I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Akshay Tandon to talk about the new releases in theatres, including the live-action “Moana,” the sport comedy “Racewalkers” and the wacky “Wizard of Oz” homage “Gail Daughtery and the Celebrity Sex Pass.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the live-action “Moana,” the sport comedy “Racewalkers” and the wacky “Wizard of Oz” homage “Gail Daughtery and the Celebrity Sex Pass.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to drink a Mai Tai. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the live-action “Moana,” the sport comedy “Racewalkers” and the wacky “Wizard of Oz” homage “Gail Daughtery and the Celebrity Sex Pass.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: Inspired by Polynesian mythology, “Moana,” a new live action adaptation of Disney Animation’s 2016 film of the same name, sees the daughter of a Samoan island chief, along with the boastful, shape-shifting demigod Maui, set off on a voyage across the Pacific to bring prosperity back to her community.
CAST: Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Directed by Thomas Kail.
REVIEW: “Moana” reverberates with messages of self-discovery and respectful nods to Polynesian and Samoan culture, but echoes of the original animated film overwhelm this banal remake.
Set on the island of Motunui, the story involves Moana (Catherine Laga’aia), the precocious daughter of village chief Tui (John Tui) and his wife Sina (Frankie Adams) and her desire to sail beyond the island’s protective reef. Her father forbids her to set sail, but when the island is threatened by a mysterious blight, the sea calls her name, making it her responsibility to restore balance with the return of the stolen heart of the life-giving goddess Te Fiti. “Moana, the ocean chose you,” says Gramma Tala (Rena Owen). “Find Maui and restore the heart.”
Fans of the original movie will remember Maui (Dwayne Johnson) as the egotistical shapeshifting demigod– “It’s true, I do have beautiful hair,” he says. “What can I say except, ‘You’re welcome!’”—who accompanies Moana on her journey across the Pacific and to becoming a wayfinder and leader. “The ocean chose her for a reason.”
It’s a bit of a misnomer to call the new “Moana” a live action remake of the 2016 animated film. There are live performances, by actual actors, but much of the film remains animated, using computer generated image imagery to create the film’s lush island backgrounds and blustery seas faring scenes.
Add to that Dwayne Johnson as Maui. He’s essentially a cartoon come to life, a bigger than life character whose spirit and physicality feels as though it was lifted from an animator’s imagination.
So, it begs the question, Why tinker with a decade old movie many consider to be a modern Disney classic without freshening up the story? There is a new Lin-Manuel Miranda song called “Along the Way,” but mostly it’s a serviceable rehash with “photo-real” technology that lacks the soul and charm of the original.
