The Gift of Serving Yourself (Klaus, 2019)

Jesper has lived a life of luxury and privilege. His father has gotten him into the prestigious academy he runs for mail service. In a last and desperate move to teach his son responsibility, he assigns Jesper to a remote island in the arctic circle. He has one year to amass 6,000 letters from the island…except he arrives to discover the are two feuding sides and nobody uses the mail service.

He discovers an old toymaker and stumbles upon a plan to get letters generated by getting kids to write letters to Klaus asking for toys.

As they make their deliveries, the town starts to see change and a friendship develops between the two men. Adding to the mix is the local school teacher, Alva. At first she has given up hope and the school is functioning as the local fish store. And as the children begin to change, so do their parents.

Klaus is a beautifully animated film with a pretty timeless story. A unique take on the myth of Santa Clause, the vocal performances are terrific (J.K. Simmon’s has a perfect gruffness that manages to move from mysterious to friendly as Klaus).

This is a wonderful film that can be enjoyed with a family in the holiday season.

December 15, 2019 0

Meet the New Kids (Toy Story 3, 2010)

While Pixar had pushed the Cars franchise at an aggressive rate, their other films had been allowed to remain largely untouched. In spite of the second film’s success, it was not until 2010 that we saw the third installment of the Toy Story films.

This time, we find Andy getting ready for college. When the toys are accidentally mistaken as trash, they decide to stow away in a box marked for the local daycare center.

Woody promises them it will be terrible, and shortly after they arrive, he tries to sneak out to return to Andy. However, on his way, he is found by young Bonnie, who brings him home.

The other toys are greeted by Losto (a stuff bear) and the other toys. They sell our old friends on what a paradise the daycare is. But the truth is much darker. Lotso is pretty much the Godfather of the joint. He runs the show and force new toys to be played with by the youngest kids in the daycare…regardless of whether these toys are meant for that age or not.

This is a pretty crazy story, but it works pretty well. Lotso is charming at first, but you learn he has turned dark from rejection. Meanwhile, his henchman Ken is taken with Barbie. At first she is smitten, but when she discovers what Lotso does to the other toys, she rejects the cushy life Ken offers.

Meanwhile, Woody is also living a good life with Bonnie and her toys, but he wants to return to Andy…and when he finds out the truth about Lotso and the Daycare, he is determined to save the other toys.

The animation in this is pretty terrific and has come far. Textures, vibrant colors, hair…everything looks great. And this time around they have opted for a more stylized look to the human characters which is some much more pleasant to watch than the humans of the previous films.

As usual, there is a lot of heart to this film…it is a bit heavy as the toys contemplate death and complete destruction…but still, it really tugs at the heartstrings.

Again, the performances of the voice cast bring this to life in a way a lot of films fail. Even the stunt casting never feels like a mere stunt. The performances feel full of care, and everyone delivers.

Somehow, Pixar managed to keep the same quality in three films, avoiding the dreaded failure within the franchise that each announced film brought. Toy Story three would have been a perfect cap off to the series, really. You would have had a high quality trilogy. It is full of love, humor and even grown up fears and emotion. Toy Story 3 is a great continuation of the Toy Story Series.

June 26, 2019 0

Collectability (Toy Story 2, 1999)

Toy Story had almost cemented itself as a classic in the public mind within a few short years.

This time, they open with a massive space adventure sequence which introduces Buzz’s arch nemesis Evil Emperor Zurg.

When Woody gets stolen by a collector at a yard sale, Buzz mounts a rescue mission. But for Woody, it turns out to not be as simple.

Woody discovers that he is not some random doll…but that he was originally part of a popular fifties toy and TV show combo. And he finds out he was the last piece of the puzzle for a toy collector who plans to sell his collection to a museum in Japan.

At first, Woody is terrified by the notion. But the rest of the collection (A cowgirl named Jessie, a horse named Bullseye and Stinky Pete-a toy still in his box, never opened) slowly convinces Woody that maybe life in a museum would not be so bad.

The film has a lot of fun, expanding both Woody and Buzz’s respective worlds. They also find a new way to advance the story and give us “Buzz Does Not Know He is a Toy” in an entertaining way.

Jessie and Bullseye are engaging and lovable, making it easier to understand why Woody might consider abandoning Andy. Kelsey Grammer gives Stinky Pete just the amount of charm at the beginning to hint there may be more for him than we think. Admittedly, he is a bit of an indictment of collectors, as being left in the box plays a major motivation for Pete.

The animation shows some improvement here, though the human characters look…uh….freakish. However, with Wayne Knight’s toy collector Al and the old man are much more cartoonish. And it works more effectively when we see them on screen.

Toy Story 2 is a terrific follow up to the original, improving some things in the technical aspects and giving us a pretty tale revisiting characters we have come to love.

June 25, 2019 0

How Are We Alive (Toy Story 4, 2019)

Honestly, the Toy Story films are something rare. Never feeling like a cash grab when you actually watch them, they stand together in a way other animated franchises rarely do….even from Pixar.

Each film finds some new approach to its characters, new and thoughtful hopes and fears. And this time it is no different. Though, the big questions are…well bigger.

Before the story begins proper, the film addresses why we did not see Bo Peep in the third film. Granted, Bo is mentioned in a moment of that film as having been given to a new home, but here we get an action packed opener set several years ago, when the toys were still Andy’s. Unlike the previous two films, which showed us Andy’s imagination, this sequence is the toys trying to save another toy in danger of being lost in a storm. This sets Bo up as being a bit more action oriented, since in earlier films, she is never given a lot to do, other than be the presumed love interest of Woody.

Everyone is shocked to find Bo is being given away, as Molly (Andy’s little sister) no longer is interested her. Bo tells Woody it will be okay and then the film picks up present time, with young Bonnie terrified of her first day at Kindergarten. Against everyone’s recommendations, Woody stows away with Bonnie. At school, she creates a little friend she nicknames Forky. When Woody sees how much joy he brings Bonnie, he becomes convinced he must protect Forky at all costs.

When the family takes a road trip, Woody and Forky become separated, they run into several obstacles when trying to get back to the family.

And honestly, the film works most of the time. What happens to lost toys? Well, here we see a whole tribe under the loose care of Bo Peep. I liked this adventuresome Bo Peep who represents a possibility that has never occurred to Woody.

There are also a lot of fun new characters, such as Duke Caboom and Giggle McDimples.

The biggest problem of the film is its central conflict character. Gabby Gabby is set up right away as a dark character. We eventually learn the reasons why, and unlike Lotso in part three, she is offered a redemptive arc. Unfortunately, it is so rushed that it makes things very problematic. I was not sure initially if it bothered me…but how it plays out could have been done in such a better way.

However, largely, this film is very entertaining and many times managed to tug at my heart strings more than once. I liked the characters and had a good time overall. This is not a quartet of near perfect films due to a few issues with Toy Story 4, but it is a pretty solid set of films. Toy Story 4 could have used another pass, but it is a strongly entertaining film.

June 22, 2019 0

The Gift of Music (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, 2016)

I confess, for several years I was pretty lukewarm on Andy Samberg. I recall not finding Hot Rod all that funny. Over the years, I have been convinced I was wrong about Samberg. Especially with his hilarious performance as Detective Jake Peralta on Brooklyn 9-9 (easily one of my favorite comedies from the past few years). In fact, I am thinking of revisiting Hot Rod to see if my feelings on that film have changed.

I was unsure about Popstar, because while the trailers did look funny, I worried it would be unable to sustain the gag. Popstar is about popular pop artist Conner. Conner is from a popular boy band Style Boyz. He went solo and was propelled to even greater success, while his bandmates had…less success.

His second album is a critical and sales failure. He attempts to sustain his career as incident after incident makes it clear his is crashing and burning severely. While Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is not a wholly original idea, it is well crafted. Samberg and writer/directors Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone have packed the film so tightly with jokes, it overcomes the fairly pedestrian plot.

Samberg’s very clueless and shallow Conner somehow manages to still be likable. And this is where the movie shines. Its satire of the world of entertainment is simple but effective. The film could have overstayed it’s welcome, but they clearly knew when to cut a gag or scene that was unnecessary. Just under an hour and a half, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has a high rate of jokes that hit their mark. I was laughing throughout the film.

Samberg is supported by a strong cast of comedy veterans, such as Tim Meadows (who seems to have comfortably slid into the straight man role) as Conner’s hard working manager. Chris Redd is very funny as Hunter, a rapper on the rise that is opening for Conner’s shows(he tells Conner, “I wanna be you, kind of, but not white. Like black still, ’cause it’s strong. It’s a strong color.”) and then starts to overshadow Conner.

Popstar was an unexpected comedy pleasure for me, delivers a load of laughter.

May 16, 2017 0

The Mother Daughter Bond (Snatched, 2017)

When I first saw announcements for the Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn vehicle Snatched…I cringed. Kidnapping for laughs is kind of a weird one. And one that has been pretty done to death. Kidnapping for comedy films are, of course, very divorced from the realities of the crime of kidnapping. And some are better than others.

So, I walked into this film a bit hesitant. I had certainly laughed at bits in trailers, and I like Hawn and Schumer. Thankfully, for me the film worked pretty well. A lot of the weight for this falls on Schumer and Hawn, with some terrific backup by Wanda Sykes and (an entirely silent) Joan Cusack.

Goldie has a long career in comedy and knows her trade. This is a real benefit for Schumer since they have a nice chemistry together. Schumer is basically playing a common character for her. The aimless and awkward loser. Hawn plays her over protective and cat loving mother.

Emily (Schumer) gets dumped by her boyfriend (an entertaining but brief appearance by Fresh Off the Boat’s Randall Park) and drags her mother along with her on a non-refundable trip to Ecuador. Once there, they become tricked by a handsome stranger who delivers them to kidnappers who plan to ransom them. What follows is Emily and her mother on the run from a vicious Ecuadorian warlord and trying to get to the nearest American Embassy.

As noted, Schumer and Hawn have a good chemistry, and the film is populated by great character actors. The jokes often hit their target and are entertaining enough to not be distracted by a pretty conventional story about parent and child realizing how much they love each other.

Also, it was really nice watching a comedy and not getting bored because scenes went on to long. Seriously, the most common complaint I hear people make about comedies is “Should have been a half an hour shorter.” Snatched does not overstay it’s welcome, clocking in at a nice hour and a half.

Snatched does not break any new comedy ground, but it was a fun film with a good cast and funny jokes.

May 13, 2017 0