If a passing familiarity to American made Her or the Japanese Animation Video Girl Ai sounds familiar, Jexi is the film for you. CBS Films and Entertainment One in conjunction with Lionsgate will release this comedy in theaters on October 11, 2019.
When Phil (Adam Devine) is your typical awkward guy who needs help to make girlfriends, the last thing anyone needs is a virtual assistant who has a mind of her own. When he upgrades his phone, the latest model comes with an unexpected feature–Jexi (Rose Byrne) – an A.I. life coach and cheerleader. She offers more than Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri ever can, and sounds cuter too!
Underappreciated in North America but loved elsewhere, Underdogs is a fun computer animated adventure about, what else, the little guy getting the love that he and his friends richly deserves. This tale has a lot of similarity to DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story and if I have to choose which is better, my vote is for the former. In theory, various video releases have been available for a while now, but when looking at release schedules, it’s been pushed back or is not fully out in North America. It’s available through Anchor Bay in the States, and in Canada, according to Tribute.ca, it’s set to hit shelves September 6, 2016 and the long wait is finally over. This movie originally released in 2013 in Argentina. It’s Spanish title is Metegol.
Many releases have come out since then, including a UK one, and to finally get a local release is welcomed. While many a name is changed, no further edits is implied. Amadeo is now Jake, and his love for foozball sets up a bigger game, football (soccer). His rival, Grosso (Ace) returns to their little hometown to take over. When they were kids, these two did not quite see eye-to-eye; one went on to greater things (to become a champion) and the other remained and his life went nowhere (Amadeo). Their dispute happened over a simple game of foosball, and Grosso’s desire for revenge shows how inflated his ego is. Even though he’s loved by the media, there’s a darker desire which shows how ugly he truly is. Some of that still gets conveyed in the translation, but there’s a nuance which always gets lost in the voice direction.
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)