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Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
The movie was too blurry.
They over used some cheesy after-effects tight focus blurring throughout all of the live-action + 3D toon scenes (which is most of the film), where only one character is in focus at 1080p and all the other characters look like they're 144p resolution. This is not just in a few key scenes, this is throughout the majority of the entire friggen movie! Even characters doing the talking or main action are often blurred out with focus placed on someone else. As if we're only allowed to pay attention to that character that's in focus and noone else. No bueno.
I hope they do a new cut release with no blurring so I can enjoy the film in HD.
Otherwise, the art was very competent and visually appealing. I just wish it wasn't all blurred out all the time.
Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal (2020)
Animation: Very good! Story: Pretty good! Ending left me scratching my head.
I am a harsh critic when it comes to 3D animation; I've long held the opinion that it's garbage. But I have to say, there's some real talent that worked on this picture. The models are adorable, the animation is fluid, the lip synchronization is spot on, and the facial expressions and body language are next level! I hope if Disney ever makes a Zootopia 2, that these people are working on it. Congrats! The artists definitely need a bigger budget on their next project.
The voice acting is marvelous. The story has the right amount of depth. The pacing left me engaged. Everything was going so well, up until the point of climax. And then... I don't know, the movies just got dumb. The dude throws a tiny torch at a giant lava sculpture, it catches fire and destroys the stadium? Nothing makes sense anymore. Physics goes out the window. Ridiculous anarchy ensues. It's one big fever dream and then we wake up in the hospital.
Did Daisy dream the whole thing up? We may never know.
Shame on the director.
Fun at St Fanny's (1955)
A fine piece of golden age British comedy
I'm currently half-way through watching this film and it's quite enjoyable. If you like puns and wordplay with a British twist, then look no further.
The plot carries along at a steady clip, it's obviously well directed and holds my attention. We're basically in a boarding school with an adult pupil that the school wont let go because his family's estate was willed to the school for as long as he's a student there... and a student he will remain. There's also a race horse bookie and a lady crime boss who wants to get their cut, but that's really besides the point. The entire thing is draped in one pun and bad joke after another, after another, peppered with cultural references of the day and locale, yet well spoken. As an American, I can actually understand the majority of what's being said without turning subtitles on, and I can discern most of the jokes from context alone.
So, I'm pleasantly surprised. Give it a go, it's definitely underrated.
It reminds me of a radio play comedy that relies heavily on good writing and dialog, not just silly antics. Dad-jokes abound.
Sicario (2015)
It was a good movie, except for the protagonist.
It's hard not to observe that the writer wants us to feel conflict and pity for Kate, the straight laced cop, but for an otherwise exceptional movie this character was just so poorly written inside and out. She's supposed to be this excellent super-cop, yet barely resembles one. She's supposed to be struggling to accept the ethical dilemma of questionable CIA activities, but it comes off as patent nativity to an absurd extreme. She cares too much about bureaucracy for someone who has watched the bad guys murder everyone around her for years.
Don't get me wrong, the actress performed wonderfully and beautifully. Her script is just broken. Uncharacteristic of any police officer. Unbelievable of any regular human being. The viewer cannot connect with her.
There's also a flaw near the beginning of the movie. A police officer is blown off his feet in an explosion. He flails his arms and legs wildly in front of him while flying backwards. In a real explosion, he would not have the strength to move his extremities against the force of the blast. I wish they'd stop wiggling so much.
For Members Only (1960)
Pussycats Paradise is all chopped up
Contrary to a previous review on IMDB from 2006, the recent 2017~2019 re-release of this film under the title Pussycats Paradise (1960) by Sprocket Flicks for Amazon Prime Video is of terrible quality with film grain, scratches and splotches, and has been SEVERELY cut down to a mere 69 minutes from its original 90 minute runtime. As you can imagine, it has been scrubbed clean of smut, but also a great deal of continuity and story. You are taken on a wild journey of "how did we get here now?" around every bend, with entire segments of the character's lives obliterated for the sake of preserving their modesty. Especially the female characters in the camp, who can barely get in a speaking role on screen because their chests are so naughty.
I rate this as 6 stars, out of respect for the film as a whole as it was clearly well written and directed, with a quality cast and nice storyline. I just hope to see it some day, in its full unabashed glory. I'm very disappointed, because it was otherwise rather good.
Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
Directed by Wizards and Lord of the Rings talent, Steven Hahn.
So basically, He-Man (or maybe Conan the Barbarian) teams up with Han Solo, a stolen sex robot, C3PO as the ship's computer, and a forgettable princess, to free the enslaved humans from a mining planet while an evil robot attempts to rule the galaxy.
It's a plot. And it was directed by Steven Hahn who had just worked for Ralph Bakshi on Wizards, The Lord of the Rings, American Pop, and Fire and Ice animated features.
If you like animation from the 70's and 80's that wasn't made for children, then add this one to your watch list. It's got a robot. Solid 8.