The Emoji Movie

As the summer film season continues, we are barraged with more commercial films than we'd like to admit seeing. Remember, this is the season for big-budget, explosive, adventurous, action-packed films along with several animated flicks to sit back and escape into. So, with this recipe, we have "The Emoji Movie" to get to have fun with. This is the next animated film this summer for the younger crowd to hook into and can relate to considering all the smartphones there are out there.

 

This story unlocks the never-before-seen secret world inside your smartphone. Hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis, a bustling city where all your favorite emojis live, hoping to be selected by the phone's user--in this case, it's Alex (Jake T. Austin). In this world, each emoji has only one facial expression--except for Gene (T.J. Miller), an exuberant emoji who was born without a filter and is bursting with multiple expressions. Determined to become 'normal' like the other emojis, Gene enlists the help of his handy best friend Hi-5 (James Corden) and the notorious code breaker emoji Jailbreak (Anna Faris).

Together they embark on an epic 'app-venture' through the apps on the phone, each its own wild and fun world, to find the Code that will fix Gene. But when a greater danger threatens the phone, the fate of all emojis depends on these three unlikely friends who must save their world before it's deleted forever.

 

Others to round out the cast are Maya Rudolph as Smiler, Steven Wright as Mel Meh, Jennifer Coolidge as Mary Meh, Patrick Stewart as Poop, Christina Aguilera as Akiko Glitter, Sofia Vergara as Flamenca, Rachael Ray as Spam, Sean Hayes as 'Devil' Steven and Tati Gabrielle as Addie.

 

This was cleverly directed by Tony Leondis ("Igor" '08) plus video shorts. Even though his experience lies only in animated projects, this filmmaker is a consummate pro. His experience is limited, but he knows what he does best and I can certainly respect that. Since this is about emojis, which is about emotions, he was able to get his actors to dig deep to bring out that particular emotion they were responsible for and that's talent. It was effectively written by Leondis, Eric Siegel (TV) and Mike White ("The Good Girl" '02, "School of Rock" '03, "Nacho Libre" '06, "Beatriz at Dinner" '17) based on a story by Leondis and Siegel. As with most other animated films that cater to a wider audience--adults and kids, this is designed for the younger audience ranging averagely from 8-13 years old. It's a cutsie look at the 'life' on the emojis in a smartphone, replete with the typical good guys, bad guys and those in between. Also all younger kids have smartphones and with the bright, colorful format and the quick editing, this is a young kid's film. If there's anything adult about it, it would be the message--about being yourself and not necessarily following the 'normal'. If I was to akin this with any other film, it would be "Inside Out" '15, for this is about different emojis with different emotions vying for the attention of Alex, the owner of the smartphone, whereas "Inside Out" is about the different emotions inside a young girl vying to be the one that will appear depending the situation the girl gets caught in. Otherwise this is where the similarity ends. Clearly White has the lion's share of the experience here in the writing, but it was clearly a team effort, especially considering White doesn't typically write animated work. There was a bit of jumping around in script and there were places that were too loose, but the message that was eventually conveyed ultimately saved this script.

 

If you're a kid and your smartphone is your life, this film is definitely preaching to the choir, but if you're like me and you're much older and the phone isn't your life--hey, I only found out what an emoji was about a month ago, then this may be something you might want to Netflix.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                   Rated: PG              91min--plus 5min short "Puppy"

 

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

We've all seen a plethora of sci-fi films in our past and even though they have evolved through the decades--in technology and storyline, other than "Avatar", there probably hasn't been any other one produced that has been as visually stunning as "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".

 

This is the new adventure film from visionary Luc Besson, the director of "The Professional", "The Fifth Element" and "Lucy". In the 28th century, Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense (Herbie Hancock), the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha--an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian, Laureline with some help by Bubble (Rihanna) must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

 

Others to round out the cast are Clive Owen as Commander Arun Filitt, Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp, Kris Wu as Sergeant Neza, Sam Spruell as General Okto-Bar, Alain Chabat as Bob the Pirate, Rutger Hauer as President of the World State Federation, Peter Hudson as Captain Crowford and Xavier Giannoli as Captain Norton.

 

This was directed by visionary filmmaker Luc Besson ("Subway" '85, "The Big Blue" '88, "La Femme Nikita" '90, "Leon: The Professional" '94, "The Fifth Element" '97, "Angel-A" '05, "Arthur and the Invisibles" '06, "The Lady" '11, "The Family" '13, "Lucy" '14) plus others and shorts. Besson's characters are always so rich and distinct no matter what the genre and this is what separates him from most other directors. The lead stars in this are relatively newer actors, and the audience is mesmerized with the this premise, and this is the mark of a talented director. It was also written by Besson ("Taxi" '98, "Taxi 2" 2000, "Kiss the Dragon" '01, "Wasabi" '01, "Transporter 2" '05, "Revolver" '05, "Bandidas" '06, "Taken" '08, "Transporter 3" '08, "Colombiana" '11, "Taken 2" '12, "3 Days to Kill" '14, "Taken 3" '13) plus others and shorts. This was well written--thought out well, however it was a little long-in-the-tooth and with that it had a few areas of slow spots that wouldn't have made or broke the story if omitted or not. Once it got going, it simply soared. The main reason for watching this is for the visual effects predominantly created by Weta Digital and ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic). These visuals, unlike a lot of films, actually enhanced the storyline, and connected with the cinematography, costumes, and production design made this film was a stunner.

 

If the sci-fi genre is your favorite, this is one you'll revel in, especially considering it is visually eye-catching from every angle. This style is Besson's trademark and with this, it soars. If you opt to see it, definitely it has to be seen on the large screen and this is also in the 4DX format as well. Have fun!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                   Rated: PG-13                                    137mins.

 

Dunkirk

The war film genre is about as ancient as the musical or western ones, and Hollywood simply markets on it, especially since our country has been at war seemingly forever. However, films about WWII don't get produced as much as Middle East ones--the WWII films have to take a back seat. So when I saw my first trailer on "Dunkirk", it was a must see on my list.

 

This is a miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from the British Empire, Belgium, and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France in WWII. When these 400,000 soldiers were trapped on the beaches, it occurred after a catastrophic defeat, so a number of civilian boats, one helmed by Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) and his two sons, Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and George (Barry Keoghan), set out to rescue them before they are decimated by the approaching Nazi forces. While these men were being picked off in droves, Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) and his officers, Colonel Winnant (James D'Arcy and his lieutenant (Tom Nolan) stood there devastated. A ray of sunshine finally happened when the Air Force arrived where both Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) retaliated, but not before many had already perished.

 

Others to round out the cast are Fionn Whitehead as Tommy, Aneurin Barnard as Gibson, Harry Styles as Alex and Cillian Murphy as Shell Shocked Soldier.

 

This was amazingly well written and directed by the incomparable Christopher Nolan ("Following" '98, "Memento" 2000, "Insomnia" '02, "Batman Begins" '05, "The Prestige" '06, "The Dark Knight" '08, "Inception" '10, "The Dark Knight Rises" '12, "Interstellar" '14) plus shorts. With all the different and quirky characters that Nolan writes about, he certainly knows how to get his actors to exude that certain emotion to bring that character to life. The reactions of the characters toward one another are rich and bring a whole new dimension to his directing technique. There were a couple of places of lack of continuity, or possibly they might have been purposed, where a scene would go from a daytime scene to a night scene and then back again, but he might've been showing us what was happening on two different days. Not sure, it appeared to jump a bit, otherwise this script was solid, tight, and chilling, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time of this film. Nolan has proven his talents time and again with his quirky plots and even quirkier character developments in his films, so when I see this consummate pro's name attached to a production, I will make tracks to see it. I f you like this filmmaker, a reboot of his "Memento" which he is rewriting, has already been announced.

 

As mentioned above, with the quirky character developments only Nolan can do so well, "Dunkirk" will please, because it's not your typical war film we've all seen too many times. And if you like the larger than life film size, this is being presented in a 70mm super Panavision and IMAX format. Take your pick.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: PG-13                                      106mins.

 

The Big Sick

We've all seen films based on true stories about presidents, singers, sports figures and other high-profile people in our history, but what if we are given a small film about the meeting of the two writers of this film, who are not high-profile, written in a powder dry comedic way? Well, this is what we have been offered in the form of "The Big Sick".

 

A Pakistani-American standup comedian, Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) falls for a white grad student, Emily (Zoe Kazan), and decides to keep their uncertain romance a secret from his traditionalist, Muslim family, including Azmat (Anupam Kher), his father, Sharmeen (Zenobia Shroff), his mother and Naveed (Adeel Akhtar), his brother, lest be disowned if he decides to marry outside their Pakistani roots. However, their relationship gets more serious when she develops a mysterious, infectious illness, which in turn forces him to bond with her parents, Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano). Kumail soon gets a serious lesson of what's important in life whether it be professional, personal or spiritual.

 

Others to round out the cast are Kurt Braunohler as Chris, Aidy Bryant as Mary, Bo Burnham as CJ, Vella Lovell as Khadija, Myra Lucretia Taylor as Nurse Judy, Ed Herbstman as Sam Highsmith, David Ogden Stiers as Andy Dodd and Jeremy Shamos as Bob Dalavan.

 

This was directed with subtlety and finesse by Michael Showalter ("The Baxter" '05, "Hello, My Name Is Doris" '15, "Giles Vanderhoot" (TV movie) '16) plus TV. This filmmaker surely knows how to extract the right emotion in the most subtlest of ways (Hello, My Name Is Doris), that it almost looks as though we are peeking into people's lives and watching them live. He doesn't have a ton of experience to his credit, but what he has is pure quality. It is extremely well crafted by writers, Emily V. Gordon (TV) and Nanjiani (TV and a short). Considering this involves a comedian, this could've been written in the usual comedic format, however these writers decided to make it a romantic drama-comedy which leans to more of a realistic view of the real-life courtship of Kumail and Emily. One other film that is somewhat similar in that the writer wrote about their life and family is "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding" '02. Both written as parodies make this seem familiar. The way the writers kept placing these two characters in such awkward situations made this seem even more real, not to mention both Hunter and Romano were brilliant as the parents of Emily. They are both consummate actors, but Romano really surprised me in that his TV series, "Everybody Loves Raymond" he showed his acting chops well, but in this film, he went from the comedic, almost pathetic character in his TV show to this serious, angry, sometimes apologetic husband that we, as the audience, don't get to see much. These two have only TV to their credit as writers, but, as I've mentioned in other reviews, writers need to hone themselves a lot more on TV so they can make it to the big league. These guys have not only made it to the big league, but they have hit a home run as well.

 

This is not a comedy written as a belly laugh film, but rather one that is tastefully subtle with class as its middle name. If you're into subtle, powder dry comedy, this will fit the bill, however if pratfall, more physical comedy is more of your fare, this probably will be disappointing. In my book it rocks!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                    Rated: R                                  120mins.

 

 

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

Of all the sequels, prequels, etc, out there that Hollywood has to offer, the "Planet of the Apes" is one prequel I can certainly respect since it tells the story of how mankind screwed up royally to lead us up to the original 1969 "Planet of the Apes" where man is subservient to apes. So with "War of the Planet of the Apes", this continues that story as a lead up.

 

In this third installment of the "Planet of the Apes" prequel series--"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" '11 and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" '14 being the first two--which depicts the events that led to the primates taking control of the Earth, Simian leader Caesar (played via motion capture by Andy Serkis) is horrified when his oldest son, Rocket (Terry Notary) and his wife, Cornelia (Judy Greer) are killed during an attack by human soldiers on his community. Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and plots revenge on the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) the ruthless human military leader behind the assault, which threatens to ignite an all-out-war between the two species resulting a potential horrific future of the planet.

 

Others to round out the cast are Steve Zahn as Bad Ape, Karin Konoval as Maurice, Amiah Miller as Nova, Ty Olsson as Red Donkey, Michael Adamthwaite as Luca, Toby Kebbell as Koba, Gabriel Chavarria as Preacher, Sara Canning as Lake, Devyn Dalton as Cornelius, Caesar's younger son, Aleks Paunovic as Winter and Alessandro Juliani as Spear.

 

This was delineated well by director Matt Reeves ("The Pallbearer" '96, "Cloverfield" '08, "Let Me In" '10, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" '14) plus TV. It definitely helps to obtain the same creative people from earlier installments (this being Reeves) to give the characters that similar feel as to keep the development of the individual characters very familiar to its audience and this, indeed, happened here. Undoubtedly, there will be another installment to continue the story and it would behoove Hollywood to commission this filmmaker once again. It was creatively written by Mark Bombeck ("Live Free or Die Hard" '07, "Unstoppable" '10, "Total Recall" '12, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" '14, "Insurgent" '15) plus other films and TV and Reeves ("The Pallbearer" '96, "The Yards" 2000, "Let Me In" '10) plus TV. Again, these writers wrote the previous installment "Dawn" which gave its audience that familiar ambience in which it needed. The only issue I found in this was it was a bit long-in-the-tooth--a couple of slow spots that I wondered if they were really needed, but otherwise this story was rock solid. I am excited to see how these different installments connect with the original 1969 film. Obviously this is one of the oldest franchises in motion picture history--hey, it's got a lot to say, not to mention that the fan base is huge and has been for decades. Of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by Weta Digital and MPC (Moving Picture Company) were amazingly seamless and the motion capture effects were equally stunning.

 

Of all the franchises, this one has certainly proved itself time and again, especially since these prequels have been produced. The whole concept of the story is we, as human beings should never, NEVER tempt nature as it was designed. Just because we can do something against nature, does this mean we should? You be the judge.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG-13                                    140mins.

 

Beatriz at Dinner

In the midst of all the big-budget, high adrenaline, action films during the summer movie season that we all come to expect, it's a pleasurable change to see an independent film pop up to allow us to escape into. Although indie films are often quirky and unpredictable, they are, at least, different than the usual explosive fare we see. So now we are offered "Beatriz at Dinner" to sink our teeth into.

 

A holistic medical caregiver, Beatriz (Salma Hayek) is invited to have dinner at the home of a wealthy client, Cathy (Connie Britton) after Beatriz's car breaks down in the driveway. Beatriz seems a bit awkward after Cathy's guests including Alex (Jay Duplass), Shannon (Chloe Sevigny), Jeana (Amy Landecker) and Doug Strutt (John Lithgow), a wealthy, notorious financial mogul, arrive, but subsequently butts heads with Strutt claiming, at numerous times, that she knew him from somewhere. She soon interrogates Strutt over the morality of how he's earned his incredible wealth. What starts out to be a nice dinner turns out to be two diametrically opposed perspectives not giving an inch to the others' opinions.

 

Others to round out the cast are David Warshofsky as Grant, Cathy's husband, John Early as Evan, the dinner's server, Natalia Abelleyra as Suzana and Soledad St. Hilaire as The Maid.

 

This was directed with meticulous craft by Miguel Arteta ("Star Maps" '97, "Chuck & Buck" 2000, "The Good Girl" '02, "Criminology 101" (TV movie) '03, "Youth in Revolt" '09, "Chinatown Film Project" '09, "Cedar Rapids" '11, "Rita" (TV movie) '13, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" '14) plus TV and shorts. As with this filmmaker's resume, this guy cannot be pigeon-holed, and this film proves that reputation even more. The way Hayek's depressed but calm caregiver and Lithgow's steely, flippant, self-absorbed financial titan gave a stunning view of opposites which is talented directing. It was interestingly written by Mike White ("Dead Man on Campus" '98, "Chuck & Buck" 2000, "Orange County" '02, "The Good Girl" '02, "School of Rock" '03, "Earth to America" (TV movie, segment "writer") '05, "Nacho Libre" '06, "Year of the Dog" '07, "Mamma Dallas" (TV movie) '16) plus TV. I say interesting because Beatriz goes from this seemingly calm, peaceful slightly down individual to this depressed, subdued angry individual in a relative short period of time. I feel this has nothing to do with Hayek's performance as much as an unrealistic character development. And the ending, not to go into detail lest causing a spoiler alert, kind of drops you as if White wasn't sure what to do with the ending. I'm sure he would know, but this is how it appears. The reason why the audience is seeing this is for the direct opposing perspectives of Hayek's Beatriz and Lithgow's Strutt. They are stunning performances by both equally. Trust me, I have high praise for White--his screenplay for "School of Rock" has got to be one of the best films written, but not sure what happened here--bad day at the laptop? This was a well orchestrated script; it just needed a bit more polish.

 

If indie films are your thing, you'll be in indie heaven, however if you're into the typical explosive, big-budget film, you might want to avoid this.. This definitely has a limited audience as do a lot of indie films, but this doesn't negate quality. This has great character development and acting and that may just be enough for one to get through this story.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                   Rated: R                                    82mins.

 

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Marvel Studios has produced a plethora of films for years and as they profit a gazillion bucks in each film, they aren't going anywhere for a while. Unless you've been living under a rock, they're the ones that have made films with characters like "Captain America", "Thor", "Iron Man", "Deadpool", "X-Men", "Spider-Man" and the like. Alone, Marvel has produced many "Spider-Man" films: "Spider-Man" '02, "Spider-Man 2" '04, "Spider-Man 3" '07, "The Amazing Spider-Man" '12, and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" '14. So now to add to that never ending list, we have in the offing "Spider-Man: Homecoming".

 

A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in "Captain America: Civil War", begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in this story. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine--distracted by thoughts of improving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But when the Vulture AKA Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. Will Peter finds his identity, or will he have to wait until yet another "Spider-Man is made?

 

Others to round out the cast are Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Zendaya as Michelle, Donald Glover as Aaron Davis, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Laura Harrier as Liz, Tony Revolori as Flash, Bokeem Woodbine as Herman Schultz/Shocker #2, Tyne Daly as Anne Marie Hoag, Abraham Attah as Abe and Hannibal Buress as Coach Wilson.

 

This was surprisingly well directed by virtual newcomer Jon Watts ("The Scariest Show on Television (TV movie) '08, "Eugene!" (TV Movie) '12, "Clown" '14, "Cop Car" '15) plus shorts and TV. Most filmmakers that direct these mega-huge productions have a plethora of well-known experience under their belts, but Marvel decided to take the chance with this guy and I believe the gamble paid off. He is as seasoned as any of the better known directors out there. It was well written by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers based on a screen story by Goldstein, and Daley which is based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Character, Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. What actually shocks me is that with so many writers attached to this production, this storyline is cleverly written with a hipper version of this franchise. Usually if the amount of writers exceeds two, the quality becomes jeopardized, however this isn't without issues. It's a bit long-in-the-tooth--this could've been cut about ten minutes and there were a couple of small places of choppiness. Certainly the visual effects predominantly designed by Digital Domain, ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and Method Studios were seamless. Whereas other big-budget films with a ton of visuals depend on the visuals to get them through the film, this, of course, needed visuals, but there were enough places were people gave this version the heart it carried.

 

Whether you're a comic book film fanatic or not, this installment is probably the best version of this franchise. Obviously, this will be continued--hey, it tells you by films' end, but as long as they give a similar flavor to the storyline, this will make for a doable screenplay. Holland certainly fits the bill as Spidy--he even gives that frenetic performance ala Michael J. Fox in the "Back to the Future" trilogy. Enjoy!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: PG-13                                     134mins.

 

The Beguiled

As I've mentioned in other film reviews, in the past decade or longer, Hollywood has had a fascination with remakes or reboots. Could it be because the subject matter is that amazing or could it be the fact that no originality needs to happen in order to maximize profit? Cynical? Yes! Potential truth to this? Yes! The main reason why I went to see "The Beguiled" was because the original 1971 version with Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page was thrilling, tight and subtle which made this story shine. Did this version do the same? Not so much so.

 

The year is 1864 in Virginia. In this Civil War drama, an injured Union soldier, Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell) is found wounded and close to dead by a young girl, Amy (Oona Laurence) who is part of the nearby all girls Farnsworth Seminary run by Miss Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman). As this soldier seeks refuge at this school to heal, his presence there soon poisons the relationships between the various women including Edwina (Kirsten Dunst) and Alicia (Elle Fanning) with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries. As things go from bad to worse, taboos are then broken in an unexpected turn of events.

 

Others to round out the cast are Angourie Rice as Jane, Addison Riecke as Marie and Emma Howard as Emily.

 

This was directed on target and with finesse by Marie Coppola ("The Virgin Suicides" '99, "Lost in Translation" '03, "Marie Antoinette" '06, "Somewhere" '10, "The Bling Ring" '13, "La Traviata" '17) plus shorts. This filmmaker is a consummate director. She simply knows how to bring to life every characterization, every situation to its fullest and she can do this using subtlety or with outright obvious intensions and pull it off well. Where I have the problem with this filmmaker is with her writing. As with her other writings, she simply was incoherent or choppy at best with her screenplays, so when this screenplay came along, she wrote it more professionally (it is a reboot), but she attempted to add to it and it would've been better just sticking to the original. As the old adage goes, "if it ain't broke, why fix it?". The 1971 version was much more subtle in its approach of the 'cat and mouse game' going on here, whereas this version was more in your face about it. Plus, what made the original more captivating was the fact you didn't see what was coming, whereas with this version, you obviously did considering it was a reboot. As with the original, it was definitely difficult to feel sorry for anyone in this film. They all had their respective issues and played them out with abandon. The selling slogan for the original version sums up the two films to a tee, "Who is really the captor and who the captive?", which should let any audience know that this isn't a one-sided story at all. Certainly Farrell and Kidman give spellbinding performances in this as do the supporting cast. This screenplay was based on the 1971 screenplay by Albert Maltz and Grimes Grice based on a novel by Thomas Cullinan.

 

If you liked the 1971 version of this, you will certainly appreciate this, however if you are a purist and basically want a word for word remake, this might deem a bit disappointing. I felt there was a need for more subtlety than what we got, but otherwise it wasn't bad. Certainly the basis of which Coppola was able to extract from could've only helped with the creation of her screenplay.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                Rated: R                                 93mins.