TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Family

Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Review: "THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP" is a Pure "Looney Tunes" Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 of 2025 (No. 2042) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025) – animated

Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)

Rated: MPA – PG for cartoon violence/action and rude/suggestive humor

DIRECTOR: Pete Browngardt

WRITERS: Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan, and Eddie Trigueros

PRODUCERS: Michael Baum (line); Alex Kirwan (supervising)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Sam Register and Pete Browngardt

EDITOR: Nick Simotas

COMPOSER: Joshua Moshier

ANIMATION/SCI-FI and COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Carlos Alazraqui, Kimberly Brooks, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

-- Fans of traditional, hand-drawn animation and fans of the “Looney Tunes” will want to give “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” a try for the simple fact that it is a traditional, hand-drawn, Looney Tunes animated film

-- However, it is good, not great, but it goes down like nostalgia-infused hot cocoa.

-- Eric Bauza's voice performances as both Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are so pitch perfect that I would swear that Looney Tunes voice legend, Mel Blanc, had performed the roles

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a 2025 American animated science fiction comedy from director Peter Browngardt. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, the film stars two classic “Looney Tunes” characters, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. In The Day the Earth Blew Up, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig try to save the Earth from an alien invasion involving a creepy new flavor of chewing gum.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie opens in the town of Grandview. There, The Scientist (Fred Tatasciore) discovers an asteroid heading towards Earth, and then, he discovers a UFO hurtling alongside the asteroid. When the UFO crashes onto Earth, The Scientist goes to investigate the crash site, where he vanishes.

The story moves to Daffy Duck (Eric Bauza) and Porky Pig (Eric Bauza), and the story of how they were raised by Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore). When Daffy and Porky become adults, Farmer Jim leaves everything to the duo under the promise that they would learn the power of responsibility through relying on each other. Now, however, Daffy and Porky are in danger of losing the home Farmer Jim left them because they fail a city home inspection.

In need of cash for home repairs, the duo gets a job at the “Goodie Gum” factory, where they meet Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), a Goodie Gum scientist who is trying to develop the perfect chewing gum flavor. Porky falls in love with Petunia, while Daffy keeps causing disasters. That is all interrupted when the trio discovers that their is an alien conspiracy, initiated by “The Invader” (Peter MacNicol), and assisted by The Scientist, who is now possessed. The Invader seemingly wants to control the world, using the launch of Goodie Gum's new flavor, “Super Strongberry.” Are Daffy, Porky, and their new pal, Petunia, up to the challenge of saving the Earth from being... blown up?

There have been Looney Tunes films for several decades. Those include The Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Daffy Ducks Quackbusters (1988), and the live-action animation hybrid, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). However, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is the first fully animated and theatrically released Looney Tunes film that consists of entirely original material. I hope that it is not the last, but The Day the Earth Blew Up isn't a great film.

Don't get me wrong. It is entertaining, visually inventive, full of clever sight gags, and energetic. The voice performances are exceptional, and Canadian voice actor, Eric Bauza, matches the sound and spirit of classic Looney Tunes voice actor, the late Mel Blanc (1908-89). Two of Bauza's three Emmy Award wins are for his Looney Tunes work, and he should win some awards for his work in this film.

The Day the Earth Blew Up is charming and also respectful of its Warner Bros. animation roots and cartoon legacy. For all its energy (mostly in the second half) and novel story elements, this film feels a bit too long. Too much of the movie feels forced, and I get why Warner Bros. Pictures passed on distributing this movie itself. The Day the Earth Blew Up is niche entertainment, and its limited box office appeal probably wasn't worth the time and costs of distributing it theatrically.

Luckily, Ketchup Entertainment didn't feel that way, and it gave this film a theatrical release, both domestically and internationally. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie deserved that, because despite my reservations, I believe it can start something. Maybe, Looney Tunes can again be a really big thing with the youngest generations the way it once was with the oldest generations.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

"THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP" is available on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon.

---------------------

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Review: "DAFFY DUCK'S QUACKBUSTERS" Mixes Old and New Quite Well

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 250 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988) – animated

Running time: 78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes)

MPAA – PG

DIRECTORS: Greg Ford and Terry Lennon with Friz Freleng; Chuck Jones; Robert McKimson; and Maurice Noble

WRITERS: Greg Ford and Terry Lennon (story) with John W. Dunn; Michael Maltese; and Tedd Pierce

PRODUCER: Steven S. Greene

EDITORS: Treg Brown; Jim Champin

ANIMATION/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voice) Mel Blanc, Julie Bennett, Roy Firestone, June Foray, Ben Frommer, B.J. Ward, and Mel Tormé

Daffy Duck's Quackbusters is a 1988 animated compilation film directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon. The film is comprised of classic Warner Bros. Cartoons animated shorts with animated bridging sequences and other new material. It was released to theaters in September 1988 and was released on VHS in July 1989, which is how I saw it.

This film was the final theatrical production in which the primary “Looney Tunes” voice actor, Mel Blanc, provided the voices of the various Looney Tunes characters before his death in July 1989. Daffy Duck's Quackbusters focuses on Daffy Duck who opens a detective agency for the supernatural with the help of his Looney Tunes buddies in a bid to deal with meddlesome ghosts.

Daffy Duck's Quackbusters is preceded by Night of the Living Duck, a 1988 Daffy Duck animated theatrical short. It works as a kind of appetizer for what comes next. Then, comes Daffy Dilly, a 1948 Chuck Jones cartoon in which Daffy Duck (Mel Blanc) tries to earn a rich reward by making ailing millionaire J.B. Cubish (Mel Blanc), who hasn’t laughed in ages, laugh one more time. This short is the jump-off point for Quackbusters' story, as it ends and new animation footage and the film’s main plot and narrative begin.

The plot concerns Daffy who has inherited the bulk of J.B. Cubish’s fortune, but Cubish’s will stipulates that Daffy must use the money to further business and enterprise and also for goodwill. Daffy brushes off the stipulation, but he soon discovers that Cubish’s spirit/ghost/poltergeist can reach beyond death and take his millions with him to the next world. Every time Daffy lies, cheats, or acts like a jerk to someone, cue the lightening and magic and Daffy’s inherited millions start to disappear as wads of cash fade away.

Enraged, Daffy forms a ghost-busting agency, “Ghouls ‘R’ Us,” a group of “paranormalists” who fight meddlesome ghosts (like Cubish), as well as monsters, aliens, and other weird creatures. The agency is really a front for Daffy, behind which he can hide and pretend to do good. He convinces Bugs Bunny (Mel Blanc) and Porky Pig (Mel Blanc), as well as Porky's pet, Sylvester the Cat (Mel Blanc), to join the agency. Daffy sends them out ghost and monster hunting, but in the end, as with all his machinations, Daffy is destined to fail.

I have been anticipating the new animated film, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024), which just went into wide theatrical release in the United States. With that in mind, I decided to re-edit my review of Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters. This film falls into the tradition of such Warner Bros. Looney Tunes films as Daffy Duck’s Fantastic Island (1983) and The Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981). Quackbusters is a kind of “clip show” movie in which the filmmakers combine new, original animated film footage with footage from classic “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” cartoons – also called a “compilation film.”

Writer-directors Greg Ford and Terry Lennon and their fellow filmmakers seamlessly weave classic cartoons with new animation. In fact, one has to look carefully to see where the Ford/Lennon-directed animation ends and old cartoons by famed Looney Tune/Merrie Melodies directors begin and then move back to Ford and Lennon’s work. In fact, only 40 percent of this film is classic animation from the 40s and 50s. These include The Abominable Snow Rabbit (1961) with Bugs and Daffy; Hyde & Go Tweet (1960) with Sylvester and Tweety; The Prize Pest (1951) with Porky and Daffy; Punch Trunk (1953); Scaredy Cat (1948); and its 1954 remake, Claws for Alarm (1954), both with Porky and Sylvester; and Transylvania 6-5000 (1963) with Bugs.

The other 60 percent is made of brand new animation and two of Ford and Lennon’s late 80’s animated shorts. That includes The Duxorcist, which, when it appeared in 1987, was the first Warner Bros. animated theatrical short in 20 years, and also the aforementioned Night of the Living Duck. The new animation and narrative is so well done and incorporated with the older material that Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters is the best of the clip show movies. In fact, the new animation, while not nearly as good as the “Golden Age” Warner material, only looks a little off in a few minor instances.

Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters is not great, but is certainly good. It is fun, kid’s stuff that is as surprisingly entertaining as it is well put together and designed. I think Looney Tunes fans, in moments of nostalgia, will like this, so it is too bad that Warner has not tried this again (as of this writing).

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Re-edited: Thursday, March 13, 2025

------------------------

Thursday, January 2, 2025

Review: Skadoosh! "KUNG FU PANDA 3" Finds Itself in the End

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2025 (No. 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)

MPAA – PG for martial arts action and some mild rude humor

DIRECTORS: Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni

WRITERS: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

PRODUCER: Melissa Cobb

EDITOR: Clare Knight

COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer

ANIMATION/MARTIAL ARTS/COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: (voices) Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, J.K. Simmons, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Kate Hudson, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, and Jackie Chan

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a computer-animated, martial arts and comic-fantasy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the third entry in the Kung Fu Panda film series. In Kung Fu Panda 3, Po must finally discover if he is really the legendary Dragon Warrior when faced with a threat to everything dear to him.

Kung Fu Panda 3 opens in the Spirit Realm. There, Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) fights General Kai (J.K. Simmons), his former friend, who has attacked him. Kai is a yak and spirit warrior who has defeated all the other deceased kung fu masters and has also stolen their vital energy or “chi” (here, personified at a flat jade stone). Kai steals Oogway's chi, but Oogway warns Kai that someone is destined to stop him. Kai returns to the Mortal Realm where he plans to destroy Oogway's legacy.

Meanwhile, in the Valley of Peace, Po (Jack Black), the giant panda, is living his best life as the legendary “Dragon Warrior.” Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) surprisingly announces that he is retiring from teaching and names Po as his successor. Although he does not believe that he can replace his master, Po finds that he is suddenly supposed to teach his friends and fellow kung fu masters, the legendary Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Monkey (Jackie Chan).

Another surprise comes with the arrival of Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), a giant panda who turns out to be Po's father, which upsets Mr. Ping (James Hong), the Chinese goose who is Po's adoptive father. The excitement is tempered by the fact that Kai has begun his assault, but Po and company learn that Kai can only be defeated by a true master of chi. Po and Ping follow Li to the secret panda village where Li claims he can teach Po to master Chi. Now, Po must learn who he really is? Is he truly the Dragon Warrior and does he know himself enough to reach the Dragon Warrior's legendary destiny?

Like Kung Fu Panda (2008) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Kung Fu Panda 3 does have some really nice fight scenes. I had avoided it until I realized that I really wanted to see Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024), which meant I had to see the third film first. The film has the requisite visual splendor of dazzling colors, impressive production design, and superb character animation, However, this third part in the series is more about growth and development and about the transformation and inner journey of a character that is also known as the “character arc.”

Kung Fu Panda 3 is about Po finding out who he is and also about him learning to embrace what he can do – his destiny. He is meant to be the Dragon Warrior, he simply needs to believe it and also to understand that he cannot do it alone. Along the way, Kung Fu Pa 3 embraces the idea of families – traditional and blended. This film also has plenty of playful new characters (Kate Hudson's Mei Mei, the ribbon dancing panda) and rascally young'uns characters that are meant to engage younger audience members.

Kung Fu Panda 3 does meander quite a bit during its first act and also during quite a bit of its second or middle act. However, the film embraces it story of characters discovering that they are more than they know and that they can have more than one role in the lives of the people they love. This film has a scary villain in J.K. Simmons' General Kai, but he is just a side piece in the arc of Po's struggle. Kung Fu Panda 3 is really about the most difficult and consequential part of Po's journey – the journey into himself. Skadoosh!

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, January 2, 2024

-----------------------

------------------------

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Review: "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3" Finds Jim Carrey Going Super-Sonic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 59 of 2024 (No. 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)

MPA – PG for action, some violence, rude humor, thematic elements and mild language.

DIRECTOR: Jeff Fowler

WRITERS: Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington; based on a story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller (based on the Sega video game)

PRODUCERS: Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Trost (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Al LeVine

COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)

FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring: Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, and Tom Butler; (voices) Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Jim Carrey makes “Sonic and the Hedgehog 3” the best film of the series by making it his personal showcase. He gives this film dramatic and comedic depth that I was not expecting; he gifts it the best of him.

This is still a Sonic the Hedgehog film, and once again voice actor Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life in a way that makes him feel like a real-life character instead of being nothing more than one more special effect.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is dynamic and engaging in a way that makes it a family film which can impress adults as much as it entertains the kids.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 2024 action-adventure, fantasy and comedy film from director Jeff Fowler. The film is based on the Sega Corporation's video game series and media franchise which began with the 1991 “Sega Genesis” game, Sonic the Hedgehog. The film is also the third entry in Sonic the Hedgehog film series. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finds Sonic and his family taking on two powerful new adversaries, including one with a shocking connection to an old enemy.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finds Sonic the Hedgehog (voice of Ben Schwartz) celebrating the anniversary of his arrival on Earth with his adopted parents, Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter). Also celebrating are the two newest members of the family, Knuckles the Echidna (voice of Idris Elba) and Miles “Tails” Prower (voice of Colleen O'Shaughnessey). Together, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails form “Team Sonic.”

However, while Sonic and family are celebrating, they don't know that trouble is brewing. In Tokyo Bay is a secret prison run by the “Guardian Units of Nations” (G.U.N.), the military of Earth's government. For decades, they have been holding an alien prisoner. He is Shadow the Hedgehog (voice of Keanu Reeves), an anthropomorphic hedgehog like Sonic.

Now, Shadow has joined forces with the man who freed him, a mysterious scientist who has been stealing tech from Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), Sonic's enemy. That forces Robotnik to unite with “Team Sonic” in order to stop Shadow and his mysterious benefactor's mission of revenge against the Earth and mankind. But can Sonic and his family really trust Robotnik?

Back in 2022, I saw Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because my niece asked to me to take her to the theater to see it. A few days ago, I saw the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), for the first time (via Prime Video). It got me in the mood for the new film, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, because, once again, my niece wanted me to take her to the theater to see it.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the best of the series mainly because Jim Carrey, in a dual role, gives one of his best performances in recent years. In the first two films, Carrey relied on his familiar over-the-top shtick and shenanigans. In this new film, Carrey unleashes the breath and length of his talent as a performer and actor. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Carrey is peak 1990s Carrey, and if this were not a Sonic the Hedgehog movie, he would be getting movie awards season notice for his performance in this film. And this film is all the better for what Carrey does.

Once again, voice performer Colleen O'Shaughnessey makes Tails seem like both an innocent kid and a veteran tech expert. In the second film, Idris Elba used his voice acting skills to make Knuckles a tough guy, but here, he gets a chance to brings some gravitas to the character. As usual, Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life as a fully developed film character and makes Sonic's doubts and dilemmas seem genuine. Schwartz delivers exuberance and drama in his voice performance as Sonic.

Director Jeff Fowler shows that he can play in the big leagues of giant, event action films after directing the bouncy and pleasant first two films. Fowler and his cohorts take the Sonic film franchise from a special effects fun fest to an action-adventure movie with more on the line than eye-popping visual effects (VFX), although there is plenty of that.

So after saying all that, it is obvious that I like Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It is not perfect, and this film is obviously not for certain audiences. It's not really for me, but still, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 manages to surprise and entertain me. And my niece was crazy about it.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

---------------------------

----------------------------

Friday, December 20, 2024

Review: Humor Makes First "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG" Film Pleasingly Pleasant

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 58 of 2024 (No. 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)

MPA – PG for action, some violence, rude humor and brief mild language

DIRECTOR: Jeff Fowler

WRITERS: Pat Casey & Josh Miller (based on the Sega video game)

PRODUCERS: Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara, and Takeshi Ito

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Debra Neil-Fisher and Stacy Schroeder

COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)

FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring: James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, Neal McDonough, Tom Butler, Frank C. Turner, Melody Niemann, and Jim Carrey; and (voices) Ben Schwartz and Donna Jay Fulks

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 action-adventure, fantasy and comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler. The film is based on the Sega Corporation video game series and media franchise that began with the 1991 Sega Genesis game, Sonic the Hedgehog. In Sonic the Hedgehog the movie, Sonic takes refuge on Earth, but when his speed accidentally knocks out power in part of the United States, he draws the attention of a mad scientist.

Sonic the Hedgehog introduces Sonic (voice of Ben Schwartz). He is an anthropomorphic (which means he is an animal that can walk and talk like a human), blue hedgehog who has the ability to move at superhuman speed. Ten years earlier, Sonic fled to Earth to escape his enemies with the aid of a golden ring that opened a portal to Earth. He carried a bag of more such rings with him to Earth.

Currently, Sonic lives an enjoyable secret life in a cavern under the rural town of Green Hills, Montana. He zooms around the area, and has become something of a local legend, “the blue devil.” He longs to make friends and spies on local sheriff, Thomas Michael “Tom” Wachowski (James Marsden), whom Sonic calls the “Donut Lord,” and Tom's wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter), whom Sonic calls “Pretzel Lady.” What Sonic does not know is that Tom and Maddie are planning to relocate to San Francisco.

It is Sonic's loneliness which leads him to initiating an accident that causes a massive power outage across the Pacific Northwest. Determined to discover the origin of this power outage, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff reluctantly enlists the services of eccentric roboticist and scientific genius, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Now, Sonic is forced to seek help from Tom Wachowski, but can this thrown-together duo escape the clutches of Robotnik and his drone army?

I had no intention of watching Sonic the Hedgehog from the first time I heard about the movie's production back in the 20-teens. I also had no plans on seeing its 2022 sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but when it was first released, 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 accompany me when I'm going, I (reluctantly) agreed to see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with her.

Well, the third film, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, has been released, and my niece wants me to take her to see that one, too. I found Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to be much better than I thought it would be, and I was able to follow it without having seen the first film. However, I decided that it was past time to see the original, and I was able to because it is available via my Amazon Prime Video subscription.

I must say that I found the first film pleasingly pleasant. Sonic the Hedgehog's visual effects (VFX) and humor drive the film's narrative and makes even the most raucous action and chases scenes sometimes breathtaking, sometimes funny, and sometimes both. I think the film's director, Jeff Fowler, and his film editors get the most humor and energy that they can out of a lightweight script. The result is an lighthearted and entertaining family film.

Voice actor Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life as a fully developed film character. Schwartz makes Sonic's doubts and dilemmas seem genuine, and his exuberant voice performances makes Sonic one of the most lovable CGI movie characters in recent memory.

The second standout performance comes from Jim Carrey. With Carrey, audiences get the good, the bad, and ugly of the actor and former stand-up comedian's constant over-the-top mode. However, in Sonic the Hedgehog, he gives a delightful comic performance. His Robotnik is not so much over-the-top as he is the wackiest of wacky mad scientist; then, Carrey bumps that up a notch. Carrey would actually steal this movie if Ben Schwartz was not pitch perfect as Sonic.

So it turns out that I like Sonic the Hedgehog as much as I liked Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I highly recommend Sonic the Hedgehog for those looking for something that would be quite a treat for family movie night.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, December 20, 2024

---------------------------

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Review: Disney's "MOANA 2" Sails Towards New Horizons

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 of 2024 (No. 1999) by Leroy Douresseaux

Moana 2 (2024)

Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40)

MPA – PG for action/peril

DIRECTORS: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller

WRITERS: Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller; Jared Bush & Dana Ledoux Miller and Bek Smith

PRODUCERS: Christina Chen and Yvette Merino

EDITORS: Michael Louis Hill and Jeremy Milton

ORIGINAL SONGS: Opetaia Foa'il, Mark Mancina, Abigail Barlow, and Emily Bear

COMPOSER: Mark Mancina

ANIMATION/FANTASY/MUSICAL and FAMILY/DRAMA

Starring: (voices) Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualalai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Amhimai Fraser, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Gerald Ramsey, and Alan Tudyk

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

Moana 2 is not as inspired as the original film, but this sequel charts its own path towards adventure

The title character, Moana, is still a hero who takes her friends and the audience on the greatest of adventures, and that is more than enough reason for fans of the original film to come back for more in Moana 2

Moana 2 is a 2024 American computer-animated, fantasy-adventure, and musical film directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. It is produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios – the 63rd full-length animated feature film produced by that studio, and it is a Walt Disney Pictures release. The film is a direct sequel to the 2016 animated feature, Moana. Moana 2 finds Moana and Maui on a journey to find a lost island that could reunite the people of the ocean.

Moana 2 opens three years after the adventures Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) had with the demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and the island goddess of Te Fiti (as seen in Moana). Moana is now officially her people's “wayfinder.” She has spent the time since then exploring the islands near her home island of Motunui in the hope that she will find other people connected to the ocean.

During a celebration, Moana has a vision of her wayfinding ancestor, Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey). He reveals why none of those peoples are connected anymore. A long time ago, the malicious storm god, Nalo, wanted power over the mortals. To gain that power, Nalo sunk a legendary island called “Motufetu,” the island which connected all islands and the people of the sea, down to the depths of the ocean. Tautai also warns Moana that the people of Motunui will go extinct in the future if Moana cannot find a way to raise Motufetu.

Moana assembles a wayfinding crew of people from Motunui: the clever craftswoman, Loto (Rose Matafeo); the tribal historian and Maui fanboy, Moni (Haulalai Chung); and a grumpy elderly farmer, Keke (David Fane), alongside her pet pig, Pua, and pet rooster, Heihei. They set off in a boat designed and built by Loto, to follow the path of a meteor that Tautai says will blaze a trail across the ocean towards Motufetu. But first, Moana and her crew must find Maui, who just so happens is being held prisoner by the forces aligned against Moana's quest.

I wrote this in my recent review of the first film, Moana: I always struggle with writing reviews of modern Disney computer-animated feature films. The animation is always superb. The character design is consistently imaginative and inventive, and the character animation – regardless of whether the characters are human, animals, creatures of fantasy, or machines – is flawless. The production design, art direction, set decoration, and graphic design are so good that just about every Disney animated movie gets its own art book – deservedly so.

Well, I don't have to struggle with my review of Moana 2 because it looks just as good as the first film. While the tattoos on Maui's body are still good, they don't get as much screen time as they did in the original film, so they can't steal the show. Instead, Moana has a little sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert Tsuda), who does that in several scenes set on Motunui.

Moana 2 is very entertaining, but it is not quite as good as the original film. Because we know many of the characters, especially Moana and Maui, there is not the same joy of discovery. The call to adventure is not as complicated in Moana 2 as it was the first time. It is pretty straightforward here: find Motufetu. And the big showdown in Moana 2 is not quite the showdown the first film offered. Moana 2 simply lacks the inspiration of Moana.

That said, Moana 2 offers stunning imagery that overrides the moments when the story drags or goes adrift, and the film moves towards new horizons for the franchise. Moana, once again superbly given voice by actress Auli'i Cravalho, and Maui, once again made cool by Dwayne Johnson's voice performance, are still great characters. And they go on the best adventures.

Moana 2 is the kind of big, colorful, soaring animated adventure that we expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is not perfect, but it is the kind of film that keeps me loving the world's longest-running animation studio. Fans of Moana and of Disney Animation will not want to miss Moana 2.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, December 7, 2024

-----------------------------------

------------------------------------

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Review: "HAUNTED MANSION" is Surprisingly Charming and Delightfully Scary

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 of 2024 (No. 1979) by Leroy Douresseaux

Haunted Mansion (2023)

Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes

MPA – PG-13 for some thematic action and scary action

DIRECTOR: Justin Simien

WRITER: Katie Dippold

PRODUCERS: Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin

CINEMATOGRAHER: Jeffrey Waldron (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Phillip J. Bartell

COMPOSER: Kris Bowers

COMEDY/FAMILY/FANTASY/HORROR

Starring: LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Chase Dillon, J.R. Adduci, Charity Jordan, Hasan Minhaj, Daniel Levy, and Jared Leto (voice) with Winona Ryder

Haunted Mansion is a 2023 American supernatural horror-comedy and family film from director Justin Simien. Released by Walt Disney Pictures, the film is loosely based on the Disney theme park attraction, “The Haunted Mansion,” which first opened at Disneyland in 1969. Haunted Mansion the movie focuses on a single mom and a group of peculiar locals who attempt to exorcise her new home, an old mansion, of its troublesome ghosts.

Haunted Mansion opens in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield) is an astrophysicist developing a camera to detect dark matter. He marries Alyssa (Charity Jordan), a tour guide for the city's famously haunted places. Tragedy strikes, and Ben gives up his career and continues to operate Alyssa's tour despite the face that he does not believe in ghosts and the supernatural.

Meanwhile, Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), a doctor from New York, and her young son, Travis (Chase Dillon), move to the formerly lavish, but now rundown mansion, Gracey Manor. Her plan is to transform the abandoned place into a bed and breakfast, but she and Travis soon discover that the place is infested by so many ghosts that they can't count them all.

Father Kent (Owen Wilson), a local Catholic priest who claims to be an exorcist, is helping Gabbie with the hauntings. He hires Ben to photograph Gracey Manor's ghosts because Ben has a “dark matter” camera that may be able to photograph ghosts. Kent also calls in Harriet (Tiffany Haddish), a psychic with genuine abilities, and Bruce (Danny DeVito), a college historian and professor who has written a book on Gracey Manor, as additional help.

However, the ghosts of Gracey Manor immediately attach themselves to anyone who enters the mansion. Those same ghosts are apparently afraid of an alpha ghost who is seeking one more ghost to add to his menagerie, an act that would give him ultimate power. Can a singe mother, her son, a grieving tour guide with a ghost camera, an eccentric psychic, an odd priest, a cantankerous historian, and Madame Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis), the ghostly psychic trapped in a huge crystal ball, exercise the horrible evil that haunts Gracey Mansion? Or will one of them have to make the ultimate sacrifice?

I have to admit that last summer, as I watched the advertisements for Haunted Mansion, I could never convince myself that it was a must-see film. I did plan to see it... eventually because I had seen the previous take on the Disney ride, the Eddie Murphy-vehicle, The Haunted Mansion (2003). Also, I have had my eye on Justin Simien, the director of Haunted Mansion, since I saw his 2014 film, Dear White People. But I thought I could wait, and so I did.

Recently, I finally did see Haunted Mansion, and I am surprised by how much I like it. It is sweet and charming, and it is one of those perfect scary family movies. I love it. July 28, 2024 was the one-year anniversary of Haunted Mansion original theatrical release, and the film was a huge box office disappointment. The mistake was Disney releasing the film against 2023's box office behemoths, Barbie and Oppenheimer, which were still at the height of their box office powers in the last weekend of July 2023.

Haunted Mansion should have been a late September to early October 2023 theatrical release. This film is perfect Halloween, from its kooky cast of characters to the literal 1001 ghosts with stories. I think Tiffany Haddish gets the most eccentric mileage out of her character, the psychic Harriet. Although, LaKeith Stanfield can be a bit stiff at times, the way he plays Ben Matthias brings some center and balance to the wackiness and supernatural craziness.

Jamie Lee Curtis shines in her small role as the ghostly psychic, Madame Leota, and Owen Wilson as Father Kent and Danny DeVito as Bruce are pitch perfect. Rosario Dawson and Chase Dillon are perfectly “Disney normal” as the mother and son combo of Gabbie and Travis.

Writer Katie Dippold's screenplay, Justin Simien's direction, and the rest of the film's creative crew deliver a haunted house film that is as lavish in its production values as it is rich in chills and thrills. The cast fills that haunted house with the consummate scary movie characters. The Haunted Mansion 2003 was a bit of a box office disappointment, but it has gone on to become a Disney television Halloween favorite. Given time, Haunted Mansion 2023 will also become a beloved Disney Halloween trick-or-treat.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

----------------------------

Sunday, August 11, 2024

Review: "THE HAUNTED MANSION" 2003 is Perfect for a Family Fright Night

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)

MPAA – PG for frightening images, thematic elements and language

DIRECTOR: Rob Minkoff

WRITER: David Berenbaum

PRODUCERS: Don Hahn and Andrew Gunn

CINEMATOGRAHER: Remi Adefarasin (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Priscilla Nedd-Friendly

COMPOSER: Mark Mancina

COMEDY/FAMILY/FANTASY/HORROR

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly, Wallace Shawn, Dina Waters, Marc John Jefferies, and Aree Davis

The Haunted Mansion is a 2003 American supernatural horror-comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Eddie Murphy. Released by Walt Disney Pictures, the film is loosely based on the Disney theme park attraction, “The Haunted Mansion,” which first opened at Disneyland in 1969 and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in 1971. The Haunted Mansion the movie focuses on a realtor and his family who are summoned to a haunted mansion where they must learn lessons about the importance of family if they want to escape.

In the film, The Haunted Mansion, Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is a workaholic real estate agent. He is allegedly part of a team, Evers & Evers, with his wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason, the British actress who played Martin Lawrence’s love interest in Black Knight). However, you’d hardly know that they are a team because Jim spends so much time away from Sara and their children. And since Sara (as many movie wives do) complains that he spends too much time away from the family, Jim decides to take the family on a trip to a lake.

Sara, however, gets an invitation to visit Gracey Manor, a foreboding manor locked behind a huge iron gate and nestled in a jungle of sinister vegetation. If that wasn’t enough to say “haunted house,” the mansion has a rather spacious scenic graveyard on the property. Sara alone had been invited, but Jim insists that they make the visit to Gracey as part of their vacation stop, so their children, sassy girl Megan (Aree Davis), and the seemingly perpetually terrified Michael (Marc John Jefferies) go along.

At the mansion, the imposing butler Ramsley (Terence Stamp), an emaciated and cadaverous figure with an obvious air of menace about him, greets the Evers. They meet the mansion’s owner, Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), a deeply troubled man who claims to be the original owner’s heir. Gracey is apparently obsessed with Sara, and gradually Jim, Michael and Megan start to figure out the dreadful truth, but is it in time to save the family? Will it take a band of ghosts to teach Jim Evers a lesson about the importance of family?

This premise for the film The Haunted Mansion, based upon a Disney World theme park ride, actually works, for the most part. Director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little) displays a deft touch in keeping the film both suspenseful and funny, and he expertly juggles live action so that the special effects seamlessly fit rather than seeming to have been thrown in. Mansion is also a lot funnier than the ads for the film imply; in fact, most of the ads come across as being out of context. This movie is pure fluff, but it’s done quite well, so someone in Disney marketing should get a reprimand.

I loved the costumes, and especially the art direction (Beat Frutiger and Tomas Voth) and set decoration (Rosemary Brandenburg). The house and graveyard recall Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing, a whole host of Hammer films, as well as Abbot & Costello and four decades of Scooby-Doo cartoons. What a delightful mix! As usual, Rick Baker does stellar makeup effects work in bringing corpses to life; this man is a national treasure.

The acting is good, and Murphy gives one of his better performances as a star of family-friendly movies. Usually, his acting seems out of place and kind of awkward in films like Daddy Day Care (where he was good), but here his fit is natural and he seems inspired.

There is a peculiar racial subtext to this film that the storytellers attempt to conceal, but it will be obvious to most adults. Maybe that would have made this story richer; as it is, it gives a dark edge to the inspired fluff. Still, The Haunted Mansion is fine the way it is. The characters have a lot with which to deal, and the resolution makes sense even if the execution of the ending stumbles a bit. It’s a fine family film. It has that Disney flavor that suggests Disney films from the 1950’s and 60’s, so I think The Haunted Mansion could become a Disney Halloween stable.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Edited: Saturday, July 27, 2024

----------------------------------

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Review: "DESPICABLE ME 2" Will Make Kids Happy, Happy, Happy...

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2024 (No. 1971) by Leroy Douresseaux

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)

MPAA – PG for rude humor and mild action

DIRECTORS: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud

WRITERS: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul

PRODUCERS: Janet Healy and Chris Meledandri

EDITOR: Gregory Perler

COMPOSERS: Heitor Pereira (score) and Pharrell Williams (songs)

Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/FANTASY and ACTION/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voice) Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher Russell Brand, Benjamin Bratt, Moises Arias, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Pierre Coffin, and Chris Renaud

Despicable Me 2 is a 2013 computer-animated action-fantasy and comedy film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The film is produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is a direct sequel to the 2010 film, Despicable Me. Despicable Me 2 finds bad guy-tuned-dad guy, Gru, recruited by a secret organization to discover who stole a deadly chemical.

Despicable Me 2 finds Gru (Steve Carell), formerly the world’s number one super-villain, settled into his role as the adopted father of the three orphan girls: Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). All is not well at home, however. Gru is trying to get his “jams and jellies” business to succeed, while one of his female neighbors tries to set him up on a blind date. Also, Gru's longtime gadget man, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), quits so that he can take a job that will allow him to be a bad guy again.

But Gru's old life comes calling when the Anti-Villain League (AVL) demands that he help them discover who stole the dangerous transmutation serum, “PX-41.” They appoint AVL agent, Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), as his partner. The two set up in a fake business, a bakery named “Bake My Day,” in Paradise Mall, a shopping mall near Gru's home. As for the thief of the serum, Gru has a suspect in mind, a former super-villain who supposedly died in a volcano, but AVL doesn't believe him. Meanwhile, someone is stealing some of Gru's little helpers, the Minions.

I really liked the original Despicable Me, but when Despicable Me 2 arrived back in 2013, I decided not to see it because... well, because the first was enough. I'd gotten all the cuteness of Margo, Edith, and Agnes that I needed, and I had gotten the best of Gru's character arc and transformation from villain to father.

However, I was shocked to find that I really liked the first full-length trailer for the upcoming Despicable 4 (2024). So I decided to watch Despicable Me 2 for the first time, and I was right the first time. The first film was really enough for me. The girls are still cute, but there is less of them so that there can be more screen time for Gru's burgeoning relationship with Lucy Wilde. I'm only kinda interested in that. Gru's character arc in this film isn't as engaging as it was in the first film. Clearly, the Minions needed more screen time than they got here, although they do play a pivotal part in the villain's wacky plot. In fact, two years after the release of this film, the Minions got their own movie, 2015's Minions.

Despicable Me 2 isn't bad, but the film's storytellers play it safe rather than advance the elements that made the first film a surprise hit. It earned two Oscar nominations, one for Pharrell Williams' song, “Happy,” which was practically ubiquitous from July 2013 to well into 2014. I'm just not sure how invested I can be in this franchise, although the fourth film has sort of captured my interest. It is really in the last twenty minutes of the film before the end credits that Despicable Me 2 really comes to life. That's okay for me, but I'm sure family audiences will find it more than okay.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

NOTES:

2014 Academy Awards, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Christopher Meledandri) and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Pharrell Williams-music and lyrics for the song, “Happy”)

2013 BAFTA Children's Awards: 1 win: “BAFTA Kids Vote – Feature Film”

2014 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Film” (Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film”

2014 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Song” (Pharrell Williams-Performer & Writer for the song “Happy”)

--------------------------------

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Review: DreamWorks' "ORION AND THE DARK" Takes on Childhood Fears

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 12 of 2024 (No. 1956) by Leroy Douresseaux

Orion and the Dark (2024)

Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)

MPA – not rated

DIRECTOR: Sean Charmatz

WRITERS: Charlie Kaufman (based on the book by Emma Yarlett)

PRODUCER: Peter McCown

EDITOR: Kevin Sukho Lee

COMPOSERS: Kevin Lax and Robert Lydecker

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE and COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: (voices): Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Colin Hanks, Mia Akemi Brown, Ike Barinholtz, Nat Faxon, Golda Rosheuvel, Natasia Demetriou, Aparna Nancherla, Carla Gugino, Matt Dellapina, Nick Kishiyama, Shino Nakamichi, Werner Herzog, and Angela Bassett

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Orion and the Dark is a unique animated film that is about a child learning to accept fear as a part of life without letting it control him.

Orion and the Dark has an eclectic cast full of surprising characters, but Orion and Dark are this film's winning pair.

Orion and the Dark is a good family film, especially for parents and for children who are of middle grade age and younger. I find it to be too deep in its feelies, but it will tug on the heartstrings of its intended audience.

Orion and the Dark is a 2024 animated fantasy-adventure and comedy-drama film directed by Sean Charmatz and produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film is animated by French production company, Mikros Animation, and is also a “Netflix Original” that began streaming on Netflix February 2, 2024.

Orion and the Dark is based on the 2015 children's book, Orion and the Dark, from author Emma Yarlett. Orion and the Dark the movie focuses on a boy whose active imagination causes him to be scared of everything and on the entity that takes him on an incredible journey.

Orion and the Dark introduces 11-year-old Orion Mendelson (Jacob Tremblay). He is a severely anxious child with a long list of irrational fears. He is a schoolboy with a fear of speaking in front of class, being bullied, ending up in a toilet, and a fear of speaking to Sally (Shino Nakamichi), the girl of his dreams, of course. Outside of school, he also has a bunch of fears, including the fear of getting eaten by a shark, but at home its is worse.

Orion is afraid of the night, especially of the dark and of all the dark places in his bedroom. Orion's father (Matt Dellapina) and mother (Carla Gugino) have a difficult time getting him to bed. One night a giant, smiling creature slithers into his room. He introduces himself as “Dark,” the embodiment of Orion's worst fear, the dark. Tired of hearing Orion's constant complaints about him (the dark), Dark takes the 11-year-old on an adventure to help him overcome his fears and to appreciate the benefits of nighttime and of the dark. But there are plenty of dangers along the way, including Dark's rival, “Light” (Ike Barinholtz), and Orion's own deep-seated fears.

Orion and the Dark is a beautifully animated film with simple, but evocative character and concept design. It took me awhile to remember that Orion and the Dark reminds me of the 2014 DreamWorks Animation film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Both films share a visual aesthetic, possibly because artist and designer, Timothy Lamb, served as the production designer on the two films. Both films also convey their fantastical settings and surreal environments via eye-appealing art and design that have a children's picture book quality.

I do have one gripe about Orion and the Dark. The film does have a heart – a center – which is that both Orion and Dark have to learn something about themselves and to overcome self-doubt. The film, however, also has sentiment, and it is, at times, exceedingly sentimental, which can be both heartwarming and saccharine. Orion and the Dark is sometimes too much in its emotions and feelies, so much so that by the end, I thought the film was trying to give me an insulin attack. Orion and the Dark pounds on its parent-child themes and dynamics with schmaltzy consistency.

I want to avoid spoilers. Still, I will say that Orion and the Dark does have a time-travel subplot courtesy of screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind), who is known for creating elaborate, twisty, meta screenplays. Orion and the Dark has several interesting supporting characters, especially Dark's fellow “Night Entities,” so many so that I could see it becoming an animated television series. Orion and the Dark is unique and quite well made, and many may find its heartwarming insistence just what we need in these dark times.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

----------------------------

-----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Review: Prime Video's "CANDY CANE LANE" is an Unexpected Delight

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 of 2023 (No. 1941) by Leroy Douresseaux

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)

MPA – PG for language throughout and some suggestive references

DIRECTOR: Reginald Hudlin

WRITER: Kelly Younger

PRODUCERS: Brian Grazer, Charisse M. Hewitt, Karen Lunder, and Eddie Murphy

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Newton Thomas Sigel (ASC)

EDITORS: Kenny G. Krauss and Jim May

COMPOSER: Marcus Miller

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Genneya Walton, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Madison Thomas, Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, Robin Thede, David Alan Grier, Ken Marino, Timothy Simons, Danielle Pinnock, and D.C. Young Fly

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

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.

Candy Cane Lane is a 2023 comedy, fantasy, and Christmas film directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Eddie Murphy. The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming December 1, 2023. Candy Cane Lane focuses on a man who is so determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest that he makes an unwise pact with a rogue elf.

Candy Cane Lane introduces Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy), a husband and father who crafts his own hand-carved Christmas decorations. Every year, a local television station hosts the “Candy Cane Lane Spectacular,” a contest to judge the best decorated house. Chris has never won, and he is jealous of his neighbor, Bruce (Ken Marino), who has won several times.

Shortly before Christmas, Chris' employer, the industrial plastics firm, Sydel Twain, lays him off. When Chris learns that this year's Candy Cane Lane prize is $100,000, he becomes desperate to win the money for his family, although he wife, Carol Carver (Tracee Ellis Ross), has a very good job. Chris is also oblivious to the lives of his two older children, Joy (Genneya Walton), a high school senior and track star, and Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson), a tuba player and budding musician.

Looking for Christmas decorations and supplies, Chris and his youngest child, daughter Holly (Madison Thomas), stumble across “Kringle's,” a mysterious Christmas shop filled with all kinds of beautiful decorations, including model buildings, ceramic figures, and a strange Christmas tree. Chris is so enchanted by all that he sees, believing that these decorations could help him win Candy Cane Lane. He unwarily signs a deal with Kringle's eccentric shopkeeper, Pepper (Jillian Bell). However, Pepper is more than she seems, and so is the receipt Chris signs. Soon, he will need all the help he can get from his family and from a trio of diminutive new friends in order to keep himself out of Pepper's clutches. And he also has some Christmas lessons to learn.

Audiences first came to know and love Eddie Murphy from his stand-up comedy career; his stint as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (1980-84); and his R-rated comedy films, such as 48 Hrs (1982), Trading Places (1983), and Beverly Hills Cop (1983). Much to the chagrin of the those fans, Murphy's film career as an A-list star eventually led him to make innocuous family-friends films, especially Dr. Doolittle (1998), Shrek (2001), and Daddy Day Care (2003).

Those fans will not be pleased with Candy Cane Lane. It is a family movie, an absurd fantasy film, and a Christmas movie full of holiday lessons to learn. For me, Candy Cane Lane is one of the best absurd movies that I have ever seen. Its concepts and ideas are as imaginative and as inventive as they are ridiculous and preposterous, yet I find the film endlessly lovable. Every time I tried to dismiss it, I found myself drawn ever deeper into its delicious, addictive fluffiness. Candy Cane Lane is a true feel-good movie. It shouldn't work, yet it works to perfection. Considering director Reginald Hudlin's past directorial efforts, I was (and still am) shocked that he could pull of this kind of Christmas movie, which is, for the most part, a warm cup of cocoa. If anything, Candy Cane Lane suggests that screenwriter Kelly Younger is certainly inventive.

Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, and Robin Thede are a delight in their voice roles, and David Alan Grier is sly and smooth in his surprise role. Jillian Bell is nearly perfect as Pepper, except for a few moments that are too over the top. I think Madison Thomas needed more screen time as Holly Carver, and Timothy Simons and Danielle Pinnock are a winning pair as TV co-hosts, Emerson and Kit.

Eddie Murphy barely breaks a sweat as Chris Carver, and neither does Tracee Ellis Ross as Carol Carver. Still, they work well together as a screen couple at the center of this delightful family fare. Despite what some fans may think, Eddie Murphy has the magic touch when it comes to family films. Murphy passes on the lessons that Chris has to learn with a knowing wink and a nudge, and I was willing to buy it all. I think I'll be watching Candy Cane Lane again, if only because, for two hours, it made me believe in that Hollywood bullshit called “Christmas magic.”

B+

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, December 10, 2023

----------------------------------

-----------------------------------

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Review: "SCOOBY-DOO and the Witch's Ghost" is Kind of Witchy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 48 of 2023 (No. 1937) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999) – Video

Running time: 66 minutes (1 hour, 6 minutes)

Unrated

DIRECTOR: Jim Stenstrum

WRITERS: Rick Copp, David A. Goodman, Davis Doi, and Glenn Leopold

PRODUCER: Cos Anzilotti

EDITOR: Rob DeSales

COMPOSER: Louis Febre

ANIMATION STUDIO: Mook Animation

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Scott Innes, Mary Kay Bergman, B.J. Ward, Tim Curry, Kimberly Brooks, Jennifer Hale, Jane Wiedlin, Bob Joles, Tress MacNeille, Peter Reneday, and Neil Ross

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost is a 1999 straight-to-video, animated horror-comedy film that was directed by Jim Stenstrum and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It was the second film in the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video film series that began with 1998's Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. It was released on VHS on October 5, 1999, then on DVD on March 6, 2001. In the film, Scooby and the company get involved with a famous horror novelist and his ancestor who was rumored to be a witch.

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost opens with Mystery Incorporated: Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Mary Kay Bergman), Velma Dinkley (B.J. Ward), Shaggy Rogers (Scott Innes), and Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes) solving a case at a San Francisco museum. There, they meet the famous horror novelist, Ben Ravencroft (Tim Curry). Velma Dinkley is a huge fan of Ravencroft, so he invites her and the rest of the gang to his hometown of Oakhaven, Massachusetts.

Upon arrival, Ravencroft and Mystery Inc. discover that the town's Mayor Corey (Neil Ross) has transformed Oakhaven into a tourist trap. The town is even putting on a concert featuring an all-female gothic rock band, the Hex Girls: Thorn (Jennifer Hale), Dusk (Jane Wiedlin), and Luna (Kimberly Brooks).

Oakhaven is like an amusement park with a theme based on the ghost of Sarah Ravencroft (Tress MacNeille), who is an ancestor of Ben Ravencroft. Ben describes Sara as a “wiccan” who used herbal remedies to heal the poor and less fortunate. In 1657, the townspeople of Oakhaven believed that Sarah was a witch, and they persecuted and executed her. Ben has spent years searching for Sarah's medical journal, which he believes will help him prove her innocence.

But now, the ghost of Sarah Ravencroft is really back, and she wants revenge. Scooby, Shaggy, and the gang are about to discover that this mystery turns out to have plenty of twists and turns.

Like a number of the early straight-to-video Scooby-Doo movies, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost has a tone that is darker than the franchise's usual fare. In this film, the supernatural elements are “real” as compared to the usual fake supernatural shenanigans committed by the adversaries in Mystery Inc.'s cases. Still, I was surprised that the film takes such a benevolent attitude about the modern pagan, earth-centered religion, “Wicca.” The film's story goes to some lengths to separate Wicca from “witchcraft,” which is generally seen as the use of magic for nefarious purposes.

Beyond that, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost is a standard Scooby-Doo film. I find the “ghost of Sarah Ravencroft” to be less impressive than the “fake ghost witches” of earlier Scooby-Doo cartoons, such as “The Witch” in the “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” episode, “Which Witch is Which?” I can say that the film does have a nice twist involving Sarah Ravencroft that does darken the film's tone a bit more.

However, as a Scooby-Doo fan, I consider almost all Scooby-Doo productions to be must-see. And while, it isn't special, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost is entertaining. And the Hex Girls are quite nice.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

---------------------------------

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Review: Walt Disney's "ROBIN HOOD" is the Non-Classic Disney Classic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 of 2023 (No. 1933) by Leroy Douresseaux

Robin Hood (1973) – animation

Running time: 83 minutes (1 hour, 23 minutes)

MPAA – G

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Wolfgang Reitherman

WRITERS: Larry Clemons; based on story and character concepts by Ken Anderson

EDITORS: Tom Acosta and Jim Melton

COMPOSER: George Bruns

Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Roger Miller, Peter Ustinov, Terry-Thomas, Monica Evans, Andy Devine, Carole Shelley, Pat Buttram, George Lindsey, and Ken Curtis

Robin Hood is a 1973 animated musical-comedy and fantasy-adventure film produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. It is also the twenty-first feature-length animated film from Walt Disney Productions, part of a line also known as the “Disney Classics.” The film is based on the English folklore character, Robin Hood, and the stories that have grown around the character. Disney's 1953 Robin Hood film depicts the legendary outlaw and the cast of characters around his legend as anthropomorphic animals (animals that talk and act like humans)

Robin Hood opens with the story's narrator, Alan-a-Dale – The Rooster (Roger Miller), saying that there are many stories of Robin Hood, but that the one he is about to tell takes place in the world of animals. He introduces Robin Hood – A Fox (Brian Bedford) and Little John – A Brown Bear (Phil Harris). They are outlaws and live in Sherwood Forest. They rob from the rich in order to give gold coins to the overtaxed citizens of the town of Nottingham.

The Sheriff of Nottingham – A Wolf (Pat Buttram) tries to catch the two, but he fails every time. The sheriff's failure to capture the outlaws irritates Prince John – A Lion (Peter Ustinov). John is the “Prince Regent” of England while his older brother, King Richard – A Lion (Peter Ustinov), is out of the country fighting in the Third Crusade. Prince John and his advisor, Sir Hiss – A Snake (Terry-Thomas), plot to end the nuisance of Robin Hood. Prince John also demands that the Sheriff tax the poor townsfolk of Nottingham excessively, driving many to abject poverty.

Meanwhile, Robin's attention is not entirely focused on robbing the rich. He wishes to reunite with his love interest, Maid Marian – A Vixen (Monica Evans), who is also the niece of King Richard. And Prince John's latest plot to catch Robin Hood may just reunite Robin and Marian. Can their love survive an increasingly enraged Prince John?

As “DVD Netflix” prepares to shutdown, I've been racing to catch up on certain films that I have never seen or have not seen in a long time. I recently decided to sample some films in which 2023 is the fiftieth anniversary of their original theatrical releases. That includes such films as Woody Allen's Sleeper, George Lucas' American Graffiti, and the Bruce Lee classic, Enter the Dragon.

Walt Disney's Robin Hood is one of those films celebrating a 50th anniversary, and it is one of the Disney animated classics that I had never seen prior to now. I am a fan of Robin Hood films, especially the 1991 Kevin Costner vehicle, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I also like Ridley Scott's 2010 film, Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe in the title role. I found some enjoyment in Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, a 2012 direct-to-DVD film. [Robin Hood makes a small appearance in director Richard Thorpe's “Best Picture” Oscar nominee, Ivanhoe (1952), which I have seen a few times on Turner Classic Movies.]

Disney's Robin Hood is an odd film. First, it isn't an origin story, and takes place, apparently, well into Robin's career as an outlaw. While Alan-o-Dale mentions “the Merry Men,” Robin's legendary band of outlaws, Little John is the only one that appears in this film. Friar Tuck – A Badger (Andy Devine) does appear, but he seems to be purely the priest of Nottingham – more a beneficiary of Robin's outlaw activities than a participant. For me, this makes the film seem under-developed, as if it we are getting half of the intended story.

Apparently, using the the American “Deep South” as a setting for this film was considered, but ultimately the chosen locale was Robin Hood's traditional English setting. However, Roger Miller, who provides the talking and singing voice of Alan-o-Dale, is best known for his honky-tonk inflected country music and novelty songs, so much of Miller's performance here seems out of place. Miller's Alan-o-Dale has the flavors of America's rural South, which somewhat clashes with the English setting. Still, I tend to like Miller's narrating and singing in Robin Hood, although this film's best song is the Oscar-nominated “Love,” written by George Bruns and Floyd Huddleston.

To begin, Robin Hood feels muddled, and it really does not find its narrative flow until about 37 minutes into the film. At that point, the characters really emerge as they take their places within the story. The action turns lively, and the animation and animation effects start to stand out. The voice performances overall are good, but not great – nothing that I would call memorable in the context of the great performances in other Disney animated classics. Walt Disney's Robin Hood does not exactly miss the mark, but it does not hit the bullseye, either.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

NOTES:

1974 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Music, Original Song” (George Bruns-music and Floyd Huddleston-lyrics for the song “Love”)

-----------------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Friday, August 18, 2023

Review: "BLUE BEETLE" is a Family Affair

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 of 2023 (No. 1927) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blue Beetle (2023)

Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, language, and some suggestive references

DIRECTOR: Angel Manuel Soto

WRITER: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (based on characters from DC Comics)

PRODUCERS: Zev Foreman and John Rickard

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Pawel Pogorzelski (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Craig Alpert

COMPOSER: The Haxan Cloak

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/FAMILY

Starring: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Damien Alcazar, Adriana Barraza, Belissa Escobedo, Elpidia Carrillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Modesto Lacen, and Harvey Guillén, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, and (voice) Becky G

Blue Beetle is a 2023 superhero and action-fantasy film directed by Ángel Manuel Soto. The film is based on the DC Comics character, Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, that was created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner and first appeared in the comic book, Infinite Crisis #3 (cover dated: February 2006). Blue Beetle the movie focuses on a young man who finds himself chosen to be the symbiotic host of an alien artifact that gives him a suit of armor.

Blue Beetle introduces recent college graduate, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena), who is returning to his hometown of Palmera City. He receives a warm welcome from his family: his father, Alberto Reyes (Damian Alcazar); his mother, Rocio Reyes (Elpidia Carrillo); his Nana (Adrian Barraza), his younger sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo); and his uncle, Rudy Reyes (George Lopez). Jaime soon learns that his family will lose their home due to financial difficulties and to Alberto's poor health. Still, Jaime is optimistic that he will quickly get a job and make enough money for his family.

Some time later, Jaime meets Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), the daughter of Ted Kord, the currently-missing CEO OF Kord Industries. Jenny is at odds with her aunt, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), the current CEO. Jenny discovers that Victoria has dark plans for her recent discovery, an alien artifact called “the Scarab.” Jenny steals the Scarab, and not knowing its true nature, she passes it on to Jaime.

As soon as Jaime touches the Scarab, it activates and attaches to him, creating a suit of armor around him. The suit gives Jaime extraordinary powers, such as flight, super-strength, and invulnerability, but those powers are unpredictable. Now, Jaime's family calls him a “superhero.” However, Jaime isn't sure that he wants to be a superhero, and Victoria Kord will do whatever she has to do – including murder – to regain possession of the Scarab.

The Blue Beetle first appeared in Fox Comics' Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover dated: August 1939) and was the secret identity of a young police officer, Dan Garrett. The second Blue Beetle first appeared in Charlton Comics' Captain Atom #83 (November 1966) and was Ted Kord, an industrialist and owner of KORD Industries. I mention this because Dan Garrett is referenced in this film. Also, Ted Kord, with a new origin, is a major subplot in this film, although the story is that he has been missing for years under mysterious circumstances.

However, this is Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes' film. He comes across as a normal young man in his early twenties. Warner Bros. didn't even cast some muscular young android-like actor for the role. Xolo Mariduena's body is in good shape, but he looks more like a high school kid still in physical development. Everything about Xolo comes across as boy-next-door, which makes him more relatable to a larger segment of the audience. After all, Jaime seems so vulnerable that even an alien suit of armor doesn't seem capable of completely protecting him. If there is a superhero of the people – the champion next door – Xolo makes Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle fit the role perfectly.

Like Warner Bros.'s 2019 DC Comics film, Shazam, Blue Beetle emphasizes family, and the Reyes are delightful. George Lopez's Uncle Rudy is a scene stealer, and I'm glad the story reveals that there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Of course, one can judge how good a family is by placing it in contrast with a problematic family, and that is the Kords. Susan Sarandon plays the evil aunt, Victoria Kord, with relish, although she doesn't really go over the top. The film puts Jenny Kord, smoothly played by actress Bruna Marquezine, at the center of the good family (the Reyes)-bad family (Victoria Kord) dynamic. Which will Jenny ultimately choose? Like Shazam, Blue Beetle shows how cool an extended or surrogate family can be, especially to someone in need.

I like what director Angel Manuel Soto does with his collaborators, cast, and crew. Blue Beetle is an easy-going superhero film that is fun for a family audience, even with the sometimes intense action and dark plot elements. I'm surprised that the film has as its themes, “imperialism in the name of democracy” and “militarized capitalism,” neither of which are ever portrayed as a good thing. Uncle Rudy even calls Batman a “fascist,” which has caused a stir in some Internet circles. This film definitely has an anti-authoritarian streak.

That aside, Blue Beetle is hugely and surprisingly entertaining, and it sparkles with humor. By focusing on Jaime Reyes as much as it does on the Blue Beetle armor, the film gets to center on the most winning aspect of it story, family and friends. Blue Beetle won't get the attention of bigger superhero film productions, but it has more heart than most of those other films.

[Blue Beetle has two extra scenes during the end credits.]

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, August 18, 2023

-----------------------

------------------------