Looking Back at the Films of 2021 Part 6 - Candyman & No Man of God

 

Well, here we are yet again. Back with another edition of this segment. And this time I look at the reboot, remake, re-whatever of Candyman, and a movie I didn't existed until the start of this year, No Man of God.

Why Didn't I See Candyman?

Simple, my theater didn't have a showing. And when they did, it was far too later for me to give a review, because the film was out for at least a month, maybe two.

What is Candyman?

Candyman is a supernatural slasher film, as well as a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name. It's also the fourth film of the series. The movie was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bron Studios, and Monkeypaw Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Candyman was written by Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld and directed by Nia DaCosta. The story is it's been twenty-nine years since the events of the first film, and Anthony McCoy is now a visual artist. But things aren't exactly going well for him at the moment, so in order to find some inspiration, he goes to Cabrini-Green and hears the story of Candyman. Soon, people start dying left and right, and Anthony soon realizes the Candyman isn't just another urban legend.

My Thoughts

The Good: The only two things the movie's got going for it, is the acting and the cinematography. That's it. Everything else is just awful. So while it is good, it's kind of sad that those two things just couldn't help.

The Bad: One of the many terrible things about the newest Candyman is the retcons. One of them was Helen's story. Everyone in this movie made Helen seem like a psychopath, but that doesn't work because in the '92 film, we saw the citizens of Cabrini-Green know that wasn't the case. You mean to tell me that either A) the Cabrini-Green folks never came to her defense, or B) They did come to her defense but somehow the myth only grew? Then we the rules of Candyman. Apparently in this movie, you can just make your own Candyman. Yep, if you want a Candyman you just make one. Now let's talk about the newest Candyman, Sherman Fields. This was a terrible Candyman. One, they try to make him seen innocent, but it doesn't work. Any grown adult who just goes around giving kids candy and it's not their own kid, just because, is never gonna look innocent. That makes you look like a creep. And they really try, because they say that after he's death, kids were still getting razor blades in their candy. So basically, this movie wants us to believe, there just so happened to be another guy walking around Cabrini-Green given candy, not only in the same location, but also to the same exact kids. I can only suspended my disbelief so long folks. Not to mention, but Sherman's first appearance is him coming out of a hole in the wall, awhile creepily laughing. Like I said, there's no way anyone's gonna think this guy is a innocent. Then there's the fact that he barley interacts with Anthony. Where Helen and Daniel had a great horror story between, Anthony and Sherman have nothing. They barely have a story that interconnects. They interact twice, and that was it. Sherman doesn't even try to frame Anthony for murder like Daniel did with Helen. So was the point of having these two be the front and center of the story, if they only meet twice? I also didn't find this movie scary. I mean it. From beginning to end, I wasn't scared. Even when there were murders and jump scares happening, I didn't care. I was mostly bored. Now have the last two problems, and they're just as worse than the retcons and Sherman, one of them being that by the end of the movie, they trying making Candyman (Daniel not Sherman) be a anti-hero. What?! That doesn't work! Daniel's Candyman is ruthless monster. In the original movie, he was killing everyone who stood in his way. Old, young, black, white, etc. it didn't matter who you were, Daniel would kill you! Here's his very first quote in the original '92 film is this, "They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for if not for shedding? With my hook for a hand, I'll split you from your groin to your gullet". Yeah, THAT sounds like someone who could be an anti-hero, that wasn't a villainous thing to say AT ALL. Not too mention, even if we didn't have that quote, nobody in Cabrini-Green is gonna look at Candyman as some short of folk hero! They were absolutely terrified of the guy! So much so that in the '92 film heavily implied that the kids of Cabrini-Green were giving him candy with razor blades in it, in the hopes that he would eat it and kill him. So it's not gonna make sense for them to now of all of sudden treat him like a hero to the people just because a few bad cops got killed. They're still gonna be horrified of the guy, because they were tormented for so long because he was out there hurting people. Now we have the biggest crime, and that's not only wasting Tony Todd, but baiting and switching him. He was wasted, because he doesn't show up until the last 10-15 seconds of the movie. And he was bait and switched because during the marketing of the movie back in 2021, the filmmakers were making a big deal about him [Tony Todd] coming back, and they basically do nothing with him. And they knew what they were doing too, because he's the Candyman in the movie,

and here's the poster for the movie.

Hmmmm, kind of funny that poster Candyman, bears more of a resembles to Tony Todd's character, then he does to the guy in the movie. Like I said, the filmmakers knew what they were doing.

The Okay: I've got nothing.

Final Verdict: Awful.

Why Didn't I See No Man of God?

Another simple reason, I didn't know this movie existed. I mean it too, I didn't know about this movie until I did some research for what movies I wanted to review this segment.

What is No Man of God?

No Man of God is a crime mystery film. It was produced by XYZ Films and Company X and distributed by RLJE Films. No Man of God was written by Kit Lesser and directed by Amber Sealey. The story is infamous serial killer Ted Bundy is sentenced to death. Just before he dies he wants to detail his horrendous crimes to FBI agent Bill Hagmaier. Over the course of these conversations the two start to form a complicated relationship.

My Thoughts

The Good: There are a lot of things to love about this movie, and one of those is Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby's performances. With Elijah, we really see how he brought out being nervous and overwhelmed. He really showed how this case was really dragging Bill down. Then there's Luke. I found that he really nailed playing Ted Bundy. He showcased how weirdly charming he was, and also nailed a lot of his mannerisms. He also almost sounded like Bundy. Then we have the score. It's really beautiful, but in a very eeire way. The music really helped with how uneasy it would feel being around a notorious serial killer like Bundy. Now what I also really loved about No Man of God was it was intense but it didn't use any violence. It's more of a psychological intensity, if that makes sense. There's this one moment where Ted tells Bill how he killed one of his victims, and by the time the scene was over, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. True story. The last positive for this is the friendship between Ted and Bill. This story of these two and they were around each other was interesting, and it's mainly because they were trying to get in each other's heads, and that really did have an effect on both of them. Whether there was alternate motivates or not.

The Bad: The only downside I found was you're not gonna get anything new about Ted Bundy, other than his friendship with Bill. Cause there are things we already know about Ted, and things we can pretty much imagine that's how things went. Like him not being exactly happy about being executed.

The Okay: I've got nothing.

Final Verdict: Great.

Okay that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Sept 5th for my A Look Back at review of 1940's Pinocchio. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Samaritan Review

 

Samaritan is a comic book movie based on Mythos Comics graphic novel of the same name. The film is produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Balboa Productions and distributed by United Artists Releasing and Amazon Studios. Samaritan is written by Brian F. Schut and directed by Julius Avery.

The story is 25 years ago there use to be a great hero named Samaritan. But after an intense battle with his arch enemy called Nemesis, he was assumed dead. For years people believed that, until one young boy named Sam finds out he's alive, but isn't the same great hero he once was. This all might change when a new villain shows up and causes havoc in the boy and Samaritan's neighborhood.

 

Initial Reaction

One of two reasons of why I wanted to see this because of Sylvester Stallone. He's given us a lot of great stuff. You got Rocky, Rambo, Nighthawks, Cliffhanger, Cobra, Demolition Man. Heck, I even enjoy The Expendables movies. So when I found he was gonna do a grounded comic book film, I was interested. Which brings me to my second part and that the grounded aspect of the film. Unlike a lot of other folks, I would prefer more variety when it comes to comic book films. It doesn't always have to be something bright, colorful, and fun. Remember the old saying, variety is the spice of life.

Cons

One issue I had with the film was there's this big twist. And somewhere I wanna say during the first act, maybe the beginning of the second, you can pretty much tell what the twist is. The other problem was the villains. They're generic, there's no better way to put it, they're generic. They started out promising enough when they were praising Nemesis, but as the film went on they slowly turned into nothing special.

Middle Ground

What I found okay with Samaritan was the action. It is fun, but I do wish that whenever Samaritan hit somebody they didn't cartoonishly fly eight feet. I understand he has super strength and everything, but if they wanted to show it was a really hard hit, they could've done in a much better way. Another gray area was with Samaritan's backstory. While he is the title character, it did seem like the movie was more focused on Sam. Sure, we do get somewhat of an idea with Samaritan, but there still could've been something more there. I'm by no means saying the film should've given an entire dialogue dump of why and how, cause that would've caused more problems. What I'm saying is there could've been more show don't tell scenes.

Pros

The one truly good thing was the acting. While nobody is gonna win any awards the cast still put in a pretty good job, despite the fact the script is just decent at best.

While I don't fully love Samaritan as much as I wanted too, it's still alright. While the action and the hero's backstory could've been better, it was still an okay job. The acting is also helping this film because everyone still managed to give a good performance despite a decent enough story. The only things that didn't work was the twist and the bad guys.

My final rating is Okay.

So yeah, you don't have to rush to Amazon Prime for this one, but if you're curious have at it. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Aug 29th for part six of Looking Back at the Film's of 2021. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Cinematic Disasters - Rock-a-Doodle

 

Awhile back I reviewed two of Don Bluth's many great films. With that being said it's time I review his...less than stellar works to say the least.

Rock-a-Doodle is a live-action/animated musical comedy film based on 1910 play Chantecler. The movie was produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Goldcrest and distributed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. Rock-a-Doodle was written by David N. Weiss and directed by Don Bluth.

The story is a rooter named Chanticleer has the ability to bring up the sun just by crowing. One day he forgets to do just that, and all of the fellow farm animals think he's a fraud and Chanticleer decides to leave and become a rockstar in Vegas. However, a young boy named Edmond soon finds out that they truly need Chanticleer or the Grand Owl will rule.

My Thoughts

There's only one good bit of quality in this film, and that's the animation. Even when Don Bluth gives us a film with a terrible story, at least there's good animation. Doesn't make it a masterpiece, but at least it'll be easy in the eyes.

Now comes for the many negatives regrading Rock-a-Doodle, and that's it's predictable. Typically you can solve this problem by providing a very entertaining story. That's been done many times before, but the problem with this film is the story's not entertaining. I'll get into why later, but anyhow, because there's no entertainment factor, you're left with a movie you're either gonna want to end, or you're gonna pop it out of your DVD player and watch something much better.

With this being a musical you'd think we get some entertaining song, right? Well sadly no. None of the songs in this flick are good. The villains have quite possibly the worst villain songs I've ever heard for a group of bad guys. The best way to describe the villain songs is lame. One of their songs literally start with "tweedly-dee". I kid you not, that's actually how one of their songs start. If that doesn't tell you just how bad the music is in this, I don't know what will.

Since I brought up the villains I might as well tell how awful they are, and no, I don't mean that in a good way. What I mean is these are just the most overly generic villains ever. Not only is the main motivation for the Grand Owl is him and his buddies just can't stand sunlight, but the Grand Owl just hates Chanticleer's rock and roll. Yes, basically the Grand Owl is an angry grandpa you can't stand today's kids, especially their gosh darn rock music.

Now I'm gonna tell you Rock-a-Doodle's two biggest problems, and that's the ending, or lack thereof. Yeah the movie doesn't really end, it just kinda stops. It almost felt like the filmmakers came to a sudden realization and even they just wanted it to end. Not the best of signs if you ask me.

Finally I can get to the biggest problem and that's nothing is explained. This really circles back to what I said earlier about the story not being entertaining. And this is why, no explanation for anything. First off earlier in the movie, the sun rises without Chanticleer crowing, then it's revealed the Grand Owl tricked the farm animals into thinking that, but how? It's shown that sun indeed rises because of Chanticleer's crowing. So how did the Grand Owl pull that off? Never explained. Then we have the fact that the writers didn't how the world works. First we're lead to believe that it's all just a book that the mom reads to Edmond, but then the animals and such I guess come to the real world, or both us and the cartoon characters live in the same world? Or it was all just a dream Edmond had, or Edmond got pulled into the world of the book? I don't know what's what because the movie itself doesn't know. So this was a very structure less movie.

Rock-a-Doodle is just bad, plain and simple. I don't know why Don Bluth even wanted to make this, considering the hits after hits he wrote and/or directed previously. Another than really good animation, everything else is terrible. From the predictably to the world just being whatever.

My final rating is Awful.

Well I'm all done here. Come back on Saturday, Aug 27th for my review of the newest Sylvester Stallone film, Samaritan. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Day Shift Review

 

Day Shift is a horror action comedy film. It's produced by 87North Productions and Impossible Dream Entertainment and distributed by Netflix. Day Shift is written by Shay Hatten and Tyler Tice and directed by J.J. Perry.

The story is a blue collar father named Bud just wants to provide for his wife and daughter. So he gets a job as pool cleaner. However, this isn't really his job. It's all a front for his real source of income, that being a vampire slayer. During one of his jobs, he angers one of the most dangerous vampires out there. Now Bud will face off against this powerful vampire, all in effort to protect his family.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see this was because of the writer, Shay Hatten. He's been one quite a roll when it comes to his screenplays. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Army of the Dead, and Army of Thieves have all been very entertaining and good movies. So when I heard he wrote this as well, I was very curious if he's got yet another hit.

Cons

I've got nothing, so just move on.

Middle Ground

One thing I wished they did more of in this movie was explore the lore. Because we do have some understanding of this vampire hunting business called the Union or the business in general, but it's a surface level understanding. Guess I was wondering how do they handle the mess they leave the behind? Do they make up some excuse, or do they do a whole Men in Black thing where they do their own version of wiping memories. Then we have the characters. Now I by no means hated them, but I do admit their pretty standard. So I don't think you'll love them, but I think you'll also think they're alright. Expect for the villains, they were generic.

Pros

One thing I want to give credit for is the acting. It's nothing compelling, but given the pretty decent material, the actors and actresses do do a pretty good job. So even if their characters didn't have much, it's still pretty amazing how they all manager to make something work. What I also enjoy was the humor. Sure, not everything worked, but for the ones that do, you'll definitely get a good laugh. Now this is a pretty simple movie, there's no doubt about that. But that's very easy to forgive because by the end of the day, the movie still gives you what it promised. Which is a very fun vampire flick. Despite some slight flaws, I was still having a good time with this movie. I'll still admit it's not perfect, but I still got a kick out of it. The last thing I'll tell you about is the action. Now this is a Chad Stahelski production. For anyone of you who don't know, Chad's the one who's been directing all of the John Wick films. So because of that you should expect some awesome action scenes, and you definitely get that. Not only are they very bloody, but they're very exciting. There's a lot of creative fight scenes with the vampires, and you can also kind of feel the impact of a hit. My two favorites were the opening fight and one involving a "nest", as they call it in the film.

Overall, Day Shift isn't too bad. We got some pretty good acting, good humor, it's simple but does provide a good time, and the action is awesome. I just wish there was just a bit more to the characters (especially the villains), and just a little bit more to the film's lore. Not too much to put where you should just make it it's own movie, but just enough to answer some of the bigger questions.

My final rating is Okay.

So, that's all for me. Come back on Thursday, Aug 18th for my Cinematic Disasters review of Rock-a-Doodle. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Prey Review

 

Prey is a science fiction action film based on the Predator franchise. It's the fifth film in the series and serves as a prequel to the first four movies. The movie's produced by 20th Century Studios and Davis Entertainment and distributed by Hulu. Prey is written by Dan Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison and directed by Dan Trachtenberg.

The story is it's 1719, and a young Comanche woman named Naru wants to be a hunter. While trying to prove herself worthy of such a title, she soon discovers a vicious creature, far more deadly than any of the animals her tribe of every come across. Now she and her tribe must stop this hunter, or they'll just become just another trophy for seemingly unstoppable beast.

Initial Reaction

The reason for wanting to see this was because I'm a fan of the Predator franchise. So when I new movie was coming I was pretty excited. Yeah unlike some people The Predator didn't stop my excitement for another film in this franchise. Not because I thought that film was a masterpiece by any stretch of the word, I just thought it was okay.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. So just move on to the next part.

Middle Ground

One of the sight issues with Prey is characterization. All of the supporting characters are just fine, nothing I feel like you should truly complain about. Then there's Naru. The movie does feel like it wants to show her struggles and flaws, but at the same time they make a very capable fighter. Which really contradicts what it feels like the filmmakers wanted to do. The slight problem was dialogue. Sometimes when the characters speak, it's fine. Other times they come close almost sounding like we do. Which is kinda odd considering this takes place in the 1700s, and last time I checked that period wasn't anywhere close to the 21st century. There's even one moment where Naru's brother says the classic line "If bleeds, we can kill it". That just came off as forced.

Pros

Now for something more on the bright side, that being the performances. Even though there are slight problems with the script, the actors and actresses actually do a pretty good. Nothing award winning, but considering the dialogue is just okay, I think that deserves some credit. What I also enjoyed from Prey was Trachtenberg's directing. He provided some really great shots of the land, and then there's the moment when the Predator was revealed. It was a very bloody reveal, but at the same time I really badass one for the character. The last thing I'll give credit where it's due, is the action. We still get that typical gorey scenes that one would expect from this franchise, but what I also enjoyed was because this takes place in 1719, meaning no machine guns and such, this meant the filmmakers had to get creative. That doesn't mean I didn't like the previous films action scenes, I'm just saying it's a welcomed addition.

While I do believe the praise for this film is very much overblown, I still think it's a fine film. We've got good performances, great directing from Dan Trachtenberg, and some pretty good action scenes. What's just fine, but still could've used more work was the characters, and the dialogue.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Aug 15th for my review of the newest Netflix film, Day Shift. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie Review

 

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is a animated comic book action-comedy based on the tv show, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which it's self is based off on the franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The movie's produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Nickelodeon Animation Studio and distributed by Netflix. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is written by Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May and directed by Andy Suriano and Ant Ward.

The story is the year 2044 is a nightmare. The alien invaders known as the Krang have made the last of Earth's resistance fall. But not all hope is lost. Before the fall, Casey Jones successfully went to the past to warn the Turtles. Now the Turtles must find a way to stop the Krang and make the future a much better and brighter place.

Initial Reaction

Now even though I wasn't impressed with the show, I still wanted to give the movie a fair chance. Sure, I've had bad feelings about a movie before, even going as far as making a post about one. But I still believe in giving a fair chance.

Cons

Now despite what the character's name is or what I've written, the guy from the future isn't Casey Jones. Well it's okay to make an alternate version of the same character, you still gotta bring at least some things regrading the character to the alternate. And that wasn't here for this "Casey". He doesn't act or do anything we know what the character is known for. Sure he has the hockey mask, but that doesn't change the fact that you could've given this character any other name, do a slight rewrite, and the story still would've been the same.

Middle Ground

Now in the film Leo goes through an arc about needing to change for the better. It's actually not too bad. I just wish the first half didn't make him so unbearable. Making him cocky is one thing, but during that first half he does act like a dick. There's no nice way to put it. Then we also have the tone. The film surprisingly has some good emotional moments. It even gets really dark during the very beginning. But we sadly do have some comedy in bits where I don't think it belongs.

Pros

Now I'm gonna keep this part of the review brief, because the praise I have is the same things as the show. Basically, the two best parts were once again the voice acting and the animation. If you liked those two things from the show, then you won't be disappointed here.

So even though I didn't fall in love with this film, I'm more than willing to admit it's actually pretty decent. The animation and voice performances are just as good here as they were in the show. Could've used more work on Leonardo's storyline and the tone, but those weren't too bad. The only thing I didn't like was a Casey Jones who's by no means Casey Jones.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Aug 11th for my review of Prey. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Bullet Train Review

 

Bullet Train is an action-comedy movie based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle (which was later published in English as Bullet Train). The film is produced by Columbia Pictures, Fuqua Films, and 87North Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Bullet Train is written by Zak Olkewicz and directed by David Leitch.

The story is a trained assassin named Ladybug has been assigned to handle a briefcase on a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Kyoto with only a few stops in between. He soon discovers that onboard this train there are other highly skilled assassins with him and they also want the briefcase. Now Ladybug must fight his way through these skilled killers and try to make it off the train alive.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see Bullet Train was because of David Leitch. The guy's been on a roll with the action films. Atomic Blonde is awesome, I really enjoyed Deadpool 2, and me and my dad had a blast with Hobbs & Shaw. So naturally it felt right to go and see this movie.

Cons

I've got nothing here. So let's move forward.

Middle Ground

The only gray area was the pacing. The beginning is kind of cluttered. I can kind of forgive that, because they needed to introduce the characters. And the ending is kinda slow. But despite that, what really made me almost forgive the movie for this was the middle section of the film. That middle half is just violent action and laughs, and it's perfect.

Pros

One pro for Bullet Train was David Leitch's very stylized directing. This guy has officially become one of my favorite directors when it comes to the action genre. His action scenes are awesome. He's got a great use of color, and I really dug what he does with neon lights. Like I said it's a very stylized film, and we owe that to David. Now I brought up the action, so let me tell you about it. Those scenes really made this flick earn it's R rating. They're seriously brutal. But not only that, but whether it's hand-to-hand combat, gun fights, or people with swords. The action is just a work of art. Whether it was humor or not, the action are one of the four greatest things about this. Which now brings me to the humor. This film's dark sense of humor had me laughing throughout the whole film. Now this isn't a dark comedic aspect, but we also got a pretty good running gag with one character's love for Thomas the Tank Engine of all things. Then we have the performances. Brad Pitt was excellent throughout, and I really loved of "unlucky" his character was. He nailed this more comedic side of him. I also loved Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry. Those two had chemistry, and their banter was really funny. Then we also have the performances from Andrew Koji and Hiroyuki Sanada. While their characters do have some humorous scenes, looking back, they actually have far more emotional/dramatic moments. Which makes sense considering their characters have a huge backstory with another character that comes full circle by the time the movie ends. I really liked a lot of their scenes, because even though their characters have to get VERY violent, it really added some sort of heart to the movie, even though we really just want to see some action.

Guys it's no secret, I had an absolute blast with this one. While the pacing is off in the beginning and end and it's really only the middle part that was well done, the film more than makes up with that slight weakness with a great director at the helm, some bloody action, greatly done dark humor, and a lot of really good acting.

My final rating is Good.

So if you're looking for one last summer film to watch before the season is over, go see Bullet Train. Anyhow, that's going to do it with me. Come back on Monday, Aug 8th for my review of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 

With the movie coming out soon on Netflix. It's once again time for another look back at review. Let's begin.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a 2D animated series based on the popular characters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The show was also the fourth animated series based on the characters. It was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios and distributed by ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was developed by Andy Suriano and Ant Ward.

The story is four mutant turtle brothers lurk in deep sewers of New York City. One day when deciding to explore the outside world, they soon discover great evils around their beloved city. Not only do the turtles have to stop these villains, but they also must learn to operate as a team while at the same time tap into their newly discovered mystic powers.

• Negatives

Two of the biggest issues and there two issues that really hurt the show, and of one of those are the characters. This is a terrible characterization of the turtles. Each and everyone of them is basically Michaelangelo. They're all the goofballs. Even supporting characters like April, acts like a goof. They even made Splinter, who's supposed to be the Turtle's wise and zen master, act almost like a goof. One of the reasons people became fans of the Ninja Turtles was, even if they had the same design, they still had their own personalities. If you wanted a more headstrong/serious one, you had Raphael. If you wanted someone intelligent, you had Donatello. And if you wanted someone who lives and dies by their ninja code, there's Leonardo. Now there's no point in having a favorite turtle, cause there the same guy.

Now the humor isn't bad. There's quite a few times I did laugh. The problem with it is there's just too much of it. While the previous shows such as the 2003 4Kids show and the 2012 Nickelodeon show, had humor in them. Those writers knew there was a time and place. Here, even when the entire world is in grave danger, THEY STILL FEEL THE ABSOLUTE NEED TO ACT LIKE MORONS! So even if there's a moment of character development, it's not gonna matter because the characters will just be right back to square one, just so the writers can put more jokes in there that have no rhyme or reason to exist.

• Mix

Now the voice actor and actress are really good. They deliver lines perfectly, and they do work off each very well. It's just a shame that they didn't get better material.

• Positives

There's only two positives I can give. One of those being the theme song. It's catchy and there's some energy to it. Two things I believe make for a great TMNT theme.

Then there's the animation. This is the one aspect of the show that really works. It's very clear there was a lot of time and effort put in the animation. It's just as energetic and fast paced as it's theme song I mentioned earlier.

While I absolutely can't stand this series, it wouldn't be fair in my eyes to give one of my lowest ratings, because there's still some things that prevent that. The theme song and animation are done perfectly, while the material isn't good the voice cast does a stellar job. I only wish we had much better characters and humor.

My final rating is Bad.

So there's a high chance the movie's gonna be like this as well. But who knows, maybe I'll get a surprise. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Aug 6th for my review of Bullet Train. I am so excited for that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Underrated Films - Cats Don't Dance

 

Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 animated musical comedy film. It was produced by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, Turner Feature Animation, David Kirschner Productions, and Warner Bros. Feature Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Cats Don't Dance was written by Roberts Gannaway, Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser, and Theresa Pettengill and directed by Mark Dindal.

The story is it's 1939 and a young cat named Danny has left his hometown and has moved to Hollywood to follow his dreams. However, once he gets there he soon discovers that animal actors aren't given the same roles as human actors. Now Danny sets off to prove that him and his fellow animals can be big stars just like the rest of them.

Why It's Underrated

The reason why this movie is underrated is the same old same old. It just doesn't get enough attention as it rightfully deserves. I think I saw it one time on Cartoon Network...back when I was like 6 maybe 7. But every since then I can't find a TV showing for it anywhere. Sure, the film did get a DVD release and it is available on Google Play and Amazon Video. But it has yet to get a Blu-Ray release and it's not even on HBO Max. Which is odd considering that they have every other Warner Bros. film and TV series on there, even the ones nobody wants to talk about.

My Thoughts

Now since this is a musical, how does the music stack up? Honestly, the songs are really good. From the very first two songs (Our Time Has Come and Danny's Arrival Song), you can tell your gonna be in for a treat with the music. The songs are very fun, and can be a little infections. They're wonderful.

Let's move on to the animation. Now the movie did have a troubled production. At some point during production, the film was transferred from one studio to another. But despite that, the animation is just gorgeous. One of the best things about is just fast the characters are moving. They can bounce from one place to the next in almost a blink of an eye. There really is life to this animation, and I just couldn't look away. In matter of fact, if you do it's almost a crime. Cause it's so good, you really don't want to miss a moment.

Then there's the voice performances. This cast was truly amazing. While they definitely nail the more humorous and light-hearted moments, I think where they really shine was with the emotional stuff. There's one very simple scene in the movie, where Sawyer tells Danny to give up on his dream and just go home. It's a subtle moment but, you can just hear the sadness coming from Jasmine Guy's [Sawyer's voice actress] voice. Like I said, small moment for a performance, but it's done so well. But like I said before, whether the moment is fun or dramatic the cast is spectacular.

What also really works for the film is the characters. Our animal characters are very likable and you really want to achieve their dreams. Whether it's Danny's story of rallying the troops, or something like Sawyer getting her spark reignited. You'll really get invested in their journey. Then we have Darla Dimple, and oh boy. This character is one of many great examples of a character you'll love to hate. Seriously, she is such an over the top brat, that all you want to see is her suffer the consequences her actions.

Another great aspect of Cats Don't Dance is the humor. I would love to go into more detail, like I did with the previous stuff, but I don't want to give anything away just in case you want to see the movie. But I will say when Darla losses her cool, her angry expressions are kind of hilarious.

Now after reading the synopsis above, you more than likely figured it out, that there's some sort of allegory in the film. Now you don't have to worry about that. Remember, this was made in a time back when entertainers were entertainers, and not people standing on their soapbox. But that's not the focus, the real focus is despite the allegory, the film does pay a loving tribute to that era of Hollywood. With the way people are dressed, the cars, to even just having a poster to Gone with the Wind show up. It's very much a love letter to an era back when musicals were a big deal.

I think it'll come as no secret that I absolutely love this movie. What with it's great songs, beautiful animation, stunning voice cast, well written characters, great humor, and loving tribute to a much older Hollywood. If you haven't seen this film, I strongly recommend you check it out.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Aug 4th for my Look Back at review of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and please watch this movie. I really mean it when I say it's a must watch.