Dragon Quest: Your Story

Now to another animated film that debuted on Netflix last February after an international theatrical release in 2019! It's a CGI anime film based on the Dragon Quest video games, specifically Dragon Quest V from the SNES. The series is a cultural mainstay in Japan, but a cult curiosity in the US, where it was once marketed as Dragon Warrior. The film is called Dragon Quest: Your Story. Here's the review: 

Our hero is Luca, son of the warrior King Pankraz and his Queen Mada. The evil Bishop Ladja wants to summon the almighty evil Grandmaster Nimzo, so he steals away Mada. Luca and Pankraz travel the world and meet a few friends. But when they encounter Ladja, he kills Pankraz and enslaves Luca and his alleged pal, Prince Harry.

Ten years later, Luca and Harry make a messy escape from Ladja's dungeon. The main plot kicks in when Luca learns he's apparently the Zenithian Hero, the Special destined to vanquish Nimzo forever. There's even a Legendary Sword to prove him such. He has to get it back from the ravaging Bjorn the Behemoose. Along the way, Luca is forced to choose between two of his old friends, sweet Nera and fiery Bianca, to take to the altar. Now to fight Ladja and....

The screenplay by co-director Takashi Yamazaki speeds through the long video game in just 102 minutes. Necessary, but not perfect. The film presents its prologue in SNES graphics form. Luca meets Nera and Bianca, but the speedy plot doesn't give their relationships the time to breathe. So when one of them abdicates to the other, it's more "meh" than "ahh." Luca spends all but one scene with Prince Harry before Ladja shows up. And it has Prince Harry being a royal pain (he gets better). Gootrude the Slime (Slimes being the series' mascot creature) is an important character for the climax, but he's just there for most of the time. The climax derails its chosen one narrative for a meta-fictional twist. It may make or break the film for some, but I thought it was OK. The surprise villain was a delightfully smug jerk.

What it gets right is the technicals. The character designs aren't exactly lifted from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's designs from the games. But they're recognizable. What this means is that the monsters are still goofy and the humans are equally cartoony. Ladja's design is perfectly creepy. The 3D environments they inhabit and their magical spells are visually stunning. Again, see it on the biggest TV you can find. Koichi Sugiyama's iconic soundtrack from the game scores the film. It only adds to the majesty of the visuals.

Its plot may go at lightspeed, but Dragon Quest: Your Story is anything but unintelligible. Its dramatic qualities are mostly inert but its plot points are understandable. You need not be familiar with the games to understand it all. It also has a good sense of humor and a mostly good pace. Its technicals are on par with any Pixar release. I'd like to find some other CGI anime now. This one is worth at least a watch. It's still on Netflix if you want to.

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

 I must make a few apologies. 

First is for something in my Early Man review. A trailer for this about to be reviewed film played during that movie in 2018. I erroneously thought it didn't have a clear title. But it did: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. It didn't register as a title for some reason. 

Anyway, the second apology is for not seeing this sooner (it debuted on Netflix in February of last year). It's a real breather from the heavy dramas about to pile up my schedule.

Our hero is Shaun the Sheep, a bit character from the Wallace and Gromit shorts that got his own franchise. He had his own movie once (which I never saw in theaters) and it got an Oscar nomination. This is his second movie, which debuted in UK Cinemas in 2019. And it got a BAFTA nomination. Fortunately, it's still eligible for an Oscar nomination, one of 27 films eligible this protracted year.

This time, Shaun gets a surprise visitor to his farm: an alien puppy named Lu-la. Lu-la took her parents' spaceship for a ride and got stuck on Earth. She needs Shaun's help to find her ship's remote so she can get home. But  Agent Red of the Ministry of Alien Detection (MAD) wants to make Lu-la's stay permanent. But her hazmat goons mistake Bitzer the Dog for an alien and they go after him.

Meanwhile, Shaun's Farmer decides to take advantage of the UFO-craze in their town. He plans to make an alien theme park called Farmageddon. That's where they meet for their final slapstick confrontation.

Slapstick moves the plot along. The cast communicates in grunts and grumbles. The only intelligible name is the one in the title. But you'll understand who's who in terms of story role. The plasticine characters have such lively personalities. You don't need to be familiar with the franchise to understand this plot. There are some sci-fi homages that need some familiarity, though. It's a goofy and fun romp that keeps things going for 87 minutes. Its ending was nice, too.

And for the technicals. Lu-la and her race are appealing alien life. Who wouldn't want a plush of her? There's some cool CGI to visualize her weird powers. An impressive display is a burp so loud it's heard in Africa. There's also some great CGI to visualize outer space. Watch it on the biggest TV you can find. Tom Howe's lively score fits the slapstick perfectly; it's also majestic when conveying Lu-la's powers and outer space.

It's been almost a year and Farmageddon is still on Netflix. Anyone looking for a light home matinee will get their money's worth. It's sure to entertain kids and adults alike. It may even motivate one to seek out the Shaun the Sheep TV series, the earlier film or any of the Wallace and Gromit toons. And levity is always needed for times like this.

Sound of Metal

Ruben and Lou are the heavy metal duo Blackgammon. Ruben (Riz Ahmed) is the drummer and Lou (Olivia Cooke) is the vocalist. They've had plenty of experience with the Sound of Metal, which is also the title of this Amazon Prime exclusive.

One day, Ruben suddenly goes deaf. He finds himself with around 26% capacity hearing. He wants to get through his latest tour but that's becoming impossible. Lou fears he'll relapse into drugs and helps him meet Joe (Paul Raci). Joe, deaf since Vietnam, runs a community for deaf recovering addicts. Joe tries to help Ruben and others like him adjust to a soundless world. But Ruben is looking forward to afford some Cochlear Implants. They're not what he expects.

This marks the feature directorial debut of Darius Marder, a co-writer of 2013's indie thriller The Place Beyond the Pines. He co-wrote the script with his brother Abraham and Pines director Derek Cianfrance. It's an intense story even without gunfights or car chases. Ruben's hearing loss is initially nightmarish. Anyone with some sudden disability can empathize. But we see him learn to accept it in due time. There are some slow spots but it's natural considering Ruben's arc

Ahmed's performance is great. One can tell that Ruben lives life fast - mostly - and hard. He's still a nice guy with a great relationship with Lou. His sudden deafness tells him to slow down. He finds some new friends and a purpose as a teacher's aide. He sells his RV and bargains to buy it back like a desperate addict (something Joe notices). We see the desperation and pity in his eyes. His story is a great case study for the Five Stages of Grief.

The most obvious technical stars are the sound people. They distort and undistort Ruben's sound world for the audience to hear. We sometimes hear the sound perfectly normal. It then sounds like being underwater. It's simply muffled in other times. The cochlear implants make it sound like an old video game. So it's a relief when he finally removes them for sweet silence. I just spoiled the ending, didn't I? Anyway, the sound mixing is a great model for anyone looking to join that field. There's also no underscore save for an end credits song.

I should have seen Sound of Metal sooner. It's a story that means a lot of things. But it especially means that having a disability is not the end of the world. It's not as depressing as I thought it be. Ahmed and the sound designers deserve whatever praise they get - or have gotten. It's still on Amazon Prime ready for you to press play. Prepare to hear a lot without hearing it.

Da 5 Bloods

I once again go to Netflix to continue my sprint towards 2020's best movies. Da 5 Bloods is Spike Lee's latest joint. Yesterday, it was voted Best Film by the prestigious National Board of Review. Who knows if it will win the Oscar. But it won't be ignored on nominations day.

Vietnam, 1971. "Stormin" Norman (Chadwick Boseman) leads the Bloods - Paul (Delroy Lindo), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Otis (Clarke Peters) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) - into battle. One day, they are assigned to secure a box of gold bars from a downed CIA airplane. The gold bars are meant for Lahu fighters against the Viet Cong. Norman and the Bloods decide to take the gold for their fellow Black Americans. Norman is killed by the Vietcong and the treasure is seemingly lost.

Before last year. A mudslide has uncovered the gold's resting place. Norman's remains aren't that far behind. The surviving Bloods return to Vietnam to get both of them back. They're joined by Paul's estranged son David (Jonathan Majors), Hedy (Melanie Thierry), a French anti-landmine activist, and Vietnamese tour guide Vinh (Johnny Tri Nguyen). Paul's erratic behavior makes the trip tense. A French businessman named Desroche (Jean Reno) and his mercenaries aren't helping either.

Lee and his BlacKKKlansman co-writer Kevin Willmott rework a screenplay from Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson. Its main plot will instantly remind one of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; there's even a homage to that line. The whole story revolves around Paul, who runs the gamut from cool old guy to angry bigot to erratic vet to deeply insecure man. It's a test of the audience's sympathy ultimately rewarded. Delroy Lindo's dynamic performance will keep you watching for the whole 156 minutes. 

The cast definitely earned that Best Ensemble award the National Board also gave them. David, the film's deuteragonist, has an arc as strong as his dad's. The final shootout with Desroche and his men gives David the chance to be a hero. It's rewarding to see. The other Bloods are a likable bunch with their own affairs to settle. Their first scene at a Vietnamese hotel says a lot about their past before we see it. Their happiness when they finally find the gold is infectious. Naturally, it puts the audience on edge when the Bloods face danger. A lot of danger. Finally, Boseman as Norman makes the most of his limited screen time. 

Newton Thomas Siegel's cinematography is the standout technical achievement here. The film switches through aspect ratios depending on locale or time period. It felt extra significant, for example, when the jungle trek unveiled its full 16:9 aspect ratio. The flashbacks look straight out of a 60s news report. Speaking of which, the present Bloods play their past selves without visual trickery. It makes sense considering what they've been through. 

Meanwhile, the action scenes are perfectly tense thanks to editor Adam Gough and the sound designers. The standout scene is when the Bloods, Hedy and her friends, team up to extract David from a landmine. It's a riveting scene you need to watch for yourselves. The soundtrack is populated by a few Marvin Gaye songs from his What's Going On album and an emotional score by Terence Blanchard.

Da 5 Bloods is a strong story about facing one's past. It's also about how trouble can start with good intentions. It's not an easy sit, both in tone and length, but it gives one a lot to think about. So much that it might require their own movie. It's still ready for a Netflix home matinee. See it if you want a wild and crazy experience.

Emma.

The other film I meant to see last March is Emma., the latest take on Jane Austen's last novel published in her lifetime. I'm old enough to remember two other film versions in the mid-90s (one being Clueless), but I never saw them. But I've now seen this film, which marks the directorial debut of photographer Autumn de Wilde.

Let's see if I can cut through the knotted romantic threads. Emma Woodhouse (Anna Taylor-Joy) prides herself as a matchmaker. She already set up her governess, Mrs. Taylor (Gemma Whelan) with wealthy Mr. Weston (Rupert Graves). She decides to take on orphaned girl Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) as her new best friend. Mr. Martin (Connor Swindells) proposes to Harriet, but Emma sets her up with vicar Mr. Elton (Josh O'Connor). But Mr. Elton likes Emma instead. Emma likes Mr. Weston's son Frank Churchill (Callum Turner) instead. Emma's brother-in-law, Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn), likes her too. Emma doesn't like him back. But then they do like each other.

Everybody got that?

Eleanor Catton's screenplay is a perfectly complicated comedy of manners. The characters, at their worst, are never loathsome people. Maybe except for Emma's sister, Isabella, and her husband, who never stop bickering. But even Mr. Elton, who coldly can't "think about Miss Smith when Miss Woodhouse is near," is a likable dolt. He seems heartbroken when Emma rejects him (but then quickly rebounds). 

A few more likable characters come with Emma's doddering father (Bill Nighy) and eccentric neighbor Miss Bates (Miranda Hart). He's got some odd quirks but he's still a loving father. She talks a lot but she still has feelings. Harriet, meanwhile, reveals herself more complicated than she appears

There's also Emma herself. Taylor-Joy is pretty good as the socially ignorant Emma. The movie is about her learning to be more considerate. We see the consequences of her thoughtlessness in due time. One of the most devastating for her is hurting Miss Bates's feelings. Her social ignorance never rises to loathsomeness. Her love-hate relationship with Mr. Knightley is just as good as Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (with and without Zombies). 

There's plenty to see and hear in Emma. Alexandra Byrne dresses Emma herself in searingly bright dresses, including a gold one that sadly, is in one scene. Her house, which is seen throughout the film, is an impressive estate visualized by Kave Quinn. There's also some great English scenery photographed by Christopher Blauevelt. We also have an energetic folk score by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge. There's quite a bit to consider come Oscar time in a few months.

Emma. (period included) is sure to please Austen fans. Austen's dry wit is alive and well after 200 some years. I don't know how it compares to the other films, or to Clueless, but it's a good romantic comedy. A few viewings maybe needed to get through the love triangles within love triangles. But it's a good way to spend 124 minutes or so. Perhaps I should have seen it last year in theaters.

Perhaps...

[Title Here]

Surprise! It's The Invisible Man!

I meant to see this modern take on HG Wells' classic thriller last year. But you might guess why I didn't go. At least we have the film on streaming! So let's get to it!

Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) should be happy. She left her abusive scientist boyfriend Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). A few weeks later, word comes that he killed himself. His will bequeaths her - in a backhanded contrite fashion - $5 million provided she stays sane and crime-free. Why would that be a problem?

Because it seems someone is following her and messing with her life. It's almost as if Adrian is haunting her from beyond the grave. Either that, or he's found a way to make himself invisible and is haunting her that way. That's what Cecilia figures out, and she's right. Even worse, Adrian's brother and executor, Tom (Michael Dorman), is in on the scheme. They're out to cut off Cecilia from the rest of the world. So it's up to Cecilia to expose them before she's stuck in solitary or with him.

Director and writer Leigh Whannell's screenplay draws as much from The Cat and The Canary as it does with the novel. That movie and play also had a woman stalked by a fiendish figure after she inherits money on the condition she's sane. It's just that it's not in a haunted house.

But anyway, this film gives us a strong story about a woman who stands up for herself. Moss as Cecilia is compelling as she deals with her invisible enemy. Her supporting cast, Harriet Dyer as her sister Alice, Aldis Hodge as her cop friend, James, and Storm Reid as his daughter, Sydney, are a nice bunch. Dorman as Tom was a convincing nice guy until he dropped the act. As for the villain himself, Jackson-Cohen as Adrian's presence is persistent even if his screen time is not.

It makes the most of its $7 million budget. For starters, there's Adrian's invisibility suit, which makes him look like a black golf ball. But that seemingly goofy design turns creepy when the suit glitches in and out of visibility. How did they do that? The complete invisibility effects were flawless. The cinematography and editing keep things tense even when there's nothing there. The spookiness is amplified by Benjamin Wallfisch's unnerving score and some equally creepy sound effects.

I'd tell you to see The Invisible Man, but you can't. So see the movie with his name instead. It's got sci-fi thrills and emotional chills in a 124 minute package. It's a marvel that it was made for such a low budget. See it wherever it's streaming legally for a memorable home matinee. There was one other film I wanted to see before things went haywire in March. That film is next:

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Jagshemash! My name Borat. I'm big reporter for nation of Kazakhstan. I was on movie screens fourteen years ago in famous movie film called Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. But that movie film make America think Kazakhstan is big joke. So I go to Gulag. But Premier Nazarbayev decide to give me chance. He tell me to deliver gift to American Premier (soon to be not Premier) to win America favor. That gift is Johnny the Monkey.

Actually, due to certain circumstances, like kitty kat says, I can't deliver gift to American Premier. So I aim for next best thing: American Vice Premier.

But my daughter Tutar stow away with me to America. She ate Johnny the Monkey on the way there. So I decide to offer Tutar to American Vice Premier. What follows is trip full of things kitty kat won't let me say. But he let me say Tutar learns to be independent woman who questions what her daddy (me) says. It's a problem because I will be execute if I fail. All this and more are in Amazon Prime exclusive movie film called Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

And you want to know who the kitty kat is?

Me. Jethro. Trying my best Borat. Time to talk as myself.

The screenplay credits Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator and portrayer of Borat himself, and eight other writers. The film gives Borat and Tutar (in reality, Maria Bakalova) a crazy trip across the East Coast. Its politically incorrect humor is not for everyone. But it does a good job showing the idiocy of being narrow-minded. Borat is so narrow-minded that he makes conspiracy theorists, like the two he meets, almost look sane. The normal people seen casually going along with Borat's wackiness is amusingly horrifying.

Of course, Borat and Tutar are idiotically narrow-minded. But Baron Cohen and Bakalova play their parts with utter sincerity. These absurd characters feel like real people. Seriously. They question their minuscule worldview during the film and end up marginally better people. Marginally, but still. There's a great makeup team giving Borat some wacky disguises and Tutar a progressively glamorous appearance.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is either a long awaited sequel or completely unnecessary. I'm sure it will please fans of the first film. It's just as as politically-incorrect and as insightful as the first film. Its climactic twist is perhaps the most topical of its jokes. Did I say too much? 

It tested my comic tolerance quite a bit. But it got better once I understood the method to its madness. You might see what I mean when you press play on Amazon Prime. 

One Night in Miami

I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that my local theaters never played If Beale Street Could Talk in time for the Oscars. I would have seen it the first weekend it was out. Seriously.

Anyway, Regina King, who won an Oscar for that film, makes her directorial debut with One Night in Miami. Kemp Powers adapted his own stage play for this Amazon Prime exclusive. It just became available for the service this past weekend. And I wasted little time in watching it.

February 25, 1964. Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) is crowned the World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Sonny Liston. Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.) are in the audience. The four of them meet that night at Malcolm's motel room. 

They spend the night conversing about their roles in Black America. Among the subjects are Clay's converting to Islam (where he'll rename himself Muhammed Ali), Malcolm's desire to leave the Nation of Islam, Brown wanting to pursue a movie career and the sounds of Cooke's music. It's an eventful night.

We also have an eventful prologue to Fight Night. It's a good introduction to the ensemble. Brown meets a family friend (Beau Bridges) who turns out to be racist. Meanwhile, Cooke plays to a cold audience at the Copacabana. Also meanwhile, Malcolm talks to his wife about his aforementioned plan. We don't need to hear them monologue like Shakespeare to air their frustrations. Their faces speak for themselves. We see them deal with their fears and doubts during the night.

Finally, we have Cassius Clay, whose showmanship is perfectly presented by Goree. The film opens with his narrow victory against Henry Cooper. His victory against Liston gives him much to think about. Much of the film is about Clay debating whether to convert or not. Malcolm's doubts with the Nation of Islam give Clay his own doubts. We see his humility and thoughtfulness unfold during the night. Overall, Goree, Odom Jr, Ben-Adir and Hodge make a great ensemble to spend 110 minutes with.

One Night in Miami is an excellent way to spend your day anywhere. You'll get to know the men behind four modern legends in no time. You'll get a compelling story about using one's fame to advance social justice. You'll rarely notice that it's a stage play on film. The titular night is a lot of things, but it's never boring. It's a great addition to Amazon Prime's film catalog. 

And I've got a few more to get through.

Mank

Orson Welles made his screen debut as the uncredited narrator of 1940's The Swiss Family Robinson. Nobody seems to acknowledge that perhaps because 1.) he was uncredited, 2.) he wasn't on screen, and 3.) it wasn't Citizen Kane. As his first film as filmmaker and star approaches its 80th anniversary, it's time to acknowledge his co-writer, and some say, only writer, Herman J. Mankiewicz. The movie is called Mank.

In 1940, "Mank" (Gary Oldman) is hired by Welles (Tom Burke) to co-write Citizen Kane. He's holed up in a house in the desert with his secretary, Rita Alexander (Lily Collins) and Mercury Theater producer John Houseman (Sam Troughton). He dictates the script to the former and the script is supervised by the latter. They've got about 60 days to finish it.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD - DAY AND NIGHT (1930-1937)

We also see Mank's pre-Kane days as a writer for MGM. He and his brother, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Tom Pelphery) rise up in Hollywood. We also see him mingle with William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) and his mistress, Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), the real life inspirations for Kane's Charles Foster Kane and his wife, Susan Alexander. Mank's past experiences shape the script and inspire him to confront Welles for credit.

David Fincher dusts off a script his late father, Jack, wrote ages ago. It's a good script even if its central thesis has long been disputed. One thing it gets right is its chronology; slug lines (like the one above) denote Mank's pre-Kane days. No getting lost in time jumps thanks to editor Kirk Baxter. But on the subject of thesis, we don't see Hearst try to stop Mank from writing Kane, not to the extent that he antagonized Welles in real life. The finale skips from Mank delivering the script to Welles to them winning the Oscar for Best Screenplay.

The film is a great movie to look at. The Black-and-White cinematography by Erik Messerschmidt almost looks straight out of the 1940s. Almost, because it's not in the Academy Ratio. But there's even cigarette burns for reel changes. The visual effects team deserve praise for its practically invisible work. Production Designer Donald Graham Burt helps make Old Hollywood look intimidating. It's just waiting for a film noir to happen. It's all set to another great Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross score that's equally creepy and sentimental.

What about the cast? Oldman as Mank mostly dominates the film. We see how he became a disillusioned alcoholic and how he sobered up to co-write his masterpiece. It's a compelling arc throughout the time jumping. It's mostly dominating because there's a good supporting cast too. Seyfried, Collins and Tuppence Middleton (as Mank's wife "Poor" Sara) are strong presences. Arliss Howard also stands out as Louis B. Mayer, who tries to sell himself as a "family man" but is subtly failing. Burke as Welles is a dominating force in his few scenes. Perhaps the most surprising cameo is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) as Upton Sinclair. Jamie McShane portrays Shelly Metcalf, the film's most sympathetic minor character.

Mank is another fine entry in Netflix's streaming catalog. It's an interesting story about the origins of one of history's most acclaimed pictures. It's also a compelling story about a man finding meaning and passion in his life. That's a good angle no matter which side of the authorship question you're on.

Mine: Welles and Mank deserve equal credit.

It's worth a chill on Netflix. You still got time before the Oscars.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

I've got a busy week planned full of movies I've put off till now. So let's go. First on the docket is The Trial of the Chicago 7. Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct Aaron Sorkin's script about a decade ago. But we now have Sorkin himself directing his own script. 

The Chicago 7 stand accused of inciting the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins) and John Froines (Daniel Flaherty) are the seven. Their eighth, unofficial member is Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). All are represented, officially or not, by William Kunstler (Mark Rylance). US Attorney General John Mitchell (John Doman) wants to make examples out of the "leftist radicals". Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) is ready to convict them. "The whole world is watching" as the protestors put it.

You can already tell this is a heavy ensemble film. 

So let's get down to highlighting the best. Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman gets the funniest lines and moments. He also proves himself perhaps the most insightful of the 7. Strong as Rubin is also funny and proves himself a good man. The most compelling characters are Dellinger, Hayden, Kunstler and especially, Seale. We see how none of them wanted trouble, but trouble wanted them.

Judge Hoffman runs the gamut from arrogant incompetence to arrogant callousness. Prosecutors Richard Schultz and Thomas Foran (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and JC MacKenzie) show themselves as good guys despite their positions. Michael Keaton gets a good cameo as former Attorney General and star witness Ramsey Clark. The characters I mentioned are a memorable bunch. I can go on, but I won't.

The film opens with the eight defendants preparing for Chicago. Editor Alan Baumgarten goes back and forth between them, often having them finish each others' sentences, while we see news of the 60s. The trial comes after that. It's only in flashbacks much later that we see the protests and the riots in Chicago. The film spares no one from the chaos of those scenes. Or the slowness of much of the trial. 

The Trial of the Chicago 7 came out during a weird year. I finally saw it during another. It gives you a lot to think about over 130 minutes. It's got a fine bunch of actors though some stand taller than others. It's ready to watch on Netflix. Chances are, it'll still be there by April.

Tenet

So this is supposed to be 2020's first great summer blockbuster.

I didn't take the offer to see Christopher Nolan's latest film, Tenet, during its theatrical release (there were some theaters open). So I waited to get the Blu Ray from Amazon to watch it. I know that Nolan's films make much more sense upon repeated viewing. But. Never. Was. This. Truer. Than. With. This. Movie.

The protagonist of Tenet is … The Protagonist (John David Washington). He starts the movie by foiling a terrorist attack at the National Opera of Ukraine. Our hero is taken prisoner and, one cyanide capsule later, is inducted into the Tenet Organization. Now let's see if I can explain this clearly:

The MacGuffins of the movie are objects with "inverted" entropy. We see our hero fire at an already shot up wall and the bullets return to the gun. They've been coming from the future. Tenet thinks someone is planning to destroy all existence with an inverted bomb. Mr. Protagonist and Tenet agent Neil (Robert Pattinson) are assigned to the case. Their Antagonist is oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh). His abused wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) is willing to help our heroes. But whether backwards or forwards, the mains don't have all the time in the world.

Everybody got that?

Nolan's screenplay gives a full textbook's worth of exposition about time inversion and stuff. A lot of it would've been understandable had the sound mixing been better. The dialogue is often drowned out by Ludwig Goransson's booming score. And there's a lot of dialogue. A key plot point involves a fake Goya painting that Sator blackmails Kat with. How? It's easy to get lost after the third or fourth exposition lecture

It does get better when the action picks up, though. There's a heist at an Oslo Airport that involves crashing a live 747 into a hangar. That leads to an inverted fight with Our Hero and Neil against two of the same guy. They have a car chase in Estonia where they try to stop Sator from getting inverted Plutonium. And there's a spectacular siege of Sator's home base. These scenes show off the best of Jennifer Lame's editing. The international locales are splendidly photographed by Hoye van Hoytema. 

Let's devote a paragraph to the inverted effects. It's simply more than playing the footage backwards. There's some amazingly complicated choreography in motion. We see our heroes going forward while everyone else goes backward. In the same shots. The Airport fight scene is a perfect highlight. We even see clouds go back and forth behind the Protagonist. The technical prowess is the film's most intriguing part.

I'd normally say a blockbuster like Tenet needs to be seen on the big screen. But if your TV is the biggest screen around, so be it. The film is a visual marvel even if its mechanics are confounding. As I said, repeated viewings may help you understand the plot. Keep in mind that it's not an easy home matinee at 150 minutes. You may also get the published script from places like Amazon. I did.

Soul

I should have seen Soul back in June. But, once again, things didn't go that way. A bit like a day for the Pixar film's protagonist, music teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx). He gets a gig with the Jazz band of the esteemed Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). Then he steps into an open manhole and finds himself somewhere else...

Joe refuses to go to the light of the Great Beyond. He instead goes to the Great Before, where new souls are counseled by historical greats and entities all named Jerry. Joe is assigned to counsel the cynical soul number 22 (Tina Fey). She'll get an "Earth Pass" once she gets her "spark." Since she'll not need it...

But Joe and 22 get back to Earth anyway. She occupies his body and he occupies a cat's. The ensuing escapades motivates 22 to live and Joe to rethink his life. They'll have to hurry up and solve their existential crises. A busybody soul accountant named Terry (Rachel House) looks to pull them back to the other side.

Director Pete Docter and his co-writers Mike Jones and Kemp Powers create one of Pixar's funniest scripts. One young soul gleefully admits to being "a manipulative egomaniac." We see 22 frustrate even Mother Theresa. 22 in Joe's body displays some blunt philosophy. I can go on but there's some seriousness too. "You can't crush a soul here. That's what life on Earth is for," 22 says at one point. But she and Joe find purpose in their time on Earth. Their "spark" being their motivation. The existentialism hits hardest the more one thinks about it.

A film about Jazz needs a great soundtrack. Soul has it. The Jazz tracks were scored by Jon Batiste, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross handle the bulk of the main score. Batiste's tracks are lively numbers sure to please Jazz devotees. Reznor and Ross's electronic music sells the eeriness of the afterlife. It's great music paired with great production design. It's sure to give Oscar's Music Branch a headache determining its eligibility. But it's still cool.

Want another reason to get Disney Plus? Soul is a reason. It keeps Pixar's reputation for story and technical excellence going strong. You'll be surprised at its sense of humor. Look out for some cameos too. Its 101 minutes are time well spent on Earth. Soul would've premiered with a short called Burrow had it fully premiered in theaters. That short is also on Disney Plus. I should look at it too.

Mulan

I gave myself Disney Plus for the new year. So it's time to catch up on some more movies. The first film I'll review from the service is Mulan, the live-action take on Disney's animated take on the beloved Chinese folktale. Say that ten times fast.

Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu) aspires to be a great warrior. Her parents aspire her to make her a "good wife." Meanwhile, China is invaded by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) and his warriors. The Emperor (Jet Li) calls for one man from every family to serve in the Imperial Army. Unfortunately for Mulan, the only man of her family is her injured father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma). So she takes his armor and sword and enlists as "Hua Jun." Mulan proves herself a capable recruit. The army has to hurry to prevent Khan and his sorceress ally Xian Lang (Gong Li) from reaching the Emperor.

Unlike The Lion King, director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and the four screenwriters don't re-enact the earlier animated film in live-action. For starters, there are no animal sidekicks or musical numbers. Harry Gregson-Williams incorporates some of Matthew Wilder and David Zippel's iconic tunes in his rousing score, but that's it. The story set to that score is a decent one. On one hand, Mulan's plight is understandable. On the other, her relationship with fellow soldier Chen Honghui (Yoson An) is less compelling than the one with her sister, Xiu (Xana Tang). Both should be equal.

Liu is still a strong Mulan. She's a strong warrior and devoted family member. Her interactions with the town Matchmaker (Cheng Pei-Pei) are humorous. The final battle with Khan is an exciting one. Jet Li as the Emperor shows some awesomeness when he takes on Khan. Jason Scott Lee and Gong Li are formidable villains, but Gong Li's Xian Lang leaves the most impact. Mulan's Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) was an OK character; a bit too routine, though.

In addition to Williams, Caro's technical crew is pretty good too. Production Designer Grant Major visualizes grand locales from the Imperial City to Mulan's Tulou. Cinematographer Mandy Walker adds to the grandeur with her work. Would've been nice to see it on the big screen, but oh well. The wall-running and wall-jumping during the fighting is spectacular. Xian Ling's magic makes for nifty visual effects, though some questions (what happens to the folks she possesses?) aren't answered. Meanwhile, costume designer Bina Daigeler and the makeup team create memorable looks for all.

I definitely would've seen Mulan back in March. But 2020 had other plans. But I've seen it now. It's a decent action film with a strong lead and memorable villainess. At least it's not a flat retread of its animated counterpart. It's got some surprises. It's a good reason to get Disney Plus. I got the yearly plan.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, the "Mother of the Blues," is the title character of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Her band is there to perform the music her way. Viola Davis perfectly embodies Ma's dominating personality, but Chadwick Boseman, in his final role, equally dominates the film as her trumpeter, Levee.

Anyway, it's Chicago in 1927. Levee and the other members of Ma's band, Cutler (Colman Domingo), Slow Drag (Michael Potts) and Toledo (Glynn Turman) assemble to record Ma's latest album. Levee is looking to strike out on his own. He wants to re-arrange the title song to something jazzier. But the others aren't won over by his attitude. Neither is Ma, who arrives late to the session with her girlfriend, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige) and nephew, Sylvester (Dusan Brown). The conflicts within the band eventually explode.

The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, who, among his theatre credits, directed both parts of Angels in America. The screenplay was adapted by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who also starred in Wolfe's Jelly's Last Jam. The resulting ninety-four minutes are dynamic. No scene or bit of dialogue is wasted in the transition. We get to know the characters and how life treated them. You'll barely notice the story's stage play origins. 

Boseman as Levee leaves the strongest impression. He's introduced as a swaggering dreamer ready to hit it big. He's so full of himself that he doesn't care how he'll make it. But he's not some naïve fool. We understand his persona with some intense monologues. He's just waiting to erupt with rage and he finally does so. The climax sees him at his scariest and most unreasonable. 

Now for the title character. The film wastes no time establishing her persona. We see her argue with a cop after a traffic accident outside the studio. We see her march in over her manager, Irvin, and producer Sturdyvant. She quickly shoots down Levee's arrangement idea. She's difficult, but we understand her. We see her world-weariness in her disheveled face (great makeup work). She needs to be heard by the uncaring world. And if she'll be a diva, so be it. Davis's performance gives the film another strong note.

There are some great technical stars. Editor Andrew Mondsheim opens the film with a great montage establishing Ma's presence in the 20's. The recording of the title song is an excellent musical sequence … which amplifies the disappointment when it's revealed the microphone is busted! Cinematographer Tobias A. Schliessler draws a contrast between the claustrophobic recording studio and the vibrant Chicago outside. He and production designer Mark Ricker paint an apt metaphor for Levee's situation near the end. Nowhere to go. Costume Designer Ann Roth and the sound designers also deserve whatever praise comes their way.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is another strong addition to an unusual film year. The next Oscars are in April, so you have plenty of time to see it on Netflix. I mean, neither you or Oscar will forget its stars. They won't let you forget. Keep in mind that it doesn't end happily for all. 

Wonder Woman 1984

While Zack Snyder finishes his version of Justice League, Patty Jenkins continues the adventures of one of the League's best. Wonder Woman goes straight from World War I to the Cold War in the aptly named Wonder Woman 1984. It's not as awful as some reviews have stated. Let's see why.

In the titular year, Diana (Gal Gadot) works at the Smithsonian as an anthropologist. She also fights crime as Wonder Woman. The two professions meet when, after a robbery, the FBI hands Diana a bunch of stolen goods. One of them is a "Dreamstone" which grants wishes the Monkey's Paw way. She accidentally wishes Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who perished in World War I, back from the dead. But it's in another man's body. And also, because of her wish, her formidable physical powers vanish.

Meanwhile, dirt broke businessman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) merges with the stone and becomes the world's richest genie. But the Monkey's Paw rule brings the world straight into World War III. The only way to undo the damage is to get everyone to renounce their wishes. It's painful for Diana, but easier for her than her co-worker, Barbara (Kristin Wiig), who wished herself some confidence and won't give it up without a fight.

Jenkins and her co-writers Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham keep it going decently for 151 minutes. It starts off with young Diana participating in her home island, Themyscira's version of the Olympics. It does thematically set-up the film's McGuffin. The "present day" opening gives Diana plenty of comical superheroics on the way to the robbery. Diana thwarting the robbery is a spectacular sequence. The film spends its time developing its characters in some engaging scenes. It's a slow plot, but it's got some good ideas.

Perhaps the best ideas come from the villains. Pascal as Lord starts off as a vapid 80s tycoon. But we see how he's trapped by his public persona. He becomes an misguided megalomaniac when he merges with the stone. But fortunately, Diana is able to make him see the error of his ways. Wiig as Barbara goes from likable to vicious during the movie. She makes a great personal antagonist for Diana, especially when she becomes The Cheetah. 

Gadot is still engaging as Diana/Wonder Woman. We see her as lonely and world weary; seems understandable for someone as long-lived as her. We can understand why she would hesitate to renounce her wish. Whether one can empathize with it is apparently a deal breaker for some reviewers. But her taking action as Wonder Woman is awesome. Her chemistry with Steve is still endearing.

Production Designer Aline Bonetto, Cinematographer Matthew Jensen and Costume Designer Lindy Hemming return to produce a vibrant world for Diana to inhabit. The film looks great whether it's on Themyscira or a Washington DC Mall. The Cheetah was created with CGI, but it looks so much like prosthetic makeup. It's just that good. Hans Zimmer adds to the aural excellence with his score. It's mostly subdued but it amplifies the emotional moments.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a good diversion from the dour real world. It's a spectacular blockbuster even if it's not as resonant as the first film. I'd say it's worth the price of an HBO Max subscription. It's also wherever there are movie theaters. See it whichever legal way you can. Nothing can top the dreariness of the current news cycle.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

It's Christmas time, again. So let's finally look at another rendition of a Charles Dickens novel. David Copperfield, essentially Dickens' autobiography, has been rendered many times before. This time, it's Armando Iannucci's turn to tell The Personal History of David Copperfield.

It's kind of a long title. But nowhere near as long as the novel's full title: The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account).

David Copperfield (Dev Patel) tells the audience, both in-story and the real world, about his life. Born to a widowed mother, young David (Jairaj Varsani) is abused by his stepfather, Mr. Murdstone (Darren Boyd), who sends him away to a workhouse. His family there is the eccentric debt-ridden Micaawbers. When David's mother dies, he tells the Murdstones off and he goes to his also eccentric Aunt Betsey (Tilda Swinton). David soon finds employment with Mr. Spenlow (Matthew Cottle), falls for his daughter, Dora (Morfydd Clark), then rises to become a famous storyteller.

Iannucci and co-writer Simon Blackwell re-arrange or edits out bits of the novel for a nicely paced two hours. The storytelling devices make it a fun and unique take. David's introduction, addressing a Victorian audience, calls to mind Dickens' live-readings of A Christmas Carol. He literally walks through the first years of his life. Flashbacks are projected on the walls like movies. There's even a bit of silent movie undercranked wackiness. Mr. Micawber's (Peter Capaldi) introduction sees him deftly evade creditors like Chaplin or Keaton. Still, Murdstone abusing David wasn't fun at all. 

Dev Patel as David is very much the hero of his own story, and an engaging one at that. But the eccentric characters along the way are quite memorable. Swinton as Betsey is hysterical, as is Hugh Laurie as her friend, Mr. Dick. Clark is great as Dora, as well as David's mother, Clara. Boyd as Murdstone is a cruel and contemptible villain. Ben Whishaw stands out as the sniveling, scheming Mama's boy, Uriah Heep. Capaldi as Mr. Micawber, though, is the best of the ensemble. Bennett Wong and Rosalind Eleazar are also good as Mr. Wickfield and his daughter, Agnes. There's just so many highlights in this great ensemble. 

It's also a great looking and sounding film. The costume designs by Suzie Harman and Robert Worley are striking, but the best is Mr. Micawber's stylish wardrobe. The cinematography and production design is just as vibrant as the costumes. The boat house is a wonderfully unique locale. Christopher Willis's grand score adds to the film's larger-than-life story.

This is certainly Iannucci's most optimistic film. The Personal History of David Copperfield is a crowd-pleasing (even if that crowd is just a household now) film with a wonderful cast of characters. Its lighthearted tone hasn't forgotten how serious Dickens can get, though. But it turns out all right in the end. Although it came out in August, this film is sure to make a great holiday movie. 

The Witches

 What happened to my good movie year? I had a lot of good movies lined up to see this year and now, zilch. My movie year's been cursed. Must have been a witch.

Yeah, witches.

Now that my family has HBOMax, it's time to make my comeback with another Roald Dahl cinematic rendering. The Witches was already conjured to the cinematic plane in 1990. A film best remembered for its main villain, creepy PG-rated special effects and makeup work and driving the terminally ill Dahl to publicly protest its altered ending. Wonder how he'd take to this rendering?

The unnamed narrator (Chris Rock) tells the audience about his youth. As an orphan boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno), he's sent to his also unnamed grandma (Octavia Spencer) in Alabama. He encounters an obviously evil lady offering him candy, but he doesn't fall for it. Good call. The lady, as grandma explains, is a witch who seek to rid the world of kids. Grandma and Grandson head for a hotel for safety.

Unfortunately, they arrive in time for a convention of witches led by The Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) herself. She plans to turn all the kids in the world into mice. She demonstrates her new mousifying potion on another kid, Bruno (Codie-Lei Eastick) and then, the narrator himself. The rest of the movie is about them, a fellow mousified kid named Mary (Kristin Chenoweth), and Grandma as they prevent the witches from enacting their plot even further.

Director Robert Zemeckis cowrote the film with Guillermo Del Toro and Kenya Barris. Anyone who's seen the first film will recognize the same story beats albeit with some divergences. Its ending is closer to Dahl's. Its first 45 minutes or so go by pretty quickly thanks to good acting from Spencer and Bruno. Its special effects whiplash the film's tone, though. Some scenes are scary (see Grandma's friend Alice get chickenized), while some are silly (mousified victims get rocketed into the air). The digital creatures are just too obvious. Overall, it's nowhere near as nightmarish as the first film.

The other technical elements mix together better. Gary Freeman's production design and Don Burgess's cinematography paint a suitably gothic picture. The Hotel and Grandma's house make for memorable locations. The makeup department conjurs up creepy images for the Witches' true forms. While their three-clawed hands and fanged Glasgow grins are CGI, I can't tell if their toeless feet are. Let's not forget another great score from Alan Silvestri to set the intended tone.

Let's talk about some of the stars. Hathaway as The Grand High Witch is best when she's subtle. She vaporizes a Witch who asked her about the logistics of her plot and only a second later considers it a valid point. Her Grand High Villain Speech a bit earlier is a bit much, especially with her flying and her Glasgow fangs. Spencer as Grandma is equally warm and formidable. As stated before, her bonding with her Grandson helps make the time go by. And finally, Stanley Tucci makes the most of his smaller screentime as hotel manager Mr. Springer.

If anything, this version of The Witches is an ok enough representation of the story. A bit more work on the visual effects could've helped the verisimilitude. But there's still some creepiness in the cauldron. It's a decent home matinee if you have HBOMax. For everyone else, there's regular HBO or eventual physical media.

Onward

Onward to a new Pixar story!

And not a sequel!

Pixar's latest release is the fantastical road-trip movie Onward. It's got some fun ideas and a bit of soul (not to be confused with Pixar's June release, Soul) but its pacing throws it off balance. Read on for more.

Once upon a time, the creatures of fantasy had magic to do. Today, their magical world looks like ours. In this world, elven brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) Lightfoot live in New Mushroomton with mom Laurel (Julie Louis-Dreyfus). Their dad, Wilden, died before Ian was born. Ian gets a convenient present for his sixteenth birthday: a magic staff, a rare Phoenix Gem and a spell that can bring their dad back for one day. After Barley tries his luck, Ian makes the spell work ...

… halfway!

Only Wilden's lower half materializes before the gem breaks. There's another gem that can finish the spell. So Ian, Barley and their dad go on an epic quest in Barley's van, Guinevere. They have to deal with the cops, led by step-dad Colt Bronco (Mel Rodriguez). A pixie biker gang. A booby trapped dungeon. These obstacles threaten the brothers' bond. Of course, they'll have to work together to defeat the menace guarding the gem.

Director Dan Scanlon and his two co-writers spin a fine suburban fable. Their fantastical twists to modern life provide many laughs. One of the best concerns Corey the Manticore (Olivia Spencer), a former adventurer struggling to live a normal life as a restaurateur. Her B-Quest with Laurel to find her pawned-off sword is entertaining, even if it slightly disrupts the momentum of the A-Quest. The film's shout outs to Dungeons and Dragons, one being Barley's favorite game, were cool. Still, its abundant obstacles sometimes prolong the basic plot too much. The resolution is a bit of a letdown.

But it's far from a disaster. Ian and Barley carry the quest with ease. We see Barley's inner big brother emerge from a boisterous lout. We see Ian become a confidant young elf. Pratt and Holland's voice work lets us believe their magical tale. In fact, the voice work all around is magical. Corey the Manticore and the Pixie gang are standouts.

Pixar's technical mages do their jobs well. New Mushroomton is a visually appealing place. The character designers conjur up a wonderfully eclectic cast of fantasy creatures. The film's final boss is a monstrous - and somewhat silly looking - dragon formed from a chunk of Ian's school. Animating it probably wasn't easy. A Gelatinous Cube, a creature from D&D, serves as the semi-final boss. Its scene was both tense and funny. On the aural side, its best achievement was Jeff and Mychael Danna's score.

Onward isn't as emotionally challenging as Coco or Toy Story 4. But it's still a fun adventure. It's probably what a D&D session feels like without excessive number-crunching. Or, much time to breath after every encounter. Maybe that's why its 102 minutes feel longer than they sometimes are. It's still worth a matinee.

Its most emotional moments come from its preceding cartoon. Playdate with Destiny stars Maggie Simpson as she falls for a fellow toddler. It was a cute short with an emotional and funny climax. It's enough to hope for a new Simpsons movie.

The Call of the Wild

One of the last films distributed by the late Twentieth Century Pictures was their take on Jack London's novel The Call of the Wild. This year, the first film by the newly renamed Twentieth Century Studios is another take on the same novel. Let's see how it is.

During the Gold Rush, Buck the Dog was Judge Miller's (Bradley Whitford) pampered pooch. Dognappers take him and sell him up to the Yukon. Buck is sold as a sled dog to mailcarriers Perault (Omar Sy) and Francoise (Cara Gee). Buck asserts himself against the mean Alpha Dog, Spitz, and becomes the new top dog. And then, the mail route is cancelled.

It's about halfway into the 100 minute runtime that we're really introduced to its narrator - John Thornton (Harrison Ford). He and Buck met a few times during the film. But Thornton finally becomes relevant when he liberates Buck from his new and incompetent owners. Thornton decides to go off the map with Buck and explore whatever wilderness comes their way. Buck finds a wolf pack and decides to join them.

Oh yes, remember the new and incompetent owners Thornton liberated Buck from? One of them, Hal (Dan Stevens), decides to follow them into the wild with murderous gold fever.

This marks the live-action and solo directorial debut of Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, How to Train your Dragon). The screenplay by Michael Green probably could've used a different narrator. We get Buck's adventures narrated by someone he really meets halfway through. And at the end, you'll wonder how he even narrated them at all. It ends up making their eventual meeting too long coming. Along the way, we get some captivating character plots that are never addressed again. Perhaps that's a consequence of it adapting an episodic novel.

Buck's CGI realization may make or break the film. He's a very expressive dog; so expressive, one may expect him or his sled mates to start talking. They don't. But we feel for him when abusive humans threaten him. We also laugh when he acts roughly or hides Thornton's liquor. On the other hand, his CGI is sometimes too obvious. Still, his expressive face justifies the CGI.

The realization of the 1800s makes great use of CGI and production designer Stefan Dechant's sets. A few standout scenes include Buck's outmaneuvering an avalanche, his rescue of Francoise from a frozen river and his battle with Spitz. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski helps create the stunning nature views. The action is set to another strong score by John Powell.

What about the human cast? To start, Ford is likable as an old outdoorsman who learns to embrace company. Stevens is perfectly detestable as Hal; his companions, Mercedes (Karen Gillian) and Charles (Colin Woodell), start off as unlikable idiots before their sanity kicks in. Sy and Gee are likable as Perrault and Francois. One of the best bit characters is Edenshaw (Michael Horse), who intervenes when Hal tries to beat up Thornton.

The Call of the Wild has to deal with its slightly uneven tone. It goes from silly to serious somewhat quickly. Buck's abduction and cruel treatment is very terrifying. The introduction of the ragtag bunch of losers that make up most of his sled team is silly. I could go on, but I can't. It's nowhere as rough as the novel, and some of its most questionable elements are gone. The most basic story is still present despite the changes. It's still an epic adventure story about a dog discovering his inner wolf. See it at any price.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Faster than a Speeding Plumber!

Bouncier than a Mighty Mouse!

Able to speed through levels in a single day!

And now, after nearly thirty years, he's on the big screen! Jethro, how'd it go?

I thought you'd never ask, Baxter.

I did.

….

We're talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's video game star. His movie opens with him (as voiced by Ben Schwartz) on the run from baddies. They all want his super-speed for some reason. He escapes his home planet with magic rings that let him go anywhere in the universe. He eventually finds himself in Green Hills, Montana, where his "best friends" are Sheriff Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter), though they don't know he exists. 

Tom is about to move to San Francisco. That is, until Sonic accidentally blackouts much of the Pacific Northwest. The US Government calls up the mad Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to investigate. Sonic tries to ring himself to another planet when Tom shows up. His bag of rings ring themselves on top of the Transamerica Pyramid. Sonic needs Tom's sense of direction to get him to San Francisco. They have to hurry before Robotnik and his drones catch up with them. Gotta go fast.

Director Jeff Fowler (Oscar Nominee for the short, Gopher Broke) and his writers keep it fast. We first see Sonic and Robotnik speed-dueling in San Francisco before it literally rewinds through the whole movie. Once queued up, the movie gives us a concise and speedy plot. Barely any scene is wasted. A few questions, especially the secret of Sonic's speed, are seemingly left for a sequel to explain. We also get some logistical questions that make sense if you think them over. 

Sonic makes for a good protagonist. He's quick-witted and sarcastic, but he's really a lonely nice guy. He never ruins his goodwill with crass humor. We're easily on his side all the way through. The visual effects artists deserve extra pay for retooling Sonic's earlier much-derided first design to match his video game self on short notice. The retool was pretty seamless, mostly. His superspeed effects are astounding; his slo-mo runs are just as good as Quicksilver's in the X-Men movies.

And the others. Jim Carrey as Robotnik steals the show with his manic personality. He's legitimately formidable once he gets serious, though he's also sometimes funny too. James Marsden makes for a good human pal as Tom. We get his frustrations with small-town life and his desire to move on. His arc ended nicely, though somewhat too quickly. Sumpter as Maddie did fine with her relatively smaller role. Lee Majdoub was memorable as Robotnik's yes-man, Agent Stone; the military men were mostly forgettable save for Maj. Bennington (Neal McDonough).

Sonic the Hedgehog makes for a fine matinee. The story is basic, though it's mostly easy to understand. It's a silly escapade, so don't expect some dramatic weight (Sonic's dead? No, he's not.) Again, I hope the sequel explains what this movie didn't. We get a preview of a prospective sequel with one last character arrival in the mid-credits. That gets my interest.

Birds of Prey

Joker proved that he could headline a movie without Batman. Now it's time for his right-hand harlequin to get her own movie. Margot Robbie returns from Suicide Squad as the looney Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn).

Harley Quinn is a free bird. The Joker dumped her and left her without a purpose. So she tries to find her calling in Gotham City. But without "Mr. J," she doesn't have the freedom to annoy everybody she wants. One such annoyed man is dapper kingpin Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor). But he has bigger (smaller?) concerns right now.

Roman wants a MacGuffin diamond, but young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) swiped it. Roman lets Harley go after Cassie and the diamond. He also sends Gotham's criminals after them too. Harley isn't about to give up her quarry without a fight. She decides to protect Cassie and take her on as an apprentice. A Robin for her Batman.

Meanwhile, Gotham Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) gets on Harley's case. The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth-Winstead) wants the diamond for personal reasons. Dinah Lance, the Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), is inducted into Roman's services. They get together to oppose Roman, his vile henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), and their army of goons.

Everybody get that?

Director Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) and screenwriter Christina Hodson let Harley narrate the proceedings. An animated prologue tells us Harley's life up to her breakup. She frequently goes back and forth in time during her narration (i.e. Why is Harley raiding the police station? The next scenes fill us in.). The unchronological narrative makes sense considering the perspective. The only flaw is that the backtracking tends to kill some of the momentum. Fortunately, it gradually fades away, leading to a spectacular finale.

Harley is an entertainingly unapologetic criminal. Her would-be assailants have some legitimate grievances, but her audacity makes these encounters hilarious. Her time with Cassie shows how selfless she can be. Cassie herself is another great character. We understand her cynicism once we hear her foster parents violently argue. Cassie reacts to Harley's rundown apartment with awe; that says a lot. She's not much of a fighter, but her craftiness is put to great use in the finale.

The other Birds are great. The Huntress's comical seriousness is hilarious in-spite of her violent backstory. Renee Montoya spends the movie dealing with Harley and sexism in the Gotham Police. We're on her side all the way on the latter part; on the former, only a bit. Dinah spends the movie dealing with her mother's legacy and her current employers. She's as compassionate as she is an amazing fighter.

What about the villains? Roman Sionis is usually a suave and hammy gentleman, but that makes him scary. I mean, he has the daughter of a rival executed - a minute after sparing her - for the pettiest of reasons. Zsasz is all too willing to help him in his misdeeds. This makes their ultimate defeats all the more satisfying.

The film is a visual delight. Production Designer KK Barrett, Costume Designer Erin Benach and Cinematographer Matthew Libatique join forces to create a colorful world. A few highlights include Roman's nightclub, the Amusement Park in the finale and Harley and Roman's combined wardrobe. We also get some great CGI to realize Harley's pet Hyena, Bruce. The makeup artistry is just as good as Suicide Squad's Oscar-winning work (I know others had problems with it, but not me.).

I need to wrap up soon. So I'll conclude by saying that Birds of Prey is as delightfully wacky as its main character. Its eccentric narration easily excuse some narrative issues. Its ensemble makes for an entertaining bunch of comic book characters. Let's hope the Academy remembers its alluring visual design next year while it honors Mr. J.'s movie tomorrow.

Yes. See it now. See it soon.

Klaus

I should have seen Klaus, a Netflix animated film about Santa Claus, last month during Christmastime. But, nope. Don't ask me why. I finally saw it after it won the Annie Award for Best Animated Film last Saturday. Let's do it.

The story conceived by director Sergio Pablos and his co-writers begins with Jesper Johanssen (Jason Schwartzman), a slacker postman-in-training. His father, the Postmaster General, ships him out to the town of Smeerensberg with an ultimatum. Jesper will get disowned unless he posts six thousand letters. The town is populated by the feuding clans of the Krums and the Ellingboes. Neither side wants - or even knows how - to send letters.

One day, Jesper meets a reclusive craftsman named Klaus (JK Simmons). They join forces - Jesper, a bit reluctantly - to deliver a toy to a lonely Krum boy. Jesper's post office is flooded with letters for Klaus. The toy delivery business brings peace and goodwill to Smeerensberg. The clan leaders are abhorred by the niceness and they decide to do something about it.

It's a shame that this never got a full theatrical release. Its unique animation style would've been amazing on the big screen. Its style uses hand-drawn animation with digital shading. This results in characters who look CGI and behave like traditional cartoons. You'd only know the difference if you watched some behind-the-scenes footage.

Its screen story is an emotional tale. The Krums and Ellingboes hate each other so much that their feud is a proud tradition. That's funny. It's even more hilarious to see Jesper's Postman Training Academy treated like West Point for Postmen. It's also fun to see how Jesper and Klaus establish some of Santa Claus's quirks. A few highlights include the flying reindeer sleigh and the naughty list. It's so moving to see the toy delivery business brings about neighborly love. A few plot points seem like clichés - including Klaus and Jesper's temporary fallouts - but who cares? Its story is that endearing.

Now for the voice cast. Schwartzman as Jesper is sure to remind one of Kuzco from The Emperor's New Groove. Like Kuzco, his arc from selfish slacker to selfless hero is compelling. Simmons as Klaus is a soft soul with great deadpan humor, though he is scary when angry. Rashida Jones voices Alva, the schoolteacher turned fishmonger turned schoolteacher (long story) who warms up to Jesper. She's a great presence all around. Joan Cusack and Will Sasso voice Mrs. Krum and Mr. Elligboe, respectively, and are both effective villains. Pablos voices their hulking kids, Olaf and Pumpkin, who inadvertently help end the feud.

Again, it stinks that Klaus couldn't get a wide theatrical release. Its miniscule theatrical release got it an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Its strong story and appealing animation give it a very plausible chance of winning. It's waiting for you to Netflix and chill with it. So see it before this year's way early Oscars on February 9th. You may not be disappointed.

Dolittle

20th Century (Fox) has an interesting history with Hugh Lofting's whimsical veterinarian Doctor Dolittle. Their first attempt was a 1967 musical that nearly bankrupted them. Their second attempt was a 1998 Eddie Murphy vehicle that took the barest concept to modern times. Universal gets its shot at the character just as 20th Century Fox drops the Fox in its name. The end result is Dolittle.

John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr) talks to the animals. He was a veterinarian until his wife was lost at sea. So he and his animal friends shun the world in their gigantic estate. One day, Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett) accidentally shoots Kevin the Squirrel (Craig Robinson) and brings him to Dolittle. The same day, Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado) summons Dolittle to Buckingham. Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) is dying and she needs Dolittle's help. If she dies, Dolittle and his animal friends will be thrown out onto the streets.

Jip the Dog (Tom Holland) smells that someone poisoned Her Highness with nightshade. The only cure is the fruit of the Eden Tree, so Dolittle and his menagerie set off to find it. Tommy tags along, too. Meanwhile, the movie doesn't even try to hide that Jip's right on the money. The evil Lord Badgely (Jim Broadbent) and Dr. Mudfly (Michael Sheen) are behind it all. Dr. Mudfly sets off after Dolittle while Lord Badgely waits for the crown.

The film's director is a peculiar choice: Stephen Gaghan, who won an Oscar for writing Traffic, and who directed George Clooney to an Oscar in Syriana. Needless to say, it's unlike anything in his filmography. He and his co-writers have some good ideas buried in a frantic tone. It favors non-stop action and humor more than pathos. The climax is a long, crass joke, though it does allow for Dolittle to do a little doctoring. Tommy and Rose end up together despite barely sharing screentime together. Oh yeah, and at one point, an orangutan with "dance fever" shows up for a single shot. Where did he come from?

Downey Jr. does OK as Dolittle. His tragic past is set up perfectly in the animated prologue. But he's a doddering fool when we first see him in the flesh. That's a bit of a disconnect. But he quickly regains his wits when Tommy brings Kevin. We do see him affected by his past a few times. But the frantic tone blunts most of the potential drama's impact. The end was more "meh, OK" than "how moving."

Some of the supporting cast did better. The highlights are Emma Thompson as Polynesia the Parrot, Antonio Banderas as Dolittle's ex-father in law, King Rassouli, and Ralph Fiennes as Barry the Tiger. Marion Cotillard and Selena Gomez make the most of their painfully limited screentime as Tutu the Fox and Betsy the Giraffe. A few funny bits come from Kumail Nanjiani as Plimpton the Ostrich and John Cena as Yoshi the Polar Bear. The best bit character is a precocious lion cub.

The animals are mainly CGI creatures. They look like real animals and express themselves much like humans. A few shots, mainly of Polynesia flying, are obvious CGI, but everything else was good. Danny Elfman's score was OK, while the production and costume designs were fine. Moving on.

A lot of Dolittle's problems are traced to a nightmarish and protracted production. That includes the obvious dubbing throughout the film; nevermind that I barely noticed it while others did. It's an amusing matinee and nothing else. If you want to introduce Doctor Dolittle, in his original setting and without its most problematic content, to your kids, this is an OK start. But I'll bet much that a lot of better family films will come later this year.

1917

Tick Tock, Tick Tock
Oscar nominations come
after five o'clock.

That's right. The 92nd Oscar Nominations are set for tomorrow. It's fitting, perhaps, that the last major film (I think) on my to-see list centers on a looming deadline. It's the war movie 1917 directed and co-written by Sam Mendes.

April 6th, 1917. British soldiers Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are called before General Erinmore (Colin Firth) for an urgent mission. The 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, which includes Blake's brother Lt. Joseph, has seemingly routed the German Army to the Hindenburg Line. The Devons plan to rout the Germans some more in a daybreak attack. Unfortunately, the Devons are walking into a trap. Our heroes have to deliver the orders to call off the attack.

The rest of the movie follows our heroes as they travel the no man's land. Literally follow, for much like Birdman, the film is stitched together to appear as mostly one take. The mission pushes our heroes, one of whom bites it half-way through, to their limits. Will they get there on time?

Mendes and his co-writer, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, barely waste precious seconds. The film opens with our heroes woken up from a nap and going to get their mission. The film shows their encounters with such perils as a booby trapped bunker, barbed wire, a shellshocked pilot, a sniper, a broken bridge and skeptical soldiers. We see, as they see, how unpleasant war gets. We also get some cameos along the way. A few notables are Mark Strong as Captain Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch as the Devons's Colonel Mackenzie.

There are plenty of technical stars on the frontlines. Chief among them are production designer Dennis Gassner, editor Lee Smith and cinematographer Roger Deakins. The film's vision of war-torn France is perfectly nightmarish; it's best exemplified by its rendition of Ecoust-Saint-Mein at night. A city in darkness, momentarily lit by ominous light from nearby fires. An alluring, yet unsettling sight. The only obvious cut is when the film skips from late afternoon to way early morning. All the other cuts are practically invisible.

Our heroes, Schofield and Blake, are great characters. Blake is a nice guy, while Schofield is determined to impossible degrees. The camera barely lets them out of our sights. They're as present as Thomas Newman's melancholically score. It barely reprieves us of whatever sights and perils they encounter. We're invested in their mission and are relieved when it's over.

This year's speculations are almost over. The Oscar nominations are around nine hours from now. You will hear a lot about 1917 starting tomorrow. Its plot maybe thin and somewhat familiar, but it's rarely, if ever, boring. Its compelling leads and stunning imagery easily guides its audience through 119 minutes. See it on the biggest screen possible. See it soon. Its time in theaters won't last forever.

The Farewell

The Farewell was a film that I meant to see last fall. But I got lazy. It's time to catch up now that I saw it on streaming. It's been a few days since I saw it on streaming, but OK. Let's go.

The film is "based on an actual lie" recounted by writer/director Lulu Wang, which was previously told on This American Life. Lulu Wang is represented by Billi Wang (Awkwafina). One day, Billi learns that her grandmother - Nai Nai in Chinese (Zhao Shuzhen) - is dying of lung cancer. Chinese custom forbids the family from telling Nai Nai of her condition. Instead, the family bears the news alone.

The family organizes the wedding of Billi's cousin Hao Hao (Han Chen), and his girlfriend, Aiko (Aoi Mizuhara), as a way to secretly say goodbye. Much of the film has Billi stuck between honoring her family's request or spilling the beans. The quick wedding ends up bringing the family closer together; more than they realize.

The film lets us see the seriousness and hilarity of the situation. We see Billi and Nai Nai's endearing relationship and understand her dread over losing her. We also see the family's dread, too, even when they try to hide it. This leads to a lot of tension between the family. But we also have time to laugh during their family time. A highlight is a visit to their grandfather's grave and quibbling over what to leave him. The climactic wedding has plenty of laughs even as the ruse nearly breaks.

The standouts of the cast are, of course, Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. I already mentioned their endearing relationship as Billi and Nai Nai. Individually, they're hilarious and moving characters. Lu Hong, Wang's real life Great Aunt, plays herself, and she's just as compelling as Nai Nai. Other highlights of the cast include Tzi Ma, as Billi's dad Hayan and Yongbo Jiang as Billi's uncle Haibin, and the aforementioned Han Chen and Aoi Mizuhara.

Now for a few technical highlights. Alex Weston's often somber score was recently shortlisted for the Oscar. It fits with the sentimental tone pretty well. Cinematographer Anna Franquesa Solano gives us some great views of Beijing and some stylish takes.

Who knows if The Farewell will be cited in next week's Oscar nominations. The original screenplay category, in particular, is pretty competitive this year. But Oscar or not, The Farewell is a captivating look at cultural differences in one family. Awkwafina certainly earned her Golden Globe for her strong performance. You can see why if you see it soon.