The Reel World

When Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast and Furious franchise, I thought the series couldn’t get any bigger, especially when he and Vin Diesel faced off in one of the best scenes ever in an action movie. Then Jason Statham appeared in the end credits of Fast and the Furious 6 shattering that glass ceiling, and he didn’t disappoint, proving to be one of the group’s biggest adversaries. Then there was the fact that the Statham-Johnson showdown trumped the Diesel-Johnson battle, thereby showing the former’s electric chemistry. It was only a matter of time until a spin-off film came about. Lo and behold, Fast and the Furious presents Hobbs and Shaw. Now, the film has been a source of controversy for the franchise, with both Diesel and Tyrese Gibson voicing their discontent about the delaying of their next installment in favor of this film. Needless to say, Johnson will not be taking part of the ninth installment of the series, but I doubt he is losing much sleep about that, especially when he has the makings of his own franchise with this film.

In the opening credits, we get to meet the third child of the Shaw Family, Hattie, played by Vanessa Kirby, who went from playing royalty in The Queen to a certified harass in the latest Mission Impossible. With this film she solidified her standing as an action star as she holds her own alongside Statham and Johnson. While acquiring a new bio weapon, Hattie’s team is dismantled by a genetically enhanced super soldier (Idris Elba) who seeks to take the weapon. Though she manages to escape with the weapon, Hattie finds herself framed for the killing of the team and theft of the bioweapon.

Live action remakes are Hollywood’s latest trend, and they are usually a hit or a miss. That was a universal truth that I went into this movie knowing. To that end, I fully expected that Dora and the Lost City of Gold to be on the side of the latter rather than the former, and yet I was unexpectedly wrong. The film even managed to captivate my daughter, and if you guys have been reading my reviews, you know that she has the potential to be a harsher critic than I do. (If you need proof, look no further than her opinion of Missing Link). I wasn’t even sure that my daughter was that a big a Dora the Explorer fan. Well, if she wasn’t before, she most certainly is now after this movie. Isabela Moner (Instant Family) brings the titular character to life in this live action film that has her facing the biggest challenge of her life.

Dora has grown up in the rainforest, the child of two professors (Eva Longeria and Michael Pena) studying an ancient Incan city that legend tells houses an immense treasure. Dora has grown up with the legend, as well as her family creed that they are explorers, not treasure hunters. Eager to prove herself to her parents, she sets out on an adventure that results in her nearly becoming injured, but fortunately, her parents are able to rescue her, which proves to them that she is not quite ready to take part in their latest expedition to discover the lost city of Parraputa.

“It’s easy to fool people when they are already fooling themselves.”

There was a lot of pressure on this film to be great; it being the first MCU film following the epic known as Endgame. This film needed to be the statement that the MCU was finished after the events of Endgame, which completely and irrevocably changed the landscape of the franchise going forward. By the way if you have not seen Endgame yet, two things. First, what is wrong with you! You are the reason that the film hasn’t taken the all-time box office record away from Avatar yet. The film has just been re-released with additional footage, so there is even more to enjoy. So, get to a theater ASAP! We need to beat Avatar! Secondly, you should probably stop reading this review immediately, as I will be discussing events that will likely leave you lost. Let the previous declaration serve as your warning disclaimer. Iron Man is gone, Captain America has laid down his shield in favor for a lifetime with the love of his life. A little selfish, but I’d say he’s earned after his many sacrifices. The Avengers are essentially disbanded, but the world still needs heroes. Enter your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

The Conjuring franchise and its spin-offs have been a success at the box office since 2013.  Now with the third Annabelle hitting the big screen, it’s time ask the question: is this the end for the franchise?  We already know there is going to be a third Conjuring film coming out next year, but beyond that, I’m guessing the studio heads are watching to see how this film fares with the summer competition.  I wasn’t a fan of the first Annabelle. The second one was better but still it seemed to pale in comparison to The Conjuring films, so to be honest, my expectations were not very high for this new installment.  As it turns out, this ended up being my favorite of the spin-off movies, and I have no shame admitting how much fun I had with this one.

First off, let me just state that I love The Conjuring films. Personally they are in my top ten for paranormal films. I’m a sucker for the cinematic Warren family, and I’m a fan of their work. Whether you believe in it or not, they make for good stories.  I feel this is important to get out there, because while I had a blast with this film, I can’t put it in the same sandbox.  Annabelle Comes Home works because it knows what it is: a B-movie carnival ride, and it embraces it.  This isn’t a dig by any means; instead it’s a compliment.

"You know kids lose their toys every day. Sometimes they get put in the wrong box, and that box gets taken away."

In 1995 Pixar didn't just put themselves on the computer animated feature film map. They completely created a new map. Yes, there were works before Toy Story, but that was the film that changed everything in an entire industry. It also began a push-and-pull relationship between the independent studio and its distribution partner, Walt Disney Studios. It was a disagreement over Toy Story sequels that found Pixar shopping for a new partner for their future output, and before you know it Disney wrote a check, and Pixar was a part of Disney. The small studio's chief, John Lassiter, ended up in charge of the Mouse House animation department, and those disputed Toy Story sequels became box office gold and examples of the right way to continue a film franchise. Now, a lot's changed in that 25 year interval. John Lassiter is gone because of his penchant for "full body hugs", and Disney has perfected the model of writing a check and turning it into a virtual printing press printing out hundred-dollar bills like they were prom flyers. Marvel, Lucasfilm, and now Fox have fallen like dominoes in the Disney march to global domination of the entertainment industry. It's actually amazing how many times they've gotten it right. The Marvel films represent one of the strongest collections of franchise films in movie history. The Star Wars films might have been hit-or-miss, but even the misses printed out money. It's gotten to the point where, in the Disney Empire, a worldwide haul of a half a billion bucks is considered a failure. And now we come to the fourth installment in the beloved Toy Story journey, and I have to say the film packs as much heart as the original did 25 years ago.

"You are a diversity hire. The important part is that you're here now."

Mindy Kaling knows a little bit about diversity hiring in the television industry and attempts to spread her wings a bit wider by staring in Late Night, an "inside baseball" look at the workings of a late-night talk show television program. Kaling not only stars in the independent film but was the writer as well. She certainly knows a thing or two about life behind the scenes on a television show. Her The Mindy Project has provided her with firsthand experience on that score. The film pulls in heavy hitters like Emma Thompson and John Lithgow, so there is no lack of star power to surround the young actress/writer in her first real chance at a prominent role in a feature film. So why does Late Night feel somewhat unfocused and incomplete? The answer might just lie at the feet of Mindy Kaling.

It was the summer of 1997 when audiences were first introduced to the Men in Black.  Will Smith was on the fast track to being a box office star, and Tommy Lee Jones, well, he’s always been awesome to watch on the screen, and he seemed to be having fun in this popcorn blockbuster.  It was no surprise that the film became a hit. As for the sequels that followed, for me they just never could touch the fun energy that the first one had.  I always loved the potential the first film had, as it gave us a world filled with an array of aliens and worlds the Men in Black could venture too, but instead the films that followed played it safe, and really, that’s a shame.  Now over twenty years later and in the fourth installment, we get a soft reboot/sequel that gives us some fresh new faces and new aliens for them to pursue, but is it too little to late, or is this the jolt the franchise needed?

The film opens up and wastes no time introducing us to MIB agents Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and his superior, Agent High T (Liam Neeson).  Here we see the duo setting up to intercept an alien group known as The Hive.  This opening sequence is a bit lackluster, and then the film oddly does a flashback to 1996, where we meet a young girl named Molly.  We get to see her first interaction with an alien as well as her witnessing the MIB in action (erasing her parents’ memories of their alien experience).  What kind of sucks is this is all the time we spend with Molly as a young girl. Instead the film jumps to present day and shows us Molly (now Tessa Thompson) is now obsessed with finding evidence to prove the existence of aliens as well as becoming a covert agent with the government that specializes in dealing with aliens.  It’s those in-between years where I feel there is a great story that could have been told, but there is no sense in crying over missed opportunities.

So, the announcement of this film was of particular interest of me. Of course, I have familiarity with the character of Shaft from childhood. Not to mention the remake that wasn’t really a remake that premiered in 2000 starring Samuel L Jackson. The most interesting thing about the film is that it brings three generations of the character under the umbrella of one film, with Richard Roundtree and Samuel L Jackson reprising their roles as the titular character and introducing Jesse T Usher into the franchise as the latest addition to pick up the mantle. Another interesting thing is that despite it being a sequel it shares the same name as the 2000 version. Though this does introduce a certain level of confusion, it just proves just how bad a mother- shut-your-mouth Shaft is; he can name his movies whatever he wants.

The film follows John Shaft Jr. (Usher), a data analyst with the FBI. When we meet him, it is clear that he lacks the swagger that we are used to associating with the character. He is afraid to assert himself to his boss, who undervalues him. He hates guns, and most importantly he struggles talking to women. I don’t know about you, but that is not the offspring I would have envisioned for the great John Shaft. Part of that may be the fact that the two haven’t laid eyes on one another for 25 years.

“Something weird is going on.”

If you’re having a bit of zombie fatigue, you’re not alone. From movies to TV shows and video, we’ve had well over a decade of being blasted with the undead. Basically it’s the sub-genre that just won’t die.  I love zombie movies, but I feel audiences could use a bit of a break from them for a little bit and let another monster indulge in the spotlight.  With that being said, when a good one comes along, I’m still going to want to give it a try.  Already this summer we have Black Summer on Netflix that is worth giving a binge, and now hitting the cinemas we have The Dead Don’t Die.  Never in a million years would have guessed that writer and director Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man, Broken Flowers, Stranger Than Paradise) would ever tackle this kind of horror film, but it is a welcome surprise. What’s more enticing about this film is the unique cast that has been put together: some familiar faces from Jarmusch’s work like Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, and Tom Waits.

When the first trailer of the Secret Life of Pets film came out I thought that the Illumination and Universal Pictures were onto something.  I think every kid and even adult wonders at some point what their pets’ lives are like when they are not around.  This was what I felt could have been the pet equivalent to the Toy Story franchise.  As it would turn out, the first film started out strong, but for me it quickly fizzled into an absurd storyline.  Kids seemed to like it, and really that’s all that mattered, but personally I felt there was enough strength in the material where we could have gotten something great.  Now we have Secret Life of Pets 2. Does the film manage to pull off something great, or is this a big pile of stale kibble?

The film picks up with Max (Patton Oswalt), a tan and white terrier, and his best canine pal, Duke (Eric Stonestreet) living the life together. It doesn’t take long before things change in a big way.  Their owner gets a boyfriend, and not long after the pair end up having a baby.  We already know Max isn’t keen on sharing affection, so how is he going to adjust to having a new baby coming into his home?  Really, I liked where this could have gone, to get to see a boy and his dog film from the perspective of the dog and just seeing the challenges the puppy has to adjust to this new human in their lives…we get some of that, and then the film takes a twist by the family randomly planning a trip to head out to the farm/woods.