Saturday, July 8, 2023

Instant Family (2018) Review:

Every generation of humans has their set of families. Maybe not every family member has a line but most tend to. There are couples though who can’t decide what they want to do for starting a family. Having a family isn’t easy nor can things always turn out as expected, good or bad. As long as everyone has good intentions things should turn out okay. Having a family also doesn’t require going the natural way; adopting, surrogate and fostering children are a few options too. Well, this film explores one of those alternatives most people probably wouldn’t consider. Fostering is more like a trial period as opposed adopting right off the bat. It’s all based on one’s comfortability level too. It really depends on what everyone makes of it.

The story follows Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne), a childless couple who are looking for a little more meaning in their life. What they don’t realize is what will fill that void just yet. After speaking with some friends they decide perhaps fostering is the way to go. The kids they decide to foster are Lizzy (Isabela Merced), Juan (Gustavo Escobar) and Lita (Julianna Garniz). Written by John Morris (Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011), We’re the Millers (2013) and Daddy’s Home (2015)) and Sean Anders as well as directed several of the same pictures, this film is very much a feel good story that not only highlights the struggles of being a parent but also the rewards too. The narrative is actually quite realistic in its approach.

That is except for one part where Pete and Ellie are first learning about fostering children. Upon coming to the orphanage where they would be paired up, the people they meet and the sessions they attend seem unsupportive. Lead by Karen (Octavia Spencer) and Sharon (Tig Notaro), the two give some tips along the way in the couple’s development as well as the children. It’s understandable that many people are not ready for what they are about to agree too, but some of its treated like it was obvious. So was it intentional for the protagonists not to be told of some of their challenges they’ll face? It seems kind of wrong to do that. Overall though the story teaches important lessons about becoming a family and learning to be understanding of one and another as hard as it can be sometimes.

Characters are likable and have charm in this movie. While Mark Wahlberg is known for playing his characters fairly the same throughout his movies, the role he has here feels very much like what he could be as a real father. Also since he has starred in comedies, it’s no surprise he’s here. Rose Byrne as Ellie also has experience in comedic films although she is probably best known from Insidious (2010) and its films. Margo Martindale appears as Grandma Sandy (Pete’s mom) who has some funny lines to say too. Martindale also had roles starting in The Rocketeer (1991) and more recently in Cocaine Bear (2023). As for the foster children, Isabela Merced as Lizzy is convincing in her role considering prior to this her biggest break was Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). She would a year later play Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019).

Gustavo Escobar and Julianna Garniz are both very new to acting so there isn’t much to say on them yet other than their performances here were good too. The cinematography was handled by Brett Pawlak and looks good for what’s shot. Pawlak’s only entry at the time worth noting was Max Steel (2016). Lastly for the film score, Michael Andrews was the composer for the music. Originally starting out with Donnie Darko (2001), then Bridesmaids (2011) and Daddy’s Home (2015), the film score sounds very contemporary and is easy listening on the ears and should be so for most audiences. While the album is only thirty-six minutes long, it is a good listening experience. And although there is no memorable theme for the film, there are designated motifs for some of the characters.

Even though there’s one area in the narrative that doesn’t quite make sense, as an experience the movie is wholesomely entertaining. The music, camerawork and characters all mix well together for a film with more heart than some may expect.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Creed II (2018) Review:

Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise has isn’t a film series with all major successes but it still remains one of the most well regarded in the film industry. Rocky IV (1985) was the most exaggerated of the entries going global with its story with some underlining political tones. However it was the one that people seem to remember best also because it killed off one of its core characters Apollo Creed. In a wise decision, Stallone resurrected the name through what is now the Creed franchise with Michael B. Jordan as the lead play Apollo’s sun. Well, not it’s come full circle with Apollo’s son addressing some unfinished loose ends with his family history. Which in all honesty is something probably many have been wanting to see. Everyone love’s a comeback story – sometimes even for the villain.

Directed by Steve Caple Jr. in his first high profile theatrical release, the story continues with Adonis Creed’s (Michael B. Jordan) success as well as his now fiancé Bianca (Tessa Thompson). However, after learning of that Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), is seeking to fight take the title, Adonis feels he has no choice but to defend his family’s honor. Written by Sylvester Stallone once more along with Juel Taylor in his first high profile feature as well did a nice job opening up old wounds and closing them back up again. Having to come to grips with past trauma and family issues is not an issue thing to deal with for anyone. It requires understanding and patience with touchy topics such as this. And being that it’s not only Adonis’ issue but also, Ivan and Rocky’s – it’s just a big love triangle of pain.

The narrative really puts the characters in a hard spot individually. Rocky has to understand he has to accept his mistake from when Apollo was killed back in Rocky IV (1985). Ivan has to come grips with his shame of losing his match in his homeland to Rocky in that same film. Meanwhile Adonis has to figure out for himself, is it worth fighting a match that goes back to some family fued or should he go forward with tackling it with possibly ending up like his old man. Each character arc involves its own issues but all revolve around the theme of redemption. The supporting characters also cope with these topics too like Adonis’ mom Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) or Rocky’s son Robert (Milo Ventimigilia) and grandson Logan (Robbie Johns).

For the production, the quality of the film was well put together. The fight scenes are well choreographed and look very intense when watching it play out. The fact that a human being can take such punishment is nuts no matter how many rounds one watches in whatever film. The more softer or tense scenes that were shot are also well done. Seeing Rocky and Ivan meet face to face one more time but as old and tired men still looking to fight is again, cool to see. The only character who isn’t provided much is Florian Munteanu as Ivan’s son. To some extent a viewer can understand because he was literally trained to just go after Adonis. More could have been done though to round out his character as there is a small segment involving family but context would’ve been helpful.

There’s also special appearances from other various people like Max Kellerman as himself and Brigitte Nielsen as Ludmilla, Ivan Drago’s wife from Rocky IV (1985). For cinematography, the camerawork was handled by Kramer Morgenthau who was worked on other productions like Thor: The Dark World (2014) and Terminator Genisys (2015). For what is shown, Morgenthau is more than capable getting the shot needed to entertain the audience. Lastly for music, the film score was once again composed by Ludwig Gorannson. And as like before, Gorannson keeps the same franchise theme for Adonis Creed and even brings back the old theme for Ivan Drago. The score itself is a good listening experience and still brings good feelings when listening to it.

Looking at this entry to the line of stories before it, this is very much an equal to its first. The story is still very character driven except for the minor and obvious callouts. The music, camerawork and action are also as entertaining as before.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Cocaine Bear (2023) Review:

Like everything in the world, there is a yin to a yang. A good for a bad and a plus for a minus. Even some of most tranquil places can be quite dangerous. Sea or land. Of course, things could always get crazier if something man made or a substance of foreign origin enters the picture too. Apparently in 1985 a situation occurred which kind of describes this premise although not as outlandish as this film that the story was lifted from. But forget the whole foreign substance bit; big or small feral animals in general can be deadly if left unchecked. The bigger the animal though, the more damage. It’s not like the 1980s had less drugs than decades prior but it goes to show you just how potent these materials are.

The real story the film takes inspiration from is actually rather quick in resolving itself as opposed to this film. Nevertheless, it makes one wonder if it’s possible. After trying to evade getting caught with several duffle bags of cocaine, the escapee lands in the wooded area of a national park only to end up getting killed. Meanwhile a wild bear finds the bags of drugs and decides to dive in not knowing what side effects may come about. At the same time, two kids Dee (Brooklynn Prince) and Henry (Christian Convery) decide to skip school and wander off into the same park. Also they don’t tell Dee Dee’s mom Sari (Keri Russell) either. In parallel, the boss Syd (Ray Liotta) wants his drugs and sends his son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) and Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to retrieve it while detective Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) tries to track them down.

The plot itself is a convergence of character threads all happening to cross paths on this uniquely bizarre journey no one would expect. Writing the screenplay was Jimmy Warden, who previously wrote for The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020) the sequel to The Babysitter (2017). Naturally, since that was a horror thriller themed film that this would follow a similar path. Considering the story, it’s based on, not being able to control live animals can be scary. And although fantasy horror can be nightmarish, the closer to reality the horror is, usually it is even more scary. That’s one thing Warden definitely doesn’t shy away from. Animal attacks can be very nasty if not stopped. The violence can be over the top at times but other times it is can be hard to watch for some viewers because of the realistic nature of the deaths.

The characters used in the film though are a mixed bag which is the films weakest point. All the actors perform believably but only some actually have charm. Liotta, Jackson Jr. and Ehrenreich seem to have the most chemistry together and funniest moments. Whitlock Jr. is a close runner up along with Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale). However, the kids and mom are not interesting. It also doesn’t help that they’re fouled mouthed kids. It just feels wrong watching youngsters dropping curse words so casually. It’s understood that throughout the decades some kids have poor upbringings but it doesn’t make the children likeable or funny. Directing this feature was Elizabeth Banks, known for also directing Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Charlie’s Angels (2019). She also acted in Spider-Man (2002), The Hunger Games (2012), and The Lego Movie (2014).

The camerawork to the film was well put together. Due to the setting taking place mostly outside, the scenes involve lots of heavily wooded areas covered in trees and dense shrubbery. Heading this was John Guleserian who also shot for About Time (2013) and more recently Candyman (2021). The only aspect that is obviously CGI is the bear itself. There’s just no good way of hiding it. However, there was that movie Grizzly (1976) where an actual bear was filmed. So it’s not like it wasn’t an option. Lastly the film score was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, who is a rather appropriate choice. Accounting for the fact that this film took place in the 1980s where Mothersbaugh got his fame, it makes sense. Much of the score consists of synthetic beats and tunes that give it a different sound while incorporating more organic orchestra when needed. Mothersbaugh has proven his skill with other scores to films like The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000), Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), Hotel Transylvania (2012) and The Lego Movie (2014).

In terms of incidents it’s not so farfetched like something the sci-fi channel would produce and it has better production value. The bear is obviously fake and the main characters are a bit unappealing. However, there is some fun to be had in the carnage, musical score, cinematography and the supporting characters.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Totally Spies! The Film (2009) Review:

Animation has two big market hubs; which are the United States and Japan. The sheer volume of animated projects that have come out are numerous and have been dubbed all around the world. On the other hand, they are not the only regions to produce animation. They just happen to produce the most popular properties to be distributed. For children’s animation there was moment in the early 2000s where French productions had made a splash and that was with the Totally Spies! TV show. Taking a modern spin on what seems like Charlies’ Angels, James Bond and making the main characters high school students became quite successful over in North America. The show would have five seasons until a film was greenlit for the franchise. That’s pretty good considering 

The plot to the feature film is an origin story to how everyday high schoolers Clover (Andrea Baker), Sam (Jennifer Hale) and Alex (Katie Griffin) end up joining WOOHP (World Organization of Human Protection) under the coercion of boss Jerry (Adrian Truss). Apparently he’s had his eyes on the ladies for some time making sure they were made of spy material. Once brought on board they are to figure out what is happening to various well known people being snatched up and disappearing. Before that their last known appearance was getting a trendy hairstyle once worn by Fabu (Joris Jarsky), a famous model. At the same time, the three high schoolers have to manage their normal lives after moving to Beverley Hills High and being bullied by Mandy. It seems like a lot for these heroines to take on, but for those following the show, everyone will know they’ll handle it.

Written by Michelle and Robert Lamoreaux who worked on the TV show, it’s no surprise that the movie more or less feels like an extended episode or three-part pilot episode put together in one. In terms of story, it’s really doesn’t break away from the standard structure that has been used in the show. This is good, but perhaps the one thing the writers missed out on was actually giving the three main characters a little more internal struggle at the beginning. Essentially how these three meet are joining forces by happenstance. And it was by luck that all three females ended up getting along really well and were able to make each other’s quirks fit the strengths of their team efforts. It’s true that sometimes people just click instantly but the film establishes this very quickly almost to the point where it feels rushed. It would have been interesting to see if they initially needed to get used to each other’s personalities before developing the dynamic fans know them for.

Direction was headed by Pascal Jardin in his first theatrical credit although he did direct episodes of Redwall. Co-directing was Seok-hoon Lee which this seems to be their first English film too. Much of their credits are in the Korean market. In terms of acting the voice cast continue to give the same kind of enthusiastic performances they give in the show. Andrea Baker, Katie Griffin and Jennifer Hale all have great chemistry with each other and their line deliveries along with Adrian Truss. Their characters have been well established at this point since the show but even for those just being introduced, should enjoy the characters’ charms too. Truss has voiced characters in Rolie Polie Olie, Griffin has played voices in the Totaldrama series, and Hale has had many roles in video games like Mass Effect.

For visuals the animation looked like it had a better budget than its TV counterpart. There’s more detail to the backgrounds and characters which makes them look sharper. It would seem the production took place either fully or partly in Korea with the co-director and Eddie Mehong as the animation supervisor and Wang Yup Kim serving as the animation co-director. Lastly the musical score was composed by Maxime Barzel and Paul-Étienne Côté as their first theatrical credit. For what is heard, the music sounds okay but very stock. There is actually an album release but this time, it’s an EU exclusive. Like all of Pokemon’s Japan albums. It seems to work for the scenes put on screen but there isn’t anything really unique about it. The TV show theme doesn’t even pop up anywhere in the run time which is rather disappointing. Oh well.

As an origin story to the three spy girls, it is a fun introduction to the well-known TV show. The actors all remain consistent, the animation looks good along with the action and comedy. Just don’t expect any real strong initial development between the main cast or any compelling music.

Points Earnned --> 7:10

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Don Juan DeMarco (1994) Review:

Romanticism is a genre of many stories. Some of which are just fairy tales and are by no means close to real. There are others which happen to be based on true events or happen to be exactly the story itself. Of course then there are others where the story is so muddled in its history, it becomes more of a myth; blurring the lines between what is truth and what isn’t. The legend of Don Juan seems to be one of those stories in that undetermined area. Complimenting that is this film which sort of does the same thing in its narrative. And who could best fit that role, none other than rising star at the time Johnny Depp. After coming off several successes in the early 1990s like Edward Scissorhands (1990), Arizona Dream (1993) and Benny & Joon (1993), it’s really no surprise he was awarded the character of focus here.

Written and directed by Jeremy Leven who would later pen the screenplay to Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook (2004), the story is about a mysterious man who goes by the name of Don Juan DeMarco (Johnny Depp) who legitimately goes around wooing and sleeping with any woman that falls for him. He dresses with clothes that represent the mid 1800s, he speaks with a Spanish accent and yet it is current day. After making love to the last woman he feels he can, he prepares to take his own life, only to be talked out of it by Dr. Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando). Being pressured by his boss Dr. Paul Showalter (Bob Dishy) to put the man in the psycho ward, Mickler asks that he try to see what can do to prove the eccentric man is not indeed crazy.

For most of the time, it involves Depp’s character explaining to Dr. Mickler his story and how he came to be. How he originally only had one love Doña Julia (Talisa Soto) who of which her father forbade him from seeing. To later discovering he had a talent for swooning women very easily but wanted only one woman and her name was Doña Ana (Géraldine Pailhas). Despite much of the narration being between the two, the characters’ charms rub off on others. As Dr. Mickler spends time with Don Juan, he begins treating his wife Marilyn (Faye Dunaway) differently. It’s interesting to see how that plays out among others, which lends to some of the light comedic aspects to the movie. Perhaps the one thing that doesn’t feel completely concrete is the story being told to the audience.

It’s funny because essentially, the movie is treating the plot as a mystery just like the myth of the original Don Juan. At the same time, provide some closure. It’s not really clear if this movie does that. The film also contains a number of other actors fans would recognize like Rachel Ticotin from Total Recall (1990), Talisa Soto from (Mortal Kombat), Richard C. Sarafian from Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Carmen Argenziano from Unlawful Entry (1992), Tom Lister Jr. from Universal Soldier (1992) and even the late popular Latin singer Selena has a cameo appearance. All of which each cast member gives a welcome performance that is just as credible as the next. It’s truly amazing just how many faces appear in this particular feature that viewers can pick out among the crowd.

Cinematography shot by Ralf D. Bode was okay, but not anything worth noting. It was standard for the film but did not come across as different or really inventive. This is probably perhaps due to the film itself not being an energetic production, requiring crazy camera skills. Surprisingly though, Bode isn’t some nobody. He also shot for Saturday Night Fever (1977). As for music, the film score was composed by Michael Kamen. For the rough 40 minutes of the available album, Kamen uses a recurring motif for the story which is now best known in Bryan Adams “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”. It’s interesting because some viewers may not know that this is where the song originated from. Not that it was something Adams just made up on his own and the film ended up using it because it matched.

Even though the story itself remains sort of mysterious like the character of focus and the cinematography is just standard, the story is still fun to watch play out. The characters are likable, there’s a slew of other actors and the music is enjoyable to listen to.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Selena (1997) Review:

There are times in this world where life happens fast. Mostly these moments occur with people who are in the entertainment business. They may start off slow and feel unrecognized, but usually their popularity rockets out of the sky with so much acceleration, it not only surprises the fans but also the person of focus as well. This happens especially when it is a hidden gem of talent. For the case of Abraham Quintanilla, he would not realize this until much later when he creates a family of his own. Of his family, the surprise star that would rise from his effort would be his daughter Selena. A woman who would go on to become a wildly popular singer in much of the Latino community and later in the United States.

The film here is about Selena and how the dream of her father ended up being channeled into her. Written and directed by Gregory Nava who also wrote and directed My Family (1995) and would later write in Frida (2002), heads this production. Originally, Selena’s father Abraham (Edward James Olmos) was a musician himself and wanted to become famous. During the time he grew up though where most immigrants were not as marketable as the mainstream, he struggled. Years later he would have a family of his own and try to restart his passion of music through his family. Only to discover his daughter Selena (Jennifer Lopez) had quite the vocal chords. Because of this he pushed her more and more to the front for exposure. And before anyone realized, she was not only getting many people’s attention but it was all for the reasons Abraham had wanted.

What Nava accomplished in his script is important for any viewer while watching this film. Not only does the screenplay highlight why Selena became such a powerhouse in her genre of music, but also the struggles she and her family endured among both American and Latin communities. Despite them sharing each background, they were scrutinized equally. If anything, this helps put into perspective how immigrants feel when faced against adversity from either side they belong to. It can be eye opening and for those needing a reminder, it is just as factual. The narrative also covers how the family dynamic changed over time as Selena became more and more popular. For example, the roles different people took on. Or how Selena found love among one of her band mates Chris Perez (Jon Seda) and the risks that she took in order to be with him.

Of course one cannot also enjoy this film without acknowledging the fact that this movie is what brought Jennifer Lopez to the forefront. Prior to this she had roles in movies like Money Train (1995) and Jack (1996). There’s also appearances from Jackie Guerra, Constance Marie and Jacob Vargas all playing the parts of Selena’s family. There’s also Lupe Ontiveros playing one of background members of the traveling group. Any other actor featured within the running time along with everyone else performs well and it feels believable. As much as people may rag on Jennifer Lopez for not being an actress completely and is more known for her singing career, she can do both. Possibly the most convincing in their performance was Edward James Olmos as the father, since Selena’s success stemmed from him.

For cinematography, Edward Lachman handled the camera for this production. The sets used through the film are to best show the spots at which Selena performed and how they impacted her career. Lachman has credits going all the way back to the 1970s and has remained with a lot of music related films like The Lords of Flatbush (1974), New Order’s Confusion music video and Madonna Into the Groove music video. For the music, the film mixes a lot of the songs Selena had sung to along with having its own score composed by David Grusin. No doubt fans will enjoy Selena’s music whether they’re familiar with either her English or Spanish songs. As for Grusin, the score uses piano in much of its tracks which are quite gentle to the touch. Grusin has also composed for Tootsie (1982), The Goonies (1985) and Tequila Sunrise (1988). The music works well along with Selena’s songs.

This biopic is a respectable representation of Selena as a singer and a person, especially since her family was made sure the story stayed true to their daughter. The acting is good, the story brings to light thoughts that some may not be aware of and the music entertains for any viewer.

Points Earned --> 10:10

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Safe Haven (2013) Review:

Relationships between people are always a constant experience of development and attention to detail. It requires two people to make the relationship happen and actively work at maintaining the strong bond. Unfortunately, not all relationships end well. Whether it is due to a lack effort from both or one side, simple ignorance to what’s causing friction or worse, destructive behavior. Most however do find their partner that will do what they can to be the best version of themselves, for themselves and their partner. No couple should take each other for granted but make the most of their time together as time is not exact in life. One never knows what could happen in the coming future. This is one of the main points made in this film adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Written by Dana Stevens (City of Angels (1998) and later Fatherhood (2021)), and Gage Lansky in their only credit, took Sparks’ novel and made into a watchable romance film with some typical clichés. The story is about Alex (Josh Duhamel), a widower with two kids Lexi (Mimi Kirkland) and Josh (Noah Lomax) who are living life as best they can. Things are going as normal when a random woman Katie (Julianne Hough) enters the frame. Things start picking up as Katie begins involving herself with Alex’s family. However, Katie isn’t disclosing much about her past. Meanwhile, detective Tierney (David Lyons) is trying to get a hold of Katie. The film was directed by Lasse Hallström, who in his early days directed a lot of ABBA music videos. But he also directed another Nicholas Sparks film called Dear John (2010).

Overall the writing suffices in its narrative. Over time audiences will begin to understand exactly what it is that Katie is trying to keep from resurfacing but like most things, it comes back to bite them. As for Alex, it’s understandable what someone like him would be going through to an extent. Being a one parent family is not easy even though there will always been existing units. However, the story doesn’t go much into what could help Alex grow. Katie arbitrarily does this for plot reasons. Both main characters and the children characters are likeable in their own way but much of what has been seen in other romance films is repeated here too. It’s cliché but not unwatchable thanks to the acting. One thing that doesn’t make sense though is the conflict of interest a certain character is a part of.

When this is revealed it begs the question how the situation even happened the way it did. The other aspect to the film that may come across cliché or perhaps even in the wrong genre is the injection of some spiritualistic themes. Some may even take it as faith based which typically does not resonate with many viewers. If viewers can let these callouts slide, then it may be more entertaining for some than others. Aside from this movie, Julianne Hough is probably best known from Footloose (2011) and Rock of Ages (2012). She still acts but it doesn’t seem as prominently. Josh Duhamel is best known from Michael Bay’s Transformers (2007) series. David Lyons is a more of a TV actor. Mimi Kirkland would later play Rachel in the Walking Dead series and Noah Lomax had a role in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015).

There’s even appearances from Red West playing Alex’s uncle and Cobie Smulders, playing Katie’s new neighbor. Smulders is also known for playing Agent Maria Hill from Marvel’s movie lineup. The cinematography was decently shot. Handled by Terry Stacey, the shots taking in the sandy coast of the Carolina’s is a nice view. Really not much of any one scene has CGI in it so there’s not much to mention there. Stacey also worked on Dear John (2010). Lastly, composing the score was Deborah Lurie. Throughout the film score, Lurie creates a theme for Alex and Katie, incorporating southern instruments with piano mixed in. There is an album available as well which is nice. Lurie also composed for 9 (2009), Dear John (2010) and Footloose (2011). Lots of overlap.

This is by no means a standout film of excellence. There is one big plot hole in the story and in can feel a bit generic. But the actors have good chemistry and the overall message is an important takeaway along with good camerawork and music.

Points Earned -->6:10

Monday, November 7, 2022

Innocent Steps (2005) Review:

Unless one truly is a well-rounded person or likes all kinds of film genres, some may not be aware that movies involving dance is actually a thing. Although if anyone has seen a musical, play or live performance one could easily realize this. There are however stories that revolve around dance but do not involve the actors or characters breaking out into song either. No matter what though, dance is an undeclared love language in some cultures because it truly can bring people together. Now to those even more unfamiliar to the international market, dance can obviously cross over into other countries. South Korea is no different. For every Step Up (2006), there will be other movies that are in the same genre. Of course the film would have its own cultural twist on it though.

The story is about Na Young-sae (Keon-hyeong Park), a renowned dancer and teacher who almost made it to the finals if he wasn’t sabotaged by his opponent Jung Hyun-soo (Chang Yun) at the last moment. This ended up leaving Young-sae with a bum leg and out of commission. Trying to help, his manager Ma Sang-doo (Park Won-Sang) finds Jang Chae-rin (Moon Geun-young) a Korean raised in China. However, it turns out she does not know how to dance and it’s up to Young-sae to teach her for them to both make the rematch against his rival. Written by Gye-ok and Young-hoon Park, the narrative is a wholesome one about redemption and learning from failure with the support from others. Gye-ok Park has had experience working in Korean film before and Young-hoon Park who also directed this feature has also worked in other films with stars like Lee Byung-hun.

Overall the writing is decent. It contains a blend of romance, drama and even small amounts of comedic moments from the main cast and even side characters. Moon Geun-young who rose to fame after My Little Bride (2004) a year before still has her youthful characteristics here. Her character is more mature though and displays those moments accurately. Keon-hyeong Park shows how troubled his character is after his fall from grace and then being paired up with someone with less experience than him. Together both show likeable chemistry and have their tender moments. Park Won-Sang as Young-sae’s manager performs fine. The character itself though is a bit abusive. One would almost think the same for Chang Yun as Jung Hyun-soo although it is never shown. Yun as Hyun-soo plays quite a confident character and will stop at nothing to succeed.

The part of the writing that is less clear are some of the questionable decisions various side characters make. Perhaps this goes back to Korean culture during the 2000s? Not sure but some of it is weird in the sense that it would be seen as uncalled for. That or the fact that after some individuals’ action to another, the two still remain friendly. It’s a little bizarre considering how out of hand some situations become. Since this is a film involving dance, this component can’t be left out. The choreography for the dancing sequences are well executed and performed by the actors. When it comes to nailing down moves and rhythm, one must imagine how much practice that takes to get it right. Pretty much nothing to point out as a flaw there.

For cinematography, the camerawork was handled by Jong-yun Kim. For what the film shows, the scenes are well lit and capture the right actions to be seen. What’s interesting is seeing how Young-sae began in his apartment, only to see how Chae-rin brings his world to life in several ways. One aspect maybe that could’ve been done better was the CGI which is minimally used to begin with. As for the music in the film, Man-sik Choi composed the score which there does seem to be an album available. For whatever’s heard, the score does bring out the right emotions for the scenes filmed. Much of the instruments heard among the tracks are performed on piano The one song though that seems to be popular is “1000 Years” by Kang Eunsu, which was the main song for the two main characters. It is memorable in its own way.

The simple digital elements to the feature along with some out of touch character decisions are just small flaws within this dance romance film. The actors are likeable, the music is easy listening and the dancing is mesmerizing.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Friday, October 21, 2022

TaeGukgi (2004) Review:

War time dramas are typically not easy topics to cover, especially for those who have family members involved or people who were directly apart of the setting. Looking back on it through the lens of today works, but only to an extent. To many in the United States, the Korean War was something not really spoken of. It was never seen as a victory really nor was it seen as a total loss. For South Korea though it remains one of the most pivotal moments in its history. With that noted, long since then films have been made about this moment in time. Some documentaries, while other dramatizations of characters within that time period. To clarify there’s nothing wrong with making stories that are in this kind of setting, but it does feel off when the story isn’t based on any actual event.

The plot to this film is about two brothers, Jin-tae Lee (Jang Dong-Gun) and Jin-seok Lee (Won Bin) who are as close as brothers can get. They are living their lives until North Korea invades the South. Now things are changing and the military has drafted Jin-seok. Fearing he will lose his brother to the carnage of war Jin-tae follows suit and joins as well to protect his brother at all costs and send him back home to the family with Mother Lee (Yeong-ran Lee) and Young-shin Kim (Eun-ju Lee). However, as time progresses, the war begins to affect the two brothers differently. The script was written by Sang-don Kim, Han Ji-hoon and Je-kyu Kang. Kang directed the picture too. According to many, this film is highly regarded and thought to be one of the best films that take place during the Korean war.

As mentioned before though, dramatization around the setting is fine provided it makes sense to the history. Here though, there doesn’t seem to be any “true story” based on the events that take place in this narrative. Sure, the Korean War happened no questions asked. But there doesn’t seem to be record of a soldier under the name Jin-tae Lee who made his way through the ranks. If the soldier was that brave and memorable, it would have been all the more interesting that the film was based on a “true story” or “true events”. However, the writers seemed to have crafted this story on their own. Credit to them for making such a captivating story surrounding actual events. But it still is weird that the actual characters didn’t exist, at least so it seems.

Aside from the historical inaccuracies the story about the characters is worth the watch anyway. It is because of the brothers’ change in perspective on war that helps give the audience new takeaways from such moments in life without having to experience it like soldiers in the army have thankfully. It should also give many viewers an appreciation for their fellow infantryman who put their lives on the line from then and now. As much as films love to indulge in glorifying war and the people involved, it really is something no one should ever have to experience. And yet, humans are flawed enough where it’ll happen anyway. There are several moments where viewers will get emotional or tear up due to just the sad nature of the inevitable dread that comes with war and its consequences.

The visuals were well on point with the film. Hong Kyung-pyo was credited as the cinematographer. The film throughout has large of enough shots to show the audience the scope of the war and the toll it takes on the characters. Kyung-pyo is able to show the realism of war as well, it is not pretty. Kyung-pyo would also shoot for Parasite (2019). The only part that doesn’t work are the close up fight scenes which involve shaky camera. It’s understood that the idea is to disorient the viewer because that’s essentially how the scene would feel in first person, but it does get annoying at times. Lastly the film score composed by Dong-jun Lee was impressive. Containing full orchestra along with a male choir really helps give the film a heroic feel. The soundtrack also exists and is a great listen.

There are many positives to this film. It’s production, components and cast all make the viewing experience worth the watch. It has all the characteristics of a good war film. The only downside is that the character story doesn’t seem to be based on anything historically other than the war setting.

Points Earned --> 7:10

My Little Bride (2004) Review:

Among the big movie studios known around the world, Hollywood and Bollywood are probably the most out there. Japan is mostly known for their anime films, and anyone else is pretty much beneath that. However, in the recent decade, Korea entertainment has become more of a mainstream offshoot. K-pop was a big aspect but now their films have begun making an impact as well. An example of this was Parasite (2019). Looking back though on some older films from this country, perhaps there might be a reason why it took a while. While arranged marriages are not unheard of, they are very much not the usual western way of conducting things. Unless it is one’s religion, believes in the concept and the other side is also in on it, then that’s fine. But forcing something between two who do not feel a connection is where it gets questionable.

The premise to this story is about two families where the grandfathers agreed their children, which ended up being grandchildren, would wed before they passed away. The catch is, Park Sang-min (Rae-won Kim) is an adult while his bride Seo Bo-eun (Moon Geun-young) is only fifteen. According to the movie, as long as both families agree, it is legal. Forget that part and the whole being forced idea. The idea of a minor being married to an adult is definitely a no-no in most of modern society. It’s just not done or proposed, let alone thought of. Perhaps the writing is accurate either to the time of the film or for Korean culture in general, but the concept is likely why this hasn’t had any kind of resurgence in popularity. Directing this feature is Ho-joon Kim in their first theatrical film credit. The writer is Sun-il Yu in their only writing credit. Wondering if that’s again because of the premise.

Despite the idea for the film, the writing does address the whole idea in itself. This is good because it’s by no means glorifying the situation in any way. Bo-eun and Sang-min are both childhood friends but never saw each other as a couple. Again rightfully so due to the age difference, but in order to fulfill an aging family members request, they do so reluctantly. Of course this is where various scenarios and hijinx ensue where events are made fun of, misinterpreted or hijacked. One example of this is that Sang-min is assigned as the new art teacher in Bo-eun’s school. Meanwhile, one of the faculty develops a crush on him that wasn’t wanted named Ms. Kim (Sun-yeong Ahn). All these moments are cheesy and can produce a chuckle but they don’t cause hysterical laughter. However, this does not mean the story execution doesn’t have its moments.

The actors and their chemistry works to the advantage of the viewing experience. Both Moon Geun-young and Rae-won Kim give their own personalities and flaws to the characters that make them unique. Sang-man may be older but he still acts juvenile at times but does his best to be supportive as possible. Meanwhile Bo-eun very much is a young school girl trying to fit in and find her place. She also has the attitude when its needed at times, along with a very expressive face of disgust. As time progresses though, viewers will see these characters change and discover things about themselves they didn’t realize. Rae-won Kim has continued to act in movies since as well as Moon Geun-young. Although for those unfamiliar with Korean films, this may not mean as much.

The technical aspects to the film are fine. Since this is not some big budget action film that’s highly reliant on digital and practical effects, there’s not as much to find unrealistic. The camerawork was handled by Jeong-min Seo who worked on films going all the way back to 1959. Quite a history there; in fact, this movie was their second to last to be credited. From what is shown the shots are fine and have a standard display to them that is competent looking. The film score was interesting to hear, composed by Sun-shik and Man-Sik Choi. Together they produce music that does hit its mark when needed and other places stands out for incorporating not only the usual orchestra but also singular instruments. Even whistles which are normally not done or recommended. Yet for this film, it adds to the charm and lightheartedness that is the story. There’s even a soundtrack available.

The idea may make viewers initially cringe at the thought but after watching, it is a respectable effort. The comedy bits are not as strong as they could be, but the more sentimental moments are poignant enough thanks to the actors and their chemistry. Cinematography is handled well and the music supports the experience with its different sound.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Sunday, September 4, 2022

The Lucky One (2012) Review:

Nicholas Sparks is an author who most romantics would see as the person behind the inspiration of several films that were released between the early 2000s and mid 2010s. If there was a popular love story that was remembered the most during a certain year, it was likely based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. The one movie that people would likely remember the most is The Notebook (2004). A recurring theme that Sparks tends to throw into his stories are about fate and how what seems like coincidence turns into something deeper. This is sort of a neutral way of approaching love stories where the film crew doesn’t want to involve anything with religious undertones. In reality though, there’s a belief somewhere among the characters even if it is not explicitly mentioned.

Directed by Scott Hicks, the same person who helmed No Reservations (2007) and with a screenplay adaptation from Will Fetters. The story is about marine Logan Thibolt (Zac Efron) who finished his last tour in middle east. His new goal is to find the woman in the picture he found on the battlefield who kept him safe all those moments while in combat. The woman in the picture is Beth Green (Taylor Schilling), a wife who lost her brother in the same war Logan was in. Her separated ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) wants custody over their child Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart) and makes family life difficult. Meanwhile, Beth is supported by her mother Ellie (Blythe Danner) who helps with the family business. Once Logan arrives though is when things get complicated and this is kind of expected. Since it is a love story, there’s always going to be someone who thinks the pairing of two people shouldn’t happen.

There are a number of positives though. The performances from all actors are done with nothing sounding questionable. The main characters are likeable and can be relatable for their circumstances. Even some of the supporting characters get development which isn’t something that gets focused on very often. There were plenty of areas where the story had a near miss and fell into predictable territory but it actually had some moments that were unexpected. The premise though really doesn’t make it sound completely original though. It just comes across too cliché for the main plot until it finally digs its heels into the group some. The other issue is part of the lead belonging to Logan. He’s mostly displayed as a guy with no flaws. Yes, because he’s from the marines he has his moments war flashbacks which can be problematic.

However, from all other perspectives he’s given a squeaky clean image. A lead can be likeable and still have major flaws. This was also several films into Efron’s career after Disney’s High School Musical franchise ended. So of course, he’s shedding the young boy image. Taylor Schilling had some movies before this but would get just a much attention the same year as this movie as Argo (2012) came out too. Blythe Danner who was a seasoned actress at this point had many roles prior as well as, like being in Futureworld (1976). Riley Thomas Stewart as Ben had experience too prior to the film, showing up in various TV shows. Jay R. Ferguson as Beth’s husband fits the character he was cast for almost too perfectly. Having a square jawline and the southern drawl makes it almost too easy to see where his role is in the film.

For camerawork, the director of photography was Alar Kivilo. Since much of the setting takes place in the south, plenty of wide open farmland is captured along with occasional swamps and internal house shots. Everything seems set up competently and that even includes the brief scenes in middle east. Kivilo also worked on Hart’s War (2002) and The Blind Side (2009). As for the film score, Mark Isham was the composer to this production. Unfortunately, it seems there wasn’t an official album release for this work but there should be. Even though this is not a franchise, Isham created a main theme for the story which appears throughout the film using piano. These kinds of traits are important as it gives the experience more of an identity the audience can remember it for. There only seems to be a soundtrack which features the songs used within the film.

The setup to the story feels generic as it sounds all too coincidental. To audiences’ surprise though the execution is not as predictable as one might think. The acting is well done, as it the music, camerawork and even the development of supporting characters.

Points Earned -->7:10

Friday, August 12, 2022

Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018) Review:

It’s probably safe to say with the long history of the Pokémon franchise, none of the returning or diehard fans should be expecting newcomers. The TV series has many seasons and to boot, many movies in between. Any convert would have to start from the very beginning and work their way through all of that just to reach this point. On the other hand, if that is the drive, then fans should be happy that another film in the list of entries remains to have standout qualities for its viewing experience. Know that there are still some aspects that still make it the typical entry for this franchise, but it’s not as average as some of the other previous films. At this point it seems like the films are no longer sticking to the TV show timeline which is okay since the movies never seemed to play into the TV show anyway.

This entry drops the audience into Ash Ketchum’s world with no indication of time or place, other than around the same time as the shows latest season. Along with him are several other characters that end up weaving their way into the story line which in time cross paths with Ash. Unbelievably, the writer director duo attached to this project is not Kunihiko Yuyama or Hideki Sonoda. This time, it’s Tetsuo Yajima directing and Eiji Umehara writing the screenplay. Umehara has other credits to their name but nothing Pokémon related. However, Yajima does go all the way back to season one, so it’s nice to know the director has experience with the franchise. The key part of the story and direction that make this film another strong entry is the focus of the plot.

Unlike other films which revolved around a legendary Pokémon and how capturing, controlling or destroying them would disturb the balance of nature or something like that. This time it focuses more on the human characters and the development of their arcs. Since this story has nothing to do with the show now, Team Rocket, Ash and Pikachu are the only main cast to return. Risa (Haven Paschall) is a new trainer who has yet to discover how important the connection is between Pokémon and trainer. Toren (Eddy Lee) is a timid researcher who hopes to be able to speak for himself one day for his love of Pokémon. Harriet (Kathryn Cahill) is an elderly citizen who hasn’t learned how to love Pokémon again. Callahan (Billy Bob Thompson) is a lying uncle to his niece Kellie (Laurie Hymes) who doesn’t know he lies. Then there’s Mayor Oliver (Marc Thompson) and his daughter Margo (Erica Schroeder) who’s hiding a secret from him.

The secret is a legendary Pokémon that no one else knows about. This is one of the couple pitfalls to the movie. No matter what, it seems like no movie can stay clear of directly being about a legendary Pokémon. The good thing is again, the main focus is on the human characters and their development. Of course even with some of these characters are tropes that viewers could anticipate what’ll happen part way through the story because how obvious it is. The voice acting is also obvious but in a good way. None of the performances heard within the viewing experience sounded wrong, off or read poorly. Much of the cast are voice actors who have taken part in the franchise many times before. Additionally, it would be noticeable if they didn’t sound invested in the project.

Visually speaking, the animation is another great part of the viewing experience. The colors and character expressions are as vibrant as ever. There’s also fairly good CGI work thrown in as well. What this has to do with cinematography again though goes unknown. This time handled by Kenji Takahashi and Ryou Kujirai. As for film scores, Shinji Miyazaki returns once more as the composer to the project. Also again there is no domestic release for the album but it does contain an hour of tracks to listen to. At this point it would be more of a surprise if it was released domestically only. However, that won’t happen considering the country of origin of the franchise. The music sounds good as usual and has its moments memorable tunes.

Showing that films related to the franchise can be entertaining, the viewing experience this time focuses on the human characters. As usual it includes the annoying character familiarities and legendary Pokémon, but also completely new characters, great animation, and consistently pleasant music.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Sunday, July 17, 2022

The Vow (2012) Review:

If there’s something that usually inexperienced partners in a relationship cannot retain, it’s keeping promises. Admittedly promises are not always the easiest to commit to if a partner overextends themselves or doesn’t realize how critical it is to the health of the relationship. If both understand what they’re signing up for then there’s a chance of success. However, what if only one remembers that commitment? This is what this movie is loosely based on coming from Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. Despite the couples’ religion being left out of the final film, the financial performance was still quite well received. To some, the premise to this story feels like it’s coming from novelist Nicholas Sparks, but surprisingly, he had no involvement with this production. Even with that fact, people who liked those films should also have an easy time enjoying this movie too.

The origin coming from Stuart Sender, with the screenplay written by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, (He's Just Not That Into You (2009)), Jason Katims (The Pallbearer (1996)) and directed by Michael Sucsy in his first theatrical film headed this production. The story is about a couple Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) who end up in a near fatal car accident that leaves Paige with almost complete memory loss after recovering. This leads her to not remembering that she was married to Leo and where their life was at the time the accident occurred. Meanwhile, Paige’s parents Rita (Jessica Lange) and Bill (Sam Neil) want her to return home so she can start over. Similarly, Leo wants Paige to return home with him so he can get literally get his wife life back.

For a premise, it doesn’t sound like something recently done before, although it has likely been in a film prior. The concept is unique and can attract many couples’ interests since it is a love story of sorts. Of course though, the film execution is where it falters in various places. One issue being unrealistic scenes; like when Paige and Leo meet up for the first time. There could likely be crazier or coincidental stories by nature but the way it happens feels like no one would ever consider such an incident occurring. Either because it would be too creepy or just that very few people are ever that infatuated upon initially meeting each other. The other part of the script that isn’t really well put together are the supporting characters. Much of them just come off as the cliché character most viewers know where they stand and their role in the story is.

Even though these weak points in the film are bit obvious in nature, there are other parts of the script that are elaborated on to support the audience. For example, it is explained why Paige can remember parts of her life before the accident but not after. That’s important because if missed by the audience, it won’t make sense later on the film. The acting can’t be discredited. Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams are both great leads and have the chemistry to carry the story. Both of their characters are also quite likable considering they are the protagonists viewers want to see win in the end. Other performances also work coming from veteran actors like Jessica Lange and Sam Neil, both of who have participated in films for several decades. There are also appearances from Jessica McNamee, Wendy Crewson, Lucas Bryant and Scott Speedman playing an ex of Paige.

The cinematography by Rogier Stoffers was a commendable attribute to the viewing experience. Stoffers was also credit in his work for John Q. (2002), School of Rock (2003) and Disturbia (2007). For what’s depicted, Stoffers shots are well lit and share with the audience the important parts of the scenes that need to be shown. For the film score, the music was created by Rachel Portman and Michael Brook, both who are not as well-known as other composers but do have several credits to their names like Home Fries (1998), Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) and The Fighter (2010). The tracks heard throughout the film invoke the right emotions in the right scenes. Much of the cues revolve around small guitar strokes or piano keys to invoke that warm intimate romance feeling.

Hallmark channel tropes may feel a bit forced in this story but it is still a decent effort coming from the whole crew. Acting, music and cinematography are all done well. It’s a nice little romantic film reminding viewers how important promises are during rough times.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You (2017) Review:

There really hasn’t been much variation to the slew of Pokémon films released since the first few trilogies. After some time, narrations become familiar and repetitive. This leads to the law diminishing returns and lack luster praise from fans who crave a fresh new change. Believe it or not fans did get that, first in the twentieth season of the anime. The biggest noticeable difference was the animation style. While the anime’s look has changed over the years, much of it remained similar to how it began. Now though the designs were childlike and even more expressive than before. However, that wasn’t the case for the next film to roll out. For one, the year of this film’s release also marked the twentieth anniversary of the anime’s beginning.  Rightfully so, it seems the film crew behind this production made sure to make this entry stand out from the recent films that came out.

What really shakes up the way this entry plays out is that it no longer follows the current anime and is instead a retelling of the first several episodes of season one. To some this may seem a bit blasphemous, but what helps is seeing this as an alternate continuity, not as a part of the original anime. Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Shôji Yonemura, viewers are introduced to Ash just starting his journey with Pikachu with the classic setup. Once he and Pikachu become best of friends they witness the Legendary Ho-Oh and catch a feather from the mythical creature. Along his travels he meets other trainers Sorrel (David Oliver Nelson) and Verity (Suzy Myers Jackson), learning and growing together about Ho-Oh and the stories surrounding it. The story itself actually focuses on why Ash receives the feather from Ho-Oh and the significance behind it. It’s a moment that has never been touched on in the anime other than being mentioned from time to time.

It is definitely thought out in a better way than Pokémon the Movie 2000 (1999) with the whole chosen one storyline feeling forced or random. What also makes this entry better than several before it are the numerous references shown in the film. Some of these nods are to parts of the season one anime, while others are spread out among later eras that aired in the past. It’s almost like someone was watching very carefully at each film from before and took note of what resonated most with fans. There they then insisted those elements would be included in various aspects of the movie. Shôji Yonemura is no newcomer to the franchise as they’ve been involved since very early on in the anime. The only thing in the writing that will show viewers not everything has changed, is one usual trope this franchise is notorious for. There are emotional moments that come up, but they are short lived.

The voice acting though is still as good as its been. While people wanted Veronica Taylor to reprise her role as Ash, many have become accustomed to Sarah Natochenny as Ash too and since this film takes place in an alternate timeline, it’s better Taylor did not come back. It would give fans false hope of further returns despite how much Taylor will always be the original Ash. David Oliver Nelson is good as Sorrel even though this remains to be their only voice acting credit. Suzy Myers Jackson though has worked with the anime before and works as Verity too. There’s also appearances from Billy Bob Thompson playing Cross, a selfish trainer and Mike Pollock as Bonji, a researcher who’s spent his life learning as much as he can from Ho-Oh. Of course there’s also the Team Rocket crew who are not as involved again like before, but do provide some comedy relief as expected at this point.

Visually as mentioned before the twentieth season of the anime experienced a change in character design. For this feature though the animation is closer to that of the seasons before it due to it being related to the anime’s twentieth anniversary. Cinematography is still a mystery with Aya Aoshima being credited for the work. As for music though, composing the score was Shinji Miyazaki with Ed Goldfarb attached for some reason even though an album release exists only in Japan. The music appears to be the most diverse sounding in its selection of orchestrations. There are number of different tracks that match the scenes depicted and are quite distinct in their sound. As an overall listening experience, the album is just over an hour long which is nice to see how much music there is to this entry.

Though it has not risen passed even the best in the franchise’s archive of films, it is one of the best in a long time. It may have the usual pitfall here and there, but the story focuses on an event that’s been given little attention throughout the entire anime run. References to other moments within the anime are fun recognizing too. Animation, music and voice acting are as credible as usual.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Ricochet (1991) Review:

When the name Russell Mulcahy is brought up for movies, fans will remember him for two well-known properties. The one fans will most fondly remember is Mulcahy’s first entry in movies, that being Highlander (1986). The other widely recognized character that Mulcahy made a movie on was in The Shadow (1994). Of course in between those was Mulcahy’s biggest blunder which was Highlander II: The Quickening (1991). That same year though Mulcahy also directed this movie featuring a different up and coming star. A young Denzel Washington was making his way through movies leaving a generally memorable impression on the characters he took on. At the time, the last big film that Washington got people’s attention in was Glory (1989). He wasn’t a lead, but his supporting role still played a very big part to the story.

The plot here is about Nick Styles (Denzel Washington), a cop who sky rockets to a high promotion after foiling the plans of Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow). Upon this moment, Blake makes it his mission to ruin the life Styles built for himself after he breaks out of prison. When he does, Styles is already the district attorney and has a wife Alice (Victoria Dillard) and kids. The original story was written by Menno Meyjes from The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Fred Dekker of House (1985) and Night of the Creeps (1986) fame. The screenplay was then adapted by Steven E. de Souza who wrote for Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987) and Die Hard (1988). Together, these individuals produce a very mindless action thriller. There is entertainment value to be had, it’s just not a story that is game changer in the genre.

A lot of what makes this viewing experience a fluff show are a few things. One thing is that there are moments that are meant to be lighthearted. The dialog just makes it sound like it’s trying to be a buddy cop movie. Even though Styles’ partner Larry (Kevin Pollak) isn’t the funniest if the laughter is relying on him alone. Some of the lines Blake says are also typical villain-esque, like “you’re fired”. There’s also the issue with proof blindly being disregarded by people that any sane person could have figured out. It’s like when there’s an obvious change to something that’s clear as day and yet no one can see that change. It looks stupid that anyone could fall for such an obvious callout. Then there’s just the unrealistic events that happen in various spots. Two guys sabre fight in the middle of jail mess hall. Okay…who gave the inmates the approval to do that? It’s things that take place such as this that question how much in the real world would this happen.

Apparently there is some valid connections to it though. Actress Mary Ellen Trainor plays a new reporter by the name of Gail Wallens. She also played that same character in Diehard (1988),…so a Diehard expanded universe? Strange; guess de Souza was kind of thinking for the long term? Aside from these flaws there are still good parts to the feature. All the actors provide what they can. Denzel Washington is still that likeable protagonist very few if anyone would want to see harmed. John Lithgow as Blake is a decent villain. He certainly can make his presence known and definitely shows no mercy for whoever he has in his sites. Lithgow would later play Lord Farquaad in Shrek (2001). There are appearances from other actors like Ice-T, Lindsay Wagner, John Amos, John Cothran, Lydell M. Cheshier, Sherman Howard also known as Bub from the original Day of the Dead (1985) and even Jessie Ventura.

The action and violence on scene is not abundant but when it’s there, the viewer won’t miss it. Some of it is actually pretty gruesome which is why it clashes with the comedy bits. It’s not a dark comedy. The camerawork fits well with in the picture though. Shot by Peter Levy who worked on A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) and Predator 2 (1990), the shots are correctly taken with no real issues. For the film score, Alan Silvestri took the job of composing the music. While the album for it contains only a third of the entire run time, the tracks work to the films credit. Several of the cues have similar sounds to that of prior works like Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). There are lots of horn blasts and timpani rumbles. Not the strongest composition but still a fun listen.

Premise wise the story is fine, but the details within it, tone of certain scenes and hyper violent action makes this more of a fluff piece. Maybe consider it Diehard (1988)-lite since it’s in the same universe? It has good acting, action, camerawork and music.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016) Review:

Pokémon is a franchise that continues to fascinate despite how repetitive the formulas have become for several films. Roughly after the first two trilogies, the writing was already starting to waiver on originality but it was the likable main characters, voice acting and music that kept it mostly tolerable. Now, with way over ten films the level of quality has remained at average. For the devoted casual viewer, it’s serviceable. To a diehard and unfamiliar viewer, it is likely to not impress from either side. Reason for this are the narratives not doing anything different or taking risks. Each story execution had roughly the same setups and outcomes, almost to the exact moment with minor variations. The last generation of black and white was not impressive from a storytelling perspective and the recent XY generation wasn’t improving much either. Surprisingly, this entry just managed to squeeze by.

Written by Atsuhiro Tomioka and adapted in English by James Carter Cathcart, the story is about Ash and company being drawn into the Azoth Kingdom, a steam punk esque mechanical city, only by happen stance. A legendary Pokémon named Volcanion (Mike Pollock) is trying to save a mechanical Pokémon named Magearna being taken by Prince Raleigh (Laurie Hymes). Alongside the prince is Alva (Billy Bob Thompson) who feels he can help bring the Kingdom to its rightful glory. Meanwhile Princess Kimia (Riley Joseph) feels her brother is mistaken. Direction is once again headed by Kunihiko Yuyama and that can also be said for the execution of the story. Let’s see, do we have a legendary Pokémon involved? Yes. Does the Pokémon speak English through telepathy? Yes. Are the antagonists attempting to do what past villains wanted to do with a special Pokémon? Yes. Why can’t anything different be done with the setup?

For once at least the main characters are dragged into a conflict as opposed to just walking into one, but that’s not a big change. Voice acting in general from the cast is fine. This is a standard that has been met consistently though for every entry, thankfully. The few additions like Laurie Hymes and Riley Joseph are both fine, despite Joseph having very few credits. Billy Bob Thompson as Alva works. He has what sounds like the right voice for the role. And for Mike Pollock who’s been with the franchise before is by far the more intriguing actor in the film. Even though the use of Telepathic Pokémon is just obnoxious now, Pollock’s role as Volcanion is not some cutesy eyed puff ball. Volcanion is like an old crotchety man who has no time for fun with a gruff deep voice. That’s a much better attention grabber than the others before it.

It was even more eyebrow raising to see that Team Rocket’s Jessie, James and Meowth were way more involved in this story, which hasn’t happened in quite a long time too. And of course because this entry is in the XY generation, mega evolution is prevalent but so is this new form called a “mega wave”. Also known as a mega evolving hack. Sure, all these minor changes are appreciated and it can keep the interest of the viewer. However, this is still not enough for this story to break the all too familiar rut it’s dug itself into. The plotline is very much the same from previous film entries and the reason why the antagonist is doing their evil deeds is the same as other villains before them. Because Pokémon contain a power far greater if used a certain way that unleashes life altering changes to the norms currently held by everyday normal people and Pokémon alike.

Again, visually there are no issues. The animation continues to work in the films favor. For those who love steam punk related themes, viewers should get a kick out of all the mechanical parts and gears flying around the kingdom of Azoth. Cinematography by Aya Aoshima is an unexplained and undetermined credit to the picture but okay sure. As for music the film score was again composed by Shinji Miyazaki and Ed Goldfarb respectively per their country of origin even though only one score exists. So weird. The music to this entry was also unique and different this time with what sounded like incorporated Harpsicord or calliope giving the setting a more medieval feel surrounding the mechanical kingdom. Too bad all the pluses are not enough to make it far better than it could have been.

At this rate, an entry with even small updates seems to be a nice change. That still doesn’t make it great though. While it continues to suffer from the same recycled storytelling and villains, the voice acting, animation and music make it okay to watch. Once.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) Review:

Many consider of all Batman iterations to be depicted on television that Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s version is the definitive one. The animated series which ran for three successful seasons, had a memorable film score, was quite mature for a kids’ cartoon and even had two special features; one theatrically released and the other released on home-video. But that wasn’t the end of the character’s universe. Superman the animated series was also running in parallel which further expanded the realm of the two characters’ worlds. So why stop there? Thus came Batman Beyond, now seen more as a favorite of a select set of fans than a complete success. However, it did reprise the role of the original Batman as a supporting role, which had much of the same traits as the original series. It’s also no surprise this series got a special feature too.

The plot to the story is exactly what the title suggests. After several years being gone, Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) learns that his infamous most difficult enemy, the Joker (Mark Hamill) has returned to Gotham. Except now Wayne is too old to subdue his nemesis and it’s up to Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) as his new protégé to defeat him once and for all. Written by Paul Dini, the script is well written with reflective character development between Wayne, his past, people he’s worked with and whom he works with now. It’s also a learning experience for McGinnis as he discovers more about himself and the kind of Batman he is versus his predecessor. And being that Dini had written for the original and new series, it makes sense he would continue the story. The direction was head by Curt Geda who has more experience as a storyboard artist but has also directed episodes for the same set of TV shows. Again, it makes sense he would be involved.

The only fault in the screenplay is the reason for Joker’s return. An explanation is given which is great because most of the time, reasons aren’t provided. However, once the reason is given it seems the audience must suspend their disbelief in order for it to make sense. It just seems so tacked on as the full justification for the character’s resurgence. That’s really it though when it comes to narrative execution. The voice acting was always on point with the show and maintains that consistency here in this special. Will Friedle who get his start in Boy Meets World and would also voice Ron Stoppable in Disney’s Kim Possible makes a great Terry McGinnis. The attitude is all there and dialog is witty, especially when conversing with Kevin Conroy’s elder surly Bruce Wayne. Rounding out the circle is when Mark Hamill enters the picture laughing the entire way as Joker. This is just another reason why fans feel this animated version of the character remains the best one out there.

Playing as supporting characters is Law & Order’s Angie Harmon as Barbara Gordon, Dean Stockwell as an older Tim Drake (Batman’s 2nd Robin), Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, Tara Strong and lastly Frank Welker. From a listing like that, it would be hard to see these credible voice actors not giving it their all in a feature like this with such iconic characters involved. The action sequences are entertaining too. Whether it be explosions or one on one physical combat, the scenes capture the energy and weight behind the movements being depicted on screen. Overseeing production was Shôjirô Nishimi as animation director and its likely safe to say this was a critical component as the colors and movements of the scenes are great to view.

Speaking of which the animation in general is well done. Koji Takeuchi served as the animation producer from TMS Entertainment which has handled other productions like Sherlock Hound and even Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Someone definitely needs to explain the purpose of four different cinematographers though for an animated film. It makes no sense, let alone one. Lastly the film score composed by Kristopher Carter was a great effort. Resembling much of the brash guitar based score from the TV show, this film score mixes much of that into its cues along some more organic orchestrations inbetween for more serious or somber moments. It’s not as striking as the original TV shows film score but it is a fun listen either way. Well worth the experience.

Even though the reason for Joker’s return feels a little last minute and cinematography goes unexplained, there’s not much wrong with this. It’s another solid animated Batman entry with good voice acting, music, animation and story in the Batman list of sagas.

Points Earned -->7:10

Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015) Review:

Rarely has Pokémon ventured into territory that is either unfamiliar or done anything super different in their formula for film entries. This base template was adequate for a while and had some variations to it along the way. Now though with more than ten films in, it has begun to feel very much the same and unoriginal. Having multiple entries lined up to be released after every season doesn’t seem to help with its freshness. Perhaps releasing a film after every region Ash and friends visit would have been a more reasonable approach. That way there would be more time in between films to develop a better story and make it worthwhile for the fans. Cranking out a film that is basically a copy of the last really does nobody a service. This one still falls in the same trap with some very small differences.

This entry finds Ash and company on their way to another random city, this being inspired from the look of Dubai. There they randomly encounter a new Pokémon by the name of Hoopa (Lori Phillips). Believe it or not, this Pokémon not only knows English but speaks it this time too, wow! Of course it still has the small big eyed cutesy look to it. Hoopa belongs to Baraz (Daniel J. Edwards) and Meray (Emily Woo Zeller) and are looking to restore Hoopa’s power by giving its unbound power back (Ryan William Downey). Currently Hoopa exists in its confined state due to lack of maturity and understanding. Surprisingly this entry is not handled by that usual duo always being mentioned. Yes, it is still directed by Kunihiko Yuyama but the script was written by Atsuhiro Tomioka in their first Pokémon movie credit. Maybe Hideki Sonoda finally took a needed break from doing that last several entries. Unfortunately, Tomioka only adds some new things to this entry.

The pluses to this film are the usual categories pointed out for several films before this one. Voice acting works just fine for this project. The main cast of actors all voice their characters like they should and emote properly when the scene calls for it. Even for the supporting characters, Daniel J. Edwards and Emily Woo Zeller have experience working on other animes. Of all the voices Ryan William Downey who plays the unbound version of Hoopa is pretty cool sounding, even though he has lesser credits to this name. Lori Phillips is also fine as the confined version of Hoopa although the Pokémon is very much a copy of Zorua; laughing and smirking thinking it’s clever. Actually it’s annoying, can’t something more unique be made with these focal point Pokémon’s personalities?! The character arc for Hoopa is okay to be clear, that at least isn’t the usual super power Pokémon in need of saving.

This doesn’t mean the rest of the writing works though. The continuity to this narrative doesn’t make sense. The reason why the title says “Clash of Ages” is due to it involving the many legendary Pokémon on screen. However, some of the legendaries called into question are ones that either should appear and don’t, ones that shouldn’t appear but do, and ones that look nothing like they’ve been depicted before. It’s very confusing because this is obviously supposed to take place as the latest point in time in Ash’s journey. Yet with these discrepancies, it’s very difficult to understand why things are the way they are. Then again, being that Ash and friends have done some time traveling in various stories, maybe that’s what’s causing these changes? It’s really not clear and doesn’t make sense why these loose ends can’t be tied up.

Visually though the animation is still very good looking. The 3D CGI images against the digital 2D animation blends well together with nothing that looks like an eyesore. Cinematography was handled by Tatsumi Yukiwaki who seems to be taking over this role for Hisao Shirai. Of course, the clarity of the role goes unknown. Music on the other hand was another interesting listening experience provided once again by Shinji Miyazaki even though Ed Goldfarb is credited for some reason. Because the location of the story takes place in the area closely resembling the middle east, Miyazaki incorporates a lot of instruments and cues that match the setting and it gives the scenes a much more engaging feel. And as expected there is a Japanese album release but that is all. As we all have come to know and expect.

The franchise is still languishing in the average viewing experience realm. Aside from some minor changes in screenwriter, change in musical sound, standard animation and credible voice acting it is still a regular ho-hum entry. The main Pokémon still isn’t that interesting and continuity is baffling to say the least.

Points Earned --> 5:10

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Dawn of the Dead (2004) Review:

Usually sequels are planned to be released in an ordered process. The standard lead time is between two to three years. Sometimes there are delays which can push it out. Then there are also the rushed ones where a film is pumped out in a little longer than a year’s length. To do that is nuts but it’s proven to be done before. For George A. Romero, it seems he truly went at his own pace when it came to making his movies. Even though Romero had worked on other films in between the “dead” entries, the intervals at which each film came out was almost consecutively ten years apart. That’s a long time. Weirdly enough, it seems the remakes of his films are following the same path despite him not even being involved. While Night of the Living Dead (1990) was an amicable update to the original, it did have some issues. Almost fifteen years later, came this sequel. It’s about the same but for some different reasons.
 
The setup to the story is the same as the original involving a bunch of strangers taking refuge in an abandoned shopping mall after the world is turned upside down with undead corpses attacking the living.  This was directed by newcomer at the time Zack Snyder, who is now best known for several comic book related films. Before this Snyder was directing music videos, similar to Michael Bay’s startup before turning action director. The screenplay was written by James Gunn, the same person who is also best known for his array of comic book films too. Before this though, there was hesitation for him writing for this production. Reason being, that his biggest credit at the time was penning the script for the live-action Scooby-Doo (2002) film. And of course, most know pretty well how that movie did with viewers and fans alike.
 
The cast of actors to play these everyday people are Ana (Sarah Polley) a nurse, Kenneth (Ving Rhames) a cop, Michael (Jake Weber) a TV salesman, Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and Luda (Inna Korobkina) and CJ (Michael Kelly) a security guard to the mall along with his rookie Terry (Kevin Zegers). Together these main characters spend most of their time together in the mall. There they learn about their histories as well as how to cope with what’s around them and support each other. This script includes way more characters in general than that of the original but it works out okay. Gunn even has a couple twists in the story that can play to the opposite to what viewers may expect for certain characters. Sarah Polley is a good lead and being that her character’s a nurse, growing accustomed to the horrors around her seemed easier to handle. The same could be said for Ving Rhames as the cop.
 
Jake Weber although plays what seems like a wimpy character quickly toughens up. And of all thespians, the actor who has the best lines and best character arc goes to Michael Kelly. Clearly it looked like he had the most fun. However, this does not totally omit any typical character tropes seen in other horror films. Two good examples of this are Mekhi Phifer’s role and Ty Burrell as some snobby rich guy. Guess one can’t avoid all the pitfalls. Yet casting director Joseph Middleton was able to nab Ken Foree, Tom Savini and Scott H. Reiniger from the original film for cameos. Very nice. Still there is one other thing that’s a bit odd that likely was not mentioned in any other zombie film which was raised here. Apparently dogs can run circles around zombies and not be seen as food? That’s something new…why’s that? Unanswered question. Additionally, the zombies in this film are far more aggressive as opposed to all others featured before. They run now.
 
Visually, as Snyder fans would come to know and love, the film is very good looking. The special effects look mostly practical which is good because even for 2004, CGI didn’t always look real. Behind the camera was Matthew F. Leonetti, a cinematographer with quite a history behind him. Before this he had worked on Raise the Titanic (1980), Poltergeist (1982), Hard to Kill (1990) and Rush Hour 2 (2001). Finally, the film score was composed by Tyler Bates. For this project Bates had the chance to make something of the franchise being that none of the films ever had a signature identity. He didn’t do that though, but managed to still create themes that worked for the scenes. Before this, Bates’ most notable credit was to another remake by name of Get Carter (2000), another film from the 70s.
 
For a remake, it entertains surprisingly well even though there are still some regular clichés the genre will come across. These small flaws are made up for through the actors’ performances, the music, special effects and camerawork.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) Review:

The Pokémon anime never lets up on what seems to work despite that plan not really working. For the last several entries, the films revolving around Ash and company has been average at best and sometimes falling beneath that. Only occasionally has the story been slightly above average, but that’s going back to around a decade ago of films. Unfortunately, it’s also getting more difficult to go on about the differences in storytelling especially when the changes feel so minimal. One would think that with a series running for so long that there could be some variety to the films but it looks like the franchise may truly be out of new ideas. This entry really feels no different from that of the past several films. The biggest change are the main protagonists…but that’s been expected now. Then again so are other aspects.

The story is about a new Pokémon named Diancie (Caitlin Glass) who can create diamonds but not well. She is the princess of her kingdom that is dying and needs to replace the current diamond which acts as their power source. To do this, she must find the legendary Pokémon Xerneas (Mary O’Brady) to help make this ability stronger. On her travels she runs into Ash and friends where they decide to follow her. However, Team Rocket and a few other bandits are out looking to capture Diancie as well. Shocker. On top of that, there’s Yveltal, the dark version of Xerneas who is rumored to be nearby. Anything else needs to be thrown in there? Of course, who’s handling this project? None other than the Yuyama Sonoda duo. Geez, these two must really feel confident that these stories are still solid.

Let’s tackle something that does work, the main characters. In the black and white seasons, Ash, Iris and Cilan’s chemistry were okay but probably rank lowest so far. For the new X & Y seasons, Ash is now joined by Serena (Haven Paschall), Clemont (Mike Liscio) and his little sister Bonnie (Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld). These characters are already proving themselves to be more interesting than the last bunch. Clemont with his ill-fated self-destructive contraptions, Serena with her secret crush on Ash and Bonnie for always trying to match a girl with Clemont; the reversal of Brock’s situation. They all have their quirks but are fun and goofy in their own way. The team rocket gang are still fun although they are no longer as serious as they were a couple seasons ago. Despite that, they do get more screen time here than the last few films.

However, that’s kind of the extent of the engaging characters. The voice acting is fine by all cast members but the characters still don’t amount to much. Caitlin Glass plays a great princess but the role of her character isn’t new. Further making things a usual go to are the telepathic abilities and legendary Pokémon. It is understandable to a point that new seasons require new legendaries to keep things going…but the legendaries aren’t anything to be impressed over. Xerneas is just another “life giving”, “wish granting”, insert the god-like term here Pokémon. As for telepathy, it seems like more and more Pokémon are able to speak English with the main characters. Can it least vary some? The other thieves looking to capture Diancie aren’t memorable either, even though Marc Thompson is one of the voice actors.

Unfortunately, more could have been done to develop a portion of these characters. The amount of individuals in this story is just more than it needs to be. Animation though is still good for the quality of the franchise. No complaints there. Cinematography was taken care of again by Tatsumi Yukiwaki and now also Aya Aoshima. No reason given as to why it’s needed. For music, surprisingly the US dub had its own score composed by Ed Goldfarb instead of Shinji Miyazaki even though he scored for the Japanese dub. The weird thing is that it doesn’t look like there was a US album released on this…so the point of rescoring was for…what? What can be said though is that the music sounds a lot livelier and has interesting cues throughout. In some ways it sounds like something of another genre, but it works.

The general components to this entry work like viewers expect. The animation is good, the voice acting and main characters are their usual selves and the music is decent. However, those same familiarities find themselves showing up in the same bland villains, boring legendary Pokémon and generic storytelling.

Points Earned --> 5:10