MOVIE REVIEW: SING 2

 

Can-do koala Buster Moon and his all-star cast of animal performers prepare to launch a dazzling stage extravaganza in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There's just one hitch -- he has to find and persuade the world's most reclusive rock star to join them. What begins as Buster's dream of big-time success soon becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart.

Director: Garth Jennings

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Jennifer Saunders, Nick Offerman, Bobby Cannavale, Pharrell Williams, Halsey, Chelsea Peretti, Letitia Wright, Eric André, Adam Buxton, Bono

Release Date: December 22, 2021

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical

Rated PG for some rude material and mild peril/violence

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Garth Jennings's Sing 2 is a fun breezy family film that's easy to enjoy.  Sing 2 doesn't break any new ground or really dig deep into any big themes so it's not quite as impactful as some of Pixar's films.  It understands what it is and provides a fizzy, colorful jukebox musical that's always fun and entertaining regardless of how old you are.  Matthew McConaughey leads the film as the go getter koala Buster Moon.  Much like in the original, you get the feeling that McConaughey really enjoys voicing this character because he disappears into the role so much so that you occasionally forget it's him behind the microphone.  Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly all return with each getting a chance to show off their impressive singing voices.  Newcomers Bobby Cannavale, Chelsea Peretti and Halsey are all great fun with the latter clearly having a great time.  Bono who plays the reclusive rock star lion is far better than expected in his limited role.  Sing 2 is an easily digestible family film that works well as mindless entertainment for kids and parents alike.

B+

April Sokol's Review of A Wrinkle in Time

Movie review: A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time is the latest adaptation of the beloved children's book of the same name.

Directed by Ava DuVernay

Starring: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Chris Pine, Zach Galifianakis and Michael Pena

My review:

Before I start writing I feel as though I should introduce you all to the 12 year old version of myself that was. I was awkward. Lonely. Bookish. Isolated. And completely saved by this book. Meg Murray was one of my very first heroes. Ever. So this movie is directed at a very personal area of me. Even with a stern talking to....my own personal expectations for this movie was pretty high. I'm going to do my level best to divorce the movie from the book. But as any avid book lover knows, that is far easier said than done. But here goes:

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg and her little brother Charles Wallace on a quest to locate their missing father. They are guided on their travels out of our known galaxy by 3 celestial beings (Mrs Which, Mrs Whosit and Mrs Who played by Winfrey, Witherspoon and Kaling respectively). The epic quest quickly goes from lighthearted to dangerous as they're forced to confront the growing evil entity known as The It.

Let's get right to it. Is it any good? Well yes, it is. Is it as good as the book? Of course it's not.

We'll get the bad out of the way. All of the goodwill that was built in the 1st and 2nd acts of the movie is lost as the 3rd act slowly careens off the rails. I found the last 30 minutes or so of the movie to move at a snail's pace. The set up for the final showdown between good and evil was laborious. Were the problems so egregious that I ended up hating the final product? No. But it does feel like a sort of almost miss when you step back and examine the final product as a whole.

Let's get back to the good, shall we? The visuals are stunning. Mrs Whosit (Witherspoon) was really the stand out for me. Her perfect amount of whimsy was spot on. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was with the young actress who played Meg (Reid). The success of this movie was always going to rise or fall upon her shoulders. It's a heavy weight for one so young (Reid is only 14 years old). The themes of this movie are timeless and were handled with deft hands. I felt more than once as though Momma Oprah was speaking wisdom directly to the bruised 12 year old child that still lives inside of me. Loving yourself, not in spite of your flaws, but because of them is a wonderful lesson for children and adults alike. Yet DeVernay never allowed this to creep into the saccharin territory of the too sweet.

A Wrinkle in Time clocks in at 2 hours and is rated PG for thematic elements and peril. I give it a very solid 3 ½ stars out of 5.

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Assassin’s Creed & Sing

 

 

Dearest Blog: The holiday week provided the opportunity for an early trip to Marquee Cinemas for Assassin's Creed and Sing. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

First up: Assassin's Creed. After being conscripted into a dangerous experiment, a former death-row inmate discovers he's descended from a member of a secret society of assassins...or something like that. Just before heading out to the theatre, I saw a headline that called Assassin's Creed "an insult to gamers." 

 

I can't speak for gamers, but it's certainly an insult to, in no particular order: Brendan Gleesan, Charlotte Rampling, my intelligence, theatre workers who might accidentally have to watch some of it while sweeping up, and the seven dollars I invested in my ticket. I well and truly lack the words to express how terrible this film is, but I think the guy behind me who snored loudly for two hours about covers it. 

 

The real crime of Assassin's Creed is that it's too terrible to be fun, too dull to work up a healthy bile about it. It doesn't explain itself very well, so, by the time it settles in, you've already stopped caring. Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard are ridiculous, a pair of cookie-cutter characters uttering lines so stupid you'll facepalm right there in your seat. 

 

The rest of the cast doesn't fare much better, but, with less screen time, they have fewer opportunities to embarrass themselves. The effects and stylized stunts are mostly mediocre, though the movie does boast some dramatic, pretty frames, and Fassbender spends a fair bit of time shirtless, so there's that. 

 

Never let it be said I don't try to give you the silver lining, dear reader(s). Assassin's Creed clocks in at 115 minutes and is rated PG13 for intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements, and brief strong language. 

 

If you were looking for a fun actioner to break up the drama of awards season, sadly, you're going to have to keep looking. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Assassin's Creed gets two. 

Fangirl Points: Michael Kenneth Williams!! (The only reason I don't regret seeing this.) 

 

Next on the agenda: the highly-anticipated animated feature, Sing. With his venue in financial ruin, a theatre manager stages a singing competition to try to earn the money to save it. 

 

As you will know from the trailers, all the characters in Sing are animals: the koala theatre manager and his best friend, a sheep; competition hopefuls that include a gorilla, a snail (my favorite!), a porcupine, and an elephant. The art an animation are bright, colorful, and entirely kid-friendly, so even creatures who might normally be intimidating are cute and appealing. 

 

Noteworthy voice talent (Oscar winners Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Hudson, and Reese Witherspoon, to name a few) is in fine form. Sing kicks off with a Beatles tune. It's a so-so cover of Golden Slumbers, but, as openings go, you could do a lot worse. 

 

From there, the movie includes snippets of dozens of different songs, some terrific (My Way is chill-inducing, even when performed by a mouse); some...not so much (disappointing that a half-dozen youngsters sitting next to me seemed to know the lyrics to only one song, a charming little ditty that goes: "Oh. My. Gosh. Look at her butt!"). 

 

Sing is a real family movie, with a positive, upbeat story, songs that cover many generations, and humor that's appropriate for all ages. Sing understands that eight-year-olds don't bring themselves to the movies, and it makes sure to entertain mom and dad, too, truly a film with something for everyone. 

 

Sing runs a quick 108 minutes and is rated PG for "some rude humor and mild peril." Sing is a solid, entertaining outing that'll be great for families this holiday season. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Sing gets seven and a half. 

 

Fangirl Points: Peter Serafinowicz! Jennifer Saunders! 

 

Until next time...