Sing

Year: 2016

Director: Christophe Lourdelet and Garth Jennings

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane, Taron Egerton, and Tori Kelly
Tagline: Auditions begin 2016
Synopsis: To save his theater, Buster Moon (a koala) puts on a singing competition.  Singing and hijinks ensue.

Review

Sing was simply a movie to see with my mom during Christmas break.  Was it a terrible film?  No.  Did it have moments that entertained me?  Yes.  Did it have cringe-worthy moments that made me roll my eyes and groan?  Yes.  Was it the worst movie I've seen this year?  No.

It's probably wise this film was slated about as far from Zootopia as possible.  As anthropomorphic animal movies go, there is no comparison.  Not in story.  Not in characters.  And not even remotely in animation.  I suppose in Sing's defense, it was never trying to compete and thus it is unfair to compare.  Moving on.

As a film student, I learned there are two types of musicals.  There's the kind that has a definite plot with a story to tell and the characters simply break into song from time to time in order to express their emotions.  And then there's the "Hey, guys, let's put on a show!" variety which inexorably leads to a "The show must go on!" finale.  As the latter, Sing is a paint by musical numbers film.  There's some plot and a few character arcs.  But the outcome is as inevitable as it is predictable.

Then again, the reason that second kind of musical exists is to showcase talented singers and dancers.  In Sing's case, the singers and dancers happen to be animals.  So, we get an array of animals performing 2016's "Now That's What I Call a Soundtrack!"  There is a good deal of variety to the film's music, I'll give it that.  There's a mouse who sings Frank Sinatra (of the Rat Pack, get it?), pigs doing Taylor Swift, a gorilla performing John Legend, and the list goes on.  There's also "Hallelujah," "Venus," "Gimme Some Lovin'," and "Lollipop," to name a few more songs.  Most of the songs are catchy and the animals are amusing.

On the low end, the film had a flatulence gag.  I don't recall anything else questionable.  But I had a hard time liking Buster Moon (the main character).  Hard-working, do-anything-to-succeed is one thing.  Not paying employees, dodging creditors, and stealing electricity and water is another.  [Somebody report this koala to Officer Judy Hopps ...]

There were a few highlights though.  Rosita's housework machine is ingenious and fun.  And her "Bamboleo" routine in the supermarket is entertaining.  I was also amused by the car wash.  The colorful squid are also neat and I'd have liked to have seen more of them.

Overall, Sing brings nothing original to the table.  But if you've got kids dying to see animals singing pop tunes, it's not a horrible way to spend 108 minutes.

*** Spoiler Section ***

There's seriously nothing to spoil.  Sing is like one of those road trip tourist stops.  "30 miles to Buster's Burger Bonanza!"  "20 miles to Buster's Burger Bonanza!"  "10 miles to Buster's Burger Bonanza!"  "Two plot points to Sing's inevitable wrap up!"  "You have reached the happy ending."

Quotable Quotes

• "When you've reached rock bottom, there's only one way to go, and that's up!" -- Buster Moon
• "Has anyone seen my glass eye?" -- Miss Crawly

ISFS

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Year: 2016

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, and Mads Mikkelsen
Tagline: A rebellion built on hope
Synopsis: "Rebel spies [manage] to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star."

Review

Rogue One is awesome!  I've always enjoyed Star Wars, but I didn't realize how big my inner Star Wars nerd was until I was watching the film and grinning ear to ear with each new tie-in to the other films.  I geeked out quite a bit and enjoyed every minute of it.

It helps that Rogue One is also a solid film.  In fact, I'd say it's better than The Force Awakens.  I'd put it right after A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

I can't really think of how to say more about this film without going into spoilers.  So I'm not going to try.  If you haven't seen Rogue One, stop reading and go see it.

*** Spoiler Section ***

I love R2-D2 and am usually amused by C-3PO.  BB-8 is adorable.  But K-2SO may be my new favorite droid.  As a reprogrammed imperial droid, there's nothing cute or fun about his look.  He's tall, dark, and intimidating.  But he adds humor throughout the film: a droll humor that fits with the film and other characters.  He's a no-nonsense droid.  Just about everything out of his voice box could be in the quotes section.

K2's dry humor is needed; Rogue One has a darker tone, stressing the "war" in Star Wars.  The final third of the film feels a bit like a WWII film, just in space with droids, aliens, and star cruisers.  And the rest of the film shows a Rebellion that is divided, struggling, and not as morally tidy as A New Hope portrays.  Trust and hope are ideals being thrown about by the leaders, but in the trenches things are muddier and those ideals aren't as readily embraced.

One of the great things Rogue One does is it gives that context to A New Hope.  Princess Leia's urgent petulance makes sense.  Han Solo's desire to steer clear of the Rebellion seems sensible.  Luke's naivete is all the more clear.  Moreover, the sacrifice of the Rogue One team makes the Death Star plans all the more valuable.  The film also neatly (and I believe logically) explains why there was a weakness in the Death Star's fortifications to begin with.

When the third act came around, I was surprised just how tense it felt.  There was a sense of urgency throughout the final battle and moments of the film.  That's quite the feat for a film like this.  No matter how many things go wrong or how many people die, we know they'll succeed in getting the plans to the Death Star to Princess Leia.  Yet I still found myself on the edge of my seat, rooting for the characters and internally yelling "C'mon!" and "Just hand off the disk!"  When you are still engaged even when you know the outcome, that's the sign of a well-crafted story.

Although not one of the main saga films, Rogue One feels every bit like a Star Wars film (even without the title crawl).  The music is excellent as always.  While there are new themes, the familiar themes show up as well.  The visual effects was another area that hearkened back to the originals. The film uses miniatures!  There's also plenty of CGI, but the fact they went back to Star Wars roots and used miniatures form some of the spaceships made me quite happy and made it feel more tied to A New Hope.  The film also has plenty of "Easter eggs," cameos, and appearances by familiar characters.  I was especially happy to see Bail Organa appear.  Not only does it make sense, given he is Leia's adoptive father, it connects the prequel trilogy as well.  (There is much that is wrong with the prequels, but I don't recall any problems with Senator Organa's role, which makes it a safe tie-in point.)

Based on A New Hope, it would be improbable to tell the Rogue One story without Governor Tarkin.  I'm sure there were lengthy discussions about whether or not to recast Peter Cushing.  The first scene he is "in," I'll admit it was a little jarring.  But it was also neat to see Governor Tarkin as I remember him.  So I accepted that it was (imperfect) CGI and rolled with it whatever scene he was in.  I'm glad they went that route.  As for Princess Leia, I found her to be a little more jarring.  Perhaps that is because I've seen Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace) grow older over the years.  It worked, and I liked ending where they did, but it might also have worked if we had cut away before the white-clad princess ever turned around.

While there is much to enjoy about Rogue One, the standout scene is when Darth Vader walks down a hall.  When the original trilogy came out, Darth Vader became one of the best cinematic villains ever.  If the prequels tarnished some of that image, Rogue One polishes and reinstates him.  His lair -- on Mustafar of all places -- puts Syndrome's lava fortress (from The Incredibles) to shame.  Vader is calm and collected and a force to be reckoned with.  And when he walks down that hall filled with cowering Rebel soldiers, we remember why he is such an awesome and enduring villain.

If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One.  I look forward to seeing it again.  And it makes me look forward to watching A New Hope again.  May the Force be with you ... always.

Quotable Quotes

• "Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director." -- Darth Vader to Director Krennic
• "I'll be there for you, Jyn ... Cassian says I have to." -- K-2SO
• "I am one with the Force.  The Force is with me." -- Chirrut Imwe
• "There were a lot of explosions for two people blending in." -- K-2SO to Cassian and Jyn
• "I've got a bad feeling about --" "K!" "Quiet!" -- K-2SO, Cassian, and Jyn

ISFS

The Music of Christmas

In the Dr. Seuss Christmas classic, the Grinch attempts to stop Christmas from coming to the Whos down in Whoville.  He steals their presents.  He steals their lights and their trees.  He even steals the food for their feast, taking every roast beast.  Though he has stolen every tangible sign he could get his green hands on, the Grinch finds that Christmas comes anyway.  This discovery comes to him because of one of the things he could not steal: the music of Christmas.  Without drums, without trumpets, without harps, horns, or bells, the music of Christmas still filled the air.

Just as the Whos down in Whoville, Christmas and music go hand in hand.  No other holiday has music so intrinsically a part of it.  Music is so ingrained into the season that we even sing about singing.  When we “need a little Christmas” we also “need a little singing, ringing through the rafters.”  When we are “dashing through the snow” we can’t help but “ride and sing a sleighing song tonight.”  Whether we are “caroling, caroling through the snow” or “rockin’ around the Christmas tree,” the music of the season fills the air and fills our hearts.

Of course not all Christmas music is created equal.  Those songs which testify of the birth of our Savior traditionally bear the label “carols.”  One such carol, “Carol to the King,” has become a personal favorite.  It invites: “Tune your heart to hear His music / feel the glory of His love.”  Just as Christ is at the heart of Christmas, so too is He at the heart of Christmas music.  That is why it is so near and dear to our own hearts and brings us closer to Him each season.

As wonderful as it is to have a “holly, jolly Christmas” and do the “Jingle Bell Rock,” may we make time this season and always to turn our minds to Christ and tune our hearts to His music.  In life, we will likely still have to go “dashing through the snow,” but first and last let us “hasten to the manger, that we too may join the song.”  After all, the song we sing is not of sleigh rides or snowmen, reindeer or gifts.  Rather, we “sing the song of redeeming love” (Alma 5:26), a song which is “joyful and triumphant.”  Filled with such a song, our hearts – like the Grinch’s – can’t help but grow.

“We all rejoice, with songs we sing, to bring the world a newborn King.”

Merry Christmas!
Jennifer A. Henderson

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Year: 2016

Director: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol and a number of truly fantastic beasts
Tagline: Explore a new era of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world
Synopsis: When some of his magical beasts get loose in New York City, Newt Scamander must hurry to recapture them before they get hurt ... or before they get blamed for the destruction being wreaked by something else.

Review

I love Harry Potter.  His movie series ended, though, before I started this blog.  My love for that world began with the film  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and has grown ever stronger since then.  From the moment we briefly hear "Hedwig's Theme" during the Warner Bros. logo, I was happily sucked into Fantastic Beasts.  I was even more happy as the credits finished rolling.

J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay to Fantastic Beasts and it is a stronger film/story for it.  The film also benefits from this being an original story and not an adaptation.  Does it set itself up for a sequel?  Yes.  Very much so.  But it can also stand on its own I think.

You don't have to be familiar with Harry Potter's world in order to appreciate Fantastic Beasts.  That is another of the film's strengths.  The film is immersive enough (and self-explanatory enough) that anyone can enjoy its magic.  Of course, if you are well-versed in the Potterverse, you'll find extra tidbits to appreciate and get excited over.  I had quite a few such moments.

Everything about the film is well done: the visuals, the story, the music, the roaring 20s setting, the acting.  I loved all of it.  One thing that I especially enjoyed are all the small details that make the world so immersive.  One example is when Jacob is reading a borrowed book.  The book isn't at all important to the scene.  He just happens to have it on his lap.  But the book is a magic book, so the cat on the dust jacket wanders around.  It's subtle, tiny, and easily missed.  But it brings the wizarding world to life.

In a movie called Fantastic Beasts, you know you've got to have some impressive magical creatures.  The film doesn't let down.  One of the most magical scenes is when Newt gives Jacob (a "No-Maj" or Muggle) a tour inside his briefcase.  As awesome as the bowtruckle, niffler, and occamy are, "Frank" the thunderbird was definitely my favorite.

As for the human characters, I enjoyed them as well.  Newt is a quirky, sometimes awkward character who is clearly far more comfortable around beasts than beings.  I really liked Tina (the American witch who ends up helping Newt).  She's brave and capable, but she also has fears and inadequacies that make her relatable.  And she's compassionate.  Queenie (Tina's sister) is also a fun character.  My favorite though is Jacob Kowalski, the would-be baker who accidentally gets sucked into the wizarding world.  He's a down-to-earth, likable fellow.  And he serves a useful function in the story.  As an outsider to magic, he is the person the audience can latch on to as we are introduced to the wizarding world together.  He receives the explanations the audience needs.

As for the villains and antagonists in the film, I can't say too much without spoiling the story.  But I found them interesting and fitting.  We have a different set of villains than in Harry Potter's stories.  The one character I will mention is Mary Lou Barebones, the leader of the Second Salem movement which is out to expose and stop witches and wizards.  There's a calmness about her.  During one scene where she could have gone off the handle, she remained perfectly calm, collected, polite, and earnestly sincere.  It is elsewhere that her dark streak is seen and you realize she makes Petunia Dursley look like mother/aunt-of-the-year.

In that vein, I should note that Fantastic Beasts has a darker tone.  I'd put it more with the later Harry Potter books.  There is certainly humor.  Quite a bit.  And the closest thing to inappropriate is that one of the beasts is described as "in heat" and "needs to mate."  But there are themes of abuse, repression,  and prejudice, as well as some of the consequences thereof.

I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and was thrilled to be back in the wizarding world again.  I am eagerly on board for all the sequels this film will get (it's currently supposed to be a pentology [5]).  Honestly, I'll happily hand over my money anytime J.K. Rowling wants to invite me into her wizarding world.  As cliche as they may be, the best descriptors I can come up with are "magical" and "fantastic."

*** Spoiler Section ***

The film did leave me with a few questions (which may or may not be answered in the next film): Was there ever a real Percival Graves?  Why did Modesty have a wand?  Did the Obscurus survive?

Not gonna lie, I got very excited when I saw the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

Also, I really hope that isn't the last of Jacob and Queenie.

Quotable Quotes

• "Your skull is susceptible to breakage under immense force." -- Newt to Jacob after handing him a helmet
• "What did you do today, Jacob?  I was inside a suitcase." -- Jacob, to himself
• "And try very hard not to be predictable." -- Newt to Jacob and Queenie

ISFS

Moana

Year: 2016

Director: Ron Clements and John Musker

Starring: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, and Jemaine Clement
Tagline: The ocean is calling
Synopsis: In order to save her island, Moana sets off with the demigod Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti and restore balance.

Review

As is usual for Disney animated films, the feature was preceded by a short: Inner Workings.  The premise is how the various internal organs (brain, heart, lungs, stomach, etc.) of Paul interact with each other and dictate Paul's day.  It's a clever short and it is entertaining.  But at the end, I was left wishing it had the heart of a Pixar short.

And now, our featured presentation:

Computer animation keeps getting better and better and more impressive each year.  Moana beautifully displays that progress.  The entire film is a visual treat, but especially the lush islands and the ocean.  It truly is stunning, and worth seeing for that alone.

At one point, Maui teases Moana by calling her a princess (she's the daughter of a chief) and asking if she is going to start singing.  Moana is a musical, and yes, she breaks out into her own ballad ("How Far I'll Go").  Maui also has his own catchy song ("You're Welcome") which will go toe to toe with villainous Tamatoa's "Shiny" in terms of which will get stuck in your head.  I enjoyed all the music, though I don't feel it has quite the enduring feel as other Disney films (such as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast).

As a character, I liked Moana.  She's an intelligent, spirited, driven young woman.  As a Disney character, she of course has the requisite animal sidekicks.  Pua is an adorable pig.  And Heihei is a "special" chicken.  I think the hapless fowl might have been my favorite part.  The Ocean also is a character, helping guide Moana and Maui, and -- when necessary -- keeping everybody on the boat in spite of themselves.  Moana's father and grandmother were also enjoyable (they reminded me a bit of the father and grandmother in Mulan).  And then there's Maui.  He's an entertaining demigod.  But his arrogance and self-absorption started to wear a bit thin.

While I certainly enjoyed Moana, it did have some weak points.  For one thing, there was no memorable villain.  Disney animated films excel at captivating villains (Scar, Maleficent, Captain Hook, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Jafar, etc.).  There is no main antagonist here though.  We've got the Kakamora (pygmy pirates who wear coconuts as armor) for one sequence.  Then there's Tamatoa, the giant (and shiny) crab monster.  And lastly they face Te Ka, the lava monster.  They are all interesting antagonists for Moana and Maui to face, but they lack the epicness I've come to expect from Disney villains.

Moana's biggest weakness though is the story itself.  I have no problem with rehashing the basic hero's journey formula: the protagonist's world comes into conflict so the protagonist sets forth on a quest to set things right.  That part of the film worked for me.  It does, however, have one scene that felt like a moment rehashed straight from Lion King (but without the emotional umph to back it up).  And the third act felt weak.  I'll leave it at that and say more in the spoiler section.

Overall, I enjoyed Moana and think it is a worthy inclusion in the Disney (and Disney princess) pantheon.  It's beautiful to look at.  It has fun characters and catchy music.  And it celebrates a part of the world I'm not as familiar with.  It's certainly worth seeing, and beautiful enough to warrant seeing on the big screen.  Stay through the credits for a brief scene.

*** Spoiler Section ***

My main qualm with Moana is that the stakes didn't feel high enough.  This takes two forms: 1) What are the costs if Moana and Maui fail? and 2) What are Moana and Maui willing to risk in order to succeed?

For the first one, we are shown earlier in the film that Moana's island, Motunui, is starting to die.  The coconuts have become diseased and the fishing grounds are empty.  That is indeed serious.  But that's early in the movie and never touched on again once Moana sets out.  So the peril feels distant rather than pressing.

I'd have liked to have had a scene back on the island where we see the problem is spreading and getting worse and worse.  Moana's potential failure would then be put into greater perspective.  (That's a tactic Frozen used well as we see the increasingly frostbitten Arendelle.)  Alternatively, the story could have taken a short detour where Moana and Maui find an island that has died.  That would put into perspective what will happen if they fail in their quest.  (That's a tactic Mulan used in a sobering scene involving a village razed by the Huns.)

For the second problem, I've come to expect more from Disney films.  Sure, Moana and Maui's lives are in peril throughout their quest.  But in the end, Maui seems more worried about losing his fishhook than his life and Moana seems more worried about being a failure than that her island (and potentially her people) will die.  If more was mentioned, it didn't stick with me.  Without greater risk, there also wasn't the potential for sacrifice.  And after the last few Disney animated films, that left the story lacking.

In Big Hero 6 Baymax sacrifices himself for Hiro and ... the woman in the pod thing.  In Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph is willing to sacrifice himself for Vanellope.  Frozen has Anna sacrifice herself for Elsa.  And Tangled has Flynn/Eugene sacrificing himself for Rapunzel.  That's just the most recent films.

Sacrifice, or willingness to sacrifice, is a powerful thing.  It creates powerful, memorable stories: stories that "[stay] with you. That [mean] something" (to borrow Samwise Gamgee's words).  Such sacrifice transforms likable characters into heroes.  Moana never had that transformative experience.  And Maui ... Maui could take a lesson or two from Hercules.

Quotable Quotes

• "I am not a princess!" "If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess." -- Moana and Maui
• "Did not see that coming." -- Maui, after the ocean puts Moana back on the boat
• "That chicken ... the one eating the rock ... maybe we should just eat him." -- Villager describing Heihei

ISFS

Arrival

Year: 2016

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Heptapods Abbott and Costello
Tagline: Why are they here?
Synopsis: When 12 alien spacecraft appear around the globe, linguist Louise Banks is recruited to learn the aliens' intentions.

Review

Alien movies aren't normally my thing, so Arrival wasn't on my radar until the reviews started coming in and I noticed how rave they were.  It sounded like the film was more science fiction than alien invasion movie.  So, I gave it a try.  I'm very glad I did.

Arrival isn't a movie about aliens.  It's a movie about humanity.  It's also a movie about life and death, love and loss.  It's a movie about time.  And it's a movie about linguistics.  Aliens just happen to be the catalyst to all that happens.

Throughout the film, Louise is tasked with teaching English to the two aliens in the Montana pod (one of twelve around the world).  Speaking between the two species is impossible.  But they can use writing.  The point of the endeavor is to be able to ask the aliens their purpose in coming to Earth.  Assisting in this task is theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly.  He's the one who dubs the heptapods (they have seven tentacles) Abbott and Costello.

Arrival is a slow-burn kind of film.  It's intense, but on a simmering level, not a boiling one.  It's also very cerebral.  This is thinking sci-fi, not blasting away at aliens sci-fi.  The story is told in a non-linear fashion, which can be a little confusing at times.  But then that is the point, and it works within the film.  Time does not exist for the heptapods, in their existence or in their language.  As she learns their language, Louise finds that her own perception of time changes.

While the rest of the cast do a good job in their respective roles, the film is carried by Amy Adams' portrayal of Louise.  She does an excellent job.  Louise comes across as a very real, very relatable woman.  She's brilliant and brave, but clearly swimming in deep water trying to keep her head up.

The film has a certain hopefulness about it.  But it is also very melancholy: from Louise's traumatic life, to the stark simplicity of the heptapods' ships and forms, to the muted colors of the cinematography, to the haunting soundtrack.  They all mesh perfectly to create a uniform look and feel to Arrival.  One song in particular that is used is Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight."  It was not written for the film, but it might as well have been because it fits so well.

As much as I enjoyed the film, Arrival is not without flaws.  Whenever writers start messing with that whole "timey wimey" stuff, things are bound to get complicated and not entirely work when looked at under a microscope.  The film does a good job overall of explaining its own internal science.

While the film seems to be trying for a hopeful melancholy, I was also left feeling a lot of cynicism regarding humanity.  The film focuses primarily on Louise, Ian, and the few military and CIA personnel working with them.  But newscasts and dialogue reveal what is going on in the rest of the world: riots, looting, fear-mongering, government crackdown, threats, and a spreading disunity and lack of trust among and within nations.  According to the movie, humanity as a whole does not react well to alien invasion.  (Given current events, it's far too easy to carry that cynicism into the real world.)

Arrival is a clean film.  No sex.  No real on screen violence.  The only swearing was one very deliberately placed f-bomb. (Seriously? We didn't need that.)  But it is intense.

Throughout Arrival I was (mostly) able to suspend my disbelief and accept all that was presented to me.  And I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film.  It kept my attention riveted.  If you want a welcome relief from the explosions-laden blockbusters or you want a slow-burn, thinking movie, Arrival is for you.

*** Spoiler Section ***

One of the things that has gnawed at me the most about Arrival is the captain who goes rogue and sets of the explosion.  I get that it was a somewhat necessary plot point to move the story forward and bring some escalation.  But it felt so trite in an otherwise fresh film.  And it was obvious.  The first pausing shot of the captain's troubled face and I knew we couldn't trust him and he was going to do something stupid.  It was a weak part for me.

Also, while the dematerializing spacecrafts were interesting, they were a bit anticlimactic.

While I enjoyed the film, it left me with a number of questions.  Did Abbott know when he came to Earth that he would die?  If China (or Russia) had fired on the spacecraft, would the missiles have had any effect?  Why did Louise never see any of her future beyond Hannah's death?  (And is Louise really going to age that well?)  Is she still going to tell Ian about Hannah's disease, even though she knows how he'll react?  Is he really going to completely abandon is family like that?  (Seriously, that left me not liking Ian very much by the end, further adding to the film's cynical feel.)

Lastly, as cynical as the film seems to be about how some of humanity deals with things, what are the socio-political ramifications of people being able to learn heptapodese and changing their perception of time?  Is the language going to turn out to be a weapon after all?

Quotable Quotes

• "How about we just talk to them before throwing math problems at them?" -- Louise to Ian
• "You know, you approach language like a mathematician."  "I'll take that as a compliment." -- Ian and Louise
• "That just happened." -- Ian, upon experiencing the gravity shift in the spacecraft

ISFS

Doctor Strange

Year: 2016

Director: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Mads Mikkelsen
Tagline: Open Your Mind
Synopsis: After a car accident ends his career, Doctor Stephen Strange discovers the mystic arts as a way to find healing ... and to save the world.

Review

Each time I start getting superhero ennui, Marvel throws a twist out there, like Doctor Strange.  Sure, in many ways it is a familiar origin story.  And yes, there are lots of comparisons to be made with Tony Stark/Iron Man (even down to the goatees).  But the magic and the world-warping dimensions are like nothing else we've yet seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  Doctor Strange is definitely worth a see.

Before going into the film, I knew nothing about Doctor Strange, the Eye of Agamoto, the Ancient One, or anything else from that part of the comic book universe.  So I went in with an unbiased mind that was ready to suspend my disbelief and be entertained.  And I was.

From the very first scene, we see this is something new.  Rather than explosions blowing up city streets, we've got sorcerer's bending, twisting, and otherwise contorting city streets and buildings.  It's like Inception on steroids.  And it is awesome.  The visuals in this film are fantastic.  In addition to warping our world, we also get glimpses of other dimensions within the multi-verse.  When the Ancient One is introducing Strange to magic it is downright trippy.  One review I saw described that part as an LSD trip on film.  Weird as it is, it's cool to look at.

One element I enjoyed in this film were the new characters.  Wong (Benedict Wong) is a no nonsense, no laughing, no taking books without permission librarian.  The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) is an apparently ageless Celtic mystic who manages to teach Strange while throwing in a some great snarky lines.  Also enjoyable is Doctor Palmer (Rachel McAdams) who is amazingly good at taking things in stride when her former boyfriend shows up first physically and then in his "astral" form.

The villain, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), is a bit generic.  I can't think of anything new he brings to the villain table (other than weird eye makeup).  He's a worthy enough opponent for an origin story.  But it is clear Strange will find a new nemesis.

As for Strange himself, I enjoyed his character.  Before his accident, he's completely full of himself.  After his accident, he's completely desperate.  As the film progresses, you see both of those sides within him as he matures in magic.  He's also very witty and his strategy during the film's climax is clever.

My favorite character, however, isn't even a person.  The Cloak of Levitation is a relic that sort of adopts Strange.  As a magical relic, it is imbued with various powers, but it also seems to have a certain amount of sentience.  It protects Strange from others and even from himself.  It sort of reminded me of Carpet from Aladdin.

As a Marvel film, Doctor Strange makes sure to remind us it is within the MCU.  There are several prominent shots of the Avengers Tower in New York City.  There's an oblique reference to Rhodey and his injury in Captain America: Civil War.  There's the obligatory Stan Lee cameo.  And if that weren't enough, the mid-credits scene solidifies Doctor Strange's place in the world of superheroes.

Doctor Strange is yet another win in the Marvel lineup.  The visuals alone are worth the cost of a movie ticket.  And the rest of the film is enjoyable as well.  Be sure to stay through all the credits.

*** Spoiler Section ***

Whenever someone said Mordo's name, I kept thinking of "Mordor."  This made it rather confusing and hard to accept him as a good character.  But as the end of the film hints, and the end credits scene shows, that likely won't be a problem in the inevitable sequel.

Oh look, another Infinity Stone.  Have we found them all yet?  I'm seriously losing track.

Quotable Quotes

• "What's this, my mantra?"  "It's the Wi-Fi password.  We're not savages." -- Strange and Mordo
• "How's your Sanskrit?"  "I'm fluent in Google Translate." -- Wong and Strange
• "Dormammu, I've come to bargain." -- Strange
• "They put the warnings at the end." -- Strange to Kaecilius

ISFS

Hacksaw Ridge

Year: 2016

Director: Mel Gibson

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, and Teresa Palmer
Tagline: When the order came to retreat, one man stayed.
Synopsis: During WWII, Desmond T. Doss was a conscientious objector who earned the Medal of Honor.  He never fired a single bullet.

Review

Hacksaw Ridge is rated R.  It is violent.  Brutally, viscerally, "war is hell" violent.  It is also one of the most powerful and inspiring films I've seen.  I'm glad I saw it.  If you choose not to see it, I completely respect that.  But I hope you'll continue reading to learn more about why the story -- which is a true story -- is so important.  If you do choose to see it, do so first and then come back here (i.e., this whole "review" will be a spoiler).

Pfc. Desmond T. Doss

The film begins by quoting Isaiah 40:28-31 (one of my favorites).  It is a fitting passage for the film and for the film's hero.  Private Desmond T. Doss was a Seventh Day Adventist from Lynchburg, Virginia.  Like many young men his age, he enlisted in the Army in 1942.  Unlike those other young men, Doss refused to bear arms.  Because of his religious beliefs and an incident in his youth, Doss adamantly refused to so much as touch a gun.  He just as adamantly wanted to serve his country: as a medic.  He wanted to save lives, not take them.  As such, he referred to himself not as a conscientious objector, but as a conscientious cooperator.

Whatever his faults may be, Mel Gibson knows how to tell a gripping story.  And it is clear how much respect and admiration he has for Doss.  Gibson is himself a man of religious conviction and he does not shy away from that aspect.  To do so would have been a discredit to Doss.  [A few years ago I reviewed the film Unbroken.  One of my biggest qualms with that film is that the director clearly did not understand Zamperini's religious convictions and thus shied away from religion in the film, much to the story's disservice.]

Hacksaw Ridge embraces Doss's religious convictions.  Those convictions are not belittled; they are held up in admiration.  They are not some superficial quirk; they are the core of this man.  Such portrayal of religious belief is getting more and more unheard of in Hollywood.  (And to be honest, this movie is more Australian made than American made.)  That makes this story all the more powerful and applicable.

The film may embrace Doss's convictions, but his fellow soldiers, training sergeant, and commanding officers certainly did not.  Doss is belittled, berated, beaten, denied furloughs, and threatened with being court-martialed.  Through it all, he remains true to his convictions.  He reads from his Bible.  He prays before bed.  He honors the Sabbath.  He will not hold, let a lone fire, a gun.  He will not seek discharge as "mentally unstable."  He will not retaliate against those abusing him.  And he will not back down from his desire to serve his country and fellow soldiers as a medic.  And so, without a single weapon with which to defend himself, Doss ships out to the Pacific theater of WWII.

If Doss's story ended here, it would be an inspiring story of faith and conviction.  As I've reflected on it, a quote shared by President Thomas S. Monson came to mind: "Dare to be a [Christian]; dare to stand alone.  Dare to have a purpose firm; dare to make it known" ("Dare to Stand Alone," Ensign, November 2011).  Desmond T. Doss was the embodiment of that quote.

But Doss's story didn't end with him staying true and getting through Army training.  His story goes from something inspiring to something amazing, even miraculous.  Because when a man has that much faith, courage, and unflinching loyalty to God, how could the powers of Heaven be restrained?

When I got home from seeing Hacksaw Ridge, one of the first things I did was research.  I wanted to know how close to the facts the film had stayed.  The answer is: remarkably close.  Sure, they took some dramatic license here and there.  But overall, what happens in the film is true to what happened in real life.  In fact, the film actually omits some of Doss's heroics because apparently Gibson felt audiences simply wouldn't believe them.  (If you want to know more, check out historyvshollywood.com.)

Back to the story.

Doss and his infantry division are sent to Okinawa.  The titular "Hacksaw Ridge" is the nickname given to the Maeda Escarpment, a 400-foot cliff face that the soldiers have to scale.  At the top is a battleground strewn with foxholes, caves, underground tunnels, and pretty much every danger known to war at that time.  Things do not go well for the Americans and the Japanese attack and push them backward, inflicting heavy casualties.  The American forces retreat back down the ridge.  The only ones left at the top are the dead, the wounded, the Japanese, and medic Desmond T. Doss.  (By the way, the Japanese actually targeted medics as a way to demoralize the Americans.)

For hours on end, Doss, alone, braves enemy fire to find, treat, and retrieve his wounded comrades.  He carries or drags them back to the cliff's edge where he then lowers them, one by one, on a rope to friendly (and stunned) hands below.  Then Doss goes off in search of another.  His words (his actual words) are: "Please Lord, help me get one more."  That Doss isn't killed is a miracle in and of itself.  He still refuses to take up a gun to defend himself.  Again and again he finds his comrades and lowers them to safety.  Again he goes out searching for more wounded.  He stays at it for about 12 hours, until the danger becomes too great and he has to descend himself.

When asked, Doss estimated he rescued about 50 men that night.  His commanding officers estimated the number closer to 100.  They compromised at 75 for his Medal of Honor citation.

That still isn't the end of Doss's story.  Days later, the final assault to take Hacksaw Ridge takes place and Doss is again in the thick of things as a medic.  During the battle, a hand grenade explodes near Doss, leaving him seriously injured in the legs.  In the film, Doss's fellow soldiers put him on a litter and with their gratitude and encouragement send him off to be treated.  In reality, Doss treated his own injuries and waited hours for men with a stretcher to be able to help transport him.  When he saw another soldier get injured, he had the men lower him.  Doss then proceeded to roll off the stretcher and treat the wounded soldier who was then sent off on the stretcher.  While awaiting the return of help, Doss was struck in the arm by a sniper's bullet.  It was only then that Doss finally touched a gun ... he took a rifle stock and splinted his own broken arm before crawling 300 yards to the aid station.

Again, that Doss survived is a miracle; and he knew it.  According to one website, a Japanese soldier reported having Doss in his sights, only to have his gun jam.  For days, rifle fire and explosions were all around Doss.  Yet he survived, though seriously wounded in the end.

Even as I was watching Hacksaw Ridge I was reminded of the people of Ammon in the Book of Mormon.  On one hand, Doss was reminiscent of the stripling warriors, whose minds were firm, having been taught by their mothers (Doss's mother was a religious woman).  None of them were killed, though all of them were wounded.  But Doss also reminded me of the fathers of those stripling warriors.  Like them, Doss had made a personal commitment to God that he would never take a life.  Because of the people of Ammon's commitment, the Nephites stepped up to protect and preserve them.  Likewise, Doss owed his life firstly to God, but also to his fellow soldiers who defended him from enemy attack.

In addition to saving dozens of lives, Doss's unwavering faith and convictions undoubtedly softened a few hearts along the way.  This is evidenced by two acts: both on the final day of battle.  The first was a delay to the attack.  It was a Saturday, which for Doss (a Seventh Day Adventist) was the Sabbath.  His commanding officers allowed the attack to be delayed so Doss could finish his daily devotions.  The second act came after he was injured and finally made it to medical care.  Doss realized he had lost his Bible on the battlefield -- the Bible his wife had given him before he shipped out, the Bible that had sustained him all those horrific days and nights.  He sent word back to his company.  Those men, some of whom had undoubtedly belittled and berated Doss previously, put themselves in harm's way to find the lost Bible.  They found it (tender mercy) and sent it off to their friend and comrade.

It is customary for films based on true stories to tell the rest of the story prior to the credits.  Hacksaw Ridge does that and then does one better.  It includes a few clips from interviews with both Doss's commanding officer and with Doss himself.  The interviews are from a decade or so ago.  Though brief, the clips are poignant reminders that the film just seen was about real men in real situations.  Desmond T. Doss died at his home in 2006.  He was 87 years old.

As a film, Hacksaw Ridge is simply a well made movie.  It is compelling and honest, gripping and tense.  The cinematography is well done.  The music is fitting and beautiful.  Andrew Garfield does a terrific job as Doss, portraying him as a very real, very human man.  Also outstanding is Hugo Weaving, who portrays Doss' father, who is a WWI veteran struggling with PTSD, alcoholism, and violent survivor's guilt.  Weaving does a remarkable job portraying a man you don't particularly like, but nonetheless sympathize with.

I do wish the film were less violent and grisly, then it would be able to reach a wider audience.  I suppose there is a chance of a re-edited version, or there is always Vid-Angel.  In addition to the violence, there is some language (mostly out of the sergeant's mouth).  There is also a brief shot of a man's bare backside.  The only sexiness is one scene and what you see in the trailer is all there is (and for the record they are married at that point).

Whether or not you see Hacksaw Ridge is completely up to you.  But I hope you now have a better appreciation for Desmond T. Doss, an American hero.  He has become one of my heroes.

Quotable Quotes

• "I don't know how I'm going to live with myself if I don't stand up for what I believe." -- Desmond Doss
• "I'd like to think I'm a conscientious cooperator." -- Desmond Doss
• "Please, Lord, help me get one more." -- Desmond Doss

ISFS

Queen of Katwe

Year: 2016

Director: Mira Nair

Starring: Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o, and Martin Kabanza
Tagline: One girl's triumphant path to becoming a chess champion
Synopsis: A girl from a Ugandan slum finds purpose and freedom through chess.

Review

Queen of Katwe is one of those films that, sadly, fell under the radar.  It didn't get much publicity.  Nor did it get a very wide release.  Which is too bad, because it is a beautiful and inspiring film.

If I had to describe the film in one word, it would be "humbling."

When we first meet Phiona, she is illiterate, peddling maize in the streets, and living in the slums with her mother, sister, and two brothers.  Soon she and her brother meet Robert Katenda, an educated man who works for a local mission teaching children chess.  He teaches them to make a plan: in chess and in life.  The grim realities of these children's lives is portrayed with honesty and dignity.  There are no charity cases here.  These are hungry minds (in hungry bodies) that latch onto a game that empowers them.

If I had to describe the film in a second word, it would be "empowering."

Chess, for the "Katwe Pioneers," does become empowering.  And it is beautiful to watch.  The kids are able to compete in a tournament and travel to a school.  In the morning, Robert goes to their dorm room and sees all their cots unslept in.  Instead, the children -- unaccustomed to such luxuries -- are sleeping together on the floor.  They then proceed to beat a number of the city kids.  And it's not just Phiona who wins.  This is her story mainly.  But it is also a journey for other kids as well.

If the film has a flaw, it is that it tries too hard to fit the "sports movie" mold.  Honestly, I find chess boring and the chess scenes are the weakest parts of the film.  There were also a few too many sports cliches thrown in.  The film was best when it was a story about people, not games.

What really elevates the story are the actors.  Lupita Nyong'o is fierce as Phiona's mother.  She is the most interesting character: protective, proud, stubborn, but eager to give her children a better life.  Her scenes with Robert are especially interesting as they both try to do what is best for Phiona.  The children all do a terrific job as well and (I believe) are all newcomers to acting.  They really ground the film in reality.

Which brings me to the best part of the film.  The Queen of Katwe is based on a true story ... a story which occurred only a few years ago (the climax takes place in 2011).  During the credits, each actor is shown and then is joined by their real life counterpart.  Seeing those actual children (now teenagers) and reading about the changes that have come into their lives is sobering, humbling, and empowering.  Because of chess (and people like Robert who believe in them), they have better lives, are gaining educations, and are finding their ways out of the slums.

I don't know how much longer Queen of Katwe will be in theaters.  So if you want to see it, you may have to wait until it is available on video or Netflix.  It is worth watching, not so much for the chess, but for the story of the very real humans -- children -- who play the game to better their lives.

Quotable Quotes

• "In chess, the small one can become the big one." -- Gloria to Phiona (explaining how a pawn can become a queen in chess)
• "Sometimes the place you are used to is not the place you belong.  You belong where you believe you belong." -- Robert to Phiona
• "What matters is when you reset the pieces ... and play again."  Robert to Phiona
• "Check mate." -- Phiona (repeated)

ISFS

Storks

Year: 2016

Director: Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland

Starring: Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, and Anton Starkman
Tagline: Find your flock
Synopsis: Instead of delivering babies, storks now deliver packages.  But when a baby is accidentally created, Junior (a stork) and Tulip (an orphan) must work together to get her to her proper home.

Review

Before the feature film, there was a Lego Ninjago short film.  It was amusing enough, involving a ninja master in an epic battle with a chicken as related by an increasingly flustered narrator.

When I saw the trailers for Storks, I thought it had potential for a few laughs.  But it also looked like it would have elements that would grow old very quickly.  And that's pretty much how the film plays out.  Some things work.  Some things don't.  Some gags made me chuckle.  Other gags made me roll my eyes.

The character Pigeon Toady fell into the latter category.  I was pretty much annoyed whenever he was on screen.  Is he a spoof of something?

The wolf pack, on the other hand, I found rather amusing.  The film is made by Warner Bros., and the wolf pack seems to hearken back to the zany antics of Looney Tunes characters.  Who knew wolves could form their pack into suspension bridges, submarines, and minivans (to name a few)?

Perhaps the funniest moment in the film comes when the baby is asleep and a fight to claim her takes place between Junior/Tulip and a waddle* of penguins.  So as not to wake the baby, they have a silent fight complete with muffled screams.  Again, it is very much in the vein of Bugs, Daffy, and Wile E. Coyote.

[* Yes, "waddle" is the collective noun for penguins on land.]

As for the plot itself, there's not a lot to it.  We mainly follow Junior and Tulip as they try to get the baby to her human family without the rest of the storks finding out, since storks now deliver packages and not babies.  The story goes at a reasonably good clip, but it still felt a bit slow because I didn't particularly like either of the main characters.

The human subplot was much more interesting and I think more relatable.  Nate is a lonely boy with workaholic parents.  So, he does the only logical thing: he writes a letter asking the storks to send him a baby brother (with ninja skills).  This ends up as a catalyst for his parents to start spending time with him and bonding as a family.  By the time they do get their bundle of joy, they are ready as a family to receive her.  (It's a kids movie; that shouldn't be much of a spoiler.)

As middling as the story and characters are, as I've thought about Storks, I've found myself liking it most of all for the message it contained.  (It could have done a lot more with it, but the message was there nonetheless.)  For thousands of years, storks delivered babies.  That was what they did.  Cue the modern day when baby delivery became viewed as being fraught with too many hazards and not enough profitability.  That's when storks decided to get out of the baby business and deliver easier, safer, more profitable packages instead.

As the film progresses, we get a sense that something is missing in the lives of the storks.  Their purpose has been lost.  They've sold their birthright for something easier.  They stopped filling the measure of their creation.  And when the storks again find their purpose, I felt a twinge of emotion, because right there, in the middle of this zany kids movie, is a nugget of truth.  Be who you were born to be, even when it is the more difficult path to follow.

While Storks is far from the best animated film I've seen this summer, it also isn't the worst.  [**cough** Ice Age 5 **cough**]  It has its moments that make it worth a Redbox or Netflix night.

Quotable Quotes

• "Orphan Tulip?" "Tulip is fine.  'Orphan' hurts my heart." -- Junior and Tulip
• "Wolf pack submarine!" [The wolves form themselves into a submarine.] "What is happening?" -- Alpha Wolf and Junior
• "Don't worry.  She's with penguins.  There are whole documentaries about how great they are at baby-sitting." -- Hunter

ISFS

Kubo and the Two Strings

Year: 2016

Director: Travis Knight

Starring: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, and Ralph Fiennes
Tagline: His quest begins.
Synopsis: With dark forces in pursuit, young Kubo -- with the aid of a talking monkey and a human-turned-beetle -- must find his father's armor to protect himself from the Moon King.

Review

I've seen 16 new movies so far this year.  Kubo and the Two Strings is by far the best.  It helps that the movie is about three things that matter dearly to me: stories, music, and family.

First off, let me point out that this movie is stop-motion animation.  There is some CGI blended in.  But for the most part, everything you are seeing was crafted by hand.  Each frame of the film was painstakingly shot with the models moved ever so slightly each time.  When you think about the hours on end that went into creating Kubo, it becomes all the more beautiful.  It is truly a visual feast.

The story of Kubo's quest is in many ways familiar.  This is yet another incarnation of the Hero's Journey.  But it feels fresh and imaginative.  Kubo feels like the most original and creative movie of the year.

The trailers for the film showcase some of the humor in the film.  There is plenty.  Beetle is an especially fun character.  What the trailers don't show is how much heart there is to the film.  Kubo's story is one of loss and sacrifice.  And the film is brave enough to embrace those things.  As fun as the movie is, there is a beautiful melancholy woven throughout.  It's like your favorite sad song that you love to listen to on a rainy day.  Yes it is sad, but there is a hopefulness to it as well.  And, as another of my recent favorite movies (Inside Out) so aptly pointed out, there is benefit to embracing sadness.  Moreover, sadness and joy can work in beautiful harmony.  That is what Kubo and the Two Strings does.

If I had to sum up the film in one word, it would be "transcendent."  In watching it, I found more than an entertaining story told through incredible animation.  I found elements of truth.  Human truth.  Emotional truth.  And even a portion of divine truth.  It's more than a story.  Kubo is a hopeful reminder of the importance of story and the importance of family.

And did I mention that Kubo tells stories using music and magical origami?  Magical origami.

As terrific as Kubo is, it probably isn't for the littlest kiddos.  It is PG because it has some intense stuff going on, both in terms of action and emotion.  While there are many humorous moments throughout the film, it isn't the non-stop gag reel you'd get from Secret Life of Pets or The Minions.

Oh, and stay through at least the first part of the credits to hear a fitting reimagining of the song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."  (Technically, Kubo's instrument is a Japanese shamisen, not a guitar.)

See Kubo and the Two Strings.  If you want a film with beautiful, handcrafted animation, you will be gratified.  If you want a great story with humor, heart, and action, you will be entertained.  If you are open to something more, you will be uplifted.  I'll be seeing the film again as soon as possible.

*** Kinda Spoiler Section ***

Kubo is so good I don't want to risk spoiling any of the actual details.  But I will note a few thematic things down here.

The climax/ending of the film may be one of the bravest and most honest I've seen in a long while.  It's hard to say it is a "happy" ending.  But it is a good and hopeful ending.  It's the ending the story needs, even if it isn't the ending you necessarily want.  There's something powerful and real to that.  For a film featuring a talking monkey, a humanoid beetle, and an underwater forest of eyeballs, Kubo and the Two Strings has a very real, very human heart to it.

As I've pondered Kubo's final altercation with his grandfather, the Moon King, as well as the aftermath thereof, two things came to mind.  The first relates to Alma 31:15 and the idea that "the word" had "a more powerful effect ... than the sword."  The second thought relates to my favorite verse in the hymnbook: "where justice, love, and mercy meet in harmony" (#195, "How Great the Wisdom and the Love").

As I watched the movie, one thing did perplex me.  Kubo's shamisen has three strings, so why does the title reference two strings?  Why was that the film's title?  The answer is revealed by the end.  Suffice it to say, the title of the film is perfect.

Quotable Quotes

• "If you must blink, do it now." -- Kubo
• "I can't feel my wings!"  "Until a few moments ago you didn't know you even had wings." -- Beetle and Monkey
• "More like the 'Sword Uncomfortable.'" -- Beetle (after having slept on the Sword Unbreakable)
• "You know I can still hear you?"  "Then play louder." -- Kubo and Monkey (while Monkey and Beetle are having a "grownup" conversation about how to proceed)

ISFS

Pete's Dragon

Year: 2016

Director: David Lowery

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Robert Redford, Karl Urban, and Elliott
Tagline: Some secrets are too big to keep.
Synopsis: Deep in the woods, an orphaned boy lives with a big, furry dragon.

Review

I've never seen the original movie.  Nor do I have any intention or desire to.  Sorry.  But I'm quite glad I saw this Pete's Dragon.

The easiest way to describe the film are with three "S"s: simple, sweet, and sentimental.  I mean each of those in the nicest way.  Basically, it is a perfect family film.

The story is simple and straightforward.  There are no crazy plot twists or major detours.  The film is about Pete, his dragon (Elliott), and the people they come in contact with.  We learn more about the other people only insofar as it forwards the main story.  Simple is good.  The story never tries to be more than it is.

The world of the story is also simpler.  I've read the story takes place "yesterday."  It's never stated what decade it is.  But there are no smartphones.  Elliott's picture isn't being tweeted or put on Snapchat.  Nobody is Googling "What to do with a dragon."  In addition to taking place "yesterday," it takes place "somewhere."  The town is given a generic name.  It could be a town anywhere.  (Well, anywhere with lots of trees and mountains.  So, not Arizona or Kansas).  Both of those aspects lend nicely to the tone of the story.

It's sort of like a tale your grandpa would tell you before bed.

The story is also sweet and sentimental.  Everyone is ultimately good.  They want to help Pete and look after him.  Even the antagonist isn't a bad guy.  He's just a guy who has his priorities a little skiwampus.  A main theme of the film is the importance of family, whether it be blood family or adoptive family.

The best part of the film (and why I went to see it) is Elliott.  He's big, green, furry, and pretty much the most huggable dragon ever.  It's sweet to see him look after Pete.  He's loyal and fun.  Elliott is kinda like a big dog that also flies and breathes fire.  And the animation for him is terrific.

The movie was filmed in New Zealand, so the scenery is gorgeous.  This does make me wonder though.  Does New Zealand have a dragon problem.  The Hobbit was also filmed in New Zealand.  Are Elliott and Smaug distant cousins?

Sorry.  Nerd tangent.

If you are looking for a good old-fashioned family film, give Pete's Dragon a try.  And stay through at least the first part of the credits to hear the song Lindsey Stirling co-wrote: "Something Wild."

*** Spoiler Section ***

I'm not sure it's possible to spoil this one.  At no point in watching the film do you not know exactly where it is going to go.  It's the kind of film where you know everything will be all right in the end.  And it is.

Quotable Quotes

• "I know those woods like the back of my hand.  I wouldn't miss a dragon."  "You missed Pete." -- Grace and Meacham
• "That dragon is mine." -- Gavin
• "We are in pursuit of a --"  "Dragon!  It's a dragon!"  "You can't say 'dragon' over the radio!" -- Sheriff Dentler and a deputy

ISFS

The Little Prince

Year: 2015

Director: Mark Osborne

Starring: Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, and James Franco
Tagline: Growing up isn't the problem ... forgetting is.
Synopsis: A little girl in a very grown up world meets her eccentric neighbor, the Aviator, who tells her the tale of the Little Prince.

Review

If I could only describe Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novella The Little Prince in one word it would be "important."  It's an odd little tale and starts out a bit slow.  But with a bit of patience it becomes something beautiful and enlightening.  It is the story of the Little Prince, the Rose he loves, the Fox he tames, and the Aviator he changes.  It is a story about life, love, loss, and matters of consequence.

Right now you may be wondering: "I thought this was a movie review, not a book review.  And why haven't I heard of this movie?"  This is a movie review, but I cannot in this instance separate the two.  As for why you haven't heard of it ... that comes down to Hollywood.  The film is French made (though in English) and did quite well overseas.  But days before its U.S. premiere, the distributor pulled the plug.  Instead, the film has been taken up by Netflix where you can now watch it.  It is also in "limited" theatrical release ... which doesn't include anywhere near here.

If you are familiar with the book, this isn't simply the book on film.  It is more an homage to the book, which is presented in an abridged form, rendered in beautiful stop-motion animation.  Perhaps the simplest description I can give is that this film isn't about the story of The Little Prince.  Rather, it is about why the story of The Little Prince is important.  Once you accept that, I think you'll enjoy the film, which retains the same narrative heart.

The voice talent brought in for the film is terrific.  Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, and Ricky Gervais are particularly spot on in their respective rolls.

The animation is beautiful.  There is a terrific contrast between the monochromatic world of the micromanaged Little Girl, the colorful explosion that is the eccentric Aviator's home, and the paper-like stop motion animation for the actual story of the Little Prince.

The music is also quirky and fun.  It is where the French-made aspect most clearly shows.  (That and the fact the little girl's math book is in French).

I'll admit the film isn't perfect.  There were a few missteps here and there.  But a few days later I can't even remember them.  All I remember is how thoughtful and cheerful it made me.

I suppose some sticklers about the book won't like the third act, which you might say creates a sequel to the Little Prince's story.  At that point it has become the Little Girl's story.  That whole third act is her learning to apply the lessons she has learned from the Aviator via the story of the Little Prince.  What happens are her own final chapters to the story.  For me, it works.  It works because the novella itself ends without complete closure and in such a way as to invite the reader to write their own ending.  The film becomes how the Little Girl needs the story to end.

The very best part of the book (for me) is the Fox.  The lessons he teaches are the heart of the story.  The very best part of the film is still the Fox.  In the portion about the Little Prince, he is playful, wise, and beautifully animated.  For the rest of the film, the Fox is a stuffed animal the Little Girl adopts.  For the third act, when we are in the realm of her imagination, the stuffed Fox comes to life.  He's still a stuffed animal though.  He doesn't talk.  He pantomimes.  And he's adorable (especially when dropping a bowling ball).

I am undecided if it is better to read the book first and then watch the movie, or to watch the movie and be inspired to read the book.  That is up to you I suppose.  I heartily recommend both the book and the film.  And I hope that at some point I can watch the film again, only on a giant theater screen.

*** Spoiler Section ***

Nope.  No spoilers.  Just watch it and read it.  Or read it and watch it.

Quotable Quotes

• "You're going to make a wonderful grownup."  "Thanks, Mom." -- The Mom and the Little Girl
• "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." -- The Fox
• "How can everything that is essential fit in one book?"  "It's incredibly succint ... and single spaced." -- The Little Girl and the Academy Teacher

ISFS

Star Trek Beyond

Year: 2016

Director: Justin Lin

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Sofia Boutella, and Idris Elba
Synopsis: Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew face off against a new enemy on an unfamiliar planet.

Review

When the first trailer premiered, my initial reaction was "oh no."  I was afraid the new director (Justin Lin) had ruined Star Trek.  Rest assured he did not.  Not at all.  In fact, he delivered a rip-roaring romp that fits neatly into the Star Trek universe.  Star Trek Beyond is a blast.

I will say, compared to the two reboot predecessors, this one isn't as narratively strong.  The comparison to an extended episode of the original series is not unfounded.  And I'm sure if I thought about it long enough and hard enough, I'd find various plot holes.  But as I watched the film, it held together.  And above all, it was a fun trip with beloved characters.

As we've come to expect, Beyond has loads of action, lots of combat, and many explosions.  It's definitely a film that benefits from the theatrical experience.  There are also some impressive set pieces, the most notable being the Yorktown: a space station which is the pride of the Federation (and looks like a gargantuan Perplexus toy).

Beyond retains the humor from the previous films.  Simon Pegg's Scotty is as enjoyable as ever.  For instance, in one scene, Jayla (a new, alien character) grabs her heavy-hitting staff as she approaches unknown trespassers.  Not to be left out, Scotty grabs the only thing he can: a rock.  As enjoyable as Scotty is throughout, it is Bones and Spock that really stand out this time as the two of them are stranded together for an extended period.  Bones' cantankerous cynicism pits well against Spock's (near) emotionless logic (apparently a prominent feature of the original series) and provide ample humor throughout the film.

As a side note, it is also nice to see two men who think completely differently and even disagree on many subjects, yet clearly have a deep and abiding respect for each other.

As villains go, Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan is a tough act to follow.  This time around we have Krall.  He's an ominous villain with brutal tactics.  But I couldn't help but notice his propensity for monologing.  He's constantly monologing to Uhura: explaining his plan, the weapon he's after, and his anti-Federation sentiments.  It works within the film.  But it still made me think of Syndrome from The Incredibles.  Krall is (intentionally or not) a timely villain.  His ideology is that peace and unity breed weakness.  Thus to him, the galaxy needs war to foster strength.  Of course in the end it is unity that wins the day.

Unlike its reboot predecessors, Beyond is happily scandalous free.  No romantic adventures on the part of Kirk.  And no gratuitous female-changing-clothes shots.  Thank you, Director Lin.

If you haven't already, go see Star Trek Beyond.  It really is a rip-roaring summer blockbuster that entertains from start to finish.

*** Spoiler Section ***

I thought it very appropriate that the final scene of the movie is a birthday party for Kirk.  Why?  Because I saw the movie on my own birthday.

As a musician, I love that it is music that ultimately saves the day by throwing off the alien swarm's ability to communicate.  I would have picked different music.  But I enjoyed it nonetheless.

As for the twist -- the reveal that Krall was once Balthazar Edison, captain of the USS Franklin -- it worked for me.  I didn't see it coming, yet it made sense based on what had been previously revealed. Plus it played into Kirk's personal struggles with feeling lost and without purpose.

Quotable Quotes

• "Fascinating."  "Ominous.  Dark.  Dangerous." -- Spock and Bones describing the same cavern
• "You gave your girlfriend a tracking device?"  "... That was not the intention." -- Bones and Spock
• "This is where the frontier pushes back!" -- Krall
• "More or less" -- Kirk and Spock

ISFS

Ice Age: Collision Course

Year: 2016

Directors: Mike Thurmeier and Galen T. Chu

Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, and Simon Pegg
Tagline: One small step.  One giant mess.
Synopsis: Buck (the crazy, dinosaur hunting weasel) teams up with Sid, Diego, and Manny to stop an asteroid (unintentionally triggered by Scrat in a UFO) from hitting Earth.  Other side plots happen.

Review

Remember the original Ice Age?  The fun film about a mammoth, sloth, and sabre-tooth tiger coming together to return a human baby to its family?  The filmmakers clearly don't remember it.  And this is a long, long way from that movie.

Pretty much I saw this movie because the person I was with wanted to see this movie.  And while I'll agree there were a few moderately amusing moments (such as Buck singing "Figaro's Aria" by Rossini whilst dodging dinosaurs to rescue a different dinosaur's egg), overall the film doesn't justify its existence.  It's not particularly funny.  It has no real heart or soul.  The characters have gotten stale.  And I'm really, really done with the "mild rude humor" that is not the least bit humorous.

Buck, the one-eyed weasel, goes from crazy eccentric to overboard crazy (he adopts a pumpkin).  Manny is reduced to an overbearing father fretting over his daughter's upcoming nuptials and headbutting with his future son-in-law.  Diego is there because ... he's one of the main characters?  Sid is Sid.  And there are even more characters with their own side plots that don't really amount to much beyond feeble justification for said characters being still in the story.  And frankly, I can only watch Scrat get squashed, splatted, and vaporized so many times.

Don't waste your money on Collision Course.  And don't waste your time.  Maybe then we'll be spared Ice Age 6: The Zombie Apocalypse or whatever plot device they'd come up with.  Go back and watch the first one instead.

Quotable Quotes

• "The weasel has landed." -- Buck
• "What are you doing?" "Helping?" "What does not helping look like?" -- Peaches, Manny, and Diego
• "I have found a prophecy!" -- Buck

ISFS

The Secret Life of Pets

Year: 2016

Directors: Yarrow Cheney & Chris Renaud 

Starring: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Lake Bell, Albert Brooks, and Dana Carvey
Tagline: Ever wonder what your pets do when you're not home?
Synopsis: Max is Katie's dog.  But his life is turned upside down when Katie brings home Duke, a shelter dog.

Review

Before the feature film was the short "Mower Minions."  Basically, a group of Minions decide they need a blender, which means they need money.  They proceed to offer lawn care to a retirement home.  Minion mayhem ensues.  It was amusing.  I chuckled a few times.  I rolled my eyes a few more times.

The simplest way to explain The Secret Life of Pets is, it's like cotton candy.  It's colorful.  It's sweet.  It's nice enough while it lasts.  But in the end, there's no real substance and there's absolutely no nutritional value.  Cotton candy isn't bad from time to time.  But it's not very satisfying.

Is the film fun?  Yeah, it's fairly fun.  There are some clever visual gags (such as watching Buddy the Dachshund get around) and humorous bits of dialogue.  There are definitely some humorous moments.  And the initial premise is clever.  But the secret life of these pets too soon turns into a typical fish-out-of-water scenario on the dogs' side and a rescue mission on the other animals' side.  The comparisons to Toy Story are well-founded.

My favorite character was Tiberius the hawk who shows enormous self-restraint in not preying on the other animals.  (Tiberius is voiced by Albert Brooks, who also voices Marlin in Finding Nemo/Dory.  This is sort of a role reversal where he is now the equivalent of Bruce the shark.)  Chloe the cat is also amusing, and every bit what you'd expect from a cat in the YouTube age.

Despite being a dog person myself, I found the two main dogs (Max and Duke) rather unlikable.  They are both verging on annoying and I could never emotionally invest in either of them, which meant I didn't really invest in their journey.  The motley rescue team is much funnier and more likable.

And then there is the villain: the psychotic bunny with his army of "flushed" pets.  It's not that I couldn't take the threats of a bunny serious, it was that he was so serious.  He was played for humor, but his motivations and intents are pretty dark.  And as the story progresses, he becomes a rather schizoid villain.  I found him annoying and overly dramatic.

When it isn't worrying too much about its shoehorned plot, the film offers an amusing representation of how we as humans perceive our pets and the personalities they have.  The cat is the prototypical cat.  The dogs do what we imagine dogs do.  The parakeet has awesome delusions of fighter jet grandeur.  It's amusing for what it is.  But it stumbles when it tries to stretch itself into a feature length plot.

If you're a pet person, you'll probably find quite a bit to enjoy in The Secret Life of Pets, especially the first 10 minutes or so.  It's a likable movie worth a viewing.  But in a year or two, I for one will have forgotten this movie existed.  As a movie about pets, perhaps it is fitting that it is mostly just fluff.

Quotable Quotes

• "I'm a cat."  "Well, nobody's perfect." -- Chloe and Pops [This is a reference to the classic comedy Some Like It Hot.]
• "Who said that?"  "Over here ... in the dark and foreboding shed." -- Gidgit and Tiberius
• "Max, as your friend, I don't care about you or your problems." -- Chloe (a cat)

ISFS

Finding Dory

Year: 2016

Director: Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, and Ty Burrell
Tagline: An unforgettable journey she probably won't remember
Synopsis: Dory -- with Marlin and Nemo in tow -- embarks on a journey to find her family.

Review

First up, as with all Pixar films, there is a preceding short.  This one is called Piper, and it is about an adorable young sandpiper (the spindly legged birds that run away from the incoming waves) learning to forage for her own food.  The short is gorgeous.  Seriously, it's amazing how good computer animation has gotten.  Piper is also a beautiful, charming little story.  I'd just about pay $7 just to see this short film.

On to our feature presentation.

Finding Dory is not Finding Nemo.  Accept that first and you'll be able to appreciate what Finding Dory is: a funny, heartwarming tale featuring beloved old and quickly endearing new characters.

Of the new characters, Hank the septopus (he's an octopus who lost a tentacle) is my favorite.  His grumpy, loner attitude makes him the perfect foil for Dory, who is as optimistic and sociable as ever.  Plus he is so much fun to watch as he glides around, camouflaging himself as needed.  Destiny, the near-sighted whale shark and Bailey the beluga with echolocation problems are also fun additions.  Ditto for sea lions Fluke, Rudder, and Gerald as well as the loony loon Becky.

In Finding Nemo, Dory's short-term memory loss is primarily played for humor, including the throwaway line: "It runs in my family.... Hmm, where are they?... Can I help you?"  This time around, the story focuses on the loneliness inherent in such an affliction.  Watching Dory try to remember things and catching glimpses of baby Dory becomes much of the heart of the film.  It doesn't have quite the same emotional pull that accompanied Marlin trying to rescue Nemo.  But it is compelling nonetheless.  And Dory is such an inherently good and kind character, you can't help but root for her.

Although the story is mostly about Dory trying to find her family, she isn't the only one with a journey.  Both Marlin and Hank also have emotional journeys that they go through as they realize the impact for good Dory has had on them.

As heartwarming as Finding Dory is, it is also funny.  Very, very funny, with an over-the-top climax that still has me chuckling.  Plus, like all Pixar films, the animation is incredible and the soundtrack is beautiful.

If you haven't already, find time to go see Finding Dory.  It's a funny, heartwarming film that is not to be missed.  It is a worthy sequel.  Oh, and be sure to stay through the credits for one of my all-time favorite post-credits scenes.

*** Spoiler Section ***

One of the touching moments in the film is as Dory is apologizing to her parents for getting lost in the first place.  It's sad because she's apologizing for something that in many ways is outside her control.  It's not her fault she has memory loss.  It wasn't her fault she couldn't remember for so long how to find her way home.  I liked all the ways her parents, and even Marlin, found to help her with her affliction.

Quotable Quotes

• "Follow me!"  "You're in a cup."  "Oh.  Right.  I'll follow you." -- Dory and Hank
• "She should just pick two and let's go."  "Daaad."  "What?  I'm kidding."  -- Marlin and Nemo
• "Sigourney Weaver says ..." -- Fluke
• "I get the feeling their shushing us for a reason."  "Like something with one big eye, tentacles, and a snappy thing?"  "Well, that's very specific, but something like that." -- Marlin and Dory

ISFS

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Year: 2016

Director: James Bobin

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Anne Hathaway
Tagline: This spring, it's time for a little madness
Synopsis: Alice returns to Underland and travels through time in order to save the Mad Hatter.

Review

Meh.  That pretty much sums up how I feel about Alice Through the Looking Glass.  It's not terrible.  I didn't hate it.  I've seen far worse movies.  It was mildly diverting, but in a year's time I'll have forgotten all about it.

The visuals are impressive and the world of Underland is certainly richly imagined.  The music is also good.  But visual splendor and a nice accompaniment do not a good film make.  There's really no justification for this film's existence.  The story is contrived and strung together and has absolutely nothing to do with Lewis Carroll's novel of the same name.

The film opens interestingly enough, with the end of Alice's voyage around the world as she returns to London.  It's dramatic and shows off Alice's character and strengths.  Alice does remain a strong and likable character throughout the film, but apparently not much goes on in Underland unless she is around.  The other characters are literally just sitting around a table waiting for her to show up, which she does at Absalom's request (he's the blue caterpillar turned butterfly voiced by the late Alan Rickman).

From there we learn that the Hatter has lost his "muchness" and the only way to save him is to go back in time and save his family.  What could possibly go wrong with trying to change the past?  As it turns out, time is personified as Time, played by Sacha Baron Cohen.  Time pretty much steals every scene he is in and is the most interesting character in the film.  He has a number of good lines and quite a few puns at his expense (e.g., the March Hare sits next to him and quips, "Time is on my side").

As Alice travels through the sea of time, we find out more about the Hatter and his daddy issues and more about the Red Queen and the White Queen and their sister issues.  It was hard to get particularly invested in either storyline.  As for the rest of the characters, they are basically just there, for little or no reason other than this is Underland and those are the characters that inhabit it.  If we could have had a film with just Alice and Time, it would have been much more interesting and entertaining.

All told, Alice Through the Looking Glass isn't a terrible movie.  It was good for a few chuckles.  But it's unnecessary, unsubstantial, and ultimately forgettable.  If you are still feeling "curiouser and curiouser," wait until it is available through Redbox or Netflix.

*** Spoiler Section ***

When we meet young Mirana (the White Queen), she's a perfectly normal young girl.  Her mother is perfectly normal.  So where did the flitty flighty wavy arm gliding stuff come from?  Is that part of her queenly persona?  I don't get it. 

Quotable Quotes

• "When did you say Alice was coming?"  "I didn't say she was coming.  I said I'd invited her."  "... Well played, Hatter." -- Time and the Mad Hatter
• "Blasted me-shaped corridors!" -- Time
• "You're late."  "No, I'm right on ... time." -- Dormouse and the Cheshire Cat who is floating atop Time's shoulder
• "I'm sorry to have wasted your you." -- Alice to Time
• "You can only do the impossible when you believe it is possible." -- Alice
• "You cannot change the past.  But you might do well to learn from it." -- Time to Alice

ISFS

Captain America: Civil War

Year: 2016

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, and Daniel Bruhl
Tagline: Divided We Fall
Synopsis: The prospect of government oversight and the machinations of a mysterious villain threaten to tear the Avengers apart from within.

Review

At this point, it is easy to think "Great, another superhero movie."  And I'll admit, a little bit of superhero ennui has set in.  But every time I think I'm ready to be done, Marvel hits it out of the park again.  Put briefly, Captain America: Civil War is one of the best Marvel movies yet.

Does it bring anything particularly new to the table?  Well, no.  Not really.  Although it does introduce a few new characters to the universe.  But what Civil War does it does just right.  It has all the epic set pieces and big battles.  The visuals are top notch.  The music is great.  And the humor is well-timed.  But what drives Civil War is that it remembers these characters are people and devotes enough time to each of them to keep us caring about them.  And that's no small feat, given how many superheroes are involved this go round.

As buildup to the film, there's been a lot of ads asking whose side you're on.  Well, I'm 100% Team Captain America.  And by the time the film was over, I was getting rather tired of Tony and his arrogant attitude where he always knows what's best for everyone else.  He seems thoroughly convinced that what works and is needed for him must be what works and is needed for everyone else.  That attitude caused havoc in Age of Ultron and it causes more havoc in Civil War.  I will say this though, I love when Tony refers to Bucky as "Manchurian Candidate."  And I hope that there is more to Tony's character arc in future installations.

While I disagree with Tony's reasoning, it is well-established and believable.  The filmmakers do a great job of setting up all the important characters' motivations for which side they choose.  Even though it is heart-wrenching to see them go at each other, it makes sense why they are fighting.

And hidden in the midst of all of it, you've got the brilliant villain Zemo manipulating events.  He's not the best villain ever, but he's different, he's clever, and he's subtle, which is just what we needed.

I really liked the introductions of Black Panther and Spider-Man.  A young Aunt May is weird.  And Martin Freeman's Everett Ross seemed somewhat pointless.  Presumably they needed an opportunity to bring him into the universe so that he could eventually do ... something.

As for the thematic conflict of the film -- whether the Avengers should answer to a government body -- I side with Captain America.  To me, Civil War is the most relevant of the superhero movies, as the role of government is debated with every news break these days.  My friend summed it up well (and I can do no better): "the government trying to control superhero actions is a prime example of legal hubris in the face of complete government incompetence for the task.  Red tape/bureaucracy and emergency super-human responses to global catastrophes don't go well together."  Yup.

One of my favorite lines in the film comes from Sharon Carter, quoting her aunt, Peggy Carter: "Compromise where you can.  Where you can't, don't.  Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right.  Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No.  YOU move.'"  It's a perfect statement for the movie and a perfect statement for the real world we live in.  In the comics, the sentiment is voiced by Captain America himself.  Go Team Cap!

If you haven't already, go see Captain America: Civil War.  As superhero movies go, it's one of the best.  It's smart, it's funny, and it's character driven.  Be sure to stay through the credits for a couple of bonus scenes.

*** Spoiler Section ***

Knowing what happens in the comic books, I was worried Steve Rogers wasn't going to survive this film.  I'm very glad he did.  And he survived it with his moral compass and integrity still in tact, which is even better.

Considering how deep the rifts went, I thought they did an excellent job wrapping things up at the end.  I liked Black Panther's closure and Bucky finding some measure of peace.  But I wish Natasha had been there with Steve to show that she is taken care of.  She and Steve have a close, platonic bond and I wanted closure that they were back side by side.

The absences of Thor and Hulk/Banner are noted.  And after the end of Age of Ultron it is unsurprising that both of them are gone.  Nick Fury's absence on the other hand is perplexing.  He's the kind of guy who would be full of opinions on something as sweepingly dramatic as the Sokovia Accords.  With all those big names already in the cast, I can understand not wanting to pay extra for Samuel L. Jackson.  But they could have at least mentioned Fury and acknowledged him.  The dude was instrumental in forming the Avengers.  Why wouldn't he have a vested interest in their continuation?

One final thing that confused me was from Steve's letter to Tony at the end.  Steve says that the Avengers belong to Tony and he (Steve) is used to being on his own.  But according to my tally, most of the Avengers end up either on or sympathetic to Team Cap.  Black Widow ultimately sided with Steve.  Black Panther has granted Steve and Bucky asylum.  And when they are back in the mix, you know Bruce Banner isn't going to want government interference in his life.  Nor can I imagine Thor allowing some Earth-bound government to dictate to him.  Even Spider-Man (though certainly allied with Tony) shows early signs of having the same moral compass as Steve.  If someone is in danger, it didn't sound like Peter Parker would be interested in waiting for the "all clear" to go help them.

Quotable Quotes

• "I don't mean to make things difficult."  "I know.  You're a very polite person."  -- Steve Rogers and Tony Stark
• "Can you move your seat up."  "No." -- Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson
• "Who's speaking?"  "It's your conscience.  We don't talk a lot these days." -- Iron Man and Ant-Man  [I sure hope this was meant to be a direct reference to Finding Nemo.]
• "I don't know if you've ever been in a fight before, but there's not usually this much talking." -- Falcon to Spider-Man

ISFS