Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Review:

Continuation of classic stories is a gamble. Even when the right people are involved, expectations are very high and can lead to disappointment. Diminishing returns are unfortunately inevitable and are only avoided on rare occasions. Even then, whether it is better or not, gets debated on back and forth depending who really feels strongly about it. For Beetlejuice (1988), it was a special movie that has a very devoted following. The name other than being associated with the constellation, is now recognized as a Halloween icon. Languishing in development limbo for decades (not even years), it became very hard to believe that a sequel would be worth it. Of course many people would love a return but with too much time passing, possible cast members not returning or essential components being left out are all things viewers should rightfully be concerned about.

Surprisingly though, things actually turned around. Director Tim Burton finally returns to head the sequel to his original classic. As like the release of the original, many years have passed since the events of the first film. After the death of Lydia Deetz’s (Winona Ryder) father, she and her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) come home to her mother Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) to pay their respects. Meanwhile Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) is looking to get out of the neitherworld again somehow. Whether that be by finding Lydia or another way after his ex-lover Delores (Monica Bellucci) goes on the hunt for him. The script was written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith. All three have decent credits to their name where the first two worked on Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Smith from The Lego Batman Movie (2017). With that said, the film does a very good job at keeping connections straight which is very important.

Backstories for all the time passed between this film and original are a must and it was done expertly. Using Charles Deetz’s death for the reason to move the plot is perfect since disgraced actor Jeffrey Jones should no longer be cast in movies. Explaining why the Maitlands did not reappear within the film is also spot on for covering. It’s those little details that really help make the audience feel like care when into the story. The narrative itself is good too, as it naturally gives Beetlejuice a good reason to be involved. However, there are two main flaws to the final screenplay. The first being that as like the original film, there are a couple of sing along sequences. That’s fine, but it seems to be drawn out for longer than needed. The first film had it short and to the point for a gag payoff. This one felt like it took its time.

The other issue was that it felt like there were just too many characters. The essential characters from the first film are not in question. Lydia is now a popular paranormal TV host and her manager Rory (Justin Theroux) is there trying to keep her going. There’s also Willem Dafoe playing Wolf Jackson, a dead actor who’s in search of capturing Beetlejuice playing a glorified cop. There’s also Lydia’s husband Richard (Santiago Cabrera) who Astrid really wants to get to know better. Astrid even meets Jeremy (Arthur Conti) a boy she thinks she likes. All in all, these plot threads all convene on each other at some point, but really clutter up some of the flow too. If the undead cop and ex-lover were removed from the film, the time they took up could have been used elsewhere and the story still could have played out the same way more or less. It’s a little frustrating that wasn’t looked into further before finalizing on the script.

The acting is as good as usual though. Michael Keaton brings it his all with his return as the leading bio-exorcist. The quips are still there, along with occasionally breaking the fourth wall which the character is great at doing. It is great to see Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara return as well with their off brand humor. Jenna Ortega is also good as an add on to the franchise. All other actors perform well too. For visuals, the cinematography was handled by Haris Zambarloukos, who also shot for Mamma Mia (2008) and Thor (2010). The look and feel is very much the same to the original as are the practical effects, which includes stop motion animation and real props. Music is also kept equally competent with Danny Elfman returning to score the movie. These are the parts that make this sequel worth a watch.

Some could see shortcomings in the script having too many characters and some scenes that take a little long but it’s not a massive issue. Everything else is from the acting, effects and music are completely maintained to that of the first movie.

Points Earmed --> 7:10

Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle (2020) Review:

Long running series like Pokémon at some point began falling off movie critic’s radars. Movie reviews in the mainstream seem to only cover new material that comes out that no one sees coming. When a franchise is deep into its more than ten film run, most viewers who don’t follow to tend to drop off. It’s only recently that Marvel Studios has been feeling similar pain due to the oversaturation of properties, timelines and multiverses flooding the franchise. At this point anyone who were to watch something continuing for that long either must be a super fan, or is just devoted so much to keeping track of how the franchise progresses or regresses. For Pokémon, it has had its fair share of upward and downward swings. Recently it has done better in its outings, but it definitely took time.

Written by Atsuhiro Tomioka and Tetsuo Yajima, who also directed, this feature seems to be another one off movie set in another time than the anime. At least there’s no expectation of it fitting in anywhere within the anime now. The story for this entry has a different character starting off with the audience. A Zarude Pokémon which happens to be quite aggressive in nature happens to stumble across a human infant. With no success in trying to find the child’s parents, the Zarude (Edward Bosco) becomes Dada and the infant becomes Koko (Kimlinh Tran). There the two bond and learn about their world with a little help from everyone’s favorite Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum (Sarah Natochenny) and Pikachu (Ikue Ôtani). As the last Pokémon film to date, it is a decent last watch although not as epic feeling.

What sets this story apart from others is that Ash plays a side character to this movie. The main focus is on Dada the Zarude and Koko. Writing focuses a lot on where one belongs, how they fit in and one’s true purpose. These are all good questions every individual asks themselves at some point or another. This also gets put on both Koko and Dada. The Zarude Pokémon feels out of place with his own kind and the human isn’t sure what to make of himself. The dynamic between the two also feels very authentic as with a child having no other parent that it seems only natural that’s how they would react. The last time there was this much attention put into a mysterious character pairing was from Pokémon 3 The Movie: Spell of the Unown (2001).

There are other characters that appear like team rocket and Dr. Zed (Billy Kametz) who is in search of important information that belongs to the area Koko comes from. It is only because Ash does this character get involved. Otherwise there would be no plot moving forward from that point on. Even with that said, the scope of which this takes place doesn’t feel as grand. For the voice acting, all perform well. Sarah Natochenny in her last film entry playing Ash gives her all like usual despite not being the main character. The same could be said for Kimlinh Tran, Kellen Goff and Edward Bosco who all have many voice acting credits to their name prior to this even if it wasn’t from Pokémon. Michele Knotz and James Carter Cathcart as team rocket always provide a good showing as the second set to voice the usual villains that follow Ash.

From a visual point of view, the animation maintains the same level of quality that has been presented in the past few features. With over twenty animation directors on board the production, it looks like the right people were there to keep things on track. Ryô Kujirai being credited again for cinematography still isn’t clear and at this point, oh well. Lastly the music composed once again by Shinji Miyazaki was average at best. The music wasn’t all that memorable even though it feels like this film had elements to that of a musical, which is not a thing for this franchise. Perhaps this was just changed for the northern American markets. That’s just a guess though. Either way, still not as impactful as the music used to be for a lot of the earlier films.

Cinematography and music are side components that still don’t leave a lasting impact anymore. The scale of which the plot takes place doesn’t feel as high in importance either. However as the last film to date, the voice acting is still spot on, the animation looks good and the script changes its focus a little to help keep the viewer’s attention.

Points Earned --> 6:10

God’s Not Dead (2014) Review:

The concept of God is a question that has challenged philosophers and the communities they belonged to for centuries. Whether it be a religion that focuses on a single deity or multiple, it is about following a higher order that directs its people to act a certain way to live a better life. Of course there are those who don’t believe in this either or anything at all. In a perfect world, everyone should be able to live among each other no matter what their beliefs are. Sometimes, those values and morals are challenged and people have to make a decision on it. To some, viewers may find this particular film very simplistic in the message being conveyed but even so, it’s always a possibility of this scenario coming up. In a time where people are constantly being challenged for the groups they belong to, the story is only all the more relatable.

Written by Hunter Dennis, Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, the script is about college freshman Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) beginning his first semester at his dream college. Unfortunately, things don’t start off strong when his philosophy class headed by Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) asks Wheaton and his peers to denounce the existence of God. Being a devout Christian, Wheaton challenges Radisson, only to be put on the spot and having to put all his focus on passing that class than the rest of his courses. Meanwhile Josh’s girlfriend Kara (Cassidy Gifford) tries to keep him focused and leave the whole debate behind. The movie was directed by Harold Cronk who has directed productions before this but is probably best known now because of this feature. Writers Konzelman and Solomon have also worked on productions together so there’s credit to that team too.

For the story itself, it is serviceable for the overall message it is trying to tackle. It’s important to stand up to adversity and remain fervent in one’s feelings. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that and one should always expect there will be naysayers. With that said, it felt like the script could have used a couple more revisions before finalizing it. For one, the character plot threads are more intertwined that one might realize. This can definitely make the stories feel a little too convenient in their execution. That’s not to say that it’s not a small world out there. But too many connections in one sitting gets a little hard to believe. The other issue with the production is that it is a Christian genre movie. Although there’s nothing wrong with that either, it will only interest those of that faith and a few here and there who would be curious or considering converting over to watch. However, that is less likely.

For the cast performances, most of it is acceptable. Shane Harper as the main lead is convincing. Although he was in only some TV shows prior, this probably became his big break. Kevin Sorbo, best known for starring in Hercules: The Legendary Journey’s and Andromeda is unique in playing the challenger to the main character. The counter arguments they exchange together is interesting to listen to. There is however one character played by Dean Cain that is completely over the top. His character is made to be 100% callus but it comes across unbelievably inhuman. Maybe there are people out in the world like that but it seems highly exaggerated. Other than this though the other actors do fine. There’s appearances from David A.R. White, Willie Robertson, Marco Khan and even The Newsboys band consisting of Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis and Michael Tait.

From a visual perspective the camerawork is handled professionally. Shot by Brian Shanley who has multiple credits to his name prior to this production does a decent job. All scenes have proper lighting and there are no shots that are disorienting to look at. For the musical score, the composer was Will Musser. Both Musser and Shanley worked on similar productions together so it’s no surprise they are together again. The soundtrack itself contains multiple songs from various Christian performers like The Newsboys and even Shane Harper. The score itself although short on the album is well composed using guitar, piano and strings. It’s too bad there wasn’t more of the movies score to feature as that particular component can be just as effective as the soundtrack music. Considering it is a Christian film though, getting anything is rare.

Being that the film is religious to begin with, may be a turnoff for some. Writing felt like it could have used some touchups as the character stories cross a lot and one character is written very cartoonishly. The music and camerawork are still solid in their execution though. Additionally, the topic of focus along with decent acting still makes this movie a little better than average.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Miss Bala (2019) Review:

International travel can always be a very rewarding experience. There’s so many places to visit and experience with people never before interacted with. Much of the time, as long as you stay within the means of what is safe and recommend, everything should be fine. Of course this isn’t 100% guaranteed but the best one can do is try. For those who are bilingual and are more familiar with their native roots it can be easier to navigate through what seems like maze of possible terrors. Again though even with this advantage bad timing is always a thing and that’s what happens here in this story, which is actually a remake of the same name in 2011. It’s a little weird since it was done within the decade the original was made seeing that it wasn’t that old to begin with.

The story is about Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), an up and coming Latin American makeup artist. One day, she takes a trip into Mexico for a close family friend Suzu (Cristina Rodlo) who is hoping to make it into the latest beauty pageant being held locally. So with that, Gloria is assigned with doing her makeup for that very thing. Unfortunately, that very night they head out to make connections with Chief Saucedo (Damián Alcázar), a gang called Las Estrellas interrupt and the two are split up. Gloria sadly witnessed the gang entering and is told she will be reunited with Suzu only if she cooperates. These are just not the kind of situations any regular person wants to be put into. It is though something that is quite possible in real life to happen. For whatever reason it doesn’t seem like anyone from the original film worked with the crew for this production.

Writing the script was Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, who would later write for Blue Beetle (2023). Alcocer has prior credits to his name but they ae not any many would know. Directing the film was Catherine Hardwicke, better known for her big break in movies with Twilight (2008), that kicked off the whole franchise. For the story, it’s a decent effort. One thing the film crew gets right is tension. Since the film sits under the thriller genre, having good tension is key. Again, no right minded individual would want to be held captive by someone in order to find the thing they want most. Perhaps the parts that seem unnecessary are the one note side characters. Suzu’s son and a DEA soldier that Gloria meets are just not given a whole lot. They kind of just play the character they first appear as and that’s it.

Acting overall though is fine. Gina Rodriguez as the main character is convincing in her role. More known for her roles in TV shows like Jane the Virgin and Carmen Sandiego, seeing her play a leading role in a theatrical film is cool to see. Cristina Rodlo as Suzu is okay too, although she’s not around as much since she’s the plot device. Damián Alcázar is a veteran Latin actor and plays his part well. The other actor not mentioned yet is Ismael Cruz Cordova who plays Lino, Gloria’s captor and leader of Las Estrellas. Cordova plays a nice contrast to that of Rodriguez’s character. Cordova would later go on play a role in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series. From a visual perspective, some viewers may be disappointed that it doesn’t contain a lot of action.

This is more a thriller though so expecting a lot of action may not be realistic for the setting. Shooting the scenes for this crew was Patrick Murguia. Getting his first break in American cinema with movies like Brooklyn’s Finest (2009) and The Frozen Ground (2013), Murguia is competent as the cinematographer. All shots are decently lit and visible for audiences to understand what’s happening in every scene. Lastly, composing the music to this production was Alex Heffes. Although this feature doesn’t have what sounds like a recognizable theme for the story, the score does have moments that help build the tension. There’s an even blend of instruments heard ranging from synthesizers, strings and Latin percussion. It’s not super special but it does match the tone and setting of the story well.

While it may seem like the movie is action packed, it is not recommended to go in with that expectation. The side characters are also a little unnecessary unless they were given more development. Still though the experience is entertaining enough with appropriately tense music, competent camerawork and acting.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Honey (2003) Review:

The entertainment industry is probably one of the biggest fields to get into. At least from a natural progression. There are those who have a meteoric rise to stardom but this has only recently come about with the advent of social media. Prior to this, a lot of this was based on reputation, branding and perhaps internal sacrifices. How this was done wasn’t spoken of very much because it either was considered not important, confidential or it was actually something more. Again, more recently it has come out that some people were pressured into doing certain things no one would repeat. Unfortunately, this is what many people have believed what this particular work place has turned into. It also gets a little hard to believe just how successful some performers become without this coming to mind. However, when someone does make it big and sticking to their gut and morals, those are the best stories to hear.

This movie focuses on this kind of story, following the heroine of Honey Daniels (Jessica Alba). She is a up and coming dance choreographer looking to take her career to the next level. Every day she strolls into the hall her mother (Lonette McKee) rents out in a dilapidated building. People show up and enjoy their time together while practicing their next show. Although everybody looks out for each other, the streets can still be dangerous, which is why Daniels is friends with Chaz (Mekhi Phifer) and Gina (Joy Bryant), who knows how to keep trouble at bay. The script was written Alonzo Brown and Kim Watson in their only theatrical credit. They do have experience in other projects but much of it belongs to music videos, which make sense. The same could be said for the director.

Heading this project was Bille Woodruff, a director who has worked with the likes of Toni Braxton, Céline Dion and the Backstreet Boys. The reason why he was chosen for this is quite obvious due to his music video experience. From a story experience, it is a mixed bag. The execution is fine, but the writing itself is very been there, done that. As mentioned before, hitting it big most of the time in the entertainment business means sacrifices have to be made to move up; some of which are inappropriate. This is where Michael Ellis (David Moscow) comes in. Ellis happens to catch Daniels doing her work and becomes her mentor. He’s the guy with the access to everything upwards but of course he’ll push for what he wants too. It’s as cliché as it gets but also probably what many have to come to expect.

The acting from the cast is fine. Jessica Alba although not acting much now and is still very successful, does fine here. This would be the movie that put her on the road to starring in Sin City (2005) and the Fantastic Four (2005). Mekhi Phifer and Joy Bryant both play good supporting roles to that of Honey Daniels. Lonette McKee as Honey Daniels’ mother is good too. KcKee was in films like The Cotton Club (1984), Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992) and Men of Honor (2000). Lastly David Moscow was good as the guy with connections although his role was fairly straight forward. The strongest feature to this movie should be at the least its choreography. Thanks to Laurieann Gibson, that was achieved. Although she had some credits prior to this, Gibson would move on up to other celebs like Madonna and Lady Gaga.

Assisting in that visual contribution was John R. Leonetti who was already well established for his skills. Having worked on films like Child’s Play 3 (1991), The Mask (1994), and The Scorpion King (2002), it is fair to say he was ready to take on the music genre too. Leonetti’s camerawork blends seamlessly with the dance moves and makes it feel very much like an extended music video. Which is no surprise as the film score to this feature is not really there. Apparently Mervyn Warren, who also composed for Steel (1997) and A Walk to Remember (2002) wrote music for this too. Although that’s a little difficult to say where because much of it is taken up by the music played for the dancing that happens throughout the entire film. It’s probably there but likely no one will be trying to find where it plays.

The layers to the story and music are quite thin and uninspired. The story itself though is understandable, the actors are good in their performance and the dance choreography combined with the camerawork entertain on the level that it was intended for.

Points Earned --> 7:10

The Three Musketeers (1993) Review:

Heroism almost feels like stuff of legends now a days. Prior to modern times, so many battles were fought in close quarters. The older the era, the more claustrophobic combat was. It’s crazy that now, confrontation is met with very distant attacks. Drone strikes, missiles, bullets; they all get fired at a distance with extreme accuracy. Now imagine having to charge using the bayonet or with even sharper blades like swords. It’s just not a thing now. In cinema, there are only some stories that have continued to portray such action harkening back to those times. Films like The Mask of Zorro (1998) or Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) brought back swashbuckling to the masses. Believe it or not Disney gave it a shot with this movie too based on the popular story from Alexandre Dumas.

The screenplay was written by David Loughery, who wrote Passenger 57 (1992) the year before. With a plot that’s fairly simple to follow, audiences are introduced to D'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) looking to join the king of France’s league of Musketeers. Only on his travels to learn that Cardinal Richelieu (Tim Curry) has disbanded the group with three remaining faithful to their oath. Those three are Aramis (Charlie Sheen), Athos (Kiefer Sutherland) and Porthos (Oliver Platt), hoping to find a way to rid the Cardinal of his treason and his top henchman Rochefort (Michael Wincott). Meanwhile the king (Hugh O'Conor) and his queen (Gabrielle Anwar) are unaware of those plans. The film was directed by Stephen Herek known for heading Critters (1986), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and The Mighty Ducks (1992). He would also later direct Disney’s live-action 101 Dalmations (1996).

The story itself is probably the films greatest weakness, being predictable. That’s not to say it’s bad, not at all. But there’s nothing that feels different or new being told in the execution. It just feels like a very safe rendition of this classic story, which kind of makes sense because this is by Disney at the time. Right from the beginning it’s obvious as to who the main focus will be on, who’s on the bad side and who’s on the good side. That doesn’t mean the acting isn’t professional though. All actors provide a showing that an audience member of any age would enjoy. Chris O’Donnell is the play it safe hero who doesn’t do anything wrong. Charlie Sheen plays the romantic suave member, Oliver Platt plays the goof and Kiefer Sutherland is the more serious of the three.

All of which have acceptable chemistry together although much of their humor is again, really not doing much that’s creative. There are a few slapstick gags that land, but the rest are mainly verbal quips between characters. Some of it works, other times it’s expected because of the role each actor plays. Tim Curry and Michael Wincott are both excellent in their roles but make it plain as day they are not on the right side of things. Making you wonder how the king and queen couldn’t see such obvious trickery. There’s also appearances from Rebecca De Mornay and Paul McGann. Going back to action though, this is where a lot of fun can be had. Sword fights are not the easiest thing to master nor seen anymore. So the fact that the actors not only duel each other well but make it look easy is very gratifying to watch.

Aiding in that visual entertainment is the camerawork provided by Dean Semler. Capturing many green landscapes to show the time period is a great way to establish the setting. The fight choreography was helpful too in making the action fun to watch. Lastly the film score was composed by Michael Kamen. Known for composing scores to many popular films like The Dead Zone (1983), Highlander (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), Die Hard (1988) and even Don Juan DeMarco (1994) a year later, Kamen produced another good listening experience. Kamen has multiple motifs for the main characters and makes it feel like it’s a part of that era as well as keeping the sound like it is from this century. An album was also released which is nice because it does sound good on its own too.

Narratively speaking, the story is cut and dry – meaning it gets straight to the point and is not complex. This can make it a little too simple, especially with its rather simple humor. That’s Disney for the time maybe. However, audiences shouldn’t completely dismiss it as it is fun to watch with good acting, energetic action, competent cinematography and appropriate music.

Points Earned --> 7:10

The Ring (2002) Review:

Spirits and ghosts are a strange topic for various people. Some have no awareness of such phenomena, while others are quite in touch with the subject matter. So much that they keep a very far distance from anything related to it. Of course there are also others that find it crazy and still decide to pursue answers even though it is not recommended. There’s also complexities in translating supernatural instances like this for certain markets depending on where they came from. For the United States, this kind of movie wasn’t really a big thing. For last several decades, horror films consisted of monsters, serial killers and undead creatures. This film however is what reignited people’s interest.

 Originally the concept was based on a book and adapted into a movie in Japan by Kôji Suzuki during the mid-1990s. The American release would not come out until almost a decade later. The story is about Rachel (Naomi Watts) a private investigator who’s looking into the death of her friend’s daughter. The reason for her death witnessed by her friend was due to a mysterious VHS tape that she had watched a week earlier. Perplexing as that may sound, apparently the girl who died wasn’t the only one who saw the tape. Seeking answers, Rachel pairs up with her separated husband Noah (Martin Henderson) to look into the details of the tape. Meanwhile they try to help their child Aidan (David Dorfman) cope, as he was friends with the recently deceased. The screenplay was adapted by Ehren Kruger, the same writer from the first three Transformers sequels.

 Kruger did have a horror film under his belt before though with Scream 3 (2000). Directing this feature was Gore Verbinski, who after this would go on to direct the popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Together these two produce an adequate viewing experience. The idea and how it began has a nice hook to it. Viewers will definitely find it creepy and for younger viewers not knowing what a VHS is will make it all the more alien. The story itself is also interesting as to how things came about. Slowly but surely, pieces to the puzzle are revealed which allows the audience to understand (mostly) why things occurred the way they did. Not all of it makes sense but the creepy visuals help with that. The practical effects use in the movie look good and the spirit played by Daveigh Chase has burned the iconic image of a horror girl into the mainstream conscience.

 People who love gore may not be as pleased if violence is to be expected. The acting is believable though. Naomi Watts is best known from Mulholland Drive (2001) but has played in several other movies too. Martin Henderson as the father does okay for the role. He would later play a character in Smoin’ Aces (2006). David Dorfman as the child is okay too, being that the character he plays is stricken with grief the emotion doesn’t need to be very involved. Dorfman would play one of the children in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) remake. Believe it or not, Daveigh Chase is the voice from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch franchise. There’s even an appearance from Brian Cox to provide some context to the story. The acting in general is effective enough to help the story along in what it needs to do.

The cinematography on the other hand was less than desirable. Shot by Bojan Bazelli, the color palette to this movie is just ugly and it wasn’t by accident. The film crew purposefully chose the hue of the movie to completely be muggy, foggy and murky green. There’s only a few moments where other colors exist but they are far and few in between. It’s funny because Bazelli is quite competent with credits to movies like Pumpkinhead (1988) and Burlesque (2010). The film score was surprisingly handled by Hans Zimmer. Not known for composing scores to horror films, Zimmer’s work is a decent effort. It is certainly not the most memorable but it does have its own motif for the franchise, using mainly piano keys. Not much else has to be said about Zimmer as his influence is about as prominent as John Williams.

Although it lacks any kind graphic visual horror or clear cinematography, it is still a fairly creepy film. The story itself is unique, the acting is fine and the music is also effectively spooky. A good start to the franchise.

Points Earned --> 7:10