Big this ain’t.

Little is the newest body swap film that sees mean boss lady Jordan Sanders, played by Regina King, magically get turned into a 13-year old girl, played wonderfully by Marsai Martin.  Jordan tries to navigate her life as a 38 year old CEO as a 13 year old.  Her assistant April (Issa Rae), despite the cruel manner in which she is treated by Jordan, is standing by her side as the only person who knows the truth.

Gee, I wonder how this is going to play out?

Regina King is so over the top mean that I really did not care about her back story or the reason that she became this way as a child.  She was simply a cruel and wicked person.  I am not sure that there was enough shown to her over the movie to make me believe that she learned her lesson.

Easily the best part of the movie though was the performance of young Jordan, Marsai Martin.  Martin commanded the screen and she is an absolute star in the making.  I can’t wait for her to get a role that is actually worth her time for her to show us what she is capable of doing as a young actress.

Everything else was stupid, cliched and not funny.  It kind of reminded me of What Men Want, a film earlier this year that took the same premise of a previous film (What Women Want) and put a female protagonist in the lead role.  That would be fine if the film is well done, but that film did not reach the Mel Gibson movie and this film is nowhere near as magical as Big.

And it all falls down to the script because the cast seemed ready to make this work.

Personally, I have a major problem with the school scenes in this film.  As a middle school teacher, I wondered why the teachers seemed to be missing from this film.  Outside of Justin Hartley, who was used as someone to be googled at here in the metoo movement times, there were no teachers in any of the assembly scenes where all the trouble went down.  Either in the scene at the beginning where Jordan’s life took a turn to the end dance scene that we see in the trailers, there are no teachers around. That always pulls me out of the film because I know that those stereotypical bully girls did their nastiness right out in front of everyone and no teacher came to her.  Same thing with the lunch room scenes.  It was not realistic and, when your main part of the story is about the de-aging of a character, the rest of the film needs to be based in reality.  This wrecked these scenes for me.

There was little to love in Little and, outside of a confident performance from Martin, this film is very forgettable.

2.35 stars

Stop-motion animation studio, Laika, has had some wonderful films.  Para-Norman, Kubo and the Two Strings, Coraline and Boxtrolls all were certain levels of successful.  The company’s fifth film is out this weekend with the charming Missing Link, a film featuring the discovery of a Sasquatch voiced by Zach Galifianakis.

Adventurer and myth and monster investigator Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) follows a tip that leads him to a major discovery, the legendary Sasquatch is real and living in the Pacific Northwest.  Surprised by the beast’s ability to talk, Frost offers to help the Sasquatch (nicknamed Mr. Link, by Frost) find his way to the Himalayas to meet with his cousins, the Yetis.

Meanwhile, villainous Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) wants to prevent Frost from proving the existence of the Sasquatch and, thus, proving him wrong.

While this is a nice film with solid voice acting, especially from Jackman and Galifianakis, the story is fairly simply, especially when compared to some of the other work in Laika’s library.  That does not demean this film at all, as Missing Link is an enjoyable movie.  It just is not quite as great as some of the others stop-motion classics from Laika.

The animation is, once again, beautiful.  The stop-motion mastery is on display and shows the specific details that goes lovingly into each frame.  The designs of the characters are top notch as well, especially the design of Mr. Link.

I was not a huge fan of the character of Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana).  While Saldana does a solid job voicing the character, I did not find her inclusion to be one of significance and was there simply to provide a foil for Jackman or a female counterpoint.

The film is fast paced and has some very funny moments.  The film is solid and enjoyable, even if it is at the bottom of the Laika playlist.

3.8 stars

A boy and his horse…

Or…

A felon and his Philly…

The Mustang is a film starring Matthias Schoenaerts as Roman Coleman, a prisoner in a jail in Nevada who is having troubles with other inmates and winds up participating in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs.  In this, Roman bonds with a particular difficult mustang after the program’s head trainer (Bruce Dern) picked him out.

The performances of this movie were fantastic.  Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruce Dern, Jason Mitchell (who played another prisoner in the training program) were standouts, bringing a great deal of emotion and depth to this story. The story could have devolved into the sappy and sweet nature of other type of animals and owners stories, but The Mustang avoids those cliches.

Many of the actors involved in this movie were actually real-life prisoners from the same type of program as shown in the movie and you would not know.  Unlike Clint Eastwood’s 15:17 to Paris, these non-professionals are managed by the actual actors and are kept to a minimum.  Because of that, they really help solidify the story.

There is a side arc with Roman’s daughter, played by Gideon Adlon, that is surprisingly effective considering the limited amount of screen time it received.

French actress Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre made her directorial debut in this movie and she does a tremendous job.  There is a real feel to this and it avoided the typical type of claptrap that these films usually take.  There is a typical redemption story at the heart of the film, but they do so much with it that you do not notice that that part of the story does tend to be predictable.

The Mustang is full of amazing acting and some wonderfully shot scenes, as well as some surprisingly violent and emotional moments.  You cheer for Roman even after you find out what horrible thing had landed him behind bars in the first place.  Bruce Dern remains as a national treasure.

3.75 stars

I had heard that the new version of Hellboy, starring David Harbour as Hellboy, was getting terrible reviews. In fact, I had heard that the film was at 9% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of this writing it stands at 15%).  This was a bad sign and, I was not that much of a fan of Hellboy already, but I went in with an open mind in my attempt to review it.

I will say that I did not think that the new Hellboy was anywhere near as bad as 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.  I would guess it should be around 30%.  Of course that means the film was not good.  I did not think it was as horrid as many of the reviews did, but it was a long way from good.

The reboot of the Guillermo del Toro films really had some moments that lacked anything special.  There were some decent moments as well, but they were few and far between.

Hellboy is a half-demon who was brought to the world as a child by Nazis in an attempt to destroy it only to be taken and saved by Professor Broom (Ian McShane), who raised Hellboy as his own.  He would become a paranormal investigator with the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense).

Unfortunately, one of the most dangerous witches of the past, The Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich) is trying to be resurrected by the forces of evil and Hellboy is needed to stop her.  Joined by Alice (Sasha Lane) and Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim), Hellboy goes to great lengths to prevent the end of it all.

I found much of this movie downright boring.  It was a long movie already and the boring parts made it feel even longer still.  It was not a well put together or paced film and the CGI, most of the time, looked cheap.

David Harbour was fine as Hellboy, but I got conflicting tones from him.  Very few of the jokes dropped by Hellboy worked and several of them were eye rollers.  Hellboy looked better than most of the CGI though, as much of what was on Harbour was practical make-up.

The film was violent, which is not a terrible thing, but there just did not seem to be much art to it.  Basically there was blood splatter and they cut off some heads.  Honestly, every time SPOILERS the blood Queen’s head was chopped off, it was simply hilarious.  I don’t think that was their intended reaction, but it was very funny.

I disliked the story telling gimmick they used multiple times as several different characters provided voice-overs with flashbacks detailing an important part of their past. This was always exposition heavy and added to the dullness of the story.  It certainly did not pop as some of the better scenes did.

Based on Mike Mignola’s graphic novels, Hellboy does not feel like a super hero movie.  It actually feels more like a horror movie, but not a very good one.

2.1 stars

Another movie based on a true story that features the strife between the races came out this weekend called The Best of Enemies, with Sam Rockwell, who seems to be making his career on playing racists, and Taraji P. Henson.

The story of C.P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell), the local president of the Klu Klux Klan, and Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson), local civil rights activist, come together in Durham, North Carolina to deal with the issue of school integration in 1971.

After a black school was burned in a fire, the question of where the black children would go to school caught the attention of Atwater and the NAACP.  A judge, unwilling to make a controversial decision, ordered the locals to go through a charrette, or a summit, led by African-American Bill Riddick (Babou Ceesay), where both sides of the issue would come together to voice their thoughts.

Both Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson were excellent in their roles. They felt like real people and not just the Hollywood version of these characters.  The performances of the film were the strongest part.  Another shout out should go to Anne Heche, who played C.P. Ellis’s wife, Mary, who had some short, but important character moments.

The film was predictable, but that is not always a bad thing.  Here, since this is a true story, you can forgive the predictability of the film.

The biggest issue I had with the movie was that I did not quite buy the turn around by C.P.  He went from a man who hated the black people, going as far as to shoot up the house of a woman reportedly dating a black man, to a man who doesn’t hate black people.  While there are some of the plot points that are used that are meant to change C.P.’s mind, I just did not find them convincing.

The film seems interested in the Klansmen more than anything else.  It is clear that these Klansmen did not see themselves as the villains of this movie, and there is something interesting in seeing what is a “good” man in an organization that deals with hate, but that was not handled enough here to make it a theme.

I will say that the emotional wallop is not as powerful as it is played on screen, but there are some fine scenes with Henson and Rockwell.  I think that this would be more believable if we saw some questions in C.P.’s mind prior to duking it out with Atwater over integration. He just seemed too opposed to be swayed as he was.  Not too bad overall, but not a must see.

3.15 stars

I went into Pet Sematary, the 2019 remake of the classic movie based on a Stephen King novel, ready to be scared.  Unfortunately, I came out to judgy.

Don’t get me wrong, Pet Sematary was very scary and intense of a film.  What I was judging was the people who were in the theater with me.  There were at least two families in this theater with kids that were under 10 (if not younger).  All I have heard is how scary this film was, so why are these “parents” bringing their young and impressionable children to see it?  Selfishness is all I can think of because the parents wanted to see the movie and so they brought their kids.  There is no little kid who sees the ads for Pet Sematary and think that this would be a great time at the cinema.

And I am not even talking about teenagers, some of which would not be bothered by this (though it was very tense), but these little kids will clearly be having nightmare about this film because it was filled with gruesome images and violent scenes surrounding death and darkness.

As an adult, I found the movie to be engaging and it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, and I will recommend the movie to any ADULT who wants to see it.  Maybe even some teenagers, depending on their outlook.  But parents, for goodness sake, leave your little children at home.

Jeté Laurence plays Ellie, the daughter of a couple (Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz) who are looking to get away from the fast-paced world of Boston and have moved into the country, to a house on the outskirts of a forest. Before too long, they notice weird things happening and discover a pet cemetery on their property.

Ellie meets neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) who has lived in this area his entire life and knows some of the magical characteristics of the land.  And when the beloved family cat gets killed, Jud leads Jason Clarke to a powerful place to bury the cat.

This is the biggest issue I have with the film was the reason Jud had Jason Clarke bury the cat there since he seemed to know that when the animals come back, they are not the same.  The same thing happened to his dog when he was younger.  The excuses he makes really do not play well and this is the biggest weakness of the story.

If you can get past that, the story is one of loss and pain and what grief can do to you, what steps it might make you take.  And, of course, if you mess with those forces that you cannot understand, things rarely go well.

That cat was very creepy throughout the entire movie.  So was Jeté Laurence, who has a remarkable performance as Ellie.  She is a big reason why this film works and why you believe the odd twists that happen in the third act.

While not as successful of a remake as It, Pet Sematary was creepy and moody, with some disturbing imagery that makes it worthwhile if you are a horror fan.  And very unsettling if you are under 10 (shame on you, parents).

4.1 stars

Gloria, you’re always on the run now.
Running after somebody, you gotta get him somehow.
I think you’ve got to slow down, before you start to blow it.
I think you’re headed for a breakdown, so be careful not to show it

-Laura Branigan, Gloria

Julianne Moore stars as the energetic titular character Gloria Bell who seems to have a ton of problems dropped in her life. Still, she finds the will to dance.

The film was a decent movie, but I have to say I did have some issues.  First of all, and probably most of all, there really is not a story here. Gloria Bell is more like a series of events that happen to this woman loosely strung together.  And when I say loosely, I mean some without any transition at all.  There were some times when switching scenes felt very jarring and took me out of the movie.

Having said that, this film is based on the strength of Julianne Moore’s performance and she brings it here.  Julianne Moore is absolutely the reason to see this movie as she brings so much energy and heart into this character and you empathize with her at every turn.

Gloria’s relationship with John Turturro was fascinating as well.  At first, you think that this guy is the perfect fir for the free-spirited Gloria, but as the film goes on, his warts begin to show.  I was rooting for them right up until the final end.

The music was great.  Seeing Gloria singing these sappy love songs as she drives her car was a funny way to move between scenes.  Music obviously plays a big role in her life and the soundtrack is filled with some epic disco and pop music.

Brad Garrett makes a funny appearance as Gloria’s ex-husband, but his part is fairly small.  He is strong though for each time he is on screen.

In the end, this was an enjoyable film mainly because of Julianne Moore and her free wheeling performance.  I would have liked more story though and to have the events of the film fit together more than just something happening to Gloria.

This one will stick with me for a while.

The story of the true life attack on the famous Taj Hotel in Mumbai, India from 2008, Hotel Mumbai spares no level of violence or terror in its attempt to show the story of the evil being wrought by the terrorists and the heroism of the staff of the hotel among others.

The day is like many others for hotel worker Arjen (Dev Patel), except he is running late for work.  Delivering his child into his pregnant wife’s arms took long than expected, and so he was in a rush.  So much so that he does not realize that he had dropped his work shoes, a problem that nearly got him sent home from work by head chef Oberoi (Anupam Kher).  Arjen talked his way out of being sent home.  Little did he know what was about to happen.

American David (Armie Hammer) and his Muslim wife Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi) arrive with their newborn baby and the nanny Sally (Tilda Cobhan-Hervey) for a visit at the Raj Hotel.

None of the guests or the staff knew that a small group of radical Muslim terrorists were preparing to strike across multiple targets around Mumbai, including the Taj.

This was very difficult to watch, because it was so realistic and so violent.  The brutality these men committed with little to no empathy was wrecking.  Without any previous knowledge of the event, I was grabbing onto certain characters that I wanted to survive the siege and the connection was tense.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time with stress over what was happening.

Dev Patel was amazing.  I was not a huge fan of his in the film Lion, though everyone else seemed to love him there.  However, this was just unbelievable.  The heroism that this man showed int he face of such horrendous odds was inspiring.  My favorite scene of all of the film was when he approached a woman in the survivors who had expressed concerns over Arjen’s beard and head covering.  Instead of approaching the ignorance of the woman with anger and frustration, he came over to her, showed her pictures of his family and spoke kindly and straightforward to her.  After which he still offered to remove the head covering and beard if it would make her more comfortable.  She told him he did not have to and that she was just afraid.  This really showed how ignorance can be overcome with kindness and honesty.  It was a quiet scene in a very bombastic movie but it stood out more than any of the violence.

Armie Hammer was also great in this film.  We kept waiting for the tall, blonde American to step up and become that action hero that we are used to in the movies, and when that did not happen, I was not sure how to feel.  The tragic nature of the film really hit hard when Armie’s fate was revealed.  In fact, I kept looking for the big action hero to step up and do something and when it did not come, it challenged my idea of what the film would be.

Perhaps the terrorists were a bit underdeveloped here though the film did try to provide us with some motivation for them.  In particular, Imran (Amandeep Singh) was shown with a tad more depth than his co-terrorists.  I will admit, though, the attempt to humanize Imran and show why he was involved and to show how deep his religious beliefs were held did not work to keep me from wanting that guy to pay for his involvement.  I found his fate to be very satisfying.

There was such an intensity with this film that I was physically uncomfortable watching it and I desperately hoped for a positive result.  Though it may not have been a completely happy ending, Hotel Mumbai was a devastating film to watch.

4.75 stars

While there were sections of the new live-action Dumbo movie that were good, I have to say that it felt as if something was missing. I am not sure that the variable that is missing is anything intangible or if it is just lacking some magic.

Tim Burton directed the new take on the flying elephant and you can see those Burton-esque moments (especially in the second half of the film), but I have been having a difficult time putting my finger on why this movie just did not grab me the way I was hoping it would.

In the updated story, soldier Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returned from war with a missing arm to find his two children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) who had just recently lost their mother to an influenza outbreak.  Circus folk, Holt was sad to see that the owner of the Medici Brothers Circus, Max (Danny DeVito) had sold the horses Holt used in his act to keep the doors of the circus open.  Holt was given the role of elephant wrangler, which included the soon-to-be-born baby.

When the baby was born and had gigantic ears, Max was angry and tried to make the best of the situation.  Milly and Joe took to the elephant quickly and discovered that the large ears gave the elephant a certain advantage… an advantage of flight.

When the elephant first started to fly, dubbed Dumbo, Max made a deal with entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) to partner with him in a new deal…a theme park called Wonderland, with Dumbo the flying elephant as the main attraction.  Soon, though, it is revealed that Vandevere does not have the best interest of the circus performers at heart.

I had heard the rumors before, but I could not believe it was the case, but, after seeing this, Dumbo is absolutely the story of Disney taking over 20th Century Fox and Michael Keaton and Disney is portrayed as the villain in the piece.  How subversive that is of Disney to put out a film that can be interpreted as painting them symbolically as the ruthless corporation that wants what it wants and discards the rest.  Dumbo represents the Fox intellectual properties here such as the X-Men, the Alien franchise, the Fantastic Four etc.  It was a weird feeling with this thinly veiled allegory happening.

The whole Wonderland = Disneyland narrative was the second half of the film, but I was having issues with the first part as well.  A lot of what happens in the first part of the story felt forced and did not make much sense.  The inclusion of a character named Rufus Sorghum (Phil Zimmerman) is part of the problem.  This character was so one note and villainous that I just could not believe it was a real person.  The character, which plays a big part in the original inciting incident, is just too much of a cartoon villain.  He may as well have been twirling his mustache.  So much of the initial set up was tough to accept and that made the whole movie a challenge.

I cannot believe I am going to write this, but I was so disappointed with the character played by Michael Keaton.  This character was so over the top that he was also hard to believe in.  Normally Michael Keaton is great in whatever he did, but this performance just seemed to stick out like a sore thumb and it was not good.

The rest of the cast was fine.  I’ve heard some negative comments about the kids’ performances, but I thought they were fine.  They did not have to carry the film and what they did was competent.  Colin Farrell was decent too.  I liked Eva Green’s performance as Colette and I thought she dominated every scene she was in.  While I did enjoy Green’s performance, I could have used some more interactions between Farrell and his kids over the loss of his wife/their mother.  Farrell seemed to be moving along fairly quickly.  There was one little scene near the end and I would have liked to examine that more.

Danny DeVito was the best of the live actors in this movie.  He was tremendous throughout as Max Medici.  DeVito was the best part of the first half of the movie and the most consistent part of the second.

The CGI of the film was great and Dumbo looked fantastic.  The flying scenes were all just wondrous and came the closest to capturing the emotion and the magic that you would expect from a Disney movie like this.  The first time we see Dumbo fly may be the best few minutes of the movie.

Unfortunately, most of the rest of the film fell pretty flat for me and failed to build on these amazing visuals of the movie.  There are scenes that were great in this film, but there just was not enough of them to make me feel the power that I thought it should have been.

2.8 stars