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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2234 KP) rated Murder in the Bowery in Books
Apr 11, 2022 (Updated Apr 11, 2022)
Death of a Newsie
Frank Malloy thinks his latest client has offered him a chance for a case with a happy ending. Will Bert is trying to reconnect with his younger brother, Freddie, after they were separated when both of them were sent west on an orphan train. Almost as soon as Frank starts his investigation, he finds questions about Will’s story. Then he finds Freddie, only to have him run away and then turn up dead hours later. Can Frank figure out what is really happening?
Freddie is a newsie, and this book takes place during the newsies’ strike of 1899, made famous by the Disney musical. This book is more historically accurate than the musical, however. Still, I found that part of the setup fun, and the historical details about what their lives were really like was interesting. It is quickly clear that the motive for Freddie’s murder lies outside of his life as a newsie, however. In fact, this book turns pretty dark with some adult discussions. This series is more serious and does dip into those waters every few books. They are handled delicately, but know that in mind going into the story. Even though I figured out parts of the plot early, I didn’t have the killer pegged until we reached the end. The supporting players are all here and are all fun to spend time with. And yes, Sarah does still play a large part in the story as always. Fans will be glad to catch up with their friends in this book.
Freddie is a newsie, and this book takes place during the newsies’ strike of 1899, made famous by the Disney musical. This book is more historically accurate than the musical, however. Still, I found that part of the setup fun, and the historical details about what their lives were really like was interesting. It is quickly clear that the motive for Freddie’s murder lies outside of his life as a newsie, however. In fact, this book turns pretty dark with some adult discussions. This series is more serious and does dip into those waters every few books. They are handled delicately, but know that in mind going into the story. Even though I figured out parts of the plot early, I didn’t have the killer pegged until we reached the end. The supporting players are all here and are all fun to spend time with. And yes, Sarah does still play a large part in the story as always. Fans will be glad to catch up with their friends in this book.
David McK (3473 KP) rated Thrawn Ascendancy Book II: Greater Good in Books
Sep 4, 2022
Timothy Zahn and Grand Admiral Thrawn go way back.
Back to the early 90s, when Zahn first introduced the character in Heir to the Empire, and 'kickstarted' the old Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU), now known as Star Wars: Legends.
Thrawn is one of the few characters (so far) mined from said EU and carried over the the Disney era of Star Wars, which is no surprise giving his popularity.
What may be slightly surprising, however, is (IMO) just how 'different' this version of the character feels: not better nor worse, just different. In the case of this novel (part 2 of a trilogy, after Chaos Rising but before Lesser Evil, what is also surprising is just how loosely connected to the rest of the Star Wars sandbox universe this is - I mean this as in there are no Jedi or Sith, no lightsabres, no Old Republic, no Seperatists, no Empire and no Rebellion.
Indeed, as before, the very opening sentence of the novel makes that clear: "A long time ago, beyond a galaxy far far away ..."
The Star Wars 'sandbox', of course, is more than big enough to accommodate such a departure, with those who have read part one of the trilogy knowing more of what to expect: Thrawn's tactical genius but political blindness, a few 'large scale' space battles and individuals in the Chiss family to which Thrawn belongs seeking to undermine him whilst other shadowy figures also have their own design for the Chiss Ascendency ...
Back to the early 90s, when Zahn first introduced the character in Heir to the Empire, and 'kickstarted' the old Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU), now known as Star Wars: Legends.
Thrawn is one of the few characters (so far) mined from said EU and carried over the the Disney era of Star Wars, which is no surprise giving his popularity.
What may be slightly surprising, however, is (IMO) just how 'different' this version of the character feels: not better nor worse, just different. In the case of this novel (part 2 of a trilogy, after Chaos Rising but before Lesser Evil, what is also surprising is just how loosely connected to the rest of the Star Wars sandbox universe this is - I mean this as in there are no Jedi or Sith, no lightsabres, no Old Republic, no Seperatists, no Empire and no Rebellion.
Indeed, as before, the very opening sentence of the novel makes that clear: "A long time ago, beyond a galaxy far far away ..."
The Star Wars 'sandbox', of course, is more than big enough to accommodate such a departure, with those who have read part one of the trilogy knowing more of what to expect: Thrawn's tactical genius but political blindness, a few 'large scale' space battles and individuals in the Chiss family to which Thrawn belongs seeking to undermine him whilst other shadowy figures also have their own design for the Chiss Ascendency ...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Disney Villainous in Tabletop Games
Jan 6, 2020
I am a sucker for a great theme. Or themes that turn the game around. Such is the case with Disney Villainous. Not often does a game allow you to play AS the bad guys against the good guys. That premise is interesting to me, and as I saw this release last year, I just knew I had to have it. Now that I have played it several times, with and without the first expansion, what do I have to say about it? Read on.
Disney Villainous (“Villainous” from here on) is a card game that pits players against each other in a race to complete individualized objectives to win the game. Players are in direct competition with each other and have devices to employ to spoil the plans of their competitors. Can Maleficent place out curses on all the lands in her realm before Hades can have three Titans storm on Mount Olympus? Can Prince John attain 20 power before either of them win the game? Such is Villainous.
DISCLAIMER: This game has a few standalone expansions now, with more on the way I’m sure. We are using components from the base game as well as the first expansion, “Wicked to the Core,” for this review. Should we decide to review the expansions as standalone games, we will link to the new material here. Furthermore, I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player will choose a big bad to play. Each character comes equipped with a colored pawn, a realm board with four locations, a deck of cards with matching pawn colored backs, a Fate deck with white back, and a playbook with tips on how to play that character. Also give every player a reference card that details the actions available. Shuffle each deck separately, give the starting player zero power from the cauldron, the second player one power, the third player two power, etc. Each player draws a hand of four colored back cards. Begin the game with the pawns on the leftmost location on the realm board and you are now ready to play.
Play works thusly: move your pawn to any unlocked location, complete any or all actions available at the location, draw your hand back up to four, next player. You MUST move on your turn, unless a card allows you to stay at your current location on your next turn. Once moved, the location will either show two or four options for actions. These could include play a card, activate a card, discard a card, gain power tokens, move an item or ally, move a Hero card, vanquish a Hero, or play cards from an opponent’s Fate deck. Some actions are self-explanatory (gain power tokens, et al), but some require further explanation.
Some cards will have an activation symbol displayed on them. This means that a pawn has to have been moved to a location with an activate card symbol, and the player must pay to activate the card for its special abilities. Easy. Moving an item, ally, or Hero typically means physically moving the cards from one location to another adjacent location. This is important for some villains’ objectives: cards need to enter play in one location but travel to another as part of the win condition. When a villain moves to a location with the Fate symbol, they will choose an opponent, look at the top two cards of their Fate deck, and choose one card to play and one card to discard. These are especially devious and can greatly hinder the player’s progress. In addition, when a Fate card resides on a realm board it covers the top symbols of a location, thus nullifying the player’s ability to use these symbols on future turns. Using the vanquish symbol requires a Hero to have been played on your board, and having enough strength in allies and items to meet or overcome the Hero’s strength. Heroes and any allies/items used in the fight are then all discarded to the appropriate discard piles.
Play continues in this manner until one player has achieved their victory condition.
Components. I have good and bad news. Good news first. The components are absolutely fabulous! Those pawns. SOOOO good. Each is a somewhat abstracted figure of the villain, but with some concrete callbacks and recognizable features. They are just so dang fun to handle and play with. I think the cards are good quality, but I forgot what they feel like outside of the sleeves I put mine in. The board components are great, the cauldron is flimsy, unnecessary, and unwieldy when putting back in the box, especially if you have one or more expansions. I have not found a decent way to put everything back in one box, so I am resigned to having both boxes with me every time I want to play. That’s the bad. I also have put all my sleeved cards into plastic deck boxes in the main game box along with the cauldron. Everything else gets put in the expansion box. I hope a better storage solution is on the horizon along with future expansions…
So as you can see from our rating graphic on top that we are spread out on this one. I love it, but I don’t see it ever breaching my Top 10 list. It does have a tendency to overstay its welcome with all the Fate cards making it more and more difficult to win the game. Once a player seems to be near winning every other player gangs up, or seems to when I have played. I get that it may come off as a negative, and the play length as well, but it’s all part of villains out-villaining each other. While Josh rated it as a three and may not ever willingly ask to play it, I have it at a five because I think it’s a great game with a wonderful theme, amazing components, and tons of expandability. With that, we at Purple Phoenix Games give Disney Villainous a boding 16 / 24. If you are a big Disney fan, can live with the Take That, and want something that looks incredible on the table, pick it up.
Disney Villainous (“Villainous” from here on) is a card game that pits players against each other in a race to complete individualized objectives to win the game. Players are in direct competition with each other and have devices to employ to spoil the plans of their competitors. Can Maleficent place out curses on all the lands in her realm before Hades can have three Titans storm on Mount Olympus? Can Prince John attain 20 power before either of them win the game? Such is Villainous.
DISCLAIMER: This game has a few standalone expansions now, with more on the way I’m sure. We are using components from the base game as well as the first expansion, “Wicked to the Core,” for this review. Should we decide to review the expansions as standalone games, we will link to the new material here. Furthermore, I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player will choose a big bad to play. Each character comes equipped with a colored pawn, a realm board with four locations, a deck of cards with matching pawn colored backs, a Fate deck with white back, and a playbook with tips on how to play that character. Also give every player a reference card that details the actions available. Shuffle each deck separately, give the starting player zero power from the cauldron, the second player one power, the third player two power, etc. Each player draws a hand of four colored back cards. Begin the game with the pawns on the leftmost location on the realm board and you are now ready to play.
Play works thusly: move your pawn to any unlocked location, complete any or all actions available at the location, draw your hand back up to four, next player. You MUST move on your turn, unless a card allows you to stay at your current location on your next turn. Once moved, the location will either show two or four options for actions. These could include play a card, activate a card, discard a card, gain power tokens, move an item or ally, move a Hero card, vanquish a Hero, or play cards from an opponent’s Fate deck. Some actions are self-explanatory (gain power tokens, et al), but some require further explanation.
Some cards will have an activation symbol displayed on them. This means that a pawn has to have been moved to a location with an activate card symbol, and the player must pay to activate the card for its special abilities. Easy. Moving an item, ally, or Hero typically means physically moving the cards from one location to another adjacent location. This is important for some villains’ objectives: cards need to enter play in one location but travel to another as part of the win condition. When a villain moves to a location with the Fate symbol, they will choose an opponent, look at the top two cards of their Fate deck, and choose one card to play and one card to discard. These are especially devious and can greatly hinder the player’s progress. In addition, when a Fate card resides on a realm board it covers the top symbols of a location, thus nullifying the player’s ability to use these symbols on future turns. Using the vanquish symbol requires a Hero to have been played on your board, and having enough strength in allies and items to meet or overcome the Hero’s strength. Heroes and any allies/items used in the fight are then all discarded to the appropriate discard piles.
Play continues in this manner until one player has achieved their victory condition.
Components. I have good and bad news. Good news first. The components are absolutely fabulous! Those pawns. SOOOO good. Each is a somewhat abstracted figure of the villain, but with some concrete callbacks and recognizable features. They are just so dang fun to handle and play with. I think the cards are good quality, but I forgot what they feel like outside of the sleeves I put mine in. The board components are great, the cauldron is flimsy, unnecessary, and unwieldy when putting back in the box, especially if you have one or more expansions. I have not found a decent way to put everything back in one box, so I am resigned to having both boxes with me every time I want to play. That’s the bad. I also have put all my sleeved cards into plastic deck boxes in the main game box along with the cauldron. Everything else gets put in the expansion box. I hope a better storage solution is on the horizon along with future expansions…
So as you can see from our rating graphic on top that we are spread out on this one. I love it, but I don’t see it ever breaching my Top 10 list. It does have a tendency to overstay its welcome with all the Fate cards making it more and more difficult to win the game. Once a player seems to be near winning every other player gangs up, or seems to when I have played. I get that it may come off as a negative, and the play length as well, but it’s all part of villains out-villaining each other. While Josh rated it as a three and may not ever willingly ask to play it, I have it at a five because I think it’s a great game with a wonderful theme, amazing components, and tons of expandability. With that, we at Purple Phoenix Games give Disney Villainous a boding 16 / 24. If you are a big Disney fan, can live with the Take That, and want something that looks incredible on the table, pick it up.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Jungle Book (2016) in Movies
Jul 21, 2017
Incredible CGI (2 more)
Amazing voice acting
New versions of classic songs
The King Of The Swingers
I was sceptical going in, as I’m not a huge fan of the original Disney cartoon version and the fact that the only live action performance in the movie was being delivered by a child actor definitely made me fairly dubious. However I actually enjoyed this movie. The young actor portraying Mowgli is a bit cringeworthy at times, but when you think that all he had to work with was a bunch of green screens and voiceovers, he did a remarkably good job, especially considering his age. He wasn’t anywhere near as good as Jaeden Lieberher was in Midnight Special, but he did a decent job of carrying the movie’s plot along. The CG work in this movie is mind blowing. Disney have gone all out and went for a hyper realistic style of animation and at times, even as an animator myself, I forgot that these animals and environments were cartoons and totally bought them as real world objects and environments. Also the cast is made up of Hollywood gold and all of the voice performances are spot on. Ben Kingsley does a great job as the parental panther who guides Mowgli along his journey and whoever decided to cast Bill Murray as Baloo deserves a raise, as that is a stroke of casting genius. Murray is hilarious here and his relationship with Mowgli is also fantastic. Scarlett Johannsen does a decent job as the snake, but to be honest it is more of a cameo role as she is in the movie for under five minutes. Of course it would be a crime not to mention the legend that is Christopher Walken and his fantastic performance as King Louie. He gives off a perfect blend of charm and villainy and his rendition of King Of The Swingers is also very entertaining. However, although all of the above voice performances were great, there is one that completely steals the show and that is Idris Elba as the antagonist Lion, Sher Khan. The command that Elba has over his vocal performance is incredible, he is such a threatening presence throughout the entire movie and he completely steals every single scene that he is in. Several people have also complained about the use of the music in the film, but that was actually one of my favourite parts of the film, Bare Necessities is used as more of a shanty than an actual song, and King Of The Swingers performed by Walken, is in my opinion very well implemented and serves as an awesome new take on the classic song. The one gripe that I have about the film is that, it is quite slow at times and I was left fairly bored several times, as were a lot of the kids in the theatre by the looks of it. If I didn’t have to keep an eye on the kids we were looking after I probably would have drifted off and to be honest I don’t know if they really enjoyed much either, they seemed to either be scared by Sher Khan and hiding their eyes or bored and fidgety. Although it’s hard to deny that this is a very well made movie and while not totally faithful to its source material, it is a fresh new take on the classic story for a new generation. I would like to see the film again without a wriggling child on my knee, but I did enjoy myself with this movie overall.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Once Upon A Deadpool (Deadpool 2 PG-13 Version) (2018) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Taking what was old making it new again as long been criticism that is been levied against Hollywood. With abundance equals flooding the theaters as well as reboots; people often cynically ask if Hollywood has run out of new ideas. The latest film to fall under these criteria would be “Once Upon A Deadpool” where audiences are presented with a sanitized version of “Deadpool 2” accompanied by approximately 11 min. worth of new footage at the beginning and spread throughout.
The PG-13 take on what was definitely a very “R” rated film is been met with skeptics who see this as a sign of the pending Disney acquisition of Fox to test the waters to see if audiences will accept a more subdued take on the hero us paving the way for future adventures to be the more box office friendly “PG-13″.
The film cleverly opens with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), having kidnapped or as he likes to refer to it” involuntary relocation assistance”; Fred Savage as he attempts to re-create the opening of “The Princess Bride” and reads to him a family-friendlier version of “Deadpool 2”.
The film plays out as it did earlier this summer safe for much of the language being removed and use of pixels and cutaways to remove objectionable or an adult content to preserve the “PG-13” rating. What makes it enjoyable are the new seems where Reynolds and Savage exchange banter and debate topics ranging from Nickelback to the pending Disney acquisition of Fox.
I found myself looking forward to the next cutaway to hear what comments would be coming next including a very clever discussion of possible outcomes of Deadpool’s regenerative properties; and how they were not explored in the film due to “lazy writing”.
For me it was mostly a mixed bag as I enjoyed seeing the new footage as any new Deadpool content is always a treat and Reynolds seem to be having a great time returning to the character in an abbreviated fashion.
While the film basically played out as before; I found a sanitized version to not be as appealing simply because one of the joys of the character and the series is not knowing what will come next. How far will a joke be taken, how much Gore is going to be used for comedic effect, what invented a new profanity is going to spew from Deadpool? Much of this is been taken away to what I believe is a detriment to the franchise. One of the joys about the films is that the wise comments come at the audience and a rapid-fire approach. This makes you want to see the film again in order to catch what you witnessed previously. It felt like I was being deprived of this opportunity because while in many ways it was the same film, much of the adage that made the film stand out has been subdued.
While it is great that younger audiences will have an opportunity to experience the character; those of us who’ve seen him and his full uncensored glory will undoubtedly feel that this is a direction that should not be pursued for the future and that audiences want and deserve a fully uncensored Deadpool.
However for a little bit of family fun and a cute new laughs; “Once Upon A Deadpool”, is a pleasant enough distraction.
http://sknr.net/2018/12/12/once-upon-a-deadpool/
The PG-13 take on what was definitely a very “R” rated film is been met with skeptics who see this as a sign of the pending Disney acquisition of Fox to test the waters to see if audiences will accept a more subdued take on the hero us paving the way for future adventures to be the more box office friendly “PG-13″.
The film cleverly opens with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), having kidnapped or as he likes to refer to it” involuntary relocation assistance”; Fred Savage as he attempts to re-create the opening of “The Princess Bride” and reads to him a family-friendlier version of “Deadpool 2”.
The film plays out as it did earlier this summer safe for much of the language being removed and use of pixels and cutaways to remove objectionable or an adult content to preserve the “PG-13” rating. What makes it enjoyable are the new seems where Reynolds and Savage exchange banter and debate topics ranging from Nickelback to the pending Disney acquisition of Fox.
I found myself looking forward to the next cutaway to hear what comments would be coming next including a very clever discussion of possible outcomes of Deadpool’s regenerative properties; and how they were not explored in the film due to “lazy writing”.
For me it was mostly a mixed bag as I enjoyed seeing the new footage as any new Deadpool content is always a treat and Reynolds seem to be having a great time returning to the character in an abbreviated fashion.
While the film basically played out as before; I found a sanitized version to not be as appealing simply because one of the joys of the character and the series is not knowing what will come next. How far will a joke be taken, how much Gore is going to be used for comedic effect, what invented a new profanity is going to spew from Deadpool? Much of this is been taken away to what I believe is a detriment to the franchise. One of the joys about the films is that the wise comments come at the audience and a rapid-fire approach. This makes you want to see the film again in order to catch what you witnessed previously. It felt like I was being deprived of this opportunity because while in many ways it was the same film, much of the adage that made the film stand out has been subdued.
While it is great that younger audiences will have an opportunity to experience the character; those of us who’ve seen him and his full uncensored glory will undoubtedly feel that this is a direction that should not be pursued for the future and that audiences want and deserve a fully uncensored Deadpool.
However for a little bit of family fun and a cute new laughs; “Once Upon A Deadpool”, is a pleasant enough distraction.
http://sknr.net/2018/12/12/once-upon-a-deadpool/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Rio 2 (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Three years ago, my wife and I moved down to Arizona to open the second office of Skewed and Reviewed. I remember clearly getting into town on a Tuesday evening and the following Saturday morning we had our first assignment in AZ, screening the movie “RIO”.
As we marked the anniversary of our arrival in the Valley of the Sun, it was ironic that “Rio 2” was flying into theaters at the same time and once again, we had a Saturday morning screening for the film albeit at different theaters.
The sequel picks up shortly after the events of the first film with Blu (Jess Eisenberg), and Jewel (Anne Hathaway), raising their children in a sanctuary in Rio. Their musical and colorful friends are all around them and are preparing for the upcoming carnival and the festivities that go along with it.
Blu learns that his former owner Linda (Leslie Mann), and her husband may have discovered others of Blu’s species in the deep jungle, which in turn leads Jewel to suggest a family vacation into the wild to help out.
For a city bird like Blu, venturing into the wild requires a fanny pack with items ranging from a G.P.S. to a utility knife and other modern items much to the chagrin of those around him.
The distant journey seems to be going well, until Blu crosses paths with Nigel (Jemaine Clement), who is still seething over his last encounter with Blu and schemes his revenge.
Blu and his family stumble upon a whole flock of their species and they eagerly embrace Jewel as she has returned home. Blu despite his best efforts does not fit in and struggles to gain acceptance from Jewel’s dad who is also the leader of the flock.
As if this was not enough problems for one bird to handle, an illegal organization is cutting down the forest which threatens the flock as well as Lind and her husband.
What follows is a madcap mix of comedy, music, and adventure as the film mixes very good lessons about environmental awareness and acceptance without ever being preachy.
The animation and 3D is solid and the supporting cast which included Bruno Mars, George Lopez, Jaime Foxx, Will I Am, Tracy Morgan, Andy Garcia and many others does a solid job.
The film took a while to get going and while the final 30 minutes pays off, the biggest trouble was staying with the film during the slower moments.
While it was very well presented and produced it does make me appreciate just how dialed in Disney is with their films as no matter how much they tried, none of the musical numbers in “Rio 2” were memorable and I stuggled to remember a single song shortly after the screener.
Since Disney is the leader in the industry for animated films and have been so for over 75 years, it would be unfair to expect the company behind the “Ice Age” series to meet the same standards.
While it may not be a timeless classic, “Rio 2” still has enough charm and enjoyment to make it an enjoyable film for younger viewers and fans of the first film, just as long as you temper your expectations.
http://sknr.net/2014/04/11/rio-2/
As we marked the anniversary of our arrival in the Valley of the Sun, it was ironic that “Rio 2” was flying into theaters at the same time and once again, we had a Saturday morning screening for the film albeit at different theaters.
The sequel picks up shortly after the events of the first film with Blu (Jess Eisenberg), and Jewel (Anne Hathaway), raising their children in a sanctuary in Rio. Their musical and colorful friends are all around them and are preparing for the upcoming carnival and the festivities that go along with it.
Blu learns that his former owner Linda (Leslie Mann), and her husband may have discovered others of Blu’s species in the deep jungle, which in turn leads Jewel to suggest a family vacation into the wild to help out.
For a city bird like Blu, venturing into the wild requires a fanny pack with items ranging from a G.P.S. to a utility knife and other modern items much to the chagrin of those around him.
The distant journey seems to be going well, until Blu crosses paths with Nigel (Jemaine Clement), who is still seething over his last encounter with Blu and schemes his revenge.
Blu and his family stumble upon a whole flock of their species and they eagerly embrace Jewel as she has returned home. Blu despite his best efforts does not fit in and struggles to gain acceptance from Jewel’s dad who is also the leader of the flock.
As if this was not enough problems for one bird to handle, an illegal organization is cutting down the forest which threatens the flock as well as Lind and her husband.
What follows is a madcap mix of comedy, music, and adventure as the film mixes very good lessons about environmental awareness and acceptance without ever being preachy.
The animation and 3D is solid and the supporting cast which included Bruno Mars, George Lopez, Jaime Foxx, Will I Am, Tracy Morgan, Andy Garcia and many others does a solid job.
The film took a while to get going and while the final 30 minutes pays off, the biggest trouble was staying with the film during the slower moments.
While it was very well presented and produced it does make me appreciate just how dialed in Disney is with their films as no matter how much they tried, none of the musical numbers in “Rio 2” were memorable and I stuggled to remember a single song shortly after the screener.
Since Disney is the leader in the industry for animated films and have been so for over 75 years, it would be unfair to expect the company behind the “Ice Age” series to meet the same standards.
While it may not be a timeless classic, “Rio 2” still has enough charm and enjoyment to make it an enjoyable film for younger viewers and fans of the first film, just as long as you temper your expectations.
http://sknr.net/2014/04/11/rio-2/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Christopher Robin (2018) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
Winnie the Pooh, the much love bear created by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard, has been brought by Disney in enchantingly live action in Christopher Robin. The story begins in the hundred acre woods where little Christopher Robin is spending his last day having a picnic with his dear friends: Eeyore(Brad Garrett), Owl(Toby Jones), Rabbit(Peter Capaldi), Kanga(Sophie Okonedo) and Roo(Sara Sheen), Piglet(Nick Mohammed) Tigger and Pooh(Both beautifully voiced by Jim Cummings). The voice actor cast was rather surprising, but quite spot on for each character. I was absolutely drawn into Christopher Robin’s world.
We are transported through Christopher Robin’s journey from boarding school as a child, his teenage years through secondary education, to becoming an adult, meeting Evelyn(Hayley Atwell) who becomes his wife, leaving for World War II, returning from war to his wife and young daughter Madeline(Bronte Carmichael). Christopher Robin(Ewan McGregor) is now a grown man, working for Winslow, making luggage for the travelling set. He has been tasked to find ways to reduce waste for efficiency. Times are tough after the war and not many people are spending money on travel, therefore no one is buying luggage for their trips. His boss, Giles Winslow(Mark Gatiss, who seems to enjoy playing this feckless git) expects him to work through the weekend to come up with ideas to meet an overall 20% reduction or else Winslow will cut the workforce.
The plan was to spend his weekend with his family down at the cottage. The order from his boss has once again upended his plans. Christopher Robin is a grown man indeed and he has not smiled or had any fun for the longest time. He has become so serious even his wife was looking for his smile. While he works through the weekend. Evelyn decides that Madelyn needs to play and proceeds with the visit to the cottage.
While we follow Christopher Robin as he walks through life, we also see Winnie the Pooh at the tree to the hundred acre woods waiting every day for Christopher Robin’s return. One day, Pooh wakes to an empty woods where he cannot find any of his friends. He goes through the door in the tree hoping to find Christopher Robin and get help because he fears that his friends have been taken by the Heffalumps and Woozles.
Ewan McGregor plays Christopher Robin as an adult with such sincerity and honesty, that we all believe that Pooh and his friends truly exist in the film. The hundred acre woods magically come alive in the movie, capturing the colors of autumn and the warmth of the sunshine on the meadows. The score includes favorites that are the signature of the characters. It will have you quietly singing the words to the well known tunes.
For those that love Winnie the Pooh as I do and have fond memories of your own childhood or of your children’s, this movie was so enjoyable, heartwarmingly satisfying. Go as an adult, go with the kids (grown and little) its not a summer action film, but it is such a lovely movie by Disney with such a well told tale of old friends.
We are transported through Christopher Robin’s journey from boarding school as a child, his teenage years through secondary education, to becoming an adult, meeting Evelyn(Hayley Atwell) who becomes his wife, leaving for World War II, returning from war to his wife and young daughter Madeline(Bronte Carmichael). Christopher Robin(Ewan McGregor) is now a grown man, working for Winslow, making luggage for the travelling set. He has been tasked to find ways to reduce waste for efficiency. Times are tough after the war and not many people are spending money on travel, therefore no one is buying luggage for their trips. His boss, Giles Winslow(Mark Gatiss, who seems to enjoy playing this feckless git) expects him to work through the weekend to come up with ideas to meet an overall 20% reduction or else Winslow will cut the workforce.
The plan was to spend his weekend with his family down at the cottage. The order from his boss has once again upended his plans. Christopher Robin is a grown man indeed and he has not smiled or had any fun for the longest time. He has become so serious even his wife was looking for his smile. While he works through the weekend. Evelyn decides that Madelyn needs to play and proceeds with the visit to the cottage.
While we follow Christopher Robin as he walks through life, we also see Winnie the Pooh at the tree to the hundred acre woods waiting every day for Christopher Robin’s return. One day, Pooh wakes to an empty woods where he cannot find any of his friends. He goes through the door in the tree hoping to find Christopher Robin and get help because he fears that his friends have been taken by the Heffalumps and Woozles.
Ewan McGregor plays Christopher Robin as an adult with such sincerity and honesty, that we all believe that Pooh and his friends truly exist in the film. The hundred acre woods magically come alive in the movie, capturing the colors of autumn and the warmth of the sunshine on the meadows. The score includes favorites that are the signature of the characters. It will have you quietly singing the words to the well known tunes.
For those that love Winnie the Pooh as I do and have fond memories of your own childhood or of your children’s, this movie was so enjoyable, heartwarmingly satisfying. Go as an adult, go with the kids (grown and little) its not a summer action film, but it is such a lovely movie by Disney with such a well told tale of old friends.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
As an Alice in Wonderland enthusiast, I was more than thrilled when Disney announced they were making Alice Through the Looking Glass, since the first film was visually stunning I went into watching the sequel with the same expectation that it would be rich in color and visuals. Visually it did not disappoint, with lavish costumes, and whimsical set design from beginning to end; the film was entertaining to watch. With returning characters such as Alice (Mia Wasikowska), The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), and The White Queen (Anne Hathaway); the main story focuses on Alice trying to save the Hatter. With the citizens of Wonderland concerned for the Hatter’s wellbeing they rely on Alice to try to save the Hatter before it is too late, however Alice must race against Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) to try to learn what has happened to the Hatters family. Alice learns you can’t change the past but you can learn from it for the future; but will this knowledge help her save the Hatter or keep her stuck in the past?
Alice Through the Looking Glass mainly focuses on the friendship of Alice and the Hatter but also gives background history into the past of the Hatter, The Red Queen, and The White Queen. I found this really insightful and made it easier to get invested into the films plot points. I also found this film much more fast paced then the first film, literally about 10 minutes into the film Alice is jumping through the looking glass into Wonderland and right into the action. The newest addition to this film however is Time; who at first is given the main antagonist slot of the film, but as the story progresses that is not entirely the case. The film really shows good and evil are subjective in a sense, all while giving a good old fashion Disney happy ending.
Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass keeps the accomplished directors personal style while keeping the characters of Lewis Carroll’s novel noticeable. However, I will warn you, if you were wanting to see this and hoping it was just like the novel.
It’s not. It’s actually the furthest from the actual book Through the Looking-Glass. The only reason it should probably have this title is due to Alice walking through the looking glass to get to Wonderland, but story wise it has nothing in common story wise. Burton used heavy creative license in the film, and even added Time as a leading role and main plot point that’s not even in Carroll’s novel. While the film is visually stunning and the beloved characters help the audience get invested, the overall plot is somewhat lacking the whimsy that is known in Carroll’s story. While the first film tells the story of Carroll’s novel, the sequel is definitely a story of Burton’s creation. So overall I would say the film is decent; if you enjoyed the first one you should enjoy this one. However, for those who loved the novel and were hoping for an accurate adaptation, this might not be for you. For me personally as a lover of all things “Alice in Wonderland”; I enjoyed it visually, and the portrayal of characters was great, but I felt the story was lacking.
Alice Through the Looking Glass mainly focuses on the friendship of Alice and the Hatter but also gives background history into the past of the Hatter, The Red Queen, and The White Queen. I found this really insightful and made it easier to get invested into the films plot points. I also found this film much more fast paced then the first film, literally about 10 minutes into the film Alice is jumping through the looking glass into Wonderland and right into the action. The newest addition to this film however is Time; who at first is given the main antagonist slot of the film, but as the story progresses that is not entirely the case. The film really shows good and evil are subjective in a sense, all while giving a good old fashion Disney happy ending.
Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass keeps the accomplished directors personal style while keeping the characters of Lewis Carroll’s novel noticeable. However, I will warn you, if you were wanting to see this and hoping it was just like the novel.
It’s not. It’s actually the furthest from the actual book Through the Looking-Glass. The only reason it should probably have this title is due to Alice walking through the looking glass to get to Wonderland, but story wise it has nothing in common story wise. Burton used heavy creative license in the film, and even added Time as a leading role and main plot point that’s not even in Carroll’s novel. While the film is visually stunning and the beloved characters help the audience get invested, the overall plot is somewhat lacking the whimsy that is known in Carroll’s story. While the first film tells the story of Carroll’s novel, the sequel is definitely a story of Burton’s creation. So overall I would say the film is decent; if you enjoyed the first one you should enjoy this one. However, for those who loved the novel and were hoping for an accurate adaptation, this might not be for you. For me personally as a lover of all things “Alice in Wonderland”; I enjoyed it visually, and the portrayal of characters was great, but I felt the story was lacking.
Chuggington Traintastic Adventures Free – A Train Set Game for Kids
Games and Education
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Budge Studios™ presents Chuggington Traintastic Adventures! Traintastic Adventures await in this...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) in Movies
Jun 27, 2021
Of course I wasn't paying Premier prices for this! (This is how long ago I wrote this review, you can now watch it on your Disney+ subscription for free.) So instead I made it my first film back to the cinema for 7 months.
Kumandra was once a glorious place inhabited by humans and dragons in harmony. But when an enemy comes to ruin that, the dragons sacrifice themselves to save the humans. 500 years later the humans have learnt nothing from the sacrifice, and when greed takes hold of the tribes, the land is once again put in peril.
Essentially we're given a fantasy treasure hunt, that highlights the need for cooperation and community. That is definitely a strong point throughout the film. While it might not be based on something specific, it plays on a lot of different Asian cultures, the accuracy of which I'm afraid I wouldn't know. The different regions all had their own look and feel which I thought was a nice touch, but something felt like it needed more variety, and I'm not sure if that was something more diverse or different animation styles.
Of all the characters I actually found Raya to be the least engaging. Her eventual personality could be put down to how she''d grown up, but the choice to make her like that left me disliking her. Picking between her and Namaari was easy, Namaari's actions were consistent and she evolved in a positive way, and I really didn't feel that about Raya. I found her actions increasingly frustrating as the films went on.
The character that made this whole film for me was ninja baby and trickster, Noi. Plus her troop, The Ongis. I was roaring, and absolutely loved every scene they were in. The animation involved was so smooth and it perfectly fit their antics.
What I struggled with as I watched was the animation of Sisu. I liked the dragon style, and I liked the human style, but I didn't really like them together. Our human contingent seemed to be more traditional, and the dragons appeared to be more cartoonish in comparison. With Sisu, the mane and colours just stuck out and felt unnatural... yes, I know that's a ridiculous thing to say when talking about an animated dragon.
Voice cast in Raya and the Last Dragon was generally good, there wasn't anyone I would highlight over the others, but Sisu was the one that made me pause again. I'm growing to enjoy Awkwafina in films, but I'm not sure the pairing here was quite right.
I wasn't disappointed when I came out of the cinema, but at the same time I wasn't wowed. It didn't feel like a Disney offering, and I don't think I'll need to revisit it. There wasn't enough in it to hook my interest and keep me focused on anything that was happening. Perhaps it might have been different had Raya been a little less frustrating, but I don't think that would have given much of a boost to the film. I think what took me so long to publish this review was that I was having real trouble deciding on a score. I'm still not convinced by my choice, if I could put a shrug, I probably would.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/06/raya-and-last-dragon-movie-review.html
Kumandra was once a glorious place inhabited by humans and dragons in harmony. But when an enemy comes to ruin that, the dragons sacrifice themselves to save the humans. 500 years later the humans have learnt nothing from the sacrifice, and when greed takes hold of the tribes, the land is once again put in peril.
Essentially we're given a fantasy treasure hunt, that highlights the need for cooperation and community. That is definitely a strong point throughout the film. While it might not be based on something specific, it plays on a lot of different Asian cultures, the accuracy of which I'm afraid I wouldn't know. The different regions all had their own look and feel which I thought was a nice touch, but something felt like it needed more variety, and I'm not sure if that was something more diverse or different animation styles.
Of all the characters I actually found Raya to be the least engaging. Her eventual personality could be put down to how she''d grown up, but the choice to make her like that left me disliking her. Picking between her and Namaari was easy, Namaari's actions were consistent and she evolved in a positive way, and I really didn't feel that about Raya. I found her actions increasingly frustrating as the films went on.
The character that made this whole film for me was ninja baby and trickster, Noi. Plus her troop, The Ongis. I was roaring, and absolutely loved every scene they were in. The animation involved was so smooth and it perfectly fit their antics.
What I struggled with as I watched was the animation of Sisu. I liked the dragon style, and I liked the human style, but I didn't really like them together. Our human contingent seemed to be more traditional, and the dragons appeared to be more cartoonish in comparison. With Sisu, the mane and colours just stuck out and felt unnatural... yes, I know that's a ridiculous thing to say when talking about an animated dragon.
Voice cast in Raya and the Last Dragon was generally good, there wasn't anyone I would highlight over the others, but Sisu was the one that made me pause again. I'm growing to enjoy Awkwafina in films, but I'm not sure the pairing here was quite right.
I wasn't disappointed when I came out of the cinema, but at the same time I wasn't wowed. It didn't feel like a Disney offering, and I don't think I'll need to revisit it. There wasn't enough in it to hook my interest and keep me focused on anything that was happening. Perhaps it might have been different had Raya been a little less frustrating, but I don't think that would have given much of a boost to the film. I think what took me so long to publish this review was that I was having real trouble deciding on a score. I'm still not convinced by my choice, if I could put a shrug, I probably would.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/06/raya-and-last-dragon-movie-review.html