Movie Trailer: GOAT

Movie Trailer: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania Transformania

 

Note: This film is only available on Amazon Prime. 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A fun movie though not as good as the previous films in the franchise. 

This movie marks the first Hotel Transylvania film, not to be directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (though he did work as a writer and producer) and the first one not to feature Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula (impressionist Brain Hull does a quite good job though). Because of this I was initially worried about this franchise going a film too far. Luckily while it may not have lived up to its predecessors, I had a good time watching it. Like the previous movies, one of the best things about this picture is the characters. For a franchise with a lot of characters they all have distinct personalities and are all quite likable. Because of this we truly care about what happens in this story. Like the other movies in this franchise, though this is a silly comedy the emotional moments work surprisingly well. The relationships between Drac, Mavis and Johnny feel real to us and bring a good emotional center. On the comedy side the gimmick of monsters turning into humans and humans into monsters is a good one and the best comedy moments come from this. While the humor can be a bit uneven at times the jokes the work, work very well. 

On the downside the idea of this movie centering so much on Drac not fully accepting Johnny as part of the family feels a bit derivative. This has been a major part of the previous movies and there has been quite of character development involving this. So much of that character development seems to disappear with this film and we are obviously taking steps back in that department. It also makes the film feel a bit too similar to the previous movies. On the humor side sometimes, the slapstick could benefit from some sharper timing and slapstick gags that could have been funny aren't simply because they are not timed well enough. There are also too many comedy moments that rely on screaming which can get a bit annoying at times. 

While not the best this franchise has to offer it is still a fun movie.     

Movie Review: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

Fast paced and silly family fun and a sequel that tops the original. 

All movie fans have learned when it comes to sequels that bigger does not always in fact equal better. Yet this sequel is both bigger and better. Still it is not the scope that makes this movie better. One thing that makes this film work better though is the role of Peter himself. While I found him likable and entertaining in the first film, I didn't relate to him the way I do here. He is put in a situation that all of us can understand and emphasize with. He has made mistakes in the past and is trying to get away from them, yet the whole world seems to see him as a "bad seed." With this it becomes easy to identify with Peter, because we all have wanted to prove ourselves to be something more than others think we are. McGregor is given a much better role here than he had in the first movie. He is much more interesting, funny and charming as a new father figure, who doesn't quite know how to be one. Here he even provides the film with its most heartfelt moments. What also makes the larger scale work is that the movie knows that it is cliché and both satirizes and embraces the cliché at the same time. These very clever jokes on sequels having to be bigger than the original are often the comedic highlights of the movie and the climatic scene put a big smile on face all the through. Yet the filmmakers manage to do this without ever treating the story like a joke, allowing us to get involved with the emotions of the story while laughing at the silliness of it all at the same time. 

This movie feels like it has to constantly throw jokes at us. Because of this some really funny moments will sit side by side with jokes that fall completely flat. Unfortunately some of the jokes that fall flat become running jokes. Still this doesn't change that the jokes that work are genuinely funny and I found myself laughing quite a bit. But if there is a third film, I hope that very annoying rooster will be left out.   

There is very little in this movie that hasn't been seen before and it is easy to see what will happen next. There are also a few subplots that simply go nowhere and the villain is not very interesting.  

All in all this film provided me with just what I wanted from it, a really fun time at the movies.
  

Movie Trailer: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

Movie Review: The Angry Birds Movie 2

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

To be honest I didn't care for the first Angry Birds Movie. I simply just did not find that film enjoyable. That is what made how much I enjoyed  The Angry Birds Movie 2 so surprising.

While humor plays a major part in most mainstream animated movies today, few of them turn out to be out and out comedies. This movie is completely an out and out comedy. This film throws everything but the kitchen sink at us to make us laugh and shockingly that works very well. The gags come at us at such a rapid speed that we never have time to except them. Because of this even the jokes that didn't make me laugh, still helped the film have such an irresistible comedic energy. There were plenty of times I laughed out loud though here. All the characters are given their turn to shine comedically and they do. I even found the hatchlings' side-story hilarious. All of these jokes are delivered fantastically. They are fast paced enough to constantly contribute to the comedic energy of the film, but never too fast to lose their comedic impact. The animation is fantastically energetic and hilariously cartoony. The voice work is fantastic as well. The cast delivers each verbal joke fantastically. It does take a little while until this film's comedic energy fully gets going but when it does, it never stops. Admittedly I am a huge fan of over the top slapstick cartoon humor  (something that sadly seems to becoming rarer these days), and so a movie like this feels like a fantastic change of pace for me.

I will not talk more about this movie as I don't want to give away any of its great humor. This is an excellent film.

-Michael J. Ruhland  

Annie Award Winners

Last night was the 46th annual Annie Awards. This is the biggest award show exclusively for animation. Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse ran off with the most awards this year. Congratz to all the winners and thank you to all the nominees for provided us with such great animated entertainment.


Below are listed the winners as well as the other nominees.

Best Animated Feature
Winner: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Other Nominees: Early Man, Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Best Animated Independent Feature
Winner: Mirai

Other Nominees: Ce Magnifique Gateau!, MFKZ, Ruben Brandt Collector, Tito and the Birds.

Best Animated Special Production

Winner: Mary Poppins Returns.


Other Nominees: Back to the Moon, The Emperor's Newest Clothes, The Highway Rat.


Best Animated Short Subject

Winner: Weekends.


Other Nominees: Grandpa Walrus, Lost & Found, SOLAR WALK, Untravel.


Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
Winner: Greenpeace 'There's a Rang-tan in My Bedroom'

Other Nominees: Goldfish at the Fair, Grinch/40/Olympics Spot, JD.com Joy and Heron, The Fearless are Here.

Best Animated/Broadcast Television Production for Preschool Children
Winner: Ask the StoryBots.

Other Nominees: PJ Masks, Dinotrux: Supercharged, Hey Duggee, Tumble Leaf.

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Children
Winner: Hilda.

Other Nominees: Kung Fu Panda: Paws of Destiny, Little Big Awesome, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters.

Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: BoJack Horseman

Other Nominees: Big Mouth, Bobs Burgers, Human Kind Of, The Venture Brothers.

Best Student Film
Winner: Best Friend.

Other Nominees: A Blink of an Eye, Facing It, Sister, Hors Piste.

Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Winner: Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters.


Other Nominees: DreamWorks Theatre Presents Kung Fu Panda, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SuperMansion, Watership Down.


Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Ralph Breaks the Internet.


Other Nominees: Early Man, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Incredibles 2, Next Gen.


Outstanding Achievement For Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Winner: Hilda.


Other Nominees: Age of Sail, Back to the Moon, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Tumble Leaf.


Outstanding Achievement For Character Animation in a Animated Feature Production

Winner: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.


Other Nominees: Early Man, Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, Ralph Breaks the Internet.


Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Winner: Mary Poppins Returns.

Nominees: Avengers: Infinity War, Christopher Robin, Paddington 2, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Video Game

Winner: GRIS.


Other Nominees: God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, Moss, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.


Outstanding Achievement in Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.

Other Nominees: Age of Sail, Niko and the Sword of Light, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Outstanding Achievement in Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Winner: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.

Other Nominees: Incredibles 2, Mary Poppins Returns, Next Gen, Ralph Breaks the Internet.


Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: Disney's Mickey Mouse.

Other Nominees: Ask the Storybots, Niko and the Sword of Light, SuperMansion, Tales of Arcadia: 3Below.

Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.

Other Nominees: Early Man, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: Disney's Mickey Mouse.

Other Nominees: Back to the Moon, Elena of Avalor, Tangled the Series, The Tom and Jerry Show.

Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production    
   
Winner: Incredibles 2.

Other Nominees: Early Man, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Smallfoot.

Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television/ Broadcast Production
Winner: Age of Sail.


Other Nominees: Disney's Mickey Mouse, Little Big Awesome, Niko and the Sword of Light, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.


Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.


Other Nominees: Early Man, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Isle of Dogs, Mary Poppins Returns.

Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: Disney's Mickey Mouse.

Other Nominees: Ben 10, Big Hero Six: the Series, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, Rise of the Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Winner: Incredibles 2.

Other Nominees: Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Mary Poppins Returns.

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: BoJack Horseman.

Other Nominees: Unikitty, F is for Family, Pete the Cat, Skylanders Academy.


Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Isle of Dogs.


Other Nominees: Early Man, Incredibles 2, Next Gen, Ralph Breaks the Internet.


Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: Hilda.  


Other Nominees: Big Mouth, Craig of the Creek, We Bare Bears, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil.


Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Spider-Man into the Spiderverse.


Other Nominees: Incredibles 2, Mirai, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Teen Titans Go! to the Movies.


Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Winner: Big Hero 6: The Series.

Other Nominees: Puppy Dog Tails, SpongeBob SquarePants, Tales of Arcadia: 3Below, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.

Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Winner: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.

Other Nominees: Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, Incredibles 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Ruben Brandt Collector.




-Michael J. Ruhland     

     

   

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Michael's Movie Grade: A+











Review: One of the greatest superhero movies ever made and easily the most unique.


We live in a time where the cinema is overrun with superhero movies. It seems there is always a new superhero movie coming out. Movie fans by now have memorized all the superhero movie troops and superhero movies even make fun of these clichés themselves (the Deadpool movies being the most obvious examples). With this it would be easy to think nothing new can be done with superhero movies. That is what makes Into the Spiderverse so incredible. It feels like nothing we have ever seen before (an incredible feet once you consider all the previous Spider-Man movies). This is achieved through the storyline, the characters and the animation. All of these work together perfectly.

What is incredible about this movie is how well it combines all its elements. This movie is filled with over the top meta jokes, cartoon-y humor and even Spider-Ham. These jokes are extremely over the top and made me laugh out loud plenty of times. However they never distract from the story or characters. These remain the main focal point and they work beautifully. The character of Miles Morales is one of the most relatable superheroes in movie history. He is not just a simple nice guy who wants to save people, but instead a fully rounded well thought out character. He is always completely real and this keeps us believing the movie even during its most over the top moments. Peter Parker has maybe never been this fascinating in a movie. Again he is not a cartoon character to us but a real person.

The look of the film is fantastic. This movie looks like you have actually entered into a comic book. The pure amount of visual imagination is incredible. I love all the back stories being told in a comic book form and the final fight scene is one of the best and most unique looking action scenes to ever appear in a superhero movie. The look of this movie is like nothing I have ever seen before and for once there are scenes that I have nothing to compare them to. My jaw dropped at many of these visuals. Still the visuals all play a part in the story and draw you into world of the movie and into the minds of the characters.

I rather not say much about the story here. I came in only knowing what I had seen in the trailers which turned out not to be too much. This was perfect as there was little I saw coming and the movie constantly surprised me.

This is a must see for everybody, even those who normally don't like Superhero films.

-Michael J. Ruhland