20s Movie Review - The Wonderfull Story of Henry Sugar

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 40 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade, Ralph Fiennes

Description: Chronicles a variety of stories, but the main one follows Henry Sugar, who is able to see through objects and predict the future with the help of a book he stole.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 36: A FILM FROM A DIRECTOR KNOWN FOR THEIR VISUAL STYLE
 
Review: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” from 2009 didn’t only mark Wes Anderson’s first full-length stop-motion animation, but also his first adaptation of a story of Roald Dahl. Initially, “The Wonderful Story of henry Sugar” was intended to be a full-length feature film. Anderson backtracked on that by making it part of a four-part series of short Dahl adaptation.

We first meet a storyteller, played by Ralph Fiennes, telling us about the wealthy Henry Sugar, who finds in a book about a man from india who can see without his eyes. He acquired this technique, refined over many years, from a Yogi. So, a story within a story within a story withing a story. But Anderson manages to let these complex artifices sink in surprisingly smoothly.

“The Wonderful Story of henry Sugar” has few dialogues and consists almost entirely of renowned actors addressing the camera to tell the story.

It’s a ludicrous story, which we are used to from Roald Dahl and makes perfect material for Wes Anderson. I loved how this story was told, with backgrounds changing rapidly, making it almost magical. There are three more films on Netflix, that are based on Dahl’s stories and directed by Anderson. Them being : “The Swan”, “Poison” and “The Ratcatcher” and I will most definitely watch them all.

Rating: 4/ 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 - Early Man

Director: Nick Park
Genre: Animation/ Adventure
Runtime: 89 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolys, Richard Ayoade, Mark Williams, Rob Brydon, Maisie Williams

Description: Set in the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, we meet Dug (Eddie Redmayne), along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) and his Bronze Age City to save their home.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 19: AN ANIMATED MOVIE

Review: I’m a massive fan of stop-motion animation. And the British company Aardman has brought us several amazing films, with their so-called Claymation creations. And “Early Man” is again a work of craftmanship that was made with a lot of love.
This time no smart dog and his owner, rebellious chicken or grinning sheep, but a completely new story set during the battle between the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. When you’re a bit into history, you already know that historically this film is not accurate and it’s rather absurd. But historical accuracy was not what director Nick Park was aiming for.
The men and women in bear furs, centering the young Dug, are a bunch of losers. Them having to catch a rabbit for dinner is a hellish undertaking. Dug suggests to start capturing bigger animals. They live in a valley that their ancestors lived in after a meteor hit the land, but time stood still there. All of a sudden Dug and his group face the people of the Bronze Age. They are led by the vain Lord Nooth, who wants to get rid of Dug’s beautiful living area. The ‘modern’ idiots love soccer and let this sport be the one accidentally invented by the cavemen.
The film is filled with jokes and slapstick and has a lot of word jokes and puns. I love this. “Early Man” has the unmistakable Aarman charm and is a typical British film. The film has a good combination of humor, action, adventure and heart.
If you like previous work from Aardman, you will also enjoy “Early Man”.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 13: The Watch

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Genre: Comedy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie DeWitt, Will Forte Description: Four men who form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.

Review: It’s a very noble deed: starting a neighborhood watch to help de police out. Evan is the initiator, but only three other people in Glenview want to help him. Soon the four men stumble upon something that’s bigger than any of them: extraterrestrials. That’s basically the story and you shouldn’t take it too seriously. It’s a simplistic comedy with jokes that pass you in warp speed. Occasionally they will make you laugh, but they’re mostly juvenile sex jokes.
Although we’re dealing with a cast who has lots of experience with the comedy genre, they don’t lift “The Watch” to a level above average. Ben Stiller is just being his silly self, Vince Vaughn is overly loud and outspoken and Jonah Hill is constantly proving that he’s not a loser. The one that made me laugh the most was Richard Ayoade, who’s just starting to make a name in Hollywood. But then again he’s British and their humor is almost always better than American humor.
Time goes fast while watching this movie, but when it comes to humor the makers were aiming for quantity instead of quality. “The Watch” isn’t a movie you should expect much from, it’s simple and easy to watch.

Rating: 2/ 5