Skadoosh!

It’s really weird and disappointing that unlike the previous films this film doesn’t have a unique animated version of the DreamWorks logo. The Kung Fu Panda series is my favorite DreamWorks series that I have a very personal history with. The first one took me by surprise and Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only my favorite DreamWorks film but also one of my favorite movies of all time. The previous film Kung Fu Panda 3 was the very first movie review on this site. Kung Fu Panda 4 is about Po finding out that he has to choose a new dragon warrior. He gets news that Tai Lung from the first film has returned so he teams up with a thief named Zhen to travel to Juniper City to stop the Chameleon.

The Kung Fu Panda series is known are some of the best animation in all of Dreamworks. While KFP4’s budget was lower I still think this film’s animation is still top notch. There’s this little detail I like that feels very anime-ish and if you see the film you’ll understand. The voice acting in this film is very impressive. Jack Black is still great as always as the main protagonist Po. It really feels like this is a character Jack really enjoys playing. Awkwafina is fine as Zhen, she’s not bad it’s just felt like another Awkwafina role. Viola Davis as the main villain the Chameleon is the biggest new standout for me. It also neat to hear Ke Huy Quan doing voicework now. The two biggest highlights in terms of voice acting were Po’s dads, Mr. Ping and Li Shan. Both these two have such a fun and hilarious dynamic thanks to the James Hong and Bryan Cranston’s performances.

While it was cool that they got Ian McShane as Tai Lung back it was a huge disappointment that they didn’t get Gary Oldman as Lord Shen (BEST DREAMWORKS VILLAIN BTW) or JK Simmons as Kai. I just think it would’ve been cooler to see all these villains come together and even work off each other kind of like the villains in Spider-Man No Way Home. This film also suffers from having a lot of similar plot beats from the previous films especially from 2. To be fair the third film borrowed a lot from the first one.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is kind of like the Toy Story 4 of the Kung Fu Panda series. It didn’t really need to exist but it’s still a fun addition to the series. I am glad this film is doing surprisingly well at the box office. Not the strongest but still an awesome time.

Verdict:

+Po’s dads

+The animation

+The voice acting

+/-The returning villains

-Reused story beats

Score: B+

I apologize for not writing a full review of Part One back in 2021, so I guess I should give my thoughts on the first one. I never knew much about the book series or the 1984 film. All I knew was that it had giant sandworms. When I saw Part One I thought it was good though a bit long and had too much political talk. Dune Part Two does have the same runtime issue as the first but honestly that’s my only complaint. Part Two pretty much continues where Part One ended.

There are two things in Denis Villeneuve’s films that stand out to me, his directing and the amazing cinematography. Almost every shot is wonderfully shot thanks to Denis’s terrific directing. You could pause it at any time and you could hang in in a museum. Desert settings aren’t usually my favorite setting though movies like Prince of Egypt and Mad Max Fury Road are a few exceptions, this film managed the make the desert planet of Arrakis amazing the look at. What also helped was that unlike the first part which I only saw on Max in my bedroom I went to a movie theater to see Part 2 on a huge screen. So, the film felt a lot grander to me.

The acting in this film is also really good but the real standout for me was Feyd-Rautha played by Austin Butler. He is a legit creepy and entertaining character and every time he’s on screen it’s clear that Austin Butler is having a blast playing him. I was already amazed by his performance as Elvis back in 2022 but this might be his best performance yet. My favorite scene of the whole movie and pretty much the whole duology in general that combines all these positive attributes is the Harkonnen arena scene. Everything about this scene is perfect from Denis’s directing, the cinematography and the fight choreography. The use of monochrome is an absolute brilliant touch that perfectly contrasts with the consistent orange desert aesthetic. This whole scene is just a visual treat.

The best film/films I could compared this/these is the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows duology. Both part ones are slower and there’s a lot more talking. Both parts twos however have a lot more meat and more action. Much like Deathly Hallows Part 2 (my favorite Harry Potter film), I think Dune Part Two was even better than the Part One. If you liked the first part you will love the second part. Still there was one downside when seeing this film. I didn’t get my Dune popcorn bucket.

Verdict:

+Denis Villeneuve’s directing

+Feyd-Rautha

+The cinematography

+The Harkonnen arena scene

-Long runtime

-No popcorn bucket

Score: A

When I was a kid, I used to play Humoungous Entertainment games and one of my favorites was Pajama Sam No Need to Hide When it’s Dark Outside. It’s about a boy named Sam who’s scared of the dark so he decides to dawn a red cape as Pajama Sam, go into his closet and capture “Darkness”. Orion and the Dark sort of reminds me of that game. In this movie Orion is scared of everything especially the dark until one day the literal entity Dark shows up to help him conquer his fears.

I thought Dark was very likable thanks to Paul Walter Hauser’s performance. I think the idea of paring a kid who’s afraid of everything with an entity that everyone is afraid of is clever. I also really liked the other night entities. Each one had their own unique designs, personalities, and roles to play during the night. Some of the funniest moments involve the ways Sleep gets people to fall asleep. Dark’s rival Light however was very underused. His rivalry with Dark isn’t explored much and he just serves more like a plot device then an actual character.

SPOILERS: When Dark and Orion leave to see the night, the story is interrupted by Orion’s daughter Hypatia who older Orion is telling the story too and the film sometimes cuts back to them. In the third act after Dark “disintegrates himself” ridding the world of night forever, older Orion admits he doesn’t know how the story ends. So Hypatia decides to make one up by putting herself in the story and helping her younger father save Dark. I thought the relationship between Orion and Hypatia was sweet and very unexpected. The third half however does have a bit of a pacing issue especially after Orion and Dark say goodbye and there’s still like 5 minutes left of the film. Hypatia still has no idea how to get back to her time until a kid with a time machine helps her get back and then it turns out that that ending was made up by her future son.

Orion and the Dark is a very charming animated film with cute animation, and mature themes. Anyone who is afraid of the dark will be less afraid or better yet not afraid of the dark at all after watching this movie.

Verdict:

+Hypatia

+The Night Entities

-Light

-Third act pacing

Score: B+

Godzilla is a series that while I am familiar with but. The first movie I ever saw from the king of monsters was the 1998 adaption staring Matthew Broadrick, aka “That’s a lot of fish”…….yes, that film. Not the best first impression and even the MonsterVerse movies didn’t help change my opinion either. This year however saw the release of Godzilla minus One. A bunch of my favorite reviewers were praising this film and it was showing at my local theater, so I decided to give it a watch. The film takes place during the end of World War II and focuses on pilot Kōichi Shikishima who is struggling with survivor’s guilt after failing his kamikaze mission during an attack from Godzilla. When he returns home, he meets and takes care of Noriko Ōishi and her orphaned baby.

Kōichi is a very sympathetic and well written protagonist. Anyone who’s suffered PTSD and/or survivor’s guilt will identify with him. I also really his minesweeper crew and each of them have likable and enjoyable personalities. Unlike most films where Godzilla was a metaphor for nuclear, here he is a metaphor for trauma which cleverly ties into Koichi’s arc throughout the film. Also, it’s kind of rare to see Godzilla actually being a kind of a dick instead of a usual misunderstood and tragic creature. I also thought the effects on him were very impressive and realistic. Something about the way he’s filmed or the way he moves gives him such an intimidating presence.

Naoki Sato’s score in this film is amazing. They play the signature theme but the way they use it is brilliant. The first time is plays its slower but every time it plays throughout the film it gets faster. Some of my favorite tracks are Devine, Honor, and Resolution (the violin bit in the beginning gives me chills). This film has probably my favorite climax of any film this year. Everything from the directing, editing, cinematography and of course the music gives this final battle such an epic scale. I’m also really glad that none of the major characters die in the end because they were very likable and even Koichi surviving wonderfully ties into his arc of overcoming trauma.

Seeing this film was actually a very new experience for my because not only was this the first proper Godzilla film I ever saw but it was also the very first subbed film I ever saw in theaters. Most foreign films like anime films I’ve seen dubbed so this was something new to me. I’m really glad movies from Japan such as this and The Boy and the Heron are doing very well here in America. If there was any film in the Godzilla series that would be a great introduction to this famous giant lizard, Godzilla minus One is honestly a great first choice.

Verdict:

+ Godzilla

+ Naoki’s score

+ The characters

+ The climax

Score: A

Over the years I have grown a huge respect for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. All his films have great animation, music, and of course mouthwatering food. Seriously how is there not a Studio Ghibli themed restaurant yet?! His most recent film The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?) was supposed to be Miyazaki’s last film before he retired “again” but he changed his mind and is starting on another film. The Boy and the Heron takes place near the end of World War 2 and focuses on a boy named Mahito Maki. After his mother dies, he moves in with her sister/new step mother. While there he comes across an abandoned tower which leads him into a fantasy world populated by birds. This film has a lot of the tropes Miyazaki likes to use such as a child protagonist, a fantasy world, war setting, and either a flying creature, flying scene, or even both.

Like most Ghibli films the voice talent here is impressive. Famous actors like Mark Hamill and William Dafoe all do a fantastic job. The biggest stand out of the entire cast to me has got to be Robert Patterson as the heron who you probably know as Cedric Diggory from the Harry Potter series, Batman from The Batman and especially Edward from the Twilight series. What’s so impressive about his performance is that while most actors use the same/similar voice for all their roles, Robert Patterson as the heron sounds nothing like his other roles. You can’t even tell it is Patterson. It’s really impressive when an actor is able to hide his voice so well.

The animation of course being a Ghibli film and also an anime film is incredible. The animation gives this fantasy world such an amazing and epic scale to it. One of my favorite little details in the movie is the wind animation. Something about the sound and the way things move in the wind, you really feel the wind as if you actually in the movie. The music again like all of Miyazaki’s films is fantastic. The composer Joe Hisaishi is to Hayao Miyazaki what John Williams is to Steven Spielberg. It’s hard to imagine a Miyazaki film without Hisaishi. His score gives the world so much whimsy and magic to it. My favorite bits of music in the film have to be the Warawara theme and the music when they fly away. Bascially any music involving these cute creatures are great.

Spoilers: If there was one problem, I had with this movie is that the whole blocks being stacked thing near the end isn’t really set up or explained very well. It’s not really a huge problem I just wish it was explained better. Even if this isn’t Miyazaki’s last film, I still think this would’ve been a great sendoff for this beloved director. The Boy and the Heron is one of Miyazaki’s finest films he’s directed. It’s got everything that makes a Ghibli film amazing.

Verdict:

+ Joe Hisaishi’s score

+ The animation

+ The voice acting

-The blocks plot device

Score: A

This year Disney released a short film called Once Upon a Studio which was suppose to release with Wish. Once Upon a Studio is about Mickey Mouse getting almost every Disney character from the studio (not counting Pixar) for a group photo to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Disney animation. Every character in this short is animated in their original art styles and. Every film in the canon gets representation and we see a lot of great interactions between these characters with a lot of the actors reprising their roles. The ending where everyone sings When You Wish upon a Star is very touching. Once Upon a Studio is the best thing Disney has made this year. It’s a funny, touching and of course wonderfully animated love letter to 100 years of animation.

Score: A+++++++

Wish takes place in the kingdom of Rosa where people come here to make a wish and once every year the ruler of Rosa King Magnifico grants one. The protagonist Asha wants him to grant her grandfather’s wish but is denied. That night she makes a wish which takes the form of a little star. King Magnifico gets word of this and decides to take him at all cost. Asha is a very standard Disney protagonist. She’s performed well by but she just doesn’t stand out compared to other Disney protagonists. The biggest highlight of the film is the villain King Magnifico played by Chris Pine. While he isn’t the strongest Disney villain it was refreshing to see a villain from Disney that wasn’t either a twist villain, a force of nature villain, or even a redeemed villain. Chris Pine really sounds like he’s having a blast being over the top evil and hammy.

Unlike previous Disney movies which kind of looked the same, Wish tried to do something unique with its animation. The backgrounds look like illustrations from a storybook and they look really neat. I do think it would’ve been cool if it was in 2D but that’s just me. The songs are kind of a hit or miss for me, there not particularly awful there just not really that memorable. Some songs I liked were “At All Costs” and “This Wish” because they felt quieter and epic. The other songs however feel too upbeat. This film has a bunch of Disney references for example in the end Star gives Asha a robe and wand that’s very similar to the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella and her friends are expies of the seven dwarfs. Unlike OUAS a lot of the references felt very forced especially near the end. There were a few touches I actually liked. One is in the opening which uses “a WALT DISNEY Feature Presentation” in the exact same font as from Snow White’s. Also, it’s kind of nice seeing Walt in. The other is the end credits which shows star shaped forms of characters from almost every Disney movie. They literally showed Aladar from Dinosaur and Chicken Little! It’s a really cute way to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Disney animation.

I kind honestly see why Disney decided to show Once Upon a Studio a month earlier so it wouldn’t upstage this movie since that short felt more like a better love letter. Disney’s Wish is as ok a run of the mill Disney animated movie can be. It’s a fine tribute to 100 years of Disney animation but I still wish (pun intended) it showed more of it’s potential.

Verdict:

+ King Magnifico

+ The Animation

+/- Songs

-Asha

-Forced references

Score: B

For my family the day after Thanksgiving is when we officially start the Christmas season. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit then reviewing a new Christmas (sort of) movie.  I mean “sort of” a Christmas movie in the way Die Hard or Gremlins are films that take place during Christmas. The Holdovers takes place during Christmas of 1970 and focuses on a prep school teacher named Paul Hunham played by Paul Giamatti who is forced to watch over students who can’t be with their families over Christmas break.

I first discovered this film from a trailer shown at Oppenheimer. What really hooked me was how the trailer was presented like one that was made in the 70s. This film really captures that 70s atmosphere thanks to the great cinematography. One of my favorite things in movies set in the past is when they used the old studio logo use in that time period. It’s a small but really neat detail that helps establish the setting. Since Focus Features and Miramax didn’t exist in the 70s, the people that made this film actually put in the effort of making brand new logos reminiscent of the 70s.

The writing in this film is hilarious and lot of dialogue got a huge laugh out of me. That said this writing is also very emotional. Director Alexander Payne’s films usually have a perfect balance between comedy and drama. The writing also goes great with the terrific acting. The biggest highlight has to be Paul Giamatti who is wonderfully as the jerk with a heart of gold teacher. Other standouts include Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb and Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully. I will admit that I felt that the other holdovers felt undeveloped since they leave by helicopter (makes sense in context) after 1/3 of the film. It’s kind of a shame because I thought they were interesting and it would’ve been nice to see them more fleshed out.

The Holdovers is a great “sort of” Christmas movie to start off the holiday season. It’s a perfect balance of laughs and emotional moments. Great acting, writing and full of 70’s nostalgia. Hope everyone has a great start to this merry season.  

Verdict:

+70s vibe

+The acting

+The writing

-Undeveloped students

Score: A

Part two of Barbieheimer. While I’ve said before that I’m not a huge fan of Christopher Nolan. I’m not saying I hate his films there just not my style. I do however respect him and his contributions to the film industry. His most recent film Oppenheimer is Nolan’s first biopic film. Pretty much my biggest nitpick is the long runtime. Much like Avatar: Way of Water my family and I went to a specific movie theater with recliner seats. It especially felt too long around the third half of the film after the trinity test.

Speaking of which, the main reason I saw this film was the Trinity Test scene which was handled very well. I hear that CGI was barely used during production so I’m very impressed with how they did this. I love how the explosion is shown in silence which gave it more suspense and the aftershock sound actually caught me off guard. It’s also kind of funny that Josh Peck plays the guy who presses the button. The film also delves into the morally ambiguousness of the bomb very well. What really made this scene and this whole movie in general great is Christopher Nolan’s terrific directing. The use of black and white for the present scenes is a brilliant idea.

This film has a huge all-star cast full of famous actors such as Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, and Rami Malik who all give wonderful performances. However, the two biggest highlights were Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. Cillian Murphy who is a regular collaborator in Nolan films is great as the titular character. I remember seeing a picture of the real Oppenheimer at the World War 2 museum in New Orleans and Cillian looks pretty much identical to the real guy. Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss is a great antagonistic foil to Oppenheimer. Both work off each other wonderfully and I love how both sides have good/bad points. Keeps it from being black and white.

If you had to make me choose between Barbie and this, I honestly say while Barbie is my favorite Oppenheimer is a stronger and better put together film. This is one of Christopher Nolan’s strongest films he has directed. Now if you excuse me, I got to get ready for this year’s “Barbieheimer” of video games which are Marvel’s Spider Man 2 and Super Mario Wonder.

Verdict:

+Cillian Murphy

+Nolan’s directing

+Robert Downey Jr.

+Trinity Test

-The runtime

Score: A-

Turtle Power!

Fun fact: I was introduced to the TMNT franchise through the 2003 show on Miguzi (aka Cartoon Network). What’s funny is that I didn’t know it was an older franchise until one day my Dad rented a videotape which had the first episodes of the 1987 show. Not even one year after Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie released on Netflix; Nickelodeon released another film this time theatrical titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem. Unlike other TMNT films this is more of a coming-of-age story compared to the others.

This film has my favorite interpretation of the turtles. Why? Because unlike other adaptions where the actors playing the turtles sound more like adults trying to play teens, these turtles sound and act like actual teens. What really helps it that they hired actual teens to play them which I think is very refreshing. All four are very enjoyable and work off each other wonderfully. Speaking of which the voice acting in this film is so good. Everyone sounds like there having a lot of fun and not one of the characters felt miscasted.

When I found out Nickelodeon would release another TMNT film one year after Rise I was neutral on it, but once I saw the animation in the trailer I was immediately hooked. This film is amazing to look at. I love that while it has the same animation style as Spider-Verse and Puss in Boots the Last Wish it still has its own unique look and identity. The action scenes are awesome and thanks to its fast and unique animation. The character designs are great especially since they were inspired by the director Jeff Rowe’s old sketches he drew as a teen. New York City is also amazing to look at because of its great comic bookish look.

I will admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of the TMNT franchise but this film might just have made me a fan now. I don’t think any TMNT movie before has ever had this much passion or heart. You really feel like this was a story that Seth Rogan and Jeff Rowe really wanted to tell. Mutant Mayham is the best TMNT film by a long shot and my favorite adaption in the whole franchise. Grab a piece of peanut butter, and hot fudge pizza and enjoy.

Verdict:

+Action scenes

+The animation

+The voice talent

+The turtles

Score: A

Malibu Barbie, the nightmare, the nerve

Barbie 2023 is directed by Greta Gerwig who’s also directed acclaimed films such as Ladybird and Little Women 2019. It is also the first live action adaption of the popular doll that’s both not animated or direct to video. I first thought this would be a meh live action toy adaption much like the Transformers movie but it turned out to be a clever deconstruction on Barbie. When I saw the trailer for this film, I was won over by the production design of Barbieland. Every house in Barbie land is literally a Barbie doll house. This film did not have to go this hard. Apparently, there was a pink shortage because of this film.

Everyone in this movie gives a great performance but the two biggest standouts were Margot Robbie as “Stereotypical Barbie” and Ryan Gosling as “Beach Ken”. Both roles are absolutely perfectly casted. Margot Robbie really nails the typical barbie we all know while also making you feel for her when she goes thought such a huge identity crisis.  Ryan Gosling was absolutely entertaining as Ken. Spoiler: I was surprised that Ken becomes the villain of the movie after he learns about toxic masculinity. I also thought Will Ferrell was really hilarious as the Mattel CEO. When the duo enters the real world, I was worried it would be that typical real life sucks trope I’ve seen, but was surprised that there was a lot of comedy during their time there. It’s kind of like season 3 of Amphibia in which Anne’s home has characters that have just as much life and energy and humor as the frogs in Amphibia. There are so many great jokes that poke fun at the history of Barbie. The journey to the real world gag is absolutely hilarious.

The best movie I can compared this to is The Lego Movie. The trailers made them seem more like fun movies just to sell toys but turned out to be very thought provoking full of wonderful writing, self-poking comedy and deep themes. Barbie was the biggest surprise of 2023 so far. I want a Depression Barbie for Christmas now, make is happen Mattel!

Verdict:

+ Deep themes

+The casting especially Margot and Ryan

+ The comedy

+ The production design

Score: A