Looking Back at the Films of 2019 Finale - Richard Jewell/6 Underground/Uncut Gems/Cats/Spies in Disguise/1917

 

Hello everyone and welcome to the final edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2019. And this is my biggest one yet with reviews of Richard Jewell, 6 Underground, Uncut Gems, Cats, Spies in Disguise, and 1917. Without further a do let's get started.

Why Didn't I See Richard Jewell?

Now even thought I was interested in the movie because it was going to be directed by Clint Eastwood, one of my favorites I sadly had to be let down because my theater didn't have a showing.

What is Richard Jewell?

Richard Jewell is a biographical drama movie based on both the 1997 Vanity Fair article American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell and the 2019 book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle. The movie was produced by Malpaso Productions, Appian Way Productions, Misher Films, and 75 Year Plan Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Richard Jewell was written by Billy Ray and directed by Clint Eastwood. The story is Richard Jewell has been framed for the 1996 Olympic bombing. Now thanks to both the media and the FBI Richard is being called a criminal and his life is in turmoil, Richard calls his lawyer friend Attorney Watson Bryant to help and clear his name.

My Thoughts

The Good: One great thing about the movie is the performances. Mostly from Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, and Kathy Bates. All of three of them were amazing. Hauser and Rockwell had good chemistry and even though Katy Bates is in a supporting role she was fantastic. Especially when she has to do a press conference scene she absolutely nailed it. Another thing I want to praise the movie on is Clint Eastwood's directing. Now I'll admit I haven't seen a lot of Clint Eastwood directed movies but from what I've seen from Richard Jewell I'm very interested to go back on see what else Eastwood has done as a director. What I also liked about the film was how you felt sympathetic towards Richard and his friends/family. Now yes when you here the real story of Richard Jewell is a sad one, what I'm saying is the writer did a great job with making us feel something in this movie. My final praise and this my biggest one for Richard Jewell is this a great story about bad journalism. Because that's basically what happened here in matter of fact this is something that's still happening to this day. So this movie/the real story is going to be timeless because journalist today much like they were during this even were doing a whole ask questions later sort of thing.

The Bad: None.

The Okay: Now the first I wanna say 20 minutes are pretty slow. But you're willing to forgive that because once the bomb scene happens the movie really picks up.

Final Verdict: Great

Why Didn't I See 6 Underground?

My reason for this one is the same reason why I didn't see The Irishman. Wasn't really invested in reviewing this from Netflix even though the director has done somethings I've liked it the past. Yes I like Michael Bay movies. I'm not one of the people who think he's the worst thing to happen to filmmaking.

What is 6 Underground?

6 Underground is an action thriller film. The movie is produced by Skydance Media and Bay Films and distributed by Netflix. 6 Underground was written by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese and directed by Michael Bay. The story is six people have been selected for their specific skill that they're the best at. Their mission this time around is to take out dictator Rovach Alimov and make his imprisoned brother the country's new leader. Will they succeed or are they as good as dead?

My Thoughts

The Good: Now even though I'll have a slight issue with Michael Bay's directing later on I gotta say I really liked the action in this film. That opening car chase was fun and there was this really awesome scene involving a boat and a magnet. What I also liked about 6 Underground was the humor. Yeah you get quite a lot of laughs going into this movie. I think my favorite was during the car chase and we had some not so forgiving nuns. It was quick but it was so hilarious. The last thing I'll give this movie credit for is the acting. I really think this cast (Ryan Reynolds specifically) did a really good job in this movie even if some people didn't think the script was all that good.

The Bad: None.

The Okay: One okay thing with the film is the characters. They're not developed all that much in matter of fact we don't care know the entire team's origin stories but their fine as they are. The other grey area is Michael Bay's directing. Now I like Michael Bay movies and I will never be ashamed to admit to that but here I didn't like some of the choices he made here. For instance there was some shaky-cam and I don't recall Bay doing that very often.

Final Verdict: Good

Why Didn't I See Uncut Gems?

My reason for not seeing Uncut Gems is a general of disinterest. Granted I know regret not trying to see it because of the wonderful things I heard about.

What is Uncut Gems?

Uncut Gems is a crime thriller movie. The film was produced by A24, Elara Pictures, IAC Films, Sikelia Productions, and Scott Rudin Productions and distributed by A24. Uncut Gems was written by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, and Ronald Bronstein and directed by Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie. The story is Howard Ratner is a gambling addict. He needs to pay off his debt, now Howard must find a way to get his life together even if that means doing the things that got him into this mess in the first place.

My Thoughts

The Good: One of the highlights to Uncut Gems is Adam Sandler's performance. Wow, I had no idea Adam could pull off such a serious role. I mean yes I heard he's been in serious stuff before but I've never witness that until this movie. But I gotta say after watching this I definitely want to see more of his more dramatic stuff. Another thing I want to praise the movie for is how nervous it makes you. Throughout the entire runtime you're so stressed out, in a good way. I gotta give the filmmakers praise for that because that's when you know you made a good movie, when even us the audience are just as on edge as the characters. What also made the movie great was the directing by the Safdie brothers. Now I've never seen any previous films by them before but much like Sandler's performance I do want to go find what else these guys did previously. The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is the shocking ending. I won't give it away even if the it's a year old, all I gotta say is I didn't see it coming.

The Bad: None.

The Okay: I'm probably gonna get into some sort of trouble with this but, while there's no doubt that the score is good for me it just felt so odd. Like the opening theme sounds like something for a sci-fi movie and then there's a scene where Howard is talking to Kevin Garnett and I swear I'm hearing something that sounds like tribal drums. Like I sound I do love the music but it just felt weird.

Final Verdict: Great

Why Didn't I See Cats?

Now I was interested in seeing this movie because I thought the posters looked but then that trailer came out with the uncanny valley faces and I just lost all interest in seeing it.

What is Cats?

Cats is a musical fantasy film based on the 1981 Tony Award winning stage musical of the same name. The movie was produced by Working Title Films, Amblin Entertainment, Perfect World Pictures, Monumental Pictures, and The Really Useful Group and distributed by Universal Pictures. Cats was written by Tom Hooper and Lee Hall and directed by Tom Hooper. The story is a young cat named Victoria has been dropped off in the streets of London. Later on Victoria meets a tribe of cats called The Jellicles. They believe that if they win a competition they'll ascend to a new life to what they call the Heaviside Layer. Now Victoria gets to witness such an event even though she's not part of the tribe.

My Thoughts

The Good: The only good thing about the movie is the songs. And that's it. 

The Bad: The first negative thing about the movie is the CGI. Now I don't think it's the horrifying nightmare a lot of critics are making it out to be but yes, it's bad. This is one of the times when having the actors in makeup/costumes would've been far better. Another thing that made the movie not very good is what I'm calling "tone whiplash". Here's how it goes, one moment in the movie things are dramatic and then what feels like the very next second it's whimsical. Then we're back to dramatic and right back with playfully adventure. It's like the filmmakers just didn't know what tone they were going for so they said "F*ck it! Let's do both!". What also made the movie even worse was the casting of Rebel Wilson and James Corden. Now they're good actors and can sing but they really shouldn't have been here. They didn't help boost the movie nor was any of the comedy they provided funny. The last thing I'll negatively say about Cats is the plot comes in far too late. A good portion of the film of the movie is introductions. We don't get a story until I wanna say the last half hour.

The Okay: Now I did enjoy the dancing in the movie, it would've been better had it not been for the bad CGI.

Final Verdict: Bad

Why Didn't I See Spies in Disguise?

My reason for not seeing Spies in Disguise is well it was Christmas. I wasn't going to work on reviewing movies when my family wanted to spend time with my on the holiday season. I mean what kind of son/cousin/grandson would I have been if I blew off my family to see a movie.

What is Spies in Disguise

Spies in Disguise is a 3D animated movie loosely based on the short film Pigeon: Impossible. The movie was produced by Blue Sky Studio, 20th Century Fox Animation, and Chernin Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The story is super spy Lance Sterling is the best agent in the business. One day Lance is framed for something he didn't do so he teams up with outcast young scientist Walter to help him disappear so it'll be easier for him to work on the cast. Unfortunately Walter accidently turns Lance into a pigeon. Now not only does Lance have to clear his name but him and Walter need to find a way to change him back into a human.

My Thoughts

The Good: One the best things about the movie is Will Smith & Tom Holland's performances. They were fantastic as their characters. Not to mention but they also had a great chemistry with each other. Another thing that made Spies in Disguise an enjoyable movie was the animation. It was very colorful and fluid. It also had a nice design and style to it, I really loved it. The last thing I'll praise the movie for is the humor. There were a lot of times when I just found myself laughing for a good amount of time.

The Bad: None.

The Okay: Now the villain for the movie was cool and all but the writers really did need to give him more development. We get a backstory but other than not much else.

Final Verdict: Good

Why Didn't I See 1917?

This is reason is the same exact one as Spies in Disguise. It released on Christmas and I preferred to spend time with the family instead of seeing a movie.

What is 1917?

1917 is a British war movie. The film was produced by DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, New Republic Pictures, Alibaba Pictures, Mogambo, Neal Streets Productions, and Amblin Partners and distributed by Universal Pictures and Entertainment One. 1917 was written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns and directed by Sam Mendes. The story is it's the days of World War I. Two British soldiers named Thomas Blake and William Schofield have been giving a mission, this task to deliver a message to call off a doomed offensive attack. Now it's a race against time to send the message and save the lives of 1,600 soldiers before it's too late.

My Thoughts:

The Good: One thing that made 1917 so great was the acting. Our leads George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman are amazing. They provide good performances not only by speaking but through their body language. Another fantastic aspect of the film is the realism. This might be the most realistic take on a war story I've ever saw. Everything going looks/feels like something that would happen in a real warzone as suppose to a more Hollywood looking one. If any by any chance know what I mean. What also makes the movie great was the action. By what made so special here as suppose to previous war films is nowhere in this entire movie did our characters feel like they were safe. A majority of the movie is either they have to fight for survival or they have to haul ass out of what situation they're in. It was really intense and nerve wracking to watch. Another thing that I loved about 1917 is the character development. But as suppose to talking about it the filmmakers showed it to us. That's a very different/great way to do that. At first I didn't notice it but when I looked back at it I realize how brilliant that is. The last thing I'll praise the movie for is Sam Mendes. This guy's directing was amazing. And I don't how he pulled off all of those continuous shots or what technology/tricks he did to make those scenes look like continuous shots either way Mendes did a fantastic job with this film.

The Bad: None.

The Okay: None.

Final Verdict: A Must Watch

Okay. That's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jan 11th for my The Most Anticipated Movies of 2021. Until then enjoy your New Year's Eve party and let's hope next year will be way better.

We Can Be Heroes Review

 

We Can Be Heroes is a superhero film and a stand-alone sequel to 2005's The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. The movie is produced by Double R Productions and Quick Draw Productions and distributed by Netflix. We Can Be Heroes is written and directed by Robert Rodriguez.

The story is Earth has been under the protection of the mightiest superhero group known to man, The Heroics. Then an alien invasion comes to their planet and before everyone knows it The Heroics are defeated and captured by the invading force. Now the children of this group must form their own team, rescue their parents, and save the world.

Initial Reaction

I'm gonna have I really short reason for why I was looking forward to this, and that reason is it's a sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl so I was curious to see what Robert Rodriguez was going to do with these characters next.

Cons

Now this is the only time I'm going too be really critical of this movie. So here it is, this shouldn't have been a sequel to Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Now I'd figured they weren't going to be big since the movie was about the kids but at the very end it really showed that this isn't a proper sequel. Not only are Sharkboy and Lavagirl pushed to the back but we don't know what happened to Max nor do we know what's going on at Planet Drool.

Middle Ground

Now the CGI in this movie is very obvious but when compared to the previous film. That may not be saying much but when you do the comparison it's clear this movie's CGI is okay compared to the PS2 graphics to the 2005 film.

Pros

One positive I'll give the movie is it's humor. Sure you won't be laughing your ass off with the jokes but for the most part they get a good chuckle out of ya. And that's better than no laughs at all for a movie that's part comedy. Now I've seen a lot of reviews be harsh with the movie. Sure some of those criticisms are valid but, the reason I'm going to have such a hard time ripping it apart is because I think kids and adults could get a kick over how much of We Can Be Heroes is cheesy fun. Which is the biggest reason why I'm not full blown mad about it. It provided me with an amount of fun that while not 100% well written was still able to be entertaining in a I guess B-movie kind of way if that's the right word to use. The last thing I'll give We Can Be Heroes credit for is the acting. Now nobody's not gonna win any words for it but when watch everybody throughout the film you tell everybody's having fun.

We Can Be Heroes isn't the best movie I ever saw but for me it's not the worst either. It gives you some good laughs, it's cheesy fun, and the actors did seem to have a good time. The CGI is noticable but it's way better than what the 2005 movie gave us. The only downside is this really didn't have a reason to be a sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl whether it's a stand-alone or not.

My final rating is Okay

All done here. Come back on Thursday, Dec 31st for the final edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2019. And this is going to be my biggest yet. With reviews of Richard Jewell, 6 Underground, Uncut Gems, Spies in Disguise, Cats, and 1917. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Soul Review

Soul is a 3D animated comedy-drama. The movie is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Soul is written by Peter Docter, Mike Jones, and Kemp Powers and directed by Peter Docter.

The story is a middle school music teacher named Joe Gardner has a dream of performing jazz music on stage. One day Joe gets his wish when the Half Note Club want him to be the opening act, everything seems to go smoothly for him...until he wakes up and finds out he's become a soul. Now Joe must team up with another soul named 22 to back to Earth and live out his dream.

Initial Reaction

What really got me interested in Soul was the premise. I was really interested how Pixar was going to handle the whole life, death, and the afterlife aspect of this story. Then the trailer dropped and I was hooked. And that's really all I've gotta say about why I was drawn to this film.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Pros

This probably goes without saying since it's Pixar but the animation is beautiful. I absolutely loved the animation. What I think audience members will especially love is the animation to the Great Before. It's a gorgeous, vibrant, bright, and overall amazing looking world. Another great thing about Soul is the voice work. It's very well done and loved hearing everyone talk whether it be by themselves or if they're going back and forth with each other. What also made Soul a great movie is the music. The movie primarily focuses on jazz, now I'm a fan of that genre but whenever it was being played even I found myself being sucked into the music. The other part of the film I liked is the humor. I found myself laughing a lot during this. I think my favorite humorous moment is when 22 and all the mentors she's angered over the years. The last thing I'll praise the film for is it's overall story. Not only did Peter Docter and co. write such a great/complex world but they also wrote a great story in general. And what I realized after watching this is the movie isn't just about Joe getting back in his body but it's mainly about him and 22 finding out what who they are. Then there's also how the writers didn't make this a basic story about life. In matter of fact this movie showcases that life isn't simple, it's the most complex thing in the world and we need to make the most of it.

Guys, Soul has earned his spot of being one of my favorite Pixar movies. The animation is beautiful, the voice acting is good, the music is well done, I had many laughs during the entirety of the entire movie, and the story is amazing.

My final rating is A Must Watch

Okay I am done here. Come back tomorrow for my review of Netflix's newest feature film, We Can Be Heroes. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and please watch Soul I promise you you want be disappointed.

Wonder Woman 1984 Review

 

Wonder Woman 1984 is the sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman and the ninth film in the DC Extended Universe (aka the DCEU). The movie is produced by DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, The Stone Quarry, and Mad Ghost Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Wonder Woman 1984 is written by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and David Callaham and directed by Patty Jenkins.

The story is it's 1984 and Diana once again finds herself in a conflict in man's world. This time she must go up against powerful businessman Maxwell Lord and her friend-turned-enemy Barbara Ann Minerva aka Cheetah. Will Diana have the power to stop these formidable foes or will they reign supreme?

Initial Reaction

Now I was looking forward to this movie ever since it was announced. I loved what Patty Jenkins and co. did with the first one and I was really pumped for what they had in store for the sequel. Although I will admit my excitement lessened when more and more delays kept coming but once an official release date set in stone was decided my excitement returned.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

One thing that's alright with the movie is the tone. At first it really was hard to tell which tone the filmmakers wanted. One moment it's light and fun the next moment it's dark and serious then back to the former then it's back to being dark. But thankfully during the I want to last hour of the movie it really finds what it wants to be. So even though there was a struggle at first luckily somewhere we have a set tone. The other okay thing with Wonder Woman 1984 is the CGI with Cheetah. I thought is pretty decent. There's time when I didn't notice but then there are other scenes where you can tell. But I thought the CG artist pulled it off for the most part. Now this is a slight criticism that I might get in trouble with but screw it....I thought Hans Zimmer's score for this was okay. I remember some bits of his music in this other times not so much.

Pros

Now let's talk about the good stuff such as Gal Gadot and Pedro Pascal's performances. If you weren't impressed with Gal's acting in the first Wonder Woman movie than I think this one might change your mind. She really nails it with the more emotional moments, especially that one scene with her and Steve when Steve tells her she knows what she has to do. I would've gone into more detail about that scene but spoiler free folks. Then we have Pedro he was spectacular as Maxwell Lord. I thought he did great with his more over the top moments and his more serious moments. What I also liked about the movie was the action. Now I don't think it's the greatest ever but I thought it was really fun to watch. I especially liked that final fight between Diana and Cheetah that was awesome. Another thing that makes the movie worth watching is Patty Jenkins' directing. Once again she does an incredible job. I loved some of the shots in this and it makes me excited for her Cleopatra movie and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. The last thing I'll give Wonder Woman 1984 credit for is the mid-credit movie. It was cool and at the same time I hope that'll play a big part or some sort of part for the third movie.

While Wonder Woman 1984 isn't as good as the first movie there are still somethings to enjoy. Such as Gal & Pedro's acting, the action, Patty Jenkins' directing, and the mid-credit scene. The things that are fine/could've been worked on more was the tone, the CGI on Cheetah, and the score.

My final rating is Okay

Alright everyone I'm finished with this review. Come back tomorrow, yes tomorrow for my review of the newest Disney/Pixar movie Soul. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

The Midnight Sky Review

 

The Midnight Sky is a science fiction movie based on Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel Good Morning, Midnight. The movie is produced by Smokehouse Pictures and Anonymous Content and distributed by Netflix. The Midnight Sky is written by Mark L. Smith and directed by George Clooney.

The story is a lone Arctic scientist named Augustine finds out that a group of astronauts are coming back down to Earth. What the group doesn't know is Earth has been hit by a global catastrophe. Now Augustine must race to the nearest communication tower and warn the astronauts not to come to Earth before it's too late.

Initial Reaction

Now I'm going to keep this one brief. The sole reason of why I wanted to see this was because I was curious to see how George Clooney would do as a director. I know his done it before but I haven't gotten around to seeing any of those films. So I'm looking at this one to if I should check out his previous stuff.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

The only mix bag I have with the movie is the storyline with the astronauts. Everything with them is alright but in my opinion everything with Augustine was way more interesting. So because we only have an okay story with the astronauts that sadly means the overall quality of the entire film is unfortunately brought down some.

Pros

One good thing about the film is George Clooney's directing. Like I said before I've never seen a movie directed by him before seeing this. But watching this film I'm very interested in seeing his previously directed movies. What I also want to give praise to is the acting, mostly to Clooney. He really did an amazing job playing this grizzled and tired old man while at the same time playing a character who had a drive to help the astronauts. Another good aspect of The Midnight Sky is it's tone. It's very somber. Which I very much liked especially with what was at stake and given what happened to Earth. The other good thing with the film is the visual effects. I was blown away by how great they were. The last thing I'll give the film credit for is the ending. I thought it was really good, bittersweet because sure humanity has some sort of hope but yet so much was lost at the same time.

The Midnight Sky has great acting especially from Clooney, a good dark tone, amazing visual effects, and even better ending. However, despite those great things going for the movie what brings it down a peg is the story with the astronauts. Even though it's not bad it could've been better.

My final rating is Okay

Alright everybody I'm done here. Come back on Saturday, Dec 26th for my review of Wonder Woman 1984. Until then enjoy Christmas Eve with your family.

A Look Back at The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005)

With the newest movie We Can Be Heroes arriving on Christmas Day I once again to what I've been know to do. Review the previous movie that came before it.

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (or The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D or simply just Sharkboy and Lavagirl) is a 2005 fantasy adventure film. The movie was produced by Dimension Films, Columbia Pictures, and Troublemaker Studios and distributed by Dimension Films. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl was written by Robert Rodriguez and Marcel Rodriguez and directed by Robert Rodriguez.

The story is young Max thought his superhero creations Sharkboy and Lavagirl were simply part of his imagination. This turns out to be false when the real Sharkboy and Lavagirl show up at Max's school needing his help. Now the trio must travel to Planet Drool and battle a sinister force and put an end to his evil plan.

• Negatives

One bad thing about this movie is the CGI. Why is it so bad? I ask that question because this movie didn't have one, two, or even three companies working on but eleven! How do you have eleven companies working on your CGI and it looks like something out of a video game?

• Mix

The mix bag for me anyhow is the script. It's fine but other times there are something things that shouldn't be there, like for instance that whole thing with the parents relationship not being the best of shapes. That aspect really didn't add anything to the movie and by the end of it it's healed just as fast as it was brought up even though it happened at the end of the movie.

• Positives

One thing I liked about the movie is the acting. It's fine. But yes, sometimes it does go over the top but given how crazy this movie is (and I talk about that later) it fits.

Now when people negatively review this movie that bring up how it's insane, crazy, and felt like a fever dream....but, THAT'S WHY PEOPLE LIKE ME LOVE IT! This movie is so batshit insane that it's awesome! There were a lot of WTF moments that I just couldn't hate but be amazed and laugh about it.

The last thing I'll give the movie credit and this is more a personal reason so feel free it ignore it but I really felt like Sharkboy and Lavagirl will spark kid's imagination. Because that's what happened with me and the kids I went to school with. We saw this movie and got inspired by it. Which is way I think it's the reason why people like me who were just kids at the time this movie came out hold so close to us.

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl is an alright movie to me as a grown adult but I have no doubt that today's kids will love. The acting is fine, the down right insanity of it all makes it worth watching, and I truly think that some kids will get inspired by it. The script does have somethings that could be cut out (such as the whole thing with the parents) but it's okay for the most part. The only downside to the film is the really bad CGI. Seriously, eleven companies and that was the best they could come up with?

My final rating is Okay

Alright everyone I'm all done here. Come back on Thursday, Dec 24th aka Christmas Eve for my review of Netflix's newest movie The Midnight Sky. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Cinematic Disasters - Christmas with the Kranks

 

Well....it was only of matter of time until I had to do another Cinematic Disaster. Let's get this over with.

Christmas with the Kranks is a 2004 Christmas comedy film and based on John Grisham's 2001 novel Skipping Christmas. The movie was produced by Revolution Studios, 1492 Pictures, and Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Christmas with the Kranks was written by Chris Columbus and directed by Joe Roth.

The story is Luther and his wife Nora have decided to skip their usual Christmas traditions and go on a Caribbean cruise instead. However, word quickly spreads to their neighbors and they are not happy about it. Soon it's a war between the Kranks and their neighborhood.

My Thoughts

One of the worst things about Christmas with the Kranks is the overall premise. Everybody in this movie is so shocked and disgusted that the Kranks would dare go on vacation as suppose to celebrate Christmas. Sure there's suspension of disbelief but that can only go so far and this is one of those examples. Hell, this is such a shock to the world that in the movie the Kranks skipping Christmas makes the front page news......I'm not joking that actually happened.

The other thing that makes the movie awful is there aren't any unlikable characters. The Kranks seemed fine at first but then they turn into assholes. Then there are the neighbors...oh boy the neighbors. They're insane. Like, absolutely insane. They harass the Kranks to no end and they're so pissed about the Kranks not putting up their Frosty decoration that they stand outside their house chanting "Free Frosty". What is in the water that these people are drinking that they think this is okay?

What I also hate about the film is there are a lot of scenes that are pointless and are just there to pad out the runtime. For instance, Luther has to buy a Christmas tree, he buys it, notices it looks like crap, throws it away, and decides to buy one off his neighbor. Why did he do the last one to begin with? Because the filmmakers needed to hit that 90 minute mark that's why.

Another aspect that made Christmas with the Kranks an awful movie was the horrible attempts at comedy. None of the jokes. I didn't laugh once throughout this entire movie, not even a chuckle.

The other piece to this movie that made it unwatchable was how the wasted the talent was. Nobody from Tim Allen to Dan Aykroyd should've been in this movie. Sure they TIRED to make it work even though the script is terrible but despite that they just couldn't pull it off. I felt so bad for them.

The last thing I'll criticize the movie for is the horrible message it has. It was basically if you skip the amazing holiday that Christmas you're an awful person. That's not only a terrible thing to tell the audience but it also doesn't make sense. I know/seen plenty of people who skipped Christmas and did something else, and guess what the world still kept spinning, nobody dropped dead all of a sudden, and Santa still gave presents to all the good boys and girls.

Christmas with the Kranks definitely deserved every harsh comment it got both during it's initial release and people who review to this day. The premise sucks, the characters are terrible, there were a lot of scenes that were pointless, the jokes didn't work, the cast despite being talented was wasted, and the overall message was a horrible one.

My final rating is Destroy It!

Once again I know I didn't go into detail about the movie but this was a time crunch thing. I was watching/writing/reviewing other movies so one had to be cut short and this was the one. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Dec 21st for my A Look Back at review of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Wolfwalkers Review

 

Wolfwalkers is an animated fantasy adventure film. The movie is produced by Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions and distributed by AppleTV+. Wolfwalkers is written by Will Collins and directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart.

The story is a young girl and her father have traveled to Ireland to wipe out the last wolf pack. While looking around the land outside of the city walls, the young girl befriends another young girl who is rumored to be part of a tribe that can transform into wolves. Now Robyn is drawn to a secret and the more she explores it the more she runs the risk and turning into the very thing both her and her father set out to destroy.

Initial Reaction

At first the only reason I was going to watch this was because it was part of AppleTV+, but then I heard from earlier reviews that it's quite an amazing movie. So with that being said I just sat around, reviewed a couple of other movies, and waited for the film to be released.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

 

Pros

One of the greatest things about this movie is it's animation. I mean it when I say it's absolutely beautiful. When I witness the first fifteen minutes alone I knew I was gonna love this animation. Each frame of animation is it's own piece of art. Another fantastic thing about the film is the voice work. These actors especially the actress who voiced Robyn and Mebh were great. And really that's all you gotta say about their performances. What also made Wolfwalkers a must watch was the whole mythology around this world. It was very interesting and couldn't stop looking away/listening to how they would describe how a "Wolfwalker" works. The other thing that made the movie great was how fleshed out our characters were. The journey they went on really changed them. We see how different they are from the beginning of the film compared to who they became later on at the end. The last thing I'll give Wolfwalkers credit for is even though it does hit some familiar beats what really helped was the execution. Because even if you compare it to other animated movies you'll forgive it because the filmmakers did such a great job that by the end you won't really care about the familiarities.

Wolfwalkers is most definitely going to be one of my favorite animated movies of this year. It has beautiful animation, the voice acting was great, the lore of the Wolfwalker was interesting, our characters were perfectly developed, and even though things could get familiar that's not gonna make because the final product is very well done.

My final rating is A Must Watch

Okay that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Dec 17th for my Cinematic Disaster review of Christmas with the Kranks. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and I mean it when I say watch Wolfwalkers.