Turning Red

 Pixar hit it out of the park again.

Aside from Cars, and associated spin offs, do those guys ever miss the mark.

This was a fun and sensitive take on one of the messy times in a kids life and a parents too.

Raya and the Last Dragon (Drive In Version)

One of the local restaurants is offering Drive In movies to stay afloat. It is a brilliant idea they are in a giant business park with tons of parking. They charge $25 per car and almost everyone orders food.

H saw the advertisement and saw that they were screening Raya and the Last Dragon. K was up for it and I was feeling like a drive-in was within COVID safety limits. Besides who doesn't like going to the drive-in?

The set up was decent. They had a big blow-up screen and a digital project that made for a sharp enough picture. The sound was broadcast over the radio, so if your car's sound system was up to snuff you could get good sound sound. (We had the IONQ which, while not having the Dolby sub-woofer equipped 10 speaker sound system of the bus, provided a pleasant listening experience.) We did luck out in that we were not parked behind one of the many large SUVs in attendance. The IONQ would not have provided a clear view of the screen with one of them parked in front of it.

The movie itself was a solid Disney animated princess movie. It combined the best parts of the new princess tropes. Raya is strong, capable, and independent. The movie does a good job of staying true to Asian cultures. The animation is fantastic. The action scenes are excellent and on par with the ones in the live action Mulan. The comic relief is just right. The one thing that sets Raya apart from other animated princess movies is that it is not a musical. There are no big songs. It is much more like Brave in that respect.

My only criticism of the movie is that it does not spend enough time on character building. We only get very superficial glances at the main characters. There is more to explore between Raya and her frenemy. There is also a more to know about the last dragon.

The food was also excellent. I got some kicking chicken tacos and classically good tater tots with the perfect amount of grease. H got a gluten free chicken pizza with a "you would know it wasn't gluten" crust and the perfect amount of hot spice.

It was a perfect way to spend a COVID evening out.

Smurfs: The Lost Village

I had low expectations for Smurfs. I wasn't much of a fan was I was a kid. So, I would have been happy if the movie didn't suck.
I was surprised at how good it turned out to be.
The visuals are stunning and the music was good. The characters were about what one would expect. It was the story that really stood out.
Smurfette finally got to come into her own. She finds her true inner Smurf and gets to save the day. As the parent of and adopted girl, I thought it had a great message.

Moana

Bug finally got me to see Moana. It was a perfectly good Disney princess movie. I have to say that I like the new Disney princess movies. The princesses have agency and their parents do not have to die.
Moana gets to discover her true self, save her people, and be generally awesome. The songs are good and the animation is of typically high quality.

Trolls

Bug really wanted to see Trolls for movie night, so I begrudgingly gave in. I had no interest in seeing what looked like a glitter bomb of epic corporate greed that could only suck.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was not great, but it was good. The story was upbeat and had a good message. The soundtrack was kicking. I'm glad I only paid the $5 rental fee to see it, but it was better than some of the other kids movies I've seen recently.

Kubo and the Two Strings

I loved this movie. The story was dark, but not so dark that a six year old couldn't handle it. It ended sadly, but hopeful. The animation was lush. There was nothing about the movie that I did not like.
The thing I liked the best was Kobo and his relationship with Monkey. It is warm and complicated. The relationship with Beetle is simpler, but still loving.
So, I love the movie and think everyone should see it.

Sing

I loved this movie. Sure it was a winter vacation, star studded, money grab, but it had soul.
The characters were great. I particularly liked how complicated the theater owner was. Bug really took to Meena the Elephant.
The message was upbeat and the plot, while predictable, moved along nicely. The humor was flexible enough to entertain young and old.
The music was pretty great as a bonus.

The Secret Life of Pets

To escape the heat we saw The Secret Life of Pets. It gets good reviews and other people we know really enjoyed it, but the trailer never impressed me. It looked like another perfectly OK kids movie that would be on Netflix in a few months.
I wasn't wrong. It was perfectly OK and that is about it. The movie, which is a rarity these days, does have more going on than the trailer implies. That was a nice surprise.
The funniest part was the minions short before the movie.
Anyway, Bug gave it a thumbs up and thought the crazy bunny was her favorite character.

The Digital Lorax

For movies night we chose the new version of The Lorax.
I like the book and the original movie version. I don't love them. They are a little preachy for my tastes, but they are still good Suesian fun,
I don't dislike the new version. On its own, it is a fun, well executed kids movie. It is still preachy, but the core message of protecting nature is good.
When considered as a remake, or reimagining, of the original, the new version is a mess.
First off, it does not move the story forward in any meaningful way. The new animation is good, but so what. The reframing of the story actually detracts from the core message.
Second, the reframing of the story is terrible, The hero becomes a slacker kid who saves the trees for a girl? The Lorax forgives the Onceler for doing nothing for a long time and then giving the seed to a slacker, love sick kid? Seriously? Why doesn't the Onceler come down from his tower and atone by planting the tree? Why not make the girl, who actually cares about the trees, the hero of the story?
My opinion is that if you want to see The Lorax, see the original. The remake is fine, but nothing special,

Zootopia

Bug and I saw Zootopia at the Lexington Venue. It was so small that we sat in hot front row and didn't have to look up. It was quaint in a way that a modern megaplex with powered reclining seats and the latest sound system will never replicate. The theater didn't change my view of the film in anyway. It was just a nice place to see a film.
Zootopia itself was nice. As with all Pixar films, the animation and voice acting were top notch. Pixar doesn't do bad production quality. That does not mean their movies are always great; Pixar did make all of the Cars movies.....
Zootopia is not Cars. It is one of their truly great movies. The story was fun and fast paced, but covered a lot of moral ground. It is a caper that manages to provide serious commentary on bigotry, race relations, police profiling, and other social ills. It is seriously funny for both adults and children. It does not play down to the kids, but it does make some jokes that only an adult would get.
Bug thought Zootopia was engaging and funny as well. She and I both liked it better than Inside Out. Bug did not, however, find it better than Frozen or Tangled.
Zootopia, while great, is not as great as the classics like Toy Story, Up, or Wall-e. It lacked some of the emotional depth of the those films. It also feels a little too wedded to current events. It will be interesting to see how it ages.
What Zootopia lacks in emotional depth it makes up for in social commentary. It is a worthy trade off for an early summer movie.

Inside Out

Heather and Kenzie insisted that I see Inside Out. They also decided we needed to own it. Despite being months behind on my Wittertainment, I knew that the good Dr. thought it was good enough to win best picture, so I didn’t put up much of a fight.
I'm not sure about it being best picture material, but it was a good movie. The animation was Pixar at its best. The story managed to work for both adults and kids. It also managed to be funny without sacrificing depth.
I found the emotions engaging, but found Joy annoying. The funny thing was that not liking Joy made the ending work better for me. It also made the movie more brilliant. At least for me at Riley's age, I was more sadness than joy. That period in life was all about finding the joy amid the turmoil.
So, best picture? Maybe. It was one of the best movies I have seen this year.

Paddington

Bug and I were excited to see Paddington. She loved the trailer and the Witterati had nothing but praise for the movie. It seemed like the perfect way to spend a snowbound Presidents Day.
The movie was gorgeous. Paddington looked real and like it was filmed with the actors. The cast did a fabulous job acting against a ghost.
The story is pretty magical as well. It could easily slip into sentimental slop, but the writing is honest and infused with wit and charm and peril.
Lord Grantham in a dress is worth the price of admission.
The only criticism I have of the movie is the scares. There were two very scary sections that seemed a little over the top. The last one, in particular, felt gratuitous.
Bug liked the movie, but the scary parts were a little too much for her. She wasn’t overwrought and didn’t have nightmares, but she didn’t really like them.

Lego Movie

Verizon is giving us a free three months of HBO and we took advantage of HBO on-demand to watch The Lego Movie.
I had high expectations for The Lego Movie. The good doctors of Wittertainment gave it stellar reviews. In fact the flappy handed one sang the song for weeks. The glowing reviews, and my undying love for legos, either made me predisposed to love the movie or set me up for crushing disappointment.
As the song says “everything is awesome”. I loved the movie. Visually it was incredible. The story was sweet and had its tounge far enough in its cheek to become schmaltzy. It is a rare gem that can be sweet and ironic at the same time. The Lego Movie pulled it off.
The ending was also perfectly balanced. It was sweet and poked fun at the franchise nature of big movies.
I am going to watch it again if a get a chance. I think I’m going to see if Bug will watch it with me. I think she’ll get a hoot out of it too.

Boxtrolls

Bug and I needed something to do on a rainy Saturday. The movies, while still staring at a screen, at least require getting out of the house.
Bug saw an advert for Boxtrolls weeks ago. Using our generic iDevice, we also watched the trailers. Bug and I thought it looked fun. H wasn't so sure. The BBC's flagship movie program gave Boxtrolls a positive nod. The only issue was that it was PG and a little scrungy.
H was gone for the weekend; it was rainy; Bug handles scrunge with aplomb. The plan was set. Off to one of the local independent theaters for an afternoon of scrungy, stop motion movie fun.
We got to the theater with plenty of time. I checked if Bug needed to use the potty. "No." Then we rushed past the vending area to get some choice seating.
Bug wanted to sit in the front row. In a newer theater I would have weathered the storm of saying no, but this theater is set up to make front row viewing pleasantish. The screen is big, but not crazy big. It is also close to eye-level. You don't need to sit in astronaut position for the whole show or worry about only seeing part of the screen.
We got settled in and starting watching the few previews when a family sits next to us and they all have treats. "Daddy, I really wish I had popcorn." "We'll miss some of the movie." "I want popcorn more than missing some of the movie." So, we go get popcorn. Again I ask about the potty. "No."
Once we settle in with our popcorn, "Daddy, I need to go potty. I cannot hold it." The bathroom is right outside the door to the theater and is not occupied.
We settle in for the final time having missed about ten minutes of the movie. The bits we missed didn't hinder us from enjoying the movie or following the story. I'm sure it was fun stuff, but not terribly important.
The movie was great. The animation was beautifully scrungy. The story was cute. The characters were very well done. It is pretty amazing how much character a box can have. The humor worked for both Bug and I.
Kenzie had a good time and reported that she like it. She sat for the whole time without much fidgeting. The few scary bits didn't bother her much. She was appropriately tense. Bug doesn't like loud noises and nothing bothered her.
I'd give it a definite thumbs up as a family movie. It works on several levels. Fans of Beckett will enjoy the end credits.

Frozen

For Bug's first movie we decided on Frozen. It got generally good reviews from both the critics and other parents. I had also heard enough about it to believe that it wasn't the standard Disney princess movie where the hero and true love save the day. I'm not reflexively opposed to traditional fairy tale based princess movies, but I also like subverting tradition when possible.
Despite a rocky beginning, the outing was a success.
It turned out that the screening we went to was in 3D, so Bug was a little thrown by the glasses. Some of the previews were a little intense for her as well. The worst trailers, for a little kid, were for Maleficent and How to Train Your Dragon. How to Train Your Dragon was rough because, Bug saw the nice holiday special, so had happy feeling towards it. After the initial intro to the trailer, things get a little scary.
Frozen was excellent. There are a few heavy moments, but nothing truly scary. The music is great. The animation is luscious. The 3D effects were the smoothest I have seen. I do think that the movie is just as good without them; the 3D doesn't add anything. Bug stayed quite through the entire movie. She moved into the aisle a few times to get a better view of the screen. After the movie, she went home and asked to watch the trailers again. When asked what her favorite part of the movie was, she replied "the music."
Most of the story went over her head, which is to be expected given that she is under four. For us, or for a child old enough to follow it, the story is great. It balances serious and humor well. The tension is modulated well for the audience. You get that big things are being dealt with, but there are very few scares. The best thing about the story, for me, is its subversiveness. In many ways, it plays like the standard princess fairy tale with slight updates to make the princess more spunky ala Tangled. Then the plot turns and it is no longer in traditional fairy tale land.
The pre-movie feature, featuring classic Disney characters, is also top notch. To be most effective, it does require 3D, but it is a fun use of the technology.

Despicable Me 2

H and I decided to go see this based solely on one joke that happens in the first twenty minutes of the movie. As far as I was concerned, the movie had little else to recommend it. I am not a fan of Steve Carell's work in general and reviews of the first film were pretty like warm.
It turns out that the sequel is better than the original. It must be because they ramped up the minion count. The adult characters are forgettable. The children are cute, but forgettable. The story is sweet, but predictable and forgettable.
What keeps things interesting is the comedy of the minions. I laughed enough to not feel like we wasted our money. I can imagine watching with wee child on Netflix and enjoying it.

Paranorman

I'm a sucker for a good misfit movie and Paranorman did not disapoint. It ticks all of the right boxes. Misfit kid with specail ability, a well meaning but clueless family, the mistfit freind, the gaurdian spirit, the mission to save the world, and zombies are all there. More importantly, the movie is smart, funny, and doesn't skimp on the scary to spare the kids. Saving the world requires Norman to work through some pretty rough stuff given that the target audience for the film is 12.

The the subversive humor is what makes the movie work and keeps it from drowning in its message. The creeepy uncle is creepy but is done humorously. The zombies are also creepy in a funny way. The only truly scary character is the witch.

I highly recommend Paranorman.

The Pirates!

After nearly two years, H and I finally got out to see a movie in a theater. Instead of jumping into something heavy, we decided for lighter fare: The Pirates! Band of Misfits (In the rest of the English speaking world, where they are not afraid of science, the subtitle is Adventures with Scientists.
It is an Ardman claymation film. Ardman are the people who created Wallace and Grommet, Chicken Run, and Sean the Sheep. As one would expect from Ardman, the film looks incredible. I am always amazed at how detailed and lush their films look. The characters are amazingly expressive. They have facial expressions, body postures, and movements that are, in some cases, even more expressive than what you can get from a human actor. The backgrounds were equally detailed. Some of them are digital, but they all flow together seamlessly. We saw it in 2D and I cannot see how 3D would do anything to improve the visuals. It would probably detract from the experience by being a distraction.
The story was OK. It had a good number of laughs and a wicked portrayal of Queen Elizabeth. Overall, it is a pretty standard issue story for a family movie. The writing will appeal to kids and adults alike. H felt like the first part of the movie dragged a bit, but I didn't mind the beginning at all.
The most impressive thing about the movie was the craftsmanship. It was clearly made by people who care about turning out high quality products. The movie was years in the making and it shows. It is a stark contrast to a lot of the poop that studios crank out simply for a buck. If you want to support quality, skip Transformers, John Carter, G. I. Joe and all of the cookie cutter romance movies spit out from the Sparks factory, and see Pirates!.

Tangled

Tangled is not a movie I'm proud to say I've watched, particularly when I didn't watch it with a child. H and I watched it on Netflix when there was nothing else on the tube.
I expected Tangled to be pretty mediocre and was modestly surprised. It definitely isn't a classic, but it is more fun than it could have been.
The plot is pretty much what one would expect. The characters are all standard fare. The heroine is plucky and resourceful. The hero is a rouge with a heart of gold. Together they fall in love, defeat the forces aligned against them, and live happily ever after. There is betrayal, sacrifice, and help from a rouge's gallery of misfits. Oh there is plenty of singing.
The beautiful animation is one of the Tangled strengths. While the story is cookie cutter, it is a good story and it is well assembled. Everyone does a good job. Mandy Moore's singing is excellent. Zac Levy's rouge is dashing when needed and believable when he gets soft. The jokes are well done and well timed.
So, Tangled won't win any awards, nor will it become a classic. That said, it is a decent way to kill an hour and a half.

Up

When Up was in the theaters, H and I wanted to see it and were in a particularly rough spot in our infertility struggle. Before we could go one of my co-workers warned me that the first ten minutes would not be healthy for us. So, we skipped it.
I'm glad we skipped it when we did. I'm also glad that we decided to watch it on Netflix the other night. It is one of the best movies I've seen in a while.
As one would expect with a Pixar movie, the animation is top notch. Even in 2D the images pop off the screen. The action is smooth and the back drops are lush.
What makes the movie so good is the story. Up is more than just a fluffy kids movie. It deals with some tough issues in an honest way. It accepts that kids can handle things without sugar coating. There is loss, death, failure, missing parents and some scary things, but still manages to be a fun movie that kids will enjoy.
The most impressive part of this impressive movie is it's first ten minutes. They are a masterpiece of story telling. They convey an entire life of loss and joy. They also perfectly set up the movie's main themes. When the main section of the movie starts, you feel like you know the main character. You understand his pain and know his inner strengths.
It is a testament to the quality of the film that the old man's character stays true throughout the movie. When he has his epiphany, it is consistent with his charter. His actions following the epiphany is also consistent with his basic nature.
I highly recommend Up.