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Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Review: DreamWorks' "ORION AND THE DARK" Takes on Childhood Fears
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Review: Prime Video's "CANDY CANE LANE" is an Unexpected Delight
- I watched “Candy Cane Lane” on a lark, and I did not expect much from it. Boy, am I surprised. It is so shockingly charming and endearing that this must be some kind of Christmas magic.
- Eddie Murphy is quite good in family-oriented films, and even his fans who don't ordinarily like Murphy's family films will probably find something to like in “Candy Cane Lane”
- The story is ridiculous at times, but “Candy Cane Lane” is the best Christmas movie I have seen in a long time. I recommend it without reservation.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Review: "SCOOBY-DOO and the Witch's Ghost" is Kind of Witchy
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Review: Walt Disney's "ROBIN HOOD" is the Non-Classic Disney Classic
Friday, August 18, 2023
Review: "BLUE BEETLE" is a Family Affair
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Review: Halle Bailey is the Heart of Disney's Eye-Popping "THE LITTLE MERMAID"
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Review: "PUSS IN BOOTS: The Last Wish" is a Delightful Surprise
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Review: Disney's "ENCANTO" Spins Its Own Special Magic
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Review: "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island" Started a Thing
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 of 2022 (No. 1873) by Leroy Douresseaux
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) – Video
Running time: 77 minutes (1 hour, 17 minutes)
Rated TV-G
DIRECTOR: Jim Stenstrum
WRITERS: Glenn Leopold; from a story by Glenn Leopold and David Doi (based on the Hanna-Barbera characters)
PRODUCER: Cosmo Anzilotti
EDITOR: Paul Douglas
COMPOSER: Steven Bramson
ANIMATION STUDIO: Mook Animation
ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY
Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Scott Innes, Billy West, Mary Kay Bergman, B.J. Ward, Tara Strong, Cam Clarke, Jim Cummings, Mark Hamill, Jennifer Leigh Warren, and Ed Gilbert
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a 1998 straight-to-video, animated, comic mystery film. It was the first animated movie in what became the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation. In Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, the Mystery Inc. Gang reunites and visits a remote island with a dark secret.
As Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island opens, the five members of Mystery, Inc.: Fred Jones (Frank Welker); Daphne Blake (Mary Kay Bergman), Velma Dinkley (B.J. Ward); Shaggy Rogers (Billy West), and Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes) have gone their separate ways. They apparently became bored of mystery solving because culprits were never real ghosts, aliens, and monsters, but were practically always people in costumes.
Daphne Blake now has her own television series, “Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake,” in which she investigates claims of supernatural occurrences. Fred Jones is her cameraman and producer. Shaggy and Scooby are security guards, and Velma owns a book shop, “Dinkley's Mystery Book Shoppe,” which is also known as “Mystery Inc. Books.”
Daphne decides that she wants to hunt down a real ghost rather than investigating ghosts that turn out to be fakes. So Fred calls the gang back together, and the reunited Mystery Inc. embarks on a road trip scouting haunted locations across the United States for Daphne's TV show.
That is why they end up in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they meet a curious local, Lena Dupree (Tara Strong). She tells them that they can find real ghosts at her place of employment, a mansion and hot pepper plantation on Moonscar Island. Skeptical at first, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby follow Lena to the island hoping to find a real ghost instead of a villain in a costume. What they find is more than they expected in a spooky place that might as well be called “Zombie Island.”
I remember that I first heard about Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island probably about a month or so before it was released in September 1998. It was big news in the world of the American television animation industry and in home entertainment. I bought a copy for the elementary school age son of a close friend of mine, who was a huge Scooby-Doo fan, then. [He is now an adult in his late twenties (as of this writing), and I don't know if he still loves Scooby-Doo.]
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was billed as the first time that a Scooby-Doo cartoon would find Scooby and Shaggy and company facing real supernatural entities. The advertising for this straight-to-video (VHS) release declared, “This time, the monsters are real.” However, as early as a 1980 episode of the “Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo” animated TV series, the stories featured real aliens and a real vampire.
That aside, it is nice to see Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island pit the characters against real ghosts, real zombies, and other real supernatural creatures. My problem with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is that the writers open the movie with some nice character development, but by the time the characters reach Moonscar Island, the story devolves into Scooby and Shaggy running around and screaming or we get tedious scenes of Scooby chasing one or more of the cats that belong to Moonscar mansion's owner, Simone Lenoir (Adrienne Barbeau).
That animation is average to above average, with the best sequences being those with the zombies. The film's direction presents an inconsistent pace to go with the inconsistent story, so sometimes even a haunted mansion and a zombie island seem like boring places. Still, I am glad that I finally watched Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. I've been putting it off for at least two decades.
I will say that it is an important film because it launched the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series, of which I am a big fan. So Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a must see for fans of all things Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc.
6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Sunday, October 2, 2022
Review: Original "HOCUS POCUS" Still Casts a Friendly Spell
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some scary sequences, and for language
DIRECTOR: Kenny Ortega
WRITERS: Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert (from a story by Mick Garris and David Kirschner)
PRODUCERS: Steve Haft and David Kirschner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hiro Narita (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter E. Berger
COMPOSER: John Debney
FANTASY/COMEDY/FAMILY
Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Stephanie Faracy, Charles Rocket, Sean Murray, Amanda Shepherd, Larry Bagby III, Tobias Jelinek, Doug Jones, and Jason Marsden (voice) with Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall
Hocus Pocus is a 1993 fantasy, supernatural comedy, and Halloween film directed by Kenny Ortega. The film focuses on the new boy in town who ignores local Halloween legend and lore and unwittingly awakens a trio of scheming witches who were executed 300 years earlier.
Hocus Pocus opens on October 31, 1693 (All Hallow's Eve), in Salem, Massachusetts. A boy named Thackery Binx (Sean Murray) tries to save his little sister, Emily (Amanda Shepherd), from the schemes of Winifred “Winnie” Sanderson (Bette Midler) and her two sisters, Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy), who are all witches. Thackery fails to save Emily, whose life force is drained in order to make the witch sisters young again. The witches curse Thackery with eternal life and transform him into a black cat. However, the vengeful townsfolk capture the Sanderson sisters and hang them, but not before Winifred casts a curse. According to this curse, the Sanderson sisters will be resurrected during a full moon on All Hallows' Eve if a virgin lights the “Black Flame Candle” in their cottage. Thackery, now a black cat, decides to guard the cottage in order to keep anyone from bringing the witches back to life.
Three hundred years later, it is October 31, 1993 – Halloween. Teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) is the new kid in Salem, where he has moved from Los Angeles with his sister, Dani (Thora Birch), and their mother (Stephanie Faracy) and father (Charles Rocket). Max's parents force him to take Dani out trick-or-treating. One of the houses they visit is the home of Allison (Vinessa Shaw), Max's classmate at Jacob Bailey High School and a beautiful teen girl upon whom he has a crush.
Looking to do something different on Halloween, Max, Allison and Dani visit the former Sanderson cottage, which became a museum before it was shut down. There, Max, a virgin, lights the Black Flame Candle which, in turn, resurrects, Winnifred, Sarah, and Mary. Now, the three children join the still alive Thackery the black cat (voice of James Marsden), and William “Billy” Butcherson (Doug Jones) the zombie in a bid to stop the Sanderson sisters from sucking the souls out of all the children of Salem, which would give them eternal youth and immortality.
I remember that Walt Disney did mount a somewhat strong marketing campaign for Hocus Pocus upon it original release in 1993, but the film under-performed at the theatrical box office. [I won't describe it as a box office bomb, as some do.] In the 1990s, I worked at a video store and our VHS copy of Hocus Pocus was frequently rented, especially during Halloween. During the last decade and a half, Hocus Pocus has exploded in a popularity due to repeated shows on “The Disney Channel” and what is now known as “Freeform.” That popularity resulted in the production of a recently released sequel, Hocus Pocus 2 (via the “Disney+” streaming service). The arrival of the sequel was the impetus I needed to finally watch the original Hocus Pocus from beginning to end, which I had never done, although I had been putting it off literally for decades.
Having finally seen it, I really like it. Honestly, despite my best attempts, I can't find anything to dislike about it. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are a riot as the Sanderson sisters, even if Midler is a little too over the top … here and there. The sisters' costumes and the Halloween costumes worn by the townsfolk are impressive and imaginative, especially the sisters garb. The sets and art direction are visually perfect, creating a pop Gothic mood and playful macabre sensibility that are pitch-perfect for a family-oriented Halloween film.
The child actors: Omri Katz as Max, Thora Birch as Dani, and Vinessa Shaw as Allison are quite good, and Max ably carries the film. I do find the emphasis on Max's virginity to be a bit odd. Billy the zombie and Thackery the black cat are pitch perfect supporting characters for this film. Hocus Pocus is an impressive bit of directing on the part of Kenny Ortega and also smooth editing on the part of Peter E. Berger. Hocus Pocus never stops moving; it has a brisk and appealing pace that can make the viewer lose track of time. I certainly did.
I highly recommend Hocus Pocus for a family viewing night. It is not a masterpiece of American cinema, but it is simply as perfect and as effective as it can be. The critics who initially panned Hocus Pocus were sourpusses, and may still be sourpusses … dead or alive.
8 of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars
Sunday, October 2, 2022
The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, April 28, 2022
Review: Pixar's "LUCA" is a True Disney Instant Classic
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 of 2022 (No. 1838) by Leroy Douresseaux
Luca (2021)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence
DIRECTOR: Enrico Casarosa
WRITERS: Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones; from a story by Enrico Casarosa, Jesse Andrews, and Simon Stephenson
PRODUCER: Andrea Warren
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: David Juan Bianchi (D.o.P.) and Kim White (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Catherine Apple and Jason Hudak
COMPOSER: Dan Romer
Academy Award nominee
ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/DRAMA
Starring: (voices) Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Marco Barricelli, Jim Gaffigan, Peter Sohn, Lorenzo Crisci, Marina Massironi, Gino LaMoica, Sandy Martin, and Sacha Baron Cohen
Luca is a 2021 computer-animated, coming-of-age, fantasy film directed by Enrico Casarosa, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film focuses on a two sea monster boys disguised as humans and the human girl they befriend.
Luca opens sometime in the 1950s in and around the Italian Riviera. Below the surface of the waters of the Riviera live a group of sea monsters. Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay), a timid young sea monster, herds goatfish below the coast of the small Italian town of Portorosso. Luca is curious about the human world, but his parents, Daniela (Maya Rudolph) and Lorenzo Paguro (Jim Gaffigan), fear that the humans might hunt him for food. Thus, they forbid him from approaching the surface.
One day, Luca meets Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer), a fellow sea monster boy who lives alone above the surface on Isola del Mare. Alberto encourages Luca to venture out of the ocean, showing him that sea monsters turn into humans when their bodies become dry, but return to their true forms when they become wet. Alberto invites Luca to his hideout where the boys connect and dream about owning a Vespa (an Italian luxury brand of scooter) so that they can travel the world.
Venturing into Portorosso as humans, the boys discover that a local children's triathlon, the “Portorosso Cup,” is about to take place. They run afoul of Ercole Visconti (Saverio Raimondo), the local bully and five-time champion of the Portorosso Cup. They also meet a young girl named Giulia Marcovaldo (Emma Berman), the daughter of a fisherman, Massimo Marcovaldo (Marco Barricelli). Giulia has participated in the triathlon, but has never won. Hoping to win the money they need to buy a Vespa, Luca and Alberto form a team with Giulia. Through Giulia, Luca learns that there is so much more to the surface world, but his feelings for her threaten everything, including his plans with Alberto.
I could say that Luca is one of Pixar's most beautiful films, and I will, although that is redundant. Pixar's films always have beautiful visuals, and sometimes they are stunning and a wonder to behold. The film is drenched in the bright colors of the Italian Riviera and reinterprets them as if they were watercolor paintings.
Dear readers, perhaps you are familiar with the animated films of the Japanese master, Hayao Miyazaki. His films are a symphony of wondrous colors and stunning locales, and those films clearly have an influence on Luca on a number of levels, especially in terms of visuals and in the tone of the story. Luca's town of Portorosso may be named in honor of Miyazaki's 1992 animated film, Porco Rosso, which is also set in Italy.
I think the elements that really drive this film, its beauty aside, are the characters and voice performances. The characters are very well developed: their personalities, their goals, and fears. From Alberto's jealousy and fear of loss to Giulia's determination and open-mindedness, the viewer can believe in these characters. Luca is ostensibly a coming-of-age story focusing on Luca. His sense of adventure is overcome by his fear of trying new things, whether it is actually going to the surface world or going to school. In Luca, we see the film's themes of acceptance (accepting others, accepting help, and accepting oneself) and overcoming fear (especially the fear of change). Luca takes on a beautiful journey as we see the evolution of the title character, and as for the coming-of-age angle, this film feels like only the first chapter of Luca's coming of age.
The voice performances make the characters seem like real people. If there were an Oscar for voice performances, Jacob Tremblay as Luca would be worthy of being nominated. Every performance is winning, from major characters to bit players. I am crazy about the performances here.
Dan Romer's beautiful score highlights and accentuates the journey of change and evolution that is Luca, both the film and the character. Luca is one of Pixar's most convincing boy characters, which is quite a feat in a filmography full of wonderfully drawn characters. Speaking of drawn, the character design and art direction and production design are on par with Pixar's best.
I always thought that I would like Luca, and now that I have seen it, I am in love with it. For me, Luca is one of Pixar's best ever films, and it is one of 2021's very best films I recommend it without reservation; everyone should see it.
10 of 10
Thursday, April 28, 2022
NOTES:
2022 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film” (Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren)
2022 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film” (Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren)
2022 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture-Animated”
2022 Black Reel Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Voice Performance” (Maya Rudolph)
2022 Image Awards (NAACP): 1 nomination: “Outstanding Animated Motion Picture”
The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Friday, April 22, 2022
Review: Super Sonic VFX and Humor Drive "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2"
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 25 of 2022 (No. 1837) by Leroy Douresseaux
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – PG for action, some violence, rude humor, and mild language
DIRECTOR: Jeff Fowler
WRITERS: Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington; based on a story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller
PRODUCERS: Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Trost (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jim May
COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)
FANTASY/FAMILY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY
Starring: James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Lee Majdoub, Tom Butler; Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, and Jim Carrey
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 2022 action-adventure, fantasy and comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler. The film is based on the Japanese video game series and media franchise that was created and is owned by the Sega Corporation and which began with the 1991 Sega Genesis game, Sonic the Hedgehog. The film is also a direct sequel to the 2020 film, Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 pits the titular character and his archenemy in a race to obtain an all-powerful jewel.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opens several months after the events depicted in Sonic the Hedgehog. The mad scientist, Dr. Robotnik, also known as “Eggman” (Jim Carrey), is still trapped on the mushroom planet. As luck would have it, his schemes to escape the planet draw the attention of Knuckles the Echidna (voice of Idris Elba), an anthropomorphic red echidna (a spiny anteater) warrior who possesses superhuman strength.
Meanwhile, Robotnik and Knuckles mutual adversary, Sonic the Hedgehog (voice of Ben Schwartz), is living in Seattle as the superhero, “Blue Justice.” However, Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds, is not really good at being a superhero. Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter) adopted Sonic as their son, and Tom, as his father, advises Sonic to remain patient for the day his power will be needed. Then, he and Maddie leave for Hawaii for the wedding of Maddie's sister, Rachel (Natasha Rothwell).
That leaves Sonic home alone for some fun, and he is having fun until Robotnik and Knuckles arrive, with the latter immediately attacking him. Knuckles turns out to be a formidable fighter, and he also desires to honor his extinct tribe. To do so, he must find the legendary “Master Emerald,” an ancient relic that allows anyone who possesses it to bend reality to their will. Knuckles not only believes that the emerald is on Earth, but also that Sonic knows its secret location.
Sonic is rescued by Miles “Tails” Prower (voice of Colleen O'Shaughnessey), an anthropomorphic, two-tailed, yellow fox who idolizes Sonic and came to warn him about Knuckles. Tails can fly by spinning his tails like a helicopter's blades. Now, Sonic and Tails are on a race to keep Robotnik and Knuckles from locating the Master Emerald. But can Sonic keep his parents, Tom and Maddie, from getting involved, and is that the right thing to do?
I have not seen the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog, and I had no intentions of watching it. So, I also had no plans on seeing Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but then, my niece asked to me to take her to the theater to see it, as she did not want to wait for it to stream on Paramount+. Because she rarely asks me to take her to the movies and because she usually turns down my offers to take her when I'm going, I (reluctantly) agreed to see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with her.
I must say that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is much better than I thought it would be. I must be honest and admit that early in the movie, I dozed off several times – because I was tired and it had already been a long day. However, Sonic's second live-action film has many exciting scenes, and the special effects and CGI are really good. Sonic the Hedgehog may be a kids' movie, but the visual effects (VFX) are as a good as most big event, tent pole movies made for adults. Soon, I was into it, pretty much enthralled by the impressive VFX.
The character animation is top notch. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are obviously CGI and animated characters, but the character animation gives them personality and character. They don't look like stuffed animals with weird eyes that have come to life. The voice acting is quite good, with Colleen O'Shaughnessey making Tails see like a real hero-worshiping boy who finally meets his idol, and Idris Elba sounds all tough guy as Knuckles. Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life as a fully developed film character. Schwartz makes Sonic's doubts and dilemmas seem genuine, and Sonic's exuberance and Schwartz's voice performance shine through the narrative. Here, Sonic is more movie star than video game character.
As for Jim Carrey, he is what he usually is as an actor: the good, the bad, and ugly of a performer in constant over-the-top mode. The rest of the live-action cast makes the best of their roles with James Marsden and Tika Sumpter seeming like real parents in love with their alien child. Natasha Rothwell, as Maddie's sister, Rachel, is quite good at stealing scenes.
So after saying all that, it is obvious that I like Sonic the Hedgehog 2. But will I see the first film...?
6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars
Friday, April 22, 2022
The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Saturday, April 9, 2022
Review: "SING 2" is Full of Feel-Good Magic
Sing 2 (2021)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPA – PG for some rude material and mild peril/violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Garth Jennings
PRODUCERS: Janet Healy and Chris Meledandri
EDITOR: Gregory Perler
COMPOSER: Joby Talbot
ANIMATION/FANTASY/MUSICAL AND FAMILY/COMEDY
Starring: (voices) Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Jennifer Saunders, Garth Jennings, Chelsea Peretti, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Offerman, Adam Buxton, Eric Andre, Halsey, Letitia Wright, Bono, Pharrell Williams, Julia Davis, Peter Serafinowicz, and Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze
Sing 2 is a 2021 computer-animated, jukebox musical comedy film written and directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Illumination Entertainment. It is a sequel to the 2016 animated film, Sing. In Sing 2, the Moon Theater crew must persuade a media mogul and a reclusive rock star to believe in their new show.
Sing 2 opens some time after the events depicted in Sing. Buster Moon the koala (Matthew McConaughey) and the rebuilt “Moon Theater” are thriving. His latest goal is to impress Suki (Chelsea Peretti), a talent scout from Crystal Entertainment in Redshore City, but Suki is definitely not impressed with the stars of the theater. So Buster leads his troupe: Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), a housewife and mother of 25 piglets; Gunter (Nick Kroll), the exuberant pig performer who wants to dance as much as he wants to sing; Ash (Scarlett Johansson), the punk-rock porcupine and singer; Johnny (Taron Egerton), the teenage gorilla singer, and Meena (Tori Kelly), the shy teenage elephant singer, to their destiny in Redshore.
Once there, they infiltrate Crystal Tower Theater in order to get an audience with Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale), a white wolf and media mogul, but Crystal brushes them off. Desperate, Buster starts making promises to Crystal. The first is that he and his troupe can stage a massive space-themed musical, “Out of This World.” Secondly, Buster says that he can get reclusive rock legend, Clay Calloway (Bono), to be part of his show.
The problem is that Calloway has not been seen in over fifteen years since his wife died. Buster sends his secretary, Miss Crawly (Garth Jennings), to find him. After Miss Crawly fails spectacularly, Buster's show is in trouble and his life is on the line with Jimmy Crystal. Is there anyway or anyone that can save “Out of This World?”
I recently watched the original film, Sing, for the first time. I found that all the obstacles that Buster and his troupe face in the original were all over the place and overkill, and I did not think that Matthew McConaughey's voice performance amounted to much. McConaughey is better in Sing 2, but not great. The conflict and obstacles that Buster and the Moon Theater troupe face are singularly focused or directly related to putting on their sci-fi show, “Out of This World.”
In Sing 2, I find the returning characters to be likable or more likable, perhaps, because I am now more familiar with then. There are also some excellent new characters. I hope Letitia Wright's Nooshy, a lynx and a street dancer who teaches Johnny to dance, returns if there is another film in the series. Porsha Crystal (Halsey), Jimmy's daughter, actually grows as a character in the film. Bobby Cannavale has a fine old time with his performance as Jimmy Crystal, and noted film director, Spike Jonze, is excellent as Jerry the cat, Jimmy's loyal and groveling assistant. As Clay Calloway, Bono (of the legendary rock band, U2) doesn't sound like Bono, and his performance is mostly flat.
The film's big musical finale, the actual performance of “Out of This World,” is sweet and lovely, although it is a little over the top. It is an excellent show-stopper, and serves as a nice send off for Buster Moon and his troupe – on to better things. I hope that there is a third film in the series. Watching the endearing Sing 2 reminded me of why I really love watching animated films, especially computer-animated films. They are the warm cup of cocoa in my life as a movie lover.
7 of 10
A-
Saturday, April 9, 2022
NOTES:
2022 Image Awards (NAACP): 1 win: “Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance-Motion Picture” (Letitia Wright); 2 nominations: “Outstanding Animated Motion Picture” (Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance-Motion Picture” (Eric André)
The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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