I join CTV Atlantic’s Todd Battis to talk about the monstrous and messy “The Bride!,” PIxar’s “Hoppers,” the hockey drama “Youngblood” and the teen drama “Sweetness.”
Watch the whole thing 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.
We all know that Jor-El and Lara, sent their infant son Kal-El to Earth minutes before their planet Krypton self-destructed. Less known is the story of Kal-El’s Kryptonian Labrador Retriever, the boy’s faithful best friend, who leapt into the Earth-bound spaceship to start a new life on the little blue planet third from the sun. “Look after our son,” Jor-El says as the ship careens out of sight in “DC League of Super Pets,” a new animated movie now playing in theatres.
When we meet them on Earth they are now settled in Metropolis and are known as Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman (John Krasinski) and Bark Kent a.k.a. Krypto (Dwayne Johnson). “I’m his ride or die,” Krypto brags. They live the lives of best friends, sharing an apartment, watching their favorite cooking shows on the Food Network and fighting crime. “My only friend is Superman,” Krypto sings to John Williams’ “Superman” theme. They are inseparable, except for the time Superman spends with his girlfriend, and Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde).
Sensing that Krypto needs a friend, Superman visits the local animal rescue, just as Ace (Kevin Hart), is making a run for it. In the cage above him is Lulu (Kate McKinnon), a hairless guinea pig who was once a test subject for Superman’s archenemy Lex Luthor (Marc Maron). The supervillain is experimenting with orange kryptonite, a variation of the green kryptonite that saps Superman’s powers.
In a battle of the superheroes and supervillains, Superman and Krypto are hobbled by green kryptonite while the orange kryptonite empowers Ace, Lulu and the other rescue animals. “I figured out something Lex didn’t know,” Lulu gloats. “Orange doesn’t work on people. It only works on pets!”
It is revealed that Lulu is an evil genius who, with the help of her newly recruited injustice squad, plans on reuniting with Luthor and putting an end to the work of the Justice Squad, Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), Aquaman (Jemaine Clement), The Flash (John Early), Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), Batman (Keanu Reeves) and Green Lantern (Dascha Polanco).
Now, it’s up to Krypto, with the help of Ace and the other super pets, to rescue Superman and the world savers.
“DC League of Super Pets” tries hard to mold the superhero movie formula into a kid-friendly shape. For much of the movie director Jared Stern succeeds. Supes and Krypto have a good ‘n goofy relationship, punctuated by funny banter and antics. Everyday chores, like dog walking are given a superhero spin as Superman and Krypto’s daily constitutional becomes a supersonic flight around the world, powered by their extranormal abilities.
Kids should also get a kick out of fun characters like McKinnon’s sarcastically sinister Lulu, the Natasha Lyonne-voiced Merton McSnurtle, the turtle with superspeed, and a cat who coughs up hand grenade furballs. Parents should appreciate the good life lessons about team work, sharing, learning by listening and being true to yourself to unlock your true powers, while getting a laugh out of the film’s more self-aware moments. “Every superhero struggles to learn their powers, “ says PB (Vanessa Bayer), a potbellied pig who can change size at will, “until they have their training montage.”
But, and there is a but, the movie eventually goes the way of all superhero movies and devolves into a loud, messy climax that feels as though it doesn’t line up with the kid friendly action that came before it.
“DC League of Super Pets” doesn’t have the same sense of fun as “The Lego Batman Movie,” and sticks too closely to the adult style of storytelling we’ve come to expect from superhero movies—there are even two after credit scenes—but it does deliver some cute characters and a handful of superlaughs.
