The Oscar Project Reviews
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I’m searching for ways that this film would be more enjoyable, and I’m sure most of the answers to that question involve copious amounts of drugs.
I received this film as a recommendation in a movie challenge I’m participating in online, and the category for the week was surrealist films, and let me tell you, Fantastic Planet definitely falls into that genre. There were times that this felt like the animated versions of picture books I remember from my youth, but dipped in a Dali painting and then rolled through a pile of the oddest rejected creature creations from Star Wars. The animation in the film is basic and that’s really just fine. The creations mentioned above are truly unique and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like them on film or elsewhere. I really enjoyed the visual approach, and the lack of complex animation actually contributes to being able to focus on the story.
Being a French film, I wish I could have watched this with the original French voices and English subtitles. Unfortunately, the English voice cast was bad and probably detracted from my enjoyment of the film. On the other hand, the music was terrific. It was very clearly from the 1970s, but had a good vibe to it throughout.
If you’re looking for something different from the traditional animation from Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, etc., this is definitely one that fits that bill, but I’m not sure it’s truly a great film. 6 out of 10
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It feels like the Despicable Me franchise has run its course, yet we continue to get new entries in the series over a decade after we first met Gru and his lovable yellow minions.
However, despite my initial apprehensions, I was pleased with this continuation of the saga. Set after the events of 2015’s Minions (affiliate link) and before Despicable Me (affiliate link), Rise of Gru (affiliate link) chronicles some of the events that led to Gru becoming one of the world’s greatest villains at the beginning of the first movie. The plot revolves around Gru (Steve Carrell) trying to join a supervillain team called the Vicious Six led by Belle Bottom (Tarji P. Henson) after their previous leader Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin) is presumed dead. Gru is denied entry into the team since he is just a kid, but he steals something called the Zodiac Stone during his interview, leading to a chase around the world.
Julie Andrews returns as Gru’s mother in a few scenes, but the returning role that was much more central to the plot is that of Russell Brand’s Dr. Nefario. We meet him as an amateur inventor working at a record store, that just happens to be involved in some nefarious underground dealings…literally. There are also some fun cameos from the first film with the banker (working as a teller here) who also mentions his young son Vector.
Despite the title, I didn’t feel like we really got the “rise” of Gru in this film. Instead, we get a fun adventure film that ends up with Gru gaining a father figure in Knuckles, something that has been lacking throughout the rest of the series. True, Dr. Nefario could be seen as something of a father figure as the only older adult male in his life, but Knuckles fills that role much better here and I will be interested to see if we get another prequel at some point in the future. Gru himself does rise to the occasion of the film, but really comes across as more of a hero than a villain, regardless of his intentions. As with any modern entry into a film series like there, there is plenty of expected fan service. Several minions can be seen eating out of a Scarlett Overkill lunchbox at one point and Gru uses a “cheese ray” to shoot melted cheese in a coffee shop, a call back to his freeze ray in the first film. We learn where Gru got his giant alligator couches seen throughout the series and toward the end of the film, Knuckles tells Gru to “shoot for the moon,” an obvious reference to the central heist of the first film. None of these references are overly engineered and I’m sure there are plenty more I missed. Fans of the series will enjoy digging up all the Easter Eggs. Like most sequels these days, this film wasn’t entirely necessary, but I found it enjoyable and fun for the whole family. I can definitely see one more film fitting in between this and the original Despicable Me with more films continuing the series into the future. 7 out of 10
It's rare that I watch an animated film, especially a short film with a unique animation style, that doesn't land with me. Navozande is the rare exception.
Don't get me wrong, I love the animation style of this film, but just didn't connect with the story being told. I get that there is some long lost love trying to be recaptured, but it feels like the actual plot, or what little there is, takes too long to develop. If not for the animation in this short film, I would rate it much lower. But the animation is beautiful in its simplicity. The images feel like they are a classic tapestry or parchment drawing come to life. That's what makes it even more frustrating for me. Because I loved the animation so much, I wanted more out of the film and was disappointed by the story connected with the images. I was not surprised to see director Reza Riahi's name attached to a previous animated film about this part of the world, the Oscar nominated feature from 2017, The Breadwinner. I remember this film connecting with me a bit more, perhaps because of a more modern subject, but I hope that Riahi will continue to craft animated stories like this. He has promise and his art style is there, I just think he needs to refine his directorial approach a bit. 6 out of 10 There are times when you should just stop reading a review and go watch the film. This is one of those times. No seriously, you probably already have a Netflix account, so go watch this film now before reading another word. Once you've watched the film, please click here to read my review. As the second nominated film from Pixar's "SparkShorts" program, "Burrow" is a cute and family friendly film, but it stops short of being groundbreaking. If you've seen these films on Disney+, you know they are cute and slightly different than the typical Pixar animated shorts we've seen over the years. Like last year's nominee "Kitbull," "Burrow" is a more traditional 2D animated film instead of the 3D animation Pixar has become known for. The film focuses on a young rabbit who has dreams of building her dream burrow, complete with a picture to help her as she digs. She begins to construct her home, but ends up running into all sort of other creatures who have already set up residence in the ground. She tries to avoid these other creatures and soon ends up digging too deep, impacting the water table underground and threatening the entire burrow neighborhood. She must act quickly to try and avoid catastrophe for all the creatures she encountered in her dig. While the story is cute, the resolution is a bit predictable. "Burrow" is not the strongest SparkShort to come out of Pixar in the past year and I was a bit disappointed that neither "Loop" nor "Out" received a nomination. 6 out of 10 "Burrow" is available to stream on Disney+. While it's not entirely necessary to make a feature film about everyone's favorite feuding cat and mouse, Tom & Jerry brings just enough substance to the big screen to make it worth the ride. It's a little surprising that it took this long for us to get a feature length version of the classic Hanna Barbara Tom & Jerry cartoons. On the other hand, they work so well in short sequences, it is difficult to sustain their level of antics over a 90-minute run time. That is the main downfall of this film, it just can't sustain the typical Tom & Jerry energy throughout the course of the film. That said, I'm not sure it should even try to do that, because then it just becomes a string of gags with little to no plot. Not that there is much plot here to begin with. The film keeps things simple with Kayla Forrester (Chloë Grace Moretz) faking her way into a job at a prestigious New York hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century between Preeta (Pallavi Sharda) and Ben (Colin Jost). She is assigned to work under the event manager Terence (Michael Peña) who doesn't quite trust her from the beginning. When Jerry shows up in the hotel, Kayla convinces Terence and the hotel manager to "hire" Tom to help find the mouse and get rid of him. Tom & Jerry regular Spike also appears (as Ben's pet dog) along with Preeta's pet cat Toodles Galore just to add to the chaos. The wedding story line serves to propel the action forward a bit and sets up some of the more hilarious physical comedy of the film. All the animals in the film are animated, while the human characters and settings remain live action. This mix feels right and most of the actors do a passable job of acting against the animated characters, with the best one being Moretz. Kayla even gets a side romance with the hotel bartender while at the same time finding her groove as Preeta's confidante leading up to the wedding. In the end, this is a fun film, if not terribly engaging cinema. If you have kids and are looking for something new to watch with them, chances are they will love Tom & Jerry. Just don't go in expecting anything more than a longer version of their short cartoons. 6 out of 10 Tom & Jerry is currently in theatrical release and streaming on HBO Max. In a world where everyone is just like you, is it possible to believe in people who are different? Trolls World Your attempts to answer that question albeit with plenty of bright colors and glitter. Following up on 2016's widely successful film Trolls, World Tour brings back all your favorites from the cast including Anna Kendrick's Poppy, Justin Timberlake's Branch, and James Corden's Biggie. Just like the first film, there are plenty of sing-a-long moments, many of which are pulled from the hits of the 70s and 80s and will bring a smile to the faces of adults, even though they'll be unrecognizable to younger audiences. That said, the music is arguably the best part of the film since the story itself is a bit flimsy. Poppy has taken over as queen of the trolls, but receives a note from Barb (Rachel Bloom) who leads the Hard Rock Trolls. It turns out the trolls once live in harmony, but eventually split off into rival factions, each liking a different kind of music. Each tribe has their own story of what happened to cause the breakup, some claiming the Pop Trolls were to blame, while others claim it was a mutual parting for all tribes. What can't be mistaken is the crystal clear message the film is sending. It doesn't matter what music you like, or what you look like, you can still all be friends and get along. And while it may be a message that we need to hear in the world a bit more these days, the film constantly bashes you over the head with it and it gets a bit tiresome. I understand trying to make a film with a message, but this is one that may fly over the heads of younger viewers. While it's a fun film and does have some great tunes, if you're going to watch a Trolls film, stick with the original. Trolls World Tour is available on Bluray, DVD, and on demand. 6 out of 10 For anyone who grew up reading the classic Winnie the Pooh books by A. A. Milne and enjoying the animated cartoons of the 1970s, this film is ripe with nostalgia and laughs for young and old alike. It should come as no surprise that the title character is all grown up for most of this film. It is a treat to see McGregor take on yet another beloved classic character (see Obi-Wan Kenobi) and take him in a new direction with ease. McGregor's Christopher Robin is a grown man working for a luxury luggage company in London and his department has come on hard times. Faced with the prospect of losing his entire department, he plans to spend the weekend working on the figures (instead of vacationing with his wife and young daughter) in order to find a solution and save the jobs of those working for him. When he runs into his old friend Winnie the Pooh, whom he last saw when he was a young boy in the Hundred Acre Wood, he scrambles to get the lovable bear back home and still have time to get his work done before Monday morning. Things go sideways when Pooh begs him to help find the friends that he's lost. Robin and Pooh make a mad dash across London to find the old entrance to the Hundred Acre Wood at the Robin family cottage in the country, picking up balloons and avoiding odd stares when people hear the talking teddy bear. Overall the film felt familiar to fans of the source material. The music we know and love from the original cartoon plays subtly under the action in many places, underlining the fact that like Robin, we may not think about those things from our childhood that often, but when we see or hear a reminder of them, the thoughts can come flooding back. Ultimately the film feels a little heavy handed in terms of the primary message of finding the balance between work and family. As someone who watched the film with two of my kids on either side of me, I was personally forced to reevaluate my own balance in this area and found it a bit distracting from total enjoyment of the film. That said, the visual effects are tremendous and the animated characters blend seamlessly into the environments from woodlands to cities. Take time out of your busy work schedule to check this film out with your kids and do a little nothing for a while. You never know what something might come out of nothing. 7 out of 10 |
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