Tag Archives: Comedy

The Emoji Movie (2017)

17 Friday Apr 2020

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was for a poem about outdated technology, so I went a little into the future to see how generations yet to come might look back on a present-day craze.)

 

The primitive Egyptians had their hieroglyphic font,
A picture-style penmanship to decorate the wall.
And slightly less archaic humans later chose to flaunt
Another image language on the phones they used to call.

You see here all the tiny illustrations they would use
To message, manage, and react in digital discourse.
We’re not sure why developed people (for the time) would choose
To discard words in favor of these mini-metaphors.

From faces showing every mood to smiling excrement,
These symbols were exchanged among them by the gadget-full.
These hands betoken clapping, and this sobbing shows lament,
And no one’s really sure about this purple vegetable.

It took a while for mankind at last to move beyond
This graphical vocabulary sent through cyberspace.
Now who will raise your hand and tell us what replacement dawned?
What new communication took the poor emoji’s place?
______________________________

MPA rating: PG

I watched The Emoji Movie at the end of a terrible day, thinking that, if it was truly as terrible as everyone said, I would associate it with that day and never want to see it again. It’s been lambasted so many times that it’s practically a meme to hate on it. Yet despite all the loathing, four Razzies, and the 7% Rotten Tomatoes score, I must admit it’s not that bad.

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The premise is straight out of Inside Out or Wreck-It Ralph, but instead of emotions or video game characters, the cast consists of various emojis living within the digital city of Textopolis, inside the phone of a high schooler named Alex. Gene (T.J. Miller) is the son of two “meh” emojis, and although he is meant to personify indifference, he tends to “break character,” so to speak, and show emotions he shouldn’t, which eventually gets him in trouble and sends him on a dangerous journey through the phone and its many apps.

Would I characterize The Emoji Movie as good? No. It’s frequently dumb or crude humor is lackluster, and the climax, in which a single emoji somehow saves the day and causes an instant change in the direction of the plot, is socially myopic at best, not saying much good for the communication skills of the next generation. Yet, is that really enough reason to label it one of the worst films of the decade?

Other reviews I’ve read have insisted that this film has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, which is a pretty absolute statement for an adult to lob at a film aimed at kids. I thought the animation was colorfully fun and polished, and the world inside the phone, while obviously derivative, had some sparks of creativity, like visualizing Spotify as a series of literal “streams” of music to ride. Though some are grating, I didn’t mind the voice actors either (James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph). I do cringe at Patrick Stewart voicing the poop emoji, but Steven Wright as Gene’s “meh” father was an inspired choice.

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So The Emoji Movie may be “meh” overall and is so tied to present-day technology that it’s sure to age poorly, but I don’t see what makes it worse than some similarly dumb blockbuster like Minions. There are many other films out there worth hating more.

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
679 Followers and Counting

Sing (2016)

15 Wednesday Apr 2020

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was for a poem inspired by a favorite musical genre. So I wrote my own lyrics to the beautiful Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah,” which was used in this film, and it’s best sung to that tune.)

I heard there was a big contest
Where people sang to prove they’re the best,
But who would try when all the world sees through ya?
Yet trying is a practice sport,
It’s hard to start, easier to thwart,
But still I saw a chance for hallelujah!

I answered to the casting call;
I saw so many give their all,
But not too much or else they’d have to sue ya.
Then my turn came, and I stepped sincere;
I flung my lungs to the judges’ ear
And hoped to God I’d find my hallelujah.

The echoes waned, and I waited there,
And one leaned backward in his chair,
And said, “If I produced, I would pursue ya.
But this audition’s meant for dance,”
So clearly I did not advance,
But still I got a chance at hallelujah.
It is true-ya,
But who knew-ya?
My debut-ya,
My limelight, but not quite,
Hallelujah.
____________________

MPA rating: PG

At first glance, Sing looks very generic, especially with Illumination largely meh record (The Secret Life of Pets, Despicable Me). Anthropomorphic animals? Seen it, that same year actually with Zootopia. A singing competition? That’s only been done, oh, about 100 times. So what does Sing offer? Well, nothing new really, but it does present its familiar elements in a highly crowd-pleasing way with an all-star voice cast and bright animation to rival its competitors.

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A koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) owns an old failing theater with great passion and nostalgia, and when the bank threatens to foreclose on it, he decides to hold a singing competition to revive the venue’s reputation, accidentally offering a cash prize he doesn’t have. A motley crew of animal characters then audition for the show with their eyes on the prize, and things go both very wrong and very right.

The most notable aspect of Sing is the sheer number of pop standards it includes, over 60, sometimes only for a few seconds, an expense that reportedly used up 15% of the film’s budget. From Taylor Swift and Frank Sinatra to Queen and Stevie Wonder, it’s a veritable auditory feast of well-produced popular music, which also offered me the surprise of realizing how well actors like Scarlett Johansson can sing, even as a porcupine. Plus, I have little doubt that Taron Egerton’s rendition of “I’m Still Standing” helped clinch his casting as Elton John in Rocketman.

The diverse characters and personalities – mice, porcupines, pigs, gorillas, elephants – all get basic but relatable character development, and I liked how every one of the contestants had a different reason for wanting to sing and win the money, whether for selfish needs, a chance to start over, or for more personal hopes and dreams. There was charm to spare in the voice cast, which also included Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Tori Kelly, John C. Reilly, and Peter Serafinowicz, and the animation was smooth and colorful, particularly an impressively rendered scene involving a flood.

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So ultimately, Sing is an enjoyable film built on a lackluster base. It’s easily criticized for its lack of originality, yet all the ingredients come together to make it surprisingly… likable, I guess is the word. It’s easily Illumination’s best film, in my book. Plus, I do love the original song “Faith,” sung by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande, which deserves a place in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame. Sing doesn’t step far out of any box, but it’s a thoroughly amusing and pleasant watch sure to get your toe tapping.

Best line: (Buster, showing Ash a garish costume) “Isn’t this a great color for you?”
(Ash) “I can’t tell. It’s melting my eyes.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
679 Followers and Counting

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)

13 Monday Apr 2020

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was for a non-apology, so I wrote one to the ancient cultures that have been despoiled in modern times.)

I’d like to take a moment to say sorry, if I may,
To all the ancient cultures our museums now display.
You went to all that trouble, building monoliths of stone,
Turned now to tourist traps we like to think of as our own.

Apologies to Giza and the pharaohs mummified.
It’s just that, with your pyramids, you hardly tried to hide.
When something’s that conspicuous, what person could resist?
It’s honey to the fly that is the archaeologist.

And ancient Greece, I’m sorry for the snatching of your art;
It’s just that all your masterpieces seem so a la carte.
A marble here, a marble there, no price tag to be seen,
It’s not as if you’ll miss another naked figurine.

Regrets to Rome and China, the Aztecs and Babylon;
You should have left instructions for long after you were gone.
It’s just that one philosophy applies to tomb and shrine:
When something sits there long enough, it might as well be mine.
_______________________

MPA rating: PG

Never in a million years did I think I would have something positive to say about a Dora the Explorer movie, but here we are. I remember growing up when seven-year-old bilingual Dora was at her height of popularity on Nickelodeon, and I also remember how quickly I outgrew her repetitive talking to the camera and decided she had little to offer me. How could a live-action version be worthwhile? Well, it can because Dora and the Lost City of Gold is better than it has any right to be.

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Having voiced a character in a cartoon spin-off of the original show, Isabella Moner (now Merced) of Instant Family plays the young explorer, aged up to a teenager. She lives happily with her professor parents (Michael Pena, Eva Longoria) and her CGI monkey Boots in the South American jungle, but her parents reluctantly send her to school in California, hoping their sheltered daughter will socialize and make some friends. Her overly perky naivete makes her less than popular with most students, including her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), but when she and some classmates are kidnapped back to the jungle, she proves how handy it is to have an explorer as a friend.

Moner as Dora is the heart of the film, and she is a consistent ray of sunshine, earnest without coming off as saccharine. The writers leaned into her cartoon persona’s more ridiculous traits (“Can you say ‘extreme neurotoxicity?’”), and, while not every joke lands, they found some comedy gold with her fish-out-of-water antics. And I’m not sure what to make of a sequence animated like the old show, which offers nostalgia while suggesting that the whole thing was one massive drug trip. Despite that scene and a vaguely liberal bent, it’s a largely family-friendly adventure that can appeal to a much wider age range than the original cartoon did.

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The story also has some excitement once it reaches the jungle again, with Eugenio Derbez being a slapstick hoot when he joins the jungle-bound teens. The journeys of Dora’s jungle-marooned classmates may be predictable, but I thought the story found a good balance between adolescent growth and National Treasure-style escapades. From the unexpected guest voices of Benicio del Toro and Danny Trejo to the excellent musical number at the end, the whole thing is self-aware and far more entertaining than I had expected. Can you say “franchise potential?”

Best line: (Sammy, a classmate) “There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.” (Dora) “There are a lot of things more dangerous than a wounded animal. A healthy animal, for starters.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
679 Followers and Counting

Version Variations: The Intouchables (2011) / The Upside (2017)

13 Monday Apr 2020

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(Happy Easter, everybody! Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was for a triolet, an eight-line poem with repeated lines and a very particular rhyme scheme.)

The ruts in which our lives are spent
Seem deeper than they really are.
See only walls, and we lament
The ruts in which our lives are spent,
But thinking we are always meant
To stay will hardly get us far.
The ruts in which our lives are spent
Seem deeper than they really are.
_____________________

MPA rating for The Intouchables: R (really just for a few F words in the subtitles)
MPA rating for The Upside: PG-13

Is there some unofficial rule that says you shouldn’t watch a remake before the original? Because, if there is, I think I broke it… again. I had some curiosity about the popular French film The Intouchables, but I didn’t seek it out until I watched last year’s American version and wanted to compare them. After all, I’m far overdue for a Version Variation post. Based on the true story of Philippe di Borgo and Abdel Sellou, both films are about a poor, street-smart black man finding employment caring for a bitter quadriplegic millionaire and the feel-good friendship that grows between them.

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I’ll focus on The Upside first, since that was the first one I saw. Kevin Hart plays a deadbeat dad named Dell, who is more interested in barely fulfilling his parole requirements than actually seeking a job. Yet his initial rude interaction with Bryan Cranston’s wealthy Philip Lacasse catches the attention of the joyless businessman, and Dell is offered the job of a “life auxiliary” caretaker, with all the well-paid benefits and uncomfortable tasks that entails. Hart’s comedic experience serves him well during his character’s initial protests against catheters, but he proves himself to be an able dramatic actor as well, with Cranston being both a great foil and partner, despite being physically immobile. They’re a likable odd couple that grows in poignance up to the smile-worthy end.

And as for The Intouchables, well… it’s basically the same exact thing, but in French! With the number of remakes out there that tarnish the spirit of the original, I was surprised at how faithful The Upside was. The French characters are named Driss (Omar Sy) and Philippe (François Cluzet), but I could tell from the very first scene how similar the two films were: the protests against the more awkward forms of care, the sharing of a joint while out on the town, the creative forays into high-end painting, a stressful paragliding excursion, even a series of gags surrounding shaving Philippe’s beard and mustache.

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Yet there were still a few differences as well. Kevin Hart’s Dell is less of a jerk than the French Driss can be at times, though they still share the lack of pity that attracted their employer. The Intouchables also featured a great little scene where, after enduring Philippe’s love of classical, Driss lets loose to “Boogie Wonderland.” But the most notable difference concerns Philippe’s blind epistolary romance with a woman and Driss’s efforts to get them to meet face-to-face. The Upside features some of the exact same scenes, yet they have a different outcome, one that is perhaps more painfully realistic and leads to a far different role for the rich man’s assistant (Nicole Kidman in the American version, Audrey Fleurot in the French). For my part, I think I prefer the ending of The Intouchables, which is more lump-in-throat-worthy, aided by Ludovico Einaudi’s elegant score.

The Intouchables is clearly the more well-respected film (74% on Rotten Tomatoes versus an undeserved 39%), but The Upside is actually quite a successful remake. Some may bristle at recreating a film just so we English-speakers don’t have to read subtitles, but the filmmakers did a good job with it. Both films thrive off of the chemistry between the two leads, and all four actors are perfectly cast and do credit to the inspiring true story, though I find it odd that both Driss and Dell are black whereas Abdel Sellou was not. From the lows of depression to the highs of paragliding, The Intouchables and The Upside handle their serious subjects of class divides and disability with both pathos and humor and show that even total opposites can become lifelong friends.

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Best line from The Intouchables: (voice on the phone) “Hello?”   (Philippe) “Eleonore, it’s Philippe. I’m calling because I really wanted to hear the sound of your voice, and with that first hello, I’m fulfilled.”   (voice, apparently not Eleonore) “I’ll put her on.”

Best line from The Upside: (Dell, to Philip) “You can have any girl you want. What about this lady with all the Botox? You’re perfect for each other. You can’t move your body; she can’t move her face.”

 

Rank for The Intouchables: List Runner-Up
Rank for The Upside: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
679 Followers and Counting

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)

06 Monday Apr 2020

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was to write a poem from the viewpoint of a character or creature from Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, which is so full of bizarre imagery that he must have been high on something for the twenty years he painted it. After drawing an initial blank, I decided to write something from the viewpoint of the animals since Creation.)

I’m a pet, and you’re a pet,
But let us never once forget
That, when the world was new at birth,
We animals ruled all the earth.
The dogs and cats and tall giraffes,
The fish and lizards, foals and calfs
Held full dominion over all,
Utopia before the Fall!

And then the next day, God made man,
And nothing since has gone to plan.
________________________

MPA rating: PG

I wasn’t expecting much out of The Secret Life of Pets 2. It seems that, with any recent American animation that isn’t Disney or Pixar, it’s best to lower your expectations. Occasionally, you find a pleasant surprise like Klaus. More often, you get a cute movie that you’ll likely only ever watch again if you have kids. That’s The Secret Life of Pets 2.

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It’s not bad, just uninspired, but so was the first one too, with its mish-mash of Toy Story with pets. The obvious imitation of the Woody/Buzz conflict with dogs Max and Duke was resolved in the first film, so the second has a little more room to do its own thing with its charming cast of characters, such as little dog Max (Patton Oswalt, replacing Louis C.K. after the latter’s scandal) wanting to rediscover his fearless side during a weekend farm visit, or tough-guy bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart) trying to pass himself off as a superhero by saving a tiger.

New additions include Harrison Ford as a pleasantly grizzled farm dog and Tiffany Haddish as a Shih Tzu with attitude. As a cat lover, I especially got a kick out of Chloe’s (Lake Bell) teaching the way of the cat to Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate), who is still the best thing about this franchise and gets the funniest scenes.

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It’s all cute and harmless with very little depth, but some clever comedic moments make it enjoyable and perhaps a bit better than the first film. Even when the plot tries to bring its many loose threads together at the end, it still feels like a bunch of potential TV episodes pasted into a feature film. This is clearly a franchise meant to appeal to the kids with little effort for their parents, but I can see those kids growing up with fond memories of it. Not every animated film has to break the mold, I suppose.

Best line: (Snowball) “I just freed a tiger. That’s not bragging; I’m just saying what happened. When you’re awesome, everything you say sounds like bragging.”

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
676 Followers and Counting

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

13 Thursday Feb 2020

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A fairy tale, as you’re aware,
Can happen almost anywhere,
In magic kingdoms, foreign strands,
Or city streets in local lands.

It may be grim and end in tears,
To make more prudent those with ears,
But too much dark and dire can be
Too kindred to reality.

Imagination is the rule
For fairy tales, carefree or cruel,
And I, for one, prefer the kind
That plants a smile in my mind.
_____________________

MPA rating: R

I’ve never had much interest in Quentin Tarantino’s films. When a director is known for violence and cursing, I tend to steer clear, and if it weren’t for Regal Theatres’ deal for all the Best Picture nominees, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with Once upon a Time in Hollywood. In the case of Pulp Fiction, the only other Tarantino film I’ve seen, I came to the conclusion that I liked how he presented the content but not the content itself, and his latest film fits that description, though to a lesser degree. Pulp Fiction at least felt daring and inventive; Once upon a Time in Hollywood buries its lack of substance under charisma and polish, which just isn’t enough.

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Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Rick Dalton, a washed-up TV actor whose big Western role in the show Bounty Law is behind him, leaving him in fear of a lackluster future of guest spots and Spaghetti Westerns. Brad Pitt is Cliff Booth, his easygoing friend/driver/stunt double who may or may not have killed his wife. (He’s the most likable character, so I guess we’re not supposed to care about the answer?) In 1969, Dalton lives next door to successful director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and his wife Sharon Tate (a radiant Margot Robbie), while the Manson Family cult bides its time at nearby Spahn Ranch.

All of that information is simply the set-up, but the bulk of the film is made up of rambling vignettes that could have been episodes in a mini-series. Dalton puts his full effort into an important guest role, Booth makes an unnerving visit to Spahn Ranch, Tate enjoys her success as an actress, and much of it is good-natured and entertaining. I especially liked a few scenes between Dalton and a precocious young co-star who gives him the encouragement he needs, and the Oscar-winning production design certainly looks great, capturing the hippie presence and Hollywood glamour of L.A. in the 1960s. All the actors seem to comfortably fit their characters to a T, particularly Pitt, though I’m not sure what was so worthy of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

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Yet for all its attention to capturing the period, the plot is annoyingly hollow. Tarantino rarely holds back on the profanity, but his trademark violence is thankfully restrained for most of the film. However, the “grand” finale, offering a what-if scenario of the Manson murders, is so over-the-top (flamethrower, anyone?) that I lost respect for much of what came before. By the end, nothing is resolved with Rick and Cliff’s relationship and the “What now?” feeling that preceded the climax, and the “happy” ending just felt weird, making me wonder what the point of all this was, except for an indulgent walk down memory lane.

As I said, I’m no Tarantino expert, but his historically based films seem to thrive on redirected violence. In the case of this film, the Manson Family were such horrible human beings that we’re supposed to get satisfaction at their own violence being perpetrated back at them, which is a morally repugnant idea. Glorifying others’ suffering, however deserved it may be, isn’t something to enjoy, and the film’s climax is a jarring set piece that ruined its entertainment value for me. I suspect that Tarantino is simply not for me, even if I can recognize the cinematic skill on display, though even his famed talent for dialogue seems uninspired for the most part. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the kind of film that has a few great scenes but is far from a great whole.

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Best line: (Narrator) “When you come to the end of the line, with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell.”

 

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
660 Followers and Counting

Yesterday (2019)

31 Friday Jan 2020

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Yesterday, I knew my worth,
Which wasn’t much, I must admit,
But now today, of all on Earth,
I see a hole in which I fit.

It seems that I alone can see,
Can know, can do what others can’t,
And filling such a role, for me,
Is quite a gift for God to grant.

I cannot help but feel at times
That I’m perhaps a hypocrite,
But won’t it be the worst of crimes
To take a gift and stifle it?
_____________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

I’m rarely the type of moviegoer who has to see a movie as soon as it comes out, unless it’s some hype-heavy series like Marvel or Star Wars, but I do wish I could have seen Yesterday in the theater, not because it’s that great and wonderful but because I could have seen it with my dad while he was still alive. Ever since the first trailer for Yesterday came out a year ago, I had high hopes for its brilliant premise of a musician waking up in a world where no one knows of the Beatles, especially since my dad was a huge Beatles fan. Yet as with most movies, we subconsciously decided to wait and see it on DVD, giving my dad’s cancer a chance to take him before he got the opportunity. “Yesterday came suddenly,” indeed.

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It’s hard for me not to associate this movie with the missed opportunity with my dad, but what of the film itself and its own merits? Well, it’s quite a decent charmer, made better by its celebrated soundtrack. There’s a popular Japanese genre called isekai, in which someone from our world is somehow transported to another, usually some fantasy realm with magic. In the case of struggling singer/songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), he awakens from a bike accident in an alternate world where significant bits of pop culture are missing, most notably the music of the Beatles. Seeing a morally gray opportunity, he passes off their songs as his own, becoming an overnight sensation and sparking mixed feelings in his long-time manager/crush Ellie (the always lovely Lily James).

Yesterday is pretty much exactly the British isekai that was promised in the trailers, but it didn’t exceed my expectations much or dive as deeply into its premise as it could have. Patel and James have good chemistry, and there are plenty of occasions for unexpected humor, such as the feedback from Jack’s producers about the more eccentric names from the Beatles’ discography. Ed Sheeran also puts in a good-natured cameo as himself, and there’s an unexpected moment toward the end that was surprisingly touching. There’s just something missing, and not just that they never play “Get Back” or “Drive My Car,” despite a good excuse to use the latter. It’s one of those puzzling films that feels like it should be better based on its brilliant premise, yet I can’t say I know how to improve it myself.

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One weakness is that the songs suffer somewhat from Patel’s solo covers. He’s a proper singer, but without the four-person harmonies and multiple instruments, it’s harder to see the strength of the songs alone rocketing Jack to the status of an overnight sensation. Nevertheless, I feel like my dad would have really enjoyed Yesterday. The strength of its core idea, likable actors and classic music are enough to make it an enjoyable, feel-good watch. There’s just a lingering sense that it could have been more.

Best line: “You want a good life? It’s not complicated. Tell the girl you love that you love her. And tell the truth to everyone whenever you can.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

VC Pick: Running Scared (1986)

26 Sunday Jan 2020

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There once were two cops on the street
Who riled the bad guys they’d meet.
As crime would unfold
In their city so cold,
They quite enjoyed bringing the heat.
______________________

MPAA rating: R (mainly for language and brief nudity, a light R overall)

It’s shameful, absolutely shameful, that it’s been nearly three months since a movie chosen by my dear VC got the limelight it deserves in the form of an obscure blog post by me. I have no excuse, but I do have this review. Running Scared probably isn’t high on anyone’s list of films from the ‘80s, but it’s a funny and underrated member of the buddy cop genre to which I’m glad my VC introduced me.

Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines are in fine form as a pair of Chicago cops named Danny and Ray, the kind of movie cops who are charming when they bend the rules in a way that ought to get them fired in the real world. But they get results, including bagging notorious drug lord Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits), only to be put on leave for their recklessness. Enjoying the time off down in Key West, the two decide they like the non-police life, and after learning that Gonzales was set free, they decide to bring him in before retiring for good.

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Crystal and Hines were probably unlikely choices to play streetwise cops back in 1986, early in their film careers as it was, but they both excel, channeling the same kind of black-and-white buddy chemistry as Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor did. Their bickering and wisecracks are the biggest draw, complementing action scenes that likewise balance humor and danger. Joe Pantoliano is also great as Snake, one of those small-time weasels he plays so well. Running Scared doesn’t revolutionize anything about its genre, but it doesn’t need to when its leads are able to capture its sense of fun with their toothy grins alone.

Best line: (Captain Logan, referring to a suicide jumper) “You two weren’t, uh, interrogating a suspect up on the roof, were you?”   (Ray) “We got an alibi, Captain. Snake, tell him where we were or we’ll kill you, too.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

Klaus (2019)

18 Saturday Jan 2020

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The world’s getting louder and meaner and prouder,
Content to be less than the best it can be.
Our good angels shrivel when others aren’t civil,
And we follow suit with acute savagery.

The worst in a person can come out and worsen,
And wrong leads to wrong for as long as we let it.
Yet kindness courageous is also contagious.
The bar is as low or high, though, as we set it.

What good can be started by all the kindhearted
Can spread just as quickly as wickedness can.
Right actions and choices speak more than raised voices,
For goodness expressed frees the best part of man.
____________________

MPAA rating: PG

It might be too late for Christmas, but Netflix’s Klaus isn’t just a great Christmas movie; it’s a great movie. I wasn’t expecting much from Netflix’s first original animated film, but good word-of-mouth convinced me to give it a look-see, and now I’m happy to contribute to its positive buzz. Being nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar doesn’t hurt either.

Does anyone else recall a 2000 animated film called The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus? I remember it nostalgically as a sweet origin story for Santa, and Klaus is similar in that regard. Whereas the other film featured extensive magical elements, Klaus is far more down-to-earth, gradually developing the myths and trappings surrounding Santa in a way that could feasibly happen, albeit still with some cartoonish absurdity and a dark undercurrent.

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However, the titular Klaus is not the main character. Instead, it is the vain and spoiled Jesper (Jason Schwartzman), whose father, exasperated by his son’s laziness, makes him the postman for the remote and desolate island village of Smeerensburg, where a family feud has raged for generations. In a town where no one is eager to send letters to each other, Jesper concocts a plan to get the children to send letters for toys, a plan that might eventually get him transferred back to his well-to-do life. Essential to the plan is Klaus (J.K. Simmons), a mysterious woodsman with a wealth of toys, and, while Jesper’s goals begin as self-serving, he eventually starts to see the good that can come from an act of kindness.

The most noteworthy aspect of Klaus is its unique animation. In an age where most of the 2D hand-drawn animation around originates in Japan, director Sergio Pablos (creator of the Despicable Me franchise and character designer for several Disney Renaissance films) and other former Disney animators wanted to show how 2D animation might have evolved if it hadn’t been abandoned by the industry in the West. The result is gorgeously rendered and looks somewhere in between 2D and 3D, thanks to meticulous attention to shadow and shading.

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If Klaus had come out twenty years ago, I know it would have become a classic annual watch in my home, and I’d like to think it will be for this generation as well, despite its exclusivity to Netflix. The last decade has seen 2D animation flourish on the small screen, and Klaus gives me hope that it’s not dead for feature-length films as well. Despite some predictable elements, it’s filled with humor, sweetness, and a stellar voice cast (also including Rashida Jones, Norm MacDonald, and Joan Cusack) and carries the perfect heartwarming Christmas spirit that reminds us how much better it is when kindness guides our choices.

Best line: (Klaus) “A true selfless act always sparks another.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

23 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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When the world is collapsing, the nation on edge,
The whole of society out on a ledge,
The sky close to falling, disease at a high,
And dead people don’t even know when to die,
It only makes sense that, when fear’s on the rise,
The level heads left of us prioritize.

Sure, some go for water, and some hunt for food,
And some say we just need the right attitude,
But while these survivalists weigh their concerns
And plan for the worst to diminish returns,
A few must step up to remind all the rest
Of one thing emergencies need when distressed.

MUSIC! That’s right. It’s so often neglected,
But soundtracks do wonders for those not infected.
When life’s at a low, just compose your own cure
And let a good melody help you endure.
Just sing your heart out, out of range of the ghouls,
For songs are survival’s most critical tools.
______________________

MPAA rating: R

What a weird, catchy, sad, gruesome, delightful movie! I’m sure it was an interesting pitch when someone first described the plot of Anna and the Apocalypse, a Christmas musical zombie film that manages to nail all three aspects of its split personality. I normally shy away from zombie movies, but the prospect of an original musical convinced me to give this unique mish-mash a try.

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Due to my aversion to gore, I’m always very wary of the zombie genre, yet I know it can be done exceptionally well (Train to Busan and Gakkou Gurashi are two prime examples), so I wanted to give Anna and the Apocalypse a chance. Unsurprisingly, it had the inventive undead bloodshed so common to the genre and so off-putting to me, yet I must admit I loved just about everything else about this British experiment.

It starts out so innocent with its high school setting and teenage misfits and then veers into zombie action and some surprisingly touching moments by the end. And through it all is the magic of song and dance, at first fitting in a High School Musical sort of way and later used as an ironic contrast to the zombie apocalypse. And the music, courtesy of Scottish artists Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly, is actually darn good! I wouldn’t have been surprised if it came from a Broadway musical or showed up on the radio, yet the fact that it’s all original gives me pure delight.

See the source imagePutting aside the feeling that I’ve seen versions of all of these characters in other movies many times before, the entire cast of mostly unknowns give their all, instilling a fresh and likable energy to their roles. Ella Hunt is especially good as the wistful Anna, whose zombie-killing weapon of choice is a giant candy cane, and Paul Kaye is a downright ham as the school’s power-mad vice principal. Despite the initial poking fun at how juvenile high-schoolers might actually react to zombies, the whole cast later prove their acting chops as things get more dire. And while dire is to be expected from a movie with Apocalypse in the title, it also sadly saps some of the earlier fun away. Not everyone I wanted to live does, and the half-hopeful ending can’t disguise the inescapable bleakness that almost always accompanies a zombie outbreak. One of the songs even says, “There’s no such thing as a Hollywood ending.”

So Anna and the Apocalypse left me with a strange mix of admiration and indecision. The musical numbers are a blast, and, while I wish I could say I loved every minute of it, I enjoyed far more minutes of it than I ever thought I would in a zombie film. Every actor is on point, and the audacity of its holiday spirit deserves appreciation, especially when it’s this darn likable. Yet it also earns its R rating with the blood-splattering violence and didn’t leave me with the smile I wore through much of it. Thus, I’m pulling out a ranking I’ve only used once: the Semi-Dishonorable List Runner-Up, which sums up my mixed feelings. I hesitate to recommend it, but if the gore and mixed tone don’t bother you, absolutely seek out this ebullient gem. Minus the violence, it would easily be List-Worthy for me. It will no doubt end up as a cult classic addition to the Christmas horror catalog, among which it certainly has the best soundtrack.See the source imageBest line: (Mr. Savage, after Lisa asks about her boyfriend’s sick grandmother) “Look around you, Miss Snow. What do you see?”
(Lisa, Anna’s friend) “Um…tables?”
(Mr. Savage) “I see civilization on the edge. And what does civilization do when it finds itself on the edge?”
(Lisa) “We help each other?”
(Mr. Savage) “We prioritize.”

 

Rank: Semi-Dishonorable List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
656 Followers and Counting