Tag Archives: Comedy

Matilda the Musical (2022)

19 Wednesday Apr 2023

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(Yes, I missed another day, but I’m back on the horse. For Day 18 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for an abecedarian poem that follows the alphabet. Considering this musical has its own alphabet-themed song, it seemed like a good match.)

Apparently, you shouldn’t
Be a
Cruel and callous
Devotee of over-
Eager punishment
For one
Good cause:
Humanity.
If everyone was
Just and
Kind and
Listened as they spoke their
Mind, then maybe
No one would
Opine the worst in
People, which they find. The
Qualms and quirks of
Roald Dahl exaggerate
Such sin and gall
To juxtapose the truly nice
Up against the common
Vice.
Would you prefer a genial and
Xenial largesse? Or
Yield to yet another yoke of
Zealous nastiness?
___________________________

MPA rating: PG

I feel blessed that, in the last few years, my awakening to a greater appreciation for musical theater has coincided with a surge in movie musicals. While 2021 had a glut of them, the more sparse 2022 ended with a long-awaited adaptation of Matilda the Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s classic book about a telekinetic girl pushing back on her abusive home and school life.

Alisha Weir plays the title character with a sweet, bookish earnestness to contrast her loud and self-absorbed parents (Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough). After years of self-learning, she is sent off to the infamous Crunchem Hall, where she catches the eye of both warmhearted Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch) and the tyrannical headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson, acting through a masculine fat suit).

I vaguely remember the 1996 movie adaptation with Mara Wilson and Danny DeVito, but it’s been long enough that I was able to enjoy this version without worrying about comparisons to the other. Of course, this one is enlivened by musical numbers, which are a sure improvement in my book. The music and lyrics by Tim Minchin are a good match for Dahl’s cartoonish reality, presented here by swinging wildly between gaudy, energetic highs and oppressively bleak lows. Matilda’s playful solo “Naughty” is a perfect summation of her character looking for small ways to rebel against the unkindness around her, while the detached number “When I Grow Up” manages to be both buoyant for young viewers and wistfully nostalgic for their elders. While the clever alphabetics of “School Song” are an early highlight for the school-size ensemble of child singers, the real standout is near the end with the showstopping “Revolting Children,” which deservingly went viral with its exuberant choreography and earworm tune.

Yet for all its good points, Matilda falls short of being one of my new favorite musicals, for reasons I can’t quite pin down. Thompson as the villainous Trunchbull is over-the-top in her abusive villainy, with so-so songs and an underwhelming exit, though much of that is baked into the character from Dahl’s book. While I enjoyed the musical numbers, even the smaller ones like Miss Honey’s emotional “My House” which showcases Lynch’s acting talent, only “Revolting Children” stood out after the credits rolled. But I suppose the main drawback is that Dahl’s style of storytelling lends itself to an abundance of obnoxiousness for the hero or heroine to overcome, and the obnoxiousness of Matilda’s parents and Miss Trunchbull is more grating than entertaining.

Maybe time will improve my opinion, and maybe I would feel different seeing this as a kid since the story is clearly aimed at children, such as the imaginative tale Matilda spins about circus performers (which does at least tie in nicely to the plot, unlike, say, the storytelling in The Breadwinner). Even if it’s not quite up there with the best, Matilda the Musical is full of magical charm and clearly a quality production with lots of passion and talent behind it. Now I think I’ll go watch “Revolting Children” for the twentieth time.

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

The Bad Guys (2022)

16 Sunday Apr 2023

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(For Day 16 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem of negation, describing something in terms of what it is not. Since the main characters of this film struggle in being reformed, I wrote up a list of what good guys don’t do.)

A good guy doesn’t rob a bank
Or overflow a septic tank
Or steal a precious, priceless gem
Or cause unwarranted mayhem.

They do not blow up oil rigs
Or feast on captive guinea pigs
Or lead police on reckless chases,
Fleeing to their secret bases.

A good guy would not live off lies
As a master of disguise,
And they should not win a game
Based on whom they kill or maim.

A truly good guy won’t consent
To hack the grid or government,
… Well, unless they have a good reason,
No, nevermind, that could be treason.

But most of all, a real good guy
Does not cheat or steal or lie,
Even if they’re unsuspected
(Not unless they’ve been elected).
____________________

MPA rating: PG

While Puss in Boots: The Last Wish got well-deserved acclaim last year, the other 2022 film from DreamWorks Animation was also a pleasant surprise. Based on an Aaron Blabey graphic novel series for children, The Bad Guys features the titular posse of menacing animals – Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Snake (Marc Maron), Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Tarantula (Awkwafina), and Shark (Craig Robinson) – whose crime spree is brought to an end after a botched heist. Yet the criminal gang is given a chance to prove they can be reformed into good guys with the help of a do-gooder guinea pig (Richard Ayoade) and a foxy governor (Zazie Beetz).

First off, as an animation fan, I thought this film’s visual style was an absolute treat! It partakes in the now-familiar fusion of 2D and 3D ushered in by Into the Spider-Verse yet uses it for a distinct comic-book look that has a delightful smoothness to it, both in character design and movement. It’s probably best not to think too hard about the world of mostly humans, a few sentient animals, and otherwise normal animals, but the main troop have a great dynamic as their unique skills complement each other during heists, particularly the inventive uses of Snake’s long body despite lacking limbs. Wolf and Governor Foxington have an amazing amount of chemistry between them, while a police chief (Alex Borstein) intent on capturing the Bad Guys has some clear parallels with Inspector Zenigata of the Lupin III series, especially during the opening car chase.

DreamWorks has made some questionable creative choices, like focusing way too much on The Boss Baby, but movies like this and Puss in Boots have reignited my interest in what they’ll do next. Puss had weightier themes, but The Bad Guys is suave, cartoonish fun, incorporating the plotting and intrigue of heist movies with a believable redemption arc that stresses responsibility and the difficulty of earning back trust. Add in a catchy song for Anthony Ramos and some thrilling action scenes, and it’s the kind of animated film I would have loved growing up. Considering DreamWorks put the main characters in their recent updated logo sequence, I’m hoping this will become a worthwhile series.

Best line: (Diane Foxington, when Wolf insists no one will accept them as good guys) “Maybe they will believe you, maybe they won’t. But it doesn’t matter. Don’t do it for them. Do it for you. This is a chance to write your own story, to find a better life for you and your friends. Come on, what have you got to lose?”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

The Sea Beast (2022)

10 Monday Apr 2023

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(For Day 10 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a sea shanty, a form I’ve had fun with before. This film seemed like an ideal match, considering it features its own tavern shanty praising its legendary sea captain.)

When out on the waters, be wary, my lad.
Don’t rest on the other adventures you’ve had.
You’re only a squatter; you’re just a nomad,
Compared with the creatures who call the sea home.

Enjoy the wide ocean, her salty sweet kiss,
And balk at the notion there’s land that you miss,
But don’t let devotion declaw the abyss.
It’s waiting to claim all ye sailors who roam.

So empty your flagons, and I’ll empty mine.
Go board your sea wagons, your ships of the line.
You know there be dragons somewhere in the brine,
But that’s where the fun is, out there on the foam.
________________________

MPA rating: PG

I am all for more animation studios throwing their hats in the ring alongside Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and Illumination, and luckily Netflix is willing to support such independent efforts. If the absence of more Pirates of the Caribbean has left you wanting for swashbuckling action, The Sea Beast aims to scratch that itch. Set in a world in which high-seas hunters pursue giant ocean monsters, the film follows brave hero Jacob Holland (Karl Urban) as he tries to help his vengeful Captain Crow (Jared Harris) to track down and kill the fabled Red Bluster, while also dealing with a precocious stowaway named Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator).

The first half of The Sea Beast is a thrilling joy. The battles against aquatic behemoths are stunningly animated, recalling the similar fight against the Kraken in Dead Man’s Chest, and their size and menace could effectively trigger some latent thalassophobia. The characterizations of Jacob and his adopted father figure Crow are well-written and engaging, while Maisie is a spunky addition to the crew and a perfect stand-in for kid viewers. It seemed to be a refreshingly fun adventure, and though I wouldn’t say it goes off the rails, the second half weighed the film down with a message far too similar to How to Train Your Dragon, revising the initial conflict to tell us most of the monsters are merely misunderstood. Though the film has some perceptive lessons about even heroes being in the wrong, as well as the danger of history being written with an agenda, I can’t help but wish that the plot had remained a straightforward man-vs-nature adventure.

The Sea Beast may have been overshadowed by the likes of Puss in Boots and Pinocchio, but it deserved its Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Despite the familiarity of many plot elements, it excels in seafaring derring-do and the charisma of its lead characters, so I look forward to what other adventures might await in a sequel.

Best line: (Jacob, of his fallen hunter predecessors) “Aye, they were heroes. But you can be a hero and still be wrong.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

10 Monday Apr 2023

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(For this Easter Sunday of NaPoWriMo, the Day 9 prompt was for a straightforward sonnet about love, which has plenty of room for exploration. I decided to explore one of the weightier themes from this superhero film with “Love” in the name.)

From modern film to Jesus on the cross,
‘Tis clear that sacrifice is love most plain,
For those who benefit feel more than loss
But flattered gratitude to ease the pain.
While many lovers may well entertain
A chance to prove their love to that extreme,
They must feel all their efforts are in vain
When death creeps in with no intent or scheme,
No bullet to prevent, no dark regime,
No clear and present danger to oppose.
What can one do when bladder, brain, bloodstream
Wreak sabotage where no mere hero goes?
Sometimes only our presence soothes the hour
When sacrifice is not within our power.
___________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

I am very forgiving when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I would defend the likes of Thor: The Dark World or Eternals when people badmouth them, and while Marvel’s overall quality does vary, I consider the brand remarkably consistent in entertainment value. Perhaps my natural affection for the MCU delayed my actual feelings for Thor: Love and Thunder, because I remember calling it a good movie when walking out of the theater last year. Yet the more I thought of it and especially after watching it again, I have to admit it:  Thor: Love and Thunder is the first Marvel film I outright dislike. That’s not an especially unusual opinion, considering its generally poor fan reception, but it’s the first time I’ve agreed with the criticisms to this extent.

There’s nothing wrong with the basic plot of the film, which aimed to reunite Chris Hemsworth’s Thor with his old girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) after her nearly decade-long absence from the franchise. Jane is suffering from stage four cancer and seeks out the broken pieces of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, which grants her the powers of Thor (as “Mighty Thor”) and heals her when in her superpowered state. The two Thors must then rescue Asgardian kids from Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a deity-hating menace plotting to eliminate all gods.

There are traces of good ideas, notably in the action scenes with Gorr, one of which is a moon-wide slugfest with eldritch creatures all rendered in black and white. Bale is unrecognizable and downright creepy in the villainous role, yet he emotes all the grief and rage of a character whose faith was shattered beyond saving. Likewise, Portman handles her emotional moments well, even if it’s ultimately sad that her character was brought back just to deepen Thor’s sense of loss.

Those few positive points indicate the issue: the film is at its best in the serious moments, which are too much of a contrast with its otherwise silly atmosphere. Considering how many films and heartaches Thor has been through, writer-director Taika Waititi seems intent on keeping him a goofball, which worked well in Ragnarok, but the constant comedy isn’t as easily sustained here (though admittedly I chuckled at the screaming goats every time). From Thor’s first big scene “saving” an alien shrine by destroying it, he doesn’t act like the veteran hero he should be by this point. That’s just one example of the film’s lack of consistency, which also affects Jane’s story, as when Mjolnir, meant to help Jane fight off the cancer, somehow ends up hurting her instead. Plus, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is barely of use, while the role of stony sidekick Korg (Waititi himself) has been over-promoted to narrator status.

The film’s biggest misstep for me is the second-act visit to Omnipotence City, a realm of gods from across cultures and planets. Considering the first Thor was careful to clarify that Thor and the Asgardians were not actual gods but just wielders of alien powers and advanced technologies, this film muddies the waters enormously and begs the question “What is a god in the MCU?” We see the cowardly Zeus (a meh Russell Crowe), future threat Hercules (Brett Goldstein), and various other deities of all shapes and sizes, so it seems that all “gods” exist in this world except the one God of the Bible, the one that Captain America invoked in The Avengers. Then there’s the fight scene with Zeus’s guards, who leak an excessive amount of gold blood as Thor’s crew battle them. It would be a distressingly gory scene if the blood were red, but does that mean gold blood is a sign of a god? Thor and other Asgardians have shed red blood before, so are they somehow not gods like the others? The whole sequence adds little to the plot, sort of confirms Gorr’s negative opinion of gods in general, and irked me deeply with the questions it raises with no intention of answering them.

Thor: Love and Thunder is a decent superhero film on its own, so I’d probably watch it again, but it’s a glaring failure as a would-be conclusion to at least part of Thor’s story. Many revisions might have buffed out some of the plot flaws, improved the discordant tone, and found better uses for the characters, like the Guardians of the Galaxy who essentially are given a glorified cameo at the beginning, again contrasting with what the end of Endgame seemed to promise. I hope Hemsworth will return as Thor again with a tighter and more serious story, treating this as just a speedbump to something more satisfying. Even if I appreciate what they were going for with this film’s ending, Thor deserves better.

Best line: [Who am I kidding? Of course, it’s the screaming goats.]

Rank: Honorable Mention (barely)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!

Paint (2023)

08 Saturday Apr 2023

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(Sorry for missing yesterday, but I’m back for Day 8 of NaPoWriMo. Today’s prompt was a doozy, trying to incorporate elements of the “Twenty Little Poetry Projects” all in one poem. It’s a lot, so I tried incorporating the myriad guidelines into a rambling painting session.)

The empty canvas is an infant’s soul,
Clean at birth, no stain or man’s control.
Let’s paint on it.

First, we’ll start with what some will know
As the verdant foe of cold and snow,
Or as I call it, green.

Yes, let’s dab that canvas, guys,
And stab pine needles through its eyes,
But gently, gingerly, with care,
Enough so folks know you were there.
Then spread it out, now up and down,
And give that tree a royal crown
So it will reign with a foliate fist
Of eau de Nil, that egotist.

And now, let’s cleanse our pallet with blue,
So pure, you’ll hear the ocean too.
Then spread it wide with broader strokes.
This humble painter knows you folks
Enjoy a sky to complement
That oak below who’s so content.
So paint it deep, then add some whites
For cotton clouds like leukocytes.
If one’s not right, try painting three
Or hanging upside down like me.
Then daub more blue down here too, fellas,
For waves to make Lake Tahoe jealous.

And now the browns down on the ground;
Just smell that lucky dirt you found.
Those aren’t just smears; they’re mulch and gravel,
Perfect for the hiker’s travel.
We’ll add a boulder by the tree’s toe –
The tree must have dropped it years ago.
And at last, let’s add a friendly bush,
No thorns to prick, just blooms to push.
Picasso, eat your heart out.

Now how about them apples, y’all.
You taste that lakeside aerosol?
Museums everywhere will plead
For your next work. It’s guaranteed.
Sure, no one’s breaking down my door,
But I’m not bitter. I’m not sore.
Who cares how long since my debut?
An infant soul’s awaiting you.
_______________________________

MPA rating: PG-13 (for drug use and innuendo)

For the first time, I checked out the Mystery Movie periodically hosted by Regal Cinemas, where you don’t know what movie you’re walking into, just that it’s an early pre-release showing. While I was hoping for perhaps Dungeons & Dragons or Space Oddity, I was admittedly a little disappointed when it turned out to be Paint, the indie comedy with Owen Wilson playing a very Bob Ross-like TV painter named Carl Nargle. Yet it turned out to be good that my expectations were low, since I enjoyed this quaint little satire more than I thought I would.

Carl has spent decades hosting the popular show Paint on his Vermont public broadcasting network, and he’s become used to being treated as a local celebrity, idolized especially by all the women working at the network. Yet when the manager Tony (Stephen Root) brings in a young new talent named Ambrosia (Ciara Renée in her film debut) to revitalize the station, Carl’s comfortably stagnant world comes crashing down as he must decide what he values most.

Paint’s humor thrives on its gentle quirkiness, such as when Tony has to ask the always softspoken Carl if he’s yelling at him, but it also does a fine job at humanizing characters that could have been mere caricatures. Under a poofy perm, Wilson excels in the lead role, and though some of his behavior is problematic and his rivalry with Ambrosia resentful, the film manages to make the jerks in every situation not too jerky as to be unlikable. The reactions from everyone involved are understandable and never get too spiteful, with even Carl admiring Ambrosia’s talent. Michaela Watkins is also strong as Carl’s conflicted ex Katherine, and Root’s Tony is winsomely smarmy as he tries to suck up to whoever will get the station higher ratings.

With its behind-the-scenes drama and ego-poking humor, I could draw a comparison to 1991’s Soapdish, another film that pitted an established star against a popular newcomer. And considering how many comedies these days try to draw laughs from being as outrageous and R-rated as possible, I enjoyed this film’s hilariously subdued eccentricity and almost profanity-free script. It may seem at times like an SNL skit stretched to feature length, but Paint is a charmer worth seeing intentionally.

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

See How They Run (2022)

05 Wednesday Apr 2023

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(For Day 5 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem concerning laughter at an inappropriate moment, so laughing at death immediately came to mind.)

The man is dead there on the floor.
I should be shocked and horrified.
And yet I cannot quite get past
The way he died.

He just had finished purchasing
A ranch out west, and then he slipped.
His leg flew out and knocked a pail,
And thus he tripped.

A shocked transcriptionist was there,
Recording everything they said.
She quickly called on 911,
But he was dead.

When I arrived to scan the scene,
I was in danger of a gaffe.
Death deserves a tear, yet I
Just had to laugh.

It rose up when I realized
He’d bought the farm (but that’s not it).
He also kicked the bucket too.
My tongue I bit.

It happened when I chanced to check
The transcript of the anecdote.
It ended with his final “Aaahhhh…”
That’s all she wrote.
__________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

Not every good movie has to be a huge blockbuster or an awards contender. With a good script and a talented cast, even small and unassuming films can be a credit to their genre. The whodunit genre is having a bit of a renaissance, thanks largely to Rian Johnson’s Benoit Blanc films, but See How They Run continues that welcome trend with a much more understated murder mystery than Johnson’s splashier entries. Set around the real-life long-running play The Mousetrap back in 1950s London, the story follows world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager-to-please Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) as they investigate the murder of a Hollywood director (Adrien Brody) who was adapting The Mousetrap into a movie. And naturally they have no shortage of suspects, including a prissy screenwriter (David Oyelowo), an adulterous producer (Reece Shearsmith), and actor Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson).

The film boasts an appealing, old-fashioned style that lends itself to moments of dry humor, as when Constable Stalker slips a few groan-worthy puns into her description of the crime scene. And the use of flashbacks and clever camerawork add to the mystery, which is nothing special in retrospect but still kept me guessing until the reveal. Plus, I’ll freely admit to a bit of a celebrity crush on Saoirse Ronan, and this is one more charming and lovable character to her credit. The contrast and banter between her and Rockwell are a joy as he repeatedly has to rein her in from jumping to conclusions in their investigation. See How They Run may not be a favorite whodunit, but it’s a quaint and enjoyable one that I’ll happily revisit.

Best line: (Stalker, telling Stoppard her notes about Oyelowo’s character) “Mervyn Cocker-Norris, overrated playwright.”
(Cocker-Norris) “Celebrated playwright.”
(Stalker) “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir. I can’t read me own handwriting.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

04 Tuesday Apr 2023

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(For Day 3 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write opposite lines for a short poem, but I did the opposite and went off-prompt today. A little late, but I’m keeping up.)

In 1981, a nerd was playing with his friends
A tabletop role-playing game the nerd alone defends.
He said to them, while glowing after conquering a foe,
“It’s such a shame the other kids don’t care or want to know
How cool this game and world can be, the quests and fun campaigns.
It’s luck and skill and fantasy colliding in our brains.
They could make it a movie, and stories – they have plenty.”
“Yeah, that’ll be the day,” scoffed Matt, ere rolling a Nat 20.
But as the years went by, the province once reserved for nerds
Expanded to the everyman, I’d say a good two-thirds.
And as the world in comic books and wizards was immersed,
The nerds all wore a smile, knowing they had loved it first.
____________________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

I will just say up front that I have very little prior knowledge of the Dungeons & Dragons brand. Most of what I know comes from Stranger Things, Big Bang Theory, and random snippets of Critical Role, but while I’ve never played the game, I do love fantasy, as my passion for Lord of the Rings will attest. Based on the trailer, I had high hopes for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which is why I am thrilled that it both met and exceeded those expectations. This D&D movie is an absolute blast, an action-packed crowdpleaser that knows its world and how to use it effectively.

One thing I do know about D&D is that characters fall into certain archetypes and skills, which is the case for the winning ensemble in the movie. We have bard Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), who comes up with plans and backup plans; barbarian Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), Edgin’s right-hand muscle; two-bit sorcerer Simon Aumar (Justice Smith); shape-shifting druid Doric (Sophia Lillis); paladin Xenk Yendar (Regé-Jean Page), and rogue Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant). The core members of the party are Edgin and Holga, who are betrayed during a heist gone wrong and are unable to return to Edgin’s teenage daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman). By the time they get out of prison, they find they must rescue her from a treasure-filled castle and an evil necromancer, leading them to recruit all the help they can get.

The common comparison for the film’s band of misfits becoming a found family is Guardians of the Galaxy, and it’s a valid one, considering its diverse cast, quippy humor, and penchant for heists and escapes. Yet I dare say D&D is even more fun, perhaps because its brand of comedy appealed to me more, like a hilarious sequence of asking questions with a series of reanimated corpses. The actors deserve a lot of credit as well. Pine is a reliably likable leader, and I liked his camaraderie with Rodriguez without any romantic tension needing to be interjected. Grant is amusingly unctuous as a conniving politician, while Page serves as a great foil for the others, stepping in for one side quest and playing the whole mythic hero role completely straight-faced.

Beyond that, I was giddy with the number of fantasy elements used in inventive ways, from a portal-gun staff to a gravity reversal spell to a menagerie of fantastical creatures, all brought to life with outstanding effects. One stand-out scene had Lillis’s shapeshifter repeatedly changing into various animals as she flees a castle in one long and thrilling tracking shot, while another involves an actual dragon in a dungeon with a set piece of jaw-dropping scale. A stadium sequence with the main party dodging creatures within a maze brought to mind the coliseum battle from Attack of the Clones, one of my favorite Star Wars scenes that is also marvelous here. It also boasts some amazing scenery reminiscent of Middle-earth, though this is apparently set in a campaign setting called the Forgotten Realms.

Of course, it’s not above criticism, the easiest being that the plot may seem overstuffed with characters and incidents, as if the filmmakers had trouble parting with their favorite scenes. But honestly, I wouldn’t cut anything either. One tangent seeking out an enchanted helmet ultimately adds little to the plot, but it serves an important role for Simon’s growth as a character and a magician. It’s actually shocking how smoothly the various settings and action scenes flow and all the characters are balanced, each getting a moment to shine, whether a joke or a cool scuffle or an emotional beat. And while the film is loaded with lore and exposition, the fantasy names it tosses around only give the indication that this world is larger than this one film shows and hardly bog down the fun and momentum of the story. A roll of the dice that certainly paid off, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves feels like the return of wildly entertaining fantasy epics, a la Pirates of the Caribbean, a light-hearted affair with good-hearted rogues and a world begging for a franchise. If subsequent chapters are anything like this one, I’m all in.

Best line: (Forge Fitzwilliam) “I don’t want to see you die. Which is why I’m gonna leave the room.”

Rank: Top 100-Worthy

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

26 Sunday Mar 2023

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Why waste your youth on worry?
Why brood on doubt and death?
When in your prime,
You have the time
To not count every breath.

It’s normal to be stupid,
Or so the stupid say.
The less you heed,
The less you need
To care about each day.

But age, regret, or wisdom
Eventually take hold
To some degree.
Stupidity
Dies out before it’s old.

It’s up to each what value
Upon their life is placed.
But when the fun
And games are done,
Don’t let it be a waste.
_____________________________

MPA rating: PG

I would not have expected one of my favorite films from last year to be a sequel separated from its franchise by eleven years, from a studio I thought I had stopped caring about. In 2022, DreamWorks Animation delivered two of their strongest films in recent years, first with The Bad Guys and then with the long-neglected sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Both clearly took inspiration from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in their dynamic, painterly animation style merging 2D and 3D, but Puss in Boots also managed to integrate it with the existing style of Shrek, to masterly effect. You may have heard others singing this film’s praises in recent months, and yep, I’m one of them.

The first Puss in Boots film was a fun standalone adventure, a spin-off of the Shrek universe focusing on Antonio Banderas’ fan-favorite character Puss in Boots, the dashing outlaw/legend of the fairy tale world. Whereas that was an origin story, The Last Wish focuses on the latter days of Puss’s illustrious career, after he’s frittered away eight of his nine lives and has grown complacent laughing in the face of death. When a mysterious wolf proves to be too much for him, the feline swordsman feels he has no choice but to retire. Yet the promise of a wish sends him rushing to find a fallen star, alongside his old flame Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), an incessantly friendly dog (Harvey Guillén), and a collection of more cutthroat wish-seekers.

Puss in Boots can seem like the kind of character better suited for a sidekick role, his self-aggrandizing personality most appealing in small doses. Yet The Last Wish uses that to its advantage in making the preservation of that façade Puss’s driving goal while simultaneously poking holes in it through the other characters. Kitty is the only returning character from the prior film, and she represents what Puss has given up for the sake of his ego. And Guillén’s nameless mutt, nicknamed Perrito, is the kind of character that promises to be annoying yet is infectiously nice enough to win anyone over, even his begrudging feline comrades who aren’t used to unbridled sincerity.

The villains are a special highlight, an entertaining mix of characters and motivations, from Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney) as the straight evil mastermind to Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman, and Samson Kayo) as a Cockney crime family with more sympathetic edges. And then there’s the Wolf (Wagner Moura), one of the best animated antagonists in recent memory, who has such an effectively chilling presence that it’s no wonder the ever fearless Puss in Boots quakes at his stark whistle. All these characters clashing periodically on the way to a shared goal may seem overly frenetic at times, but their distinct motives and the way they bounce off each other make for a highly enjoyable quest, kept unpredictable by genius creative touches like a map that changes the terrain depending on who holds it open.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a triumphant return for the long-dormant Shrek universe. It excels in that rare balance of light entertainment for kids and subtler serious themes for adults, such as the looming specter of mortality or the easily missed value of a found family. Banderas steps into the role with panache, like he never left it; Mulaney sounds like he’s having a blast hamming it up as a power-hungry villain; and Guillén brings a perfect adorability to Perrito, who is the true heart of the film. And the beautifully rendered action is top notch, using the Spider-Verse similarities to its own stylistic advantage rather than just being a copycat.

I distinctly remember watching Shrek 2 as a kid because my mom surprised me with a visit to the movies after school, and it just happened to be a great one. Somehow, I got the feeling that some kid today is going to look back on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with the same fondness. As much as Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio deserved its accolades, I really wish that it hadn’t overshadowed DreamWorks’ best film in years. But, as this movie testifies, there are more important things than wishes anyway.

Best line (showing great comedic interactions):
(Goldilocks) “I thought you were on a spiritual retreat.”
(Kitty Softpaws) “Namaste.”
(Goldilocks) “And you’re supposed to be dead!”
(Puss) “I got better.”

Rank: List-Worthy

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

2022 Blindspot Pick #10: The Frighteners (1996)

04 Saturday Feb 2023

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If ghosts are really dead and well
And haunting us instead of hell
Or heaven, then it’s fair to ponder
What they’re up to when they wander.

Could it be their lifeless heads
Are in our bathrooms, in our beds,
Next to us when we’re alone
To judge us and what’s on our phone?

Could it be they find their fun
In terrifying everyone?
Just float a chair or whisper “boo,”
And while you scream, they laugh at you.

Or maybe they just do their schtick
Because the dead resent the quick
And all the things they can’t enjoy
And so endeavor to annoy?

Or maybe phantoms leave a trail
Of fear to flout the coffin nail,
To prove to us as well as them
That they exist by their mayhem.

It must be hard to be a ghoul.
To be invisible is cruel.
So next time you are all alone,
Turn to the ghost you might have known
And dare to share a friendly word,
Perhaps their first since being interred.
And if they don’t scare you away,
Just know you might have made their day.
_______________________

MPA rating:  R (for violence, mostly PG-13-level except for one scene)

Yep, I’m still here catching up on my 2022 Blindspots, but I have officially seen them all! So now it’s just getting the reviews out. Though I had intended it for last Halloween, next up is a little horror film with some unlikely bedfellows in director Peter Jackson before he hit the big time with Lord of the Rings and Michael J. Fox in his last starring role, shortly before announcing his Parkinson’s diagnosis. Between Jackson’s penchant for horror comedy (much toned down here) and Fox’s natural charisma, the two proved to be a good mix, finding both humor and pathos in a tale of a con artist who can see dead people and must battle a murderous phantom only he can see.

Fox plays Frank Bannister, a self-proclaimed banisher of ghosts, who gets help in faking the hauntings in a small American town (actually Jackson’s native New Zealand) from his spectral collaborators (Chi McBride, Jim Fyfe, and John Astin). He alone can see ghosts ever since a near-death experience, and after a run-in with a boorish jock (Peter Dobson) and his kinder wife (Trini Alvarado), Frank endeavors to stop a series of sudden random deaths that seem to be caused by the Grim Reaper.

After he’d earned a name through several strictly Kiwi projects of varying taste, The Frighteners was Jackson’s first Hollywood movie, and its mishmash of genres adds to it feeling like a turning-point film, the work of someone still perfecting their talent for mainstream audiences. Despite the twisty plot and colorful performances, it seemed to me that the real intended star was the special effects provided by Weta Digital (now Weta FX) to bring the ghosts to life, particularly the villain whose shape is often seen moving underneath solid surfaces like walls. By today’s standards, those all-CGI moments now have an inescapably dated and unreal look to them, but I can imagine they were a wonder in the mid-1990s.

While Fox’s natural likeability overshadows that of his character, he nails the dramatic moments and the interactions with characters that are not actually there, since all the ghost scenes were shot twice, with and without the ghosts present. As for the antagonists, while the shadowy reaper is a formidable threat, Jeffrey Combs is a scene-stealer as Miles Dammers, the intense FBI agent trying to tie Frank to the killings. Combs was clearly channeling a neurotic Jim Carrey and is a primary source of the film’s humor, which can be hit-and-miss.

Most of the film’s mixed reviews seem to consider it “tonally uneven,” which is true, never going for full-on belly laughs or deep-seated horror. The ending especially forgoes any of the light-hearted campiness in order to make events feel as hopeless as possible for the heroes while also overdoing explanatory flashbacks. Other issues include the rather shallow romance and the fact that the harrowing opening scene doesn’t make much sense in retrospect.

I don’t mean to sound overly negative; I very much enjoyed The Frighteners and actually watched it twice. It’s not high art nor an outright dud, so it’s hard to figure out in which bucket of appreciation to place it. But it’s an entertaining amalgam of influences that deserves its cult following, and I’m grateful that it served as a stepping stone for Jackson and Weta toward The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Besides, you can’t go wrong ending a movie with “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper.”

Best line: (Frank) “You are SUCH an a**hole.”
(Dammers, unhinged) “Yes, I am. I’m an a**hole… with an Uzi.”

Rank:  List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

2022 Blindspot Pick #7: Murder By Death (1976)

22 Thursday Dec 2022

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When someone’s suspiciously murdered (which happens all the time
According to TV and film and cozy books on crime),
We normal people just freak out, too shocked to even try,
But sleuths will quickly get to work deducing who and why.

What makes a sleuth is hard to say. They’re curious and bold,
Perceptive often to a fault, and don’t do as they’re told.
They let the wheels of logic turn before they chance a guess,
And where the experts fail with more, they find success with less.

These traits are hardly out of reach, quite feasible in truth,
So average folks like you and me could well become a sleuth.
But sleuths depend on one external factor to arise:
They need the luck to be nearby when someone up and dies.
_____________________________

MPA rating: PG

Even though good ones like Knives Out and See How They Run are still being made, the murder mystery formula is old hat nowadays, and Murder by Death shows it was old hat back in 1976 too. Yet well-worn genres are ripe for parody, especially when writer Neil Simon and a star-studded cast join forces to poke fun at the most recognizable archetypes.

Having seen Glass Onion recently (review pending), I was struck by how similar the setup of that film is to this one’s premise. All the characters are invited to the home of wealthy eccentric Lionel Twain (Truman Capote in a rare acting role that earned him a Golden Globe nomination) and challenged to solve a murder. All of the main guests are acclaimed crime solvers and represent famous fictional detectives, including stand-ins for Hercule Poirot (James Coco), Sam Spade (Peter Falk), Nick and Nora Charles (David Niven and Maggie Smith), Miss Marple (Elsa Lanchester), and Charlie Chan (Peter Sellers in a yellowface role that would definitely not fly nowadays). Beyond those stars, the cast also features Sir Alec Guinness as a blind butler (which is as ridiculous as it sounds) who makes an amusing pair with a new deaf-mute cook (Nancy Walker), as well as Eileen Brennan, Estelle Winwood, and the very first role for James Cromwell.

On the scale of parody, I’d place Murder by Death somewhere around the silliness level of Mel Brooks’ lesser offerings. For most of the film, it plays as a legitimate mystery with injections of zany absurdity and dubious plot twists, and it’s a unique pleasure to have these familiar-ish detectives bounce off each other and trade one-liners, from the preening Coco to the snobby Niven to the hard-boiled Falk. Unfortunately, Sellers’ very presence with his big teeth and broken English is the picture of retroactive racism, furthered by Falk’s prejudiced interactions with him, but he still does a decent job in representing the analytical wisdom of his inspiration, still played for laughs of course. (On another note, I kind of wish there was a Charlie Chan adaptation with an actual Asian actor, modernized the way Shang-Chi was to avoid stereotypes, maybe even about his real-life inspiration Chang Apana.)

Not everyone has enough to do, with Lanchester’s character standing out the least, but Simon’s clever dialogue keeps things entertaining throughout. As an almost chamber piece, it could have made a good stage play as well. By the end, it leans more on screwball parody with a flurry of plot twists that don’t make any sense for the whodunnit but are certainly worth a chuckle, if not the laugh-out-loud experience the film was marketed to be. Likable and dated in equal measure, Murder by Death can’t compare with the recent renaissance of murder mysteries, but it’s a fun ride for those wanting to poke fun at the genre. I think I preferred Clue, though.

Best line: (Sam Diamond, played by Falk) “Locked, from the inside. That can only mean one thing. And I don’t know what it is.”

Rank: Honorable Mention

© 2022 S.G. Liput
783 Followers and Counting