Wonder Woman 1984 review

WONDER WOMAN 1984: 

GAL GADOT’S RETURN AS DC’S AMAZON WARRIOR IS EXACTLY WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IN THIS ACTION-PACKED AND CHARMING SUPERHERO SEQUEL!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Gal Gadot is back in Wonder Woman 1984

 

            Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious franchise, Triple 9, Ralph Breaks the Internet) returns as the Amazon princess of DC Comics in Wonder Woman 1984, the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe and follow-up to the 2017 Wonder Woman film. The first movie was hailed by many as the first truly great DCEU film and a huge critical and commercial success that breathed new life into a mediocre franchise that at the time only consisted of Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad, all of which were polarizing among fans and extremely subpar compared to the first two Superman movies or the Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan Batman movies. 

            Thanks to a compelling story, likable characters, a director who knew what she was doing in the form of Patty Jenkins, and a very charming performance by Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman successfully avoided all the DCEU trappings with flying colors…that slightly took a dive in the November of that year with Justice League, but was eventually made up for with the releases of other good DCEU films like Aquaman, Shazam!, and Birds of Prey. 

            Now, Gadot and Patty Jenkins (Monster) have reunited for Diana Prince/Wonder Woman’s next big adventure with Wonder Woman 1984 which was originally intended for a Summer 2020 release, but due to COVID-19 the film was constantly delayed and pushed back until finally getting a simultaneous theatrical release and premiere on HBO Max on Christmas Day. So, after all the hype surrounding it, is Wonder Woman 1984 a worthy follow-up? I think it is, though it doesn’t quite live up to the high bar set by its predecessor, it’s still a very enjoyable and uplifting movie whether you’re watching it on the big screen or the small screen, Wonder Woman is here to make everyone happy during these hard times that we’re all going through right now. 

            Set in the year 1984, the film follows Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gadot) living among mortals for decades since World War I and a double life as an anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institute and as a superhero. But when Diana discovers an ancient stone that has the power to grant wishes known as the Dreamstone and her supposedly deceased old flame, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine-Star Trek (2009 trilogy), Unstoppable, Hell or High Water) mysteriously reappears in Diana’s life, she’ll have to muster all of her strength, wisdom, and courage as Diana is pitted against corrupt businessman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal-Game of Thrones, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Mandalorian) and Cheetah (Kristen Wiig-Paul, Bridesmaids, The Skeleton Twins) who plan to use the Dreamstone to fulfill their evil deeds, one of them happens to be world domination. 

            The film also stars Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)) as Antiope, Connie Nielsen (The Devil’s Advocate, Gladiator, Nymphomaniac) as Hippolyta, and Natasha Rothwell (Love, Simon, Like a Boss, Sonic the Hedgehog) as Carol. 

            Overall, Wonder Woman 1984 isn’t quite on par with the first film, but it’s still a very enjoyable and inspiring superhero movie with plenty of action and a surprising amount of heart. Honestly, the Gal Gadot and Chris Pine scenes sort of overshadow the Wonder Woman superhero action, that was also one of the aspects I enjoyed a lot about the first movie because both Gadot and Pine have wonderful chemistry together and I just love watching and listening to them talk with each other, literally the whole movie could have just been them sitting in a room talking and I would have been perfectly fine with it. 

            The supporting characters are also portrayed very well, most notably Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord and Kristen Wiig as a co-worker of Diana’s named Barbara who over the course of the film transforms into the Cheetah. Both Pascal and Wiig seem to be having fun with their performances and I have to give Wiig a lot of credit that you don’t see her portray the villain that often, but she does a good job with her performance here. 

            The Wonder Woman action is still pretty epic and at times an improvement over the CGI overabundance during the final showdown in the first film. Also, how can you go wrong with Wonder Woman grabbing onto an in-air missile with her lasso and flying on it? Yeah, Wonder Woman gives Wile E. Coyote a run for his money. 

            If I have to point out some faults with Wonder Woman 1984, it’s the plot which isn’t bad but riddled with predictable clichés. I was able to easily figure out what several of the twists were going to be. 

            Wonder Woman 1984 is a fun time whether you’re in a theater or watching on HBO Max, this is one DC Extended Universe sequel definitely worth checking out. Grab your lasso and shield, hop into your Invisible Jet, and take flight.  

The Croods: A New Age review

 THE CROODS: A NEW AGE: 

DREAMWORKS SEQUEL IRONICALLY ISN’T ALL THAT “NEW”, BUT IT’S A PERFECTLY SERVICEABLE ANIMATED FAMILY FILM! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

Sandy, Gran, Thunk, Ugga, Grug, Eep, and Guy meet an unusual family in The Croods: A New Age

 

            Everyone’s favorite stone-age family (Okay, second favorite!) is back for a second outing in The Croods: A New Age, the latest film from DreamWorks Animation and follow-up to the 2013 film, The Croods. My memories of what I thought of the first Croods movie are pretty fuzzy given that I haven’t seen it since 2013 when I watched it in theaters, but I remembered it being a cute, lighthearted animated film for kids that just came and went, I didn’t really think about it much after I had seen it. 

            Well, either because the first film made money at the box-office or people, I’ve never met in my entire life demanded for the story of the Croods family to continue, we got this follow-up released seven years later. And just like the first film, it came and went. 

It isn’t going to follow in the footsteps of Shrek 1 and 2 or the Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon trilogies as one of the best DreamWorks films, but if you got little kids who want to watch it or have a family movie night, this isn’t a bad film to put on. It isn’t a movie that will challenge you or change your life, it’s just a colorful, silly animated adventure with a cave man family and nothing more. 

The film follows the prehistoric Crood family consisting of Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage-Face/Off, National Treasure 1 and 2, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Eep (voiced by Emma Stone-Zombieland 1 and 2, La La Land, The Favourite), Ugga (voiced by Catherine Keener-Being John Malkovich, Capote, Get Out), Thunk (voiced by Clark Duke-The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass 1 and 2), Gran (voiced by Cloris Leachman-The Last Picture Show, Young Frankenstein, Spanglish), Sandy (voiced by Kailey Crawford), and Eep’s boyfriend Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds-Deadpool 1 and 2, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Free Guy) searching for a new habitat and stumble across a mysterious, walled-in paradise that meets all of its requirements. There, the Croods befriend another family known as the Betterman, Phil (voiced by Peter Dinklage-Elf, Game of Thrones, Avengers: Infinity War), Hope (voiced by Leslie Mann-George of the Jungle, Funny People, Rio 1 and 2), and their daughter Dawn (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran-Star Wars: The Last Jedi/The Rise of Skywalker, Raya and the Last Dragon, Monsters at Work) who are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder and were very close to Guy before he met the Croods. 

However, tensions begin to rise between the two families and a new threat emerges that propels both clans on an adventure that forces them to embrace their differences and work together. 

The film also features the voice of Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, The Call of the Wild (2020)) as Guy’s pet sloth Belt. 

Overall, The Croods: A New Age pales in comparison to other, better DreamWorks films but it’s still a colorful, lighthearted, and perfectly serviceable animated film. It’s kind of like the Trolls movies or The Boss Baby where it just goes in one ear and out the other, not bad but easily disposable.

Really the best way I can describe this movie is “Just Fine”, how’s the animation? It’s fine. How are the characters? They’re fine. How’s the humor? It’s fine. The Croods: A New Age is pretty much a cave man club of adequacy. 

The plot is very predictable and recycled from other animated movies, not to mention animated movie sequels. Main characters find a mysterious land (In this film’s case a paradise) populated by strange new characters but there’s a secret behind everything, sounds very familiar doesn’t it? I wouldn’t have minded that if they did something new or clever with the plot but instead The Croods: A New Age decides to do some of the exact same things Frozen II, Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2, and even DreamWorks’ own Trolls World Tour already did. 

Aside from a song performed by Tenacious D of all people during the end credits, there really isn’t anything that memorable about The Croods: A New Age. It’s a decent animated movie for kids and families but you probably won’t be nearly as invested or engaged as other films in the genre. 

If you have kids who want to see it then sure, put it on for them but if you’re looking for a game-changing, emotional powerhouse of an animated film, I’d suggest just waiting for Pixar’s Soul on Disney+. 

Freaky review

FREAKY:

CLEVER BODY-SWAP HORROR-COMEDY IS DELIGHTFULLY TWISTED! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

A teenage girl swaps bodies with a serial killer in Freaky 

 

            A teenage girl is suddenly murdered one night and she mysteriously wakes up in her killer’s body and vice versa in Freaky, the latest horror-comedy from director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day 1 and 2) who had previously played with slasher and time-loop tropes ala Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow with the Happy Death Day movies. Now, he’s doing the same sort of thing with body-swap movie tropes found in movies such as Freaky Friday, The Change-Up, and the recent Japanese anime film Your Name, but with a slasher twist. 

            I was completely onboard for this movie when I first saw the trailer, a horror sendup to body-swap movie tropes where the victim winds up in the killer’s body and the killer ends up in the victim’s body, this is a very smart, clever idea and has a lot of potential both as a horror movie and a dark comedy. That’s pretty much why I enjoyed Landon’s own Happy Death Day a lot, Landon is able to take these familiar and tired tropes we’ve seen a million times before in other movies and put a funny and unique spin to them. 

            So, is Freaky a worthy successor to Happy Death Day or was Happy Death Day just a lucky shot? Oh, it is a very worthy follow-up to the Happy Death Day films! 

            I found this movie to be very entertaining and a refreshing departure from typical horror/slasher movie fare, much like what the Happy Death Day movies and The Cabin in the Woods did. Just like those movies, Freaky is very self-aware and tongue-in-cheek with its premise and is more about having fun with its scary concept rather than legit nightmare fuel, and it succeeds in that regard. 

            The film follows high school student, Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton-Gary Unmarried, Paranormal Activity 4, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) who is frequently tormented by other students (and even a teacher) and doesn’t get much respect at school aside from her friends. One night, she becomes the newest target of an infamous serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn-Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Wedding Crashers, Hacksaw Ridge), and after being stabbed by his dagger, Millie mysteriously wakes up in the killer’s body and the killer wakes up in hers, and that’s where the fun really begins. 

            Millie and her friends, Nyla (Celeste O’Connor-Irreplaceable You, Selah and the Spades, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Josh (Newcomer, Misha Osherovich), and Booker (Uriah Shelton-The Glades, Lifted, The Warriors Gate) have only 24 hours to reverse the switch before it becomes permanent and before the killer uses Millie’s body to turn the school’s Homecoming dance into a slaughterhouse. To make matters worse, she’s also being hunted by the police who are determined to bring the killer down. 

            The film also stars Katie Finneran (Night of the Living Dead (1990), You’ve Got Mail, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous) as Millie’s mom Paula Kessler and Alan Ruck (Speed, Twister, The Exorcist (TV series)) as Mr. Fletcher. 

            Overall, Freaky delivers…well, “Freaky” fun that completely embraces the potential and sheer ridiculousness of its premise. Take the movie, Freaky Friday (Either the original or the Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis version) and mix it with Halloween and Friday the 13^th and with a very self-aware sense of humor, that’s basically this film in a nutshell with the highlights being Vaughn and Newton’s performances. 

            Vince Vaughn alone is worth the price of admission in quite possibly his funniest performance in years. I mean, come on, it’s Vince Vaughn playing a teenage girl and he plays the part very well. 

            Vaughn in this movie reminds me a lot of Jack Black in the recent Jumanji movies and just like in those movies, a lot of the comedy comes from him trying to act like a girl and it’s hilarious, from imitating Millie’s school mascot dance to having a romantic moment with the boy she has a crush on that’s both funny and heartfelt at the same time. Here’s something I never thought I’d say about Vince Vaughn but when he’s playing himself (The serial killer), he is actually legitimately creepy and it shows that he’s come a long way from playing Norman Bates in that godawful Psycho remake or his laughable performance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, rock on Vaughn. 

            However, Vince Vaughn is only a piece of the puzzle, Kathryn Newton goes full-on psycho b*tch with sadistic and outrageous results. She doesn’t get quite as many humorous moments as Vaughn, but it looks like she’s having the time of her life with this performance every time she’s onscreen. 

             At first, Newton’s character isn’t all that interesting, just your standard horror movie protagonist but once the serial killer takes over her body that’s when she truly shines. She’s violent, sadistic, and funny all at the same time and even makes you smile and laugh along with her but feel bad about it shortly afterwards, one minute she’s telling off one of the jocks that wants to make out with her with a hilarious insult and the next she’s slicing the wood shop teacher in half with a saw, yeah, she’s definitely a lot of fun to watch but maybe it’s best not to hang out with her. 

            As much as I enjoyed this movie, it does have some problems mainly regarding some of the tropes that aren’t being satirized and are instead just being used to get the plot going. They do the whole “Everyone at school is being cruel to this girl and calling her ugly despite the fact she’s totally hot, but a makeover and new coat completely changes that” cliché and it isn’t funny or even a clever variation of the trope, it’s just the same, tired high school movie cliché that should have stayed and died in the 90s, it didn’t work in the recent Power Rangers movie and it certainly doesn’t work here. 

            Maybe I’m just nitpicking, the unnecessary high school cruelty in the beginning doesn’t ruin the whole experience. Freaky is still a very fun departure from traditional slasher movies that still brings on the gore but also has a darkly comical and cynical edge to balance it out and show the funny side of the situation. 

            Don’t be a “Freak” by watching The Craft: Legacy, go watch Freaky instead for your horror movie fill. It has blood, gore, a dark sense of humor, and an interesting take on the body-swap genre. 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm review

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: 

THIS SEQUEL IS “VERY NICE”! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

AMAZON STUDIOS

Sacha Baron Cohen is back in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

 

            Everyone’s favorite journalist and TV personality from Kazakhstan, Borat returns to America to cause more trouble and expose the repulsive and hilarious sides of American culture in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the unexpected sequel to the 2006 comedy smash hit, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Borat was initially a character created by Sacha Baron Cohen (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Bruno, The Dictator) for the TV series, Da Ali G Show which Cohen starred in as the titular character, that ran from 2000-2004 but it wasn’t until 2006 when Borat gained mainstream attention with the release of the first film directed by Seinfeld’s Larry Charles. 

            There have been comedies before that involved real people in front of the camera interacting with the characters such as the Jackass movies, but I’ll argue that Borat was the first of its kind to make a huge impact on not just films, but pop-culture in general with that style of humor. Now, fans of Da Ali G Show and newcomers were able to enjoy a slice of Borat’s craziness on the big screen…and boy, did they ever? 

The film was a huge hit with both critics and audiences, pulling in $262.6 million on an $18 million budget, and even earned Baron Cohen a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor-Musical or Comedy as well as a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination. Yeah, a movie where Sacha Baron Cohen and a fat guy fight each other naked in a hotel that spills out into a hallway, crowded elevator, and a packed convention ballroom was nominated for an Oscar. 

            Borat was a phenomenon and became a pop culture icon with many people still watching and quoting it to this very day and plenty of copycats (Remember Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa? Yeah, me neither!). In fact, Sacha Baron Cohen tried to recreate the success of Borat with the 2009 film Bruno (Which was based on another Da Ali G Show character), but despite earning a relatively positive response from critics it didn’t quite bring in the box-office profits that the studio was hoping for, which led to Cohen starring in more mainstream films such as the polarizing but still very funny The Dictator in 2012 and the abysmal 2016 disaster The Brothers Grimsby. 

            Now, fourteen years after the release of the first film, we have Borat Subsequent Moviefilm which premiered on Amazon Prime Video and takes the 10 Cloverfield Lane route and announces its release only a month or two before it comes out. While I don’t think it’s quite on par with the first movie, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is still an irreverent and outrageously funny movie that doesn’t go anywhere near political correctness and proves that Sacha Baron Cohen’s style of comedy isn’t going stale anytime soon. 

            The film follows Kazakh journalist and TV personality, Borat Sagdiyev (Baron Cohen) being released from prison for bringing shame to Kazakhstan after the release of his “Moviefilm” and return to America to carry out a secret mission to offer his daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova-Gomorrah) as a bride to Vice President, Mike Pence in an attempt to redeem the nation. Just like in the previous film, Borat and Tutar go on a life-changing road trip across America, along the way they get into all kinds of trouble like participating in a father and daughter dance at a debutante ball that ultimately ends with menstrual blood, crashing CPAC disguised as Trump, and even quarantining with two Trump supporting men during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

            However, in spite of Kazakhstan’s “Interesting” rules and laws, Borat learns that maybe, just maybe Tutar among several other women are so much more than just objects you lock up in cages, and Tutar discovers that perhaps those sexist teachings by her father aren’t all that accurate. 

            Overall, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is the comedy we need right now in these crazy times with Sacha Baron Cohen exposing the dark and repulsive sides of American culture with downright hilarious results. In an age where entertainment is overly P.C. it’s refreshing when a film comes along that pushes the censorship boundaries and fully embraces its R rating in the raunchiest and most over-the-top ways possible, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is such a movie just like its 2006 predecessor. 

You name it, constant sex jokes, crude and irreverent comments, graphic nudity, the style of humor you would expect from Borat, and even an outrageous spoof of animated Disney films that had me laughing on the floor with Donald Trump portraying Prince Charming and grabbing Melania Trump’s (as a Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty-type Disney Princess)…well, you know. Without giving anything away, the eventual twist in this movie I also found extremely funny and clever. 

Crude jokes aside, this movie surprisingly also has a lot of heart, it’s basically a coming-of-age story tucked inside of a Borat movie, both Tutar and Borat go through arcs throughout the film and learn valuable lessons and make changes by the end. It’s not often for something or someone like Borat to make me verbally say “Awwwww!” but this movie somehow found a way. 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is my “Go-To” comedy for the time being because this along with the South Park Pandemic Special I just reviewed show that in these dark and crazy times sometimes we just need to laugh at all this shit. Sacha Baron Cohen continues to bring his wacky style of humor and meld it with relevant social commentary to which you just want to stand up and salute the Kazakhstan National Anthem (The Borat version of it). 

Please, go watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm or I will be execute! 

South Park Pandemic Special review

SOUTH PARK PANDEMIC SPECIAL: 

HOUR-LONG SOUTH PARK EPISODE IS JUST WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IN THIS DARK TIME! 

By Nico Beland

Episode Review: *** ½ out of 4

COMEDY CENTRAL (VIACOM/CBS)

Randy Marsh announcing a Pandemic Special in the hour-long South Park Pandemic Special

 

            Matt Stone and Trey Parker knock it out of the “Park” again (Pun intended) in the hour-long South Park Pandemic Special which aired on Comedy Central as well as MTV and MTV2 on September 30, 2020 and satirizes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in glorious South Park fashion. Ever since the pandemic started back in March, I was anticipating an episode of South Park that would depict it in a smart and funny way, and give people a good laugh during this unpleasant time, very much like what they did in the season 5 episode, Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants which premiered after 9/11 happened. 

            The fact that South Park has been on TV since 1997 and continues to stay relevant without ever getting stale is quite a testament to the power and importance of this show. With other animated shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy desperately trying to catch up but never quite hitting the mark the same way South Park does, I haven’t watched new Simpsons and Family Guy episodes since probably high school but will always tune in to the latest South Park season. 

            Given South Park’s ability to stay current for all these years, it was only a matter of time before the COVID-19 pandemic would show its ugly face in this quiet little mountain town. That’s where the South Park Pandemic Special comes in, a self-contained, hour-long special (A first for South Park) satirizing the pandemic among a few other current events and it’s just what we need right now. 

            The special very accurately depicts how people reacted to the pandemic and everyone has responded to it differently, some are able to follow the safety guidelines and practice social distancing no problem while others have difficulties coping with isolation and the inability to go outside and do the things you love. It doesn’t matter who you are as a person, chances are you can relate to at least one of the characters in this special. 

It gives you the opportunity to look at this unpleasant time in our history from a comedic perspective and get some good laughs out of the whole situation, lift some spirits if necessary, and give hope for the future. I mean, it certainly beats watching a laughably bad debate on par with a Tommy Wiseau movie that’s for sure.

            The episode follows the townspeople of South Park, Colorado trying their hardest to survive the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with very mixed results. Butters is extremely bummed out about not being allowed to go to Build-A-Bear despite its reopening, his father Stephen is constantly going on rants about people wearing their face masks like “chin diapers”, Stan really wants his life to go back to normal, Kyle is Kyle, Kenny I don’t think has any speaking lines throughout the entire special, Stan’s dad Randy announces a Pandemic Special on his Tegridy Farms marijuana, and Cartman…is having the time of his life with no school and no annoying friends around him. 

            However, when news breaks out that school is starting again despite the pandemic, Cartman gets very upset (He even compares it to slavery) and does everything he can to prevent himself from going back to school, which is now being taught by the South Park Police Department (You can probably guess how well that goes!). Meanwhile, Randy realizes that maybe during that time he was in China with Mickey Mouse, he might have accidentally brought the coronavirus with him back to America after f*cking a bat and/or Pangolin and tries to cover up the evidence while also finding a cure for the virus…while Mr. President (Mr. Garrison, the former South Park Elementary teacher who was once a gay man, turned woman, turned lesbian, turned man again, turned President Trump) actively does nothing to stop the pandemic. 

            Overall, the South Park Pandemic Special showcases more of Parker and Stone’s talents and abilities to take these timely and relevant themes and make something funny out of it and give people a good laugh in these rough times while also making them think about the points they’re trying to get across. It’s a South Park episode that hits too close to home but in all the right ways and while I’m not sure if it’ll make as big an impact as the 9/11 episode, it should at least lift your spirits and put a smile on your face, it did for me. 

             I can literally sum up how I acted in the beginning of the pandemic with one word…Butters! Back in March, I had a very difficult time trying to accept the fact that I couldn’t do the things I love, but instead of Build-A-Bear it’s going to movie theaters, conventions, and hanging out with my friends. 

            There were times where I actually got so fed up with the isolation, new movies getting postponed, and upcoming conventions being cancelled that I was worried I was going to turn into a literal psychopath (and I don’t mean the movie watching kind!). So, seeing Butters in a similar phase not only did I find it hilarious but was also quite possibly the most therapeutic South Park episode I had ever watched, it really makes me want to write a fan letter to Parker and Stone saying how much the Pandemic Special really helped me during this time and it felt so satisfying to see exactly what I was initially going through in the beginning flawlessly being represented in the episode. 

            I don’t know what else to say, the South Park Pandemic Special gives exactly what it advertises, a hilarious look at the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with a lot of laughs and goofy situations that only South Park can deliver without sugar-coating the dramatic and emotional moments. South Park fans are watching it and I’m sure plenty of non-South Park fans are watching it to see how they tackle this truly dreadful pandemic. 

            It’s something the world needs right now that only Matt Stone and Trey Parker could give us because in dark times like this it’s important to remember that sometimes we just need to laugh and that’s exactly what the South Park Pandemic Special reminds us to do. 

As I wrap this review up, I just want to say thank you to everyone who reads this and follows my blog in general, it’s been a long eight months with little to no movie theaters open and hardly any major theatrical releases (Aside from New Mutants and Tenet). I hope my reviews of streaming-service movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, etc. and digital rental services are still providing you all some informative and entertaining reviews. 

You guys are the best and I hope you’re all staying safe and your spirits are fighting strong during these hard times. Fight on!  

Bill & Ted Face the Music review

BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC: 

THIRD ADVENTURE IS TRULY “EXCELLENT”! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

ORION PICTURES AND UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING (MGM)

Samara Weaving, Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and a whole bunch of “Historical Dudes” on another “Excellent Adventure” through history in Bill & Ted Face the Music

 

            Everyone’s favorite dim-witted, time-traveling dudes are back in Bill & Ted Face the Music, the long-belated third installment of the Bill & Ted trilogy that began with the 1988 sci-fi comedy classic, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and continued with the bizarre Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey in 1991. I actually revisited the first two films specifically for this review and they’re still very fun movies today that have a strong balance of goofy and clever humor, imagination, and two very charming leads that paved the way for other dumb comedic duos like Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber.  

            The best way I can describe the Bill & Ted movies is like Back to the Future meets Dumb and Dumber and about as funny and smart as those films as well. It’s easy to see why Bill & Ted is such a beloved movie among both kids and adults, with its unique blend of time travel science-fiction and silly humor, a colorful cast of characters, and even some heartwarming moments at times, it’s a comedy that stood the test of time, no pun intended. 

            Now, nearly 30 years since the release of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey we have Bill & Ted Face the Music with Keanu Reeves (Speed, The Matrix trilogy, John Wick trilogy) and Alex Winter (The Lost Boys, Freaked, In Search of Darkness) reprising their roles as Bill and Ted, Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon returning as writers (The latter also produces this movie), and in the director’s chair this time is Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Fun with Dick and Jane(2005), RED 2) to give these two lovable doofuses a most “Excellent” and nostalgia-filled final adventure. While I wouldn’t call it their best or most “Excellent” adventure, it’s nevertheless an enjoyable blast from the past and a very funny movie. 

            The film follows Bill Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) who are now grown up and have daughters of their own, Thea (Samara Weaving-Home and Away, Ready or Not, Guns Akimbo) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine-Atypical, Downsizing, Bombshell). However, their rock band The Wyld Stallyns failed to write the prophesied song that would unite the world resulting in Bill and Ted falling on hard times. 

            But when they are visited by a woman from the future named Kelly (Kristen Schaal-Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Falls, BoJack Horseman), the daughter of their old friend Rufus (Originally played by George Carlin in the earlier movies) who informs them that time and space are beginning to collapse and can only be stopped if they write the song that would save life as we know it. 

            Bill and Ted decide that instead of writing the song that would unite the world, they would just use the time traveling phone booth to go forward in time and steal the song from their future selves in a literal race against time to save the universe. Meanwhile, Thea and Billie embark on an adventure through time of their own to bring together a group of historical musicians consisting of Jimi Hendrix (DazMann Still), Louis Armstrong (Jeremiah Craft), Mozart (Daniel Dorr), Ling Lun (Sharon Gee), Kid Cudi (Played by himself), and a drum playing cave woman named Grom (Patty Anne Miller) and form a band to help their dads. 

            The film also stars Erinn Hayes (Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, It’s a Disaster) as Princess Elizabeth Logan, Jayma Mays (Red Eye, Heroes, Glee) as Princess Joanna Preston, Anthony Carrigan (Barry, The Forgotten (TV series), Gotham) as Dennis Caleb McCoy, William Sadler (Die Hard 2: Die Harder, The Green Mile, Iron Man 3) reprising his role from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey as the Grim Reaper, Hal Landon Jr. as Captain Jonathan Logan, Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live, Brigsby Bear, The Angry Birds Movie 2) as Officer Deacon Logan, Amy Stoch (Dallas, High Incident, Murder, She Wrote) reprising her role from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey as Missy, Holland Taylor (The Truman Show, Legally Blonde, Two and a Half Men) as The Great Leader, and Jillian Bell (22 Jump Street, Goosebumps, Brittany Runs a Marathon) as Dr. Taylor Wood. 

            Overall, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a fun, light-hearted, laugh-yourself-silly throwback that is sure to put a smile on even the most cynical of movie watchers thanks to its likable characters and laugh-a-minute jokes. The performances by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are the highlight of the film, they still nail the characters of Bill and Ted and not once does their shtick ever get stale unlike other long-belated returns such as Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as their Dumb and Dumber characters, or Sylvester Stallone as Rambo. 

            Bill and Ted may be in their fifties now but they’re still those lovable albeit dim-witted rapscallions we knew back in 1988 and 1991 and Reeves and Winter continue to bring their charisma to the characters. It’s also kind of funny to see Keanu Reeves return as Ted after previously portraying Neo in The Matrix and John Wick. 

            Most of the jokes hit bullseye with some of the best being every time Bill and Ted go further in time and encounter their future selves and how each version of them that they come across is awful. Top it off with Prison Bill and Ted and some damn good makeup that gives Gollum a run for his money and you got what I can best describe as a comedic marvel. 

            Another moment that also had me laughing hard was Thea and Billie’s subplot where they use a time machine to round up all the historical musicians for the band and just seeing them all interact with one another. It isn’t quite on par with the mall destroying scene from the first movie but the duet between Mozart and Jimi Hendrix is now officially the most epic thing ever put to film.

            I think the only real negative I have for this movie is that the ending feels extremely rushed and almost like the film just comes to an abrupt stop after Bill and Ted save the day. There isn’t much of a resolution or a proper sendoff for the characters that probably could have been improved by a quick rewrite, thankfully it doesn’t ruin the movie. 

            Bill & Ted Face the Music is a perfect example of a feel-good adventure comedy that has something for everyone. Time travel, goofy characters, silly humor, and a surprising amount of heart, my advice is to get yourself into that phone booth and let the laughs and adventure begin. 

Mulan review

MULAN:

BELOVED DISNEY ANIMATED FILM GETS AN EXHILARATING ALBEIT FLAWED UPDATE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY

Liu Yifei as Mulan

 

            Let’s get down to business to discuss this film! Another Disney animated classic is brought to the screen in live-action in Mulan, the latest of Disney’s live-action remakes based on the 1998 film of the same name. The original film was a childhood favorite of mine and I have fond memories of seeing it in theaters as a five-year-old and being entranced by the epic scale of it and also of popping the movie in on VHS as well. 

            While I wouldn’t consider the original Mulan to be among one of the Disney greats like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, or The Lion King, it’s still a very enjoyable movie even today. With its stunning and lively animation, a very likable and badass female empowerment protagonist, memorable characters, thrilling action sequences on an epic scale, and fun songs with I’ll Make a Man Out of You as the highlight of both the film and its soundtrack, despite not being a massive box-office success compared to other Disney films it’s easy to see why this movie has a die-hard and well deserved fanbase.

            Now, keeping in the tradition of the live-action Disney remakes it was only a matter of time before Mulan would be chosen to hopefully bring “Honor” to this hit-or-miss series of movies especially after last year’s Lion King remake despite being a financial success resulted in the “LADRS” (Live-Action Disney Remakes, LADR © Nico Beland, 2020) hitting rock bottom. Despite not fully enjoying some of the recent Disney remakes very much (I was not a fan of Aladdin (2019) and the less we speak of Lion King (2019), the better!), I remained optimistic and open-minded when Mulan was announced and it looked promising by the trailers and advertisements, not to mention the film is directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country, McFarland, USA), who also directed the acclaimed and phenomenal Whale Rider. 

            This film takes a more action-adventure/drama approach that’s darker and more adult compared to the light-hearted, musical/comedy tone of the original and removes the comedic side characters like Mushu and the Cricket (Don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderful characters in the original film but given the more serious tone of this version they wouldn’t work here!), also it marks the first live-action Disney remake to earn a PG-13 rating so yeah…don’t expect any songs, silly hijinks and slapstick, men in drag, or Eddie Murphy voiced dragons here. 

            Mulan (2020) had a lot going for it and there are a lot of things to admire about it, but does it make up for the taint of some of the bad Disney remakes in recent years? Not really, but at least this one’s pretty good. I still prefer the animated original because of its energy and passion, but this new retelling of the Mulan story is a welcome companion for it while still remaining a solid, standalone movie on its own merits even if it has a few rusty spots in the armor as is usually the case with most of Disney’s remakes good and bad, but we’ll get to that soon. 

            The film follows Mulan (Liu Yifei-The Forbidden Kingdom, The Four trilogy, The Assassins), a young girl in China trying her hardest to bring honor to her family. However, when her father (Tzi Ma-Rush Hour 1 and 3, Arrival, The Farewell) is drafted into a war despite his frail health, Mulan takes matters into her own hands and takes in place by masquerading as a man. 

            Mulan’s skills will be tested every step of the way as she embarks on a literal and spiritual journey to become an honored warrior and fight to protect her nation and her family from the ruthless Not Shan Yu, Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee-Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, The Jungle Book (1994), Lilo & Stitch) and a powerful, shapeshifting witch (Gong Li-Eros, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Monkey King 2). 

            The film also stars Donnie Yen (Ip Man franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, XXX: Return of Xander Cage) as Commander Tung, Yoson An (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, The Meg, Dead Lucky) as Chen Honghui, Jet Li (Fearless, War, The Forbidden Kingdom) as the Emperor of China, Rosalind Chao (AfterMASH, Star Trek: The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine, The O.C.) as Hua Li, Ron Yuan (Sons of Anarchy, Prison Break, CSI: NY) as Sergeant Qiang, Jimmy Wong (Video Game High School, Feast of Fiction, John Dies at the End) as Ling, Chen Tang (The Jane Pendant, Brian Banks, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Yao, Doua Moua (Gran Torino, Memoria, Iron Fist) as Chien-Po, Nelson Lee (Law & Order, Oz, Strip Search) as The Chancellor, and Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink with Me, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Legendary Amazons) as The Matchmaker. 

            Overall, Mulan (2020) may not be perfect but it’s easily one of the better live-action Disney remakes without a doubt that for the most part works as a faithful retelling of the animated film while also being a decent standalone movie as well. It doesn’t hammer the original into your head like a lot of their other remakes do but rather tell the well-known story in a new light and to that I commend the effort. 

            From a visual perspective, this movie is gorgeous and one of the best looking out of the Disney remakes, from the production design and special effects to the exhilarating action sequences, almost every scene feels epic and like it’s been shot on this grand scale, it really makes me wish movie theaters were open again in the area I live in, but I digress (I watched it on Disney+). 

            The film does pay homage to the 1998 movie at times either through dialogue that reference Honor to Us All and I’ll Make a Man Out of You, a cameo by Ming-Na Wen who originally voiced Mulan in the film, and both an English and Chinese cover of the song Reflection during the end credits and unlike something like the Lion King remake which was almost literally line for line from its animated predecessor, the callbacks to it are not distracting at all. 

            For the most part, I still prefer the original but if there is one thing the remake did a lot better was represent Chinese culture, it’s there in the 1998 film don’t get me wrong but not nearly as much as this. The architecture, the costumes, the fight sequences, and even references to the philosophy of fighting and chi. 

            Even though I thought this was a decent retelling overall, it does have some major problems that deem it inferior to the 1998 movie. Some that I personally had issue with are the lack of development for the side characters specifically the other soldiers, the villains are pretty weak, and one of my biggest complaints with most of Disney’s remakes, heavily watering down some of the best character moments from the originals (In this movie’s case, the scene where Mulan takes her father’s armor is severely botched in this version), but those are some (mostly) minor nitpicks to a perfectly serviceable remake. 

            If you’re a fan of the original movie or curious to see how this remake holds up, then you’ll probably enjoy this new adaptation of Mulan, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its animated predecessor. Sure, it’s flawed and has Disney’s thumbprints all over it, but I’ll gladly take this over the Aladdin, and Lion King remakes any day.