The Lost City

 Don't think I didn't notice The Lost City when it debuted in March. It was on my schedule until reasons that I brought up last time. And so, rather than slot in a few Oscar contenders, I made time for this and the already-reviewed Firestarter. Let's see what it has to offer.

Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is the widowed author of a series of adventure novels starring the intrepid Dr. Lovemore. Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum) is the cover model for Lovemore's love interest, the daring Dash McMahon. On their latest book tour, Loretta is nabbed by the goons of superrich Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe). Fairfax bought an Atlantic Island and is convinced Loretta can help him find an actual lost city there. He specifically wants the city's "Crown of Fire." They have to hurry before a volcano erupts and destroys the city. Fairfax won't be happy if Loretta doesn't comply.

Meanwhile, Alan sets off to rescue Loretta with the help of super-competent Jack Trainor (Brad Pitt). Alan is forced to be the real hero (kind of) when Jack gets taken out of the picture. Loretta and Alan bond for real as they try to fend off Fairfax's goons. Also meanwhile, Loretta's publisher Beth (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) sets off on her own rescue mission to save Loretta. Who will save Loretta first?

Its premise of a novelist finding actual adventure brings to mind 1984's Romancing the Stone. Its director brothers, Aaron and Adam Nee, along with their co-writers, Oren Uziel and Dana Fox, put their own endearingly silly spin on that premise. Its nature is reflected by its leads. Alan is incredibly dumb, but we immediately see that he's anything but an egotist. Loretta's less-charitable nature is understandable considering her loss. It's still funny to see her dismiss meeting Fairfax as a prank. It's so much fun to see them bond and fight off Fairfax's henchmen. It's also quite moving when they discover what the Crown of Fire really is.

Meanwhile, Jack is simply too good to live past act one. And he doesn't, until he shows up alive at the end with a delightfully daffy rationale. Fairfax is a hilariously immature villain right until the end, where he leaves our heroes to die in the eruption. Beth's subplot pays off when she shows up at the nick of time. Oscar Nunez, as Oscar the cargo pilot, is just as funny and caring to Beth as Alan is to Loretta. We can't leave out Hector Anibal and Thomas Forbes-Johnson, who play Fairfax's henchmen, Rafi and Julian. Julian gets killed in a hilariously avoidable manner, while Rafi struggles with his conscience throughout the film. Rafi helps Alan and Loretta escape.

The film does a great job mixing action and comedy. Alan and Jack help Loretta escape, but they both fail to see how easy it is to cut her free from the chair she's bound to. The resulting car chase is as exciting as it is awkward. The opening, where we see Loretta and Alan "act out" a story she's writing, is a funny visualization of writer's block. The visual effects are good, especially when we see Loretta delete the prologue's villain (Stephen Lang). The Lost City is a stunning underground oasis, and its reveal is set to the grandest of Pinar Toprak's score.

The Lost City is a delightful action romantic comedy. Its leads' chemistry enlivens the seemingly familiar story. Its set pieces are often as funny as they are thrilling. All in all, it should make for a good home matinee. Amazon Prime has it for free, but I saw it through on-demand via MGM + (formerly Epix). Just press play and you'll be in for 112 exciting minutes. It's not too late to watch it.

Firestarter

 This is a true story.

One weekend, I decided to stream this and another film together. That weekend, my plans were derailed by something I couldn't have guessed would ever happen: taking on a stray mastiff in the middle of labor. Turning my house into a canine maternity ward for her and her nine puppies didn't leave me time for anything. I finally made up for it this past weekend. 

Now for the fifth time I discuss a Stephen King adaptation. Firestarter was previously adapted in 1984 with Mark Lester directing Drew Barrymore and George C. Scott. This new film by Keith Thomas made headlines after star Ryan Kiera Armstrong was nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Actress, which was quickly rescinded after everyone pointed out that nominating a kid for that award was in poor taste. That's good, because while the film has problems, she isn't one of them.

Charlie McGee (Armstrong) is basically Carrie if she also had pyrokinesis. She inherited her powers from her parents, Andy (Zac Efron) and Vicky (Sydney Lemmon), who gained their powers from being guinea pigs for "The DSI." The McGees have been on the run from the DSI for years. One day, Charlie's powers go awry in public. The DSI finds them and sends their best agent, John Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes), after them. Rainbird kills Vicky, while Andy and Charlie go on the run again. Of course, Charlie has to fight them eventually.

Armstrong is fine as Charlie. She's sympathetic as she tries to get a handle on her fiery powers. She has a theoretically strong moment when she relays to Irv Manders (John Beasley), the farmer that took her and Andy in, and has just betrayed them to the police, a comforting message from his paralyzed wife. The "theoretical" part relates to this film's biggest hindrance: the script. The first act is fine, but the second act starts zooming through the story at record speed. Things like Rainbird's heel face turn and Charlie embracing her powers are rushed. Charlie's talk with Mrs. Manders is blunted by it being off-screen. It picks up steam during the climactic assault on the DSI, particularly when some poor mooks come face-to-face with Charlie. At least, when they aren't wearing protective suits.

What can I say about the visual effects? Andy's use of his powers has a visually brutal side-effect. One particular fireball at the Manders farm assault looked far too cartoonish. A few other moments are impressive (Charlie's powers manifesting at school), while others are horrific (her accidentally frying a cat). The climactic assault falls under the impressive spectrum, overall. The effects are decent, but the score is better. For starters, it was composed by John Carpenter, who at one point was supposed to direct the 1984 film, along with his son Cody and Daniel Davies. It's a nice and foreboding score as memorable as John's score for his Halloween movies.

Firestarter needed a lot more kindle for its story to ignite. It's not a good Stephen King film, but it isn't terrible either. It's an ok use of 94 minutes, especially if you can find it for free. I saw it through Amazon Prime, though Peacock might still have it after all this time. As for the other film, the real main attraction of that weekend, that review is finally coming soon.

Capsule Reviews for the 95th Oscar Documentary Shorts

 After some deliberation, I decided to review all of the currently available nominees for Best Documentary Short Film in one go. At this moment, How Do You Measure a Year is nowhere to be found. Of the remaining four, the two shortest are on The New Yorker and its Youtube channel, and the others are both 40 minutes long and on Netflix. Let's see how they are.

The Elephant Whisperers The first of the Netflix shorts follows Bomman and Belli, a couple from India's Kattuanayakan tribe, who work at the Mudumalai National Park. They're assigned to take care of an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu. We see them bond with each other, Raghu and Ammu, a second elephant they take on. 

All of these relationships are endearing. Bomman and Belli's wedding ceremony is made glamorous with their charges involved. It's a bit tough when Raghu is transferred to another facility, but it ends nicely since he and Bomman still get to see each other. Meanwhile, Kartiki Gonsalaves' portrait of their tribal customs is fascinating to watch. We're perfectly reminded of the need to respect nature when we see elephants running around a city. Speaking of nature ...

Haulout The significantly bleaker Haulout follows marine biologist Maxim Chakilev as he lives in a hut on Cape Serdtse-Kamen surrounded by legions of walruses. They're not there by choice; the increasingly melting ice caps have left them with little else to go. Not surprisingly, not all of them make it.

The desolate cape filmed by sibling directors Maxim Arbugaev and Evgenia Arbugaeva is a perfect setting for a grim subject. We see hundreds of walruses amassed together trying to survive. They moan practically non-stop in a miserable chorus. One tries to enter Chakilev's hut, but he turns it away. A few walrus carcasses litter the beach, but a "dead" seal pup who turns out to be alive is a chilling jump scare. The closing text gives us much needed context. All in all, this short is a good motivator to not take nature for granted. You can't help but want to help those walruses.

The Martha Mitchell Effect The other Netflix short chronicles Martha Mitchell, the wife of John, Richard Nixon's campaign advisor, first-term Attorney General and a major figure in the Watergate scandal. Martha figured out early on that Nixon was up to no good, but she was written off as delusional. Eventually, the world realized how right she was.

Anne Alvergue gives us a strong portrait of the outspoken Martha. She's quite entertaining to watch as her outspokenness flummoxes the men at Washington. Her assessment of the Vietnam War ("It stinks") is downright charitable. John's attempts to silence "Martha the Mouth" only made her ready to speak out. We feel for her as she describes her mistreatment from medical and government personnel. We see her reputation dragged through the mud by the media. We see how much she got to Nixon through his and John's recorded calls. Her dying in 1976 while the men got off mostly easier is righteously infuriating. But it's still nice to see her vindicated. Overall, this short perfectly lets us into Martha's corner despite one's political leanings. 

Stranger At The Gate I'm already convinced that this is the winner right here. In it, Josh Seftel chronicles Mac McKinney, a former marine who, just after 9/11, was convinced that all Muslims were the enemy. He decided to bomb a mosque in 2009 until its members, recognizing his misery, welcomed him in. Their kindness upended him, and, to this day, he is their friend.

We also learn quite a lot about the mosque and its members. Their leaders, Bibi and Dr. Saber Bahrami, emigrated from Afghanistan to the United States and embraced the American way. The Bahramis and their fellow mosque members were horrified by 9/11. They embraced peace with their community. We get to see how nice the place and its members are. It's a community welcoming of anyone regardless of faiths.

Meanwhile, Mac enlisted to soothe his directionless life. He left the marines an angry and confused man. He found it downright insulting to be living in the same town as "the enemy." He never expected to be welcomed by those he wanted dead. The mosque members even forgave him once they found out what he was wanting to do. You'll sympathize with Mac even at his lowest and wholeheartedly embrace his redemption. If only enough extremists could be thoroughly redeemed. Anyway, it's a compelling short that makes the most of its 30 minutes.

I don't know if I'll make that "mixed nuts" post I talked about last time. It depends on how many shorts show up on official channels. So, next time, individual pieces on individual films. 

Tick tock, tick tock ... when are those other shorts coming?

Capsule Reviews for two of the 95th Oscar Live Action Shorts

 Only two of this year's nominated Live Action shorts are available to stream right now. I'm going to review them anyway. Hopefully, the rest of the shorts will show up in the coming weeks. I think I'll start with my personal preference:

Nattrikken (Night Ride): This Norwegian short follows the diminutive Ebba (Sigrid Kandal Husjord), who steals an unoccupied tram on a cold night. All she wants is to get home right away. But she has to intervene when a pair of unruly passengers start harassing a trans woman, Ariel (Ola Hoemsnes Sandum).

All Ebba has to do to steal the tram is step right in and play with the controls. It's a slow tram ride home as she plays conductor. The main creep, Allan (Axel Barø Aasen), has no idea how amateurish she really is. It turns tense when Allan and his friend learn more about Ariel. While we understand Ebba wanting a ride home, we're on edge since she's now in the position to act. She tricks Allan into taking the wheel, while covertly giving Ariel the chance to escape. We fully appreciate her as a clever and brave heroine. It ends with a nice scene of Ebba and Ariel bonding. It's a real winner even if it ends up not being the winner. See it for yourself on The New Yorker's Youtube channel.

Le Pupille (The Pupil): This Italian short by Alice Rohrwacher was produced by, among others, Alfonso Cuaron. In it, Serafina (Melissa Falasconi) is one of many girls in a World War II Catholic school. It's Christmastime, and the Mother Superior (Alice's sister Alba) expects her charges to be good girls. Even them dancing to a love song is grounds for getting their mouths washed with soap. Serafina, in particular, is called wicked for even wanting to sing along. Suddenly, an insistent woman (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) bestows upon the class a Zuppa Inglese cake made with 70 eggs. Serafina finds an opportunity to put her "wickedness" to good use.

The other girls, who act as Greek Chorus, tell us it's based on a letter from author Elsa Morante (La Storia) to fellow author Goffredo Fofi (Portrait of the Writer). The story is a light but fun affair as the girls try to have fun despite their circumstances. Their boredom is palpable as they're made to act as angels for a late-night nativity scene. Their dancing to that song is amplified with undercranked dancing. Serafina, who accidentally messed with the radio and started the "mess," wonders if she's doing the right thing. Her defying the Mother Superior is an awesome act. Her sharing a slice with a stray dog and her classmates is pretty nice. Even some chimney sweeps enjoy the cake. 

Its warm look was realized by cinematographer Helene Louvart. The nativity scene, despite being boring for the girls, is quite fanciful. The cake's reveal is its most majestic moment. It's enough to make one want one right away. The School's repressiveness is quickly conveyed with its great production design. Its whimsical score by the band Cleaning Women adds to its light tone. All in all, I'm reminded of Cuaron's version of A Little Princess, despite them not sharing major staff members. Perhaps you can make that connection if you stream it on Disney + now. It's just 37 minutes long.

Anyway, should enough of the currently unavailable shorts become available, I'll look at them in another post. I think I'll call that post Mixed Nuts. Right now, I'll prepare myself to look at the currently available documentary shorts. I'll probably give the longest ones separate posts and the shortest one a capsule post. Or maybe, one single post. What I decide will appear in the next few days.

Capsule Reviews of the 95th Oscar Animated Shorts

Not all of this year's feature-length Oscar contenders are ready to stream or watch theatrically near me. What am I to do as they drag their heels? Why, look for some of the nominated shorts, of course! I found four of the five nominees for Best Animated Short Film online. All official. And here they are.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: Based on co-director Charles Mackesy's book, this is the tale of a boy (Jude Coward Nicoll), a cake-obsessed mole (Tom Hollander), a fox (Idris Elba) and a horse (Gabriel Byrne). All four of them find each other in the snowy woods. The Boy finds a village but decides he's better off with them.

That's the basic gist of it. The four characters are a good bunch. The Mole is funny and wise, the Boy is sympathetic, the Fox is gruff but lonely and the Horse is cool. You'll learn quite a bit about these characters in only 34 minutes. It's quite moving to first see the Mole free the Fox from a snare trap, despite the latter's threats, and then the Fox saving the Mole from drowning. The Horse revealing himself a Pegasus is too convenient, but you won't care. It's still a moving story of friendship that you can stream now on Apple TV +. 

The Horse's first scene has him blend so well with the snow that he looks transparent. The animation, which perfectly translates the book's painted art style, is quite spectacular. It's either cel-shaded CGI animation or equally stunning hand drawn animation. It's all set to Isobel Waller-Bridge's moving score. All in all, this might be the winner right here.

The Flying Sailor This eight-minute short chronicles a sailor caught in the Halifax explosion of 1917. His life flashes before his eyes as he's sent soaring through the air. The quick lead up to the explosion is comical, while everything else is surreal. The sailor even goes up to space and experiences it in all its glory. Its sights and sounds, mainly through Luigi Allemano's score, are stunning. The last few seconds are perfectly haunting.

Ice Merchants This and The Flying Sailor are both streaming through The New Yorker's Youtube account. In this one, a father and son live on a house tethered to a snowy mountain. The father makes a living selling ice down below. Things come to ahead when the snow starts to melt. 

Its painted-style computer animation made me think of a moving Tintin comic. It's a good fit for its adventurous tone. I mean, how do they get on the ground? They skydive! We learn a lot about this father and son over 14 minutes. The climax, where they survive an avalanche, is a powerful one. How they survive ends the film on a moving coda. You need to see it to believe it.

And the last one (for now). "They must have wanted a laugh," were basically my thoughts when they announced the last two contenders. One is, and I can't believe I would type this, My Year of Dicks, and the other is An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake, and I think I believe it. Only the former is available now. The Ostrich will have to wait.

Pamela Ribon adapted her memoir Notes to Boys for Sara Gunnarsdottir (whose Vimeo account is streaming it now) to direct. A fifteen-year-old Pam (Brie Tilton) sets out to lose her virginity in 1991. Over five episodes, she finds out that love isn't what she expected. That is the gist of it.

These episodes have their own different art styles (horror-esque in one, artistic film in another). The overall rough look isn't for everyone, though I found the third episode the most surreal for its saccharine anime look. Talk about mood whiplash. It's kind of funny to see Pam introduce each episode with increasingly exhausted narration. It's darkly funny as it visualizes her anxiety with increasingly deranged animation. The short ends with an awkward, yet endearing pep talk from her friend, Sam (Jackson Kelly). I think it's a good summation of a surprisingly titled short.

These shorts are all ready to stream individually. Or you can wait for them to come theatrically in one tight package. I'm sure you'll hear plenty of awkward laughs when a certain short comes up. What about the other nominated shorts? I think I might give them separate reviews. They do border on the long side, after all.

Argentina, 1985

I was able to see at least one of the nominated Documentaries and International Features before yesterday's announcement. Four more in each to go, right?

Nope, three more Internationals to go (and four documentaries).

The lucky film is Argentina, 1985, the represented country should be obvious. Santiago Mitre's courtroom drama won the corresponding Golden Globe, and it could win if all goes quiet with All Quiet on the Western Front's chances. Let's see how it is.

It actually starts in Argentina, 1984, a year after its last junta, the National Reorganization Process, was forced out of power. Several of its leaders, including a few of its former presidents, are about to stand trial for crimes against their people. And much to his horror, Julio Cesar Strassera (Ricardo Darin) is tasked to prosecute the case. He and his deputy, Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani), have a few months to gather the evidence. They leave that to a bunch of college-age kids. Amazingly, they get it done.

It's now the titular year. The trial begins that February. Several witnesses, including victims of the junta, testify throughout the year. Strassera receives numerous threats against him and his family. But he persists for a single ideal. Two words: Never Again.

As I prepared to write this post, word came that co-star Claudio da Passano, who plays Strassera's good friend Carlos Somigliana, suddenly died today at 65. I am not even kidding. It's a shame because Passano was pretty good as Somigliana.  One of his last scenes, in which he assists Strassera in crafting his closing argument, highlights their great chemistry the most. 

Anyway, what about the rest of the film?

It's a tough but rewarding sit. You'll be on edge as Strassera is threatened by anonymous thugs. You'll be shocked as victim Adriana Calvo (Laura Paredes) testifies of the abuse she endured in junta captivity. This makes the junta leaders' defiant arrogance during the trial all the more righteously infuriating. You'll laugh as Strassera and Somigliana interview their potential legal team. All of these "hopeless" candidates are all hired and get the job done! There's some levity with Strassera and his family, particularly with his son Javier (Santiago Armas Estevarena) and wife, Silvia (Alejandra Flechner). That is, when they aren't threatened too.

Darin is quite compelling in making Strassera a reluctant hero. He'd rather listen to Wagner's Tannhauser overture (which he does, twice) than confront his boss, Bruzzo (Gabriel Fernandez). He keeps tabs on his daughter, Veronica (Gina Mastronicola), and her new boyfriend. He and she separately learn the unseen boyfriend is a married man. Her confronting him about the spying is a memorable scene. All in all, he believes in justice but not making waves. That's why taking on the case horrifies him. But over time, he realizes how right it is to prosecute the junta leaders. 

Meanwhile, Lanzani is quite likable as Moreno Ocampo. He's as idealistic as Strassera, who can't initially remember his name, but isn't willing to stay silent. His military family supports the junta, which puts them at odds with him. But after Calvo's testimony, his mother calls him ready and willing to see the junta imprisoned for their crimes. To say that's a powerful moment is an understatement. 

Argentina, 1985 is ready to stream for free on Amazon Prime now. It's 140 minutes, so you need to make room on your schedule for the proceedings. Anyone unfamiliar with Argentinian history will be thoroughly educated. It's that good a courtroom drama. Now, as for the other international films, they're not on streaming yet. So, who knows when I'll get to them.

Again. Tick tock, tick tock...

Fire of Love

It's Oscar season now, and I've got a review for one of the nominated documentaries already. This is Fire of Love, which is the frontrunner as far as I know. Then again, only one of the other nominees is on streaming now. So, that could change.

Sara Dosa chronicles the lives of Katia and Maurice Kraffts, the world's most famous married French volcanologists. They met during the May 68 protests and married in 1970. Over the next few decades, they traveled and chronicled the world's hot spots. Their destinations included Mount St. Helens to Mount Unzen, the latter of which is where, as narrator Miranda July tells us up front, they met their demise in 1991. 

Their documentary footage comprises most of its 93 minutes. The end result tells us a lot about their personal lives and the Earth itself. The Kraffts and their friends put their lives - and their clothes - at risk in one hot spot. Maurice dips his booted feet into lava and later plots a volcanic canoe ride. A first-time viewer would understandably question some of their methods. But once it gets to the Armero Tragedy, when Nevado del Ruz "unexpectedly" erupted in 1985, you'll understand them. They knew the risks and chronicled volcanoes so that no one else would have to die.

It's a tale of two scientists in love. The film tells us three different accounts of how they met, all of them charming. The chronicles of their early expeditions are as fun to watch as they must have had having them. You'll see them as committed to each other as they were to volcanology. Katia chronicling the Armero Tragedy without Maurice is a moving account. Even though they were ignored prior to that disaster, they weren't ignored when Mount Pinatubo erupted a week after their deaths. 58,000 people were evacuated prior to that disaster thanks to them.

Its educational side is rewarding. The lava flows they filmed are spectacular, moving like cake batter on the surface. Their volcano categories - red (steadily flowing hotspots) and gray (ticking time bombs) - are invaluable ways to help anticipate disaster. One fascinating tidbit is that Munch's The Scream was partially inspired by the Krakatoa eruption of 1883. I'm not kidding when I say I didn't know that. I bet you'll have that reaction too. That tidbit comes up when they chronicled the 1979 eruption of Anak Krakatau.

Fire of Love is ready to stream on Disney + now. You'll learn as much about volcanoes as about the people who chronicled them. You'll see how two volcanologists made a difference in their relatively short lives. It's a winner even if it's not the eventual winner. Hopefully, the other contenders will show up before the Oscars on March 12th.

 Tick tock, tick tock...

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond

 Man, let me tell you about That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. 

I had some adventures with a party of reincarnated travelers. One was reborn as a vending machine, another a hot spring, another used to be a big shot salaryman, but is now a little girl and military genius. One girl was a spider (so what?), another guy a sword, and another guy had his own party with an inept goddess, masochistic knight and boom-happy mage. 

Actually, you didn't, Bo.

Huh?

I think you mixed up a bunch of Japanese franchises together (FYI, all of these "travelers" are from actual Japanese anime and novel franchises). The one we're focused on is based on the novels by the writer "Fuse" and illustrator Mitz Vah. We can now tell you about the time That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime got its own movie, subtitled Scarlet Bond. It's in theaters now.

Those already familiar with the franchise know how a lowly salaryman was murdered by a random mugger and was reincarnated as a blue blob named Rimuru Tempest. Rimuru, who can also take on a humanoid form, makes friends with ogres, godlike dragons, nature spirits, demons, goblins and other fantastic beasts. He rules his own nation and gets involved with fantasy politics.

That's the gist of what I understand. 

The movie is really concerned with the ogre Hiiro, who defects from Evil Lord MacGuffin the Irrelevant (not his actual name). He's gravely wounded in the process and is nursed back to health by Queen Towa (her actual name) with her magical tiara. He pledges himself to her. So, he's concerned when he discovers her powers are killing her. He ends up meeting Rimuru and company, some of whom are his old Ogre friends, by accident. Rimuru decides to help out. It turns out the tiara is cursed and someone in the Queen's inner circle wants her to succumb. What's a slime to do?

The film barely brings anyone up to speed about prior events; when it does, it's usually through Hiiro being late to the party (Orcs burnt down his village! But they're good now. A godlike dragon is now a manga reading lay about. Rimuru has friends in high places, etc.). Its own story is swamped with heavy exposition. It takes a half-hour or so before Rimuru meets Hiiro and gets the plot moving. The conspirator is revealed to be Towa's doctor, a character I completely forgot about for most of the film. Anyone not familiar with the franchise will be lost in the shuffle. I gleamed at some synopses beforehand and I was still lost. 

There are some good concepts here. Rimuru is a good protagonist; he's quite overpowered, but he has a pleasant personality. It's quite amusing to see Hiiro realizing when he's late to the party. Among Rimuru's companions, the best of them is Ranga the giant wolf, who's as funny as he's imposing. His other companions have some good personalities even if you need a pamphlet to discern them. It's quite interesting that the villain behind Towa's curse graciously concedes when her own subordinate, the demon heavy Lacua, tries to cheat contract law. Towa and Hiiro's relationship is fine, even if it's somewhat drenched in the exposition. What worked better was Hiiro's comradery with his ogre friends, particularly the swordsman Benimaru. 

There's some good animation & character designs, along with a decent score by Hitoshi Fujima. That exposition swamp is a challenge, though. You might have a great time watching That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond if you already know what's what. It might make an ok time for everyone else. It's no classic, but it's still a decent matinee. Maybe I should check out the anime.

Thirteen Lives

 When I was reminded of the existence of Ron Howard's Thirteen Lives last month, particularly when it was shortlisted for the Visual Effects Oscar, I thought it was a documentary about the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue. But no, I was actually thinking about The Rescue from 2021. This is the docudrama version of the whole affair. Let's see how it is.

The whole ordeal begins when the Wild Boars, a Thai junior football team, and their coach Ekkaphon Chanthawong (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) go spelunking in Tham Luang. Monsoon Season immediately begins, and the caves are flooded, trapping them quite far from the entrance. The authorities immediately organize a Navy Seal rescue for the thirteen trapped souls. International volunteers arrive to help them out, most prominently British divers John Volanthen (Colin Farrell) and Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen). They have to hurry as the monsoons threaten to flood the caves further.

That's the basic gist of William Nicholson's screenplay. The film immediately starts with the disaster and spends the remainder of its 149 minutes chronicling the rescue efforts. We get some gripping stakes as the flooding worsens and the oxygen decreases. An expert diver, Saman Kunan (Sukollawat Kanarot), dies retironically during the rescue. The local Governor, Narongsak Osatanakorn (Sahajak Boonthanakit), faces political trouble as he organizes the rescue. A few farmers allow the rescuers to divert cave water onto their crops for the greater good. Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Harris (Joel Edgerton) can't believe what the rescuers are asking him for.

Everybody got that?

What are we missing here? The Wild Boars. As I said, the film immediately starts with the disaster. As in, they go spelunking as water drips down, and the caves are flooded when their parents go there. It's at the forty-five-minute point where we see them next. We barely get the perspectives from the ones enduring the disaster. Coach Chanthawong gets the most characterization; he's apologetic for leading the team there, but his diligence in keeping them alive and sane is praiseworthy. On another note, the film doesn't feature Navy Seal Beirut Pakbara, who contracted a fatal infection during the operation, as a character, which makes his mention in the epilogue text fall flat. 

What is unambiguously praiseworthy are the technical elements. You wouldn't know that quite a few of the diving scenes were all CGI unless you looked up an FX Reel. The Cave Entrance is a CGI-Modified bit of Australian scenery instead of a Thai locale. You'd swear that the interiors were real caves instead of sets designed by Molly Hughes. You'll understand why it made the list once you see that FX Reel. Other standouts include Benjamin Wallfisch's score, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's cinematography and the sound design.

To make it short, the characters are fine, but the rescue operations are more compelling. Shouldn't both be compelling? Anyway, Thirteen Lives is overlong, but its procedurals make it an intriguing watch. It's ready to stream for free on Amazon Prime if you're ready. Who knows if it will make the nominations this year. But it's still a good addition to the shortlist. That's it for now.

A Man Called Otto

I should have reviewed films-on-demand years ago. That way, I would have reviewed Sweden's entry into the 89th Academy Awards, A Man Called Ove. I get a second chance of sorts with its Americanized remake, A Man Called Otto. Both Ove and Otto are based on the same novel by Fredrick Backman. Let's see how it is the second time around.

 Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) is the grumpy old man of his Pittsburgh neighborhood. He hates it whenever his neighbors, for example, ignore recycling protocol or drive carelessly. He retires under less than amicable circumstances and decides to join his wife, Sonya (Rachel Keller), in the grave. But his new neighbors can't afford to let him die in peace. These are Marisol (Mariana Treviño), her husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and kids Abbie and Luna (Alessandra Perez and Christiana Montoya). He can't die as long as they can't park their U-Haul correctly. 

The rope doesn't work either.

Otto's subsequent attempts at suicide are foiled repeatedly. During which, he warms up to Marisol and her family, as well as his established neighbors. He inadvertently becomes a viral hero during one attempt. A stray cat adopts him. He fights back when the Dye & Merica real estate firm threatens to evict his old friends Reuben and Anita (Peter Lawson Jones and Juanita Jennings). He has flashbacks to better years with Sonya. He also has a heart condition that might just grant his wish.

Marc Forster reteams with Finding Neverland screenwriter David Magee for this film. Otto sticks quite closely to Ove; I haven't seen it since 2017, but I tensed up once I realized a particular plot point in one flashback. These flashbacks are often triggered by Otto's suicide attempts. His (Tom's son Truman) and Sonya's romance is especially emotional when it's underscored by the now Oscar-shortlisted Til Your Home, written by David Hodges and Rita Wilson. There's quite a bit of humor too; it all starts with the retirement party, complete with subtextual jabs at Otto.

Of course, Tom Hanks is great in this. While Otto's grumpy old man attitude is hysterical, it's compelling when he makes amends for it. He starts warming up to Marisol and her family when he tastes some homemade food. He helps Malcolm (Mack Bayda), a paperboy whose careless bicycling he found annoying, get back on his feet. He finally opens up to Marisol in time to help Reuben and Rita. It especially helps that we see early on that he has a heart. We're on his side all the way despite his curmudgeonly. 

There's a good ensemble in Otto's neighborhood. Treviño as Marisol is delightful; one of her strongest scenes is when she chastises Otto for his rudeness, which forces him to reassess himself. Sonya, who is only seen in her youth, is played with warmth by Keller. It's easy to see why she warmed his outlook on life. Bayda is quite likable as Malcolm, while Cameron Britton is fun as the ever-cheery Jimmy. Jennings is fine as Anita, while Jones's strongest moments are when Reuben, a victim of a stroke, shows signs of emotion. The lead Dye & Merica agent played by Mike Birbiglia is an OK antagonist. A few more good characters include Julia (Josefine Lindegaard), a social media journalist who helps Otto save Reuben and Anita's home, and that nameless cat.

You won't forget this grumpy old man. A Man Called Otto is an emotional dramedy about one curmudgeon's re-appreciating life. Its reliable lead is surrounded by excellent supporting characters and a strong score by Thomas Newman. It's hard to stay stoic when it's all done. Anyone looking for bright Oscar-fare should move into Otto's neighborhood.  It's a good use of 126 minutes. See it as soon as possible.

The Whale

 Oh, I remember The Whale!

I think.

Is it the one with The Squid or the one with the Mozart?

It's neither, Baxter. 

Ahh ... What is it?

This particular whale sees Samuel D. Hunter adapt his stage play for Darren Aronofsky to direct. It's not fun, that's for sure. Let's see why.

OK.

Our hero, Charlie (Brendan Fraser), has seen better days. Almost no one, not even his online writing class, sees him at all. He had a family whom he left for another man, Alan. Alan eventually starved himself to death, while Charlie went the opposite route. When the film opens, Charlie is 600-pounds and if you think "that can't be healthy," you're right. An awkward incident leads his caretaker, Liz (Hong Chau), who was also Alan's adopted sister, to diagnose him with congestive heart failure. He has mere days to live. 

During this time, Charlie gets his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), to visit him. He decides to help her pass her English classes to save her from flunking school all-together. That's a difficult challenge, considering she's so volatile that her own mother, Mary (Samantha Morton), considers her evil (her words, not mine). A new missionary, Thomas (Ty Simpkins), shows up often to try to save Charlie's soul. They all have their own issues to work out before it's too late.

Fraser is obviously the film's center as Charlie. We're confined by Matthew Libatique's Academy Ratio cinematography in his apartment, a dour place designed by production designers Mark Friedberg and Robert Pyzocha. We see him live out his existence the best he can. He soothes himself during crises by reading a particular essay on Moby Dick. He sees the good in everyone but himself, which is a bit frustrating to watch. His gorging on junk food is quite unpleasant, especially during a bit of binge-eating near the end. He does get some levity, especially in one scene, where he realizes Ellie accidentally wrote a haiku of misanthropy. Fraser is fine in the role, while the makeup team who bulked him up headline the Oscar race in spades.

Hong Chau as Liz deserves her own paragraph. Her chemistry with Fraser gives the film its greatest levity. She's quite blunt as his nurse, and chummy as his old friend. Some might question her enabling his food troubles - she brings him a bucket of fried chicken just after the grim diagnosis - but she otherwise has his best interests in mind. A compelling scene with Thomas lets her divulge her troubled history with organized religion. It's enough to warrant an Oscar nomination along with Fraser. She's nominated for the SAG Award, so that's likely.

Now for everyone else. Ellie's attitude doesn't initially endear herself to the audience. Her resenting Charlie is understandable, but what did her classmates do? We sympathize with her, but her interactions with Thomas let us like her. She gets him to open up about his troubled past and helps him reconcile with his family. We sympathize with Thomas even when he talks about Alan with optimistic condescension. Mary's only scene lets her have a heart-to-heart with Charlie. Her initial anger cedes into forgiveness. Morton makes the most of her screentime, as does Sathya Sridharan, who is only heard as Dan the Pizza Guy until the end.

It's a bleak movie, but it's not boring. The Whale briskly moves through its 117-minute runtime. Its theatrical limitations feel natural for its story. Its compelling supporting cast surrounds a fine leading actor. Charlie's decline is sad, but he finds some value near the end. In fact, everyone else finds value in their lives thanks to each other. It's a movie full of surprises. I won't blame you if you seek something lighter. But you'll be surprised too if you seek this film out. It's easy to see why it's a big name in this year's Oscar race.

Especially the makeup.

M3GAN

Hello there.

You're probably expecting a blog post about another Oscar movie. Too bad. You'll have to deal with me, M3GAN, the first movie star of 2023. I'm running the show now ...

No, you're not. M3GAN, off.

....

She's here because a lot of the remaining Oscar movies are coming out too slow locally. I already told you about my wait for The Fabelmans, and who knows when I'll see The Whale or Women Talking. But M3GAN is a good diversion as I ponder my schedule.

A diversion?! I'll show you a div-

Do you see this pen?

....

Anyway, my unwanted co-host is the brainchild of Gemma (Alison Williams), an inventor at the world's most advanced toy company, Funki. The film smash opens with a deliberately tasteless advertisement for their gaudy Furby knockoff, one of which Gemma's niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is playing with on the way to a ski lodge. An oncoming snowplow leaves Cady orphaned and Gemma her guardian. Gemma brings M3GAN (pronounced Megan and short for Model 3 Generative Android) online to bond with Cady as she focuses on work. M3GAN soon becomes Cady's best friend and parental substitute. Gemma's plan may have worked too well.

Of course, M3GAN has no concept of human moral restraints. Her directive to protect Cady from harm does not extend to anyone else. In fact, she'll go after anyone who does so with lethal force. Gemma's boss, David (Ronny Chieng), wants to mass-produce M3GANs as the next big toy. Gemma, meanwhile, has to stop this M3GAN, before she kills everyone between her and Cady. 

M3GAN herself was played on-set by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis. You'd be forgiven if you thought her a real android. Everything from her face (created with an animatronic mask) to her movements is perfectly unnatural. You'd be freaked out even before she starts killing people. Her increasingly damaged face and even more erratic movements in the climax involves some impressive CGI. Her android "brother," Bruce, was visualized with animatronics and some radical stop-motion. I'd be impressed if it was actually CGI designed like stop-motion. Anyway, their fight scene was cool, and epitomizes the $12 million director Gerard Johnstone had to work with.

The screen story written by James Wan and his Malignant collaborator, Akela Cooper, makes the most of its 102 minutes. You'll feel just about everything except bored. You'll be moved with M3GAN and Cady's surprisingly endearing relationship. You'll feel tense as it slowly but surely establishes M3GAN's sinister nature. Her casual personality is quite funny even when she goes bad. Her victims, including a loony dog and his owner, Celia (Lori Dungey), are generally unpleasant individuals. Another victim, Brandon (Jack Cassidy), is a sociopathic brat, but you'll squirm at his demise as much as you'll cheer. A climactic story beat is a cliche in any other film. But its human factor makes it a pleasant surprise.

That human factor Gemma and Cady's relationship. Gemma is a screwup, by her own admission, and her priorities with M3GAN and Cady's relationship are pretty misplaced. This is before she finally realizes M3GAN is a killer doll. Cady and M3GAN's relationship feels genuine, and we know she's a killer doll. Isn't that something? We feel for Cady as she struggles with her grief, which makes her bonding with M3GAN understandable. Cady and Gemma pull through for each other in their climactic battle with M3GAN. The aforementioned story beat? When Cady activates Bruce.

This is a good way to start the year. M3GAN is funny, moving and creepy all at once. Its titular villain is an entertaining mix of The Terminator and Chucky from Child's Play and is sure to be as iconic as them. The PG-13 rating is no hindrance to her brutality (see Brandon's demise for proof). Her antics need to be seen to be believed. But see it soon. It's worth any price or time. Now for the New Year.

Matilda the Musical

 It's time to rush one last review out before the new year. So, how about another Roald Dahl re-adaptation? We have an asterisk, this time!

One of his last works, Matilda, was previously filmed in 1996 with Danny DeVito directing himself as the no-good Mr. Wormwood, the title character's (Mara Wilson) dad. The asterisk is that this is Matilda the Musical, the film of the stage musical directed by Matthew Warchus and scripted by Dennis Kelly, who reprise their roles here. Let's talk more about it.

While most parents adore their newborns, the Wormwoods care less about their Matilda (Alisha Weir). Mrs. Wormwood (Andrea Riseborough) only finds out about her pregnancy when it's too late. Mr. Wormwood (Stephen Graham) is bummed that he didn't get a son. Years later, Matilda frequents Mrs. Phelps's (Sindhu Vee) mobile library for whatever's around. The authorities get the Wormwoods to enroll Matilda in public school. They end up sending her to the gloomy Crunchem Hall, run by an ogrish headmistress, Ms. Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). The only bright spot for Matilda is her teacher, Ms. Honey (Lashana Lynch), who supports her pursuing a higher education. 

Matilda slowly but surely realizes she's telekinetic. This makes it easier for her to get back at the cruel adults in her life. Meanwhile, she spins a tragic tale for Mrs. Phelps about an Escapologist and an Acrobat. It's a lot more relevant than she realizes. She needs to master her gifts to save her classmates from being locked in Trunchbull's Iron Maidens, The Chokeys. 

Trunchbull is a good distillation of Dahl's sinister whimsy. Her punishments for troublemakers include hammer-tossing a student by her pigtails and forcing another to eat a whole chocolate cake. Her punishing anyone regardless of true guilt makes her more unnerving. Her vision of a childless world is silly and a bit weird. The makeup team and cinematographer Tat Radcliffe help make her imposing. Tim Minchen's songs help us empathize with the kids feeling powerless under her Iron Fist. Overall, Thompson is surprisingly good as Trunchbull.

Weir is excellent as Matilda. We're on her side as she copes with the uncaring adults in her life. Her getting even with them gives us some great results. A few of its best moments are when she realizes her telekinesis. Her finally using them on Trunchbull is quite pleasing. As for the adults, Graham and Wiseborough are perfectly lousy as the Wormwoods, while Lynch and Vee are pleasant as Ms. Honey and Mrs. Phelps.

The film's locales were designed by David Hindle and Christian Huband. Its bright and cheery opening number is too much, perhaps intentionally so. But you'll be used to the brightness as the film goes on. The Escapologist and Acrobat subplot is set in a circus as perfectly farfetched as their act. Crunchem Hall is just as menacing as its headmistress. The visual effects for Matilda's powers were cool. One particularly memorable moment was her summoning up a storm with her powers. The musical numbers had some good staging, though it often sounded like the music overpowered the lyrics. Maybe it was just me.

Matilda the Musical was released for Netflix, though theaters might be playing it somewhere. Whether on the big screen or your screen is a good venue for this fine family musical. Its villains are often overwhelming with their cruelty. But their comeuppances are quite pleasing. Its songs and protagonist help keep its 117-minutes moving right along. See what I mean when you see it. That's all for this year.

Babylon

Nellie was a blonde and her age stood still

And twice a day she danced at vaudeville

She would, but,

Who went to vaudeville those days?

Not her.

Her future was pictures.

Yes, sir.

She shared her future with Manny Torres

When she and he took part in a party

Mr. March, who I'm trying to parody,

Would gasp at all the debauchery.

There's also Jack Conrad

Movie Star and cad.

His star falls when movies learn to talk

There's Sidney Palmer

Jazz Trumpeter.

From Racist Hollywood he shall walk.

And Lady Fay Zhu

A cabaret star with quite the love life. 

Hollywood will balk.

All these faces are in the Tinseltown

Of Damien Chazelle's Babylon.

I was attempting to parody Joseph Moncure March's poem The Wild Party with that intro. That's because Babylon also opens with a similarly wild party. Its parade of debauchery will shock and impress you. The impressive part comes from cinematographer Linus Sandgren's single shot tour of the whole affair. Another impressive sequence comes when we tour the fictional Kinoscope studios' cavalcade of productions. There, Nellie (Margot Robbie) films her big break, while Manny (Diego Calva) assists Jack's (Brad Pitt) new movie. Manny soon rushes to get a camera after all on set are destroyed in a breakneck sequence edited by Tom Cross. 

That wild party comprises the first half hour or so. We get to gangster James McKay's (Tobey Maguire) den of sin near the end. About the tamest thing I can mention from there is the rat-eating wild man. Surprisingly, that wasn't the scene that nearly sickened me. The trophy goes to Nellie's coup-de-grace in her rant against the stuffy rich. Meanwhile, Lady Fay (Li Jun Li) and Sidney (Jovan Adepo), get some compelling plotlines as they struggle against Hollywood bigotry. Both exit the film in tragically abrupt fashion. It's a shame because Fay saving Nellie from her own idiocy was awesome. Those plot lines are lost in the shuffle of its massive 189-minute runtime.

The leads have some compelling plot threads, too. Nellie struggles with the demands of both silent and talkie screen acting. The latter sequence sees numerous takes botched as she and others fail to take their new sound system into account. These eight takes feel like eighty and take their toll on a poor crew member. Manny, meanwhile, sees the dark side of fame as he rises from assistant to executive. He even plays an unwilling part in Sidney's exit from Hollywood. Manny and Nellie's relationship is fine, while Jack is an OK guy. As a film buff, I did get a kick out of recognizing the inspiration for Jack's talkie debut. 

The madness leaves a massive canvass for Justin Hurwitz to compose his score on. You can imagine what's going on if you listen to the score by itself. The party music is Wild, while the finale score is appropriately melancholy. Hurwitz and the sound designers join the makeup team in getting Oscar-shortlisted. The makeup team's best work is making Maguire into the unnerving McCay. His performance is all the more perfectly ghoulish with their help. The production and costume designers are guaranteed Oscar spots with their colorful work. Another highlight of Sandgren's work is the finale as it sweeps around a theater showing Singin' in the Rain.

Your ability to enjoy Babylon depends on if you can get through the opening party. That sequence left me asking "what is this?" multiple times. I'm sure it will for you, too. It does have some fascinating sequences depicting Old Hollywood film production. It does have a decent love story. But its massive runtime and madness are taxing on its audience's empathies. See it if you want to. If you don't, might I suggest you seek out the soundtrack? It's really that good.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

 Meet Dean, everyone.

Dean has an unusual housemate in his Airbnb. His name is Marcel, a walking, talking shell. He and his Grandma Connie used to live with a community of walking, talking shells. But they all got accidentally packed up by a previous resident. Nowadays, Marcel and Connie live their lives the best they can. 

Dean uploads a series of YouTube videos starring Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. What starts with 84 views grows to over 2 million. Those fans aren't that all interested in Marcel's search. The producers of Marcel and his community's favorite show, 60 minutes, are. They want to set up an interview with Marcel and host Lesley Stahl. There may be some hope, after all. But Connie's deteriorating health is an issue.

That's the gist of it. The film was adapted from director Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate's real-life YouTube videos. Camp is this film's Dean and Slate is Marcel himself. The mockumentary style shows us Marcel's daily life. Among other things, Marcel walks on walls with honey, pops popcorn by magnifying glass, uses a tennis ball for transportation and assembles gadgets with junk. He knows quite a lot about loss, but he faces the world with a child's enthusiasm. He and Connie make the most of it without arms and a decent height. Their relationship is endearing. You'll feel it when she goes.

Don't expect any explanation for how walking and talking shells exist. It's probably one of life's quirks. In actuality, the shells were brought to life with stop-motion. The animation is well-integrated into the film's live-action settings. The odd character designs will grow on you as the film goes on. Marcel's nifty innovations include a stage for him to perform in front of an audience, usually lit candles. You'll especially like his use of a tennis ball. 

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a fascinating study of a unique individual. His observations about life are delivered with a child's naivety. His quirky philosophy is highly quotable. You won't forget this little man after the film's 90 minutes are up. So, pick a streaming service (like Amazon) and stream it right away. You won't regret it.

The Fabelmans

 I've been waiting to see The Fabelmans for a while now. Steven Spielberg's cinematic autobiography came out last month, but it didn't play locally upon its "wide" release on Thanksgiving. I think I had a great substitute that weekend with that sneak preview. No more waiting. Let's go.

Spielberg represents himself as Sammy Fabelman. Sammy's moviemaking life begins when he (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) sees his first movie, Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic The Greatest Show on Earth, in 1952. Its climactic train crash sears into Sammy's mind and he asks for a train set so he can recreate it again and again. His dad, Burt (Paul Dano), doesn't understand his obsession with train crashes. His mom, Mitzi (Michelle Williams), helps him film a train crash movie. That one movie leads to several more, many of which star his sisters. He and his family move to Arizona with their "Uncle" Bennie (Seth Rogen) in 1957.

Sammy continues his moviemaking as a teenage Boy Scout (Gabriel LaBelle). By then, he bears witness to his family's problems. His Grandma's death leaves Mitzi emotionally devastated. His filming a camping trip inadvertently leads him to discover Mitzi's affair with Bennie. His parents soon divorce after this. Meanwhile, at school, Sammy faces antisemitic bullying and dates devout Christian Monica (Chloe East). He eventually wonders if his "hobby" is worth turning into a profession. I think we know how that turned out.

Spielberg collaborated with Tony Kushner on the screenplay. It's a compelling tale as Sammy makes movies, finds love, loses love, makes peace with one of his bullies, among other things. A few lines are obvious trailer material (and they were). But they're not a dealbreaker in the story. Sammy's cinematic life is so enthralling you'll wonder how it compares to Spielberg's actual life. One of its best scenes is the finale, where Sammy has a rather interesting (to say the least) conversation with John Ford (David Lynch). 

LaBelle and Francis-DeFord are quite good as Sammy. Together, they make Sammy into a compelling character. We're as enthralled as the younger Sammy as he discovers filmmaking. We're outraged when he's bullied as a teen. His discovery of Mitzi and Bennie's affair while editing the camping trip movie horrifies him. Meanwhile, we're left smirking when Sammy impresses Monica and her friend, Claudia (Isabelle Kusman). We later sympathize when Monica eventually dumps him. His confrontation with the aforementioned bully, Logan (Sam Rechner), is his best moment. Logan, meanwhile, shines when he defends Sammy from the other bully, Chad (Oakes Fegley).

Dano and Williams are quite sympathetic as Burt and Mitzi. Mitzi sees the value in Sammy's moviemaking when Burt doesn't, though her instability drives plenty of conflict. Her imagining a phone call from her late mom is just the start. They do try being better people throughout the movie. Their reconciliations with Sammy are rather nice. Julia Butters as Sammy's sister Reggie does her best as the family's voice of reason. As with Lynch, Judd Hirsch stands out as Sammy's Great-Uncle Boris, whose segment sees him strongly encourage Sammy's moviemaking.

Spielberg's usual collaborators - editor Michael Kahn (this time with Sarah Broshar), cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, production designer Rick Carter and, of course, John Williams - deliver their usual excellence here. Let's discuss some highlights. Sammy discovering the affair is a tensely edited moment. The film's last shot is an amusing fourth wall gag. Sammy's many homes are rather appealing locales. Mitzi dancing during the camping trip is given an eloquent tune. Back to cinematography, her dancing in the dark, illuminated by their car's headlights, is a memorable sight. As I said, they did great as usual.

The Fabelmans unfolds over the course of a slow and steady 151 minutes. During which, we're fully involved with Spielberg's author avatar through many of his highs and lows. So naturally, we're confident in his filmmaking success when he walks into the proverbial sunset. It's a pity that this didn't get a much wider release. So, if you can, see it as soon as it's in a theater near you. On one hand, a wide release is some benefit to its current digital distribution. On the other, there's that $19.99 price tag. Whichever venue is fine, though.

Glass Onion

Last time, master detective Benoit Blanc solved a dysfunctional family murder mystery. Once again played by Daniel Craig, he must solve an unusual corporate murder mystery in Glass Onion. Rian Johnson's sequel to Knives Out jumped from Lionsgate to Netflix, where it recently debuted after a one-week theatrical run Thanksgiving week. Here we go.

It's May 2020 and that annoying pandemic is in full swing. Tech Genius Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his friends for a weekend murder mystery party on his island estate, the Glass Onion. These "disruptors" are dude-bro Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), vapid model Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn). Their fifth member, Cassandra "Andi" Brand (Janelle Monae), suddenly joins them with Blanc. Brand left the group on bad terms and their reunion isn't that pleasant. Bron, meanwhile, doesn't remember inviting Blanc at all.

Blanc disrupts the reunion by solving the murder mystery ... before the game gets afoot! But one of the Disruptors is killed for real. There's also another murder mystery within the murder mystery. It may have something to do with Bron's new alternative fuel, Klear. Blanc and Brand get on the case. They soon come to the shocking conclusion that the obvious suspect is the actual culprit.

Does that sound appealing? 

It is.

We spend the first hour or so getting to know the Disruptors. They're mostly not a nice bunch of characters, save for, maybe, Lionel. But we see their hidden layers when the story goes for a long flashback. OK, they still do morally questionable things (perjury, for one). But we see them as messed up people who know they're messed up. They're so spineless that it's easy to pity them. It's still nice to see them grow some backbone in the end. While we're at it, Duke's girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) and Birdie's assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), who tag along for the trip, prove themselves quite likable characters.

Brand is the star of the show. The Disruptors solve elaborate puzzle boxes to get to their invitations in their first scenes. She smashes it open. She lays into the Disruptors thick for their moral flaws. Of course, much of her resentment makes more sense once we learn of the other murder mystery. But unlike last time, I won't spoil it for you. She and Whiskey have some great scenes together when the latter shows her legitimate kindness. She and Blanc make for great partners together. The finale lets her cut loose against the actual culprit in a glorious fashion. 

Blanc is still a great detective. He's first introduced cooped up playing the video game Among Us with some celebrity friends, two of whom are the recently departed Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim. He jumps at the chance to solve a murder mystery when Brand comes calling. He proves himself just as caring and competent as he is eccentric. Bron, meanwhile, talks smart but proves himself anything but. But at least he convincingly plays dangerously smug. Did I spoil the killer? 

The Glass Onion estate is an impressive piece of film architecture. That and the puzzle boxes are great highlights of production designer Rick Heinrich's work. They look especially stunning with cinematographer Steve Yedlin's work. The cast have an appealing wardrobe designed by Jenny Eagan. A few of Brand's costumes are the standouts here. Nathan Johnson's score also stands out, especially since it made the recent Oscar shortlist. It suits the film's grand mystery plot rather well.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is just as funny and suspenseful as its predecessor. Its potential suspects are interesting characters even if they aren't fully likable. Its lead characters are unambiguously likable ones. It maybe 139 minutes but those minutes are all compelling. It will make a great home matinee this holiday season and beyond. Netflix paid over $400 million for the Knives Out sequels and it's a good investment, so far. I'm ready for part three already. 

Spirited

It's Christmas day, which means it's the last day to watch a seasonally appropriate film this year. Among your options are the numerous reiterations of A Christmas Carol, two of which recently debuted on streaming services. Your options there are Netflix's remake of Scrooge and Apple TV's riff, Spirited. I chose the latter. Beware of spoilers.

Jacob Marley (Patrick Page) and the three Ghosts make it their business to redeem a Scrooge (a "perp") each Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Farrell) has put off retirement for a few decades. They have an abusive hotel manager to deal with, but Present finds the hotel's guest speaker a better perp. That man, Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), is a media consultant who specializes in scandals. Marley finds him unredeemable, but Present insists, and the Ghost team goes on the case.

Briggs is no ordinary Scrooge. His wiliness proves difficult with Marley and Christmas Past (Sunita Mani), forcing Present to take on a larger workload. Briggs flips Present's attempt to make him confront his past and present back on him. In life, Present was not just a Scrooge, he was Ebenezer himself. Present wonders if he was truly redeemed and truly considers that retirement package. But first, he has to save that "white whale."

A few reviews think that director Sean Anders and John Morris's script isn't that an innovative rendition of the Dickens story. I think the opposite. The perspective flip to the Christmas Ghosts is an innovative take. We get to see some interesting sides to the Ghosts Ebenezer never did. Christmas Past feels stuck in a soulless job, while Christmas Yet-To-Come (body by Loren Woods, voice by Tracy Morgan) struggles with the scary act. The fact that this is a sequel to A Christmas Carol adds poignancy to Present's relentless optimism. It's a twist I didn't expect. Briggs being a crafty Scrooge makes it a fun romp. His secretary, Kimberley (Octavia Spencer), is Present's love interest; their scenes together are nice.

What isn't great is the lack of a few tonal transitions. We see in Clint's past that his mom gave him a water bowl for a non-existent puppy that "ran away," according to her. Another flashback sees them on better terms. What's missing is a flashback of them reconciling. A subplot has Clint coaching his niece, Wren (Marlow Barkley), to win a school election with underhanded means. Yet-To-Come shows that said means inadvertently led to Wren's opponent's suicide. After he sees his grave, Clint rushes in comical fashion to convince Wren not to go low, while that grim future funeral lingers in our mind. We don't see much of Wren, other than one scene, after Clint's surprising demise (a legitimately funny case of mood whiplash). 

There's some bright and cheery production and costume designs here. The Ghosts' headquarters, Clint's apartment and future graveyard are some of the striking locales. Clint shows off an elaborate wardrobe during his first musical number. His and Present's red and green contrast is striking. There's also good makeup work to render Ferrell into the elderly Ebenezer and Page as the creepy Marley. Marley appearing to Clint is made hysterical when the latter consistently interrupts the former's formidable song. Pasek and Paul's songs are consistently met with annoyance or confusion from onlookers (Marley included). Clint getting Present to reignite his inner Scrooge is set to the funniest song the duo wrote: Good Afternoon. It's made funnier by the fact that this, and not any of the dramatic numbers, has now been shortlisted for Oscar notice.

Robert Zemeckis's A Christmas Carol didn't do much new that previous renditions (even the Muppets) did great. By contrast, Spirited's perspective flip is a unique take on an old story. Its leads are entertaining, and the story is sometimes moving. It suffers from jarring mood whiplash but it's still good. It'll make a fine matinee whether on Apple TV or wherever theaters still have it. Whichever's fine. Even if it's another Christmas movie.

Avatar: The Way of Water

 It finally happened last week.

After years upon years of it being talked about and years upon years of people (myself included) wondering if it was necessary, the twice certified highest grossing film of all time finally has a sequel. James Cameron continues his story of Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water. Let's go.

The first film ended with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) joining Pandora's Na'vi population in his Avatar body. He and his mate, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), raise their sons Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) and daughter Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) alongside the human Spider (Jack Champion) and Kiri, the mysteriously conceived offspring of the deceased Dr. Grace Augustine's Avatar (both of them Sigourney Weaver). The human military returns to Pandora for round two, this time with several deceased marines, including Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), brought back as Na'vi Avatar clones. The military landing on Pandora incinerates a good chunk of its rainforest. So, the Na'vi have to go to higher ground.

Jake spends the next year leading the Na'vi against the "sky people." But Spider is caught during one mission. Quaritch is Spider's dad and he's invested in making his son a valuable asset. Jake and his family exile themselves to the ocean where the aquatic Metkayina Na'vi live. Chief Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) welcomes them to their tribe, while his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet) and their kids are more reluctant. Eventually, the villains make their way to the oceans ready for a fight. Jake and his family have to bond with Pandora's sea life to fend them off.

Let's get the visuals out of the way. Its visual effects exceed the already groundbreaking work on the first film. The Na'vi look even more photorealistic, while the new creatures look incredible. The Tulkun, Pandora's version of a whale, is the most stunning of these creatures. There are some great underwater scenes made better with bioluminescence. They do falter a bit with some sputtering movement, a consequence of this being filmed at a higher framerate but projected slower, but the effects team still has an Academy Award in its future. Cinematographer Russell Carpenter and production designers Dylan Cole and Ben Procter put themselves in Oscar consideration too with their splendid work.

Now for the story. How was Kiri conceived? What makes her special? Why does her linking with the Metkayina's Spirit Tree nearly kill her? You'll find none of those answers in this movie. You'll likely find them in part three, which fortunately, has already been filmed. But it does make this movie a bit incomplete. The Metkayina are casually established right away as if everybody knew who they were. It's a case of "remember the new guy." The main Tulkun, Payakan's backstory, is a bit confusing. As I previously warned in other reviews, the film comes with a gigantic runtime of 190 minutes. Let's just say it can overwhelm your patience a bit.

Now for the story, part two. Spider and Quaritch's subplot is interesting as the former teaches the latter how to connect with Pandora. He may still be a villain, but it's impressive to see Quaritch bond with the dragon-like mountain banshee. We get to see Quaritch as a friendly man a bit; we also see him as a sadistic maniac a lot. Spider's time with Quaritch only strengthens his connection to the Sullys. I'd like to see where part three will take them.

Story, part three. Kiri's subplot, while incomplete, is still interesting. It's also impressive that Weaver convincingly plays her as much a teenager as her stepbrothers despite Weaver herself being 73. Neteyam was OK, while the adult Na'vis are simply fine. Lo'ak gets a nice subplot with Payakan. Lo'ak removes a harpoon stuck in Payakan's fin, while Payakan saves Lo'ak and his family from whalers. Did I mention there were whalers? There are. The final battle takes place on their gigantic vessel. A few human villains appear with the whalers' Dr. Gavin (Jermaine Clement) and General Ardmore (Edie Falco), both of whom are perfectly unlikable.

The conclusion. Avatar: The Way of Water improves on the visual spectacle of an already spectacular film. Its storytelling skills aren't perfect, while its massive runtime is a challenge. But the subplots that work really work. It does leave one interested to see where Cameron will take the story next. The aforementioned part three, currently subtitled The Seed Bearer, is currently scheduled for 2024. I think I'm ready for that. 

Unless it's a four hour film.

Good Night Oppy

 I was right. 

Fiddler didn't get atop the Academy's roof. But another documentary I was certain would show up on today's shortlists didn't either. That would be Good Night Oppy, Ryan White's chronicle of the twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers and their mission to Mars. Of course, Opportunity, aka "Oppy," has the lion's share of focus. But I digress.

It chronicles the rovers' lives from their inception and throughout the mission. We see NASA race against time to launch the rovers to take advantage of Mars and Earth's close alignment. They launched three weeks apart in the summer of 2003 and landed three weeks apart in early 2004. Their mission was to search for signs of water, which would mean life, on the Red Planet. NASA expected the two to expire after 90 sols. But Spirit chugged along until 2011, while Oppy lasted all the way to 2019. 

It recreates the mission with some impressive CGI by ILM. A solar flare hit their pods with enough force to damage their circuitries. We get the full magnitude of the impact inside and out. It's certainly miraculous that they survived that and their landing. Other hazards including Martian winters, Martian sandstorms and getting stuck in dunes are all presented as formidable threats. Their "faces" make them instantly lovable robots. They look and feel like real robots so much that, when Oppy gets robo-arthritis and robo-dementia, it's devastating.

The film also chronicles the NASA team behind them. We see them conceive, build and test the robots before their launch. When trouble strikes, including the aforementioned sand dune, we see them brainshoot on Earth.  We see Oppy's daily routine, which includes a good setlist of "wakeup songs." We see them plot Oppy's course with precision, especially since it takes twenty minutes for her to receive orders. One portion has them trying beyond hope, and eventually succeed, in restoring contact with Oppy after that sandstorm. It's an interesting chronicle of NASA's technical prowess on Earth and in space. 

It's also a compelling chronicle of their emotional investments in the rovers. They came to see the rovers as their kids exploring a harsh world. You'll share their joy when the rovers first land and they send back the first photos. You'll feel their triumph when they solve Oppy's hazards. A few of them were kids when Oppy launched and were NASA-employees when Oppy expired. One of them lost her grandma to Alzheimer's when Oppy's robo-dementia hit. It was equally devastating to lose both at once. You'll feel it when Oppy expires, too.

It's quite surprising that the Academy bypassed Good Night Oppy. It's a compelling science documentary about the little rover that could and the team behind her. Anyone looking to see NASA behind the scenes will get the most out of its 105 minutes. It's ready to watch on Amazon Prime whenever you are. You won't regret it.

RRR

I've heard much of one film this year. A film that took the internet by storm with its bombastic action and style. Why didn't I see it sooner, whether in theaters or on Netflix? I think it was the three-hour runtime that made me put it off. But now, with its multiple awards and Avatar: The Way of Water and Babylon opening this month with similar runtimes, it's time to finally experience RRR.

RRR, which stands for Rise Roar Revolt, is writer and director S.S. Rajamouli's follow-up to his Baahubali films, the second of which is India's highest grossing film. This is India's third highest grossing film. Rajamouli pairs together real-life revolutionaries Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) on a rescue mission to save a Gond tribe girl, Malli (Twinkle Sharma), from the odious Gov. Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and his equally detestable wife, Catherine (Alison Doody). A little context is needed.

It's 1920 during the British Raj of India. The Buxtons steal Malli from her tribe because Catherine loved her singing that much. Bheem, the tribe guardian, sets out to rescue her. Raju, a colonial policeman, is sent to apprehend him before he can raise hell. They meet when they save a kid from a fiery train crash. Bheem is incognito as "Akhtar," so Raju doesn't realize that he just met his quarry. They quickly become best buds as Bheem tries to infiltrate the Governor's mansion. He meets and falls for Jenny (Olivia Morris), the Governor's niece. Eventually, the two are pitted against each other before they finally unite against the villains.

It takes about forty minutes before the title shows up on-screen. It feels a bit longer to get through the other opening credits. But the overall 182 minutes are anything but boring. Rajamouli keeps the audience's attention whether it's with a dialogue scene or an action scene. You'll rarely feel the time as the film sets up Raju and Bheem's individual stories before their first adventure. You'll rarely feel it afterwards as they battle villains, each other and villains again. Nothing is subtle in this film. It even has a musical number, the Golden Globe nominated Naatu Naatu (or Naacho Naacho in the Hindi version I watched), which contains the most stunning displays of fleet-footedness on screen. Bar none.

The heroes help us through the massive runtime. Raju is introduced running into a riot braving hundreds of protestors to grab just one. You just have to admire his determination. We're a bit outraged that he's still passed over for promotion even though he's on the colonial side. That's mitigated when we find out he's actually a revolutionary spy. Bheem, meanwhile, is introduced fending off a wolf and a tiger. He later unleashes a whole menagerie on a party and defies the Buxtons' subsequent attempts to break him. Jenny lets him show off his gentleness; one of his best moments is when he helps her escape the aforementioned killer zoo. The friendship these guys have is compelling in its ups and downs. You'll be cheering from when they first meet to their final battle.

Now for the others. The bad guys sneer like proud pantomime villains with every syllable. Whether it's the Buxtons, their aide Edward (Edward Sonnenblick), or assorted officers, they're unambiguously evil. You'll be far from amused with their racist attitudes and will cheer their demises. Jake (Eduard Buhac) gets off lightly as our heroes outdance him in Naatu Naatu in glorious fashion. Meanwhile, Sharma is far more sympathetic as Malli, as is Ahmareen Anjun as her mother, Loki, and Alia Bhatt as Raju's fiancé, Sita. Morris as Jenny is quite likable. Ajay Devgn makes the most of his screentime as Raju's father, A. Venkatarama, from whom he clearly inherited his determination.

What else haven't I mentioned about the spectacle? A tiger tackles a wolf; the killer zoo is unleashed with a hard truck skid; Bheem tosses a leopard at a soldier; Raju's sniping skills. The CGI-aided stunts are spectacular even if the effects are too obvious. An arrow in the climax stuck out like a sore thumb. M. M. Keeravani composed Naatu Naatu and the rest of the perfectly bombastic score. Several lyricists - with Chandrabose doing Naatu Naatu - wrote the songs. The production, costume and makeup designs add to the visual splendor. The bombastic tone is aided by editor A Sreekar Prasad and cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar. 

RRR is a rousing good time. Its over three-hour runtime flies fast as you experience the action and heroic friendship. Yes, I should have checked it out earlier, especially since it played in theaters nearby. But it sure makes for an eventful home matinee in the closing days of 2022. You don't need to be familiar with both of its real-life heroes to enjoy their adventures. Watch it now for a spectacular time on Netflix. You won't forget Naatu Naatu anytime soon.

The Banshees of Inisherin

 I could have, would have and should have seen The Banshees of Inisherin during its theatrical run a few months ago. But it never arrived locally. So, it's off to HBOMax to see what others have seen. What have I seen indeed?

On the Irish Isle of Inisherin, during their Civil War, Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrel) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) were good buddies. But Colm decides he wants to end their friendship. Why? Because he finds Pádraic boring. He finds his music a better use of his time than listening to idle chatter. He's so serious that he threatens to cut off his own fingers if Pádraic keeps bugging him. He's not kidding. Pádraic tries to mend their friendship but it only frustrates him, his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and Colm. It only goes further downhill from there.

That's the gist of Martin McDonagh's fourth feature. Everyone initially treats Colm and Pádraic's split with absurd casualness. Colm's finger threat leaves us gob smacked with nervous laughter. So, we're actually hyperventilating when he follows through with it. Are these men supposed to be likable or not? You'll ask yourself that as the film follows them both. 

How are both men unlikable or not? Well, Pádraic's quest to save that friendship is a reasonable goal. But he's an immature man whose only eventual friend is his donkey, Jenny. Meanwhile, Colm is quite sympathetic as we realize he's suffering from depression. So, his wanting to be left alone is also reasonable. But the depths he goes for that goal are ludicrous. Still, both Farrell and Gleeson play them as compelling people.

Now for the supporting cast. Condon as Siobhán is good as the only sane woman on Inisherin. We empathize with her as she tries to mediate between the two men. It's only natural that she pursues life outside of the isle. Barry Keoghan is Dominic, a mutual friend of both men, and another likable character. Gary Lydon is Dominic's father, Officer Kearney, who is unambiguously detestable. A few other good supporting players are Sheila Flitton as the mysterious Mrs. McCormick and David Pearse as the Priest. These are all highlights of a memorable ensemble of quirky characters.

Now for the technical highlights. Ben Davis's cinematography of the Irish countryside is superb. The opening shots of the Inisherin plains are stunning and Mrs. McCormick's scenes are perfectly eerie. Mikkel E.G. Nielsen's editing helps build up the absurdity of the central conflict. Carter Burwell's score feels perfectly Irish despite him saying he toned down its Irishness. The Irish town visualized by production designer Mark Tildesley looks and feels authentic. Quite a few of these names would be welcome additions on the Oscar nominations next month.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a weird dark comedy. You'll laugh at the absurdity of its main conflict until the fingers come off. Afterwards, you might find it absurd to laugh at all. Things don't work out for its main characters, but the last words suggest some hope. It should make for an oft-kilter home matinee, that's for sure. It might still be playing in a theater somewhere. It might be worth it to see the Irish countryside on the big screen. It's an unforgettable film either way you choose to see it.

Pompo: The Cinephile

 While I slot in numerous contenders for this year's Oscars, I also find room for one of last year's could-have-been nominees. I namedropped Pompo: The Cinephile earlier this year when I reviewed fellow anime Belle. It had a one-week qualifying release in L.A. last year for its Oscars. Its official theatrical release last April was only for two nights, neither of which I had time for. I found the Blu-Ray in July and left it on my shelf...

Until now.

Based on Shogo Sugitani's online manga, the film is directed by Takayuki Hirao, whose best-known anime film, Gyo, is about zombie fish. A film like that is producer Joelle Davidoich "Pompo" Pomponett's forte. Her latest B-Movie, Marine, features a giant crab terrorizing beachgoers. Pompo is only twelve, at least, but she's a veteran producer with an eye for talent. One day, she decides to write an award-worthy script, Meister, and hand the director's chair to her gopher, Gene Fini. 

The film sees Gene directing "the world's greatest actor" Martin Braddock and fellow newcomer Nathalie Woodward as the leads. The production takes the crew from Hollywood Nyallywood (Meowllywood) to the Swiss Alps. Eventually, Gene is tasked with editing down the 72 hours of footage into just 90 minutes. It's a task that pushes him to the mental and physical brink. But he has a deadline to meet for the studio's investors. The post-production process gives him a sense of purpose.

Its greatest strength is its relentless optimism. We see it in frame one with its pastel art design. We feel it with its cast of characters. They avidly believe in the power of movies and find purpose in making them for the downtrodden. That's what helps Gene, Nathalie, and Alan, a banker we eventually meet, endure soul-crushing jobs. Nathalie's montage of failed auditions is equally funny and sad. Gene's determination to finish Meister is as admirable as it is dangerous. Pompo is quite profound for her age and her leading lady, Mystia, is sweet. They're all relatable and likable people. The only unlikable people are some of Alan's stuffy shirt superiors who nearly pull funding for Meister. But even they come around.

Its version of film post-production is quite interesting. Gene dissects footage to see which to keep or not. A few editing choices I wouldn't agree with, but a few others make me curious to see Meister in full. He imagines himself cutting through film with an oversized sword and infectious zeal. He eventually realizes that the film lacks a crucial flashback and him begging Pompo to greenlight it is a tense scene. Gene gets a nice scene with Nathalie when they make a few tough cuts. Overall, it's a unique way to hear about moviemaking.

It's not a realistic film, but Pompo: The Cinephile is an earnest tribute to moviemaking. This and Belle rank as my favorite anime films of the year, even if they came out last year. Its cast and tone are quite moving even if they lack the heavy drama of something like Belle. Find it however you can and see it right away. It even runs 90 minutes (minus credits) much like Meister does. It's a nice and easy home matinee ... not like my next reviewed film.

Pinocchio Double Feature Part 2: Del Toro

 Now for the Netflix version:

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio also has its Geppetto (David Bradley) build his Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) in the likeness of his late son. We actually meet the boy, Carlo, and spend some time with him and Geppetto in an endearing prologue. But it's World War 1 and Carlo is killed in an air raid. Mussolini reigns over Italy by the time Geppetto gets to work. Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor) resides in the pine tree Geppetto uses for puppet fodder. He's a natural choice for conscience when a Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) brings Pinocchio to life. 

The village and Geppetto are unnerved by the animate wood boy in their midst. The impresario Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) sees a new star for his circus, while the local Podesta (Ron Perlman) sees the perfect fascist soldier. Sebastian has his work cut out for him guiding Pinocchio down the straight and narrow. Pinocchio can die, but not for very long. He'll still have to spend a bit longer with Death herself (also Swinton), who tells him to make the most of his existence. It all comes to ahead when Geppetto meets the Terrible Dogfish.

Del Toro, along with his co-director, Mark Gustafson, and co-writers Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins, visualize a unique take on Collodi's story. It's a tale where, instead of turning kids into donkeys, the Podesta turns them into fascist soldiers. Our introduction to the training camp is unnerving as the kids revel in their war games. It only gets creepier from there. Its themes of mortality are more obvious than in previous versions as Pinocchio is faced with outliving Geppetto. His sacrificing himself to save Geppetto is quite moving. It still has some much-needed humor, including a surprisingly funny song mocking Il Duce in-person and a sea captain Geppetto meets. Both Il Duce and the Sea Captain share an actor: Tom Kenny.

We empathize with Geppetto as he mourns for Carlo in a montage. He creates Pinocchio with the furor of Dr. Frankenstein flat out drunk. He's naturally unnerved when Pinocchio comes alive like a creaky ghost. Pinocchio himself is flippantly curious as he explores the world in song; even him setting his feet on fire is fun to him! His growing up into a selfless boy is a compelling arc throughout 117 minutes. We see him help Volpe's monkey, Spazzatura (Cate Blanchett), stand up to Volpe's abuse. We see him bond with the Podesta's son, Candlewick (Finn Wolfhard), and help him stand up to the old man. He even puts his lying to inventive use to escape the Dogfish. His unpolished design (Geppetto was too drunk to finish him!) doesn't detract from his compelling arc.

Now for a few words about Sebastian. His pompousness is amusing, while the slapstick he endures is hysterical. His chemistry with Geppetto is a nice addition to the story. He eventually proves himself just as noble as the little wooden head. You'll feel for him when he selflessly wishes Pinocchio back to life. He gets a song during the end credits after getting interrupted throughout the film. It's an OK song. But overall, you'll remember Sebastian just as well as Jiminy Cricket by the time it's done.

The stop-motion characters and their environments are perfectly crafted creations. The animators' stunning work makes these puppets as real as human actors are. Spazzatura can only communicate with monkey noises and body language. But he doesn't need to say a lot to get the audience's attention. The underworld rabbits and the two spirits are as unnerving as they are splendid. We still feel for Pinocchio despite his imperfect design. Alexandre Desplat, as usual, sets the enchanting mood right with his score. Meanwhile, his military themes befit the imposing Podesta. He also collaborated with Del Toro, McHale, and Roeben Katz, on the songs, the centerpiece of which is the stirring Ciao Papa. Both song and score are now Golden Globe nominated and they'll surely get Oscar notice next month. They should.

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio resembles less of the novel than Disney's did. It does resemble the seminal manga and anime Astro Boy a bit more, though (itself inspired by Pinocchio). The film will stick with you better than not only Astro Boy's 2009 film, but Disney's recent remake as well. It's a strong story about one puppet's quest for validation. Its ending is quite powerful. I could have seen it when it was in theaters a few weeks ago, but I wanted to watch it and Disney's remake the same day (why? why not?). I found it easier to do that at home. This is the clear winner of the matchup. Netflix and chill with this unforgettable take on the famous story. Sure, it's creepy, but remember the donkey racket in the 1940 film?

I'm sure you do.

Pinocchio Double Feature Part 1: Disney

Last year, I concluded my review of Pinocchio with this:

Oh yeah, and there's also two other versions in development. One is being developed by Guillermo Del Toro for Netflix; the other by Robert Zemeckis for Disney +. Expect a few workarounds if and when I get to them.

That opportunity came yesterday. Both films in one day. Here's the Disney Plus version:

Zemeckis's version transplants Disney's 1940 film into live action. As usual, Geppetto (Tom Hanks) builds himself a puppet boy named Pinocchio that comes alive. The little wooden head (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is a gullible puppet who needs some guidance. So, the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) appoints Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as his official conscience. Pinocchio gets led astray by Honest John (Keegan Michael-Key) on his first day of school to Stromboli's (Giuseppe Battiston) puppet theater. Geppetto sets off to look for Pinocchio, who looks for Geppetto once he escapes Stromboli. Pinocchio needs to prove himself a brave and selfless puppet before he can be a real boy.

Writers Chris Weitz and Simon Farnaby don't stray far from the original animated film. Pinocchio witnessing Lampwick turning donkey even recycles the original scene word for word. It doesn't recycle its nightmare fuel, unfortunately. A few new plot elements are underutilized. In this version, Pinocchio is carved in the likeness of Geppetto's late son; too bad we don't have flashbacks of them together. The most annoying is the lopsided long arm of the law. Stromboli is arrested off-screen for his cruelty, but not Pleasure Island's coachman (Luke Evans) for his donkey racket, too. Pinocchio gets roped into Pleasure Island almost immediately after escaping Stromboli. I'll discuss more gripes later on.

Now for a few cast members. Hanks, as usual, is a nice old man as Geppetto. Ainsworth's Pinocchio gets his best moment when he recoils from the raucousness of Pleasure Island. But he frequently springs back to chipper with confusing speed. The Coachman is perfectly creepy, even more so than in the 1940 film. That's what makes his karma houdini especially annoying. Gordon-Levitt is pretty good as Jiminy and is unrecognizable with his impression of Cliff Edwards. The film's funniest moment is the opening where Jiminy the narrator argues with Jiminy the character. Wish the film had more of that. A few new characters, Sophia the Seagull (Lorraine Bracco) and Fabiana the Puppeteer (Kyanne Lamaya) are fine.  But the best performance is Key's, who is perfectly grandiose as Honest John and his rendition of Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee is stellar. It also helps that Honest John is the best animated and composited CGI character in the entire film.

Whereas The Lion King had stunning photorealistic animals and inert character acting, its titular character has good character acting and painfully obvious CGI. He doesn't mesh well with the real world. A few other shots, including one of Jiminy in the climax, stick out like a sore thumb, too. Pinocchio and Lampwick's tour through Pleasure Island loses some luster with its length. It still gets points for inventiveness (a gondola ride that connects to a Ferris Wheel, takes them through a slide and a candy mountain, among others). Alan Silvestri's score is especially great in the climax and his renditions of the original film songs are perfect. His new songs with Glenn Ballard are fine, with the Coachman's being the best.

Pinocchio is still on Disney Plus along with the 1940 film. I don't think that this film will become as cherished as its ancestor. Its story plays second banana to its imperfect visual style. That's probably why the donkey racket isn't as unnerving as the original film (or even the recent Italian film). It'll make an OK home matinee but not much else. Stick around for part two of this double feature for a version that will stick with you beyond one matinee.