Tag: Animation

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 PosterRoss 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…

Jurassic World Chaos TheoryIn 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 PosterAlthough 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.

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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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The Tiger’s Apprentice Mewling Roar. Looking into the Bold Differences.

Just what viewers can learn from The Tiger’s Apprentice is buried in a fairly standard monomyth. Had there been more emphasis on this aspect of the narrative, this work could have roared.

The Tiger's Apprentice DVD CaseNow Available to purchase on Amazon USA (DVD)

Raman Hui‘s attempt to adapt the novel, The Tiger’s Apprentice, to become a possible new animated franchise sort of works. When it’s supposed to look at Chinese folk beliefs, what’s shown feels quite light. It lacks that sense of wonder which Light Chaser Animation‘s works excels at. The differences is well explored with the home video release due to the bonus content, and although this film has its heart in the right place, I wished it could’ve done more with why Ming yun (destiny) matters.

Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo) must be ready to become the next guardian and when he’s not even sixteen yet, the force determined to kill him must do so before the coming of every Lunar New Year. Most people know that a select group of animals represent each lunar cycle, and I get the sense that Loo (Michelle Yeoh) is not picky on when to destroy him. I’m also not sure if she’s been trying those few weeks before the end of every twelve months, but if she doesn’t do so quickly, he’ll be strong enough to defeat her! That sense of urgency isn’t conveyed, because during this film, the last time she successfully chased the boy down is during the Year of the Ox.

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What’s Next for X-Men 97? And A Wish List for Storylines to Adapt

There’s still a lot of questions that needs answering in X-Men 97 when it comes to connecting with the original Fox series. But as it leaves one legacy era behind, what’s next is promising.

X-men 97 LogoWith more than twenty years of new source material to draw from, there are plenty of new arcs to consider adapting for X-Men 97. Not everything has to be from the Chris Claremont years, and now that season one is over, fans, and critics can debate over what worked and did not. I’m glad the series recovered with the next arc being from Grant Morrison’s “E is for Extinction” from the New X-Men. Here, viewers learn Professor X’s evil twin sister Cassandra Nova is getting into the thick of things, and after the lacklustre “Inferno,” (review link) all hell breaks loose in Genosha! A lot of mutants die! Also, when the series is moving into storylines that I’m not as familiar with, I’m open to new interpretations.

That includes the eventual return of Apocalypse and a new team of Horseman for season two. Apparently, I still want answers to two lingering issues. Jean Grey’s connection to The Phoenix was never fully severed, and I’m wondering if that means some kind of return down the road.

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine Vol 1Also, I miss Shadowcat aka Kitty Pryde. She’s quite important in the comic book version, and has had the quite the adventure and for some readers, they saw her grow up from being that not so confident teen hero in the X-Men to a Guardian of the Galaxy, and even has a few ninja type skills to boot! Although she didn’t have much to do other than be a damsel in distress in the non-canonical pilot for the animated series, and I still find it strange that there’s still no mention of her. She did appear in X-men: Evolution, set in an alternate universe, but when will she be in X-men 97?

Whether this series wants to address that or not, I’m still hoping! With the past days of Claremont no longer a reference point, what’s presented so far has me considering if I should try to get caught up with everything printed from 98 on up. In this series, I like that Bastion is a figure hard to deal with. He’s not your typical 90s style villain. Whether he’s been stopped for good in the season one finale, I shan’t say. Hopefully the next season’s arcs will consider his villain’s ongoing influence to build on the teased made.

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