Abominable

Get Yeti for this year's other Yeti movie.

(The pun's catchy.)

Abominable stars Yi (Chloe Bennet), a Shanghai girl who works odd jobs for money for a trip around China. She also secretly plays her late father's violin on the rooftop of her apartment. One night, she finds an escaped Yeti there. That Yeti was captured by mean Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a billionaire animal collector, but escaped in the opening scene. Yi names the Yeti "Everest," and decides to get him back to the eponymous mountain. Cousins Peng (Albert Tsai) and Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) join her. Everest's ability to control nature comes in handy when Burnish's goons come after them.

That describes the movie. It's a simple plot one might essentially recognize from other films. But it's a film with a major surprise. Burnish is a lot nicer than he lets on ... it's his scientist, Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson), who's the real big bad. Some may question the logic, but I'll give the movie points for trying. It also gets points for not overusing its running gag - the "whooping snake."

It's not heavily dramatic. On one hand, Yi deals with her dad's death and her distance from her family. But our heroes are rarely seriously threatened by the bad guys; when they are, it's not for very long. But at least it avoids some forced drama cliches in the process. So that's something.

Its best aspects are its technical splendor. Everest's powers have stunning results: giant blueberries, koi clouds, sunflower fields bending like waves, etc. Everest himself is a perfectly cuddly creature begging for a life-size plush toy. The Chinese locations, from Shnaghai to Everest, are visually appealing. It's set to a powerful score from Rupert Gregson-Williams, who also voices Everest's humming. 

Abominable is a ninety-seven minute breeze. It's easy for kids but surprising enough for adults. It'll give you a bit to think about when it's done. It's good for an easy matinee - particularly as next month's (which it already is in some parts as I'm writing this) family movies are creepy and they're kooky...

Ad Astra

The Lost City of Z was probably the best live-action film of 2017 that I never had the chance to see. But I had the chance to see director Jason Gray's followup. It's his long in development, long-delayed and long-anticipated sci-fi opus Ad Astra. Just imagine Apocalypse Now in space and you have this:

Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) lives in the shadow of his father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones). Clifford commandeered the Lima Project, a mission to contact extra-terrestrials, which vanished years earlier. Roy is aboard a giant space satellite when Earth is hit by a cosmic surge. One of several, as we find out. He barely survives the ensuing free-fall.

His superiors trace the surges back to Neptune, the last known whereabouts of the Lima Project. They realize that Clifford is still alive and is responsible for the surges. Roy is sent on a mission to Mars to appeal to Clifford to stop the project. The long space journey gives Roy a lot to think about.

It sounds like a slow ride, doesn't it? Not really. It's only 124 minutes and its plot is lightning quick. The initial cosmic surge and Roy's mission are set up in about ten minutes. And then, it's off to space. Roy's narration lets him reflect on his life and the loneliness of space, among other things. Along the way, Roy gets in a shoot-out with lunar pirates, encounters rabid baboons aboard a space station and indirectly gets his crew killed. The ending nearly buckles over Clifford's motivations. But it's not as baffling as 2001: A Space Odyssey's ending.

Roy's journey to the unknown is a stunning ordeal. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, production designer Kevin Thompson and the visual effects department present a bleak, yet visually appealing view of space. The visual set pieces demand the audience's full attention. Roy's plummet to Earth and his space jump through Neptune's rings are thrilling modern serial scenes. Meanwhile, the sound mix spells out the desolation and loneliness of space. It's easy to see why people can go mad in space, which they do. Max Richter's soft score further emphasizes the introspective story.

Ad Astra is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen. The opening scene on Roy's satellite is worth the price of admission. Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones's performances capably lead the audience through its story. Gray's film is almost a space oddity for its fast and slow story. That's an achievement.

It: Chapter Two

It's ...

... back.

And now, for the other half of Andy Muschietti's film of Stephen King's IT. IT: Chapter Two is a good way to start the fall. It's not as great as Chapter One, but there's still plenty of fine stuff. Read on.

It's now 2016 in Derry, Maine. Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan) and his boyfriend, Don, are assaulted by vile punks. Adrian is tossed off the bridge into the raging river below. The newly re-awoken demon clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) fishes him out and makes him ITS first meal. IT beckons the now-adult Losers Club, the seven kids who ended ITS last reign of terror, to "come home."

Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the Losers Club still in Derry, calls up the other six. They promised as kids to finish IT off if IT ever came back. Only Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy), Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain), Richie Tozier (Bill Hader), Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan) and Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) respond. Stanley Uris (Andy Bean) kills himself.

Pennywise is ready and willing to taunt and terrorize them all. But Mike has a plan. An indigenous ritual called the Ritual of Chud may end IT once and for all. The Losers have to go around Derry to collect childhood tokens for the ritual. Sounds easy, right? But what if the Ritual doesn't work?

Chapter One co-writer Gary Dauberman writes this Chapter solo. It goes back and forth in time with the Losers, from their individual quests to "new" encounters with Pennywise. We get some interesting insight into the Losers' childhoods that not even Chapter One explained. But there are a few issues. One of the biggest is that a few details (like Ben's interest in architecture) should've been established in Chapter One. While there are a few creepy and shocking moments, plenty of Pennywise's tricks aren't creepy or shocking. The final, for real, confrontation with Pennywise is overlong, and consequently, not as cathartic, as Chapter One's final battle. Its huge length of 169 minutes speaks for itself.

It's astounding how the adult Losers Club look so much like the kids. Well, most of them, but Ben's considerable weight loss is acknowledged. And the digital de-aging effects used on the kids is practically invisible. The Losers Club, whether adult or kid, are a likable ensemble. Hader gets some of the best lines, but Dolan as Adrian Mellon gets the best lines as he taunts his assailants. Special mention goes to the actors playing Adrian's attackers for making them purely unlikable. Teach Grant as former bully Henry Bowers makes an impression with his relatively short screen-time. We also get a few amusing cameos from King himself as an antique dealer and Peter Bogdanavich as himself. And finally, Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise is still a reliably evil clown.

Now for the technicals. Benjamin Wallfisch returns to score the film, mixing new music with some of Chapter One's score. It knows how to set the many moods of the film. Editor Jason Ballantine and the sound designers deserve more balloons for its most shocking scenes; namely, the set ups for Pennywise's kills. Paul D. Austerberry's production design and Checco Varese's cinematography collaborate the best in visualizing Pennywise's creepy cave. The visual effects department get another balloon for its creepy creatures.

IT: Chapter Two completes this Stephen King adaptation. Its strongest moments aren't as memorable as Chapter One's, but they get the job done. It should make a fine double feature with its predecessor. Just don't set the bar too high. And don't let the runtime deter you. If you're lucky, you'll get a funny teaser for February's Birds of Prey. It needs to be seen to be believed.

The Angry Birds Movie 2

The Angry Birds Movie 2 has played in theaters for three weeks now. I put off seeing it because of a hectic August. But it's September now, so here's a review.

The Birds and the Pigs are locked in a prank war. But then, Zeta (Leslie Jones) of nearby Eagle Island starts tossing giant ice balls at both their islands. The Pig King Leonard (Bill Hader) calls a truce with the Birds. Red (Jason Sudeikis) isn't convinced until Leonard shows up at his house. Red quickly organizes the mission to Eagle Island. They're joined by fellow Birds Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride) and Chuck's sister, Silver (Rachel Bloom). Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), bravest Bird of all, wants to sit this one out. The Birds and Pigs on the mission have to work fast to stop Zeta from using a new superweapon to bombard their islands with ice-lava balls.

That's almost the whole movie.

Meanwhile, three lil Birds chase after three eggs that washed out to sea. Their subplot supplements the movie with its surprising humor. Their antics help save the day near the end. They also get a genuinely funny pre-credit scene.

The main plot goes strong for 99 minutes. Its character relationships, particularly Red and Silver, are surprisingly endearing. Bomb's plan to deal with a flock of eagle guards takes a surprising turn. Zeta's plan is so stupidly short-sighted it makes sense. There's quite a bit of black humor. A few gags went on too long, but there were more hits than misses.

There's plenty of creative wit to behold. The characters and scenery are still appealing. The frozen Eagle Island, in particular, is an impressive villain base. The final battle is fast-paced and coherent. The voice cast is great, particularly Jones as Zeta, Dinklage as Mighty Eagle and the voices of the lil birds. The soundtrack has some great selections, though they overshadow a good score by Heitor Pereira.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 is another step towards the great video game movie. Its story is straightforward and entertaining even with its subplot. You'll be surprised at what it's capable of. There's one major reason why you should see it now:

And that's because it has a short. Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry and Bruce W. Smith, has a father and daughter bond over hairstyling. There's a lot more than that, and it tells all in seven minutes. Be careful. It's pretty emotional.