Tag: Coming of Age

Hear Me Roar! I am T-Rex and Not Scared for the Future in Review.

When China wants to explore its prehistorical past, I am Tex seems appropriate

I am T-Rex Blu-ray and slip cover
Available to pre-order on Amazon USA

Well GO USA
Coming to Digital, Blu-ray & DVD on June 20, 2023

It looks like Chinese directors Cai Shangming and Chen Silin want to create their own dinosaur empire with I am T-Rex. This animated fantasy adventure uses proper depictions of these creatures from the Cretaceous period, and to give them a voice takes time to process. Most other films just see them roar rather than speak like humans.

What’s presented is less cartoony and more visceral. To ensure this film gets the widest audience, no blood is shed at all and that’s good for parents wanting to give their children more than their weekly dose of all things dinosaur. Without the battle scars and fright, all I can say is that this release is a lot more family friendly. Although the believability factor takes one step back, the evolutionary advantage that anyone can become better persons is two epochs forward. This story suggests these creatures have a code to live by.

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All’s Not Well in The Secret Kingdom and What Peter Has To Do is….

Even though most of the talking critters hail Peter as the once and future king, it’s a role he doesn’t live up to in The Secret Kingdom.

The Secret Kingdom Movie PosterSaban Films
In Theaters, VOD and On Demand on June 9
Spoiler Alert

The tale found in The Secret Kingdom (previously titled Don’t Go Below) suggests Peter’s (Sam Everingham) family and their life are in shambles. He has anxiety and other problems, and we don’t really know why. When his parents decide it’s best to move to the old homestead, they are all escaping something. Matt Drummond‘s junior effort (his third film) looks at how he manages, and what’s needed is a magical hero’s journey to help this boy cope.

This movie borrows from a lot of past familiar works, like The Golden Compass, The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and perhaps also Neverending Story. There’s a Spielberg vibe when considering how the focus is really about Pete’s relationship with his sister. When his sister Verity (Alyla Browne) chides him at his insecurities, he’ll have to save face somehow than to say he’ll always be weak.

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Who Let the Magic Cats Out in Suzume? A Movie Review

The world Makoto Shinkai presents us with in Suzume is just as magical as his previous films, and the mythology needs to be expanded upon!

Suzume no Tojimari Japanese Movie PosterSpoiler Alert

Just what a talking cat, an equally vocal three legged chair and a young lady have in common is a crazy mystery. And in Makoto Shinkai‘s latest film, Suzume (すずめの戸締まり, full title: Suzume’s Locking Up), the investigation into this has far reaching consequences! This film’s title is also her name, and it follows familiar beats as his past works, namely Your Name and Weathering With You (movie review)

Part of this latest tale considers how she deals with PTSD in an Alice in Wonderland type tale. This young lady (voiced by Nanoka Hara) is one of the few survivors from the 2011 Tohoku tsunami and when she was a toddler, she had little comprehension about all that happened. She could not find her mom and that grief sets the tone for what’s to come. This film starts off with images of the devastation and it’s dark. Although this child gets taken in by her Aunt Tamaki (Eri Fukatsu) to become her new mom, is that enough? Although she hasn’t talked about those days with auntie, life in Kyushu seems pretty good.

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All Is Not Well in Future TX, A British Time Travelling Teenage Comedy

While the adventure the two teens in Future TX are in is akin to an episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures, I hoped for more future tech to present itself.

Future TX Movie PosterComing to VOD Apr 18, 2023

The teens trying to save all of humanity in Future TX may well be tempus fugitives if they don’t get their act together. Here, Dylan (Arran Kemp) and Molly (Adele Congreve) get to buy their very first smartphones. Although they look oversized to carry, someone from the hereafter calls them and says the world is doomed! This reasonably fast set up also reveals what will happen, and Foley (played up hilariously by Griff Rhys Jones) must be stopped. He nicely fits into the mad inventor role, and although he’s not really the bad guy, some rich industrialist who looks like him wants the crazy tech he made.

This movie written and directed by Tim Clague & Danny Stack has the feel of a television show more than anything else. When considering their past production, this fact is not a surprise. What they present is a cat-and-mouse game of searching for the perpetrator who will cause a tear across the dimensions. Instead of actual time travel, the scientific explanations are smart–it’s possible to project radio waves, but to send someone back and forth has yet to be discovered.

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When Romance Blooms, Blue Thermal Wants to Soar

Where this movie soars is with the obvious romance that’s developing between student and sempai. Blue Thermal is cute in a vintage 50s kind of way.

Blue Thermal Blu-Ray + DVD Slipcover
Available to view on Amazon Prime or to purchase.

Shout! Factory

Adapting any multi-volume manga series to a single film can be tough, and despite some narrative beats that don’t go too deep, Blue Thermal is relatively engaging. The explanation in the home video release offers insight to the changes, and overall, I didn’t mind how the lengthy tale got compressed.

Any story that involves aspiring to fly high and to achieve your dreams will always capture my interest. Although classic works like Macross Zero, Porco Rosso and Nausicaä set the bar, it’s tough to find new material that can live up to that.

Just where this film fits in is somewhere after the top five lists. I love the title song (YouTube link) and can listen to it all day! As for the tale, it’s not about what’s amazing with the sport of gliding. Instead, the movie is about headstrong Tsuru Tamaki (Mayu Hotta) wanting to fit in. This story is about her entering college life. She’s the type who dreams of white picket fences and meeting that cute boy who’ll sweep her off her feet. But being a freshman is tough at Aonagi University. After trying her hand at different clubs, she literally and accidentally lands into a sport she has no familiarity with.

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Diving Into Why Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken will be a Fantastic Summer Hit

The details and trailer is now here for DreamWorks Animation’s latest and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken looks good!

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Movie PosterStories about coming out of one’s comfort zone is often a winning scenario in storytelling. In Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken what’s presented looks like more than girl coming out of her shell. She will have huge challenges to face and one of them includes dealing with an eternal war between her species and an other.

As the title and trailer suggests, this young woman will have to not only deal with high school problems but also experience her Sweet 16 in a way that could potentially the attention of the world.

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