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.
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once
more as Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron's journey continues. With the power and
knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle commences.
Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John
Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams
Release Date: December 13, 2019
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action
Runtime: 2h 21min
Review:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a hefty
checklist of things it needs to accomplish while closing out the Star Wars
franchise at least the Skywalker saga.
For some reason, J.J. Abrams decides to do it in the most perfunctory
way possible. Massive reveals, which
come out of left field with regularity, occur throughout but none of it is
particularly engaging. It would have
been nice if there was some sort of mystery or intrigue but Abrams and the
screenwriters seem strangely disinterested creating any sort of tension at any
point during the proceedings. As such,
we move from set piece after set piece where we get some well choreographed
Star Wars action, rinse and repeat for 2 and half hours. Sadly, after this happens a few times you
really just don’t care anymore. The
dialogue shuffles between believable to outright corny leaving the characters
feeling more artificial than organic.
The cast does what it can with the characters delivering infrequent
moments of life. Daisy Ridley who seems
continuously sweaty leads the film as best she can. Her character has always been a bit of cipher
mainly because she never feels like anything more than rehash of Luke’s story line, something compounded by story choices here. Ultimately she’s nothing more than a Luke
clone in Capri pants and space Uggs.
Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is even more uninteresting this go around. The insistence on having his angry emo boy be
the primary menace in this trilogy has always left me confused. There’s never been much intrigue in his
character much less any sort of palpable sense menace or real threat. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac do what they can
with their screen time but suffer from poor writing that never let them develop
memorable characters. You can sense
Isaac trying bring a spark of life to Poe in this film but it’s never
maintained for a sustained amount of time.
As such, we watch everyone go through the motions and move the plot from
one spot to another with a sense of inevitability as opposed to wonder. Sure
it’s great to see the late Carrie Fisher on screen one last time but even her
scenes aren’t nearly as moving as they should be, possibly because you can
feels Abrams building story around these bits of old footage for the sake of
inclusion. All this should have been
moving but it never hits with the emotional impact much like this final entry
overall.
After moving to a new city, young Andy Barclay receives a special present from
his mother -- a seemingly innocent Buddi doll that becomes his best friend.
When the doll suddenly takes on a life of its own, Andy unites with other
neighborhood children to stop the sinister toy from wreaking bloody havoc.
Director: Simon Kinberg
Cast: Gabriel Bateman, AubreyPlaza,
Brian Tyree Henry, Mark Hamill
Rated R for bloody horror violence, and
language throughout Release Date: June 21, 2019
Genres: Horror
Runtime: 1h 30 min
Review:
The remake of Child’s
Play bears only passing resemblance to 80s original which isn’t a terrible
thing.Sure purist will complain about
it but this new version does feel a bit cleaner and more straightforward which
is a good and bad.The film itself it
fairly lean and moves at a decent pace although it does feel a tad rushed in
spots.Gabriel Bateman who plays Andy is
solid if unimpressive in the lead role while AubreyPlaza
feels miscast and under utilized at the same time.Brian Tyree Henry sparks up the film when he’s
on screen but much like Plaza, the film doesn’t take advantage of their
talents.Mark Hamill’s voice as Chucky
is distinctive enough from Brad Dourif’s work in the previous films to leave an
impression.Still, Dourif’s work is so
iconic at this point that it’s hard to believe that anyone would choose this
new iteration as their favorite.Simon
Kinberg directs the film with an odd sense of humor but it’s never all that
edgy or scary.Even the violence feels
somewhat sanitized and bland, not to mention the general silliness of the whole
thing.Still it wasn’t as if the original
films where any bastion of high end writing so perhaps the remake is still in
line with the older films.
Luke Skywalker's peaceful and solitary existence
gets upended when he encounters Rey, a young woman who shows strong signs of
the Force. Her desire to learn the ways of the Jedi forces Luke to make a
decision that changes their lives forever. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and General Hux
lead the First Order in an all-out assault against Leia and the Resistance for
supremacy of the galaxy.
Director:
Rian Johnson
Release Date: Dec 15, 2017
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam
Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern
Rated PG-13 (for sequences of
sci-fi action and violence)
Runtime: 2 hr. 32 min.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Review:
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is an
enjoyable entry into the long running series.It has some moments that feel iconic but as a whole it never really
captures a consistent feel that some of the better Star War films like The
Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One.Rian
Johnson delivers a solid entry that doesn’t deliver a bevy of familiar beats
like The Force Awakens did three years ago.Instead we get some interesting story choices that don’t necessarily hit
as well as they should have.I do give Johnson
credit for trying something different instead of playing it safe but none of
the choices really make for any sort of memorable moments.Instead we get 3 disparate storylines that
run concurrently but never seem naturally cohesive.Separating the 3 new leads robs the story of
letting these new generation characters form any sort of ongoing
chemistry.Daisy Ridley is just as
energetic and magnetic as she was in The Force Awakens.Ridley and Mark Hamill share solid chemistry
together with Hamill adding impressive range and depth to Luke Skywalker.Oscar Issac is given more screentime, to the
films benefit, this go around and Issac takes full advantage.He brings a strong sense of bravado and charm
to the role which feels like a new generation’s Han Solo.John Boyega is still a little broad for my
taste, it’s not his fault.The character
is written very broadly much to Boyega’s detriment because he’s a solid actor
but he isn’t given much to do here until the final act.Carrie Fisher delivers her final bow on film
and it’s very much a fitting swan song even if her character is taken off the
board for a large chunk of the film.My
biggest issue is still Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren whose character is nothing more
than a whiny emo man baby.There are a
few choice bits written into his character which posits some interesting ideas
about legend and legacy but it not enough for me to get past the fact that’s
the character is eerily similar to Anakin Skywalker in the prequel
trilogy.The film does boast some
impressive set pieces sprinkled throughout even though you can’t help but think
it all could have been trimmed down by a good 45 minutes.One subplot in particular feels like it could
have been excised entirely while finding something slightly more interesting
than a casino planet or the worlds slowest space chase.Star Wars: The Last Jedi is at the very least
better than The Force Awakens in that if finds its own path.It’s not the perfect entry some have made it
out to be but it’s an enjoyable entry.
Dearest Blog: 'Tis the season where I never work a five-day week, so yesterday I took advantage of a Friday away from the office to beat the (worst) crowds to The Last Jedi and Ferdinand.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers, BUT...as people are uber-sensitive about Star Wars I'm gonna say spare us all the stress and just don't read this until you've seen the movie. I might have a thought that hints at an idea that will utterly destroy your experience or something.
Normally I write in the order I see, but as a courtesy I'm going to drop Ferdinand first so parents who are wondering, "Should I take my kid to this?" don't have to wade through 2,000 words on why I've been in love with Luke Skywalker since I was ten before getting their answer.
A gentle bull called Ferdinand has to save himself and his friends from the bullfighter's ring and the Burger King.
Ferdinand is a cute, mostly benign kids' movie. I hesitate to call it a family movie because, really, there's not much here to entertain anyone over the age of ten...or most people over the age of ten, I guess, because I liked it well enough. Ferdinand's art and animation are merely decent, and the predictable story--while enjoyable--is certainly not on par with its most recent animated competition, the extraordinary Coco. A lively score from the brilliant John Powell works especially well with the film's brighter and more colorful bits. Wrestler John Cena isn't overtaxed in the lead, and, oddly, my screening seemed mostly filled with Cena fans, just one little kid among them. There's not much to say about the supporting crew other than Kate McKinnon is marginally less annoying than she was in Ghostbusters, and the animated David Tennant has WAY more lines than the animated David Tennant did in How to Train Your Dragon. To me some of Ferdinand's themes seem a little harsh for smaller kids. The film is pretty clear on what happens to the bulls, whether or not they make it to the ring, so if you still hope to feed your kids that Hamburger Helper on a busy night, maybe take a pass on this one. I don't have children and always assume kids of any age know more than I'd guess, but I also thought the language was somewhat crass for very young audiences, so, again, skip it if your kids aren't already at an age where everything "sucks."
Ferdinand runs 106 minutes and is rated PG for "rude humor, action, and some thematic elements."
Ferdinand is a passable kids' movie that offers little for the rest of the family...but I liked it.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Ferdinand gets five.
Fangirl points: David Tennant! Raul Esparza!
Okay, now onward to Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
With hope all but lost, the Resistance seeks a new hope. Erm...hang on.......
When a property is as iconic as Star Wars, it's more important than usual to offer a disclaimer on where these opinions come from, because I feel like most opinions on such things come from more than whether or not the movie itself is any good. So...I was ten when the first Star Wars came out. If memory serves, it was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. I fell in love with Luke Skywalker and have been in love with Luke Skywalker ever since. Thus, even though The Force Awakens is pretty universally well loved (and I, myself, loved much of it), it was also a bitter disappointment to me due to the lack of Luke. You can keep your Han. You can keep your Leia. For me it's all about Luke.
As advertised, The Last Jedi features a fair bit of Luke. Surly, difficult, fed up, conflicted, heroic Luke. Mark Hamill turns in an epic performance worthy of an epic installment in an epic series. Luke Skywalker, you remain my hero. The rest of the cast is great and terrible and a little bit in between. Kudos to John Boyega (who needs more to do) and Oscar Isaac, who engage with honesty and charisma. Of course Carrie Fisher is amazing, though her every appearance is a kick-in-the-gut reminder of what we've lost. Domhnall Gleeson's General Hux is a moustache-twirl away from a cartoon, but for my money is a more entertaining and menacing baddie than Kylo Ren, who always feels more like a kid sulking in his room with a comic book than a genuine threat to the galaxy. Much of that may have to do with Adam Driver, who is ineffective at portraying the conflict within this tormented character. Despite her closet full of awards, Laura Dern is about as exciting as a paper doll, and I'm only grateful her screen time is limited enough that it didn't ruin more of the movie for me. Annnnnnnd...Daisy Ridley is somewhere in between all that. Rey is so critical--both to Star Wars in particular and movies in general--sometimes I feel like the actor just doesn't do the character justice.
The Last Jedi starts fast out of the gate, but suffers great lags across its bloated runtime. In addition to my usual complaints (really, there are only so many moves that are interesting and necessary in any fight or chase scene), there are a couple places where the picture drops asides that seem extraneous and could have been eliminated with no real damage to the end result. The effects and CGI look pretty great, and much of the film is simply stunning, visually. The action is exciting and often takes unexpected turns, and there's a good bit of humor that mostly hits the mark without feeling forced. It goes without saying that John Williams' score is once again the very definition of iconic. The Last Jedi does a fine job of giving new players their due, while never seeming to shaft the old favorites, then tying both together in such a way that fans can probably envision this series going on forever, passing the baton from one generation of rebels to the next.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi clocks in at a massive 152 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of sci-fi action and violence."
The Last Jedi has won over critics, while leaving the fandom bitterly divided. I found a lot to love about it, but was left without the euphoria I expected when the end credits rolled. As always, though, I beg you, dear reader(s), not to let the Internet make up your mind about this movie. Get on out to the theater and see it for yourself.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Star Wars: The Last Jedi gets eight and a half, which includes one (1) bonus Weasley for having an actual Weasley in the cast.
Fangirl points: You guys...ADRIAN FREAKING EDMONDSON is in this movie!
Dearest Blog: yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas to see--you guessed it!--Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
In a post-Empire galaxy far, far away, the resistance fights the tyrannical rule of the First Order.
Dear Reader(s): Is there anything quite so magical as being in a dark theatre when that crawl starts and the iconic Star Wars theme kicks on?
I think not. Fortunately, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is extraordinary from the theme's opening note to the end credits' final line.
The Force Awakens is littered with enough nostalgia to keep the die-hards happy, but it's far from just a stroll down memory lane.
The new story and new characters fit the universe with nary a hiccup, well crafted enough to stand on their own without upsetting the whole galactic applecart. New leads Daisy Ridley and John Boyega (Attack the Block...YEAH!) are so terrific the naysayers will be forced to come 'round, if they haven't already, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little teary through the biggest smiles ever when my old favorites appeared.
The Force Awakens has terrific effects that seem to come right off the screen, even in 2D, and it goes without saying the score is majestic.
The movie's a hair on the long side, but that's a minor quibble with a picture that manages to please old and new fans alike, garner nearly universal support for a very polarizing director, and effectively redefine Hollywood's definition of "blockbuster."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens runs 135 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sci-fi action violence."
That rare item that lives up to the hype, of a possible nine Weasleys, Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets eight and a half. (Small bonus for having an actual Weasley in the cast!) Also, I want a BB-8!!
In this continuation of the epic space opera, a downed
stormtrooper (John Boyega) goes on a journey that brings him face-to-face with
heroes from the past (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill). Directed
by J.J. Abrams. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi
Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam
Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Harrison Ford,
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
Release Date: Dec
17, 2015
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 2 hr. 16 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Review:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is probably one of the most
hyped movies in recent memory and the question quickly arises, can it possibly
live up to the hype.It does to a
certain extent but it’s far from a perfect delivery.The good news is that J.J. Abrams brings back
the sense of fun and wonderment to the series that was sorely lacking from the
prequels.Abrams has a clear affection
for the franchise, countless youtube videos will soon be dedicated to
dissecting shots that reference the original trilogy, and it shines through the
screen and through the plot.It’s both a
love letter to Star Wars: A New Hope and a redux of it.Even if the nostalgia is a bit much at times,
Abrams knows how to keep the film fun with plenty of space battles and adventure.The new and old characters mesh surprisingly
well even if the Daisy Ridley and John Boyega scale closer to Luke Skywalker than
Han Solo.Boyega does stand out with his
comedic timing which is used throughout the film.A persistently sweaty Ridley does a solid if
unremarkable job.Oscar Isaac on the
other hand plays the most intriguing new character in the film.He’s so impressive that you can’t help but
wish that he was the main character instead of a supporting one.The returning cast does well as expected with
Harrison Ford impressively easing back into his Solo character and providing a
solid center to the whole film.Adam
Driver on the other hand is a mixed bag as the new baddie Kylo Ren.He’s world more effective when he’s in full
character.The mystique they work to
create during the first two acts is kind thrown to the wayside when he’s
unmasked and we’re left with an all too familiar whiny child with Driver’s
face.This is part of the persistent
problem with the film, it lack any real surprise because it telegraphs “surprises”
from miles away.The only way you’d
really not see them coming would be if you showed up late or fell asleep for
some reason.That’s not even to mention
the Death Star, hey lets make it huge this time that’ll work, device that used
again.Still, even with it’s faults The
Force Awakens delivers what people expected from the prequels, a fun adventure
back in this universe.
Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons' comic series is adapted for
the big screen in this Matthew Vaughn-directed action thriller. The story
centers on a secret agent who recruits a juvenile delinquent into a top-secret
spy organization. Together, they battle a tech genius with diabolical
ambitions. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark
Strong, Mark Hamill.
Release Date: Feb
13, 2015
Rated R for Sequences of Strong Violence, Language and
Some Sexual Content.
Runtime: 2 hr. 9 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy
Review:
Kingsman: The Secret Service is the type of spy spoof that
people always told me Austin Powers was supposed to be.For whatever reason the Powers movies just
never worked for me as a spoof but that’s neither here nor there.Kingsman is a fun filled ride through all the
spy tropes we’re familiar with done in the most gleefully and violent manner
possible. Fans of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick Ass will find plenty to like here since
its cut from the same cloth while laying down some groundwork for a possible
franchise.There are hints of its comic
origins here and there as the film uses colorful ways to kill people ending
with a “firework” display that plays out like David Cronenberg’s acid
trip.The action is top notch throughout
and Colin Firth is shockingly at ease as an action star, showcased in an insane
church sequence.Taron Egerton delivers a star making performance as Eggsy
while Sam Jackson and his lisp makes for a fun villain whose aided by a
memorable hence woman.There are a few
issues here and there, the film could have been cut a tad and the much talked
about joke at the end falls terribly flat even though I was expecting it.They’re hardly fatal flaws but hopefully
something that will get cleared up by the time the sequel hits.
Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema for a picture totally worth braving the elements: Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
A young man headed down the wrong path is recruited as an international super-secret agent.
Dear
reader(s), to say I was eagerly anticipating Kingsman: The Secret
Service would be the grossest of understatements. In fact, I bought
tickets, sight unseen, to watch it back to back, a feat previously
achieved only by movies featuring a certain caped crusader. I am pleased
to report the film does not disappoint.
Kingsman: The Secret
Service is a comic-book movie for grownups. It's fun and funny and crass
at times, but it's got a mature feel that has more to do with adult
themes than with the film's f-word fueled R rating.
Kingsman features
end-to-end action, including brilliantly-choreographed fight scenes,
some terrific stunt driving, and even a bit of gymnastics, but it's
never in a hurry just to jump from fight to fight, chase to chase;
there's a STORY here.
The clever inclusion of just the right tunes in
just the right places--tunes most of us likely never would have thought
to put in said places--is the best I've seen outside an Edgar Wright
picture. Colin Firth is a debonair gentleman spy; in fact, he makes it
hard to imagine anyone else ever could have inhabited the film's leading
role. Relative newcomer Taron Edgerton seems bound for superstardom if
this turn as a smart, cocky ne'er-do-well turned secret agent is any
indication.
The supporting cast is uniformly stellar, and, if I had one
teensy complaint about this near-perfect movie, it's that I sure would
have liked to see more Jack Davenport.
Kingsman: The Secret
Service clocks in at 129 minutes and is rated R for "sequences of strong
violence, language, and some sexual content."
As a wise friend
predicted, of a possible nine Weasleys, Kingsman: The Secret Service
gets all nine.
It's a smart, funny, self-aware spy thriller that
proves pushing the envelope has legitimate value and doesn't have to be
just to shock.
Until next time...
50 Shades of Who Cares...this is how to be smokin' hot in a suit and tie!
