough from DC's Aquaman to avoid comparisons. Replacing Chadwick Boseman was always going to be a difficult task and we end up getting more of an ensemble than a central lead. Letitia Wright, Angela Basset, Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira all carry portions of the film which is understandable but it doesn't allow for the kind of depth you'd expect. Letitia Wright gets a larger share of the focus but her character isn't that engaging or interesting with a late act reveal hinting a more nuanced take that might have been left on the cutting room floor. Its shame since there's clearly some fertile ground that could have been explored as she deals with the death of her brother but the film is simply too big and busy to deliver that type of focus. Basset, Nyong'o and Gurira all get moments to shine but the characters are surprisingly one note. Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams/Ironheart serves as fun comic relief with her introduction clearly setting up future appearances. It’s an example of the difficult tightrope that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to walk, eulogizes its fallen star while moving forward a gargantuan franchise.
CIA agent Mason "Mace" Brown joins forces with a rival German agent, a cutting-edge computer specialist and a Colombian psychologist when a top-secret weapon falls into the hands of a group of mercenaries. Together, the four women embark on a breakneck mission to save the world while staying one step ahead of a mysterious figure who's tracking their every move.
Director:Simon Kinberg
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong'o, Édgar Ramírez, Sebastian Stan
Release Date: January 7, 2022
Action, Thriller
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, brief strong language, and suggestive material.
Runtime:2h 4m
Review:
The 355 is stacked with star power that makes its generic spy thriller worlds more watchable and enjoyable than it deserves to be. Simon Kinberg's film has a generic quality about it that makes it almost indistinguishable from troves of similar films. Exotic locales and large action set pieces aren't terribly memorable but they're entertaining as mindless junk food. Jessica Chastain leads the cast ably as a believable action star but it's hardly just her show. The film is an impressive ensemble piece with Lupita Nyong'o, Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz and Fan Bingbing all getting ample screen time to shine. Their chemistry together is ultimately what makes the whole thing work in spite of the scripts hacky shortcomings. They are believable as a group of ass kicking spies with smaller moments fleshing out their characters. Its a testament to their assembled talents that this works as well as it does with such a generic story and cliched MacGuffin and villain, the film gives Sebastian Stan woefully little to do. The 355 offers up the kind of mindless popcorn fun which offers up female empowerment without ever beating you over the head with it.
Accompanied by her husband, son and
daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a
child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is
going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked
strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off,
the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one
of them.
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke,
Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker
Release Date: March 22, 2019
Genres: Horror, Thriller
Rated R for some violence and disturbing
images
Runtime: 1h 56 min
Review:
Us, Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort, is hard
to classify as a horror film.Much like
Get Out, it’s a film that’s never particularly scary even though it’s filed
into the horror genre.That’s not to say
that the film isn’t well done, it’s a fun thrill ride, but it’s just not a horror
film.Once we move past that point,
again much like Get Out, it works best as an interesting Twilight Zone type
film.Peele’s references to other better
horror films are sporadically throughout with some being more explicit while
others are implicit. On its own merits,
the film moves at a fast pace playing out much like a rollercoaster ride where
once it gets going it never stops.Ultimately, even with all the references, Us ends up feeling much more
like George A. Romero criminally underseen 1973 film The Crazies.Peele delivers some beautifully composed
shots and sequences that are sure to leave an impression but at the center of
it all is Lupita Nyong’o.Nyongo’o duel
performance is the oil that makes this engine go here; she does wonderful work throughout
even though you are left wanting more of her as her doppelganger.The supporting cast is just as strong with
Winston Duke showing some strong comedic chops.I do wish we’d gotten a tad bit more of Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker
who make the most of their limited screen time.On it’s whole, the film is a fun ride even though it seems to find it’s
last second reveal much more mind blowing that it actually is.
After the death of his father, T'Challa
returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as
king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T'Challa's mettle as king --
and as Black Panther -- gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts
the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and
danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of
Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan,
Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright,
Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis
Release Date: Feb 16, 2018
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of
action violence, and a brief rude gesture Runtime: 2h 14 min
Review:
Black Panther is a bit of a watershed moment
for Marvel films for a variety of reasons.First and foremost, the cast and director are primarily people of color
and it carries over on screen.The film
has a decidedly strong theme of African Heritage running throughout all within
the trapping of a superhero story.Ryan
Coogler does an impressive job of giving his film a visual distinctiveness
that’s missing from most of Marvel entries.As such, Black Panther has a strong identity and it uses it to its
advantage by telling an emotionally engaging and thoughtful story.Chadwich Boseman leads the film with an easy
charisma that’s hard to resist.Boseman
has an effortless way about himself all the while maintaining a sense of nobility
in T’Challa.The supporting cast is
probably one of the best assembled for any of the Marvel movies.Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright and
Martin Freeman all leave lasting impressions on the film.Their characters aren’t simply throwaway
supporting players but instead feel like well rounded characters equal to the
lead.Michael B. Jordan makes for a fine
villain.He’s a strong counterpart to
Boseman’s T’Challa in every manner of speaking.The character’s motivations actually make sense and pose some
interesting questions.Unfortunately,
the film doesn’t spend nearly the amount of time it should fleshing him out
which could have made him iconic.It’s a
minor issue compared to the whole.Black
Panther, much like last year’s Wonder Woman, elevates the super hero genre and
forces future entries to raise their game.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for Now You See Me 2 and Warcraft...except I couldn't bring myself to face Warcraft and ended up catching up on The Jungle Book and Angry Birds instead.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. (I'm assuming everyone knows Warcraft is terrible from the trailers?)
First on the docket: The Jungle Book.
When the vicious tiger Shere-Khan threatens his life, Mowgli, a boy raised by a wolf pack, is forced to flee his jungle home.
The Jungle Book is a gorgeous film, and a vote of confidence for CGI at a time when, let's face it, even the biggest-budget CGI is starting to look a little dodgy. The movie is probably eighty-percent jungle and jungle animals, and the only time you can tell most of it is fake is when the bear starts singing. I've never seen a real one sing.
Then again, my experience with bears is somewhat limited. Outside its technical virtures, the movie's main plus is some great voice work from the likes of Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong'o, Christopher Walken, and Scarlett Johanssn.
Unfortunately, it's merely a silver lining on what's ultimately a pretty boring picture. The movie tiptoes around its brutality, with most of it played out off screen. It would have served no one's purpose for a kids' film to be a total bloodbath, but the impact of losses is certainly diminished. There are chases and plenty of other action, but the movie is plain dull in its execution.
The second half, in particular, seems to drag on forever.
The Jungle Book clocks in at 106 minutes and is rated PG for "some sequences of scary action and peril."
Worth a look for its technical prowess alone, 2016's Jungle Book sadly falls short of the animated feature on which it's based.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Jungle Book gets five.
Fangirl points: Giancarlo Esposito. Again!
Next up: The Angry Birds Movie.
An island of peaceful, (mostly) happy, flightless birds faces a threat from neighboring green pigs.
Whoa. Trippiest. Synopsis. Ever.
Dear Reader(s), I have not even a passing familiarity with video games.
Luckily, The Angry Birds Movie is pretty cute, and I don't think I missed out on anything for not having spent hours with my nose in my phone, playing the Angry Birds game.
Angry Birds is a great-looking picture, full of gorgeous animation and bright colors. The film boasts an impressive array of voice talent, including Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, and Sean Penn.
The plot is pretty thin, but the film keeps moving and doesn't bog down. There's some charming humor alongside some that's truly disgusting...at least for grownups...as well as a lovely score by Heitor Pereira.
The Angry Birds Movie runs 97 minutes and is rated PG for "rude humor and action."
It's no game-changer, but Angry Birds is a bright, colorful, quick-moving film that's fun for the whole family.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Angry Birds Movie gets six.
Fangirl points: Angry Birds was created in Finland. This movie kicks off with a Black Sabbath song. (I'm not joking.)
Finally, the closer on yesterday's agenda: Now You See Me 2.
After hiding out for 18 months, the Horsemen resurface to perform their greatest heist yet.
When the first Now You See Me was released into a summer of prequels, sequels, and reboots, I recall lauding it as a breath of fresh air in a sea of franchise installments. Of course, then Hollywood had to go and commission a sequel because...Hollywood.
The good news is, if the sequel wasn't entirely necessary, it is a great time nonetheless.
NYSM2 raises the stakes from the Horsmen's first outing, meaning even more incredible stunts that require even more suspension of disbelief.
I mean, faking one's death can't possibly be as easy as depicted here (more than once) or everyone who has a crazy ex or owes on a credit card would be doing it! Still, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, so playing along isn't a problem. Some of the illusions are spectacular, in particular, the rain-manipulation trick hinted at in the trailers, and the plot has plenty of twists and turns to hold your attention.
The cast is terrific from top to bottom, with Jesse Eisenberg again the standout. Lizzy Caplan's character is a somewhat brash replacement for Isla Fisher, but she's great fun and will grow on you quickly. Daniel Radcliffe continues to distance himself from his Potter past with a funny, quirky performance as the film's baddie.
The movie gets a bit preachy here and there, but it's mostly a thrilling, layered ride.
Now You See Me 2 clocks in at 129 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence and some language."
That rare sequel that is as good as, and perhaps even better than, the original,
Now You See Me 2 is great fun and (still) something a little different for the summer blockbuster season.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Now You See Me 2 gets seven.
Fangirl points: DanRad in *another* movie about magic!
Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave stars Chiwetel Ejifor as Solomon Northup, a free black man in 1840s America. He makes his living as a fiddle player, and his wife is a teacher. He is shanghaied by a pair of nefarious white men, and soon finds himself on a ship headed to New Orleans where he is informed he will be called Platt and is sold into slavery by an unscrupulous businessman (Paul Giamatti). Solomon bides his time, attempts to preserve a modicum of self-respect, and waits for the chance to reclaim his rightful name as well as his family. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Alfre Woodard
Release Date: Oct 18, 2013
Rated R for violence/cruelty, some nudity and brief sexuality
Runtime: 2 hr. 14 min.
Genres: Drama
Review:
When you are watching a movie there occasionally comes a sense that you are watching a classic piece of filmmaking. It’s rare especially in modern cinema but it does happen. Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is majestic journey through America’s “peculiar institution”. McQueen direction and visuals are beautiful, unflinching and incredibly moving. It’s a powerful movie centered by a powerful performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor. I’ve always found Ejiofor incredibly interesting as an actor and it was really impressive watching him flex in considerable acting muscles here. Ejiofor has a quiet strength about himself which suits the character very well. Ejiofor’s talent shines through during those moments when he doesn’t say anything. His pain and anguish is readily apparent through his eyes and face, its spectacular piece of acting. The supporting actors are a who’s who of A list actors with Michael Fassbender getting the beefiest role. Fassbender continues to impress me which his range. Personally, I didn’t know if he’d be able to pull off a plantation owner but he delivers in spades. Lesser known actress Lupita Nyong'o has a small role as a fellow slave but it’s a stunningly effective and tragic performance, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was nominated for a supporting acting nod come awards season. That same can be said of the film as a whole. It’s a prestige through and through with everyone’s talents on full display in this modern day classic.
