20s Movie Review - Strange World

Director: Qui Nguyen, Don Hall
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Adventure
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, Alan Tudyk

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 23: A DISNEY ANIMATION
 
Description: The legendary Clades are a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission.

Review: In “Strange World” we are introduced to three generations of the legendary Clade family, as they try to work together and navigate the unknown, treacherous land beneath their own world. Searcher is a family man who is out of his element on an unpredictable mission, he rather stays on his farm. Jaeger is Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father. Ethan is Searcher’s 16-year-old son, who secretly wants to adventure like his grandfather, much against his father’s will.

I totally missed out on “Strange World” when it first came out. It only played in theaters for a short amount of time, before it hit Disney+. And in case of “Strange World” it says something about the quality of the film. It’s one of the worst films by Disney I have seen in years. The animations are very different from what we are used to from them and the story itself doesn’t really hit any nerves. It’s all about family relationships and that has been done way too many times, and much better. The film doesn’t really connect with the viewer, because you don’t know who to sympathize with.

Strange World doesn't really connect with the viewer, because there are too many main characters, and so as a viewer you can't really choose who to sympathize with. Is it the father, the son, the grandson, mother, expedition members, etc. The out-and-out story where Strange World is now set has its origins in American and Asian cultures, but is not so familiar that it really evokes recognition in the viewer.

One thing I did like, was the LGBTQ+ representation and different ethnicities were represented as well. Kudos for Disney to bring that to the attention.

All in all, there is a reason why many people missed “Strange World”: it’s just not a very good animation, it doesn’t have a memorable story or characters and I already forgot most that happened. So you can see that even Disney has a miss ever once in a while.  

Rating: 2,5/ 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

In the Picture: The Characters from "Kill Bill: Vol. 1+2"

Out of the two movies, the second one is actually in my top 10 of all-time favorites. The first one didn't make it, but is still very good. There are a lot of interesting characters in those movies, so I decided to take a look at them a little bit better,

Beatrix Kiddo aka Black Mamba aka The Bride
Played by: Uma Thurman
The Bride abandons her life as a hired assassin after finding out she's pregnant. She knows Bill is the father, but she doesn't want him to be a part of her baby's life. After the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad tried to kill her and murdered all the people at her wedding, she's determined to get revenge. She doesn't rest untill her final goal is reached, to kill all the squad members, especially Bill.

Bill aka Snake Charmer
Played by: David Carradine
He's the founder an leader of the squad. Bill is a man most people bow for and listen to, he has a natural sort of power over them. He is a cold killer, but he doesn't want to just murder people. Bill has class and he wants his opponents to die with class.

O-Ren Ishii aka Cottonmouth
Played by: Lucy Liu
O-Ren saw her parents brutally murdered when she was a little girl. That experience made her to the woman she is now. She's an excellent sniper and sword fighting is her expertise. O-Ren is very proud of her heritage and doesn't like it when people mess with it.

Vernita Green aka Copperhead
Played by: Vivica A. Fox
Vernita is specialized in hand-to-hand fighting and excellent with a knife. After taking part at the 'Two Pines Wedding Chapel Massacre' she is living a normal live under the alias of Jeanie Bell and has a daughter. Although she hates the Bride, and vice versa, the two have mutual respect for each others qualities.

Elle Driver aka California Mountain Snake
Played by: Daryl Hannah
Elle is also an excellent swordswoman. She's Bill's mistress and the only person she listens to. Elle and The Bride have always despized each other, even before the events at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel. Elle isn't always fair in her fights. The only thing that matters to her is winning it and making Bill a happy man.

Bud aka Sidewinder
Played by: Michael Madsen
He's Bill's degenerated brother and the only man other man in the squad. He lives in a mobile home, is an alcoholic and works as a bouncer in a strip club nobody visits. He is the only one to have single handedly defeated the bride and eventually he burried her alive. She got out of her grave and wasn't dead, but Bud didn't end up alive. It was Elle who killed Bud.

Favorite Character: The Bride

Movie Tip #30 - Shanghai Noon

Director: Tom Dey

Starring: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu

Description: Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) is a clumsy Imperial Guard to the Emperor of China. When Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu) is kidnapped from the Forbidden City, Wang feels personally responsible and insists on joining the guards sent to rescue the Princess, who has been whisked away to the United States. In Nevada and hot on the trail of the kidnappers, Wang is separated from the group and soon finds himself an unlikely partner with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), a small time robber with delusions of grandeur. Together, the two forge onto one misadventure after another.

Review: The combo Chan - Wilson is great. Both funny in their own way. Chan physically and Owen jokes a lot. It's a good mix of humour and action. Western was never my favourite genre, but this one is an exception. Especially the scene where Chon and Roy are in the bathtub and play a drinking game. That's just hilarious. There's also a sequel. Not as funny as this one, but still worth watching.