Movie Review: Storks

There are times when doing a job seems like it's too tough and not worth it. I feel that way a lot, even though I sometimes don't have a good reason to. It would be easier for me to just stay in my room all the time and not worry about everything else in the world. This weeks movie, Storks, touches on that theme when the storks go from delivering babies to household goods. Is taking the easy route the better way to go?

The movie starts with a narration by Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg), telling us the history of Storks, which can be seen in the trailer below. For as long as time Storks have delivered babies. No matter what happened to them, they had to deliver. As we watch the stork get tortured and beaten up trying to deliver the babies, we end on a still of one crazy situation. Well thank goodness they don't do that any more, because they now deliver packages for Cornerstore.com.

Junior is then seen flying through the store, celebrating his one millionth delivery. Everything seems to be going great, although no one seems to want to celebrate with him. They give him excuses, but he shrugs it off. He gets nervous when he is called to the boss office. This is when we meet the boss Hunter (Voiced by Kelsey Grammer) who informs Junior that he is up for a big promotion. Junior is really excited until Hunter informs he has will have to fire the orphan Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown).

The movie had a plot that gave time for them to develop the characters and that was nice, but it also lead to a lot of almost wasted scenes that dragged on a little too long. It did have a few surprise twists throughout the movie that was fun to watch, but then became generic at the end. I almost wish they had done a different ending than what they chose. You can tell they are trying hard to compete with top animation creators like Pixar and Dreamworks, but missed the mark. The motion animation was okay and was not too hard to watch.

The voice acting was fun, but I have to say a lot of the jokes given seemed a little forced, and it was a little distracting at times. I wonder if the movie would have done better with some improvisations from the actors to give the animators something more to work with. Makes me wish Robin Williams was around to show them how to bring a character to life, like how he did with the Genie in Aladdin. It was more enjoyable to watch this movie than Norm of the North, so they get a big thumbs up from me there.

Overall, it was an enjoyable movie to watch, but not up to top level tier. Kids might get a little lost in the middle, but they will have fun with the characters. And for these reasons I would rate this movie 6.6/10.

Movie Review: Pete's Dragon (2016)

There are a few movies that my Mom has great memories about, but has not been able to show me. The 1977 version of the movie Pete's Dragon was one of them. She says we use to have the VHS version, but it was eaten by the player, something I will apparently never understand. That meant it was really fun for her to join in watching this new version of the story. But anyways, I hope you enjoy my review on the remake of this classic movie.

The movie starts with a family consisting of a mother, father, and a young child named Pete (played by Levi Alexander) going on a car ride somewhere. Pete is trying to read his book while they are driving through the mountains, and his mother helps him on some words. When Pete reads the word "adventure", he asks if they are on an adventure, and his mother answers yes. Suddenly, a deer shows up on the road and his father swerves and crashes, leaving only Pete to survive. He runs into the woods when he hears wolves howling, but soon gets surrounded by them. Just when things seem grim for Pete, the wolves get scared by something behind Pete and run off. When he notices the large creature scaring them off, Pete walks up to it and it becomes really friendly towards Pete, who soon becomes its friend.

Six years later, we listen to a man named Meacham (played by Robert Redford) telling the story of the time when he saw a dragon in the woods, but his daughter and park ranger Grace (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) disagrees with him about there being a dragon. It then moves to a now more grown Pete (played by Oakes Fegley) running through the woods, while his dragon, now named Elliot, chases after him. They play around in the forest for a while, and then Pete sees a bunny and tries to catch it. He chases it down to a small river and catches it, but is confronted by a large bear. The two roar and growl at each other, but the bear backs off when it sees Eliot. Pete turns around, then climbs onto Eliot and goes flying around the forest.

The acting was really well done by the young actor Oakes Fegley. He had such a great emotional connection to Elliot, even though he was computer generated. This is the second great kid actor Disney has brought to us this year. I also liked how they brought in Bryce Dallas Howard as the park ranger Grace. She did such a good job as her character that it almost felt real. However Karl Urban's character Gavin felt a little exaggerated and over acted at some points.

The story plot flowed smoothly through the movie, but it could have done a little better. Even though it did really good character development in shorter times, there was a little bit of jumping back and forth between the two stories at first. However, the way they did Eliot's animations were extraordinarily detailed. If it weren't for how most fantasy dragons looked, I would almost say it might have been real.

Overall, the actors did amazing jobs with their characters, and the story was very moving towards the end. Though there were a few things not perfect, the animation is not one of those things. And for the reasons stated above, I would rate this movie 9.0/10.

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

This weeks movie is Suicide Squad, another chance for DC to try and get out of Marvel's long shadow in the Cinematic Universe. Their good vs good with Batman vs Superman did not go over as well as they would have liked, so lets see how their bad vs evil handles the pressure.

The movie starts with us going to a top secret prison and following the guards into a cell where we see Deadshot (played by Will Smith) just beating down on a punching bag made of pillows and sheets. The guard teases him as he hands him his dinner. When the weird mystery dinner is questioned by Deadshot the guard gives a rude comeback. This causes Deadshot to threaten the guard who then takes him using the strength of other guards to torture him.

Next door we come into a large spacious room where we find Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) swinging on tied up sheets in a cage. She starts flirting with the head guard as he has other guards get ready to electrify the cage. He reminds her that she is not to touch the cage bars, she giggles and flirts some more. He gives a signal and the electricity flings her backwards. She gets mad and runs at the bars again, this time getting knocked out cold. He states she is a special kind of crazy.

The story plot started out well with a great introduction to the characters, with promises of wonderful anti-hero moments filled with attitude. Then we get into the action and it almost all fizzled out. The bad villains, even with life threatening reasons to play nice, were just a little too nice. The characters were underused, which leaves us feeling a little unsatisfied with the story line. It was better than Batman vs Superman, but I think the DC cinematic universe needs to look at a better director and/or writers to get out of Marvels long shadow. I almost wish they had tried to go for a higher rating on this movie to bring the story to life. 

The acting was done very well in most parts, but in some parts it felt a little bland. I don't even blame the actors for it. For example, you could see hints of genius with Jared Leto's Joker, but he had such little screen play it made it hard to see. Margot Robbie at times seemed to be over playing Harley with her craziness, but then again Harley is an over board character, but after the introduction she seems to fizzle a little bit. I give her props for showing a wide range of emotions when it comes to her. Will Smith did a great job with Deadshot, but again he seems to fizzle out and this is what leads me to think it was probably a combination of the script and editing, not the actors.

Overall, even with the problems with the movie, I think it is heads above the last one DC put out and worth seeing. I think as they grow in the cinematic universe we will see them find the footing they need to make great movies. For this reason I would rate this movie 7.9/10.

Movie Review: Jason Bourne

This weeks movie is Jason Bourne, which I haven't seen much of or do not remember. However I have heard that it's a great series and I cannot wait to see the rest of the movies. But for now, I have to go off of just the one movie for history of them all, so here are my thoughts on the movie, Jason Bourne.

The movie starts with a flashback to when David Webb (played by Matt Damon) was first in the Treadstone program, training to become Jason Bourne. After a short montage type part, it jumps ahead eight years after Jason Bourne, who had been hiding in Greece, exposed Blackbriar. It goes to Jason and another man getting ready to fight each other while every other person makes wagers on who will win. All of them get ready to see a good fight, but Jason punches the other guy out with one punch.

Over in Iceland, Nicky Parsons (played by Julia Stiles) goes to a secret hacker base to get information on the CIA. She inserts a USB into her computer and begins hacking in, but soon after the CIA notices, but can't trace where it's coming from. Nicky gets access to the secret training programs such as Blackbriar and Treadstone and starts downloading them into the USB, then someone from the CIA traces her computer and places malware into it. Once it's done downloading, Nicky grabs the USB and prepares to go, when all the power gets shut off and everyone panics slightly. Nicky fights and runs out of the building, only to be chased by some agents from the CIA.

The acting seemed comfortable to the actors. They know their roles and how to portray them well. I have to say that Matt Damon rocks the title character. He really seemed torn, lost, and determined, which makes for a great action lead. The stunts they performed were amazing as well. Some of the younger actors did seem to have some troubles keeping up to his abilities, but it was still enjoyable to watch.

The story plot was full of action, including a car chase in Las Vegas that I think out shines the one from Fast and Furious 7. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. The only thing I have to say is that after watching the montage at the beginning of the movie, it seems like this is a repeated story line for this movies franchise. I could be wrong and will watch the rest of the movies to find out for sure. I do give it credit for making me want to watch the rest of the series. 

Overall, the acting was really good, but it felt like a repeat of another of the movies. Some things could have been changed to make it more original, but I would rate this movie 8.2/10 for the reasons stated above.

Movie Review: The Secret Life of Pets

Things change in life, and if you don't fight the change, you could find happiness. A good friend of mine, Quade, talks about this at times and I find it is true. It is also the theme for this weeks movie review, The Secret Life of Pets.

The movie starts with Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) taking us through the story of how he met his owner and best friend, Katie (voiced by Ellie Kemper). It starts out with him as a puppy in a box with a sign that says "FREE" on it, when Katie comes along and picks him up. He says how they were both looking for a roommate, so they stayed together, and from then on they were inseparable from each other. As we watch the years pass by, he tells us how most people would see them as soulmates, meant to just be them forever. There is only one thing that makes him sad, and those are the times she has to leave him at home. When she does this, he just sits at the door, waiting for her to come home.

We move on to meet the other animals in the area, starting with Gidget (voiced by Jenny Slate), who lives in the apartment building next to Max's. Then we start seeing other owners leave their pets at home, with the next pet being a cat named Chloe (voiced by Lake Bell). We continue on to meet a pug named Mel (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), a little bird named Sweet Pea (voiced by Tara Strong), and a dachshund named Buddy (voiced by Hannibal Buress). We have fun seeing what they do when their humans leave, and this can all be seen in the trailer below. 

The story plot has followed the same theme as Toy Story by Pixar, in which we have a human with a favorite thing, in this case a dog, and this favorite is introduced to a new one, and jealousy comes between the two of them. Then an adventure happens that causes these two opposing forces to become friends and work together. Not a ground breaking theme, but a good way to reintroduce it to the next generation of kids. It is consistently funny, which makes it enjoyable for adults to watch, but it really is geared for the youngest of the crowd.

The voice acting was full of talent which creates a lot of chemistry on the screen. They matched the stereotype of the animals well, including Kevin Hart as the cute but evil bunny Snowball. My only complaint there is again, nothing stood out as groundbreaking. The actors did a great job, but I missed that standout performance that creates the buzz the next day.

Overall, the movie is a great family movie to watch especially for families with younger kids. It has a great theme that Illumination knew would hit well, but not something new like when it was first put out there. However, the characters were fun to watch, and for these reasons I would rate this movie 7.8/10.

Movie Review: The BFG

This week’s movie is based on a children’s book by Roald Dahl called the BFG. I will be honest, I didn't recognize his name until I googled him. He wrote many great and slightly dark stories that I loved. Supposedly, I would watch the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory so much as a young kid that I apparently wore through a VHS tape and two DVD's. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my review on The BFG.

The movie starts with a lady walking down some stairs towards the front door where a pile of mail is waiting. She goes to lock the door, but instead picks up magazines to read, then leaves to her room. On the stairs, under a blanket is Sophie (played by Ruby Barnhill) who goes down and locks the door and takes the rest of the mail with her upstairs. You then hear narration of Sophie talking about the “witching hour” while she puts mail into a holder, then shouts out the window at four drunk men do quiet down, as there are children sleeping. She then takes her blanket to her bed where she turns on her flashlight and begins to read her book. Shortly after she begins, she hears a sound from down the hallway and immediately turns off her flashlight and acts as if she were asleep. The orphanage owner lady opens the door and looks for anyone who would be awake, but doesn’t see anyone and leaves.

Sophie turns the flashlight back on to read, but hears something outside, and turns it off again to check on it. Sophie recites the three rules of the witching hour “Don’t get out of bed”, “Don’t go to the window” and “Don’t draw back the curtains”, doing each of them in order. After drawing back the curtains, she sees three cats had knocked over a garbage can. Just before she can head inside, she sees a giant hand reach out from around the corner and pick up the garbage can. Sophie gets scared when she sees the giants head come around, and she runs back inside and hides under blanket. The giants hand reaches in and grabs Sophie, and from here the adventure gets more fun and crazy.

The acting was really enjoyable in all aspects. The animated giants were actually done through live action animation, which brought me back to my first movie review ever, The Adventures of Tintin. I was an instant fan then, but this movie took it to a whole new level. To have the interaction between the live actors and the animated ones in the way they did was brilliant. Mark Rylance as the BFG was a perfect choice, then how the animators caught the lightest movements in his facial features were amazing. The added bright spot was young actress Ruby Barnhill. She was fresh and energetic, which made for some great on screen magic when she interacted with everything.

The story plot was filled with so many things to bring you in. Not only was it a story about two misfits finding each other, but there was standing up against bullying, believing in yourself, and so much more. It really is a story with something for everyone. There are a few parts that the very youngest of audience members might find scary, however, it really is a movie for everyone to enjoy. There was one part where the movie dragged on for a little, but it does not last long.

Overall, I recommend this movie to anyone, and you will not regret watching it. The one part that they lingered on a little too long is the only reason I would rate this move 9.3/10.

Movie Review: Independence Day: Resurgence

Some of you reading this may have been waiting a long time for this movie to come out. And for those of you who don't know, this weeks movie is a sequel of one that came out 20 years ago. Though I haven't seen the first, I heard that it's a good movie and may watch it. But anyways, I hope you enjoy my review on Independence Day: Resurgence.

The movie starts 20 years after the battle for Earth, and we find ourselves following a young pilot going through the Corridors of the White House. He then stops to look upon a painting of the heroic Steven Hiller, from the first movie. As the view pans around we find that the pilot is Dylan Hiller (played by Jessie T. Usher). We see President Lanford practicing her speech for the independence day celebration about to take place, then turns to face Patricia Whitmore (played by Maika Monroe), who congratulates her on a well written speech. They then acknowledge that Dylan is there and get ready to leave.

It then moves to their moon base where construction of an alien tech laser cannon for extra defense is going slowly. In one of the construction ships, Jake Morrison (played by Liam Hemsworth) is complaining about how slow that the construction is going, and him wanting action instead. After putting the laser up, the locking mechanism begins, only to stop as the laser begins falling. When everyone else takes off for safety, Jake stays to save the station below. Through some crazy ideas, he gets the laser back up to lock in.

The acting was not too bad, but there were some areas I feel were over done. Brett Spiner, who plays Dr. Brakish Okun, definitely had an eccentric character, and I am told that he was just as crazy in the first movie. I enjoyed his character, but there were parts I think he went overboard, or the script had him doing more unrealistic things. However, for the most part everyone else did a great job and brought the story more to life in a good way.

The story plot went really smoothly through the movie, but it made the movie seem longer than it did. The main reason I say it seemed like it lasted forever was how many times the aliens seemed to be defeated, only to find they were still alive. Probably could have taken that down by one and added some more character content. But even with the movie seeming like it took forever, the plot flowed through nicely, but slowly.

Overall,the acting was mostly good, and the story plot flowed nicely, but it felt long throughout the movie. So for these reasons, I would rate this movie 7.9/10.