We Bare Bears: The Movie review

WE BARE BEARS: THE MOVIE: 

ICE BEAR APPROVES THIS MOVIE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

CARTOON NETWORK

Charlie the Bigfoot, Panda, Grizzly, and Ice Bear in We Bare Bears: The Movie

            A trio of talking bears leave their cave and embark on the adventure of a lifetime in We Bare Bears: The Movie, the latest in Cartoon Network’s long-running series of films based on their shows. This movie takes the Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show approach as a feature film conclusion to the series, We Bare Bears which revolves around three bears that frequently interact with both nature and human society, often getting into all kinds of shenanigans along the way. 

            If you remember my review of Steven Universe: The Movie (Another movie based on a Cartoon Network show) then you know that I grew up on the early Cartoon Network shows like Ed, Edd n Eddy, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack, and haven’t really been keeping up with their recent shows with some exceptions (Adventure Time, Regular Show, the previously mentioned Steven Universe, Sonic Boom, etc.). I’ve seen a handful of episodes of We Bare Bears before and while it doesn’t quite grab me as much as some of CN’s other recent shows or the ones I grew up with, it’s a mostly harmless series for kids with a decent sense of humor, some surprisingly clever social commentary, and some genuinely heartfelt moments. 

            Now, the bears follow in the footsteps of Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Ed, Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Johnny Bravo, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Steven Universe, Regular Show, and many others by getting the movie treatment with We Bare Bears: The Movie. The film is directed by the series’ creator Daniel Chong (Bolt, Cars 2, Inside Out) and was released digitally on June 30, 2020 serving as an epilogue to the series. 

            So, how does this movie hold up for someone who did not watch the show that often? It’s not half bad, though I’ve seen better movies from Cartoon Network before. There isn’t much in here for someone not already familiar with the source material, but for a film squarely aimed at kids and fans of the show, it’ll probably give you what you’re looking for, a fun, upbeat adventure with talking bears. 

            After their antics make the San Francisco Bay Area residents turn against them and become targets of the Department of National Wildlife Control, the trio of bears consisting of Grizzly (voiced by Eric Edelstein-American Dad, Monsters VS Aliens (TV series), Clarence), Panda (voiced by Bobby Moynihan-Monsters University, The Secret Life of Pets 1 and 2, DuckTales (2017)), and Ice Bear (voiced by Demetri Martin-The Daily Show, Taking Woodstock, Important Things with Demetri Martin) are forced to leave their home in the wilderness and go on a road trip to the greatest place for a bear to live ever…Canada in search of a better life. Along the way, they crash a party for internet celebrity animals, have close calls with the Wildlife Control, and come face to face with the sadistic, bear-hating leader of the Wildlife Control, Agent Trout (voiced by Marc Evan Jackson-Parks and Recreation, 22 Jump Street, The Good Place) who plots to capture them and put them in a wildlife preserve (with an electric fence and cages I might add), among other hardships they endure while staying true to the promise they made as cubs of being “bros for life” (But not Thunder Buddies!). 

            The film also features the voices of Keith Ferguson (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Wander Over Yonder, Batman VS Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Officer Murphy, Jason Lee (Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, My Name is Earl, Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise) as Charlie the Bigfoot, Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens, Kim Possible, Ratatouille) as Nom Nom, Charlyne Yi (House, Steven Universe, Trolls World Tour) as Chloe Park, Mel Rodriguez (Getting On, The Last Man on Earth, Better Call Saul) as Darrell Saragosa, Cameron Esposito (Adventure Time, Maron, Take My Wife) as Ranger Dana Tabes, Ellie Kemper (The Office, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Lego Batman Movie) as Lucy, Josh Cooley (Inside Out, Riley’s First Date?, Toy Story 4) as Painting Elephant, Amber Liu (Invincible Youth 2, Real Men, Entourage (South Korean TV series)) as Jojo Raccoon, and Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Space Force) as Joey Raccoon. 

            Overall, We Bare Bears: The Movie is an enjoyable animated adventure (As far as Cartoon Network movies go) and hopefully a worthy conclusion to the TV series. As I mentioned before, I did not watch the show very often so I can’t really speak for the fans, but for the episodes I have seen I think this is an appropriate sendoff for the bears. 

            The plot is an average buddy-buddy road trip movie (Often a very popular genre for various films based on animated shows) that hits all the familiar beats of films like A Goofy Movie, The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie, The Simpsons Movie, and as previously mentioned, Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show. Come to think of it, the premise of We Bare Bears: The Movie reminds me a lot of Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show right down to having the main characters leave their home and many of their friends and neighbors now wanting them dead for something they’ve done except replace the Eds with bears and Eddy’s Brother’s place with Canada. 

            However, the film really shines with its social commentary, it’s like an allegory about living as a minority in America and explores a lot of timely themes about acceptance, family separation, and racial discrimination. The fact that this is all happening to a bunch of talking bears interacting with humans is not only funny but also extremely clever and it never goes too far with the subject matter, it works in a similar way to the relationship between humans and toons from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

            One can view it simply as a cute animated adventure with talking bears and another can view it as an allegory for racism and discrimination. I really commend the film for the way it handles and depicts its mature subject matter and making it understandable to children.

            If you’re a fan of the series, then We Bare Bears: The Movie is a road trip you’ll definitely want to take. It’s a funny and heartfelt final adventure with Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear you’ll never forget. 

And Now For My Bear Jokes!

Clip from The Wicker Man (2006) (c) Warner Bros. Pictures

Clip from The Country Bears (c) Disney

Clip from Care Bears Movie II (c) Columbia Pictures

The Old Guard review

THE OLD GUARD: 

OVER-THE-TOP DEPARTURE FROM TRADITIONAL SUPERHERO/COMIC BOOK MOVIE FARE IS FUN, BUT SOMEWHAT BOGGED DOWN BY FAMILIAR GENRE TROPES! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

NETFLIX

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlize Theron, Marwan Kenzari, KiKi Layne, and Luca Marinelli in The Old Guard

            A group of mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die is recruited to take on an emergency mission that exposes their extraordinary powers to humanity in The Old Guard, the new action film released on Netflix based on the graphic novel of the same name by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. The film is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, Beyond the Lights) and stars Charlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde) as a centuries old warrior who leads the team of unkillable mercenaries. 

            I should make this perfectly clear; I am not familiar with the original comic this film is based on at all. I’ve never read it before, and I wasn’t even aware the movie was based on a comic book until a few days ago when I watched the trailer, so I have no idea how faithful it is to the source material. 

            However, I am aware the creator of the comic, Greg Rucka wrote the screenplay for this movie so maybe it’s a very faithful adaptation, but I couldn’t tell you. Instead, I will be judging it as a standalone movie although, I am curious to see what the original comic is like.

Despite knowing practically nothing about the film initially, I was intrigued by its premise when I watched the trailer for the first time. It sounded like a John Wick meets Upgrade type of movie and I was 100% onboard for that…and with Theron as the team’s leader? Sign me up. 

A movie about a bunch of indestructible mercenaries with the inability to die, a premise like that can work both as a tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top action movie and as a grounded and down-to-earth thriller with a sense of mystery. Well, now that I’ve watched it, I can say that while the film is undoubtably fun during the action sequences, Theron’s performance is great, and there are a lot of interesting ideas being explored, the movie itself kind of falls short of expectations.

            The film follows a team of tight-knit mercenaries with the inability to die led by a warrior named Andy (Theron) who have fought to protect the world for centuries. The team consists of former French soldier, Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts-Rust and Bone, The Drop, The Mustang), Muslim warrior who participated in the Crusades, Joe (Marwan Kenzari-Loft, Wolf (2013 film), Aladdin (2019)), former Crusader, Nicky (Luca Marinelli-The Great Beauty, They Call Me Jeeg, Martin Eden), and their newest member, former U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan, Nile (KiKi Layne-If Beale Street Could Talk, Native Son, Coming 2 America). 

            However, when they’re recruited for an emergency mission that exposes their extraordinary powers and they are soon targeted by a shadowy organization that seeks to replicate and monetize their powers, it’s up to Andy, Nile, and the rest of the team to stop them before it’s too late. 

            The film also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, The Martian, Doctor Strange) as James Copley, Harry Melling (Harry Potter franchise, The Lost City of Z, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Steven Merrick, Veronica Ngo (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Furie, Da 5 Bloods) as Quynh, Anamaria Marinca (Sex Traffic, Fury, Ghost in the Shell(2017)) as Dr. Meta Kozak, and Joey Ansah (Batman Begins, The Bourne Ultimatum, Snow White and the Huntsman) as Keane. 

            Overall, The Old Guard for the most part is an entertaining time waster with plenty of high-octane action sequences and strong performances from its cast. However, the concept of the film leaves a lot to be desired and it doesn’t quite explore the vast possibilities of its premise. 

            Mostly because while the film is a nice departure from the Marvel and DC style comic book movies that seem to dominate the box-office lately, it gets a little bogged down by various familiar tropes and conventions of its genre. 

This is a movie about people with extraordinary powers so naturally there is an evil CEO in a suit who wants to profit off their powers instead of for scientific and medical purposes as the main villain (Why do I suddenly have the urge to quote Bill Paxton from Twister?). Also, we need a bunch of moody songs to play during emotional scenes and action sequences (Which I’m usually okay with if it works but it happens so frequently I thought I was watching the Ben Affleck Daredevil movie for a moment), and most of the action sequences are a lot of fun and have plenty of carnage but I kind of wished they went all out with them and delivered ridiculously over-the-top action on par with something like Face/Off or RoboCop. 

With that said, when the action is good it’s really good, the two best examples of action in this film are the opening fight scene where Theron shoots and slaughters bad guys left and right I can describe as if John Wick and The Bride had a baby and she grew up to be an immortal and deadly assassin, and the other notable action scene is a fight on a plane between Theron and Layne where they’re shooting one another and snapping each other’s limbs only to have them instantly heal, it’s both thrilling and funny at the same time. 

The Old Guard may not deliver the hyper-violent action flick its premise suggests, but the action sequences it does offer, efforts to flesh out its characters, and the charisma-filled performances by its cast more than make up for it. It isn’t something I’d watch again but for a one-time viewing I’m glad I watched it and hopefully, if a sequel gets made, they can expand upon what worked in this while fix or at least remove what didn’t. 

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga review

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA: 

WILL FERRELL AND RACHEL MCADAMS MAKE SOME NOISE…AND A LOT OF LAUGHS IN THIS MUSICAL-COMEDY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

NETFLIX

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

            Will Ferrell (Anchorman 1 and 2, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Other Guys) and Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, Sherlock Holmes (2009), Game Night) take center stage in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, the new musical-comedy directed by David Dobkin (Clay Pigeons, Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers) now streaming on Netflix. The film was originally scheduled to be released in May to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the film was released a month later. 

            I’ve always been a fan of Will Ferrell’s work as a comedian with films like the Anchorman duology, Elf,Zoolander, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys being some of my favorites whenever I need a good laugh. However, like most great comedic actors, Ferrell does have his share of misses including Bewitched, Kicking and Screaming, Get Hard, and the infamous 2018 flop, Holmes & Watson which I not only dubbed the worst movie of that year but also one of the most unpleasant times I’ve ever had watching a comedy since Son of the Mask, The Cat in the Hat, and the Steve Martin version of The Pink Panther (Read my Holmes & Watson review for more details and to hear a man crack!).

            I didn’t really know what to expect with Eurovision Song Contest but upon watching it I can gladly say that despite its occasionally formulaic and clichéd narrative, I had a very fun time with this movie. Is it one of the best and most game-changing comedies of all time? No, but I enjoyed it as a quirky, light-hearted comedy with a lot of laugh-out loud moments and a surprising amount of heart. 

            The film follows Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (McAdams), two childhood best friends living in Iceland who make music together as the band Fire Saga, much to the dismay of Lars’ widowed father, Erick (Pierce Brosnan-James Bondfranchise, The Matador, The Ghost Writer). Lars dreams to one day win the Eurovision Song Contest and when these aspiring musicians are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country in the world’s biggest song competition, they have a chance to prove that any dream is worth fighting for as they slowly climb their way towards the gold. 

            The film also stars Mikael Persbrandt (The Hypnotist, The Hobbit 2 and 3, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) as Victor Karlosson, Demi Lovato (Camp Rock 1 and 2, Princess Protection Program, Smurfs: The Lost Village) as Katiana, Dan Stevens (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Legion (TV series)) as Alexander Lemtov, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Children, Lady Dynamite, The Deep) as Neils Brongus, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Fortitude, Eleven Men Out, Jar City) as Arnar, Graham Norton as himself, Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag, Stath Lets Flats, Paddington 2) as Kevin Swain, Joe Kortajarena (A Single Man, Quantico, Skins) as Corin Vladvitch, Bobby Lockwood (Waterloo Road, Wolfblood, Honey 3) as Jeff, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Atomic Blonde, Alpha, Bloodshot) as Johans, Natasia Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows (TV series), Stath Lets Flats, The Festival) as Nina, and William Lee Adams (Wiwibloggs) as himself. 

            Overall, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a funny and sweet story about pursuing your dreams made even better by the appealing chemistry between Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. They sell both the humorous sides of their characters as well as the more heartfelt moments of the film…not to mention it also showcases their singing talents. 

Seriously, Will Ferrell’s singing in this movie is incredible and I hope he gets casted in more musical comedies in the future. Also, Rachel McAdams’ performance of the song at the end alone makes me want to get the soundtrack to this movie, Ferrell and McAdams work together wonderfully in this film. 

The side characters are also very memorable, particularly Dan Stevens as a flamboyant singer from Russia who is trying to work his moves onto McAdams, much to Ferrell’s dismay but they never make him the straight-up villain of the movie but instead to cause a very short rivalry between Stevens and Ferrell’s characters that gets resolved by the end. And the less I talk about Demi Lovato in this movie, the better but trust me, she’s hilarious once she shows up in the film. 

As entertaining as this movie is, my biggest issues with it are the narrative and script, on the surface it’s just your basic musical comedy story about a music band (or music duo in this case) and their quest for fame. Granted, this film does rely on some tiring clichés and tropes found in other movies like this such as the main characters misunderstanding each other and going their separate ways at the end of the second act, the forced sexual situation, the (slightly) slimy wealthy antagonist character, fortunately, I’m able to excuse most of this because the actors play their parts extremely well and the misunderstanding trope doesn’t last very long in this film. 

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a performance you don’t want to miss. With plenty of laughs, charm, and some very entertaining music sequences all elevated by Ferrell and McAdams’ outstanding performances. This is a trip to Iceland you will never forget. 

Da 5 Bloods review

DA 5 BLOODS: 

SPIKE LEE WAR FILM IS AN ABSOLUTE POWERHOUSE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

NETFLIX

A group of war veterans return to Vietnam in search of buried treasure in Da 5 Bloods

            A group of aging Vietnam War veterans return to the country in search for the remains of their fallen leader and treasure they buried while serving there in Da 5 Bloods, the latest film from director Spike Lee (Malcolm X, Chi-Raq, BlacKkKlansman). The film was originally written back in 2013 with Oliver Stone attached to direct under the title, The Last Tour but after Stone dropped out Lee stepped in and turned it into an ambitious, gritty, and very inspiring picture.

            Spike Lee does not sugar-coat any of it, he will throw you right into this harsh, nasty, and downright horrific subject matter that will disturb you, impact you on an emotional level, and make you think about current events in the country (and the entire world). There are a number of moments in this film that disturbed me greatly especially regarding archival footage and photographs of real-life deaths from the Vietnam War (one in particular involving an infant is burned into my mind) so be warned if you choose to watch this movie, you will see some heavy material but for a movie like this, it’s very warranted. 

            This movie is very hard to watch at times but it’s also very beautifully filmed, emotionally impactful, and often heartfelt. Lee’s uses of different aspect ratios to depict the time certain scenes take place (The scenes set during the Vietnam War are filmed in the 4:3 aspect ratio while the scenes set in the present are filmed normally) is absolutely brilliant and never feels distracting and the friendship and brotherhood of the war vets is very powerful. 

            The film follows four African American Vietnam War veterans consisting of Paul (Delroy Lindo-Clockers,Broken Arrow, Ransom), Otis (Clarke Peters-The Wire, Treme, John Wick), Eddie (Norm Lewis-Stand by Me, Scandal, Just Mercy), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.-The Wire, 25^th Hour, BlacKkKlansman) and Paul’s son David (Jonathan Majors-Hostiles, White Boy Rick, Lovecraft Country) who return to Vietnam to find the remains of their fallen Squad Leader, Norman (Chadwick Boseman-42, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marshall) and recover gold that they buried while serving in the war. However, shortly after beginning their mission, the Bloods must battle forces of Man and Nature and are confronted by the lasting ravages of the immorality of the Vietnam War. 

            The film also stars Johnny Trí Nguyễn (Cradle 2 the Grave, Tom-Yum-Goong, The Rebel) as Vinh, Mélanie Thierry (One for the Road, Henry V, The Dancer) as Hedy Bouvier, Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya, BlacKkKlansman,Richard Jewell) as Simon, Jasper Pääkkönen (Vikings, BlacKkKlansman) as Seppo, Jean Reno (Mission: Impossible, Godzilla (1998), The Da Vinci Code) as Desroche, and Veronica Ngo (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Furie) as Hanoi. 

            Overall, Da 5 Bloods is a gripping, poignant, and thought-provoking depiction of war and the impacts it has on people in one of Lee’s most timely and relevant directing efforts throughout his career (and that’s saying a lot!). What I found very interesting about this movie is that it isn’t a movie set during the Vietnam War (Though many scenes do take place during it) but rather several years later to show what happened during the aftermath and how it affected the main characters, all done in a very Spike Lee way with a lot of social commentary and themes about racism and hate. 

            All the performances are great with the highlight being Delroy Lindo as Paul, an angry, short-tempered tough guy (Who also happens to be a Trump supporter, MAGA hat and all) suffering from PTSD. Lindo portrays him very convincingly and at first, you’d think his aggressive attitude would be played for laughs but as the film progresses it shifts back and forth from tragic and sympathetic to just plain creepy, it’s an Oscar worthy performance…I’ll just leave it at that. 

            This movie can get extremely violent and disturbing but never to the point where it becomes Torture Porn and overshadows the characters and story. The intense moments and real-life archival footage feel necessary to progress the story and keep the audience invested. 

            One scene in particular involves one of the main characters accidentally stepping on a land mine and the other characters need to pull him off of it with only a rope. Never before has a scene from the movie put me on the edge of my seat like this one. Honestly, it puts the Heath Ledger Joker boat sequence from The Dark Knight to shame…Oh yeah, I went there! 

            Da 5 Bloods isn’t for everyone and a few parts can drag at times (The film has a 156-minute runtime, a bit too long in my opinion) but I was never bored by it. I was thoroughly invested in the story and characters from beginning to end. 

            It’s easily one of the best Spike Lee movies and one of the best films of the year, if you got Netflix and want to see a powerhouse of a film then look no further than Da 5 Bloods. Just be ready to see some disturbing shit.