Oscars 2019 time! This is definitely the most last minute of these as we're less than an hour away... came on faster and earlier than ever it seems! Various ruckus as well. Perhaps due to that it's some of the least number of films that I've seen but I've caught some glimpses and get the ideas.. of courses. With time of the essence here we go for the major ones of who's nominated, who will probably win, and who will win:
Best Picture
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”
Who Will Win: I'm seeing this , as with many below, as a clear cut Roma win. In general it's going to come down to Roma vs maybe Green Book in most categories imo. Maybe seeking a more diverse win something like Black Kkklansmen.
Who I Want To Win: I would be happy with the redemption story of Black Kkklansmen for Lee or Black Panther for the MCU..and some of the coolest stuff! Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born were also wonderful as well.
Lead Actor
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”
Who Will Win: Probably Bale vs Mortensen as the top contender with Malek not far behind. A very tight race from between all. I could see A Star Is Born trying to go for a sweep too which would be cooper.
Who I Want To Win: As a Nolan and Queen fan... Bale or Malek.
Lead Actress
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Who Will Win: A tight race as well but if Roma will sweep then Aparicio but Gaga honestly has odds for similar sentiments.. Colman as wel.
Who I Want To Win: LADY GAGA PLEASE AS A FAN OF HER MUSIC FOR YEARS!!
Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”
Who Will Win: A very, very tight category. I would have to give a lean to Ali, Elliot, or Grant here.
Who I Want To Win: Ali or Elliot would be find indeed.. or mr.Kylo Ren Adam Driver!!
Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”
Who Will Win: Credits to Tavira for Roma but also look at all those Favourites. Perhaps King as well.
Who I Want To Win: I have no comment realy as I haven't seen these. Uh Amy Adams is always great I imagine?
Director
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Adam McKay, “Vice”
Who Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron has this on lock but McKay poses a threat..maybe Lee.
Who I Want To Win: Spike Lee would be really cool but would happy with McKay
Adapted Screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
“BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins
“A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters
Who Will Win: I'm thinking Lee can get it here for sure with maybe Can You Ever Forgive or A Star Is Born.
Who I Want To Win: BUSTER SCRUGGS! It was great!
Original Screenplay
The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
“First Reformed,” Paul Schrader
“Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón
“Vice,” Adam McKay
Who Will Win: Roma vs Vice vs Green Book vs The Favorite equally!
Who I Want To Win: Hmm Vice or Green Book
Cinematography
“Cold War,” Lukasz Zal
“The Favourite,” Robbie Ryan
“Never Look Away,” Caleb Deschanel
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón
“A Star Is Born,” Matthew Libatique
Who Will Win: Roma a clear lock but perhaps Born , War, or the Favorite.
Who I Want To Win: Truly Roma earns it here
Film Editing
“BlacKkKlansman,” Barry Alexander Brown
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Ottman
“Green Book,” Patrick J. Don Vito
“The Favourite,” Yorgos Mavropsaridis
“Vice,” Hank Corwin
Who Will Win: Vice I'd say
Who I Want To Win: Perhaps Kkklansmen? Vice wouldn't be bad
Sound Editing
“Black Panther,” Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Warhurst
“First Man,” Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan
“A Quiet Place,” Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl
“Roma,” Sergio Diaz, Skip Lievsay
Who Will Win: A great category! I can see Bohemian or Black Panther having chances but anything really.
Who I Want To Win: A Quiet Place please, literally its schtick!
Sound Mixing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
Who Will Win: Similar thoughts here but perhaps Roma or First Man more odds here.
Who I Want To Win: First Man, praise Chazelle!
Production Design
“Black Panther,” Hannah Beachler
“First Man,” Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas
“The Favourite,” Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton
“Mary Poppins Returns,” John Myhre, Gordon Sim
“Roma,” Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez
Who Will Win: Roma..this is its turf. Perhaps the blockbuster Panther or Poppins?
Who I Want To Win: Black Panther! These kind of things
Original Score
“BlacKkKlansman,” Terence Blanchard
“Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell
“Isle of Dogs,” Alexandre Desplat
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman
Who Will Win: Something good Black Panther or Poppins etc
Who I Want To Win: Isle Of Dogs, give it something! But great category as a whole
Original Song
All The Stars” from “Black Panther” by Kendrick Lamar, SZA
“I’ll Fight” from “RBG” by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman
“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
Who Will Win: Shallow Is a lock here I'd say. But maybe All The Stars
Who I Want To Win: All The Stars, transcendental go Kendrick please!
Makeup And Hair
Border
Mary Queen Of Scots
vice
Who Will Win: Mary Queen of Scots or Vice I mean cmon look at Bale
Who I Want To Win: Vice, Bale duh!
Costume Design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Mary Zophres
“Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter
“The Favourite,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Queen of Scots,” Alexandra Byrne
Who Will Win: Fancy Mary Poppins / Queen kind of stuff but perhaps Black Panther
Who I Want To Win: Black Panther or Buster Scruggs, true good movies to me
Visual Effects
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”
Who Will Win: Hard to say but seems like something Ready Player One or First Man could steal..or honestly the true best film Avengers.
Who I Want To Win: INFINITY WAR TRUE QUALITY!! Solo would be cool but no way at all
Animated Feature
“Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird
“Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson
“Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda
“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Who Will Win: What a tight race and category! Not sure .. Pixar and Disney are locks but much moreso Incredibles 2 than Ralph, usually. However Spider-Verse got a ton of love in the under circuit so there's a chance.
Who I Want To Win: Literally anything! Perhaps Spider-Verse honestly because I'm feeling the fan-love. Mirai would be cool too praise Hosada!
Enjoy and we'll see how well I did!
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Alita: Battle Angel Review
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast Headliners: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connolly, Mahershala Ali, others
Original Release Date: February 14, 2019
(Saw this early and I feel I can now properly talk about it with the rest of the world I feel) I had not heard of the original manga and other Japanese works but had known that Alita: Battle Angel has been in the works by James Cameron for multiple decades since before so many other things he had done. In the end he set Robert Rodriguez as director but still had a hand in producing and envisioning it. One may wonder what is that made this so appealing to these filmmakers. It has an ambitious, epic science fiction scope so that is no surprise. It tries for many things but ultimately it has some steps downs for everything it does right but there's some entertainment within.
In the far, far future humanity for the most part lives in one last terrestrial location Iron City which is watched over by the high society in the world above of Zolum. It's a world of advanced technology set between trash piles. There's people with cyborg parts to entire AI beings. One day roboticist Dr. Dyson Ido(Christoph Waltz) finds the wreckage of Alita (Rosa Salazar) who he raises as a daughter and apprentice. Little do they both know that powers lurk in the underworld beyond their control.
They find themselves dealing with various folks whether the noble likes of “motorball” pit worker Hugo(Keean Johnson) , the mysterious Vector(Mahershala Ali) and Ido's ex-wife Dr.Chiren(Jennifer Connelly), or ruthless “Hunter-Warrior” cyborg warriors like Zapan(Ed Skrein), Grewishka(Jackie Earle Haley), and Nyssiana(Elza Gonzalez). Somewhere around there's Gelda(Michelle Rodriguez) and Nova(Edward Norton) who's roles must be seen firsthand in this attempted epic tapestry.
For all of the star studded ensemble of a cast it has a very, very mixed bag of delivery. There'll be more on some of them who are more robotic, especially Alita, in a moment. In the human court Waltz's Ido is a genuine highlight for the most part. He brings a warmth and kindness to the role that has just the right amount of charm and intentional overbearing. He suffers from the cheese of the script which transcends robotic and human lines. Connelly's Chiren and Ali's Vector deliver dry exposition while wearing silly outfits. Johnson's Hugo, and his friends, come across as more lame and annoying than anything. It's not a movie for character.
In terms of the titular Alita and others there's a connection to what the film, at times does very well. Perhaps the touch of James Cameron can be felt for how much motion capture is used. Anyone with robotic parts has those added in via CGI. This can be cool but also distracting or into the uncanny, cheesy valley. Alita herself is entirely CGI with the now infamous “big eyes” look perhaps attempting to match the original manga. One wonders why this needs to have occurred since Rosa Salazar looks the real part in this world but it's a bit of an impressive job how life-like it looks. Spectacle aside her performance is no better than her peers at least to this reviewer's opinion. She has a bit of a child-like innocence to her that grows with her arc over the film and thus makes it perhaps jarring when she becomes competent in combat. There's some alright stuff in terms of her true backstory (with some tantalizing backstory scenes) but it's seldom at times. The uncanny sleek sheen effect can be even more noticed from her foes with the likes of Haley's Grewishka and Gonzalez's Nyssiana being cheesy brutes. Skrei's Zapan brings a bit more of a swagger with him and an interesting x-factor to happenings but it's still with melodrama.
However this is a movie of the big, big picture. The background scenery and world-building can be quite interesting looking. There's the floating city above layers of junk. There's an underworld of trash. There's the motorball arenas with their giant mix of racing tracks and battling bots. At glances this film can seem quite visually neat. This is where perhaps the touch of working director Robert Rodriguez is felt. He's no stranger to CGI-overload whether in Spy Kids or Sin City. However this can feel a bit more like Shark Boy / Lava Girl than Avatar due to a budget and fidelity that seems to fluctuate as it does with the robotic personnel.
It's good that the action, and there's plenty of it, can be quite thrilling. It comes in spurts and usually ends too quickly but is as visceral as PG-13 can get with lots of quick jumps between at times silly slow-mo. The action ramps up with the plot in some fun mashing of situations. This may be what the movie is worth checking out for. Tom Holkenburg's electronic score also helps, at times.
For the fun in action, grit intensity the way the film ends kind of sours ones' taste of it. Various revelations and battles happen with a small skirmish after that. Then just as an act 3 climax feels it's beginning it ends on such a cliffhanger and sequel bait. One imagines that with just a bit more of run time it could have been worth it but instead its trying to be part of a franchise that may or may not exist. Cliffhangers can be good in some cases but here it isn't when the build-up is some of the few redeeming factors of the piece.
Thus as a whole it's a journey more than a destination. There's some disappointing aspects given the talent involved but there's also a couple bits of heart, whether delivered or attempted. The action can be fun and the ideas can be big but so can the cheese as well. 6.8 out of 10
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast Headliners: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connolly, Mahershala Ali, others
Original Release Date: February 14, 2019
(Saw this early and I feel I can now properly talk about it with the rest of the world I feel) I had not heard of the original manga and other Japanese works but had known that Alita: Battle Angel has been in the works by James Cameron for multiple decades since before so many other things he had done. In the end he set Robert Rodriguez as director but still had a hand in producing and envisioning it. One may wonder what is that made this so appealing to these filmmakers. It has an ambitious, epic science fiction scope so that is no surprise. It tries for many things but ultimately it has some steps downs for everything it does right but there's some entertainment within.
In the far, far future humanity for the most part lives in one last terrestrial location Iron City which is watched over by the high society in the world above of Zolum. It's a world of advanced technology set between trash piles. There's people with cyborg parts to entire AI beings. One day roboticist Dr. Dyson Ido(Christoph Waltz) finds the wreckage of Alita (Rosa Salazar) who he raises as a daughter and apprentice. Little do they both know that powers lurk in the underworld beyond their control.
They find themselves dealing with various folks whether the noble likes of “motorball” pit worker Hugo(Keean Johnson) , the mysterious Vector(Mahershala Ali) and Ido's ex-wife Dr.Chiren(Jennifer Connelly), or ruthless “Hunter-Warrior” cyborg warriors like Zapan(Ed Skrein), Grewishka(Jackie Earle Haley), and Nyssiana(Elza Gonzalez). Somewhere around there's Gelda(Michelle Rodriguez) and Nova(Edward Norton) who's roles must be seen firsthand in this attempted epic tapestry.
For all of the star studded ensemble of a cast it has a very, very mixed bag of delivery. There'll be more on some of them who are more robotic, especially Alita, in a moment. In the human court Waltz's Ido is a genuine highlight for the most part. He brings a warmth and kindness to the role that has just the right amount of charm and intentional overbearing. He suffers from the cheese of the script which transcends robotic and human lines. Connelly's Chiren and Ali's Vector deliver dry exposition while wearing silly outfits. Johnson's Hugo, and his friends, come across as more lame and annoying than anything. It's not a movie for character.
In terms of the titular Alita and others there's a connection to what the film, at times does very well. Perhaps the touch of James Cameron can be felt for how much motion capture is used. Anyone with robotic parts has those added in via CGI. This can be cool but also distracting or into the uncanny, cheesy valley. Alita herself is entirely CGI with the now infamous “big eyes” look perhaps attempting to match the original manga. One wonders why this needs to have occurred since Rosa Salazar looks the real part in this world but it's a bit of an impressive job how life-like it looks. Spectacle aside her performance is no better than her peers at least to this reviewer's opinion. She has a bit of a child-like innocence to her that grows with her arc over the film and thus makes it perhaps jarring when she becomes competent in combat. There's some alright stuff in terms of her true backstory (with some tantalizing backstory scenes) but it's seldom at times. The uncanny sleek sheen effect can be even more noticed from her foes with the likes of Haley's Grewishka and Gonzalez's Nyssiana being cheesy brutes. Skrei's Zapan brings a bit more of a swagger with him and an interesting x-factor to happenings but it's still with melodrama.
However this is a movie of the big, big picture. The background scenery and world-building can be quite interesting looking. There's the floating city above layers of junk. There's an underworld of trash. There's the motorball arenas with their giant mix of racing tracks and battling bots. At glances this film can seem quite visually neat. This is where perhaps the touch of working director Robert Rodriguez is felt. He's no stranger to CGI-overload whether in Spy Kids or Sin City. However this can feel a bit more like Shark Boy / Lava Girl than Avatar due to a budget and fidelity that seems to fluctuate as it does with the robotic personnel.
It's good that the action, and there's plenty of it, can be quite thrilling. It comes in spurts and usually ends too quickly but is as visceral as PG-13 can get with lots of quick jumps between at times silly slow-mo. The action ramps up with the plot in some fun mashing of situations. This may be what the movie is worth checking out for. Tom Holkenburg's electronic score also helps, at times.
For the fun in action, grit intensity the way the film ends kind of sours ones' taste of it. Various revelations and battles happen with a small skirmish after that. Then just as an act 3 climax feels it's beginning it ends on such a cliffhanger and sequel bait. One imagines that with just a bit more of run time it could have been worth it but instead its trying to be part of a franchise that may or may not exist. Cliffhangers can be good in some cases but here it isn't when the build-up is some of the few redeeming factors of the piece.
Thus as a whole it's a journey more than a destination. There's some disappointing aspects given the talent involved but there's also a couple bits of heart, whether delivered or attempted. The action can be fun and the ideas can be big but so can the cheese as well. 6.8 out of 10
Thursday, February 14, 2019
The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot Review
The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot
Director: Robert D. Krzykowski’s Cast Headliners: Sam Elliot, Aidan Turnet, Catherine FitzGerald, Larry Miller
Original Release Date: February 8th, 2019 (Direct To Digital)
Another case of a movie being literally what it says on the cover in this charming, quirky little direct to home release (but with ambitions and semi-renown talent). The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot has both events in the same film. It spans the serious, the dramatic, the historical, the silly, the pulpy. It’s quite an ambition and range that ultimately kind of has to reign things in but works as a cohesive whole.
The large 2/3 majority or so of the film winds between two foremost time periods. There’s the dramatic, slow burn of a modern-day portion (theoretically around the 1980s or 1990s considering the age of the star) and the mostly historical fiction / slightly cheesy World War 2 portion of the same person in veteran soldier Calvin Barr (Sam Elliot in the present and Aidan Turner in the past). Later events transpire to involve government agents in a plague center and a hunt for the Bigfoot creature in the wilderness. It ends up making sense in the end.
It’s almost like three different films mashed together into one since each is so different from the other. It’s best to thus examine them separately. The WW2 portion is very light on action being more like a “behind Nazi lines” mission of espionage. Turner’s take on Calvin is a decent performance as he speaks German and delivers envelopes. There’s a bit of humorous touch that goes with anything where Hitler is truly killed and this can be gotten from Nazi swastika-watches and the general very Bubba-Ho-Tep type feel to things. The actual Hitler killing(or maybe he doesn’t) is short but a bit of an intensity is felt. Ultimately these scenes (aside a surreal Russian informant shaving sequence) became a romantic drama between him and Maxine (Caitline FitzGerald). These portions are less exciting but showcase some emotional feels in peacetime that ends up meaning more as the more future tense plot plays out that must be seen firsthand.
“Present” Calvin takes up most of the screen time. Of course, it’s no surprise that Sam Elliot does a good job. He’s a worn out, grizzled man who has some wisecracks and some weariness. It’s on the spectrum of the likes of Gran Torino or Logan as he hangs out in bars and fights street thugs with an attitude. There’s also slow drama and friendship with the likes of his friend Ed (Larry Miller) and so on.
His relatively mundane world, and the film’s realism even further, is interrupted in-time by the arrival of government agents Mr.Gardner(Sean Bridgers) and Maple Leaf(Rizwan Manji). These two give a great, hammy performance as they talk of the biological threat posed by the hairy Bigfoot creature. What follows in these portions are some sequences both solemnly beautiful (giving a highlight to director Robert D. Krzykowski’s touch for nature yet also in close sequences…it helps him with the varying moods) and on the edge of schlocky cheesy gore horror. One can also guess if he ends up killing the fellow or not. One almost wishes for a little more of this although its distinctness makes it stand apart.
In the end it’s more of a film of how it weaves the sum of its parts together than an amazing whole. Even the not-cheesy ends up with a large of (one no doubts purposeful) cheese to it. Still if one likes unique ideas and Sam Elliot there’s some value hidden within its , for better or worse, brief runtime and amount of things actually killed. 7.8 out of 10
Director: Robert D. Krzykowski’s Cast Headliners: Sam Elliot, Aidan Turnet, Catherine FitzGerald, Larry Miller
Original Release Date: February 8th, 2019 (Direct To Digital)
Another case of a movie being literally what it says on the cover in this charming, quirky little direct to home release (but with ambitions and semi-renown talent). The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot has both events in the same film. It spans the serious, the dramatic, the historical, the silly, the pulpy. It’s quite an ambition and range that ultimately kind of has to reign things in but works as a cohesive whole.
The large 2/3 majority or so of the film winds between two foremost time periods. There’s the dramatic, slow burn of a modern-day portion (theoretically around the 1980s or 1990s considering the age of the star) and the mostly historical fiction / slightly cheesy World War 2 portion of the same person in veteran soldier Calvin Barr (Sam Elliot in the present and Aidan Turner in the past). Later events transpire to involve government agents in a plague center and a hunt for the Bigfoot creature in the wilderness. It ends up making sense in the end.
It’s almost like three different films mashed together into one since each is so different from the other. It’s best to thus examine them separately. The WW2 portion is very light on action being more like a “behind Nazi lines” mission of espionage. Turner’s take on Calvin is a decent performance as he speaks German and delivers envelopes. There’s a bit of humorous touch that goes with anything where Hitler is truly killed and this can be gotten from Nazi swastika-watches and the general very Bubba-Ho-Tep type feel to things. The actual Hitler killing(or maybe he doesn’t) is short but a bit of an intensity is felt. Ultimately these scenes (aside a surreal Russian informant shaving sequence) became a romantic drama between him and Maxine (Caitline FitzGerald). These portions are less exciting but showcase some emotional feels in peacetime that ends up meaning more as the more future tense plot plays out that must be seen firsthand.
“Present” Calvin takes up most of the screen time. Of course, it’s no surprise that Sam Elliot does a good job. He’s a worn out, grizzled man who has some wisecracks and some weariness. It’s on the spectrum of the likes of Gran Torino or Logan as he hangs out in bars and fights street thugs with an attitude. There’s also slow drama and friendship with the likes of his friend Ed (Larry Miller) and so on.
His relatively mundane world, and the film’s realism even further, is interrupted in-time by the arrival of government agents Mr.Gardner(Sean Bridgers) and Maple Leaf(Rizwan Manji). These two give a great, hammy performance as they talk of the biological threat posed by the hairy Bigfoot creature. What follows in these portions are some sequences both solemnly beautiful (giving a highlight to director Robert D. Krzykowski’s touch for nature yet also in close sequences…it helps him with the varying moods) and on the edge of schlocky cheesy gore horror. One can also guess if he ends up killing the fellow or not. One almost wishes for a little more of this although its distinctness makes it stand apart.
In the end it’s more of a film of how it weaves the sum of its parts together than an amazing whole. Even the not-cheesy ends up with a large of (one no doubts purposeful) cheese to it. Still if one likes unique ideas and Sam Elliot there’s some value hidden within its , for better or worse, brief runtime and amount of things actually killed. 7.8 out of 10
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Review
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast Headliners: Chris Pratt, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, bit too many others
Original Release Date: February 8th, 2019
The “Lego” movie franchise has been surprisingly great, so far. Whether in the inventive 2014 original or 2017's Batman and Ninjago spinoffs the humor and stop-motion craft was felt. Very high hopes were on The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part to follow up. It ultimately offers more of the same but that's about it. It's not that what it has isn't funny, charming, and colorful because it definitely has that. It's that it could have been so much more that it isn't. However as they say everything is awesome when you're living the dream.
Audiences may forget that this film picks up right after the first film's ending. That ending showed the “real world” brother's character being forced to play with his sister who arrived with alien Duplo blocks. This movie shows in the opening how these charming Lego critters caused an apocalypse in the city of Bricksburg turning it from a utilitarian dream into the (smart in a way as the brother reaches adolescence) Madmaxian wasteland of Apocalypseburg. Events transpire to where the aliens return leading to an intergalactic voyage to the colorful, girly Sistar planet system with a variety of friends and foes made along the way. It's all in the trailer.
That's the thing...it really is all in the trailer. Now that's not to say every single joke is and this is coming from this writer who knows nearly every single trailer and media before it comes out but I imagine that the same thing would apply to even those who haven't seen it before. This is since themes repeat.... get ready for a lot of post-apocalyptic tropes, cute-yet-fierce sister-based female enemies, and Chris Pratt-'s career parodying with little else. There's some late-game twists and fun lil jokes and surprises but it's no where near the other Lego-verse films and it's all been done before. However, there is indeed merit to those who want more if they don't mind.
That applies in a variety of ways mostly the returning cast. Whether its the happy go-lucky hero Emmett(Chris Pratt) or slick heroine Lucy/Wyldstyle(Elizabeth Banks) both having same rapport or going through a bit of their own growth arcs or others they're just about the same as they were the first time for humor and quality while going to some slightly new places. Sure there's egotistical Batman(Will Arnett), now-sometimes-fierce Unikitty(Allison Brie), and the one-note jokes of Metalbeard(Nick Offerman) and space-ship obsessed Benny(Charlie Day) around but they have even less screen-time or new material here and the plot finds them spread apart from Emmett and Lucy for most of it. There's a couple of pop-culture references and A-list cameos that will cause a chuckle but once again it's been done before.
Luckily there's a bit of value in the new characters. The opposing faction of Sistar has it's Queen Whatevra Wa-Nabi(Tiffany Haddish) who brings both a sugary sweetness and witch-like menace between her many, many musical songs(Some of these are good and clever...some without a comment. However when it's good it's good..paticuliarly the “Catchy Song” sequence! Otherwise be prepared to hear whether literally or as a joke many, many versions of “Everything Is Awesome”...again). However she ends up being a bit hollowly-y typical especially compared to the past few Lego film's greats. General Mayhem(Stephanie Beatriz) has some appeal with her totally serious approach to things along her cool armor suit that leads to some jokes in her threat. Icy “sparkle vampire” Balthazar(Noel Fielding), Ice Cream Cone(Richard Ayoade), and many many adorable babies play various other cutsey henchmen. Also expect to see “Dad/Lord Business(Will Ferrell) and now “Mom”(Maya Rudolph) addd to the real world plot. However this time too many looks at it can appear cheesy and non-surprising compared to the twist and themes of the first film.
What's interesting is that this is a movie of multiple Lego Pratts. A big part of what Emmet goes through is meeting Rex Dangervest(also Chris Pratt). A ultra-cool space hero who looks and sounds much like our innocent hero... He's a helmet-wearing ship captain who's also an archaeologist, raptor trainer, movie star, scientist, and more outrageous things. What at first may seem like a dumb parody of the real career takes on a bit better of a take due to Pratt's role and with...himself. He has a lot of swagger and uses a very William Shatner Kirk/Harrison Ford Han hammy accent. It makes things that much more sillier. The raptors as well are some highlights with their skill and sub-titles although it gets repeated a lot.
The visuals are of course great and colorful from dusty mesas to colorful Lego Friends towns and gritty space / real locations although less varied. It once again employs the now-trademark high fidelity CGI that makes it look like real stop-motion toys are being used. Director Mike Mitchell steps in for the just-producing first film's Lord / Miller but he brings an alright touch (previously having done Sky High, Shrek 4, and Trolls so on-genre but also Alvin Chipmunks 3 so...child stuff). There's more of the wide, frantic action although less so this time. As has been said it's now familiar to see “pew pew” with blasts (and something which the brand spinoffs abandoned). However the manic highlights are highlights.
Overall it's a movie that is exactly what it looks like on the cover. It feels a bit more familiar treaded and less impactful this time but there's some colorful charm and laughs. Don't expect to be blown away but it has more of the fun same. I'm not quite sure here they could go from here or should but glad to have this. 7.5 out of 10
Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast Headliners: Chris Pratt, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, bit too many others
Original Release Date: February 8th, 2019
The “Lego” movie franchise has been surprisingly great, so far. Whether in the inventive 2014 original or 2017's Batman and Ninjago spinoffs the humor and stop-motion craft was felt. Very high hopes were on The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part to follow up. It ultimately offers more of the same but that's about it. It's not that what it has isn't funny, charming, and colorful because it definitely has that. It's that it could have been so much more that it isn't. However as they say everything is awesome when you're living the dream.
Audiences may forget that this film picks up right after the first film's ending. That ending showed the “real world” brother's character being forced to play with his sister who arrived with alien Duplo blocks. This movie shows in the opening how these charming Lego critters caused an apocalypse in the city of Bricksburg turning it from a utilitarian dream into the (smart in a way as the brother reaches adolescence) Madmaxian wasteland of Apocalypseburg. Events transpire to where the aliens return leading to an intergalactic voyage to the colorful, girly Sistar planet system with a variety of friends and foes made along the way. It's all in the trailer.
That's the thing...it really is all in the trailer. Now that's not to say every single joke is and this is coming from this writer who knows nearly every single trailer and media before it comes out but I imagine that the same thing would apply to even those who haven't seen it before. This is since themes repeat.... get ready for a lot of post-apocalyptic tropes, cute-yet-fierce sister-based female enemies, and Chris Pratt-'s career parodying with little else. There's some late-game twists and fun lil jokes and surprises but it's no where near the other Lego-verse films and it's all been done before. However, there is indeed merit to those who want more if they don't mind.
That applies in a variety of ways mostly the returning cast. Whether its the happy go-lucky hero Emmett(Chris Pratt) or slick heroine Lucy/Wyldstyle(Elizabeth Banks) both having same rapport or going through a bit of their own growth arcs or others they're just about the same as they were the first time for humor and quality while going to some slightly new places. Sure there's egotistical Batman(Will Arnett), now-sometimes-fierce Unikitty(Allison Brie), and the one-note jokes of Metalbeard(Nick Offerman) and space-ship obsessed Benny(Charlie Day) around but they have even less screen-time or new material here and the plot finds them spread apart from Emmett and Lucy for most of it. There's a couple of pop-culture references and A-list cameos that will cause a chuckle but once again it's been done before.
Luckily there's a bit of value in the new characters. The opposing faction of Sistar has it's Queen Whatevra Wa-Nabi(Tiffany Haddish) who brings both a sugary sweetness and witch-like menace between her many, many musical songs(Some of these are good and clever...some without a comment. However when it's good it's good..paticuliarly the “Catchy Song” sequence! Otherwise be prepared to hear whether literally or as a joke many, many versions of “Everything Is Awesome”...again). However she ends up being a bit hollowly-y typical especially compared to the past few Lego film's greats. General Mayhem(Stephanie Beatriz) has some appeal with her totally serious approach to things along her cool armor suit that leads to some jokes in her threat. Icy “sparkle vampire” Balthazar(Noel Fielding), Ice Cream Cone(Richard Ayoade), and many many adorable babies play various other cutsey henchmen. Also expect to see “Dad/Lord Business(Will Ferrell) and now “Mom”(Maya Rudolph) addd to the real world plot. However this time too many looks at it can appear cheesy and non-surprising compared to the twist and themes of the first film.
What's interesting is that this is a movie of multiple Lego Pratts. A big part of what Emmet goes through is meeting Rex Dangervest(also Chris Pratt). A ultra-cool space hero who looks and sounds much like our innocent hero... He's a helmet-wearing ship captain who's also an archaeologist, raptor trainer, movie star, scientist, and more outrageous things. What at first may seem like a dumb parody of the real career takes on a bit better of a take due to Pratt's role and with...himself. He has a lot of swagger and uses a very William Shatner Kirk/Harrison Ford Han hammy accent. It makes things that much more sillier. The raptors as well are some highlights with their skill and sub-titles although it gets repeated a lot.
The visuals are of course great and colorful from dusty mesas to colorful Lego Friends towns and gritty space / real locations although less varied. It once again employs the now-trademark high fidelity CGI that makes it look like real stop-motion toys are being used. Director Mike Mitchell steps in for the just-producing first film's Lord / Miller but he brings an alright touch (previously having done Sky High, Shrek 4, and Trolls so on-genre but also Alvin Chipmunks 3 so...child stuff). There's more of the wide, frantic action although less so this time. As has been said it's now familiar to see “pew pew” with blasts (and something which the brand spinoffs abandoned). However the manic highlights are highlights.
Overall it's a movie that is exactly what it looks like on the cover. It feels a bit more familiar treaded and less impactful this time but there's some colorful charm and laughs. Don't expect to be blown away but it has more of the fun same. I'm not quite sure here they could go from here or should but glad to have this. 7.5 out of 10
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