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