All the major DC superheroes are starring in their own films, all but the Teen Titans, so Robin is determined to remedy this situation by getting over his role as a sidekick and becoming a movie star. Thus, with a few madcap ideas and an inspirational song in their hearts, the Teen Titans head to Hollywood to fulfill their dreams.
I’m not exactly a fan of the TV show but this is clever, funny and short. Other superhero movies could take note…
★★★★
In the final days of World War II, the Nazis attempt to use black magic to aid their dying cause. The Allies raid the camp where the ceremony is taking place, but not before they summon a baby demon who is rescued by Allied forces and dubbed "Hellboy". Sixty years later, Hellboy serves the cause of good rather than evil as an agent in the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense, along with Abe Sapien - a merman with psychic powers, and Liz Sherman - a woman with pyrokinesis, protecting America against dark forces.
As comic book movies go, it’s pretty great, but while I hate to pick on one actor, whenever Selma Blair is on the screen she literally sucks all the fun out of it. I don’t really know the character and maybe she’s playing it exactly as intended/directed but, stone me, it’s jarringly depressive.
And, while I do have a soft spot for practical effects, Samael looks a little too much like a guy on all fours in a rubber suit. I’m not saying that can’t work, it worked pretty well in Attack the Block, but here…
Other than that, the post-Matrix super-human leaping and environmental destruction are ace. Some (literally) smashing stunt work too!
Lastly, I think Pearlman makes a great Hellboy.
★★★
After cracking the biggest case in Zootopia's history, rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De’Snake arrives and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.
Tiny bit baggy in places (I wonder if they have tech in audience screenings that detects when people get their phones out?) but it mostly whizzed by. Gave me a lot of good laughs, especially some great movie references, and I just love the details of a world for all shapes and sizes. We take the quality of the animation for granted these days but it’s amazing.
On a more personal note, I am so glad this was the choice because I couldn’t face 3+ hours of Avatar in the cinema…
★★★★
Unless this REALLY picks up in the final two episodes, I’m baffled by this review. I can’t wait to get it over with. The plot is “Spooks” levels of “espionage” nonsense.
Thompson’s character, while likeable and against type, is hardly transformational. Whereas, Ruth Wilson playing an extremely ordinary woman seems a much greater departure from her usual roles.
The entire review seems back-to-front.
After receiving an exotic small animal as a Christmas gift, a young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet, which unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous creatures on a small town.
My 13y/o son loved it. My 10y/o daughter thought it was boring.
I’m caught between the two. Some parts of it I love, like the stairlift and Kate’s Christmas Eve story, but the parts in between are a bit dull. Still, it’s got some gnarly effects work!
★★½
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
After seeing this, Teddy Duchamp’s fiercely proud claim that his father stormed the beach at Normandy lands very differently.
And, despite your average American displaying almost religious zeal for them, and annual public displays of “remembrance” here in the UK, I still don’t think we respect our veterans enough.
★★★★
Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.
The final monologue DOES go on a bit too long but it also bought a little tear to my eye. Further positives: the Ghost of Christmas Present just seems to get funnier the old I get.
★★★★
During a weekend getaway at a secluded lakeside estate, a group of friends finds themselves entangled in a web of secrets, deception, and advanced technology. As tensions rise and loyalties are tested, they uncover unsettling truths about themselves and the world around them.
It’s not exactly billed as a comedy but I laughed a lot. And, while it doesn’t beat you over the head with social commentary, it’s there if you want it.
★★★½
When the creator of a popular video game system dies, a virtual contest is created to compete for his fortune.
Fresh off an almost career-ending accident, stuntman Colt Seavers has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job.
Never better than great or worse than average. Clearly, a great deal of love was sunken into this movie but sadly very little resurfaces on the screen. And I say that as someone who genuinely appreciates stunt work and Ryan Gosling in comedic roles. Bit of a shame, really.
Still, a long overdue Oscar for Best Stunt Design will be given out in 2028. And that, really, ain’t nothin’.
★★★½
