Film Review - "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio"

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Directed by...yeah him and Mark Gustafson

Starring Gregory Mann, David Bradley, and Ewan McGregor

I'm still in disbelief that in the year of our lord 2022 we got THREE Pinocchio films. There was no doubt in mind that the Disney live-action remake, and that meme-fuel from Luminescence starring...Pauly Shore, would be terrible though. Conversely, I had no doubt that this would be the best Pinocchio film of the year by a long shot.

It's nice to say we've got another great film adaptation of Pinocchio after eighty-years, and my god is it beautiful.

Del Toro puts his own unique spin on the classic tale by Carlo Collodi. During the first World War, the son of woodcarver Gepetto (Bradley) is killed during an air strike on their small village in Italy. Twenty years later, in a drunken, emotional rage, Gepetto cuts down a pine tree in the hopes of "making" his son again. The magical Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) sees this and grants life to the wooden boy, named Pinocchio (Mann).

Naturally, and frankly more realistically, Gepetto is very hesitant to accept this sentient puppet as his new son...in fact he's kind of freaked out by him, as is most of their village. Nevertheless Pinocchio goes off on the usual adventures. He's tricked into skipping school and joining a carnival, is drafted into war, struggles with his own mortality-wait...

Again, Del Toro puts his own unique spin on Pinocchio, and it works so well. The idea of a grieving Gepetto creating Pinocchio in a drunken stupor like some kind of Italian Doctor Frankenstein is just so beautifully GDT. But there's so much depth here that we don't see in other adaptations of the Pinocchio story. The original story is dark and the film leans into that (The opening sequence is like Up turned up to eleven). This isn't an animated film manufactured to babysit children. It has lessons for them but for adults, too.

There's heavy themes about faith, war, morality, and loss. There is life after death. Death is what gives life meaning. It's hard to believe Pinocchio is teaching us about this. Brilliantly I might add. I'm a big cryer when it comes to films. This was the first time where the film ended, I sat with it, and after really digesting what the film was saying to me, that is when the tears began to flow. 

The idea of telling the story of Pinocchio in stop-motion is genius, particularly because stop-motion is called animation, but it's photographed just like regular filmmaking. It's not drawn on paper or rendered in a computer. It's animation, but it's real, like Pinocchio himself. The animation is gorgeous. The characters have so much beautiful, intricate details. The depth of field in the shots are breathtaking. The sets and sweeping backgrounds of the Italian countryside look as real as can be. The lighting is amazing. Guillermo del Toro is a firm believer that animation is cinema. It is not a genre or just for children, it is a medium that deserves the industry's respect. He says it with his full heart and soul in this film.

The voice-acting is stellar. Young Gregory Mann is wonderful as Pinocchio. He's a brat but there's enough innocence and heart in the character that you still root for him. Which is nice because at his core, the character of Pinocchio is a little $h*t! Caretaker of Hogwarts Argus Filch, aka David Bradley, plays Gepetto with the perfect balance of gruff and empathy. At the expense of another Up parallel, it's like an Italian Carl Fredericksen. This story is just as much his as it is Pinocchio's, and Bradley sells it.

Ewan McGregor is charming as always as Sebastian Cricket. Christoph Waltz is wonderfully despicable as Count Volpe. Ron Perlman is his usual best self as the Podesta. Finally, Cate Blanchett gives the performance of her career as Spazzatura (In your face Lydia Tár!).

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio just took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and it was more than well deserved. This film is a beautiful labor of love from a man who loves animation and filmmaking, with a wonderful story that can resonate with all ages. It may just be my favorite film of last year, and that's no lie.

...I still need to put my Top Films of 2022 in writing...as well as my Top Films of 2021. I can never get those rankings out on time...

Film Review - "Klaus"

Klaus
Directed by Sergio Pablos
Starring Jason Schwartzman, JK Simmons, and Rashida Jones

There's two things we don't get a lot of these days: Traditionally animated-films, and good Christmas films. Klaus, Netflix's first original animated film, which hit the streaming service earlier this month, is a near-perfect film in both regards.

Jesper (Schwartzman) is a selfish, lazy trust-fund child coasting through the postal academy by doing the minimum of the bare minimum. His father, in an effort to teach him a lesson, assigns him to be the postman of the town of Smeerensberg. Smeerensberg is an absolutely miserable town, populated by two constantly feuding families, The Krum's and The Ellingbow's. Jesper's father tells him he has one year to deliver 6,000 letters while there or he's cut off from the family fortune.

Desperate to make his quota and escape the horrible town, Jesper discovers Klaus (Simmons), a reclusive woodsman who has a large stock of handmade toys. Jesper gets the idea to have the children of Smeerensberg write letters to Klaus asking for toys. Soon this reluctant partnership turns into an unlikely friendship, and both Jesper and Klaus start to bring out the best in each other. Their actions soon start to change the mood of the townsfolk, particularly the children, much to the dismay of the heads of the feuding families.

So, yes, Klaus is another Santa Claus origin story. It's a mostly* original take on the story of how he came to be. After all these years it's kind of hard to do something new with Santa in film I think, but there were story elements in Klaus that were surprisingly fresh and original. The script does things with the character that I don't think have been done before, which is really nice. That said while Klaus is the titular character, the film is really Jesper's.

Let's talk about Jesper for a second. His character arc is fairly predictable, and I guess to an extent the screenplay is as well. Naturally Jesper starts to become less of a jerk and more selfless, and begins to question his original motives, and you can figure it out from there. But it's all executed so wonderfully you don't really care. The characters are just so likable and you really get immersed in their story and their world. You really believe in the friendship of Jesper and Klaus, which is the heart of the film.

Jason Schwartzman has played jerks and nice guys before, and he's perfectly cast as Jesper, a guy who transforms from the former to the latter. As far as finding actors to play your Santa Claus, JK Simmons is unexpectedly inspired casting. He's got the gruff seniority and warmth which blends together for a great take on an iconic legendary figure. Rashida Jones plays Alva the schoolteacher turned fishmonger, because none of the kids in town will come to school. Again, this is perfect casting. Her voice is so sweet and nurturing, but she also brings the edge of cynicism that the character needs. Classic Anne Perkins.

Joan Cusack plays Ms. Krum, head of the Krum family, and once you stop hearing a cranky Jessie from Toy Story, she's a delightfully wicked antagonist. Will Sasso plays Mr. Ellingbow, who doesn't really stand out too much until he's sharing scenes with Cusack. Finally Norm MacDonald has a small but memorable role as a ship captain who gets a kick out of busting Jesper's chops.

Guys the animation in this film is gorgeous. The character designs are top-notch, the backgrounds and scenery are amazing. This film made me sad that traditional animation is no longer as big as it used to be, because this film is a testament to the beauty of the medium. It harkens back to animated films of the nineties. As a matter of fact many former Disney animators from the Renaissance era worked on Klaus. The lighting and the textures are so remarkable it takes the animation to a whole new level, like a pop-up storybook come to life. It really gives the film a magical, Christmastime feel.

If I had one criticism to make, it's the use of modern music in the soundtrack. The Heavy's "How You Like Me Now" is used in one scene, and it works fine but it shakes the tone of the film for a minute. "Invisible" by Sara Larson is used a lot throughout, and more effectively, but again modern music/pop song affects the tone of the film.

Klaus is a wonderful film that can get you in the Christmas spirit, and remind you of the wonder of classic, hand-drawn animation. It's a touching story about friendship and selflessness, with wonderful characters brought to life by superb voice-talent. I suggest you give it a chance this holiday season. It's easily one of the best Christmas films we've gotten in years. Shortly after one viewing, I'm anticipating a rewatch very soon. It might just become a new holiday tradition.

Also dare I say it, it may make my Top 10 Films of 2019-goddamnit I still have to write Top 10s for 2012 and 2018…

*Ok so a postman, tells the story of how a Santa Claus character came to be, which has said character delivering toys to a miserable town, and the powers that be in said town end up not liking it…and there's a female schoolteacher love-interest…where have I…son of a-

Film Review Throwback- "The Perfect Host"

The Perfect Host
Directed by Nick Tomnay
Starring David Hyde Pierce and Clayne Crawford

God bless Netflix. Really. If it weren't for Netflix I'd never be able to see a lot of independent films that only make their way through festivals and limited releases. I mean I can't afford to go to Sundance every year. So I'm thankful the likes of Netflix, Redbox, illegal online streaming….provides me the opportunity to see films like this one.

The Perfect Host came out way back in 2010, and when I saw the trailer I was intrigued. It looked to be offering, essentially, Niles Crane from Frasier going pure evil. Six years later I've finally seen the film, and it delivers just that, and more...

The film opens on criminal John Taylor (Crawford), on the run for a robbery he recently pulled with his girlfriend (Megahn Perry). Injured and desperate for refuge, he cons his way into the home of Warwick Wilson (Pierce), who is in the midst of planning a dinner party. It isn't long before the jig is up for John and he's trying to hold Warwick hostage. The tables quickly turn, when its revealed Warwick has drugged the wine John's been drinking all night. John learns Warwick is not what he seems, and soon he's the hostage for one of the most bizzare dinner parties ever witnessed.

There's much more going on in this film that I can't tell you without going into spoilers, but it is one nutty film. A lot of twists and turns come out of nowhere, some that are probably not properly hinted at or set up, but who cares this is a twisted black comedy if I've ever seen one. You'll be face palming and chuckling to yourself at how far gone this thing goes, and in a good way, because it's a fun ride.

Now a lot of the film's success falls onto the two leads, but where one gives a great performance, the other gives a pretty bland one. I'm sure it's a no brainer to you which one is which. Yes, this is David Hyde Pierce's film 150%. He gives such a gripping, wild, colorful performance he owns every second on screen. This is not Niles Crane. This is Niles Crane meets Stewie Griffin meets Raymond Reddington. Sadly on the other side of things, Clayne Crawford can't measure up. He gives such a bland, one-dimensional performance, and the character comes off so unlikable you don't care what happens to him.

Maybe that's the idea though…maybe the filmmakers cast an unknown amateur in the role to make him seem every more unlikable David Hyde Pierce in his role. I mean it's Pierce not Crawford on all the posters and stuff. Whoa…

Anyway, The Perfect Host is an insane, fun little film. It is dark, and might not be for everyone. You might watch it once and never watch it again, or it might be a frequent rewatch depending on your taste. I enjoy a black comedy from time to time, and I loved Frasier, so this was definitely one I was glad to finally see. Thanks Netflix.