There are big changes brewing in Gotham City, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker's hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
In the irreverent spirit of fun that made "The LEGO (R) Movie" a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble - LEGO Batman - stars in his own big-screen adventure: "The LEGO (R) Batman Movie." But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker's hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
Critics Consensus: The Lego Batman Movie continues its block-buster franchise's winning streak with another round of dizzyingly funny -- and beautifully animated -- family-friendly mayhem.
I know this movie came out a long time ago and the truth is I saw it a long time ago too, saw it the week it opened actually but I'm only getting to blog about it now. By now you've probably already seen it, know what it's all about and also know that it went over really well, so now I'll share with you my two cents about it.
From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny, irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks' Trolls. This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach. Featuring original music from Justin Timberlake, and soon-to-be classic mash-ups of songs from other popular artists, the film stars the voice talents of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Gwen Stefani, and many more. DreamWorks' TROLLS is a fresh, broad comedy filled with music, heart and hair-raising adventures. In November of 2016, nothing can prepare you for our new Troll world.
DreamWorks Animation's TROLLS is an irreverent comedy extravaganza with incredible music! From the genius creators of SHREK, TROLLS stars Anna Kendrick as Poppy, the optimistic leader of the Trolls, and her polar opposite, Branch, played by Justin Timberlake. Together, this unlikely pair of Trolls must embark on an adventure that takes them far beyond the only world they've ever known.
From a toy born in the 60's to a film about trolls who are eaten because they are believed to make you feel happy...
So Trolls, born from the mind of a Danish man named Thomas Dam who in 1959 because he couldn't afford to buy a christmas gift for his daughter decided to carve her a little doll. I guess he was a little different even for then because the doll turned out to be a troll. When his daughter's friends in the Danish town of Gjøl saw the little troll all of them wanted it. Soon Mr Dam started a company called Dam Things and the little trolls became a fad all over the world. In the 50 odd years of the little trolls existence they've been plagiarized, copyrighted, turned into action figures, made into fashion dolls, they were made into TV shows, videogames and now even a film. It would be quite surprising if anyone were to say that they've never seen them before.
Let's do a quick background about this little movie. A little over six years ago DreamWorks Animation announced plans to create a film based on the toys, two years later they then announced that Chloë Grace Moretz and Jason Schwartzman would be voicing the main characters but no mention about it being a musical. A year later they acquired the intellectual property for the Trolls franchise from Mr Thomas Dam's family and Dam Things. After that there was a few changes to who would direct, who would write, what it was going to be about and when it would actually show up on the big screen. In May of 2013 they finally confirmed that it would be a musical comedy but at the time Anna Kendrick was the only one confirmed to be part of the project as the cast. Then in January 2016, on twitter, the full cast was revealed. I had no idea this film even existed until about a month ago or so. I think.
Trolls is about a village of trolls who twenty years before escaped from their captive existence in the town of Bergen. Bergen is filled of course with Bergens who are generally an unhappy bunch until one day they discover the trolls who are ultra colorful little creatures who do nothing everyday but sing and dance and be happy. For whatever reason the first Bergens to encounter these happy little creatures believed that for them to be happy just like the trolls they'd have to eat the trolls. So it is that the tradition of Trollstice is born where once a year the Bergens go down to the tree that the trolls live in and pick a few to give to few lucky Bergens to eat. For the purposes of our viewing pleasure this Trollstice will be the first time Prince Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) will be tasting a little bit of happiness.
But unfortunately for him twenty years before all the trolls fled under the direction of King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor) and all that's left are wooden troll dolls. Like what Mr Dam made for her daughter. This makes King Gristle (John Cleese) mad and so he banishes the person who was supposed to be in charge of Trollstice, Chef (Christine Baranski) from Bergen forever. Chef of course is unhappy about this development and swears to find the trolls.
Meanwhile, since it's been twenty years King Peppy isn't so peppy anymore and his daughter Poppy (Anna Kendrick) is next in line to take over. But she's got other things on her mind at the moment, like celebrating the twentieth anniversary of living a Bergen-free existence so she and her friends Biggie (James Corden), Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar), DJ Suki (Gwen Stefani), Creek (Russell Brand), Cooper (Ron Funches) and Satin and Chenille (Caroline Hjelt & Aino Jawo) busy themselves with the preparations while Branch (Justin Timberlake) reminds them that all they'll be doing is attracting Bergens to their party.
Of course Poppy doesn't listen to Branch's tale of doom and gloom brought about by Bergens and of course Chef finds them and captures all of Poppy's friends. This of course means that Poppy needs to rescue them and that Branch needs to be the reluctant hero. When they get to Bergen they find some unlikely help in the form of Bridget (Zooey Deschanel), Bergen Castle's only scullery maid who is also hopelessly in love with Prince Gristle.
What I saw on the screen. Beautifully colourful and vibrant. Loved how things were textured to look like everything was made out of felt and wool. A really cool look.
The story was fine. Nothing original but what can you expect from a movie directed mainly at kids.
The music wasn't too bad. Mostly snippets but nicely done. If you enjoyed Anna Kendrick's voice in the Pitch Perfect movies then you'll enjoy her voice here too.
The main cast were of course good. Wasn't too impressed with Timberlake but no complaints about the others who were of course seasoned actors and voice actors.
Trolls is a fun little movie for the kids. There's a few laughs and silly gags and puns but they don't make you laugh boisterously or frequently. It's ultra colourful and cutesy that will for sure keep the kids attention focused on the screen for a while at least. The music is fun but it isn't particularly catchy so the kids won't be singing any of the songs for months after watching it. And at the end the kids will get a nice little message about how they can find happiness and joy without having to eat anything small and colourful. Especially when they're being forced on you by an old and ugly woman.
All in all Trolls is a fun little distraction that will only take about 90 minutes of your life. Definitely one for the kids and for parents who could use 90 minutes where their kids aren't driving them crazy. I'm going to give Trolls a solid 3 out of 5.
Storks deliver babies...or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstore.com. Junior, the company's top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl. Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, race to make their first-ever baby drop - in a wild and revealing journey that could make more than one family whole and restore the storks' true mission in the world. Written by Warner Bros.
In this animated children's fantasy, two storks (voiced by Kelsey Grammer and Andy Samberg) reveal the truth about their job delivering babies to new parents.
Rating: PG (for mild action and some thematic elements)
From the studio not the people that gave you the LEGO Movie...
So a few days ago I went to watch Storks but since I am a major procrastinator I'm only writing down my thoughts about it today which is actually the day it opens worldwide. Storks which stars among others Kelsey Grammer as Hunter the current head honcho at Cornerstore.com located on Stork Mountain, Andy Samberg as Junior the up and coming Stork slated to take over from Hunter, Katie Crown as Tulip as the only human working at Cornerstore.com, Jennifer Aniston and Ty Burrell as Sarah and Henry Gardner owners of Gardner Real Estates and parents to Nate voiced by Anton Starkman is a story about how Nate's desire for a baby brother changes everyone's life.
It starts with Hunter who calls on Junior, Cornerstore's best delivery stork, to his office to inform him that he's chosen Junior to replace him as the CEO at the next Stork-Con event. But there's a catch, Junior needs to fire Tulip the orphan the only human who works at Cornerstore. Tulip became an orphan when the Jasper (Danny Trejo) the stork that was supposed to deliver her to her parents decides to keep her and during the standoff between him and the other storks he drops the homing beacon that shows her home smashing it to pieces.
Nate Gardner on the other hand has parents who are too busy to pay him any attention and since he has no one to play with him at home and a chance peek at a pair of brothers gushing about how they love each other in the next car on the way to dinner, Nate decides he'd like a little brother. Not just a brother mind you, a brother with ninja skills. His parents deciding not to take him seriously especially when he begins to talk about how easy it is, because all babies come delivered by storks, tell him they'll talk about it later. Nate while playing/rummaging in the attic some days later discovers quite conveniently a brochure for what the storks used to do and how to get them to deliver a brand new baby.
So Nate follows the instructions and a baby shows up and the now defunct baby department at Stork Mountain where the only employee there is Tulip who has been assigned by Junior to take charge of the mail room. The appearance of the baby puts a huge wrench in Junior's ascension plans so they both team up to get the baby delivered before Hunter finds out and well before Stork-Con. In their delivery baby adventures they meet a crazy wolf pack with amazing team work lead by an alpha wolf (Keegan-Michael Key) and a wannabe beta wolf (Jordan Peele). Spied on by a somewhat goofy pigeon with lofty dreams named Pigeon Toady (Stephen Kramer Glickman) and finds out what truly happened on the day that Jasper dropped Tulips homing beacon.
The story. It seemed to be a little unfocused. There's the balance that they strike between telling Junior and Tulip's adventures and what Nate does with his parents but you don't really end up investing much in either.
The humour. There's a few laughs, much too few laughs. For an animation that obviously seems to be targeted at kids there's little fun to be had. There were kids in the cinema that I was watching this in but I didn't hear much gleeful laughter from them. Most of the silly giggles came in the scenes with the wolf pack.
Something feels a little forced. Not too sure whether it's the relationship between the characters or the humour or maybe both.
The end sequence where Hunter gets his comeuppance seemed a little too serious and grim for a movie like this. Not too sure who they were trying to impress with that one, can't be the kids.
Overall this was a pretty "Meh" experience. The elements are all there but it just doesn't come together all that well. Shiny and cute visuals and a story that doesn't seem to draw you in and because of that no matter what the capable cast does it sorts of ends up a little as I said, unfocused. Who is this movie for? The kids or the adults? Sitting there watching it I have to say I don't think neither seem too impressed by it. So that being said I'm going to give Storks a fair 2.5 out of 5. Maybe the really young kids who are amused by colourful characters on screen might find it fun. Maybe.
Kubo lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down by re-igniting an age-old vendetta. This causes all sorts of havoc as gods and monsters chase Kubo who, in order to survive, must locate a magical suit of armor once worn by his late father, a legendary Samurai warrior.
Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of "Game of Thrones") ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Akihiro (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), and Kameyo (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen - a magical musical instrument - Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family, and fulfill his heroic destiny.
Rating: PG (for thematic elements, scary images, action and peril)
Critics Consensus: Kubo and the Two Strings matches its incredible animation with an absorbing -- and bravely melancholy -- story that has something to offer audiences of all ages.
From the folks that brought to life a creepy little girl born from the mind of Neil Gaiman, a story about a little kid that could see dead people and trolls who are obsessed with boxes...
So, Kubo and The Two Strings which opened in the US last week on the 19th of August. It's the latest from Laika a stop-motion animation studio located in the US. Stop-motion is where incredibly patient people create actual dolls and figures and then painstakingly animate it's movements one frame at a time. Before Laika the only other really famous stop-motion animation studio that made full-length feature films was Aardman Animations famous for their Wallace and Gromit shorts and feature films.
Their first feature was an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman novella for kids titled Coraline (2009) followed by Paranorman (2012) and then with Boxtrolls (2014). I've seen all three and enjoyed them all immensely. Each has it's own charms but the one thing that stands out about all three of them is what you see on screen. They are all visually beautiful.
So now after playing with box-obsessed trolls three years ago they're back and with their second original story, the first being Paranorman. So what is Kubo and The Two Strings all about? Well, if you haven't seen it or read every review about it here it is. Kubo (Art Parkinson) is a young boy who plays the shamisen, his mother (Charlize Theron) is the daughter of the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes). His mother fell in love with a samurai named Hanzo (Matthew McConaughey).
Now seeing as how the Moon King is sort of a god he was against his daughter falling in love with a human especially when that human was searching for a several enchanted things that could grant him enough power to challenge him. So when Kubo's mother and Hanzo escaped together to start a family but not long after he was born the Moon King tracks the new family down and attacks them. Kubo's mother barely escapes with Kubo wrapped in Hanzo's robes but Kubo doesn't escape unharmed. The Moon King has taken one of his eyes.
Okay, so that all happened without you actually seeing it on screen but it is explained throughout in flashbacks. The rest of the movie deals with Kubo going on a mission with Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) to look for the magical armour and sword that his father once owned and along the way Kubo begins to master his innate magical abilities.
So here's what I like about Kubo and The Two Strings
The story. It's quite surprising to find out that Kubo and The Two Strings has nothing to do with any Japanese myth or legend. It's a completely original story written by Shannon Tindle, Marc Haimes and Chris Butler. Granted they may have taken many elements from Japanese culture, legends and myths the story itself, the story of Kubo's trials and adventures is entirely original.
The fact that the story is paced so well. Scenes with dialogue are intertwined beautifully with scenes that need no dialogue. The story moving along with the aid of just the visual medium assisted perfectly with an amazing soundtrack and score.
The respect that they have for the culture they've taken from. It felt like I was watching a film that was or had in a major way been produced by a Japanese team. The details were brilliant. I am no Japan expert or even remotely close to being a Japanophile, I just love Japan but I was sort of struggling trying to believe that what I was watching was done by a mostly American production team.
The visuals. Laika have constantly improved their animation and visual style and it shows. Every frame is just beautiful. And again here there are elements taken from Japanese film and animes. The use of that distinctly Japanese visual composition.
The voice acting was just perfect. Loved all of it.
The music. Incredible use of the shamisen throughout.
The story at the end felt too short, as if somethings were left out. Shortcuts taken.
The end. That too felt like the writers sort of couldn't figure out how to end it with a big finish. It wasn't bad but it wasn't the sort of climax that I was expecting or felt like it should have.
So to sum it up. I loved it. I wouldn't mind seeing it again in fact. But here's the thing, I want to see the Japanese version with the characters speaking Japanese. I think that would be pretty cool. Anyway, Kubo and The Two Strings was so entertaining I'm giving it a solid 3.8 out of 5. This is well worth the ticket price. Laika might just be the Pixar of the stop-motion animation genre.
From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde, a wily fox who makes her job even harder.
The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it's a melting pot where animals from every environment live together-a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when rookie Officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn't so easy. Determined to prove hers...more
Rating: PG (for some thematic elements, rude humor and action)
Critics Consensus: The brilliantly well-rounded Zootopia offers a thoughtful, inclusive message that's as rich and timely as its sumptuously state-of-the-art animation -- all while remaining fast and funny enough to keep younger viewers entertained.
When a real estate development invades his Arctic home, Norm and his three lemming friends head to New York City, where Norm becomes the mascot of the corporation in an attempt to bring it down from the inside and protect his homeland.
A polar bear of many words, Norm's greatest gripe is simple: there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal polar bears would do...he heads to New York City to stop it. With a cast of ragtag lemmings at his side, Norm takes on the big apple, big business and a big identity crisis to save the day. -- (C) Lionsgate
Critics Consensus: A pioneering feat in the field of twerking polar bear animation but blearily retrograde in every other respect, Norm of the North should only be screened in case of parental emergency.
Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home to win the love of his life.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved "Peanuts" gang make their big-screen debut, like they've never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Charlie Brown, the world's most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day. (C) Fox
Critics Consensus: The Peanuts Movie offers a colorful gateway into the world of its classic characters and a sweetly nostalgic -- if relatively unambitious -- treat for the adults who grew up with them.
