Movie Review - The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Director: Aaron Horvath, Michal Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Action/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen
 
Description: A plumber named Mario (Chris Pratt) travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother Luigi (Charlie Day), trying to save a captured princess (Anya Taylor-Joy).

Review: Thirty years ago, there was a movie adaptation of the wildly popular Super Mario games. This was a giant failure. I’m glad they decided to give it another try, in the form of an animation. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is such a fun film.

In this movie, an origina story of Mario and Luigi has been created. Thus, we get to see the family of the plumber brothers for the first time. They just started their own company and have not yet managed to get jobs. When they do, their first job goes horribly wrong. In addition, the New York borough of Brooklyn suffers from overflowing sewers. Since Mario and Luigi could use a little success, they decide to “save New Yorj”. But instead, they get sucked into a sewer pipe and end up in underground world. Luigi is stuck in the dark world of Bowser and Mario meet Princess Peach in her Mushroom Kingdom.

Once Mario and his brother have entered this world, the writers pull out all stops to match the games, complete with power-ups. It looks great and it’s tons of fun. They did change up Peach’s character a bit. Instead of playing the damsel in distress, as usual in the games, she fights along with Mario this time. And I liked this change.

Even though the world if Super Mario is already quite extensive and diverse, they ingeniously manage to involve Mario Kart and the Donkey Kong series in the adventure. And Jack Black voicing Bowser is probably the best choice of the entire film.

Videogame adaptations have always been tricky, but the succeeded here. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a colorful, action-packed, adventurous and funny film for all ages and a guaranteed good time.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - I Want You Back

Director: Jason Orley
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, Scott Eastwood, Gina Rodriguez, Clark Backo, Manny Jacinto
 
Description: Newly dumped thirty-somethings Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) team up to sabotage their exes new relationships and win them back for good.

Review: Director Jason Orley focuses on thirty-somethings, but it feels like a coming-of-age film. After Emma and Peter are both dumped by their partners, they hatch a plan to get their lovers back. While Emma will seduce Peter’s ex Anne’s new boyfriend, Peter becomes friends with Emma’s ex Noah and persuade him to break up his new relationship. A recipe for funny moments about people who have to learn to let go and look for what really suits them.

The casting of the characters is perfect. Emma is a funny, chaotic person who does not yet have her life in order, or in other words not someone you can build on according to ex-boyfriend Noah. Jenny Slate throws herself confidently into her role and despite her over-the-top moments, where she dramatically burst into tears, for example, she still feels very human.

Peter, on the other hand, is dumped by Anne because he is too lacking in spontaneity and she feels she cannot move forwards. Charlie Day fits right into the more passive role in which he is not so much funny himself as the situations he repeatedly finds himself in. His naïve, adorable appearance further enhances the humor.

Not only Emma and Peter come off well. Certainly Noah in some ways conforms to the stereotypes of the typical handsome man, but at the same time the film plays with expectations and manages to surprise. This does not mean that everyone gets a distinct personality. Noah and Anne’s new partners have little to do, and Emma’s roommates are there purely for comic relief. But the relationship between the characters work.

The pace is nice and the dialogues and awkward situations manage to make you laugh. It is also nice that the characters’ behavior does not simply lead to a happy ending. For however understandable, Emma and Peter’s plan is obviously dubious.

Without getting preachy, “I Want You Back” manages to convey well the life lesson the characters learn. And while the film never makes the characters unsympathetic, it is certainly aware of their lesser sides. That the film never goes over the top is due to the enjoyable cast, but also by never letting the exes become simple stereotypes. This gives the film just that little bit more.   

I’m not the world’s biggest romcom fan, but there is always at least one every year that pleasantly surprises me and I actually like. “I Want You Back” is the one this year.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Lego Movie 2

Director: Mike Mitchell
Genre: Action/ Animation/ Famiy
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Jadon Sand, Brooklynn Prince, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Ben Schwartz, Noel Fielding, Jason Momoa, Cobie Smulders, Ike Barinholtz, Ralph Fiennes, Will Forte, Jimmy O. Yang, Jorma Taccone, Bruce Willis

Description: It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 5: AN ANIMATED MOVIE

Review: The makers of “The Lego Movie” proved that it is not necessarily a bad idea to base a film on famous toys. The animated film by directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller combined the Danish construction toys that we all grew up with, with a charming story about the good-natured builder Emmet who took on Lord Business.
This was accompanied by wonderfully wooden animations and a world built almost entirely from Lego bricks. You could, so to speak, rebuild and recreate it with your own Legos. After many mediocre animated series, the successful approach of “The Lego Movie” provided the foundation for a number of Lego movies, including “The Lego Batman Movie” and “The Lego Ninjago Movie”.
A sequel to the movie that started it all was inevitable. It is to the credit of the makers that they did not continue in the same vein and even left out some of the characters from the first film. However, you are immediately and hastily thrown into the story. Apparently Brickburg has not fared very well. The Lego world has been attacked by the cute looking but aggressive Duplos.
Five years later, the building world isn’t exactly looking good. Brickburg is a dilapidated, run-down town where Emmet may still score his favorite coffee, but it still looks most like a location from “Mad Max”. The sight of a collapsed Statue of Liberty in what is now called Apocalypseburg brings back memories of “The Planet of the Apes”. When Emmet’s friends including Unikitty and Lcuy are kidnapped by the evil shape-shifting Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi, the orange-clad good guy has to spring into action.
But is Emmet really a hero or is he mostly goot at being loyal and being the best friend, according to the reading of the once Wylstyle known Lucy. In his mission to save his friends from the slimy but seemingly evil alien queen, Emmet comes face to face and side by side with the megalomaniac and tough Rex who is the antitheses in everything. Emmet wants nothing more than to also be as tough and heroic as his new friend.
Where the first film adventure around the popular toy still revolved around different Lego worlds and the jokes around their use, “The Lego Movie 2” is more universal in scope and theme. The question of who is a hero or a loser could have been inserted into practically any family film. On top of that, the story is messier and less straightforward. Emmet had the simple task of rescuing his friends, which at best results in some reflections on right and wrong.
The result is a series of artifacts and a new catchy song. In short, more of the same. In terms of color and tone, this second film is a lot more gloomy and does explore new territory, but the humor doesn’t hit as hard as its predecessor. In terms of plot, it all could have been a lot more original, but the characters and animations are again of high quality. The result is a wild roller coaster ride that occasionally comes to a halt and is more than a vehicle to sell merchandise.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Hollars

Director: John Krasinski
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 85 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: John Krasinski, Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, Sharlto Copley, Richard Jenkins, Randall Park, Josh Groban, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Description: John (John Krasinski) returns to his small hometown after learning that his mother has fallen ill and is about to undergo surgery.

Review: In “The Hollars” we meet John Hollar, who returns to his family home after his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor. His pregnant girlfriend stays ack in New York. When he comes home, he walks into his ex-girlfriend and has to face the trouble he has with his brother and father.
The film shows the life of an everyday family, each member with their own problems. Because the family isn’t extremely rich and maybe even closer to being poor, people can easily identify with them. The problems the Hollar family is dealing with, are ones that we can have and it makes the film realistic.
Although the film touches a very heavy theme, the humor is still there. Very dry humor, just how I like it. In the 80 minute runtime, we see a lot of different emotions. It’s not a lame comedy, it is in balance with the drama. But never gets to sobby (even though I cried).
The acting is great. John Krasinksi, who also directs this film, takes on the lead and does a wonderful job. I’ve always loved Krasinski and roles like this are perfect for him. The same goes for Anna Kendrick. Richard Jenkins and Sharlto Copley are fantastic as well, ad John father and brother. But it’s Margo Martindale that steals the show. She is so amazing. And with all this star power, I don’t understand why this film was so overlooked.
The story doesn’t follow the standard paths and it has some surprising moments. The storyline of John’s ex-girlfriend is added, but it could have been left out. At least the moments between John and her. The ones between John and Gwen’s new husband are fun.
This is the genre I love the most, a good mix of drama and comedy. And it was very well executed. I really loved “The Hollars”.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Hotel Artemis

Director: Drew Pearce
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day, Dave Bautista, Jenny Slate, Brian Tyree Henry

Description: Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse (Jodie Foster), who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.

Review: In future Los Angeles, a civil war is happening. Water is a luxury and when the watersupplies are shut off, riots start. People fighting in the streets, helicopters crashing into buildings and police shooting everything that seems suspicious. For The Nurse, owner of Hotel Artemis, it’s the most normal thing in the world. It’s a place for wounded criminals and according to her the world is in constant war. A place you will never be safe. For her, Hotel Artemis is the only place.
Jodie Foster plays The Nurse, a grumpy and stubborn woman that works with strict rules. Clients get codenames, weapons are forbidden and the most important rule: don’t kill other patients. Off course, all kinds of characters enter her hotel: hitmen, asshole criminals, wounded robbers and frantic sons of mob bosses. Charlie Day plays a fun role and Dave Baustista adds some humor to the film. Foster really does a good job as the charismatic and bossy nurse.
All the flamboyant characters make sure that the well organized life of The Nurse fall apart, bit by bit. And she gets closer to the outside world. The film has a good storyline and manages to add some depth too.
“Hotel Artemis” has a strong cast and it’s a pretty good film.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 118: Vacation

Director: John Francis Daley
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Chris Hemsworth, Leslie mann, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Charlie Day, Ron Livingston, Norman Reedus, Keegan-Michael Key, Regina Hall, Kaitlin Olson, Michael Peña

Description: Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) takes his own family on a road trip to "Walley World" in order to spice things up with his wife (Christina Applegate) and reconnect with his sons.

Review: We live in a time of reboots and remakes. Superhero franchises, foreign films get an American version and classics are remade. Within the comedy genre there are also some popular films that need a modern touch. “Vacation” is one of them. It’s technically not a remake, but “Vacation” is feeding of its original version from 1983.
Rusty sees that his wife is unhappy and he is worried about the continued bickering between his two sons. The solution: a family road trip to an amusement park.
In the original film the characters where family people, with whom you could identify and you would sympathize with. This doesn’t go for this film. The characters lack depth and it’s hard to feel for them. The humor is at times fun, but it’s mostly juvenile jokes. The movie does have humor, some situation are really funny. The Seal song “Kiss from a Rose” is a funny recurring joke for example. And the guide they meet on the way, that is played by Charlie Day was hilarious. And some thumbs up for the cameos, Chris Hemsworth and Chevy Chase. But they just take it too far sometimes, which makes it unbelievable.
Overall, this comedy does make you laugh but isn’t of a high level. The original 1983 film is far superior, but “Vacation” is fun for one night.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 56: Pacific Rim

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 132 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Diego Klattenhoff, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins Jr., Brad Williams Henke, Larry Joe Campbell, Joe Pingue, Milton Barnes

Description: As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and a trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Review: Gigantic aliens, called Kaiju, have stormed the planet. They come from a big hole in the ocean. Mankind fights back in big robots, called Jaegers, that are controlled by two pilots. But the Kaiju gets stronger and often come out of the ocean. That means they have to close the hole. It’s up to traumatized pilot Raleigh and the unexperiences Mako to save mankind.

“Pacific Rim” has a simple set up. If this movie would have been made by an average director, it would be terrible. But luckily for us there is Guillermo del Toro. The robots and monsters look fantastic and are very detailed. The opening is great and with the introduction of the main characters the story also looks more interesting. Sadly Del Toro didn’t manage to create characters without any clichés. Charlie Hunnam is well cast as Raleigh, but he is a bit dull at times. But he does have chemistry with Rinko Kikuchi. Idris Elba is marshall Stacker Pentecost and impresses. Although, I’m not sure about that cheesy speech he gave.

“Pacific Rim” is an overwhelming action movie, visually spectacular. The love that Guillermo de Toro has for monster movies is clearly present and that makes “Pacific Rim” a joy to watch. I was skeptical, but it was a lot better than I initially thought.

 

Rating: 3,3/ 5

Quotables: "The Lego Movie"

This movie really surprised me, I didn’t expect to like it this much. And it’s very well made and really funny. Here are some of the best quotes from “The Lego Movie”.

Emmet: You don't have to be the bad guy. You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you are capable of amazing things. Because you are the Special. And so am I. And so is everyone. The prophecy is made up, but it's also true. It's about all of us. Right now, it's about you. And you... still... can change everything.

Emmet: Uh, guys? We're about to crash into the sun.

Batman: Yeah, but it's gonna look really cool.

Emmet: [while driving] I wanna go home!

[a house lands in the middle of the roadway and Emmet crashes into it]

Emmet: That's not what I meant!

Emmet: Hey, I can be dark and brooding too - Guys, look, a rainbow!

Lucy: [to Emmet] Come with me if you want to not die.

Lucy: Today will not be known as Taco Tuesday. It will be known as freedom Friday, but still on a Tuesday!

Bad Cop: You were found at the construction site convulsing with a strange piece.

Emmet: That's disgusting!

Benny: [suddenly appears] Hey, I'm Ben! But you can call me Benny! And I can build a spaceship. Watch this. [starts building a spaceship]

Benny: Spaceship! Spaceship! Spaceship! Spaceship! Spaceship!

Lucy: No! You can't. The skies are surrounded.

Benny: That's okay, I didn't really wanna build a spaceship. Anyway, that's

[kicks his half built spaceship and it falls apart]

 

Emmet: Isn't there a good cop?

Bad Cop: [Changes to good cop] Hi buddy! Want a cup of water?

Emmet: Yeah, actually.

Bad Cop: [Changes back to bad cop]

[Smacks water away]

Bad Cop: Too bad!

Unikitty: You need to be more friendly!

In the Picture: The Characters from "The Lego Movie"

I wasn't too sure about "The Lego Movie", but when I heard so many great things about it, I became curious. So I saw it and I loved it! And now I feel like watching it again... But first, I'm going to share all the awesome characters from "The Lego Movie" with you. It's filled with them, because 'Everything is awesome... lalalala'!

Emmet

Voiced by: Chris Pratt

Emmet is an average Lego minifigure, who is mistakenly identiefied as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is ordinary and follows all the rules. He’s sucked into the eventful life of Wyldstyle, who catches Emmet’s attention.

Wyldstyle

Voiced by: Elizabeth Banks

Wyldstyle is a free spirit who loves pushing boundaries and being creative. She is strong and independent. She believes Emmet is the “Special” and sparks fly between them, but she has a boyfriend.

Vitruvius

Voiced by: Morgan Freeman

Vitruvius is an ancient and heroic wizard, who prophesizes that a “Special” wil defeat Lord Business and become the greatest Master Builder. When it’s believed to be Emmet, Vitruvius tries to teach him that the key to true building is to believe in yourself.

President Business/ Lord Business

Voiced by: Will Ferrell

President Business is an uptight CEO who has a hard time balancing world domination with micro-managing his own life. His successful business contains creating music, TV, surveillance systems, history books and voting machines, dairy and overprized coffee. His secret identity is Lord Business, an evil tyrant who want to take over the entire Lego universe.

Good Cop/ Bad Cop

Voiced by: Liam Neeson

He is Lord Business’s number 1 guy, whom he can always rely on. He has both a good and a bad side, but Lord Business takes away the good side. But deep down there is still a good cop.

Metalbeard

Voiced by: Nick Offerman

Metalbeard is a fierce Master Builder. He has the head of a pirate and the body of a multi-purpose utility knife. All he wants is to beat Lord Business, because the last time he badly failed.

Unikitty

Voiced by:

Alison Brie Unikitty is from Cloud Cuckoo Land, the capitol of rainbows and puppies. She is half unicorn, half kitten. She loves dancing and is very positive. Unikitty is happy to follow her Master Builders in the quest to defeat Lord Business. And you really don’t want to make her angry.

Benny

Voiced by: Charlie Day

Benny is a ‘70s era spaceman, who suffers from a cracked helmet and lack of oxygen. He loves spaceships and he is always finding a moment to build one. And when he finally can….

Batman

Voiced by: Will Arnett

Batman makes it no secret he prefers working alone, since he could probably get the job done better and faster. He is Wyldstyles’ boyfriend, is very confident and likes to show off his skills and coolness.

 

 

Favorite: Emmet