I join CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisco to talk about the playful “Toy Story 5,” the grim historical drama “The Death of Robin Hood” and the supernatural horrors of “Leviticus.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join “CP24 Breakfast” hosts Nick Dixon and Jennifer Hsiung to talk about the playful “Toy Story 5” and the grim historical drama “The Death of Robin Hood.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I review “Toy Story 5” for ctvnews.ca: “By the time a franchise gets to the fifth instalment it’s usually a case of diminishing returns. The further you get from the source, the worse the movie. Luckily, “Toy Story 5” defies traditional wisdom, delivering a movie for the whole family that brims with heart and humour…” Read the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to brush your teeth. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the playful “Toy Story 5,” the grim historical drama “The Death of Robin Hood” and the supernatural horrors of “Leviticus.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Toy Story 5,” the new Pixar animated film now in theatres, eight-year-old Bonnie shifts from tradition toys to a newfangled tablet.
CAST: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Tony Hale, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Blake Clark, Keanu Reeves, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Ernie Hudson, Melissa Villaseñor, Greta Lee, Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson, Shelby Rabara, Matty Matheson, Bad Bunny. Directed by Andrew Stanton.
REVIEW: By the time a franchise gets to the fifth instalment it is usually a case of diminishing returns. The further you get from the source, the worse the movie. Luckily, “Toy Story 5” defies traditional wisdom, delivering a movie for the whole family that brims with heart and humor.
The story revolves around lonely eight-year-old Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), the only kid on the block who still plays with toys, like the cowgirl rag doll Jessie (Joan Cusack) and superhero action hero Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). The other kids spend their time on their screens and don’t have time for a girl who still plays with dolls.
Hoping to help her fit in, Bonnie’s parents (Lori Alan and Jay Hernandez) buy her a Lilypad (Greta Lee), a frog-shaped smart tablet that comes complete with games, chat rooms, social media and a very assertive attitude.
“Once tech enters your home,” says tech-phobic toy Dr. Nutcase (voiced by Matty Matheson), “it’s over.”
As Bonnie plays games and joins chat rooms on the device she spends less and less time with Jessie and the other toys.
“Extinction!” yelps Rex the dinosaur (Wallace Shawn). “Not again!”
With the help of a team of Buzz Lightyears and cowboy ragdoll Woody (Tom Hanks), who returns from rescuing abandoned toys, Jessie sets off to make sure Bonnie makes new friends, without forgetting about her toy pals.
“Playing games isn’t play,” Woody says.
“Toy Story 5” isn’t the old man of the franchise, yelling at tech to get off their lawn. Nor is it a story about the evils of tech. Instead, it’s a testament to the power of imagination.
It’s about screens vs. imagination and the joys that come when an unstructured young mind is allowed to run wild, to create and learn. But the screenplay, by Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris, doesn’t dismiss the place of passive tech in the modern world, it simply favors playtime over screen time.
As a movie, “Toy Story 5” has a sense of play about itself. Like the best of Pixar, it tackles real world issues like on-line bullying, insecurity (“What if am I just no good at being a toy?” asks Jessie.), the value of childhood memories and what true friends are but does so in a way that never feels maudlin. Director Stanton keeps things lively, pulling fun voice work from the returning cast, plus new additions like Conan O’Brien who has a blast voicing Smarty Pants, a toilet training tablet, and inserting some self-aware jokes, like depicting Woody, presumably the oldest of the toys, with a bald spot.
Add to that, beautiful cinematic visuals, with state-of-the-art 3D computer animation embellished with a lovely, handcrafted look for the imagination scenes, and you have a fine addition to the “Toy Story” franchise, rich in timely themes of the effects of tech on blossoming minds but never preachy or pedantic.
I join CHUM-FM’s Marilyn Denis and David Corey to talk about “Toy Story 5,” “The Odyssey” and why people are going back to the movies!
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
See video HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to reanimate the dead. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the monstrous and messy “The Bride!,” PIxar’s “Hoppers” and the hockey drama “Youngblood.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Hoppers,” a new animated Pixar science fiction, adventure comedy now playing in theatres, a teen eco warrior goes to extreme lengths to fight city hall’s plan to pave over a nature preserve to build a highway.
CAST: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Melissa Villaseñor, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Ego Nwodim, Meryl Streep, Vanessa Bayer. Directed by Daniel Chong.
REVIEW: Pixar returns to the top of the animation heap with “Hoppers,” a movie that brims with heart, irreverence, imagination and eye-popping animation.
When we first meet Mabel Tanaka (voice of Piper Curda) she’s a preteen with anger issues who learns to find solace in nature. “It’s hard to be mad when you feel like you’re part of something,” says her grandmother (Karen Huie).
Years later as popular local politician Mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm) is about to have a local nature habitat paved over to make room for a highway that will save commuters “up to four minutes,” Mabel tries to stop the construction. When the Mayor gives her 48 hours to repopulate the area with animals or he’ll continue the building, Mabel uses an experimental process to “hop” her human consciousness into a lifelike, robotic beaver, and communicate directly with animals.
“Hoppers” is an action adventure that zips along at the speed of light. Director Daniel Chong, a veteran storyboard artist on films like “Bolt,” “Cars 2,” “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” “Free Birds” and “Inside Out,” moves the story along quickly enough to engage young minds, but allows the script by Jesse Andrews to feel grown up enough for adults.
The twist on Dr. Dolittle—talking to animals through robotics and mind swapping—is inventive and allows the film’s messages of eco responsibility and community to be approached from the perspective of both animals and humans, deepening the story’s messages while also adding to the entertainment value. Familiar issues of the importance of working together to solve problems, found family and environmental concerns—never mess with Mother Nature!—are carefully addressed in a unique and interesting way.
The messaging may be nothing new, but the animation feels fresh. Energetic and alive, it’s playful, with fun character design and big action set pieces that pay homage to everything from “Jaws” and weirdo 70s flick “Frogs” to “Avatar” (even though one of the scientists says her “hopping” device is, “nothing like Avatar!”) and “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The easiest comparison would be to “Zootopia’s” blend of talking animals and social themes, but “Hoppers” feels different from that billion-dollar franchise. There’s more of a sense of wonder in the action adventure of “Hoppers’” sometimes silly, but always wild ‘n wooly story.
“Hoppers” has fun voicework—Meryl Streep’s imperious Insect Queen is a standout—and an off-the-wall but engaging story, but it stands out because it finds the balance between heart and humor.
