The LEGO Ninjago Movie: DVD Review

The LEGO Ninjago Movie: DVD Review

Vocal cast: Jackie Chan, Dave Franco, Fred Armisen, Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Justin Theroux
Director: Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher

Those unfamiliar with the Lego Ninjago World aren't likely to be too left behind with this film that pushes the blocky zaniness as much as it pushes the paternal message.

While the Lego movie and Lego Batman movie concentrated largely on the zanier antics, this latest follows the Ninjago team as they continue to fight Lord Garmadon (Theroux) who's determined to conquer their metropolis.

Standing in their way of doing this though, is Lloyd (Franco), aka the Green Ninja, whose life has been ruined by Garmadon in more ways than one - because Garmadon is his father.

When the threat becomes too real, Lloyd, along with fellow ninjas and their grand Master Wu (Jackie Chan) are forced on a quest to try and save the city from the ultimate weapon.

Whereas the prior Lego movies have offered strong stories with doses of zaniness, it has to be said The LEGO Ninjago Movie doesn't differ too much from the formula, treads a lot of familiar ground and consequently does offer up a film of diminishing returns, feeling like the weaker of the recent releases in terms of story ideas, but not pace.

That's not to say its target youngster audience won't enjoy the story and the animation, but the attempts to shoehorn in the message veer dangerously close to brow-beating and crowbarring it in as the film heads towards its conclusion.

The story-within-a-story premise works well and Chan's certainly got the heart to carry it off, but in between the humiliations for Lloyd as he deals with his past and the fact everyone knows his dad is the Worst Guy Ever, there's a feeling perhaps that some of the story's nowhere near as strong as it could be to carry the film through its run time.

Elements of Joe Vs The Volcano creep in toward the end as the sentimental starts to edge in, and the meta touches this time around are kept to a minimum, giving the feeling the film is overall fine, but lacks some of the edge that was pioneered by 2014's Lego Movie under the helmsmanship of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

With school holidays on the way, it's not that The LEGO Ninjago Movie is a weaker prospect at all, merely a feeling that adults in the audience may feel a little restless while the younger ones enjoy what's transpiring. L-loyd (as his father continually refers to him as) needs to bring a few more l-laughs to the table for the film to have been able to hit all levels.

There's nothing inherently wrong with The LEGO Ninjago Movie, it offers solid blocks of fun here and there and the dad bonding message is a good one to hammer home.

But it has to be said, despite the strong single narrative of Lloyd and his dad Garmadon and when compared to previous blocky outings, it feels like there's unfortunately little else fleshing out the story to make it a truly transcendant experience.

Pitch Perfect 3: Film Review

Pitch Perfect 3: Film Review

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, DJ Khaled, Brittany Snow, John Lithgow
Director: Trish Sie

It's the pitches final call in this latest, aimed squarely at the fans and those who tolerated and enjoyed the Barden Bellas' last two outings.

This time around, with the threads of a story stretched perhaps as far as they could go, the Bellas return for their final tour.

After leaving the singing with the next generation of young things in the previous film, the girls reunite to take part in a US Army tour after deciding being grown up and having jobs is not as much fun as they thought it would be.

But their quest to secure the opening spot for a DJ Khaled set sees them forced to compete with other bands (including one led by Ruby Rose) who have electrical instruments.
And things are further complicated when Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy finds her dad (John Lithgow, complete with atrocious Aussie accent) showing up after years in absentia...

Mixing meta touches and some nods to their previous outings, including a hilarious dissing of Cups, Pitch Perfect 3 isn't exactly tone deaf, but does struggle to hit some of the narrative notes it needs.

Primarily, it's in the narrative flow, which seems to be hit by things randomly happening for no good reason and suddenly without warning.

In places, this causes the film to jar and judder around and quite noticeably so.

But given its 90 minute run time and the reason for the film's existence is to farewell the girls and give everything one last go-around, it generally fulfills that rather than greatly challenging it.

Kendrick's easy-going charm comes through again, though Becca's hardly bothered with story, with much of the third film feeling like a repeat of the arc of her character's first film; and later in the film, Pitch Perfect 3 very much becomes the Rebel Wilson show, with Fat Amy stealing the lion's share of the spotlight and the gags as well.

Mostly, this feels like a 'Now That's What I Call Pitch Perfect' as we bounce from one rendition of a song to another (certainly, Ruby Rose's sneering is kept to a minimum and her once-over lightly character's relatively underwritten), but it has to be said that director Trish Sie, who directed OK Go's infamous 'Here It Goes Again' treadmill video, imbues the musical numbers with a great deal of urgency and vitality.

Ultimately, Pitch Perfect 3 has a finality to it, and while it's a shame that, outside of a flimsy father-comes-home and mish-mash of Britney's Toxic video in terms of spy antics and song, it does little more to challenge its audience outside of its genial preppy outlook.

But at the end of the day, the target market and those who truly enjoy the Bellas and their choreographed shenanigans and songs won't be bothered by the odd bum notes which land throughout.

Pitch Perfect 3 hits New Zealand cinemas on January 1st.

Mortal Engines - Official Teaser Trailer

Mortal Engines - Official Teaser Trailer

It's here - your first look at Mortal Engines!

 Here is the official teaser trailer for Mortal Engines, ahead of its release on December 13^th 2018

CAST & CREW

Director: Christian Rivers (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy)

Produced by: Sir Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Zane Weiner, Amanda Walker, Deborah Forte

Written by: Sir Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens

Cast: Robert Sheehan (Misfits), Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings), Ronan Raftery (Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them), Hera Hilmar, Leila George

SYNOPSIS

Thousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved.  Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns.  Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan)—who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London—finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar).  Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.  

Mortal Engines is the startling, new epic adventure directed by Oscar^®-winning visual-effects artist Christian Rivers (King Kong).  Joining Rivers are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies three-time Academy Award^®-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who have penned the screenplay.  The Universal and MRC adaptation is from the award-winning book series by Philip Reeve, published in 2001 by Scholastic. 

On board as producers are Zane Weiner (The Hobbit trilogy), Amanda Walker (The Hobbit trilogy) and Deborah Forte (Goosebumps), as well as Walsh and Jackson.  Ken Kamins (The Hobbit trilogy) joins Boyens as executive producer. Universal will distribute the film worldwide. 

The Florida Project: Film Review

The Florida Project: Film Review

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Caleb Landry Jones, Macon Blair
Director: Sean Baker

Film-maker Sean Baker has always found the camaraderie in verite.

Whether it's the friendship between Dree Hemingway's 21 year old and elderly Sadie in Starlet or the bond between those screeching on the street in Tangerine, the reality of friendships, along with their ebbs and flows, have been central to his catalogue.

Expanding that out for The Florida Project, Baker widens his view to the residents of a crummy motel run by Willem Dafoe's patient and paternal Bobby.

The purple motel sits near Orlando's Disney World, its hint of promise and dreams so close by - a place where the rich and families go to fulfill their dreams and inhabit an escapist world of fantasy.

But for the residents of said purple pastel motel escapism is also on their minds - but their form of escapism is to hope for an end to a desperate scrabble for money and to ensure their motel rent is paid.

It's into this world that Baker thrusts us - but from the viewpoint of a clutch of rambunctious kids who hurtle around the motel and its nearby tourist haunts with varying degrees of boredom.

Whether it's conning those visiting the local vendors for ice cream money (because they claim, they have asthma and the doctor's ordered it) or playing in the motel and turning off the power, their lives are about the freedom of escapism, the pursuit of naivete, unaware of the cruelties of the world around them.

Chief among these is Moonee (breakout star Brooklynn Prince, both vulnerable and brassy and up there with Beasts Of The Southern Wild's child actor Quvenzhané Wallis) whose mother Halley (Bria Vinaite, discovered on Instagram by Baker) is scaling the walls of desperation to feed her child and earn money.

While more a freewheeling tale than a specifically strong narrative story, The Florida Project's exploration of the socio-economic damage done in America is as compelling as it is depressingly vibrant.

With a young cast of unknown actors filling out the leads more than admirably thanks to their natural performances, the film's strength comes from its trajectory of uncertainty. There are moments you can see what's coming and much like most of Baker's work, there's a breaking point that pushes it all to the extreme.

There's an irony in the fact The Florida Project was the original name for Disney World and now the reality of the disparity of the wealth means motels like Bobby's are more like projects and slums - there's heartache to be had here.

Whether it's in a child being forced to leave with his dad and having to give away all his toys for space in the car, or the begging of Halley from a friend for the basics like food, the film's unflinching in its world view.

But here's the crux with The Florida Project - it's never, ever judgemental.

Baker has a way of imbuing both his characters and his situations with a sense of propriety. He swerves from judgement on actions, merely presenting the facts of any given situation and the potential devastation it could cause.

And while the ultimate ending doesn't exactly feel like it's being true to its subjects, shifting from reality to fantasy, there's a lot to love on the journey itself.

It's a crucial difference in this film-making - and while he's slowly becoming the deliverer of the less fortunate or the world less-oft glimpsed, he's also becoming their champion.

Thanks to restraint, heart and sensible heads on all, The Florida Project emerges as both a free-falling descent into reality and an ultimately inspiring and grounding eye-opener to all.

Captain Underpants movie: DVD Review

Captain Underpants movie: DVD Review

Vocal Cast: Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Kevin Hart
Director: David Soren

Based on Dave Pilkey's phenomenally successful book series, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie actually proves to be the best offering this school holiday period for those looking for a bit of inconsequential fun.

Director David Soren guides this computer-animated outing from Dreamworks into the same kind of territory as the Peanuts Movie in terms of look and feel, with the rounder animation looking squishy and enticing, and enveloping its whole outlook in a familiar and welcoming vibe.

For those unfamiliar with the Captain Underpants book series, the film centres on the inter-racial friendship of a pair of eternal school pranksters George and Harold (comedian Hart and Silicon Valley star Middleditch) and their eternal fight with their school prinicpal (Ed Helms).

When George hypnotises the principal one day into believing he's their mythical hero Captain Underpants, it all gets out of hand. And things are further complicated when a new science teacher comes in, threatening to rid the world of laughter.

Set purely on the madcap scale, with some great interludes that encompass traditional pencil animation to sock puppetry, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is only interested in providing a good time for those watching.

With poop jokes, fart noises and a noteable silliness permeating most of the run, this is actually terrifically zippy fun that skirts with zaniness as much as it tries to push a "laughter is the best medicine" mantra to all of life's ills.

While there are a few moments in the 89 minute run time that lull (predominantly when the message is rammed home a little), most of the target audience will fully get its issues of dealing with school problems, feeling alienated from any but your best friend and the daily grind and living for the weekend.

It helps the writing doesn't dwell too much on any of its more serious edges and there are always amusing moments just seconds away from what transpires. Reverence to the books helps greatly and the general desire to ensure that the audience is amused, while the hearts are occasionally hit by some solid vocal work from Hart, Helms and Middleditch.

You can't help but leave the animated Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie with a smile on your face. It's certainly enough of a success creatively to ensure that a sequel should be on the way, and while you may be uncertain to see what else could be mined a second time around, this is actually first class straight-down-the-line animated fare that deserves your time and money.

Paddington 2: Film Review

Paddington 2: Film Review

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Capaldi
Director: Paul King

Those looking for deeper meaning in Paddington 2, the sequel to the thoroughly charming first outing in 2014, could argue it's a tale of tolerance and the difference made by an immigrant in pre-Brexit Britain viewed with post-Brexit eyes.

But those looking for a familial romp, ripped and slightly bastardised from Michael Bond's original writings will also be deeply satiated too.

Loosely this magical tale, with its deft visuals and genuinely naïve Whishaw lilting vocals, concerns itself with Paddington's desire to get his Aunt Lucy the perfect birthday present.

Settling on a pop-up book in the local antiques shop, the bear takes a series of jobs to obtain the right amount of cash.

But when he sees the book stolen one night, he's framed for the crime he didn't commit, jailed and left hoping the Brown family can save the day.

It's easy to dismiss the likes of Paddington in the cynical CGI world we currently live in, but the fact that it takes the simple things and does them well is very much to the film's credit and definitely not to its detriment.

With its raft of cameos (perhaps more familiar to British audiences than international ones) and its simple tale brilliantly executed, it's the ultimate family fare in more ways than one.

There's a great heart to Paddington 2 - and the director's smart enough to ensure that there are plenty of laughs as well.

From pratfalling Paddington (channeling his very best CGI Chaplin in early scenes) to Brendan Gleeson gleefully delivering lines that are amusingly written and fall shy of stereotypes, there's a feel-good air which permeates Paddington 2 and makes it thoroughly charismatic.

As well as Whishaw's heartfelt delivery of the innocent bear's lines, much of the credit has to go to Hugh Grant, the villain of the piece. Playing a luvvie who's fallen from grace, and who's got a tendency to drop into other characters at the drop of a hat, Grant's deft delivery and definitively hammy (but not overly so)'s Phoenix Buchanan is as much a villain as a misunderstood hero.

Throughout, Paddington 2 treads a fine line between reverence and going its own way - it's to King's credit that it all emerges and blurs into one generally well-intentioned final product. It may be sentimental in many ways, but Paddington 2's view of a fantasy Britain where everyone gets along has both a basis in reality and the dreamworld.

Ultimately, Paddington 2 is perfect family holiday entertainment.

Bathed in a warm glow of fun, with a generous helping of holiday heart, this bear is likely to offer you a big cinematic hug from beginning to end.

Wonder: Film Review

Wonder: Film Review

Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin
Director: Stephen Chbosky

That Wonder's desire is solely aimed at feel good fare is easy to scoff at.

In the adaptation of RJ Palacio's book of the same name, Room's Jacob Tremblay plays Auggie, a young boy with a congenital condition that has necessitated 27 surgeries and still left him scarred.

Living life under an astronaut's helmet, Auggie, despite protestations, is joining his local school at the cautious urging of his parents (played with empathy, warmth and heart by Roberts and Wilson).

Trepidacious at what lies ahead, Auggie's journey begins.

Wonder is occasionally nothing more than a series of perfectly timed sentiment bombs, each calculated to detonate with maximum impact.

From time to time, it's easy to be cynical about their deployment and to dismiss the mawkishness that lurks below the surface.

Much like Mask, but distinctly lacking the same edge, Wonder, with its Star Wars predilection, has much to say about tolerance and acceptance. Auggie becomes a mirror for those to be what they want to be and to face their own fears.

Tremblay delivers a subtle turn that falls on cutesy sometimes but also reveals the frustrations of life within. Much more potential is shown to those who inhabit and orbit his world - but only some of it is explored in his sister, Via (Vidovic) whose life is pushed to the edges by Auggie's constant attention.

But, and unfortunately so, Wonder is not interested in bringing edge to the drama. 

Consequently it can at times feel a little shallow and undeveloped as it seeks never to fully blame and push only positives in its bullying message. Everyone is a victim in some shape or other, and while the message's reason is that everyone has a story to tell, it does feel like a bit of a cop-out at times.

That message of tolerance may be important and a vital one to send to its audience in the times we live in but it doesn't always make for coherent drama. There is a feeling as the film chops and changes between varying narratives that not all of what happens feels as developed as could be, and certainly it's a crying shame given the insights that are given into different characters.

That said, all the themes of Wonder are admirable ones - themes of friendship, trust, living life, dealing with and to bullies, all very beneficial messages to get across. And while the mantra of Choosing Kind is also a good one and one occasionally overlooked, Wonder's power emerges from the smaller moments rather than the overly-milked mawkish ones.

It's easy to be cynical in the face of films like this, but Wonder's conviction and desire to hold its nerve on its course mean even the toughest of hearts may find tears emerging when least expected - and even when every emotional moment is signposted and mined for all it can be.