Space Jam: A New Legacy

 Let's agree on something. 

Is Space Jam the best Basketball movie ever made? I don't know. But I'm sure it's the best cartoon basketball movie ever made. It's been twenty-five years since Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes teamed up. We now have a sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, which sees LeBron James team up with the Looney Tunes.

What's the set up? LeBron wants his (fictional) sons Darius (Ceyair J. Wright) and Dom (Cedric Joe) to follow his footsteps on the court. Dom wants to make video games. He even made one, a literal free-for-all ball game called "Dom Ball." One day, Warner Bros. comes calling. They have a new server, Al-G Rhythm, that can put LeBron into any movie. LeBron says no but Dom's interested. So the self-aware Al-G (Don Cheadle) takes the two into the "Warner Server-verse." LeBron has to beat Al-G at basketball to get Dom back.

LeBron gets sent to Tune World, where he meets Bugs Bunny. They assemble the dream team, namely the other Looney Tunes, across the Server-verse. Meanwhile, Al-G tricks Dom into creating his dream team, the Goon Squad. It all comes ahead on the digital basketball court. There's not much at stake except the Tunes' existences and the freedom of Al-G's "captive audience." So there's a lot.

Director Malcom D. Lee and his six screenwriters create a sufficiently looney tale. There's a good story between LeBron and his fictional family. I'm sure you've seen the basics before. But it ended rather well. Still, you won't believe a certain someone's sacrifice for an instant. Its metafictional jokes are entertaining. Wile E. Coyote on the Fury Road, Granny and Speedy in The Matrix, and the countless cameo spectators. You'll see those and more.

Now for the technicals. The 2D and CGI animation, and their blending with live-action, is spectacular. It's especially so when LeBron and the Tunes are inserted into old films. Their time in DC World perfectly recreates the art style of the DCAU. It's so seamless. The Goon Squad's designs are perfectly creepy. The main event's quirky effects were cool too. It's all set to a good score from Kris Bowers.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is ready to watch in theaters or HBOMax. I don't think it's better than the original. But it's still an entertaining matinee on any screen. It's a good showcase for LeBron and the Looney Tunes. Here's hoping they both get more movie roles. You might have to watch it again and again to pick out the cameo characters. You've got a bit of time left.

Street Gang

 This review is brought to you by the letter S. 

S lets you spell words like Smart, Silly and Street Gang, Marilyn Agrelo's documentary based on Michael Davis's book about Sesame Street. How do you get there? A streaming service of your choice, of course.

Argelo takes us back to the mid 60's. An America where TV was commercialized, politicized and uneducational. TV executive Joan Gantz Cooney and psychologist Lloyd Morrisett collaborated to create an entertaining and educational kids program. Their newly developed Children's Television Workshop brought along Muppeteer Jim Henson and writer Jon Stone to help their creation. Sesame Street debuted in November 10, 1969. 

It's pretty educational. The "Street Gang" set their show on the Street to appeal to inner-city kids. The Muppets went from simply the stars of separate segments to co-stars with human actors. We also see the Muppeteers in-action on set. Anyone curious how Big Bird's suit was operated? The film shows you how. There's plenty of on-screen bloopers from men and Muppets. There's quite a bit of off-set conflict, exemplified by the tale of Muppet Roosevelt Franklin. Not to mention the Deep South stations that wouldn't air it.

It's still moving even if you haven't been on the Street in years. Its saddest moment is the death of longtime human cast member Will Lee and his character, Mr. Hooper. I wasn't around for either of those events. But it still got to me. That and the death and funeral of Henson. At least it doesn't bring up when Big Bird himself, Carol Spinney, was almost on the Challenger.

There's plenty of humor to balance things out. We get to see some of Henson's earliest Muppet commercials. They have some of the best dark humor of the 1950s. The Sesame skits are some of the brightest and catchiest the show has aired. We get to see how the music was produced and the musical guest stars that came on the street. Of course, it also mentions the $5 million lawsuit over Letter B.

You'll learn and feel a lot no matter your age. Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street is for everybody. So find it on your favorite streaming service and press play. My choice, of course, was Amazon Prime. It might renew some interest in the show. It's on HBOMax, which is where the subject of my next review is...

Black Widow

 The Marvel Cinematic Universe skipped a year.

I bet you knew that. But now it's back with four theatrical films and at least three Disney Plus shows. Its first theatrical release is Black Widow, which gives Scarlett Johansson's spy heroine her own solo adventure. It's also the first American film for Australian director Cate Shortland. Let's see how it is.

In 1995, Natasha and her sister, Yelena, lived a good life in Ohio with their "dad" Alexei (David Harbour) and "mom" Melina (Rachel Weisz). Alexei and Melina were Russian spies stealing secrets. They flee to Cuba when SHIELD comes after them. Alexei gives the girls over to General Dreykov (Ray Winstone) of the Red Room. Dreykov trains them and other abandoned girls into his elite supersoldiers: Black Widows. Natasha blew him up years later.

In 2016, just after the Civil War, Black Widow Yelena (Florence Pugh) gets red-dusted by a target. The red dust de-brainwashes Black Widows. Yelena procures some red dust and decides to use it on her fellow Widows. But she needs Natasha's help. A very much alive Dreykov decides to stop them with his best warrior, The Taskmaster. Natasha and Yelena need their "parents'" help to find Dreykov. This family reunion is pretty awkward.

Let me guess what you'll guess what I'll say. You need to be familiar with the past films. Of course, but one pivotal plot point is first introduced off-handedly in The Avengers. I forgot about it until I re-watched it. That slight mention foreshadows The Taskmaster's true identity. The Taskmaster is a capable heavy able to mimic any fighting style. The symmetry is impressive and Lorne Balfe's score gives The Taskmaster a suitably creepy theme. But The Taskmaster turns tragic once the reveal happens. It still works even if you don't remember that bit from nine years ago...

It's a well-crafted spy thriller. Natasha's first "present day" scene has her easily elude capture from General Ross (William Hurt). When I mean "easily," I mean he's in L.A. and she's in Norway. It's a great use of editing by Leigh Folsom Boyd and Matthew Schmidt. We see Natasha and Yelena evade The Taskmaster in Budapest and later free Alexei from a Russian Prison. We get some great scenery shots from cinematographer Gabriel Beristain. The Production Design and Visual Effects collaborate the best with the Red Room, a flying fortress, and its eventual destruction. 

What about the characters? Natasha and Yelena are compelling leads as they deal with the "red on their ledger." Neither are happy with Alexei or Melina for very understandable reasons. Alexei is a former superhero, the Red Guardian, and a braggart, but he pulls through in the end. Melina programs pigs to stop breathing, but she's not callous to let them suffocate. That's good foreshadowing of her seeming betrayal. Dreykov is an efficient creep who brags about recycling the abandoned. A sympathetic goal until you remember what he recycles them into. 

This packed Marvel year is off to a good start in theaters. Black Widow is also ready to watch on Disney Plus for $30. Its super spy action makes the most of 133 minutes. See it on the biggest and safest screen you can get. Its prerequisite end credit scene is apparently foreshadowing for the next Disney Plus Marvel show, Hawkeye, scheduled to air this year.

Luca

It's time to take a trip to Pixar Italy. Their latest film is Luca, which debuted on Disney Plus a few weeks ago. It's free on the platform. So let's see what others have seen.

Luca Paguro is a sea-monster who lives under the Italian Riviera. His parents, Lorenzo and Daniela, forbid him to go to the surface. They fear "land-monsters" will hate and hunt him. But fellow sea-monster Alberto Scorfano takes Luca up-water anyway. Fortunately, sea-monsters will turn human when they're dry and change back when wet. Alberto wants a Vespa of his own. Luca's parents plan to send him to the deep with his uncle, Ugo. So Luca and Alberto head off to the town of Portorosso to procure a Vespa.

In Portorosso, the two meet Giulia, a girl who aims to win the local triathlon (swimming, pasta-eating and biking). They join Giulia's quest to unseat the reigning champion, an odious jerk named Ercole. They stay with Giulia and her one-armed fisherman dad, Massimo. They'll have to keep their true selves hidden from the sea-monster fearing townsfolks. Meanwhile, Lorenzo and Daniela surface to track down Luca. 

It's directed by Enrico Casarosa (Oscar nominee for the short La Luna) and written by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones. The undersea world they conjure up is splendorous. The sea-monster designs are visually appealing. Ugo, in particular, is a delightfully weird see-through sea creature. The funniest part comes from the goatfish - which behave like actual goats - that Luca herds. The sea creatures turning human when dry is an interesting aspect. Luca and Alberto get into hilarity trying to hide their secret - even from Giulia's cat. It turns serious once the secret is out.

The film is all about Luca and Alberto's summer together. They meet, become friends, fight and make-up over 95 minutes. Giulia's involved too; her introducing Luca to such wonders as planetary science is nice. It's such an easy story that Lorenzo and Daniela don't ruin the summer. Instead, the third act problem is Luca and Alberto's fight and its fall-out. But they makeup in good fashion. The scariest parts might be when Ercole goes full villain. Overall, it's not much of an emotional roller-coaster.

Luca will make a great home matinee. You'll get to see the Italian Riviera with another set of great Pixar characters. You'll experience another great Pixar score, this one by Dan Romer. It's a soothing summertime story. Press Play on Disney Plus to see what I mean.

Dynasty Warriors

 The 14th-Century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong has been adapted into everything several times over. One of these adaptations now has a movie of its own. Dynasty Warriors, based on Koei Tecmo's videogame series, debuted in China on April 30th. It's now ready to watch on Netflix.

Our story opens in the late Han Dynasty. The heroic Liu Bei (Tony Yang) and his brothers-in-arms, Guan Yu (Han Geng) and Zhang Fei (Justin Cheung), come to the aid of General Dong Zhuo (Lam Suet) to help quash the Yellow Turban Rebellion led by the Taoist Sorcerer Zhang Jiao (Phillip Keung). The General thanks them by scoffing at their humble upbringings. He then turns full evil and usurps the throne. The Righteous decide to take down Dong Zhuo.

One of the Righteous is the scheming warrior Cao Cao (Wang Kai). He and team Liu Bei get special weapons from the Master of Sword Forge Castle (Carina Lau). These weapons help them mow down their enemies by the dozens, a trademark of the games. They'll get stronger the more they defeat. They'll be helpful to defeat Dong Zhuo's best warrior, Lu Bu (Louis Koo).

Let's talk about the screenplay. The film doesn't delve into team Liu Bei's history together. It already has them ready to face the Yellow Turbans. It's probably because their story is so ubiquitous in China. However, that doesn't excuse Dong Zhuo's rise to villainy. He goes from rude general to evil chancellor in a nanosecond off-screen. A few other events also get rushed with narration. Faring the worst is Lu Bu's subplot with Dong Zhuo's intended, Diaochan (Gulnazar), a character introduced in the last half-hour. We think we'll get a confrontation between the men, like in the novel, but no. 

Meanwhile, Cao Cao fluctuates between schemer and tragic villain. He murders an innocent man and his family over a misunderstanding. It's a likely hallucination given the red filter. How'd that happen? Neither he or the film dwell on the question. His callousness over the affair disgusts his friend, Chen Gong (Eddie Cheung). But his patriotism is still admirable. Still, his character needed some more time.

Its technical style is its strongest asset. Especially in the opening scene. We see massive armies converge to do battle in New Zealand, standing in for ancient China. Armies are sent flying into the air with a single blow. Zhang Jiao even turns his soldiers into zombies (not in the novel) who dogpile on Dong Zhuo. It's that kind of movie. The remaining fights are as over-the-top as the games. Team Liu Bei's final battle with Lu Bu is chaotic, but stylish. The cinematography, costume and production design are top notch. The CGI is somewhat noticeable but not painful.

If anything, Dynasty Warriors sparked my interest in playing the actual games. Or, any of its spin-offs. But I don't think I can get a game console hooked up in my home set-up. Oh well. I have one translation of the novel, so I can go there. The movie works best if you don't dwell on it too much. Its video game action is handled better than its famous story. 118 minutes is to short to tell its tale; another half-hour would suffice. Its story already covers the first nine chapters out of 120!