Movie Review - Disenchanted

Director: Adam Shankman
Genre: Science Fiction/ Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Amy Adam, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Gabriella Baldacchino, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, Osar Nuñez, Alan Tudyk
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 47: A DISNEY LIVE-ACTION MOVIE
 
Description: Fifteen years after her happily ever after, Giselle (Amy Adams) questions her happiness, inadvertently turning the lives of those in the real world and Andalasia upside down in the process.

Review: It has been fifteen years since Amy Adams showed us how fairy-tale New York can e in “Enchanted”. Time for a new chapter of this popular musical. A sequel, showing us what happens after ‘happily ever after’.

In order to give it a fresh touch, there is a change of locations, where Giselle, her now husband Robert, now teenage daughter Morgan and a new daughter Sofia, move to the suburbs of Morganville. Giselle misses the fairytale life she had in Andalasia, wishing for it back.

Amy Adams is enchanting, just like in the first film. She is accompanied by Maya Rudolph this time. And these two have more chemistry than Adams has with Patrick Dempsey. The duet the two have is the absolute highlight of the film.

“Disenchanted” is a fun time for the whole family, true Disney magic coming to life. But it never lives up to “Enchanted”.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Director: Jeff Fowler
Genre: Action Comedy Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Ben Schwarz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O’Shaughnessy
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 28: AN ACTION COMEDY
 
Description: When the manic Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns to Earth with a new ally, Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elbe), Sonic (Ben Schwarz) and his new friends tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) is all that stands in their way.

Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog”, which came out in 2020, was one of the first videogame movies that showed there was hope for the genre. A movie I didn’t think I would like, really surprised me and I enjoyed the film very much. And when people respond positively to a movie like this, a sequel will be made. And now, 2022, there is “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”.

Dr. Robotnik is back, with a new ally: Knuckles. Together with his new friend Tails, Sonic has to fight this villain.  

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is again a very entertaining movie, with a few fun jokes. And there is enough action for the running time. Jim Carrey is fantastically hilarious as Dr. Robotnik. And adding Knuckles and Tails to the story is also welcome.

Overall, the film, even though entertaining, is a tad too long. The scenes with Sonic’s human friends at a wedding could have been shortened and some could even have been removed. If Sonic was in these scenes too, it would have been more interesting, but they are on an entirely different location and this side-story it takes away from the action and adventure we really want to see.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is a fun family film, an okay sequel.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Director: Isao Takahata

Genre: Animation/ Drama/ Fantasy/ Adventure

Runtime: 137 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Chlöe Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, James Marsden, John Cho, Beau Bridges, Dean Cain, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, Oliver Platt

Description: Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl (Chlöe Grace Moretz) grows rapid fast into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her, but ultimately must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.  

 Review: A farmer finds a tiny princess in a bamboo plant, takes her home and soon she’s turned into a human baby. It all happened without any commotion in the first few minutes. Where Disney would accompany it with sparkling star rains and magical music, in “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” is brought as something familiar and logical. It’s a true fairytale from Studio Ghibli.

The young Kaguya grows up as a normal child on the farmland, but her adoptive parents understand that they are dealing with royalty and only want the very best for her. Father and mother address their child with greatness and take her to the big city to make her a full-fledged princess. In the meantime, the child herself has nothing to contribute. She does not want to get married at all, but in order not to disappoint her proud father, she agrees to choose from a number of selected noblemen.

That this search for love is actually a little too long and predictable can be taken for granted, because the rest of this fairy tale is beautiful. When more is known about Kaguya’s background, the film gains strength to end in a deeply movie scene.

Director Isao Takahata, best known for “Grave of the Fireflies”, gives the message to be merciful and supportive towards each other in the last act, but puts a lot more in his film through symbolism. References to the story of Jesus Christ and other religions for example.

Apart from symbolism and fantasy elements, “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” is above all a drama in which human emotions such as mercy and melancholy are central. This is recognizable for everyone. in addition, the animations department provides a number of beautiful scenes. Not everyone might like the style, since it’s more outlined art or sketch-like, with a more limited color palette. But I think it looks beautiful.

If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli movies, you should not miss this one.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Sonic the Hedgehog

Director: Jeff Fowler
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Family/ Comedy
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Neal McDonough, Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub

Description: After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog (Ben Schwartz), a small-town police officer (James Marsden) must help him defeat an evil genius (Jim Carrey) who wants to do experiments on him.

Review: The lightning-fast game hero Sonic couldn’t escape Hollywood’s urge to make a film about everything. This is the first film about the blue hedgehog, released a bit later then planned. The reason was the reaction to the first trailer, where the audience complained about Sonic’s look. Was this a smart move? Very! Because that first trailer made this film look terrible and a possible flop, but “Sonic the Hedgehog” was surprisingly good.
In the prologue, Sonic explains to the viewers where he is from. It’s a quick telling about why he has been living on planet Earth for years now. He is a bit lonely, he fantasizes about having friends. When Sonic is playing baseball, again alone, he gets frustrated and causes a nation-wide power-out. And with this, he becomes the target of the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik, who wants nothing but to capture Sonic. Together with Sheriff Tom, Sonic tries to stop Robotnik and his deadly drones.
“Sonic the Hedgehog” is a family film. No heavy themes, straight-forward good guy/ bad guy story, simple entertainment, witty and fun. Jeff Fowler, making his directorial debut, ticks all the boxes when it comes to clichés and that’s okay here. The first film about Sonic is amusing and sometimes a movie doesn’t have to be more than that.
Fowler scores when he goes all-in during the action scenes. The director knows how to play with the supersonic powers of the titular character. Although often not the most original, it looks amazing.
Let’s talk about Jim Carrey, who plays Sonics rival Dr. Robotnik. It’s a cartoonish villain, so Carrey is the perfect choice. Over-the-top, weird, crazy, it has Carrey’s name written all over it. Ben Schwartz, voicing Sonic, is also a very good choice.
After so many bad video game to movie adaptations, I’m happy to say “Sonic the Hedgehog” isn’t one of them. I expected a silly, dumb cash-grab of a movie, that wasn’t good at all. Well, I was very surprised to get an actual good movie and a real fun time for the entire family. Stay after the credits, because there is a hint at a sequel (of course).

Rating: 3,5 / 5

TV Show Review - Westworld (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2018
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Tessa Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Luke Hemsworth, Rodrigo Santoro, Jimmi Simpson

Description: Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.

Review: On of the better new shows on HBO is without a doubt “Westworld”, which premiered its first season in 2016. This futuristic series takes the audience to a theme park of some sort, where rich people can let their fantasies come to life. Settings in which they wouldn’t dare to enter in the real life. And they can do anything in Westworld, steal, kill, rape, it will not have consequences. Because the victims are ‘robots’ made by Robert Ford and Bernard Lowe. And is Bernard that takes one of the most important roles in season 2. His character made for a huge plot twist in the first season.
After Ford dies, Bernard realizes a lot is going wrong in Westworld. The hosts, what they call the robots, start having memories and want to live their lives without being controlled by Delos’ company, who is also responsible for Westworld’s existence. Bernard starts his own investigation to the truth of what is happening and who is responsible for all the chaos. This brings him to lots of revelations about the happenings and himself. Delos’ troops are also send to stop the hosts from causing more trouble and chaos. Some of the hosts have completely set their own goals and want to go to the real world. Leader of the rebellion is Dolores Abernathy, who becomes relentless when trying to achieve her goals.
Another important storyline in season 2 is the mysterious man in black. He is one of the people that visited Westworld, but he never left and he is on a new mission. The last storyline that is of any importance is that of Maeve, who has memories of herself living in a house with her daughter, before she became the madame of prostitutes in a saloon. In her quest, she wants to find out the truth behind these memories.
The first season was surprising, unique, mind-blowing and had some surprising plot twists. the second season is just as great. Again great visuals, fantastic performances by the cast, plot twists and we get deeper into the characters and see backstories.
2020 will give us a third season, which will be different if I have to believe the trailer. But this second season definitely leaves us wanting more.

10s Movie Review - The Loft

Director: Eric van Looy
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rhona Mitra, Rachael Taylor

Description: Five married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city--a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved.

Review: Director Eric van Looy made “Loft” in 2008, a Belgian film. A very strong thriller. The Dutch made their own version, also good for Dutch standards. Then Van Looy decided to remake his own film in Hollywood. Sadly this is the least one of the three.
The story is the same. Five married men decide to share a penthouse loft in the city. They can use it whenever they want, for their deepest fantasies. But when a dead body is discovered there, their bubble pops. And since there were only five keys made, all five men are suspects.
How is it possible that this doesn’t succeed? The script is the same, the director is the same and it has some really strong actors. Some of the dialogue was rewritten and exchanged some of the jokes. This brings it one level down, because it’s pretty juvenile humor. But it’s also the cast that brings this film down. Eric Stonestreet, whom I love in “Modern Family”, is miscast. He’s just not good as the rude and sexist Marty. Karl Urban, who can easily play a womanizer, plays his role so flat and one-dimensional. His character completely disappears. James Marsden is solid, but Wentworth Miller and Matthias Schoenarts (the last one was also in the original) did the best job and played their roles like they were intented.
The female cast is just ridiculous, no one noteworthy and all very forgettable.
It’s also very clear that Americans aren’t as explicit, because both the Belgian and Dutch version had an erotic edge which is completely missing here.
“The Loft” is a film you can probably skip when you have seen the Belgian and Dutch version, because they are both much better. Sad, because it could have been successful in Hollywood too.

Rating: 2 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 89: The D Train

Director: Andrew Mogel, Jarrad Paul
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Dermot Mulroney, Mike White

Description: The head of a high school reunion committee (Jack Black) travels to Los Angeles to track down the most popular guy from his graduating class (James Marsden) and convince him to go to the reunion.

Review: Jack Black has his ups and downs. Well, “The D Train” is a movie that not a lot of people might have heard of, and it’s better that it stays that way. It’s not one of his best film. I don’t really know what it is, really.
Dan Landsman is the head of the high school reunion committee. He wasn’t very popular back then and he still isn’t. He still wants to be accepted by others. He decides to track down Oliver Lawless, the most popular guy in school when they were young.
The film takes some surprising turns, but they are somewhat hard to believe and understand. And the film also got on my nerves for some reason. There is a reason why this film played a limited time in theaters.
No, “The D Train” is a movie you can better skip.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 60: Hop

Director: Tim Hill
Genre: Animation/ Comedy
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: James Marsden, Russell Brand, Hank Azaria, Hugh Laurie, Elizabeth Perkins, Kaley Cuoco, Chelsea Handler, Gary Cole

Description: E.B. (Russell Brand), the Easter Bunny's (Hugh Laurie) teenage son, heads to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. In LA, he's taken in by Fred after the out-of-work slacker hits E.B. with his car.

Review: A film about Easter, we had it coming. The makers of “Despicable Me” bring us the the animation “Hop”. On Easter Island there is a gigantic candy factory, where they make Easter candy. A team of chicks works there for the Easter Bunny. He is getting older and wants his son E.B. to take over. But E.B. isn’t ready for it and doesn’t have the ambition either. He wants to be a drummer instead. E.B. leaves the island to chase his own dream. There he meets Fred, an grown man who still lives with his parents and can’t find a job.
“Hop” is filled with typical Easter ingredients: eggs, chicks, bunnies. But it’s mostly a story about the expectations that parents have of their children. The film has some really funny moments. The factory looks really good and Russell Brand voices E.B. well. The problem here is that mix of animation of live action. It can work, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Mary Poppins”proved that. But here there is a distance between the animated characters and the people.
“Hop” is film that will be loved by children, the adults won’t like it as much. Maybe it’s because I’m a bunny owner myself, that I kinda had fun watching “Hop”.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 75: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Director: Adam McKay

Genre: Komedie

Runtime: 113 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, James Marsden, Dylan Baker, Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, Kristen Wiig

Description: With the 70s behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York's first 24-hour news channel by storm.

Review: Ron Burgundy and his wife Veronica have left San Diego behing and live in New York with their son. They work as a team anchoring for a news show. When Veronica Is promoted and Ron is fired, his life falls apart. Ron and Veronica separate and he returns to San Diego. When he manages to get a job at a 24 hour news channel, he decides to assemble to old news team.

Ten years ago “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” was a small success, but Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy grew to be a cult hero. The somewhat idiotic anchorman from the 70’s, with his fancy mustache and hilarious one-liners has always been popular among fans. And how happy those fans where when a long awaited sequel finally happened.

Like the first movie, the sequel is a chain of fun moments. Will Ferrell excels as Ron Burgundy and you sometimes feel ashamed for him. Paul Rudd and especially Steve Carell reprise their roles very well. How I love Brick, who is hopefully not based on a real person. Like many comedy sequels, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” lacks pacing in the story. There are also varieties on scenes from part one and many cameos.

“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” can’t live up to the first, but it was again highly enjoyable. Just because it’s so silly and you know the characters so well. Stay classy San Diego!

Rating: 3,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 56: Bachelorette

Director: Leslye Headland
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, Adam Scott

Description: Three friends are asked to be bridesmaids at a wedding of a woman they used to ridicule back in high school.

Review: Three unstable, crazy bridesmaids and a lot of booze and drugs aren’t exactly the ingredients for a perfect wedding. That’s what bride Becky is dealing with in “Bachelorette”. Her maid of honor is Regan, an ambitious career woman who doesn’t want anything unless it’s perfect. Gena, the cynical and indifferent joker who does everything that God forbids. And then we have Katie, who isn’t very smart.
“Bachelorette” isn’t your sweet and cheesy chick flick, it manages to avoid clichés. But it turns into a slightly obscene comedy. Because the leading characters are very extreme, it makes them very unpleasant and highly unlikeable. It heads more in the direction of being caricatures instead of characters that you can relate too. They take it a bit too far, which makes it everything but funny. The only one I really liked was Clyde, played by Adam Scott, but maybe that’s because I genuinely like this actor.
“Bachelorette” didn’t succeed in what it was trying to achieve. I prefer “Bridesmaids”, a comedy that did get it right

Rating: 1,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 45: The Butler

Director: Lee Daniels
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, James Marsden, Vanessa Redgrave, Terrence Howard, Cuba Goodingg Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, Jane Fonda

Description: As Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.

Review: The story of “The Butler” is inspired by real-life butler Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House for 34 years. Here the main character is called Cecil Gaines. We see how he goes from working the cotton fields with his parents to being a butler in the White House.
Director Lee Daniels wanted to make a film about the position of Afro Americans in their battle for equality. It looks promising, but Daniels bit off more than he could chew. He is known for his heavy themes, like the film “Precious”. There it works a bit better, because he focused on the life of one girl. “The Butler” is set in a timespan of almost 90 years. He simply doesn’t have enough time for that, so his story is a bit lost.
Forest Whitaker does his task. His performance is solid and convincing and it’s better than the movie itself. Oprah Winfrey probably gave her all, but she doesn’t bring it. David Oyelowo, who played Cecil’s son, did a fantastic job. The rest of the cast is hard to judge, because they simply don’t get the room to exploit.
I understand where Lee Daniels was going with this film and the result is definitely not bad, because I enjoyed watching “The Butler”, but I think this project was too ambitious.

Rating: 3/ 5