Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings Review

If I could only describe Kubo and the Two Strings in one word, it would be “magical”. The movie is a masterpiece with amazing stop motion animation, mystical mythology, and engaging and relatable characters. It’s like a Hayao Miyazaki made into stop motion. The film is made by the stop motion animation studio Laika who have also produced Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls. However Kubo and the Two Strings might be their most impressive accomplishment. It’s a wonderful movie and it is one of the best films of the year. 

The story is about a boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson) who lives with his sick mom as they hide from Kubo’s evil grandfather, Raiden the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), who wants to catch him. Kubo learns how to move paper by using a magical instrument and he tells story with moving origami to get money. However one night, Kubo is found and is force to run away. Now he is forced to find the armor that his father once wore so he can fight his grandfather. At the same time Kubo learns more about his father who was the greatest samurai warrior in all of Japan. Also on his journey he comes across a monkey and a beetle voiced by Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey.

The first thing that definitely stands out about this movie is the animation. Stop motion animation always looks great and this is the best use of stop motion animation I have ever seen. The character animation looks seamless and you get real emotions from the characters designs. Also Kubo use moving origami throughout the movie, and the movement and creation of paper origami really lends itself to stop motion animation. I also was amazed by how the water in the movie seamlessly blended with the models and sets that were made for stop motion. At the end of the credits we see a model being built for the movie which makes you appreciate the animation even more. The lighting in the movie is also amazing and brings a sense of mysticism to the movie.

The movie also provides the viewer with great and well developed characters. Kubo is a great protagonist because he is hard worker and is always optimistic. We also learn and see everything from his point of view and we see him grow as a character. Kubo is played by Art Parkinson, from Game of Thrones fame, and he does a great job. Kubo’s mom is also a great character because we see the lengths she goes through to keep Kubo safe ever since he was a baby. Monkey is also a great character who is understandably stern and overprotective of Kubo. Beetle however is a perfect contrast to Monkey and the chill personality is perfectly personified by Matthew McConaughey. Rooney Mara plays the Sisters, who are Kubo’s aunts, and her performance is very chilling. George Takei is also in the film which is never a bad thing.

Even thought the story is a very simple hero’s journey, it works because of the mysticism and sense of uncertainty. Throughout the movie there is a sense of mystery to the villains which brings more weight to the movie. The stories told by Kubo’s mom also perfectly add to the mythology. We also see magic when our main characters battle monsters and spirits. What surprised me about the film was how funny it was. There is a lot of witty banter between characters, especially between Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle. The film also has a great message about family and always staying connected with your ancestors. This is perfectly shown in the climax and the finale of the film. 

The only issues I have with this film is that a part of the film involves character that suffer memory loss which is a little confusing. I also wish that Raiden the Moon King was a little more intimidating since the film builds him up so much. He’s not bad but I wish he was better. However those are the only issues I have. 

Kubo and the Two Stings is one of the best animated movies I have ever seen. It has wonderful animation, spectacular characters, and interesting mythology. I would recommend this movie for anyone. There are some scenes that might scare some kids but the movie is very family friendly. If you haven't seen Kubo yet, see it as soon as possible. I guarantee you’ll be blown away. 
Grade: A

Sausage Party Review

Sausage Party Review

The best way to describe Sausage Party is it’s Toy Story, Foodfight, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, and Pineapple Express, and if you see the film you will know why. I was definitely interested in seeing this film because of the funny trailers but there might be a lot hinging on this film. It’s an R rated animated film and the last time an R rated animated film got this much of a wide release was maybe the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie which came out in 2007. I don't even remember the last time an original R rated animated film got a wide release. The reason R rated animated film or even PG-13 ones do not get a wide release is the stigma that animated films are just for kids. Unless it’s based off of a popular property like South Park or Aqua Teen Hunger Force it will probably never be greenlit. They will either get a limited release like Waltz with Bashir or underperform like Beowulf. If Sausage Party does really well it would possibly open the door for R rated and PG-13 animated movies that are original. So how is the movie? I ended up liking it but it does have quite a few issues scattered throughout the movie. 

First lets go over the premise of the movie. In a supermarket with talking food, everyone waits to be taken by the “Gods” (who are actually humans) to a paradise outside the store. Our main character Frank (Seth Rogan) is excited because he want to be inside Brenda (Kristen Wiig) who is a hot dog bun. Then when they fall out of the shopping cart after being bought, Frank and Brenda try to head back to hot dog stand with Sammy Bagel Jr. (Edward Norton) and Kareem Abdul Lavash (David Krumholtz) coming along. However through many unfortunate events Frank learns that the paradise story was made up and food are actually eaten. While Frank tries to warn everybody a character named Douche (Nick Kroll) is planning for his revenge on Frank and Brenda for knocking him out of the shopping cart.

The best thing about the film is the premise. When you here the premise you can tell it is a parody of Pixar since in Pixar films the audience get the perspective of something that human don't have a perspective of like Toys, Bugs, Fish, Rats, and even Emotions. In Sausage Party we get the perspective of food except a really dark perspective. The film even parodies Disney by having a musical number in the beginning and the movie’s score is composed by Alan Menken. Ya. The guy who wrote the music to films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. However the most intriguing aspect of the premise is that it’s an allegory for religion. The food see the humans as Gods and they believe that if they are good they will go to paradise or outside the supermarket even though it is not. Even though the film is pretty blatant  about it’s message about questioning religion and pushes it in your face, it does make the premise more interesting then just a dumb comedy about food being eaten.

There is even some funny voice casting. Seth Rogan and Kristen Wiig fit their character’s perfectly. Nick Kroll makes a great bad guy. Michael Cera plays Barry who is a a deformed sausage and is basically Michael Cera the insecure loser. Salma Hayek plays a taco because of course and Edward Norton unrecognizably plays a bagel. There are also fun performances from Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, and Paul Rudd.

The animation is fine. You can tell they didn't have the biggest budget for animation but the style works for the film.
To me the humor is kind of hit or miss. I think the funniest scenes are when we get jokes about the food’s perspective. When we get jokes like a Saving Private Ryan joke about food being dropped on the ground and jokes about food being eaten I think the movie is at its funniest. However when the movie resorts to sex jokes and puns I usually didn't laugh because I felt they were way to easy. I honest didn't find jokes about Brenda’s buns that funny. There were also some scene that were unnecessarily gross and just for shock. I will say that there is a pun in the movie that made me laugh really hard. Also the ending of the movie made me laugh really hard even though it was really disturbing. I do however wish that we spent more time out of the supermarket since some of the best jokes are out of the supermarket.

But my biggest problem with this movie was I didn't really care about any of the characters since they felt more like jokes then characters. Frank is an ok main character but it is hard to feel for a character whose main characteristic is he wants to get with Brenda. Brenda’s not that interesting since he characteristic is she looks fresh. Sammy Bagel Jr. and Kareem Abdul Lavash are just ok characters even though they aren't really that vital to the plot. The other food characters are just there to make jokes. The only character I really cared about was Barry because you feel bad that he is deformed so you did not want him to die. There is also a gum who is a parody of Stephen Hawking who was pretty cool.

Another aspect of this movie that I probably need to talk about are the stereotypes. Throughout the movie there are a lot of different stereotypes for different kinds of food. The Asian food are Asian stereotypes, the German food are Nazis, the Tequilas are Spanish stereotypes, a box of Grits that’s a Black stereotype, and many more. Sammy Bagel Jr. and Kareem Abdul Lavash, who argue all the time, also are a Jewish and Palestinian stereotype. They didn't bother me to much but I can understand how someone could be extremely offended by this.

There is a moment in which I wonder who can talk in this universe since non food can talk. However that is more of a nitpick. 

Watching Sausage Party is like watching a 14 year old immature food fan fiction with some ideas. Considering that this was written by the same guys who wrote Superbad and Pineapple Express I am not shocked at all. This is one of the most raunchy films I have ever scene. It makes Family Guy look like Spongebob. However I do feel this might have worked better as a short film instead of a movie. But in the end I did laugh quite a bit during Sausage Party so I would recommend people go out and see it. Just know what your getting into. Also this is definitely not a family animated film like Frozen or Inside Out. If you take a kid to this you will scar them for life. I would say this film is for people over the age of 17. Will we get more animated movies for adults because of this movie? I don't know. All I can say is I am never going into Stop and Shop the same way ever again. 

Grade: B-

Star Trek Beyond Review

Star Trek Beyond Review

RIP Anton Yelchin

Star Trek Beyond is a really fun adventure flick that takes us back to the Star Trek universe. It has everything you would want in a summer blockbuster and is one of the better movies in an underwhelming summer. Watching this movie made me feel like I was watching a long episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series which is definitely not a bad thing. We see our main characters discover unknown territory and we see each character go through their own adventure. But at the same time, we get a story and conflict that makes the movie feel cinematic at the same time.

Our story this time is about the Kirk and the Enterprise landing on a mysterious planet after they were attacked by surprise. Everybody is separated and most of the Enterprise has been captured. However we then find out that assault was caused by Kroll, an alien dictator who plans to steal an ancient artifact that is on the ship of the Enterprise to take over the galaxy. Now it is up to Kirk, Spock, a new character named Jaylah, and the rest of the crew to stop Kroll.

For the record, I am not a big Star Trek fan. I am definitely more of a Star Wars fan. I however do like the JJ Abrams films, even Star Trek Into Darkness (which I still don't understand why it’s hated by Star Trek fans). I also do know a bit about Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. So I like Star Trek but don't love Star Trek. 

The best thing about Star Trek Beyond like the other films in the JJ Abrams reboot are the characters. Chris Pine (James T. Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) reprise their roles, and perfectly contrast the brashness of Kirk and the discipline of Spock. They have less screen time together then in the other two films but when they do show up on screen together it is a treat to watch. Karl Urban (Leonard McCoy), Zoe Saldana (Nyota Uhura), John Cho (Hikaru Sulu), Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov) also return and all do a great job. Simon Pegg (Montgomery Scott) also returns and has a bigger role in the movie when compared to the other movie. This isn't that much of a surprise since he is one of the writers of the movie. We also get a new character named Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) who is both complex and badass. Kroll is also played perfectly by Idris Elba who makes the character intimidating and intriguing at the same time. 

The action scenes are also great. The film is directed by Justin Lin who is best know resurrecting the Fast and Furious franchise so he definitely knows how to do action. We get a lot of great space battles and fight scenes with 360 angles and quick cuts. It is also interesting to see no lens flares which is JJ Abrams’ signature.

I also love most of the special effects. There are many creative designs for the aliens especially Jaylah. The effects perfectly capture the environment of space and they also capture the environment on each planet like Yorktown where the Enterprise live. 

There are some problems with the movie. I do think it is a bit rushed. I would have like to have seen Kroll get some more development as a character and I would have like to have seen more to Kirk’s and Spock’s arcs in the movie. I also think the design of Kroll and his men could have been more intimidating and creative. There is also a character who is just there to give up the ancient artifact and die, and I usually hate character’s like this. 

Overall I still found Star Trek Beyond to be a blast. If you enjoy the JJ Abrams Star Trek movies, then I think you will definitely enjoy Star Trek Beyond. I think the Star Trek fan’s who were disappointed in Star Trek Into Darkness will enjoy this movie since it is like an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. Even if you have never seen a Star Trek show or movie, you can still enjoy it because it stands on its own. I will say that I think that Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness are better films. But that is not taking anything away from Star Trek Beyond because I think Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness are great. So see it if you haven't already. Live Long And Prosper!

Grade: A-

Batman: The Killing Joke Review

Batman: The Killing Joke Review
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

The most admirable thing I can say about Batman: The Killing Joke is it’s ambition. Not only does it try to adapt Alan Moore’s graphic novel but it also tries to expand on the novel by giving a character arc to Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl to raise the stake of the movie and to get us to know about Barbara Gordon before she gets crippled since one of the criticisms of The Killing Joke is Barbara Gordon is only a plot device. And while this is interesting in theory Barbara’s arc does not work and it ends up ruining the story of the Killing Joke. While Batman: The Killing Joke does have some great redeeming features, it is also kind of a mess.

The story for the most part follows the graphic novel. The Joker, who escaped from Arkham Asylum, goes to Commissioner Gordon’s house to show that good people are just like him by giving Commissioner Gordon one bad day. He does this by shooting his daughter Barbara in the spine and forcing Gordon to watch pictures of his daughter after she was shot in the spine to make him go insane. At the same time we see flashbacks to the Joker’s origin or his one bad day, and we see Batman trying to hunt down the Joker. Also for more than half of the movie we see a story about Batman and Batgirl hunting down an up in coming crime boss named Paris Franz who has a thing for Batgirl before we see the Killing Joke story. That is where thing get really messy.

Ok first lets start with the good aspects of this movie. Both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return to play Batman and the Joker and they both perfectly encapsulate the character that they are both famous for playing. Mark Hamill actually does a really good job of playing the Joker before becoming the Joker in the flashbacks. Tara Strong (who is one of the greatest voice actors of all time) also returns to play Batgirl and I think she gives the best performance in the movie by perfectly capturing the young and strong personality of the character. The character designs are also detailed and drawn in Bruce Tim’s signature design. What I also love is how when the movie gets to the Killing Joke section it perfectly capture the graphic novel. Each scene is a shot to shot carbon copy of the panels in the novel from the frames to the dialogue. We see the Joker become the Joker and we see the Joker go to the extreme to show that people are just like him. So in that way the movie is a perfect representation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel.

However there is a section at the beginning of the movie that is not in the Killing Joke but instead is a story about Batgirl. In theory this isn't a bad idea because the story could make care more about Batgirl and make her more than a victim of the Joker’s plan. What they with Batgirl however ruins the movie. One of the problems with this section of the movie is it does not feel like a part of the Killing Joke. It feels like it’s own movie that is separate from the Killing Joke. We see Batgirl go through her arc and then it wraps up with her quitting as Batgirl. Then the screen turn dark and then Wa-Lah, we get the Killing Joke which is about the Joker’s story arc. So when I watch the movie I wonder who the movie is about. Is about Batgirl, Batman, or the Joker. I think the filmmakers want the movie to be about all of them but the movie doesn't really do a good job at that. It’s a Batgirl movie first, then a Joker movie, and Batman’s story is somewhere sprinkled throughout the film. That is why the entire film feels uneven. There are moments that sort of tie to the Killing Joke like how Paris Franz is obsessed with Batgirl which is similar to how the Joker is obsessed about Batman but it still feels like it should have been it’s own separate movie.

But that’s not the only problem. For many years the Killing Joke was accused of being sexist because it took the only female hero in Batman and made her a victim for the plot. I think the filmmakers knew this and dedicated the first part of movie so she is more than just the Joker’s victim. However what they did not only makes Batgirl kind of unlikable but it also gives more credence to the people that said the Killing Joke is sexist. In the movie, Batgirl is told by Batman that she cannot handle the Paris Franz case because it is dangerous and she continuously complains to Batman about it. Paris Franz also seems to have a crush on Batgirl which would unnecessarily bring up the fact that she is a female superhero. It doesn't help that she keeps falling for his traps. Then to make things worse, when Batman and Batgirl are argue on the roof of a building Batgirl fall on Batman and then they have sex. I am not joking. It’s as creepy as it sounds. How on earth does the audience take Batgirl seriously when she’s horny for Batman? This also makes Batman a bit unlikable. Not only has Batman always been more of a father figure for Batgirl but I would think it isn't the best idea to have sex with your best friends daughter. Then Batgirl quits because she can't handle the stress of being Batgirl and her desire to be with Batman. How inspiring. So now when we get into the Killing Joke section of the movie it’s kind of hard to look at Batman and Batgirl the same way. 

Another issue is some of the animation. Even though most of the character designs are great the character animation at times is not that fluid. The backgrounds are ok but kind of generic and sometimes the animation styles would change. The style is very straight the DVD quality which makes me think that this was originally going to be a straight to DVD movie and then they decided to put it in theaters for two days at the last minute. 

After seeing the movie I thought to myself who is this the movie for. Is it for Batman fans or non Batman fans? I don't think non Batman fan can get into this movie because of the messy structure and not knowing about the rivalry between Batman and the Joker. But I don't think the movie is for Batman fans because I think most Batman fans would be creeped out by Batman and Batgirl having sex and they would want to see the Killing Joke. Is this a bad movie. I wouldn't say that, but is a humongous disappoint considering that this is an adaptation of the Killing Joke. If you really want to see this movie, get it on DVD and skip the Batgirl story. I think it is decent movie with just the Killing Joke. I honestly think that instead of calling this movie Batman: The Killing Joke, it should called The Killing of the Killing Joke.

Grade: C