Turning Red (unpublished!)

One of my favorite Pixar movies of all time is Inside Out, in part because of how deftly it uses metaphor and personification to tell a universally applicable and relatable story about growing up and the importance of emotional balance. Metaphor can be an excellent teacher if used correctly, but it can also be distracting if it is an extended one that is inconsistent. Like Inside Out, Pixar’s newest film, Turning Red, uses kid-friendly stand-ins to represent complicated issues, but while the movie is peppy, well-animated, and heartwarming, the metaphor at the heart of it all doesn’t make sense half of the time and has a tendency to distract rather than teach.  

                Turning Red is the story of Mei, a spirited Chinese-Canadian preteen that is starting to go through some changes. The changes she is experiencing are a little bit different than that of your typical thirteen-year-old, however-- every time her emotions get the better of her, she transforms into a giant red panda, as the result of a family curse. Luckily enough there’s a ritual to remove said curse, some lessons are learned on the way, and every one is better for the experience when the credits roll. It’s a very straightforward story with the lowest of stakes, but it is one that Pixar tells well for the most part. The animation, which is even more cartoony than usual and infused with an anime-esque energy, is wonderful, bright, and creative (which is no surprise, this being a Pixar film and all) and goes perfectly with the enthusiastic voice performances given by actors that include newcomer Rosalie Chiang and veteran Sandra Oh. Much like hanging out with an actual preteen, the style of the film does have a tendency to get exhausting after a while, however, and it sometimes feels like the filmmakers lean a bit too heavily on the hyperactivity for laughs, but there is no denying that Turning Red is overall a very aesthetically pleasing movie.  

                The themes the film explores are also welcome, but the metaphor of the red panda does not always work. At first the transformation is a clear stand-in for menstruation and puberty in general, but as the story moves on this metaphor becomes more and more muddied as it is used in situations that just don’t fit the initial meaning. This confused me and led me to get distracted as I tried to figure out just what the filmmakers were trying to say in any given scene. But to paraphrase Freud, maybe sometimes a giant red panda is just a giant red panda, and maybe I was trying to look into the deeper meaning of things a bit much? Possible, but I don’t think that’s really my fault when the initial metaphor is as blatant as the one given in Turning Red.   

                Confusing imagery aside, Turning Red is still a sweet and stylish movie that is more than worthy of being a part of Disney/Pixar canon. It’s no Inside Out or Toy Story, but it should do nicely if you’re bored and want to revisit what it was like to be a kid.  

                Turning Red is now available on Disney+.  

This review was not published in The Keizertimes for some reason. They did not tell me why. 

Thor: Love and Thunder (07.15.22)

 

Of all the individual series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the one belonging to the god of thunder did not truly take flight and rise above middling-to-decent until the third entry, Taika Waititi’s excellent Thor: Ragnarok. Colorful, hilarious, and exciting, it was just the jolt that the self-proclaimed strongest Avenger needed to continue on to an unheard of (for the MCU, anyway) fourth solo film after the events of Avengers: Endgame concluded the storylines of many of his compatriots. What worked so well in Ragnarok, however, wildly misses the mark in Love and Thunder, and the fourth Thor film instead stands as a disappointing testament that lightning sometimes doesn’t strike the same place twice.  

Ragnarok's successes owe a great deal to director/screenwriter Taika Waititi's deft ability to balance humor and drama. And while the latter mostly works in no small part thanks to Jane Foster’s storyline (Natalie Portman returns to the character for the first time since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World), the former is oddly dull and uninspired. I rarely laughed during Love and Thunder, even when the film was clearly trying to elicit such a response. The screaming meme-inspired goats were more obnoxious than anything else, and the rock-skinned Korg (voiced once again by Waititi himself) transitions from fan-favorite to unnecessary annoyance in record time. The small addition of Russell Crowe’s flamboyant Zeus helps the funny a bit, as does the recurring love triangle gag between Thor, his current weapon Stormbreaker, and his newly resurrected hammer Mjolnir, but for the most part the humor of Love and Thunder engenders eye rolls, not chuckles. It’s really too bad, because Chris Hemsworth and his supporting cast have all proven themselves to be gifted comedic actors in the past, but here none of them really have anything funny to say. There also isn’t much story to Love and Thunder, nor is the action particularly exciting despite the liberal use of Guns N' Roses songs as backing soundtracks (I swear the score of Love and Thunder is a 1:1 copy of Appetite for Destruction, the only GNR album you will ever need).  

The actual acting is well done, however, particularly in the case of Christian Bale as the terrifying yet sympathetic Gorr the God Butcher (he’s the bad guy, if the name didn’t tip you off). Every time he is on screen (which isn’t often, unfortunately), I found myself wishing that the rest of the film that he was in was worthy of his performance. And as weak as Waititi’s script is this time around, his directing remains as impressive as ever, with some interesting shots and beautiful visuals. Thor: Love and Thunder is definitely not the worst movie ever and may not even be the worst that the MCU has to offer, but it really should have been so much better considering the talent involved. Let’s hope Waititi, Hemsworth and crew pull things together for Thor 5 and recapture what made Ragnarok special, because this ain’t it.  

Thor: Love and Thunder is now available exclusively in theaters. 

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on July 15th, 2022. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/

Stranger Things Season 4 (07.08.22)

 

It’s no secret that in a post-cable world where everyone has copied (and in a lot of cases improved) their business model, Netflix has been struggling. Unjustified price hikes, the departure of popular licensed programming like The Office, the constant assembly-line-like churning out of garbage that no one will ever watch (and the cancellation of quality original programming if said programming even slightly underperforms), and now rumors of including ads and cracking down on account sharing has made the once magnificent company wane in popularity, especially when compared to the much better value that fellow streaming services such as HBO Max and Amazon Prime offer. Netflix has had one consistent money-maker over the years that they could depend on, however, and that is Stranger Things. Returning for what the creators say is the penultimate season, the nostalgic 80’s horror series proves to be just as exciting and impressive as it’s always been, although the story does seem to buckle a bit under its own weight in season 4.  

Picking up right where the last season left off, Eleven and some of her friends are now living in California, while the other half of the Hawkins crew has remained in Indiana. All of those kids we watched grow up since season 1 are now in high school, and, true to form, season 4 introduces some new characters as well, not to mention a menacing new bad guy straight from the Upside Down. Spooky stuff happens, 80s references abound, an art project helps to solve part of the mystery, and the synthesizer theme goes do-do-DOO-do-do-do-do-DOO-do. Pretty much what you’d expect, in other words, and if you’ve been following the show for as long as I have that is just fine and dandy. The cast and writing remain as good as ever (special shout-out, as always, to Joe Keery’s hair), the new characters fit the established world so well that you would have thought they had been there the entire time, and the cinematography and style of the show remain beautiful. The storyline feels a bit darker this time around, especially when it comes to the violence inflicted by the new bad guy, which is often shocking and downright brutal. For a series that could have easily been bogged down with an overextended mythology and continuity while ultimately overstaying its welcome, Stranger Things season 4 somehow manages to keep things fresh and appealing.  

The only criticism I have of season 4 is that it perhaps has too much story. At one point there are no less than six concurrent storylines to follow, although that number does fluctuate a bit as characters meet up and then go their separate ways. The story also loses a little something by going bigger in scope instead of sticking to the hometown/self-contained horror vibe of previous seasons, making things seem a little less intimate and a bit more Hollywood. But minor criticisms aside, season 4 proves that Stranger Things is as strong as ever, and I’m sure Netflix is very grateful that, for now, people won’t be cancelling their service because of it.            

Stranger Things season 4 is now available on Netflix.   

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on July 8th, 2022. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/

A Very Special Review- Downtown Abbey: A New Era (By My Mom)

I requested that my mother, the celebrated Laura Reid, write this review, as I did not have a particular desire to watch the film in question but felt that I needed to review something a little different than my usual. The Keizertimes opted not to print it (they were not particularly clear in their response when I asked them why), but it is now printed here in it's entirety for your perusal, enjoyment, and immense gratification. 

I am ghost writing for my son today, as I could not get him to accompany me to Downton Abbey: A New Era. Well, that’s not entirely true, as we watched it during a family girls’ weekend, and he wasn’t invited. He instead chose to see The Bob’s Burgers Movie with his equally uninvited father. Nevertheless, I’m sure he still would have opted out if he’d had a chance. Downton Abbey: A New Era was every bit as delightful as would be expected by diehard fans, though that description seems a bit ludicrous for aficionados of this classy period piece.  

I should have done my homework better; by that I mean I should have at least watched the last movie and probably watched the last season. It was sometimes difficult to remember the plot lines of the different characters since there are so many of them by this point. Nevertheless, I followed the plot well enough, and it was wonderfully pleasant. 

With so many characters to be accommodated, there were two main plot lines and both incorporated all the beloved elements of the series. The first plot was that the family accedes to the request to film a movie at Downton Abbey in order to pay for a new roof. While that disgraceful scenario materializes, the rest of the family and attendants abscond to the south of France to look into a villa that has been mysteriously left to the Dowager Lady Grantham. Both plots are perfectly charming. 

Julian Fellows throws in all major dramatic elements (marriage, birth, illness, death, romance, etc.) with several theatrical and literary homages thrown in for good measure. My favorites were the very obvious Singing in the Rain parallel, and the David Copperfield allusion (not to be confused with David Copperfield’s illusions). Furthermore, each character had the opportunity to participate in scenes that reinforced the characters they have become: Daisy is cheeky and sly, Thomas is troubled but reformed, Mr. Carson is disgusted with everything not strictly English yet has a tender father moment with Mary, Mary is the self-sacrificing boss of everyone, and the Dowager Lady Grantham is above it all. There is not much in the way of development, but we are gleefully reminded of everything we love about this show. 

Everything turns out just as we want it to. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the Dowager Lady Grantham dies at the end, as she has been living on borrowed time for quite awhile. She doesn’t even break character on her death bed; her final line is something like, “Stop blubbering. I can’t hear myself die.” We can forgive the lack of literary merit being sacrificed for character consistency. 

Downton Abbey: A New Era doesn’t really add anything to the plot or to the development of the characters; rather, it is a gift to those, both cast and audience, who have invested so much in the Downton world over the years. 

It can currently be seen in theaters, where other members of your family might choose a different film. 

T.J.'s update- the movie can now be seen on Peacock. Don't think it's in theaters anymore. 

Reacher Season 1 (07.01.22)

 

It’s sometimes hard to remember that at one point the Mission: Impossible series was more than just an excuse to watch Tom Cruise perform increasingly dangerous stunts. A classic 60s television show, it was not until the first film adaptation in 1996 that the seminal spy property would start to become synonymous with the diminutive actor, for better or for worse. In 2016 Cruise would attempt to become the permanent face of yet another popular pre-existing action series, but unlike the Mission: Impossible films, the Jack Reacher duology received a lukewarm reception that caused the series' foray into film to fizzle out in relative anonymity. Now, six years after the last film, Amazon Studios is taking another stab at bringing the book series to the screen with the aptly titled Reacher, a series that is much better cast, full of action, and only a little hard to follow at times.  

Although I have not actually read any of Lee Child’s 26 Jack Reacher novels, I am fairly confident after watching the first season of the Amazon Prime series that “huge and intimidating” are vital traits for the titular character to have. Tom Cruise is good at what he does, but at 5’ 7”, he is hardly either of these things. Alan Ritchson, on the other hand, is a towering beast of a man at 6’ 2” and practically embodies the idea of terrifying yet oddly approachable. Reacher himself is stoic and emotionless, which sometimes makes him a hard main character to follow, so it’s lucky that Ritchson is buoyed by an exceptional supporting cast here as well. The good guys are easy to root for, and the bad guys are so effortlessly easy to hate that if I ever saw any of the actors on the street I’d have to remind myself that they are just actors, not the irresistibly punchable jerks that they perfectly portrayed. When the twists and turns of the story and the mystery at the heart of it all became a little too much to follow, it was author Lee Child’s characters that kept me interested and coming back for more.  

When you have a main character as big and scary as Reacher, action scenes naturally follow. The fight choreography in Reacher season 1 is impressively done and unflinchingly brutal, livening things up frequently enough that the story never gets dull in its 8 episode run. The story is well-paced and intriguing, although I definitely don’t recommend taking a week or two in between episodes like I did. The mystery has a lot of parts to it, and it’s easy to get lost if you’re not paying attention or if you’ve forgotten any of the names on the suspect list. Reacher is also not a show you want to watch with your kids, as f-bombs are not uncommon and nudity is not unheard of either. But if you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned detective story set in a small town with a dark secret, look no further than Reacher season 1. This is one that we are very lucky to have gotten away from Tom Cruise.  

Reacher season 1 is now available on Amazon Prime.   

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on July 1st, 2022. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/