Category: Movies

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Shmee Pulls A Job With The Widows!

Widows is Steve McQueen’s first movie since his Oscar winning film 12 Years a Slave.  It is based on the 80’s British TV show of the same name, but I am guessing the movie is quite a bit different than the show.  Yes, they are both about widows of thieves pulling a job to pay off their late husbands’ debts, but the 2018 move also pulls in commentary about the current state of Chicago, and what it is like to be African American in America, so in other words it is not just a gritty Oceans 8.

In the opening minutes of Widows, Veronica (Viola Davis) Rawlings’ husband, Harry (Liam Neeson), and his crew are gunned down by Chicago Police officers, and it turns out the man they stole the money from is a crime boss running for alderman, Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), and he needs his money to run his campaign.  He gives Veronica a month to pay back the money.  With nowhere to turn for help she enlists the other widows of Harry’s crew to pull off a job to pay Jamal and secure their future.

What every good heist movie must to do is make the main crew sympathetic, and Widows does that very well.  The husbands were bad men, the crime boss is terrible, and the man Jamal is running against Jack Mulligan played by Colin Farrell might represent the worst of Chicago.  He comes from a long line of political wheelers and dealers that have allowed and helped bring Chicago to where it is today.  Some armed robbery considering all that seems minor.

If you are going to try adding politics and racial tensions to a heist movie, you need a good script, and Gillian Flynn of Gone Girl fame did a great job, and cast they got deliver the lines is phenomenal.  Even people that were on the screen for like five minutes is ‘A’ list talent.  Apparently once you win an Oscar everyone wants to work with you.

Not everything is perfect though.  Because of all the added commentary Widows is a bit slower than a standard heist flick, so if you were expecting action and tense scouting, you may be disappointed.  An Oceans or an Italian Job this is not.

I really liked Widows, and I thought McQueen and the bucket loads of talent that brought this movie to life did a great job.  It just might not be the movie that the trailers lead you to believe that it was.  Go in looking for something a little slower and more thoughtful, and I am sure you will be happy with what you see.

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She-Ra Continues Netflix’s Reboot Success!

I have been singing Voltron‘s praises for a while now, so I was intrigued when Netflix and DreamWorks announced a reboot of She-Ra.  I was skeptical after the trailer.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the new look, but like I said, they had earned a little of my faith, and they largely came through.  I wouldn’t say it is as amazing as Voltron, but it is much, much better than the She-Ra of the past.

The basic setups are the same between the old and new shows.  Adora is an orphan kidnapped by the Horde, but then she finds a magic sword that lets her turn in to the super strong Princess of Power, She-Ra.  A lot of the characters from the old show are in this one as well, but what is different is that you care about all these characters.  They have stories and arcs.  The entire backbone of this first season is how Catra’s and Adora’s relationship defines and makes them who they are.  You know, a real theme and plot!

Not everything is perfect though.  While I appreciate that the series is mostly hand drawn, it is not drawn with a lot of depth.  You can tell that they did not have a massive budget, and while it is mostly smooth, it can still feel a little cheap.  Some of the story beats that do not belong to Catra or Adora can feel rushed or muddled, and Swiftwind is super annoying.

The Michael Bay Transformers broke me, and I never wanted anyone to reboot anything ever again, but then it turns out I just don’t want people to reboot things poorly anymore.  DreamWorks and Netflix can reboot whatever they want at this point.  However, this shared universe Roald Dahl show sounds like a bad plan, but they have earned my eyes for at least a few episodes because She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is better than I could have hoped for.

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Shmee Is Invited To A Destination Wedding!

Destination Wedding asks a simple question, “Are Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves charming and talented enough to pull off a movie all by themselves?”  Answer: almost.  The problem is that the script and the production as a whole don’t give them a lot to work with.  Which is a shame because these two leads are very watchable, and even more watchable together.

Destination Wedding sets up two unlikable people and traps them at a wedding that they don’t want to be at, and that no one wants them at, so they are forced to spend time together.  It is like a very long sitcom elevator episode except that the elevator moves around to different locations.  Also, we aren’t really sure about anyone’s motivations for inviting these two because only Winona and Keanu have speaking roles.  Well maybe technically a mountain lion speaks, but I am not sure roars and hisses count.

Speaking of the mountain lion, it is the only real thing that happens in this movie.  Otherwise it is just Winona and Keanu trading barbs, and most of the time they are pretty good at it.  The issue is that when you have to spend an hour and a half talking with only two people, that is a lot of dialog, and a lot of it doesn’t hold up.  The leads do their best, but there is only so much they can do, and the only props they are given are wine and food, so they literally chew and drink the scenery.

Listen, putting Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder together is a brilliant move, and they are excellent at delivering witty banter and trading insults, but to have the whole movie just be two people talking to one another the script has to be perfect.  Destination Wedding’s is not.  Reeves and Ryder have their moments, almost enough of them to carry they movie, but the effort falls short in the end.  Hopefully we get a more fleshed out movie with these two again soon because they are great.  Destination Wedding, not so much.

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You’re A Bland One Mr. Grinch!

As I have said before, the hardest reviews to write are the ones for movies that are just okay.  There is nothing to point out that is poorly done, and there is nothing to laud.  Illumination’s The Grinch is such a film.  It is bright, the characters are cute, and the digital sets are amazing, but it is still the same story stretched over eighty-six minutes.  Which feels about forty minutes too long.

If you have read the book or watched the Chuck Jones original short, you know the story.  The titular Grinch, this time played by Benedict Cumberbatch, hates Christmas because his heart is two sizes too small, so he attempts to steal Christmas from the Christmas loving Whos down in Whoville.  Illumination attempts to add some context, so that we can at least understand why the Grinch doesn’t like Christmas, he doesn’t like it, no not at all.

I will say that at least it isn’t as horrifying as the Jim Carry/Ron Howard movie from 2000, but at least that movie is actively bad, so I can feel some emotion about it.  This 2018 Grinch attempts to delete itself from your memory as soon as you watch it.  It is kind of like paying $15 for sugar free cotton candy.  You probably will not hate it, but you should have spent your money on something else.

The biggest compliment that I can give Illumination’s The Grinch is that my four year old daughter loved it, and I think that is the target audience for this movie, so I guess they hit that mark, but we have been so spoiled lately with animation that works for adults and children, it is hard not to be disappointed with this outing.  If you need to take your family to a movie, and they can’t wait for Ralph to break the Internet, The Grinch is a family movie that exists and is fine, and even better, it is short.  Did you know you can get the Chuck Jones’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Blu-Ray for less than the price of a movie ticket?

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Laika Has A New Movie Coming Out And I Am In!

I love stop motion, and Laika is one of only two studios left doing it, so I would pretty much watch whatever they put out.  However, when you also take in to account that they created Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings, I am double in!  Missing Link doesn’t look as epic as those movies, but it still looks like fun.