Disney Sequel Showdown- "The Lion King 1 1/2"

Disney Sequel Showdown: Round #3

The Lion King 1 1/2
Directed By Bradley Raymond
Starring Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Julie Kavner and Jerry Stiller

So this just came back into my head. It's late, I can't sleep, so let's talk about another Disney sequel!

Well I've already knocked two Disney direct-to-video sequels, follows up to Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I did say there were some decent ones in the canon. The Lion King 1 1/2, despite that ridiculous title, is probably one of, if not the best of the Disney direct-to-video sequels.

Where The Lion King is an adaptation of Hamlet,  The Lion King 1 1/2 is sort of an adaptation of Rosencrantz & Guilderstein Are Dead. The film takes us through the original again, but from Timon and Pumbaa's point-of-view. But before the "Circle of Life" begins, we get to see what life was like for Timon (Lane) back in his meerkat colony, complete with his mother (Kavner) and Uncle Max (Stiller).

After botching up a stint on sentry duty involving some familiar hyenas, Timon leaves home to find his place in the world. Along the way, he meets his future best friend Pumbaa (Sabella), who joins him on his quest to find their own patch of paradise. From there, the events of the first film run its course, but again it's their side of the story. We see what they were doing during some of the original's key scenes, including some that we didn't even know they were around for.

Perhaps Lion King 1 1/2's greatest strength is that it doesn't take itself seriously, right down to it's Mystery Science Theater 3000 set up of Timon and Pumbaa watching the film in a theater. It's a sequel to one of the greatest animated films of all time, but it's not going try to match it. It's going to be it's own thing. That was a coming-of-age story of a young prince, this is a buddy comedy/satire, that actually has a lot of laughs at the expense of the former.

All that aside, there is still an emotional Disney core, and that comes from the relationship of our two leads. It's always nice to see filmmakers successfully take sidekicks, and make them three-dimensional characters. Of course, you know they didn't do that on their own. Timon and Pumbaa have been around for years, were already loved by the public, and had two other films and a tv show before this. While this is a Timon & Pumbaa film, Timon is the star. It's his hero journey, and while Pumbaa does go through his own emotional arc, it spawns from Timon's.

The animation here is rather good despite this being a direct-to-video release (This was around the time these films started getting higher in quality, and were no longer being recycled episodes from a cancelled tv show stapled together. Looking at you, Belle's Magical World and Cinderella II).
The music is fine, featuring some catchy original songs, reprises of ones from The Lion King, and some from outside sources that are used for jokes and pop culture references.

I'm not surprised that nearly every cast member from the original film returned for this, with the exception of Rowan Atkinson as Zazu (Seriously what the hell was he doing that he couldn't be bothered?). I mean this was a sequel to what was at the time, Disney's most successful animated film (This was all B.F….Before Frozen.) Anyway, they're all great. Disney always knew how to put together a good voice cast for a film. New additions Julie Kavner and Jerry Stiller as Ma & Uncle Max provide a good amount of laughs, even though you can clearly tell that Kavner is the voice of Marge Simpson, and that Jerry Stiller is…well Jerry Stiller.

So to recap, if one should ever find themselves in a situation where you had to watch a Disney sequel, this is without a doubt your best option. I myself do actually get the urge to rewatch it from time to time, because it's just a fun, harmless film. The Lion King 1 1/2 is not one of those sequels that's better than the originals. Lord no. For what it is though, it's a fine film, and that's really nothing to fuss about. Hakuna Matata.

Film Review- "Kung Fu Panda 3"

Kung Fu Panda 3
Directed by Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh
Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, and JK Simmons

Dreamworks Animation has always been hit and miss with their films. For a while back there, frankly the only good films they were putting out were Shrek and stuff they were distributing for Aardman Animation. Then in 2008 came the first Kung Fu Panda, and it sort of ushered in a new era of quality for the studio.

Six years later, and the quality of their output is still all over the spectrum. Blame it on financial troubles of the studio, poor creative decisions or some combination of both. Along side the How To Train Your Dragon's , the Kung Fu Panda film series remains their best work. Five years after the stellar Kung Fu Panda 2, comes the next installment, Kung Fu Panda 3. While the film only enforces my previous statement, I still found it to be the weakest of the three Kung Fu Panda's.

The film opens in the Spirit Realm, which apparently is where Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) went in the middle of the first film. Oogway is confronted by his old friend-turned-nemesis Kai (Simmons), who has stolen the chi from all the kung fu masters in the Spirit Realm. After stealing Oogway's chi, Kai gains the power to return to the mortal realm, where he plans to steal...even more kung fu masters' chi! Of course before he leaves, Oogway foretells of another warrior destined to defeat Kai. (Guess who it is?!?)

Back in the mortal realm, Master Shifu (Hoffman) tells his students he is ready to retire, and has chosen Dragon Warrior Po (Black) as his replacement. Po proves to be a horrible teacher. Shifu tells him if he wants to be a good teacher, he has to come to understand what it means to be him, to be the Dragon Warrior. Po's plate only gets heavier when his biological father (Cranston) returns and offers to take him back to a secret panda village, and teach him what it really means to be a panda. Then on top of that, Po must prepare to face Kai.

So while I do think this is a good story, I do wish they had taken one or two more passes at the script. The theme of Po discovering who he is, it's a bit of a rehash of his character arc in the previous film. I can see both sides of it though. While Kung Fu Panda 2 was Po discovering who he is, Kung Fu Panda 3 is more about what it means to be him. The former deals with more with the Po side of things, while the latter deals with the Dragon Warrior side. That's all well and good, I just wish the script in 3 did more to set it apart from 2.

The animation in this series has always been spectacular, and this film does not disappoint. The animators really craft a beyond beautiful Spirit Realm, which are the visual highlights of the film, and the Ancient China setting looks as good as ever. The fight scenes in the Spirit Realm look awesome, but ones taking place in other parts of the film never manage to match the grand scale of those in the previous films. The music is once again epic, particularly the theme for our villain, Kai.

The returning voice cast are more than comfortable in their roles by now, and all do great work, so let's focus on the new additions. Bryan Cranston as Po's father Li Shan…I mean it's Bryan Cranston. Has the man ever turned in a bad performance? JK Simmons is hard to recognize as Kai, except for a few moments, but sadly he's the worst of the series' three villains. His motivation and backstory sadly do not reach the compelling, emotional heights of Tai Lung or Lord Shen. Then there's Kate Hudson, playing like, kind of a new love interest for Po? Which is fine but she's just kinda there.

So while probably not worth the five year wait, Kung Fu Panda 3 is still a well-crafted film, and manages to still be one of Dreamworks Animation's best films in recent years. Never reaching the epic-ness of the first or the emotional gravitas of the second, it still retains the fun (If I could borrow from the film's dialogue) awesomeness of its predecessors. It provides a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, if this does prove to be the last film in the series. Fans of Kung Fu Panda and animation alike will not be disappointed, and I think will agree that this will go down in history as one of the best animated film series of our time.

Film Review- "Deadpool"

Deadpool
Directed by Tim Miller
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarain, and Ed Skrein


Like most of the general film-going population, I know that X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not a good movie. Back in 2009 though, I was not as Marvel savvy as I am now, and that was my first taste of the character of Deadpool. As time went on, I learned that iteration of the character was not the Deadpool fans know, love, and wanted to see. The more I learned about the character, the more I saw the idea of film adaptation really working. My reservations towards Ryan Reynolds notwithstanding of course, and the fact that Fox was refusing to green light production.

Then in August 2014 someone leaked the test footage, and I went, "Yes. I like that. Give me more of that!" Fox gave into the fans and a year or so later, after some really stellar trailers and one of the best marketing campaigns for a film I've ever seen, Deadpool is now in theaters. Folks, I can confidently say this is probably the best Marvel movie that-wasn't-made-by-Marvel yet.

Just as mercenary Wade Wilson (Reynolds) prepares to take the next step with his girlfriend Vanessa (Baccarain), he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Shortly after that, he is offered a chance to be a part of a shady but experimental program that could cure him. Wilson agrees after some hesitation, only to find the program is not what it seems. He is injected with a serum and put through a series of excrutiating tests to trigger his mutant genes. He soon develops the ability to heal from everything ("They didn't just give me the cure to el cancer. They give me the cure to el everything!") but his body is also left horribly scarred.

After escaping a fierce confrontation at the program headquarters, Wilson dons his infamous red suit and sets out for revenge against the program director Francis/Ajax (Skerin), despite the interjection of  two X-Men, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Stefan Kapicic and Brianna Hidlebrand).

What sounds like a fairly simple origin story is brought to a whole new level with heaping amounts of crude, laugh-out-loud humor and non-stop action. The filmmakers were really given the chance to make a proper adaptation of Deadpool, packed with pop-culture references and fourth-wall breaking. There is real heart to this film too. The relationship between Wade and Vanessa is at its core, and makes it more than just a raunchy superhero comedy.

I've said before that Ryan Reynolds can be a great actor but he wastes his time making the wrong films. I'm not saying that right now. He was born to play Deadpool, and naturally, is the highlight of the film. Everything he says, everything he does, is pure gold. Morena Baccarain brings a lot of spice to the role of Vanessa, a role that could very well have been just a bland love interest, if not for the combination of her and the screenwriter's talents. She's given plenty of jokes to crack as well, and has great chemistry with Reynolds. Skerin is perfectly despicable as Francis/Ajax. Kapicic and Hidelbrand are given some juicy material in their X-Men supporting roles, while never overshadowing our hero, and finally TJ Miller gets some laugh's as Wade's buddy Weasel.

If I did have to pick one flaw with the film, it would be that some of the origin story flashbacks tend to be a little slow, as is expected with most of these superhero films. Thankfully, this problem is minuscule  compared to the rest of this awesome film.

Deadpool has definitely met expectations after all the years of anticipation and hype. In a world where the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe stand tall and proud, this outside-the-house production leaves a real lasting mark on the superhero genre. A truly faithful adaptation, and a real work of passion by its creative team, I feel as though we already have one of the best films of the 2016. I know it's only February! How crazy is that??

Oh yeah, and I'm still going to do a Top Films of 2015. Still got some more to see….Oh and just so we're clear they're my top films of 2015….Mine. Not yours…

...chikka chikkahhh.

Film Review- "The Good Dinosaur"

The Good Dinosaur
Directed by Peter Sohn
Starring Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, and Sam Elliot

Two Pixar films in one year you say?? How awesome can that be?? Well, it's not double the amount of awesome Pixar you're probably hoping for. It's more like at the level of awesome and-a-half. That's not to say The Good Dinosaur is a bad film. It's just not going to break any ground like Wall-E, Up, or the studio's other, more superior offering of this year, Inside Out.

The Good Dinosaur takes place in a world where the asteroid never hit Earth, and the dinosaurs were never wiped out. Arlo (Ochoa) is the youngest of a family of apatosaurus. Both small and very skittish, Arlo struggles to "make his mark" on the family farm and the world. Arlo's assignment to take care of a pest on the farm, a thieving, feral cave boy (Bright), combined with a series of unfortunate events, leaves him lost and far away from home.

The young dinosaur must learn to survive in the wilderness and find his way back to his family. Along the way he gains the assistance and friendship of the cave boy, whom he nicknames Spot. Together, the two encounter a gang of savage pterdactyls, a family of T-Rex "ranchers" (Elliot plays Butch the father), among other surprises and perils of this prehistoric wilderness.

The film's story is nothing new or special. It's a "boy and his dog" story, which have never done too much for me (Probably because I've never had a pet that wasn't a fish). There's also the obvious comparison to The Land Before Time, and the keen eye can also spot (no pun intended) that the film borrows a little bit from The Lion King and Bambi. Baring all that in mind, words like "predictable" and "cliche" might be applied to The Good Dinosaur.

Don't get me wrong though, you still can get invested in the story, and the relationship of our two main characters. The two young boys voicing them deserve some credit for that. Ochoa gives an emotional performance as young Arlo, and Bright manages to bring Spot to life only through howls, growls, etc. Combine their performances with spectacular character animation, and you have another winning Pixar bromance on the screen.

To further expand on the animation of the film, it's gorgeous. At times I wasn't sure if I what I was looking at was animated or live-action. The design of the characters are more cartoony than the scenery, but they blend together in a strange, unexplainable way.

The rest of the voice cast does good work. Sam Elliot is playing to type (perfectly) as Butch. Jeffrey Wright and Frances McDormand give small but strong performances as Arlo's parents. Steve Zahn's performance as lead pterodactyl Thunderclap is probably one of his better and more tolerable characters. At this moment I can't seem to recall John Ratzenberger's cameo. I can remember the character by looking at the IMDB page, but not the voice. Part of me still wonders what the film would be like with its original voice cast (and story), that included Neil Patrick Harries, John Lithgow, and Bill Hader, but que sera.

Some stylistic decisions the filmmakers went with left me scratching my head. There are hints of a western motif, but it's never really established outside of some parts of the score, and the T-Rex characters. The filmmakers also designed it so when the T-Rexes run, they look like they're cowboys riding horses, which just looks…strange. Then, there were some very surprising jokes and sight gags that left me going, "Is this really in a Pixar film?" The best example would be at one point, Arlo and Spot eat some "bad berries"...yeah…

I feel like I've knocked the film as much as I've praised it. To summarize, there is nothing bad about The Good Dinosaur. There's just nothing new. It still has plenty of eye-watering emotions and stellar animation you'd expect from Pixar. While you definitely can get invested in the characters, particularly Arlo and his relationships with Spot and his father, the story is nothing unique. It's good but not great. I'd put it on the same level as some of the studio's lesser efforts like Brave or Monsters University, and like Brave, part of me feels like the right audience for this film is probably back in the nineties. But it's 2015, and The Good Dinosaur lives up to the "Good" part of its name.

If you're a diehard Pixar fan, you should still give this film a chance. If you only want to see one Pixar film this year, well I guess be glad you already saw Inside Out.

Film Review- "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, and John Boyega

This summer, I jokingly told my friend Tom that my favorite character from Star Wars was Jar Jar Binks. He then proceeded to try and suffocate me…

Point being, a lot of people are very passionate about Star Wars, and are still very bitter about the last trilogy. The franchise has never been at the top of my list of obsessions, but I was as excited for this as most people. I'm hear to tell you to wash away the pain of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars is back in true form.

Now to avoid giving anything away, I'll give you the barest of a bare bone summary of the film. Okay here goes…taking place thirty years after Return of The Jedi, a new threat has emerged in the galaxy known as The First Order, with the menacing Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) as one of its key figures. Old heroes are joined by new faces, including scavenger Rey (Ridley), rogue storm trooper Finn (Boyega) and pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac), as the battle begins and a new chapter unfolds.

First off, the film uses the nostalgia of the original film heavily to its advantage, to the point where The Force Awakens is almost a retelling of A New Hope. Some would say the film plays it safe by doing this, but it's actually a winning formula that gives the film enough legs to stand on its own.

A lot of this is credit to the writers allowing the new characters to shine, and for the most part carry the film. Daisy Ridley is a charming and compelling lead as Rey. John Boyega plays the part of a reluctant hero perfectly with Finn. Oscar Isaac is sharp and charismatic as Poe Dameron, but isn't given as much to do as Ridley or Boyega. Driver is nearly perfect as our new villain Kylo Ren, and our new droid character, little BB-8, is a real scene stealer.

Then there are our old friends. Harrison Ford is our glue to the original trilogy, and is at his best once again as Han Solo. Carrie Fischer settles back into the role of Princess-now-General Leia Organa, playing her with just the right amount of attitude and wisdom. Old friends like R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca are as good as ever. What's that? Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker? Yeah I can't talk about that.

I don't often discuss sets or locations in my reviews, but the ones in The Force Awakens are beautiful. The filmmakers definitely took time and effort crafting the look of every scene on every world, so this would look and feel like a Star Wars film is supposed to. 

It's hard to review, let alone talk about the film when so much of its plot has been kept deep under wraps since day one. To tell you what happens in the first three minutes is practically a spoiler. Trust me when I say though, this is a really good, really fun film. Die-hard fan or not, you're going to enjoy it. I'll tell you when I was in my seat at the film's start, I felt as though I was transported back in time, and watching one of the original films back in the seventies. I had a huge smile on my face, and that's coming from a guy who never saw Episode II, only the important parts of Episode III, and had only just come to own his own copies of the original trilogy last month.

The force is strong with The Force Awakens. It's breaking all the box office records, it's probably going to be on hundreds of "Best Films of 2015" lists, and it just might walk away with a few awards by Oscar Season's End. This is a must see in my opinion, wether your a fan of Star Wars or just cinema in general. The force, it's calling to you dear viewers. Just let it in.

 

Film Review- "Mr. Holmes"

Mr. Holmes
Directed by Bill Condon
Starring Sir Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, and Milo Parker

I don't think I need to remind the general reader that the character of Sherlock Holmes has been around for a long time. Though there has been a bit of resurgence of the super sleuth in recent years. We've had the gritty, semi-direct adaptation in the Guy Ritchie films starring Robert Downey Jr. Then there's the BBC miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which sets the Holmes stories in modern day. So now one must ask, what's there left to do with the character?

"Set it in the future! The year 3015, where-" *slap*

Show Holmes in retirement! As an old man! Where his greatest adversity is…his deteriorating mind….

No but really, that is the premise of the film Mr. Holmes. Now stay with me, because as dull as that may sound compared to a Cumberbatch-packed hour of suspense or a Downey-charged blockbuster, this film is really good.

Like I said, Mr. Holmes focuses on the famous detective (McKellen) in his retirement, at age 93 to be percise. Now living with Mrs. Munro (Linney), his put-upon housekeeper, and her son Roger (Parker), Holmes has taken it upon himself to right an accurate account of his final case, as the one his late part Watson wrote was fictionalized. The only problem is Holmes's memory is failing, and he can't remember much at all of the case. Meanwhile, he begins to bond with Roger, and Mrs. Munro grows more and more tired with their current living situation.

A simple story enough, but there's plenty of drama and emotion that makes this as thrilling as any other Sherlock Holmes story we've heard before. This is probably the most unique Holmes story we've ever had, because it shows the character to a point in his life we've never seen him before. It's truly compelling to see one of literature's greatest heroes deal with his own mortality, while at the same time grow beyond the iconic character we've come to love. It really is almost perfect. Throughout the film I kept saying, "This. This is what Sherlock would be like as an old man."

A lot of that is credit to his portrayer, Sir Ian McKellen who gives a brilliant performance, that's as memorable as his Magento or his Gandalf. Young Milo Parker begins to make his mark on Hollywood, giving a breakthrough performance as Roger, and Laura Linney does her usual good work as Mrs. Munro.

I saw this film (and started writing this review) back in July. Back then I said this is going to be that one film that isn't released at the end of the year, that manages to defy the stereotype and gnab some awards/nominations. The Golden Globe nominations have now been announced, and Mr. Holmes has been completely snubbed, which is a shame because it's a wonderful film. Blame it on the fact that the critics/voters of Hollywood have the same short-term memory as Dory from Finding Nemo I suppose.

If you're a strict lover of the action-packed suspense of other Sherlock Holmes adaptations, this may not be your cup of tea. If you're not, then I'd give this film a watch. It may not become anyone's favorite film given it's a relatively slow paced drama, but it definitely leaves an impression, and showcases a top-notch performance from its lead actor.

PS: McKellen is set to re-team with Director Bill Condon in 2017, when he takes on the role of Cogsworth in Disney's live action remake of their animated classic Beauty & The Beast. My thoughts on the very existence of the project, and the trend of animated-to-live-action remakes it's now apart of aside, Mr. Holmes does give me slightly higher expectations for the project...


                                        

Film Review- "Ant-Man"

Ant-Man
Directed by Peyton Reed
Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Douglas

Not just two months after Avengers: Age of Ultron took the Marvel-loving world by storm, here comes Ant-Man. The actual end to Phase Two, though it almost feels like the beginning of Phase Three in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's in an odd spot in the franchise, but it's an odd film…an odd film that proves to be another strong entry into the Marvel canon.

The film opens on Scott Lang (Rudd), a recently released con-man, trying to do right by his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). Unable to find steady work, he agrees to pull off another heist with his old partners. Stealing what he believes to be an old motorcycle suit, Scott discovers it's the technical wonder, that we the educated know as the Ant-Man suit.

It is then revealed the heist was all a test, orchestrated by Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas). Pym tells Scott he needs him to pull off a heist unlike any he's pulled before. Pym's former protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) has successfully recreated his formula for the Ant-Man suit, and is planning to sell his own version of the suit, the Yellowjacket, to the highest bidder. Armed with the Ant-Man suit, Scott is tasked with breaking into Cross's lab and stealing the Yellowjacket technology, before he can sell it to the wrong people, and unleash utter chaos. With the help of his con buddies, and Pym's daughter Hope (Lily), Scott sets out to save the world, and become the Ant-Man.

Ant-Man is probably one of Marvel's most unique outings, from the zany visuals, to the outrageous humor. It definitely pushes some envelopes that haven't been pushed before by Marvel, from a climatic battle atop a toy Thomas The Tank Engine, to a slightly disturbing scene with a sheep that I'm sure PETA will have something to say about. The film probably also has the most swear words dropped in an MCU film, just a fair warning for people bringing younglings with them.

It also has a bit of "anti-MCU" tone to it, poking fun at other Avengers (One in particular, in probably the best scene of the film) and events in other films. Again, an odd film, but Ant-Man is an odd hero with odd powers, so it all blends together. Somehow Peyton Reed manages to blend his vision for the film, Marvel's vision, and Edgar Wright's vision (This is the one and only time I'll be bringing Edgar Wright up here, got it?) into a balanced, entertaining film.

Paul Rudd is almost playing to type as Scott Lang, but still gives a very engaging performance. Michael Douglas is a great addition to the Marvel universe. I would like to have seen Evangeline Lily's Hope Van Dyne get a bit more depth as a character but she still works the role. Corey Stoll is deliciously smug as Darren Cross, but like some other Marvel villains, doesn't get much development. Michael Pena steals every scene he's in as Scott's partner Luis, and Bobby Canavale gets a few good scenes as Scott's ex-wife's new fiancé Paxton.

If I had to pick one bad thing about the film, I guess I found the first act to be a bit slow. I almost found myself getting bored, and arguing with my subconscious "Is this it? Is this Marvel's first dud?" Thankfully I was proven wrong, because once Scott gets the Ant-Man suit and things start getting weird, that's when the fun begins. I guess you could say Ant-Man falls victim to the tropes of any origin story, but hey if you're gonna tell an origin story…

With the release of both Age of Ultron and Ant-Man this summer, Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a close. Consider this, if Age of Ultron is like a thick, juicy steak with all the trimmings, than Ant-Man is the light but delicious dessert that follows it. Strange, funny, and a feast for the eyes, it's one of the most endearing and unique entries into the franchise.

Now, how many months until Captain America: Civil War? Nine? Shit…