Flora & Ulysses

 

8/10

Flora & Ulysses, currently on Disney+ and based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, is about Flora (played by Matilda Lawler), a young girl dealing with her parents' separation, who meets Ulysses, a squirrel with abilities who she is convinced is a superhero.

This is a pretty entertaining, funny, and innovative kids' film. It does a little something new with both superhero and animal films.    

The cast and characters, both primary and supporting, all do really well. Lawler may have a future ahead of her, because she is a pretty good child actor. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, as Flora's new friend William, delivers some of the funniest lines. On the adult front, Parks and Recreation/Sonic the Hedgehog's Ben Schwartz plays Flora's father. Given that he usually plays more energetic, over-the-top characters, it was a nice change of pace seeing him play a more grounded, likable average Joe. Community's Danny Pudi plays an animal control guy hellbent on catching Ulysses. Thought Pudi does recycle the same over-confidant character he's played in Powerless and Mythic Quest, he plays it well and makes a fine foil.

Some kids and maybe adults may lose attention with this. They should like the parts with Ulysses and the other scenes that are just trying to have fun, but the more serious parts dealing with the parents' separation and the characters' personal struggles slows things down. I'm sorry but this movie is about a super-powered squirrel. That's all we're here for.

Also, the lighting in here is surprisingly not as brightly shot as most children's films. Though in fairness, the shoot may have been very overcast.

Despite the pacing issues, I do recommend this. Kids should like Ulysses and the hijinks, and the movie is distinctive enough to be a decent watch for parents.

The Movie Show- Season 1

 

6/10

The Movie Show is a low-budget comedy on Syfy (think like MST3K in terms of production.) In it, two puppets Deb and Wade (performed by the show's creators Adam Dubowsky and Alex Stone) host a public access show about movies which often doesn't go as planned.

The jokes are pretty hit-and-miss. There are some pretty good ones in here. (The Back in the Future sketch is comedy gold). But there are a lot of duds, too. The weakest point of the show is the frequent interview segments involving people in funny costumes. They're usually rather dull.

It doesn't help the show that Wade is a Frankenstein-like amalgamation of every really stupid and self-absorbed TV/movie character trope that ever existed. Though he has his funny bits, he's usually an exercise in obviousness. Deb's a stronger character, but I've never seen such a weak attempt at a man voicing. Dubowsky's voice constantly took me out of this.

Though I can't say this is a great show, I'll be returning if there's a second season. It's not a bad way to waste time. This isn't for everyone, but if you like dumb, light stuff this may work for you. 

The Watch- Season 1

 

8/10

The Watch, based on the City-Watch of Ankh-Morpok subseries from the Discworld books by the late, great Terry Pratchett, is about the titular watch (or basically police men) who must deal with an oncoming powerful threat to their fantasy city.

This show has ticked off a lot of fans of the original Discworld novels, and I can see their point of view. A lot of changes were made. (The showrunners have even taken the effort to cover their bases by stating that this takes place in an alternate universe.) A few of the supporting characters feel watered down, in particular Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler who's changed from an amusing silver-tongued entrepreneur/con man to a more formulaic sassy crime boss. Probably due to budget restraints, the city of Ankh-Morpok has more of a modernized look than expected. 

The show admittedly suffers from trying too hard to create tragic backstories. Don't get me wrong, it's not like Pratchett never tackled serious plot points or tragic backstories, but he knew how to let things breathe and just tell a good story. 

All that said, when you look at the show as a product by itself, it's actually one of the more fun shows out there right now. It manages to capture two elements that made Pratchett work: humor and characterization. The whole thing is pretty funny. The main cast is likable and well fleshed out and acted. The most props should probably be given to lead Richard Domer as scruffy and scrappy Captain Sam Vimes. And overall, the show does feel creative. (Though I admit, they threw a little too many plot points into the final episode. I mean everything is concluded properly, it's just a bit much.)

Overall, I really recommend this. It's fun, plus a quick watch at only eight episodes. If you're a a Discworld fan, I do urge you to judge it on it's own merits and not in comparison to the original.

Monster Hunter

 

8/10

Based on the video game series of the same name, Monster Hunter is about a group of soldiers lead by Lt. Artemis (played by the Resident Evil films' Milla Jovovich) who end happen onto a transdimensional portal, as these things happen, and travel to the world of the Monster Hunter franchise. (I looked it up, and no, this place doesn't seem to have a proper name.) In order to survive the various deadly creatures that populate this place, Artemis teams up with a local hunter (Tony Jaa), aptly called Hunter in the credits.   

MH is a popcorn movie in the purest sense of the term. This is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the one responsible for the Resident Evil films, the first Mortal Kombat film, and Alien vs. Predator. The guy's no Shakespeare, but he knows how to deliver competently deliver mindless action accompanied by the occasional clever idea. 

The monsters in this are truly formidable and memorable. They're designed pretty well. I'm digging the fantasy look here. It has an old school 70's-90's feel to it. Though, I haven't played the MH games, I'm pretty sure that the aesthetics hewed close to them as the monsters, clothing, etc. maintain a Japanese design-style to it. Ron Pearlman gets a fantastic mane of hair in this.

Course, Anderson is known for the occasionally frustrating choices. (Don't get me started on the last RE movie.) The final act wasn't satisfyingly conclusive. Like with the RE movies, Anderson sets up bait for the sequel, but he really cranks it up to eleven in comparison to them. It's like the end of the Bourne Legacy. You're like "Wait that's it? I think I'm missing something!" The editing can also be rushed and choppy.

Jovovich again does a fine job as the bada*** fighter. However,when acting as a commanding officer and or interacting with her more lively fellow soldiers, she feels awkward. Jaa does a very good job, especially considering you don't know what he's saying. Artemis and the Hunter don't speak the same language, and it's interesting seeing them trying to communicate. 

I recommend this. I mean if you aren't a fan of previous Anderson films, this won't change your opinion. But if you want to watch people fight monsters for an hour and forty minutes, this'll do.  

Kevin Hart: Zero F**ks Given

 

8/10

In this special on Netflix, Kevin Hart bucks the usual stand-up comedy routine by performing in a large room in his own home. (And it's a REALLY nice room. You would've thought it was a set if you weren't told. The rich sleep well, indeed.)   

I'll make this review a quickie. I thought this was generally funny. None of the jokes stuck with me, but I was amused at the time. 

A lot of people online didn't like this much, complaining that Hart lost the magic. This was my first time seeing his stand-up, so I've got nothing to compare it to. As it is, I had no complaints. I say it's worth a shot.

Locked Down

 

8/10

In Locked Down, Paxton (12 Years a Slave's Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Linda (Anne Hathaway) are a couple in England who've just broken up. However, the COVID quarantine has them stuck in the same house together for a couple weeks. Soon a series of events will occur that will surprisingly lead to them planning a heist. This was an interesting work.

If you've seen the commercials, this may seem mostly about the heist. However, a lot of the movie is the build-up to planning it. This is primarily a character-based comedy, and it works pretty well. Ejiofor provides great delivery with the erudite Paxton and Hathaway brings an energy to the stressed Linda. The movie mostly follows the leads, but you get a good cast of supporting faces, including several well known ones.

The movie has a slice-of-life feel as it jumps from one event to another. I think this is the first film attempt to showcase the struggles of living during the COVID crisis, and it does a decent job of looking at the toll of it.

The dialogue may not work for everyone. It has a sort of stage play feel: a lot of exposition needs to be delivered and can't be done visually due to limited scenery. So, the writer does his or her best to make it all sound natural and doesn't do a half bad, job but can't 100% nail that realism. It took me fifteen minutes or so to get accustomed to the dialogue, especially the cultured Paxton. 

I liked the camerawork and editing in this, everything runs smoothly and there is a slightly more grounded feel than most comedies.

I recommend this. It's a unique. I can't say it's to everyone's tastes, but it's worth giving a chance.

Marvel 616- Season 1

7/10 

Marvel 616 on Disney+ is a collection of eight documentaries covering a wide range of subjects based around Marvel. This was an interesting show.

616's best strength is it's versatility. If there's an episode that doesn't interest you then there'll probably be another you would like. (I found the ones on the Japanese Spider-Man show and female comics creators to be particularly interesting.) 

All the documentaries are well handled. Credit should be particularly given to the episode on weird and forgotten Marvel characters featuring and starring Paul Scheer for trying a different approach than the others. 

The episode on foreign comics illustrators though having a decent topic did feel slow-paced and not as dynamic as the others. Whereas they felt pretty dynamic with several interviews, this had very few to go back and forth through. 

If you're interested in Marvel in general, I recommend this. You'll find out a lot of things you didn't know before.