Category Archives: Animation

Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Movie Reviews, Movies, Sci Fi

REVIEW: “ELEMENTAL” (2023) DISNEY/PIXAR

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“ELEMENTAL” takes you on a journey through Element City, where people of different elemental backgrounds like fire, water, earth, and air characters live side by side in mostly sequestered harmony. Elemental is director Peter Sohn’s second feature, coming eight years after The Good Dinosaur. There is, however, a beating heart here, and the framework is basically good as Ember who is Fire and Wade who is water, embody the film’s central characters and let us know that we are more alike than we realize.

The premise of Elemental is at its core quite straightforward: Elements do not mix. But what happens when Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis), a fiery and hot-headed young woman who loses her temper when mad, meets Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a nice guy who as a city inspector, is the one who shows up when water pipes in Ember’s family store explode. As the two humanoid elements get to know each other and their romance blossoms, they influence each other and grow together as Wade introduces her to the multicultural world of Element City outside of her ethnically isolated neighborhood. More importantly, Ember realizes that her dreams and aspirations may not align with the future she believes her parents have envisioned for her. She’s bound by the traditions of her parents, Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi), as they remind her constantly of the adage that’s been drilled into her her entire life “Elements don’t mix.”

IT’S “ELEMENTAL” — In a city where fire-, water-, land-, and air-residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy are about to discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common. Directed by Peter Sohn -Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases on June 16, 2023. © 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.


Still, they fall for each other, prompting a dating montage and Ember’s awkward visit to a Ripple family dinner with Brooke Ripple (Catherine O’Hara), warmly welcoming Ember to their luxury apartment building. The restrained romance is backed by a sense of danger, suggesting that if Ember touches Wade, he’ll boil and evaporate, or alternatively, his water will put out her flame and that’s not the only allusion to romantic chemistry of the chemical reaction when Ember and Wade finally touch. The world-building in “Elemental” is stunning. The city itself is a visual feast, with each element having its own distinct architecture and style. From skyscrapers covered in lush greenery to water slides and wind-powered homes, every detail immerses you in this vibrant and enchanting world.

The film’s portrayal of how the elements interact is both amusing and touching. Whether it’s a water-being’s sneeze causing a flower to sprout under one little neighbor Clod (Mason Wertheimer) arms as he’s ‘growing up’ or Ember’s intense heat affecting others around her – these moments showcase the intricate relationships between the elemental residents. They provide a delightful blend of entertainment and insight into the film’s underlying plot. There is also a fun side plot with Gale (Wendi McClendon-Covey), as Wade’s boss at work and how she first hinders, then helps the couple move towards their end goal.

WELCOME TO ELEMENT CITY – Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” takes fire, water, earth and air and imagines what it would be like if they were alive and living in the same city – a place called Element City. Directed by Peter Sohn – Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases on June 16, 2023. © 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.


While the hint of romance between Ember and Wade adds an extra layer of intrigue, “Elemental” is so much more than just a love story. It delves deep into Ember’s personal journey as she navigates the city and tries to form meaningful connections. The character development is strong, and you can’t help but cheer for Ember and Wade as they face their challenges and strive to make a positive impact on their community.

“Elemental” isn’t perfect, but it is a sweet story that was lovely to watch as it’s a captivating story that reminds us of the incredible strength found in unity and the beauty of finding common ground in a diverse world.  It’s an adorable, heartfelt family film about the immigrant experience told in a way kids can understand, an animated romantic comedy anyone can enjoy that doesn’t go too overtly hard on its messages of racial and class dynamics, instead opting for a universally digestible “love is love” mentality.

Grade: B-

Side note: the cute follow up to Carl from ‘UP‘ story, “Carl’s Date” previews before the showing of the film as it’s just a lovely little short!

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

“ELEMENTAL” FROM DISNEY/PIXAR PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2023

Review Screening: Saturday, June 10, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Disney/Pixar


Action, Action Adventure, Adventure, Animation, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

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I know I’m supposed to love this “SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE” and be drooling all over this film directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, because everyone is, as well as hailing it as the greatest movie ever. Now those, as we like to joke are, ‘fightin words’ and something that just cannot be uttered by me – not for this film at least. And yes, I know I will probably get crucified for not agreeing. But then again, following and loving something just because the crowd does, has never really been my forte’. As well, I’ve always been pretty good in standing my ground and here will be doing just that and also noting that it’s okay to have differing opinions. It keeps things like movies interesting.

Now first off, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Across the Spider-Verse way more than I thought I would, but I mean who knew there were so many Spidermen besides Tobey Maguire Andrew Garfield & Tom Holland. Well I just found all this out in Spider-Man:Across The Spider Verse that there are a vast amount of them – and it took over two hours to do so. That I was not ready for and my initial question was why? And then I answered it myself by noting “this is what comic books are” a fantasy world, in this case, universes – then it also became clear that that is literally the point of showing all those comic book stills inbetween. So while I still had that unsatisfied feeling when I realized I was watching the first half of a really long movie, I feel like I understand it a lot more after thinking about it. Doesn’t mean it’s in my wheelhouse, but sometimes, getting out of said wheelhouse is what needs to be done.

Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and his daughter Mayday in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

Having not seen the first one, I picked up pretty quickly what was happening in this new web-slinging, multiverse-traveling adventure. It clearly takes place a year or so after the events of the first one – ‘Into the Spider-Verse’; and sees Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) back. Having been Spider-Man for about a year now after being bit by a mutant spider, his parents still have no idea, even though his father, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry), is a cop who frequently works with “Spider-Man” to stop other villians with super powers. He is once again teaming up with Spider-Girl Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), trying to fix something he clearly thought had been fixed before that wasn’t fixed properly. Included in all this is a whole lotta other Spider-People of this multiverse (that I’m trying to piece together and understand), for a big high stakes mission. This time around, the Spider-People face off against villian The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), whose powers threaten the stability of the entire this Spidey multiverse as he is able to move through spots he creates from one place to another, very quickly and simply. Issues are amplified when Miles and the Spider-People, led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), disagree on how to best deal with this new threat.

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) take on The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

A lot of this moves at a pace that is zip-flash fast so keeping up is key. The parts that probably worked the best for me as a first time viewer were the family ones. One of the most effect scenes on an emotional level is Miles’ relationship with his mother Rio Morales (Luna Lauren Velez), as he wrestles personally with the idea of revealing his superhero Spidey-alter ego to his parents, a decision that creates great conflict within his family. Watching Miles’ struggle to come out as Spider-Man in a particularly moving scene with his mother that is so heartbreaking and is bound to resonate with many who have struggled to reveal things of themselves to others, whatever it may be. Meanwhile, Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacy also has some intense family matters lll for her character, especially as it pertains to her relationship with her father Captain Stacy (Shea Whigham), regarding her suposed murder and loss of her Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), (whose animated character looks surprisingly a lot like Jake Gyllenhaal). Intially thinking Gwen was a lead character and the films focus would be on this, as she has a pretty extended opening focusing on solely on just her, but then with it doing a round-about and not going that direction was confusing at times, but as they say ‘All’s well that ends well”.

The animation is incredible, especially during a long intro scene in a different universe, along with the action and soundtrack. There are so many different styles and techniques. Some again, took time of afterwards for processing if you don’t know the stories, to digest and make logic of. As well, some of the dialogue gets to be a bit too corny and tries to hard to be quirky and fast-talking, which seems to be a Marvel staple now. My other issue is that the story felt a little messy and all over the place, and there were moments that felt weren’t really necessary to the plot of the movie itself. That plus the fact it was almost two and a half hours, which was a longer than it needed to be, only then to realize at the end it’s only essentially half of a movie. So now we’ll have to wait an see how the second part pulls it all together or the five parts which are sure to follow that one. Which leads me into my “Think about your favorite movies”; now imagine that when you saw them for the first time, someone cut it off halfway through and made you wait a year for the rest. A truly great movie needs to be able to stand on its own. Also, no post credits so no need to stay after this two hour plus run time.

Spider-Man/Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

So for those in the back who feel differently, I am saying that it was a good movie, but it wasn’t the greatest one and to call it that just seems so out of place for me. I did have a good time watching it and it’s by no means a bad movie, just not the “Masterpiece” everyone is building it up to be and is certainly not, “The Greatest Animated Movie Of All Time”. I think you have to be a BIG DC Universe fan or comic book one to understand why alot of it is happening to be sure. A lot of it just didn’t resonate to me and the windup into it started to really drag in the middle, all to just to get to a point where they basically said “see ya next time”.

And yeah, I will go see the next one in two years – hope you will too as who knows, maybe it will be the one to reveal all.

Grade: B-

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“SPIDER-MAN:ACROSS THE UNIVERSE” FROM SONY PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2023

Review Screening: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THE LITTLE MERMAID” (2023) DISNEY PICTURES

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By now we all know the story of “The Little Mermaid”. Created by Hans Christian Andersen and animated by Disney in 1989, this beloved classic has finally gotten the live action remake treatment. Over the years, this ‘treatment’ works at times, others not so much so treading lightly here was de rigeour’. With so many interested in seeing where they’d take one of the top five Disney flicks of all time, you also want to keep your mind open to all the options as no one wants to be let down if that doesn’t work out. Luckily that wasn’t the case here as Halle Bailey is perfect as Ariel and when I mean perfect, I mean humanly perfect as it is – because she is human and flawed that makes her perfect in this role beyond just her beautiful singing. And beautiful it is – taking each and every song to its absolute heights with the material being paid massive homage.

The visual effects are stunning – yes there was a lot of CGI, but not to the point where they are bothersome. I mean this is a story of mermaids so you must take your imagination to its heights as is. The vibrant colours of life under the sea were beautiful and you are completely transported away into this world once again that makes you wanted to pack your bags and become a mermaid yourself.

The best part of the film, was of course, Halle Bailey. This is her film. All the people who were skeptical can step aside because Bailey excels at playing Ariel.. She made the role her own while also incorporating bits and pieces from her origin. The facial expressions, mannerisms and yes, her voice. Her voice is as close to perfection as one can get. Her rendition of “Part of Your World” is sure to send chills down anyone’s spine. In addition to Bailey, we have Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, an almost perfect clone of his animated counterpart except this time well, he finally gets a song here and does adequately well.

As someone who always has loved the side characters in this film, the rest of the casting choices fit as well: Javier Bardem as King Triton was powerful at times, though underused and possibly the weakest point of the film. His scene where he gives Ariel her ‘legs’ lacked the enthusiasm of the original in a big way.  Jacob Tremblay as Flounder was cute and ever so diligent towards Ariel, though much less of a part here than the original. Awkwafina is laugh out loud hilarious as Scuttle, hitting each mark to its point. Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula is campy fun at times, again one big scene with her coming to – so to speak – just lacked to its counterpart. There is a great cameo by OG Ariel, Jodi Benson.

The stand out by far however, was David Diggs as Sebastian. Every single moment of his was pure gold. He made sure we ALL knew and understood the assignment here by giving it the Caribbean flavour served up on a platter. The timing was perfect on every Sebastian moment. And the rap, I mean come on – it was perfection in abundance. If Halle was the show, Daveed held the spot and was the master of ceremonies. Props must be given to Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda as well. The new songs were tons of fun and the new lyric rewrites are good in their own.

While they tried to bring this story into the 21st century, some of the updates worked, some we already knew and made the run time a tad long. All that being said; The Little Mermaid was much better than I think most ever thought it was going to be. Seeing this story come to life is a major nostalgia trip in the best way possible and do think this is a step in the right direction for Disney going forward and hope it sticks. It is truly just a lovely, gorgeous movie and I wouldn’t be mad if they gave us a ‘Return to the Sea’ sequel with this cast. It is hard to put it above the original animated one, and comparisons are always going to be up to each individual, but it certainly can be put it alongside it.

As far as live-action/hybrid Disney remakes, The Little Mermaid is one of the better ones. True enough to the original animated film without being an exact interpretation.  Screaming out loud “We Are In The Caribbean” gave the much needed edge and I was here for all of it. The material not only pays homage to its predecessor, but it is good enough to make you want pack your bags to go be a Mermaid – and isn’t that the point?

Grade: B

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“THE LITTLE MERMAID” FROM DISNEY PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2023

Review Screening: Wednesday May 24, 2023 ~ Courtesy of The Walt Disney Corp

Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THE BAD GUYS” (2022) Dreamworks/Universal

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DreamWorks Animation is back with “THE BAD GUYS” movie, based on the beloved children’s book by Aaron Blabey. The film, directed by Pierre Perifel, delivers our favourite book characters  in animation wonderment as they are meticulously animated and modeled. Vibrant visuals and stylistic choice makes this a true feast for your eyes. And doing voice-over justice here are: Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf, Marc Maron as  Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark, Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha, Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula and lastly, the lovely Zazie Beetz as Gov. Diane Foxington aka The Crimson Paw.

(from left) Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Snake (Marc Maron), Tarantula (Awkwafina) and Shark (Craig Robinson) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys, directed by Pierre Perifel.

It’s a delightful tale of a crazy gang made up of have been a team of notorious animal criminals that have been together for years, creating havoc around town and feared by all. But when they try to go straight after getting caught at one of their most notorious heists ever attempted where Professor Rupert Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), wins the Dolphin Award for Good Person of the Year, and the Bad Guys set out to steal the trophy. With Police Chief Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein) hot on their heels for a prize arrest, all that can go wrong does and they are caught red-handed. Rupert and Governor Foxington get the gang to undergo a Good Guys transformation to avoid jail time. But trying to fool people into thinking they are now model citizens proves much harder than it seems. That, along with realizing there is a whole new Bad Guy in town, takes us on a whirlwind of a ride.

Now Looney Tunes this is not, as if you’ve ever really sat down and watched those as adults, they have way different themes to you as they did when you watched them as a kid. This film doesn’t have the quick-barbed gags of those toon days, but it does have some decent plot twists that aren’t to hard for the kids to follow, or the adults for that matter. The villains here have hearts of gold, along with being a lot of fun. As an adult you might think the film suffers from a bit of a generic plot, which does knock the film down a few points – but if you have kids, this comes with a high recommendation, and they won’t even notice.  

The animation is stylistic and beautifully done, with maybe only a few quips on editing to speak of, it’s just a good fun time. As well, kids and adults alike will enjoy this one, a true film for the whole family!

Coming to theaters Friday, April 22, 2022 from DreamWorks Animation and Universal – run, don’t walk to get your whole family tickets for this one.

Grade: B

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Cast and Crew review screening: Tuesday, April 12, 2022 ~ courtesy of Universal/DreamWorks Animation

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION/UNIVERSAL “THE BAD GUYS” will be out in theaters Friday, April 22, 2022

Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “TURNING RED” (2022) Pixar/Disney+

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Admittedly, it’s been a while since I’ve been a 13 year old girl, yet here I am reliving it and loving almost every moment of Domee Shi’s new venture which captures that adolescence feeling once again in Pixar’s “TURNING RED”. But this little coming of age story does so much more than just take you back to a place in time of your life, as it reaches across not just cultural boundaries not usually seen, but just what being a young girl that is different is all about, and best of all – letting us all know, it’s okay to be different.

With our throwback setting here being Toronto, Canada in 2002, 13-year-old Meilin Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) is a girl on a mission. She is a straight-A student with her group of loyal ride-or-die best friends Miriam (Ava Morse), Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), and Abby (Hyein Park), by her side, and all they dream of is going to see the hottest boy band on the planet ‘4*Town’ (Jordan Fisher, Finneas O’Connell, Topher Ngo, Grayson Villanueva, and Josh Levi). A kind of apt name considering there are five of them, but isn’t that part of the fun of loving a boy band? Things like these are not valid to adults, but to 13 year old’s ‘in love’ they make perfect sense. On the other side of her life, the family part, there is a bit of a problem though as she feels held back by her overprotective mother, Ming (Sandra Oh). Mei Mei loves her mom, and while they may seem to enjoy doing the same things, noted in the many photos they take together, along with the job they do of keeping the family temple clean, and most of all, they enjoy dad/husband Jin (Orion Lee) cooking, or should we say eating his cooking! But they are worlds apart from having the same mindset, though only one of them is aware of this.

MOTHER, PLEASE! — Disney and Pixar’s all-new original feature film “Turning Red” will debut exclusively on Disney+ © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Taking all this into mind, imagine how Mei feels when she discovers she transforms into a giant red panda when she can’t contain her emotions and then finds out that not only her mom has had this happen to her, but her aunties and grandma (Wai Ching Ho), as well. The trick is to control it, but that isn’t as easy as it seems. From here, we are taken on a fun little journey of just what the girls all do to get themselves to see their musical loves. In between the up and down journey is where there are a few slip ups here and there with some adult panda transformation material, that to reveal would give away all the spoiler points of the story. But otherwise the catchy soundtrack that you will be singing for awhile after it ends, will also bring back some fun memories of the early 2000’s as the music is almost a character in and of itself.

WE’VE GOT YOUR (FLUFFY) BACK © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

There are moments where the discussions that take place that in truth, are refreshing to see and hear as things like this should be done and made more acceptable, instead of girls always having to feel shame at things like starting menstruation and what it all entails. Along with some fun comedic moments, ‘Turning Red’ all in all, is an incredibly cute coming of age story. In a world where girls aren’t afraid to be smart or different any more, along with the cultural influences and point of view that we don’t usually get to see on screen, this is one not to miss on Disney Plus for all ages.

Grade: B-

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Review Screening: Courtesy of Disney

TURNING RED ARRIVES ON MARCH 11, 2022 ON DISNEY+.

Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS” (2021) DreamWorks

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The Baby’s are back and bossing us around again this time with director Tom McGrath’s take in “THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS”.

There are few things more certain in this world than sequels, no matter how old the character gets and The latest Boss Baby adventure is no exception to this rule. And get this, the Boss Baby isn’t a baby anymore though not to worry, what would the story be if he didn’t become a baby again, but it’s all in good fun.

Family Business has the Templeton brothers, Tim (James Marsden/Jimmy Kimmel) and his former Boss Baby little bro Ted (Alec Baldwin), as adults with Tim now married to Carol (Eva Longoria). Tim is now a stay-at-home dad raising his two daughters, Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt), and baby daughter Tina (Amy Sedaris) who, based on the ending of the last one, is a ‘Baby Boss’ as well. Ted, to no ones surprise, is a hedge fund CEO. The two have drifted apart from each other and rarely even speak. But infant Tina decides she must reunite the brothers and turn them back into their younger selves to infiltrate Tabitha’s school which is being ran by Dr. Edwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum), who is definitely up to no good. The only way to do this ‘Benjamin Button’ transformation back into babies is quite fun – as it’s all done through a baby formula that only lasts for just 48 ‘teensy weensie’ hours. Tim takes it upon himself to come along and the two brothers wrestle for the formula, getting younger and younger.

The Boss Baby has a lot going on within it. There is the witty banter and sibling relationship issues between the two brothers which can be very fun at times especially when they are back to being their younger selves; There is Precious a pretty pony, a classmate identified only as “Creepy Girl”; there are baby ninjas, and lastly, a tiny toy Wizard named Wizzie (James McGrath), that comes to life. All this goes on while the school putting on a pageant in which Tabitha is terrified of doing a solo performance and Dr. Armstrong is plotting his world-parent takeover. But this movie isn’t just about brothers Ted and Tim. It is also about Tina and Tabitha, and the pressures of school and finding a balance for family, school and life, and not wanting the feeling of disappointing anyone, including ourselves or family.

A bit long in runtime at an hour and 47 minutes with young kids who might get antsy can happen. While it also might just tick off the boxes when it comes to actual points of The Boss Baby itself, it’s truly sweet moments with the young daughters and brothers bonding that make it worth the watch for families.

C+

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Review Screening: Monday, June 28, 2021 ~ Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation & Universal Pictures

“THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS” IS IN THEATERS AND STREAMING ON PEACOCK AS OF FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021

Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “WOLFWALKERS” (2020) APPLE FILMS/GKIDS

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With everyone loving on this new animated film from two-time Academy Award nominated Tomm Moore and his co-director Ross Stewart, my excitement and expectations were high on getting this screener and giving it a watch. Then my internet went out and has been spotty ever since so it took me a moment and after watching I felt as though the title said it all. Not that it’s bad, it’s not bad at all and it could be all about taste as this type of animation is so very different than what we are used too, what could be called ‘very mature animation’ and it took me a moment to adjust as it’s doesn’t really feel like a children’s movie.

Story line sum up is in 1650, a hunter named Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean) and his daughter Robyn (Honor Kneafsey) have to move from England to this small Irish town as he has been hired to hunt/kill the wolves who are threatening the small village. Bill goes out each day to do his job while he makes Honor stay in the village so she is safe from them. However she sees herself as a wolfhunter as well and wants to help her father kill the wolves, so she sneaks out of the town and happens to come across a young girl wolfwalker named Mebh (Eva Whittaker), who can transform into a wolf when she is asleep. They start a bond as friends that gets severely tested as the Lord Protector (Simon McBurney) is trying to get rid of all wolves to protect his town, so Robyn has to convince his father that Wolfwalkers are real and must do what she can to save her friend and the wolves.

While the backgrounds are so beautifully done and so is the music, the plot lacks in spots and in places where the characters are supposed to be charming, they came off as annoying. That along with a lot of it dragging in the middle and being somewhat cliche in lots of places, left it still with a somewhat satisfying ending leaving open many possibilities in which to possibly explore in a follow up.

So, the good parts you ask? The villain Lord Protector was done well not only in character but in design in keeping him feeling mysterious, intimidating and keeping the audience engaged with scenes he was in. With Robin’s dad was being the most likeable character, little Robin’s friendship with Mebh has good heart and sweet humour and it’s themes of loyalty, trust, and family truly resonate.

All in all though, after the amazing opening pace the story lacks for a good portion of the movie, losing the magic it held at the beginning in favour of just being characters chasing after each other.

Grade: C+

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Review screening: Courtesy of 42 West

“WOLFWALKERS” NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS/DRIVE-INS WHERE AVAILBLE  ~ COMING TO APPLE TV+

 

Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THE CROODS: A NEW AGE (2020) Universal Pictures

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The Croods: A New Age is the sequel to 2013’s The Croods which centered on a family of Neanderthals trying to survive in a cold and barren world. This time around the film focuses on his now teenage daughter Eep’s (Emma Stone) romance with Guy (Ryan Reynolds), and her dad Grug’s (Nicolas Cage) worrying thoughts that he might lose her as the two look to starting their own clan.

Luckily for those that can’t remember the ending of the previous film (ahem..me!), The Croods: A New Age picks up pretty much exactly where the first film ended and this fun prehistoric family, which also includes Catherine Keener reprising her role as Ugga, Gran (Cloris Leachman) and younger brother Thunk (Clark Duke) who are going all out in fending off insane creatures and attempting to survive one catastrophe after another.

Everything changes when they break down a wall and stumble upon a valley paradise that has food aplenty. Much to everyone’s surprise this utopia valley is occupied by another family – the Betterman’s – Phil (Peter Dinklage), Hope (Leslie Mann) and Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran), who live in a simply amazing and vastly huge treehouse complete with toilets an elevator and a ‘picture screen’. As it turns out, the Betterman’s knew Guy’s family as they all grew up together and they welcome him home with open arms. All the while having a eye out for him getting into a relationship with Dawn and not even attempting to acknowledge the possibility of him and Eep. This is all done with a bit of arrogance as they are keeping the rest of the family at arm’s length and giving subtle hints with a ‘moving basket’ of food for the road while wanting Guy to stay back with them and all their creature comforts. This immediately creates a rift of which ensues some cute fun moments with a cast of characters that include punch monkeys and the inevitable ‘monster.’ But the biggest question posed for Guy is a toss up between what he ‘should do’ or what ‘he wants to do’ as this decision will affect them all.

While the clan faces all kinds of perilous moments, most of them are over-the-top and slapstick fun as things like fending off wild beasts is just another day in this family’s life. The movie is sure to be a nonstop delight for kids as there isn’t the usual frenetic pacing and pop culture references that go over most kids (as well as some adults) heads. It’s full of bright, colorful visuals with a storyline where there are clear themes of courage, teamwork, and the importance of being yourself. There are also some great “girl power” moments when Eep and the other female characters become the Thunder Girls and have to rescue the captive guys.

All in all, this is a cute, decent holiday watch that while not be for all the adults in the room – it is for the kids and that’s how it really should be.

Grade: B+

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Review screening: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

“THE CROODS: A NEW AGE” NOW PLAYING ONLY IN THEATERS/DRIVE-INS WHERE AVAILBLE STARTING WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 ~ COMING TO VOD FOR CHRISTMAS

Animation, Movie Reviews, Movies

INSTA-REVIEW: “TOY STORY 4” (2019) Disney

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Over the weekend I got to see this fourth incarnation in the Toy Story series. While a fun little jaunt for all our memories..again, I had trouble remembering where the last one left off and this one picks up..oh wait..that’s because the last one ended..with an ending that seemed so final. Ahh well..seems its wasn’t and the gang is all back with a few new friends on a search to get back ‘Forky’ who has been lost by Woody.

Along the way he meets back up with Bo Peep & these crazy scary ventriloquist dummies that honestly got to me..I thought for a moment we had switched to the ‘IT’ movie!! But alas, as with all kids movies there is a message.. that we all grow up and move on and so do our toys.
This movie is perfect for both kids and adults alike as all will find enjoyment in it and no little innuendos that fly over kids heads.

As for favourite characters..Woody is always a safe bet. Buzz didnt have as much to do this time around and our new favourite, Duke Caboom gives for a few good laughs.

Grade: B
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Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2” (2019) Universal/Illumination

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“THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2” is another fun filled little romp for the kids.  With a few new additions to the cast, most notably Harrison Ford as farm dog Rooster.  But the biggest of all additions, a baby is added to the family much to the disgruntlement of our lead dog Max (Patton Oswalt).  This sequel actually divides our team into three smaller stories with a somewhat vague theme tying it all together.  But it works as you never feel you lost track of what is happening in any of them.

The first plotline involves Max’s owner Katie (Ellie Kemperer) getting married and having a little boy named Liam. Max, whose dislike of children is made very clear, falls in love at first sight and becomes very protective over Liam, to the point of scratching himself out of the anxiety he feels to the point of getting a dog cone.  The relationship that forms here is fun and it’s a dog and a baby – who can dislike that?

Max, Duke and the family end up going out to the country where they meet farm dog Rooster and to say in the least, Rooster is not impressed with ‘city-dog’ Max,  nor his cowardice at the farm animals.  And while the outcome might be predictable, it’s charming and sweet to watch as Rooster helps encourage Max to face his fears and have more confidence.

While the family is at the farm our second subplot comes into play.  It’s about my favourite little pet, Gidget (Jenny Slate) as she trying to retrieve a bumblebee toy Max gave her to guard while he is away. The problem is the toy is stuck in the home of  the crazy cat lady downstairs who literally fits the persona to a tee,  as she literally has dozens of cats.  She even talks the incredible Chloe (my other favorite pet), into giving her lessons on how to be a cat. This has some really fun comedic slapstick that made for some good laughs from the entire audience.

Our final plot centers around Snowball, the Kevin Hart voiced bunny who is convinced he is actually a super-bunny because of the way his owner plays with him. He meets a new doggie named Daisy (Tiffany Haddish). Daisy is upset because she saw a baby tiger get taken by a bad man at the circus. Snowball and the team of pets must save the tiger and restore order to the city.

The characters throughout Pet’s are adorable and there are enough laughs and heart to keep the interest level during the film. The  vocal performances are all good and the message on overcoming fears is really sweet.  The ending credits are also a must-see!!  I have no doubt The Secret Life of Pets 2 will make a boat-load of money but for once it is deserved.

‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ is fun, fast moving and best of all, kids and adults will both be entertained. P.S.  Cats RULE!! 🙂

Grade: B

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Media Review Screening: Tuesday, June 4, 2019 ~ Courtesy of Universal/Illumination

‘THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2’ IS IN THEATERS WORLDWIDE FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2019