Archive for Family & Kids

Roth Films, Walt Disney Pictures,

Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Harris Dickinson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sam Riley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein, Robert Lindsay, David Gyasi, Jenn Murray, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Judith Shekoni

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the sequel to the 2014 film Maleficent. You can read my review of that film here:. Aurora (Elle Fanning) is now ready to be married to her true love, Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson) and the hope is that with the marriage of the Aurora who was raised by Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Philip who was raised by his mother, the Queen (Michelle Pfeiffer) that the two kingdoms can be united (The human world and the world of the faeries), and that there can finally be peace. But when the king is struck by another curse, it appears that the split between the worlds cannot be healed and all out war is the only option.

This is a very strong follow up to the original film, and it still follows the same story line of the first film which is somewhat different than the fairy tale we thought we knew. As in the first film, there is no pure good or pure evil and life is a lot more complicated that that. Again this story is Angelina’s film, and though both Michelle and Elle turn in fine performances, again Angelina is truly the star and it’s her movie! She is well prepared to carry the film and in this movie she really shines, even more than in the first. There are really great war scenes in this film, and yet there is a lot of laugh out loud humor and it’s bound to be spell binding for both young and old. This is truly and awesome performance and it is very well done. The imagery is spectacular, and the minor characters are outstanding (and very cute) and some tributes to the original film (both the animated and the first Maleficent film) are really good. The special effects and CGI are outstanding, and this is a film well worth watching on the big screen! I am including the extended trailer for your enjoyment:

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key. Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Ally Maki, Jay Hernandez, Lori Alan, Joan Cusack, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal

Andy has gone off to college and turned his toys over to Bonnie. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang are off on a road trip with Bonnie’s new toy Forky who she made and loves as her new toy. Forky, however, being a spork, thinks of life much different that the toys do, so Woody takes him under his wing to teach him his new life as a toy. But when Forky gets lost, Woody sets off on a side trip to find him and bring him back when he runs into Bo Peep, his very old friend, and they set off on an adventure to bring Forky back. This is the fourth in the series of Toy Story films from Pixar, and a nice new addition to the group.

I have always enjoyed the Toy Story series, and found that they have been getting better as they progress. Is this the best of the Toy Story films? Sadly, I have to admit it’s not, but it’s pretty damn good just the same. The story here is rather contrived, but the characters are just as lovable as ever. Gabby Gabby is a nice new villain although she does bring her share of sadness with her as well and we will feel very sympathetic toward her situation. The whole story is a bit repetitive of all the other, “toy gets lost and has to try to make it back home” and “toy isn’t number one anymore and has to deal with his loss of status in his owner’s heart” story lines, but the animation is so spectacular, the voices are so spot on, and the characters are just so special, that it makes up for the little weaknesses in the story itself. This is another great Pixar film and one you gotta go see while it’s still in the theater. Amazing job, guys, and I loved it!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Walt Disney Pictures, Tim Burton Productions, Infinite Detective

Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Nico Parker, Finley Hobbins, Kamil Lemieszewski, Alan Arkin, Joseph Gatt, Sandy Martin, Sharon Rooney, Deobia Oparei, Roshan Seth, Jo Osmond, Jessie Vinning, Douglas Reith

Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) was once a circus star, but an injury during his service in the war drastically changed him. The owner of the circus, Max Dedici (Danny DeVito) is struggling to survive, but when his new elephant has a baby elephant, he hires Holt to take care of them. But the newborn has enormous ears, and Max is really angry because the oversized ears make the elephant a joke and he is the laughing stock of the circus industry. But there is more to Dumbo than just his giant ears, and with the help of a partner and a high wire artist, Collette (Eva Green) Dumbo may be a star after all and save the circus. This is the Tim Burton live action version of the original Disney 1941 animated film, Dumbo.

Tim Burton really put his touch on this movie, changing, and adding a lot to the original movie. First there are rules. The primary one is that animals do NOT talk in real life, so so talking mice, talking crows, or talking elephants. But there is a lot of tribute and homage to the original film, and though the music is not a primary part of this movie, unlike the animated film, it is used wisely and adds a lot to the movie. I was not completely blown away, as some of it was rather odd (with Tim Burton at the helm, how could that not be true), but I still really enjoyed the experience, and I do like these live action versions of the classic cartoons. Colin Farrel was really good in his role, and this was one of the highlights of the movie. This is a new character, and the emphasis on the cast of sideshow freaks is a also something that was added, but with a full length film, a lot has to be added. The original cartoon was only one hour long which won’t cut it in the theater today. All in all, I really enjoyed the film, and I think it was a relaxing evening watching this film. I recommend this one for the whole family.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Ilion Animation Studios, Midnight Radio, Nickelodeon Movies,

Sofia Mali, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, Norbert Leo Butz, Matthew Broderick, Brianna Denski, Oev Michael Urbas, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Kevin Chamberlin, Kath Soucie, Noen Perez

June (Sofie Mali, Briana Denski) is a young girl with a vivid imagination. With her Mom (Jennifer Garner) she uses her toys to design and build an imaginary amusement park called Wonderland. But things change as Mom becomes sick and Wonderland gets put away. On a trip to summer camp, June runs away to go back home, but on the way she finds that Wonderland is real, and that since she left it behind, it has fallen into decay and is in bad shape, but with the help of her toy friends, she may be the one who can put it back together again and save the park.

I have been looking forward to this film since I first saw the preview, and thought that I had to see this one. I was disappointed though and I feel quite a bit let down. The colors and the design of this animated film are really good, and the music and soundtrack are well done, but the story lacks any oomph to make it interesting, and I found it just didn’t move me. This is more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a feature movie, and it should have had a lot more work done on the actual story itself which is where the movie fell short. I definitely think it is worth seeing, but as to paying the cash to see this in the theater, maybe there are better things to see than this one. This is a definite rental somewhere down the road, but I sure wish there had been a better story to tell than it provided, so I can’t really recommend running out to see this. Nickelodeon has disappointed me in the past, and I think perhaps they don’t have the depth to make a really good feature film. They just often don’t compare to the big guys. It’s a shame as this looked like a really great opportunity. I am sad.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Warner Bros, Warner Animation Group, LEGO Systems A/S,

Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Jadon Sand, Brooklynn Prince, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill

This sequel to 2014’s “The Lego Movie” [Click Here for review] is a long awaited adventure back into the world of the kids and the games they play with their LEGO bricks. Sometimes “Everything’s Not Awesome” when the citizens are facing a brand new threat of LEGO Duplo invaders from outer space who are set to wrecking the world as we know it. These are amazing invaders that have the ability to reconfigure themselves into all kinds of shapes on a whim. They plan to merge the worlds into one via marriage, so the original group of characters have to try to fight to save the world.

This movie was REALLY fun. I enjoyed every second of this film. First of all, look at the cast! The interesting thing to me, was to make sense of the whole thing by switching back and forth between real life and the imaginary world of two kids sometimes multiple times in the same flight or fall. The absurdity of the huge big sound effects and musical drama to a shot of a plastic LEGO piece tied to a string flying across the bedroom is hysterical and really funny. I started into this film thinking I had wasted my money on the ticket, not to mention wasting my Saturday morning. The though, “What is the point of all this?” did cross my mind a number of times, and the quick cuts from real life to make believe jarred me and confused me. It wasn’t like Mr. Roger’s trolley that takes us back and forth between real and pretend. 🙂 But pretty soon, it hit me with the key to what is going on in the real world which makes the make belive story make sense, and I really got into it. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed the original film, but this is even better than that, and the LEGO Batman Movie [Click Here for Ed’s Review] and is the strongest of the series. I really liked this, and my grandson and my son who watched it with me all agree that it’s a good movie. Give this one a chance!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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