The Wild Robot

My headcanon is Roz became the robot in Castle In The Sky. Somehow.

I kinda forgot about this film ain't gonna lie. I saw the poster, absolutely zero trailers, and only until about 2 days ago added it to the calendar. I didn't even know it was based on a book until end credits. So basically walking in blind as a bat, how was it? Pretty good actually! The premise does grab your attention from the start, this helper robot who without any memory of what transpired before finds itself on an isolated island with no humans as it tries to follow it's programming. That is a really cool premise! But then a thought occured to me, will the animal inhabitants talk? Depending on the person you are that could be a good or bad thing, but the answer is yes. I feel that would have been way too experimental to have a robot speak but nothing else does and this is a family film from Dreamworks after all so what can you do. So we follow the odyssey of this robot as she learns the language, adapts, and quickly finds a purpose in raising a baby goose. Honestly when the goose grows up it starts hitting more clichéd writing, and indeed some would even argue that the movie gets a little too kid friendly and leans hard in the sentimental department. I had no severe issue and did still find myself emotionally invested but it certainly was something to take note of. I feel I could counter that claim however with how much death is in the movie, there is a clear difference between a Kid's Movie and a Family Film, family films have casualties in them! But anyway, onto performances. I'm a bit of a mark for Lupita Nyong'o, and I'll be damned I have a big heart for robots but she dang near takes the cake putting a lot of cheer and humor into Roz nailing the emotional punch throughout the entire picture. I was all in on her and never have I seen a machine go through so much physical abuse, so I got a bit defensive of her. Pedro Pascal of all people plays a gluttonous fox named Fink who pretty much takes the patriarchal image of this oddball family unit, I honestly couldn't tell it was him and I'm just thrilled they didn't pull no liar revealed trope with his character. Kit Connor as the runt of the litter goose Brightbill is a character we have seen time and time again, the acting was just fine no strikes against him, I do just wish we had a better story for him to play in. But whatever shortcomings the story has the animation almost makes up for it entirely, infusing 3D animation with water color backgrounds and rich color, this is a cool looking movie. It has moments even of just pure art! Dreamworks you may have landed face first with The Bad Guys but you did strong work here! Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it worth seeing? I would say yeah. It's been a good while since I saw a new animated movie so I'm happy. I give it 3 stars, 8/10, and you know what next month is but probably not what we're starting with.

Rebuild The Galaxy

Friggin' ludicrous.

Even though Lucasfilm is on my shitlist for the forseeable future, I'm opting to seperate artist from art and since seeing the trailer this was something I knew was gonna be up my alley. All the Lego specials have been ridiculous forays in to a galaxy far far away and none take the cake more so than this. Set in a period of time after episode 9 we meet up with brothers Sig and Dev who upon discovering a hidden jedi temple irrevocably mix, blend, and pureè the galaxy into wholly uncharted territory as Sig tries to set things right with Jedi Bob and speed freak Yesi in tow. It's somehow even more batshit than the trailer leads on, it's not just a simple topsy-turvy universe where good guys are bad and baddies are good which I appreciate. Ewoks are bounty hunters, Greedo pilots the Slave 1, Rey and Rose are Sith (and that's my new happy place for the rest of time), Jabba and Lobot are jedi, odd mixes of classic ships, Tatooine has friggin' water again, and I'll be honest this special made me question so much more beyond the confines of the story than any film in the series! The animation seems more stop motion than it ever was with a lot of free flowing building amongst action scenes which never fails to be cool, the voice acting is spot on from all parties and balances drama with comedy better than any Marvel movie could wish, and it's a hefty special in relation to the last clocking in at almost 90 minutes without credits. The cute meta pokes and lovingly crafted humor are what I desire more than anything at this point in time, to laugh with Star Wars rather than suffer the animosity it garners. A sentiment that likely will never be realized or at least until I rule the world and start public executions but we're trying to be positive here damn it! I had a real good time with this and could honestly spend the next half hour just recounting all my favorite part but I'll give you top 3 just for fun. Smooth ass Maul with Sam Witwer charming the pants off of me which is incredible because I'm not even wearing pants, red eyed Threepio which was scary enough in Rise Of Skywalker was made somehow even more terrifying here, and Gonk supremacy for the win with Servo and I know a few folk who will leap for joy at this prospect and I can't wait to see their reactions! It has it's shameless fun but never looses it's footing in the story it wants to tell and truthfully had some damn good kernels of wisdom near the end about how things end but it isn't necessarily a bad thing and that the future can always be crafted for the better. That's pretty life affirming shit man, to know that even after I'm gone the world will hit a better stride than when I was alive for everyone in it. That's not so bad. But for right here right now solid 4 stars from me, 9/10, could we see a continuation? Hard to say in this day and age but tomorrow is another day.

Field Of Dreams

People will watch, James.

It's the least I could do to review this film to try to honor the man himself and once again we come across a movie that involves sports but is much more than that. To be honest I thought I reviewed this film years back but I'm sure glad to review it now. It's certainly an original story about a Iowa farmer who for reasons unknown to him builds a baseball field in his crops, but a fair bit more happens and just isn't a quest to build said field including meeting a renowned and famous author, and recruiting a former baseball player turned doctor. The one thing I really got to praise about this movie is that it really doesn't drag it's feet, it one hour and forty-five minutes and doesn't waste a second. If it was a really lame movie a ¼ if not a ⅓ of the movie would be them slow burning the unknown voice and trying to deduce what it could mean but no 4 minutes in, "If you build it, he will come." and there's no drama about potential insanity and desperately trying to convince his family it's real if anything it's almost hilariously easygoing with this whole voice thing. My gratitude for that is everlasting! It's funny how lowstakes the plot is but it grabs you so effortlessly and holds your attention to end credits. Whether it's the combination of the simple yet homely feel of the directing and cinematography, the score which adds so much atmosphere and gravitas to each moment, or just the acting itself it's a damn fine movie on it's own merits. Kevin Costner as Ray does a good job playing off the absurdity of the concept without making it seem stupid, he's just as dedicated here as any other role he's done. James Earl Jones as fictional author Terence Mann is a joy to watch, I mean he always is but he shined very bright here showing wisdom, warmth, and humor that I feel is a close approximation to the legend himself and made me laugh to beat the band while also getting goosebumps to shoot down my arms. Amy Madigan as Annie while a secondary character is far from a background character injecting a fiery persona, a good bit of humor, and a lemon twist of 60s hippie-dom that's just further proof why I'm a weak willed man in the presence of ginger haired girls. Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson who doesn't really have a lot of lines conveys a great deal, encapsulated in his first scene where his face and body movement can say so much. I actually like how the movie doesn't even pretend to know why all this is happening, even the baseball players acknowledge they died but have no friggin' clue how they step out of a cornfield to play a game, it's a fairly fun and fancy free kind of movie. Some could argue it's sentimental to the point of saccharin overload but if you're invested I don't think you'll care. Even my non-sports inclinating ass gets the almost love letter monologue from James about how the sport of baseball has always been a constant and is still just as popular as ever, speaking from a household in my youth where my grandparents were Texas Rangers fans and my mom was a New York Yankees fan you can bet your bottom dollar I get the fans of this ball game. I mean, if people didn't love it we wouldn't have filmmakers with so much passion making movies like this or The Sandlot or League Of Their Own. There's something there and it's something people like. Easy recommendation from me even to non-sports fans, solid 3 stars, 7.5/10! And I know there was a certain animated special that came out while I was away so we'll check that out next time!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Did you notice I didn't say his name three times in the last review? This ain't my first rodeo.

Okay then! I really don't know where to start with this honestly. When I first heard news of getting Beetlejuice 2 I wasn't fist pumping in victory or groaning in defeat, I was more curious if anything to see it and now that I finally have I am pretty happy to have watched it. It's a busy movie that almost makes the first one seem tame as we catch up with the Deetz' as Charles passes away, we get introduced to Lydia's daughter Astrid, and Mr. Juice is making moves in the world of the living to keep away from his psycho ex-wife. Shit happens. I am thrilled that it undoubtedly is a movie that just kinda does it's own thing, the nods and callbacks are there but there is way more new stuff to where it's not nostalgia shipping, it's very much a take it or leave it film and is unapologetic in how it tells the story. I respect such films. It was a lot of fun to see Michael, Winona, and Catherine back prominently and they haven't lost their edge. First bloody words out of Lydia and I was like damn she's still got it, and to see her very much having a midlife crisis with so much that has happened before and during this movie is understandable and it makes sense having her as the protagonist. Catherine O'Hara I feel is even funnier than the first, still a drama queen but a queen nonetheless! And well I'm a fucking mark for Michael Keaton and I sure as hell ain't gonna bash him here, they go more out there with Beetlejuice than even I thought possible but he pulls it off with a lot of humor and personality. All the new additions are equally welcome in my opinion, Jenna Ortega is a good balance playing a straightforward no bullshit teenager thrown in the mix of all this paranormal nonsense and I liked her avenue through the story. Justin Theroux is an oddball in this movie but may kinda sorta possibly be the funniest character in the movie, I dare say it's campy but not at all in a negative light. I honestly forgot Willem Dafoe was in this and though it's a bit part undoubtedly, the amount of character and this offshoot in the world of the dead was a nice surprise. I do however give just a teeny bit of good grief to this movie, Monica Belluci babe you need a better agent. I'm always so thrilled to see her in movies and then she's there for like 10 minutes and I'm just adoring the design of her character Delores and just wanted more. I'm not saying...cause that would be weird, but I'm just saying even stapled together the woman is a work of art. Moving swiftly on! The production design hasn't lost it's touch and is able to do much more with modern filmmaking, just to see more of the town in that exquisite fall atmosphere needless to say made me a happy camper! The humor hit more often than not from chuckles to wheezing guffaws even if it got weird at times. Though side note, maaaan this movie is gruesome when it wants to be like you wouldn't think this movie would have a fair share of blood and gnarly ass effects but you see blood spurts, exposed brains a plenty, and inventive background deceased characters that kinda wowed me. It's an odd sequel to an odd movie but entertaining regardless and I think even if you're a hardcore fan or just a casual moviegoer you can dig it. I give it 3 stars, 8/10, and with a title like that it's no mystery we are getting a third. Never thought this would be a trilogy but life can surprise you more often than you think.

And this is gonna be the start of a brief detour for me for the next few weeks, but I shall return before the end of September as always. It really is the deadest month for films, until then keep it real.

Beetlejuice

What the hell have I been doing for the past 9 years?? It worked out in the end but Christ!

I would have bet any amount of money I already reviewed Beetlejuice in the past, shit I've watched the movie several times since this shindig has started but never wrote a review. So how on earth do I sum up the plot of Beetlejuice? It's rather involved and has variety if nothing else. Centered around an everyday normal couple Barbara and Adam whose lives are cut short soon find themselves having to acclimate to the world of the afterlife, taking up haunting their house as new residents arrive but with no avail as a young girl takes a liking to their strange and unusual company. Enter our eponymous character as a proclaimed bio-exorcist who aids or more rather terrorizes both parties, leading to them trying to get the metaphorical genie back in the bottle. I haven't the foggiest idea how or why I got this tape before I even hit maybe even double digits so I've been a fan of this movie for quite some time, it was easy enough to roll with and it made me laugh. No friggin' clue either how Tim Burton got anyone to sign off on this or even sell it but it was a pretty big hit in 1988 and clearly has left an impact on pop culture in the 36 years since. The imagination of the world and the creativity to make that world real truly must be applauded, I wish I was that creative to come up with some of the imagery seen here. From waiting rooms of various deceased people, to sand worms on Saturn, to a spontaneous calypso dance performance it's kind of a marvel how unforgettable this movie is. But I think I can narrow it down to why, there just isn't anything else like it. I really love the cast here, with a script this broad the actors are that tether to grounding it so it isn't utter madness from start to finish. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are a really cute couple who navigate through the comedy and scares seamlessly, and you do want the best outcome for them. Winona Ryder as Lydia has become a cornerstone of goth culture and weird girls globally but she actually plays it pretty straight and humble, she's got some teenage attitude but is very likeable and is a breath of fresh air to see a more positive interaction with ghosts. And of course now comes the part where we get to talk about Michael Keaton and holy cow do I wish him and Tim made a lot more movies together! He really is one hell of a versatile actor and can somehow take this wise ass, slobbish, and pretty perverted character yet still make him enjoyable to watch! By all accounts we should despise this guy but iconic, quotable, and hilarious are the words that spring to mind when I see him. Shoutout also of course to Catherine, Jeffrey, and Glenn who fit just right in this movie and help make it better than it already was. The production design and special effects are half the fun of the film in my opinion mixing the mundane with the marvellously macabre, it just covers all the bases. Visually striking sets, prosthetics, creature effects with costumes and stop motion, it's a home run in that department. The score by Danny Elfman strikes that mischievous and eerie quality, not my favorite soundtrack of his filmography but a very good one nevertheless. It's just an entertaining and very funny movie, not in an overtly comedic way where they set stuff up for a joke a minute it's more natural in the dialogue, but hey it certainly works for me. I wish I could say it works for everyone, I won't divulge the name of the hapless dipshit who made the equation of weird=bad in their final thoughts on this film but I burned the bridge with them on it and never looked back. This is a great, odd, funny movie that hasn't lost a smidge of it's luster in the 20 years I have viewed it. 4 stars, 8/10, and boy howdy let me tell you I never thought the day would come where a sequel would be made so stay tuned for that!