Vivo

9/10

Vivo out on Netflix is about the titular kinkajou (voiced by Hamilton's Lin Manuel-Miranda) who travels from Cuba to Florida on an important mission to deliver a letter. (I know that synopsis is a little vague, but the trailer is also keeping certain things vague, and I don't want to spoil any particular parts of emotional impact.)

This tries to copy the Pixar formula, and I mean that as a compliment. Okay, this doesn't have quite the writing strength or ingenuity of Pixar, but it comes so much closer than most other film studios when it comes to echoing the style, and probably comes the closest to recreating the emotional gut punch that the is known for such Pixar films as Up. The story the creators up with for this is a truly unique and touching one. 

I've seen complaints that the middle is your basic odd couple/road trip children's film. Personally, I'm not hating it. Yeah, it's the type, but I think it's a pretty well done road trip that's boosted with a good sense of humor and adventure and a fun cast. Plus, it's surprisingly well paced; there was one part particular scene that didn't wow me, but that was quickly over and on to the next thing.

I got to admit that Vivo is overshadowed in his own film. The scene-stealer here is Gabi (Ynairaly Simo), the young girl who accompanies Vivo on his quest. She's a wild child and fills the screen with her enthusiasm and jokes, plus she also has some pretty emotional underpinnings behind what she does and her relationships. We also get an amusing trio of girl scouts, each having distinct personalities, whose goals conflict with Gabi and Vivo's. The lead scout Becky is voiced by Scandal's Katie Lowes, while all the other child characters are voiced by kids. Odd choice, and it kind of sticks out.   

This may not have a Pixar or Disney level budget, but this is a really well designed film. There is an excellent use of vibrant color that brings the world to life. Can't think of any children's films off the top of my head that take place in Florida. This really got the general look. But it's during three of the musical numbers that the movie becomes a real visual delight, just some very creative choices and really well animated.

I rather liked some of the character designs in this are pretty good, but a few seem odd. (There's something about the shape of Gabi's mom's head that seems off.) However, it may be unfair of me; the movie does seem to be making an effort of showing different body types. 

Manuel-Miranda wrote the songs in this as well, and they're all good. Nice variation of styles.

Highly recommended. Again, not quite Pixar or Disney but close. A touching story that is enjoyable for kids and adults.

The Loud House Movie

6.5/10

For the unfamiliar, Loud House is a Nickelodeon cartoon going into its sixth season about Lincoln Loud (voiced by Asher Bishop) who lives with ten sisters, each with very distinct personalities. In this movie on Netflix, the family travels to a Scotland town where they discover they're the heirs of the rulers to the place.

From an adult perspective, this movie is just alright. It feels like a very basic daily cartoon story. (Also, it's sorta like the plot to the first Munsters movie.) It's not like anyone behind this is slacking, but there are no big swings either (like compared to the first Phineas and Ferb movie or the Recess movie, which managed to justify the switch from show to film). It's just basic cartoon antics and a lot of stuff that is just thrown at you. Not to mention a few songs that are alright, but you probably won't remember them. (I couldn't remember the first one right after it endend.) The adult mind will probably question a lot of stuff that happens in this that you're just supposed to accept. Basically, the movie doesn't stand out when compared to a lot of its animated brethren and definitely won't have much of a multi-generational crossover.

But the kids, especially the fans of the show, will probably like this. A lot of this feels right up a child's ally. The film definitely has an old school family comic strip feel to it. The various sisters and other characters amuse with their unique quirks, especially the baby Lily (voiced by Grey Griffin) who is frankly an adorable, spirited girl. I also rather liked a new character in this, Angus (voiced by Doctor Who/Broadchurch's David Tennant), the guy who introduces the Louds to the town and its lore. He's just really nice and supportive.

I wouldn't say the animation is big budget theatrical quality, but it definitely feels that the animation is a step above show quality. Going back to the comic strip comparison, the design also really has that feel, and I rather like the line work in this.

I can't recommend this to any adults (it's one of those kids films that will be forgotten amongst all the other ones out there), nor is it something a parent might want to pay attention to when their kids have it on. But, I don't think it'll drive parents crazy. It's a child-pleaser and in that regards I think it succeeds.

The Night House

6.5/10

In The Night House, Beth (played by Godzilla vs. Kong/Iron Man 3's Rebecca Hall) is dealing with her husband's death, and soon weird, creepy stuff starts happening at their house.

This is one of those movies that is competently made but is unable to quite make the landing. The basic gist of the story is fairly good. I appreciate that this movie looks like it's doing something that has been done before in other films but manages to shake things up a bit. The third act really works and the ending leaves an impression. Plus, there is some really next-level haunting imagery, some of the best I've seen in a while. 

Buuuuuutttt... The first two acts are too slow. This is an hour and forty-eight minutes, but feels a lot longer. Much of this is Beth investigating her husband and the house and occasionally discussing things with others. These sort of investigative-type movies can work (What Lies Beneath being a good example), but they have to be paced well or at least do things in an attention-keeping manner. This lacks that. There are also moments where the dialogue doesn't feel natural. I know Beth is suffering from grief, pain, and depression, but man does the script make her MEGA touchy and combative at times. Though, I got to give Rebecca Hall credit: she does a good job of making the character work and elevating the dialogue.

In fact, the whole cast does a surprisingly good job with what they had to work with. The best performance may be Chicago Hope's Vondie Curtis-Hall as a concerned neighbor of Beth.

This is not a must-see, but the when the movie works, it really works and like I said there's some great imagery in this. I can see some people getting a higher mileage out of this than I.

The Suicide Squad

 

9.5/10

In this sorta sequel/sorta reboot to 2016's Suicide Squad (yeah, I don't know why they didn't just use a subtitle to differentiate the two,) stone cold government operative Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis), sends Task Force X, a black ops team comprised mostly of arrested supervillains, to the island nation of Corto Maltese in order to take out a dangerous project it possesses.

This was just excellent viewing. It's directed and written by James Gunn, who did the Guardians of the Galaxy, and it really has that magic touch he had there but in an R-rated format. What unfolds is just a well-told tale that combines dark humor and quirky characters who become surprisingly relatable for a bunch of crooks. Really, this feels like a love letter to DC Comics' B- through C-list villains, basically characters you'd never think would make the live action theatrical films. Of all the MCU directors/screenwriters, Gunn probably played the most fast and loose when it came to consistency with characters' comics origins. He does this again to perhaps better affect, as he takes characters that don't have a fan base, so he can change their history or other aspects in order to create more moving backstories or interesting characteristics.     

Gunn definitely improves upon the first Suicide Squad movie. (Yeah, yeah, I know that one suffered from heavy studio interference and a director's cut would most likely be stronger, but director David Ayer is a victim of his constrictive "make it about the streets" wheelhouse and stuff like gangster Joker and stereotypically black Killer Croc are on him). This movie is probably a relief to fans of the original comics. None of that "the team is created to take down a Superman-level threat when a lot of them aren't capable of that" plot hole. The team's going back to it's original purpose: doing secret "suicide missions" where the government can't officially be. Infiltrating a Latin American country is exactly the kind of storyline I expected and wanted. This movie does a better job of keeping you guessing as to who'll live or die (a staple of the comic). Also, this movie features Amanda Waller's support crew, a staple of Ostrander's seminal run. They add a little bit of humor and more of a human element to contrast with Waller's cold approach.     

This movie also doesn't make you care that a couple elements are recycled from the last film: a certain villain type and the fact that the mercenary Bloodsport (Idris Elba) has a daughter, just like the mercenary Deadshot in the last film. I excuse the whole daughter reuse thing because it's done a lot better here and Elba does a greater job than Will Smith, and that's not a knock to Will Smith, he was good in the last one. (Also, in regards to the redo, the grapevine is that the role was originally written for Deadshot, but Smith was unavailable and they decided not to recast the character in case Smith returned for a future project.) 

The Suicide Squad definitely earns it's R rating. Action and violence fans will appreciate the extents Gunn goes to. However, he also knows less is more, it's paced pretty well, never feeling like overkill. 

Visually this whole thing looks good with one playfully dark scene that will particularly stick in your mind. Costumes and appearances fit the comics while working well in live action. (I'm especially impressed they managed to make Peacemaker's costume, a design that screams "I was created in the sixties and am not practical, work.) Harley has her best outfits in this. 

The movie does a remarkably fantastic job of juggling a huge cast, letting all the characters have a chance to shine. Though, there are two parts in this that felt like a scene got cut, but they're minor situations and not dealbreakers. 

Really great cast. Unfortunately, there isn't enough time to go into all the characters here. Gotta say the Peacemaker (John Cena), a soldier who kills A LOT in the name of peace, is my favorite of the new faces. Harley Quinn's scenes and Robbie's performance is/are the best to date. If you're afraid of the character being overused, it isn't yet. I know a lot of people are loving King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), sort of the Groot of this film, but personally, I think he may be the weakest element. I know he's fun, but what with his limited vocabulary and goals, I find him the least interesting and he takes up time that could've been better used elsewhere.

Highly recommended, unless you're just not a fan of R-rated movies or antiheroes in general. Gunn brings two hours and twelve minutes of just well-crafted cinema. If you didn't like the first one, you should still give this a shot.

Free Guy

 

8/10

In Free Guy, the titular Guy (played by Ryan Reynolds) is an NPC (non-playable character) in a Grand Theft Auto-esque sandbox game where he and his kind don't realize they are video game characters and the players rule the land bringing constant destruction. Guy starts to change and goes outside his daily routine when he becomes infatuated with player Molotov Girl (Killing Eve's Jodie Comer).  

The story to this turned out to be a lot better than the commercials would have you think. I'm not saying this is a perfect movie, but there's an unexpected depth to this supposedly light comedy, particularly in the third act. There is a surprising amount of character work and effort put into the human world side of things. The world building for the video game is pretty well thought out and inventive at times. The movie manages to pay homage to sandbox games while giving the story room to breathe. (Congratulations to director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum/The Pink Panther remake/Real Steel) for making a comeback after not having directed a theatrical film since 2014).   

The humor can be hit-and-miss. There are a few pretty funny moments, but this is one of those films that work more based on it's general good-nature feel than a lot of memorable moments. I think the movie does suffer from giving Guy and his best friend Buddy (Lil Rel Howery), especially Buddy, I mean like rapid fire. It can be a little exhausting at times. (Especially Buddy! He won't stop with the jokes!) Also, Guy's crush at the beginning may feels a little too stalkerish and slightly uncomfortable.

Reynolds and Howery are both funny guys, and Reynolds in particular sells his character, but they also lean too much into the joke overload rather than reigning it in. 

Comer delivers a stronger performance than you'd guess from the trailers. The character has more going on than just being a love interest. Props should also be given to Taika Waititi as the villain, scummy, corporate bro Antoine. Again from the trailer, I feared he'd be a little one note, and yeah the character plays out kinda like you'd think, but Waititi brings an energy that makes the character work.  

Recommended, despite my criticisms this is an overall enjoyable and rather original film.

Loki- Season 1

Note: Contains a reference that may be considered a vague sorta spoiler if you haven't seen Avengers Endgame.

9/10

In Loki on Disney+, the events of Avengers Endgame have resulted in a separate timeline. This one's Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) is arrested by the TVA, time cops, for going against the timeline and finds himself recruited to fight a bigger foe.

This is a wondrously weird and creative show. Tt has kind of a Terry Gilliam feel to it. Loki finds himself running into several fantastical and intriguing situations and concepts. It's also kinda like WandaVision in that there are many mysteries and twists and turns. 

Although time authorities have been done before, the TVA manages to carve its own space. Admittedly, there are blatant comparisons to the time organization from The Umbrella Academy, especially since they both have anachronistic designs and dress codes. Still I think the two organizations do enough differently that the similarities aren't a deal killer.

Be forewarned that I didn't find the last episode as satisfying as I'd like. I didn't dislike it, but I feel there was room for improvement.

Unsurprisingly, this show titled Loki is mainly about Loki. The character has always been fun, but he always had to play second fiddle. Here the character gets to shine, and this turns out to be an incredibly strong character piece as the show goes into what makes Loki tick and his personal journey. I think we all know Loki has issues and damage, but I'm surprised how much introspection and pathos is in this. It's also kinda fun to see Loki, who's been selfish and usually pursuing his own goals and not having a lot of time to interact with people, thrown into other people's plans and conflicts and seeing him try to adapt to these situations. (Basically if you're tired of people falling for his tricks ALL the time, you'll be pleased with the change of pace here.) Hiddleston's performance has always been what made the character popular, and man does he really nail the character here but in a new way.

However, I think the show spends too much time on the title character than it really needs. You can only see Loki do Loki stuff and say Loki things for so long. The cast is smaller than WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which admittedly allows the story to be more focused, but I think the supporting characters could've had more to do. Loki's intelligence and strength does seem to vary drastically based on the situation. The show also has a nasty habit of putting Loki through the wringer, throwing heavy thing after heavy thing onto him, and it gets exhausting.

Going back to the characters, we've got some great casting. Owen Wilson is in this as TVA investigator Mobius and he brings a nice chain of pace from what he usually does. The character is a smart, level-headed, and nice guy, plus a solid foil for Loki. Mobius kind of serves as an audience surrogate, knowing all of Loki's tricks and exactly what makes him tick. The two of them got a good odd couple buddy cop thing going on.  

The show looks great. Of the recent MCU shows, this is the most theatrical looking. The show really outdid itself with all the different places Loki visits. The design for the TVA headquarters is really, really impressive (especially the exterior). Though, the low lighting and monotone color scheme of the place does get on my nerves a little. The costume design is also really good, again being pretty diverse.

Highly recommended. I did prefer Wandavision and F&tWS. The show doesn't feel quiiiiite as solidly put together and like I said it tries a little too hard to be dramatic. Could've lightened things up a little. Still, compared to a lot of the shows out there there, it's surpasses a lot of them. Very entertaining.

Jungle Cruise

 

8.5/10

In this new Disney movie base on the theme park attraction of the same name, archaeologist and explorer Lily Houghton (played by Emily Blunt) hires down-on-his-luck boat captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to travel down a South American river in search of a legendary petal with miraculous healing capabilities.

This movie recycles stuff. Frank, Lily, and her brother MacGregor (played by Jack Whitehall) are pretty much the Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan characters from The Mummy. Lily's talented-woman-defying-the-old-timey-patriarchy character is very by-the-numbers. Plus, the supernatural villains in this really are the jungle equivalents of Davey Jones' fish-people crew from the second and third pirates of the Caribbean movies. 

That all having been said, this is still a very entertaining and well-made generic action story. I think that Disney tied to course correct from some of their past live action films (the PoC sequels, Tomorrowland, The Lone Ranger, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and John Carter), which felt too story heavy or taking themselves too seriously. Jungle Cruise adds more humor to the proceedings and really tries to be more of a family adventure. The script does a surprisingly good job of juggling the leads and two sets of villains without making the film feel bloated. The backstory is given a little more thought than expected, especially when it comes to the conquistador storyline.

For fans of the original ride, the movie manages to organically include references. A rather good idea is having Frank be a fan of bad jokes, making him a stand-in for the tour guides from the ride.  

This was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, whose filmography has mostly been horror or Liam Neeson action thrillers (seriously, like a lot of Neeson). This is his first attempt at a family film or a mega budget popcorn adventure, and he really pulls it off without a hitch. The editing can be a bit quick, but overall this is a very good-looking movie. Really captures the "classic jungle adventure" feel. 

Though playing predictable characters, the two leads deliver fine performances. (Spoiler alert: The Rock is charming.) Jesse Plemmons gives a great performance as the villain Prince Joachim. He plays a character who can both be comedic in his eccentricities but also manages to be a clever and capable foe. Really, acting's good all across the board here.

Highly recommended. The movie might be playing it safe, but it's lots of fun and feels the closest to recapturing the magic of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.