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The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear Sails Away on VOD!

6 Dec

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The cinematic adaptation of Jakob Martin Strid‘s Den Kempestore Pere (The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear) may well have some fans of children’s works wonder how it stands to Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach? Both shine as solid pieces of family entertainment. The Danish work is getting distribution in North America courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment and is available on VOD services like iTunes and Google Play.

This delightful work is comparable to Hayao Miyazaki‘s Castle in the Sky, Laputa. This filmmaker was the key animator to notable early works like Animal Treasure Island and Puss in Boots, and for this newest film, it may have drawn some inspiration by it. When two anthropomorphic kids, Sebastian (Alfred Bjerre Larsen), an elephant, and Mitcho (Liva Elvira Magnussen), a cat, find a message in a bottle, revealing where J.B. (the Mayor of Sunnytown) disappeared off to, they embark on a wondrous adventure (in a pear).

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The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova

2 Dec

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

This film played at the 2018 Whistler Film Festival on Nov 30th.

The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova is a hilarious and heartwarming film. When two estranged siblings are strangers in a strange land and they have to work together to honour their grandmother’s last request–to find the remains of her dog, Peter–what they discover about their family heritage just might help mend fences. What they dig up are their own skeletons in the closet, and not even the remains of a beloved canine will dare tear their lives apart

Aaron (Douglas Nyback) and Sarah (Katherine Fogler) Cotler are in Poland. This film is more about them bonding, much like how Buby (Polish: Busia) and Peter (the dog) were. No flashbacks are immediately offered to let me know just how much these two loved each other; though by the film’s end, we see brother and sister understand each other more.

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When Ralph Breaks the Internet, Who Will Save the Day?

28 Nov

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

When Ralph Breaks the Internet, Fix-It-Felix cannot help. The trailers see this villain turned hero (voiced by John C. Reilly) take on the World Wide Web, and should everyone be afraid? As long as he does nothing dim-witted, no. When he fears to lose his best friend, Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), trouble ensues–but not without some action adventure dramedy.

This sequel has a lot to visually pack in. They are all Easter Egg material which requires an at home viewing with a pause button than to deal with at a movie theatre. I laughed at how self-aware it was when considering the visit to the digital version of Disneyland. At this tale’s core is a terrific examination of the relationship between these two main characters. Change is inevitable. The difficulties they face not only as close friends but also in who they are is key to this film. Can they function more beyond their programming? This theme was explored with Ralph in the first film, and now it’s Venellope’s turn.

Trying to stay true to what they are and holding on to self-doubts may be okay for some folks, but for others, it can do more harm than good. The young girl wants to spread her wings. She’s become tired of the routine in her game; nothing new exists for her to explore. Although her status as a glitch is not as important, it becomes a factor later.

To see how Ralph develops is key. When considering he is from another era, seen as a two-dimensional character from a video gamer’s perspective, and he grows as a real-life person, he becomes more relatable. In a modern game, he is three-dimensional. There’s more to him than that of a house smasher. He has feelings which need to be expressed. Spoilers follow:

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On Fantastic Beasts 2 and Where to Find Them (and the Series Plot)

20 Nov

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

If Fantastic Beasts is retconning the Wizarding world as we know it from the world of Harry Potter, fans are likely to complain. The Crimes of Grindelwald is The Two Towers of this spinoff saga. It sets in motion a quest to stop the deeds to which this nefarious character, played by Johnny Depp, has plans to commit. The actions he committed in the past are a concern, but in this sequel, this villain’s future goals will shake up the world in devastating ways. At the same time, we are teased with glimpses of the tools he has at his disposal. He possesses at least one-third of the Deathly Hallows.

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