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When Despicable Me 4 Attempts to Be Fantastic By Making It Marvel, There’s Something Missing

When Pierre Coffin is not co-directing, some of that early film charm is missing in Despicable Me 4.

Despicable Me 4 Movie Poster Minions Even after five films, I am still asking where all the heroes have gone in Despicable Me 4? In this latest, Gru (Steve Carell) is an agent for the Anti-Villain League (AVL) and will go undercover to undo the criminal element. Whether his motive is to right all his past wrongs, this franchise rarely goes deep into his mind to understand why he is now what he is instead of the rascal from times gone by.

That also includes dealing with threats like Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrel), whom he was once buddies with. This new character’s plan for world domination isn’t as crazy as what past films imagine. I wish they had dedicated more attention to Poppy Prescott’s (Joey King) attempts to convince Felonious to engage in criminal activities, instead of focusing on the other aspects.

Elsewhere, five Minions undergo mutation to become superheroes as part of the AVL’s attempt to give this world some heroes. Just like the previous films, their antics are fillers, and while they learn how to use their newfound powers, what’s presented is more slapstick moments than anything good. When these simple organisms have little purpose in life other than to serve Gru, well, all I have to ask is what happened to the prior team of Kevin, Stuart and Bob? Continue reading “When Despicable Me 4 Attempts to Be Fantastic By Making It Marvel, There’s Something Missing”

There’s No What IF, But Rather A Why It’s Best To Remain Forever Young

The best thing about IF is that it makes a lot of callbacks to familiar IPs without directly saying these imaginary friends are them.

Still playing at theatres and available on VOD

Unless the film buff hasn’t seen the promotional material for IF, not everyone will know it’s short for an imaginary friend. And just why they have this nickname is that once they’ve lost their way, their connection with the person who created him/her/it can threaten its existence, and that being will fade away.

Just why this matters in John Krasinski‘s delightful film is that it’s about how to remain true, but yet understand why facing adversity matters.

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Ross Munro’s The Moviegoer Aims for More Than A Reflection of Times Gone By

There’s no innocence lost in The Moviegoer, since it also includes recognising the various exploitation type films that became prominent for this era.

Ross Munro's The Moviegoer Poster Ross Munro‘s The Moviegoer is more than a love letter about his youthful experiences at the movie theatre. It’s also a look at what inspired him to start making films of his own, and what’s notable is the affection for Carlota Viva, an actress from Venezuela. He says she’s South America’s answer to Bridget Bardot and I can’t blame him for carrying that affection into his adult years.

Although this character is a fictional creation, I get what he’s going for; she symbolized a time much like Marilyn Monroe back in the 60s. Had the era been different, I’m sure not everyone will get it, and I feel the choice of which decade to make his own is important to sell this film. I grew up in this time too.

Although I thought of his short film as an autobiography, there’s a lot more going on. After watching it, I had to hit google and do some additional research just to reacquaint myself about the times. The only reference I could find is from the Jane the Virgin Wikipedia. And if I was to connect this character to anyone real, I’d place my money on him being infatuated with Eva Perón, The First Lady of Argentina.

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When Jurassic World Chaos Theory Proves The Fact That People Should Not Remain Apart…

In Jurassic World Chaos Theory, the kids have grown up, and they’re using some of those experiences to deal with the latest hurdle. And that’s to deal with rogue dinosaurs roaming North America! Although I’m still trying to figure out how this title fits even on my fourth binge-watch, some facts are certain: they’re matured and some are taking the fight to a whole new level.

What I love is that a few answers regarding how this team managed to cope in the past are provided in simply one-liners. Although six years have passed, it seems only one of them still suffers from PTSD. But to see that a few went to work with the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife (DPW) is a head scratcher. I would’ve thought they’d want a normal life. Darius (Paul-Mikél Williams) is a dinosaur whisperer, but he left after a wPaul-Mikél Williams, Kiersten Kelly, Sean Giambrone, Raini Rodriguez, Darren Barnet, Kausar Mohammedhile, for some undisclosed reason.

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Smells Like (Pre) Teen Angst in Inside Out 2. Looking at What’s New But Familiar in PIXAR’s Latest.

It’s rare to find a film that can be better than the original, and in what Inside Out 2 examines is how the Riley grows from being that quiet young girl to a confident woman.

Inside Out 2 Movie Poster Although nine years have passed since the first film, Inside Out 2 shows Riley (Kensington Tallman) only a year older, and needing to learn how to deal with the curveballs that having a social life throws at her! All those emotions awakened overnight after Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green) and Grace (Grace Lu) say they’ll be going to another high school than her. As a result, she’s concerned she may not have any more friends, because how they all met was when they showed compassion for the new kid.

In her mind, the headquarters where her individual emotions live gets rebuilt, and four new feelings join the team! They are Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Adèle Exarchopoulos). It’s not surprising these different groups don’t get along. Anxiety is the worst. This film shows how those what ifs manifest when uncertainty hides in every corner.

Continue reading “Smells Like (Pre) Teen Angst in Inside Out 2. Looking at What’s New But Familiar in PIXAR’s Latest.”

The Garfield Movie, Just A Lazy Movie That Isn’t Feline Enough

Some long running franchises should be left alone, and others deserving of a continuation. But with The Garfield Movie, it seems the theatrical rights holders made the film just to hang on to this work for a little bit longer.

The Garfield Movie (2024) Honestly, the live-action CGI movies with Garfield are much better than this strangely titled film, which moves “the” word around. Instead of Garfield the Movie, it’s The Garfield Movie. It’s like someone at Sony Marketing was as lazy as this fat cat, and couldn’t think up another title.

Sadly, Chris Pratt cannot deliver everything I know this cat must be. He was okay in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but here, there’s just no excuse. The tonal quality, lack of sarcasm and not even an ounce of grump could be heard. Lorenzo Music is the definitive voice, and the only worthy successors before this recast was Frank Welker and Bill Murray.

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