Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

 

7.5/10

In what is considered the last film in the DCEU, Aquaman/Arthur Curry (played by Jason Momoa) is now the king of Atlantis and has to juggle between that position and as a family man. Soon, all that Aquaman holds dear is threatened when his vengeful nemesis Black Manta (the 2021 Candyman's Yahya Abdul Mateen II) returns with a dangerous new weapon and plot. In order to track him down, Aquman must recruit Orm (Insidious/The Conjuring's Patrick Wilson), the villain of the first film and Aquaman's half brother.

I feel that the DCEU is gonna out on at least a decent note. There is nothing about AatLC that breaks the mold, but it is a fun ride. Got some decent jokes in this and entertaining sci-fi/fantasy fight scenes. The best part of this is the depiction of Atlantis/the underwater world in general. The design looks really eye-catching.

The last film focused on a lot of drama about the court/royalty-side of Atlantis. There was all this backstory about Aquaman and setup for the whole kingdoms of the ocean that it did feel a little bloated and soap opera-ish. I like that this film is leaner and focuses more on the adventure. However, this movie did not need to be so long. A lot of the story is Aquaman and Orm pursuing Black Manta to a location, fight a threat and rinse and repeat.

The core of this is Aquman's relationship with Orm. They work well off of each other with Aquaman being a chill jokester and Orm being the uptight but intelligent one. Though Orm was a straight up #$@! who wants Aqua Man defeated in the last film, he was given enough dimension to show why he was the way he was, and this film does a good job of bridging that gap to where he's working with his half-brother. (In fact, the two movies flow into each other really cohesively. Unlike the Shazam sequel, this actually pays off the previous setup.) Orm's seen his dreams and expectations destroyed, so he is still arrogant but more accessible and since his actions, though twisted, were for protecting his kingdom, his ability to see the bigger picture makes working his half-brother seem reasonable. That having been said, it does feel questionable of the filmmakers to try to freshen up Orm's image considering that he's killed many innocents.

Fresh off the Boat's Randall Park has the honor of being one of the most entertaining performances in both the Marvel films and the DC films as Dr. Stephen Shin, a scientist forced to work with Black Manta and constantly worried about what he is doing. He brings the perfect combo of humor and humanity.

I did miss the chemistry between Aquaman and his love interest Mera (Amber Heard). She's barely in this, and it feels like they basically substituted Orm for her as someone more serious to work off of Aquaman. Director James Wan claims the story was always going to focus on the brothers, but considering the recent controversy about Heard, one cannot but feel that there is a different reason for her absence. If the latter is true, one cannot wonder if they couldn't have just recast.

Recommended. AatLK a good time-waster and popcorn film. 

Doctor Who- 60th anniversary special trilogy and Christmas special

9/10

For the start of Doctor Who's move to Disney+, we get a trilogy of specials for the 60th anniversary of the show and a Christmas special. In the trilogy, the Doctor has surprisingly not regenerated into a new form but into a previous one, his Tenth (played by David Tennant). He ends up running into his old companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) which places her in danger again. The two end up going against three threats. Then, we get the debut of the new 15th Doctor (Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa) who will be helming DW's upcoming season. In his Xmas special, The Church on Ruby Road the Doctor goes up against baby-napping goblins.

Russell T. Davies, the creator of the recent DW and show runner of the first four seasons is back. When he originally left, I was okay with it and ready to give the next guy a chance. Davies could be silly/childish, maybe have the Doctor be a little too emotional at times, and throw too many ideas into one episode. However, I realized I took Davies for granted and didn't appreciate what I had with him. Davies understood this was a show for the young and old and though death always follows the Doctor, this is a show about hope. The other show runners forgot that and could forget the human element or go too dark and/or nihilistic. 

The human element definitely feels back here. Donna's married now, and it's been so long that we've seen her that she's now got a daughter Rose (Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney). It used to bug me that every companion had to have a full family attached, but I realized this keeps them grounded, and I missed the feeling of family that Davies effortlessly brought. I particularly realized how much I missed the Noble family in general. Tate hasn't missed a beat as the sharp-tongued Donna, and Jacqueline King as her mother Sylvia is very watchable when you see her in her protective mode and her sheer dislike of putting up with another of the Doctor's adventures. The Doctor generally cared for Donna and her grandfather, and his reactions to reuniting with the Nobles feels really pure here. Tennant and Tate have still got it and they work off of each other so well.

Though the specials of the new Who are a resetting of the tone, Davies doesn't brush aside previous show runners' decisions (including those two very controversial decisions from last season) under the rug and does a surprisingly good job of running with them. The whole crux of these specials is Tennant's Doctor dealing with his baggage in a surprisingly meaningful and emotional way. 

The humor of the early years is back and it is infectious.

As for the three specials themselves: The first is just a fun adventure in Davies' vein of DW. The second is one of the "ominous threat" style of episodes. If you love those, you'll like this as it's very well done. The second is a big finale and is an excellent combo of heart, grandeur, and scares. Not to mention that this has one of the best villains/villain performances in the entire show. That third episode is simply one of the most satisfying finales in the history of DW.

Now to the Xmas special. Only one episode in and I'm already liking Ncuti. He's more of an openly high energy life-loving/good-natured style of Doctor. His new companion is Ruby Sunday (Coronation Street's Millie Gibson). I do fear we may have some companion fatigue as her persona does feel a little derivative of previous companions. That having been said, Gibson does ain't too shabby in the part, especially when she's being enthusiastic.

The special isn't as fun as the last three, but it still makes for a solid episode. The goblins make for silly but still threatening foes.

What all four specials have in common are improved special effects due to the show's deal with Disney+. Yeah, the recent seasons have been looking pretty good for British television budgets, but the effects are at another level here. There is a whimsical splendor to some of the sets/digital backgrounds here.

Highly recommended. The 60th specials in particular are must see and the third may be one of the best in the show's history. If you once loved DW but lost interest after Davies left, you may want to return, because what you originally loved about the show is back.

Hamster and Gretel- Season 1

8.5/10

In this new Disney Channel cartoon from Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire, elementary school-aged girl Gretel (voiced by Povenmire's daughter Melissa) and her hamster Hamster (SNL alumni Beck Bennett) are granted superpowers by aliens and become superheroes. Meanwhile, Gretel's brother Kevin (Love, Victor's Michael Cimino), who was standing right there and got diddly squat, ends up in the thankless job of being the guy in the chair and trying to coral his young and impetuous sister.

If you've seen P&F or Milo Murphy's Law, it's the same kind of humor. Stuff that's clever enough for adults and goofy enough for children. What we get is a bunch of varied and enjoyable villains of the week, who are a fun bunch with goofy gimmicks. Though the episodes are mostly self-contained, the show does a decent job of building the world upon existing characters (I thought the villain Professor Exclamation (MadTV veteran and prolific voice actor Phil LaMarr) was a little one note at first, but he and his single-minded inability to be chill and get over his tragic origin (which is kinda silly) got sorta interesting to watch.)

The three main characters make the show. Kevin is a solid straight man/fall guy who has to deal with helping his sister amongst the various insanity thrown at her There's something about Gretel that's just so darn contagiously optimistic. At first I thought Melissa's casting was just a case of nepotism, but her voice really grew on me. It's got a unique quality. Funniest character hands down is Hamster. He's the one who's surprisingly cool and laid back. Bennet's naturally deep tone is accentuated here and he manages to make delivery that is always in the same tone be consistently funny. Originally the writers had him as a guy of few word like P&F's Ferb, but I think they quickly realized what a personality expert one-liner they had on their hands.

Highly recommended. Show is just fun. On the Povenmire scale, it's below P&F and above Milo Murphy's Law.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

7/10

In this Netflix sequel to the popular 2000 claymation film, the chickens are living a happy existence away from man but now must deal with an ominous new modern chicken farm being built nearby.

At the very beginning I was a little hesitant. The plot's bones felt a little predictable with the story being the chickens breaking into a chicken farm instead of out of it (they even state the obvious fact in the movie) and there being a subplot of a child and parent at odds and having to understand each other. Luckily, the predictability didn't become an issue once we get to the farm. DotN feels like it's from a 70's dystopian sci-fi film if it was made for kids. What happens in the fortress is dark but hidden under an extravagant/colorful facade, and how they contain the chickens is a little freaky. If you miss the "dark" children's films from yesteryear than this might be for you.

The movie is fairly entertaining. The humor is mild but there are a few good moments, including one joke that is pure genius.

Since this is an Aardman film, the claymation looks great. Everything is colorful and all the characters have distinct body shapes to them. Visually the cinematography is active and feels like how'd you shoot a live-action film. (The intro to the main villain is so well paced with its build up.)

Recommended. Not saying this is the best kids movie ever, but it is something your children may have fun with and the captured chicken scenes really stand out.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

9.5/10

In the newest Super Mario 2D platformer, Mario, Luigi and friends are visiting the Flower Kingdom. The wicked Bowser swoops in, steals one of the realm's Wonder Flowers and uses it to merge with the castle of Prince Florian to become a giant, floating castle being. It is up to the heroes to stop him.

The creators of this clearly heard the criticism about the last four 2D Mario platformers, the New Super Mario Bros. series. The games were all fun (yes, in my opinion even NSMB2; I liked the focus on coins, what can I say), but they'd gotten repetitive and for a franchise known for creativity and reinventing itself had played it a little too safe. (I like the Koopalings as much as the next person, but their attacks have gotten a bit repetitive.) I'm pleased to say that wonder brings us back to the days when the Mario games would take a wild new swing. 

Gameplay feels innovative with multiple new game mechanics ideas that are fun and addictive. The biggest innovation in this are the wonder flowers. They appear or are hidden in all regular levels; touch one and the level radically changes in constantly new weird and wonderful ways. Unfortunately, the game still uses the flag pole goal. I remember when Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario World had different styles of goals, and I'm so tired of being stuck with the same boring goal over and over and over.

Super Mario World has always been knoen for how interconnected the entire map was and the various hidden routes. Sadly after that, Nintendo was never that ambitious with the game maps. Finally, we've got a game that tries to recapture that magic. It's still second to SMW, but Wonder really tries to shake things up. There are various and hidden levels and different ways for accessing them.  

Never before have we been able to play so many Mario characters in one game (twelve if I'm remembering correctly). One can play Princess Daisy for the first time in a main Mario game (previously she's only been available in the Mario Party and sports games). For younger kids (or people who are fed up with the harder special levels), you can play a Yoshi or Nabbit, who don't take any damage. However, they can't use power-ups either.

The game comes up with multiple inventive new villain ideas while breathing new life into old villains, such as Koopa Troopas on roller blades. Unfortunately, one of the games' few weaknesses is the sheer lack of boss battles and variations of said battles. Some worlds don't have any boss battles at all and the ones that do exist with the exception of the final battle with Bowser are all Bowser Jr. To the BJ battles' credit, the Wonder Flower powers make all of them different and a breath of fresh air from all old school shelled Koopa boss/mini-boss fights, but I still wanted more variety. There is also one mini-boss in this and it may be the easiest, most lackluster one in Mario history.

The game's other weak spot is the power ups. None of them are bad, but they don't have the special zing that some previous types did. The elephant power-up has been the new big power up associated with this game that's in all the advertising. However, though a fun design that feels unique for the series, it feels like a retread of the rhino and elephant from the Donkey Kong Country games. Being able to whack bad guys and shoot water (which has limited range) isn't as involving as you'd think. Also, this is the first Mario 2D platformer in a while where you don't have the ability to fly. On the other, hand I wasn't much impressed with the bubble power up at first, because I wondered why we needed another projectile power when we already have the fire flower power up. I was pleased to be proven wrong as its range and damage amount was surprisingly different.

Ironically, the better powers don't come from the regular power-ups. Wonder Flowers may temporarily change Mario and company's shapes in brief game segments that are more fun to play and control. For the first time, we got a Mario game with an equipment feature. You can earn or purchase various badges which grant special enhancements like the ability to float or jump higher. You can only use one at a time, and I like the strategy aspect this gives you. I also found some of the badges to be very helpful. However, there are clearly a few that are truly useful and many that aren't so much. There are several badges that force you to be constantly in motion. How is that useful unless you want to challenge yourself?

Visually, there was an obvious effort to reinvent the look of Mario. Flower Land has a unique look to it with charming and colorful backgrounds. I've never seen a Mario game with such personality to it either. The game has a cartoony feel with a greater emphasis on animation details, like Mario grabbing his hat when entering a pipe or the expressions on Goomba's faces.

Highly recommended. The best 2D Mario platformer in decades and a very fun time.

Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas

7.5/10 

Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham hosts this Apple+ musical Christmas special in front of an audience.

Wouldn't have thought of Waddingham hosting one of these but in retrospect she's a perfect choice. She seems genuinely happy to be there, has her trademark presence and liveliness, and it turns out has a wonderful singing voice.

Accompanying her a are a bunch of talented singers and dancers that make this a solid special, albeit one that doesn't do anything to break the mold. Several TL cast members are in this (surprised they're not calling this the Ted Lasso Christmas Special). It's nice to see them, but the one weak point to this is the obviously pre-filmed sections they feel they have to do with some of the cast. They're not that entertaining and feel like they're just there to fill up time.

Recommended. Nothing complex, but makes for a fun quick viewing that works for when the family is deciding what to watch or to have something in the background.

Wish

7/10

In the new Disney animated film Wish, the island kingdom of Rosa is ruled by the sorcerer king Magnifico (voiced by Chris Pine). People give him his dreams (LITERALLY) in return for him using his magic to bring them to reality someday (which he does sporadically throughout the year). Teen Asha (voiced by the West Side Story remake's Ariana DeBose) becomes disillusioned with the system and wishes upon a star for things to change. An anthropomorphic wishing star named Wish falls from the sky and helps her to make things right.

The best part about this is the story. Rather than being another adaptation of a classic fairy tale, this is a completely original story of the type, and it's a rather original idea at that. How the whole wish storage works was creative and done well, and I really gelled with the movie's emphasis on the importance of wishes. The third act is really where it comes together with an emotionally resonant climax.

However, there are flaws to the narrative. I fear this is a Fox and the Hound/Great Mouse Detective/Atlantis level Disney film and not a Frozen/Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast level one. This is one of the most exhibition heavy Disney films (at least in the first half) and parts can be a bit dry, a term you don't usually associate with Disney. The natural comedy/song flow doesn't work here. The songs pop up at unnatural times where you just want the story keep going, another thing you'd never think you'd hear about Disney. These issues do dissipate by the aforementioned third act.

The best element of the story is probably Magnifico. I think Disney got the note that people miss the classic straight-up evil/not hidden Disney villains. They give him a backstory that explains why he is the way he is, but if you're tired of all the three-dimensional/tragic villains these days, the movie doesn't lean too hard into that at all. Magnifico is portrayed as an unabashed egotist which makes him come off at times as little funny and others times as threatening or delightfully despicable. Unlike most Disney villains that want to acquire something, his whole motive is holding on to what he already has. You also see him morally descend, which is a little different for Disney baddies ('cept maybe Gaston, but he never tried to be benevolent in the first place). However, I thought his losing it s*@! felt a little too rushed. He's also, I believe, the first Disney villain since the Queen of Hearts to be married. His wife Queen Amaya (Life in Pieces' Angelique Cabral) has a solid purpose for being in this story, but I'm not loving the dialogue they gave her in this; felt weak.

Admittedly, Asha is a little in the cookie cutter vein of Disney Princess/similar female protagonists, but I felt they gave her a personality and motivation that was tailored to the scenario. DeBose did a fine job of making the character empathetic to others and determined. 

Likable supporting/comedic cast in this. Asha's talking goat Valentino (voiced by Alan Tudyk who's become a Disney movie regular for the last decade), is one of the funnier animal sidekicks (has some of the better one-liners). As always, Tudyk is great with the delivery. However, he's using the same voice he used for Clayface on Harley Quinn. If you've seen the show, it's hard not to disassociate. Asha, has a large friend group who all have distinct personalities. Going back to the pacing issues, it would have been nice if they had more screen time. 

All the credit should be given to the animators on this. Apparently this was a combination of 2D watercolor animation and 3D models in what is an impressive output. The film does look like an old-timey fairy tale illustration brought to life. The background animation is gorgeous. However, it takes a while to get used to the movie's look. The coloring is something one's unused to, and and the 3D models juxtaposed against the background don't immediately feel like they're filmed in the same place. When seeing characters from a distance, a couple times it felt like I was watching a recent Dragon Quest video game, and not a Disney movie. But again, one assimilates. The design for Wish is pretty cute and he's probably going to sell merchandise.

The songs by Ben Rice and Julia Michaels don't have the usual Disney magic. Thing is none of them are bad, but they're not memorable. (Too be fair, the villain song ain't too shabby and one of the last songs is pretty good.)

Most of the main cast are also superb singers. One thing you can't criticize about the songs is that they give DeBose the chance to show off her powerful singing voice. Pine is also a surprisingly good singer maybe not as strong as some of the others, but he manages to actually survive singing alongside DeBose.

Recommended. Yes, this isn't top tier Disney and it could've been improved, but this is still a very watchable and enjoyable Disney film. The opening box office for this wasn't great which is too bad because the animators and writers really put a lot of heart into this.