Okja Review

Okja, the newest Netflix original movie, was the subject of controversy during its screening at the Cannes Film Festival, when Netflix was booed during the showing. Not for the movie itself, but because many felt that movie streaming is killing the theater-going experience. I'm not one to say whether or not this is true, but I will say that the movie itself is worth your time.

It comes from South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, who brought us Snowpiercer and The Host. Now, he has made a satirical science fiction movie, which co-stars Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, and Jake Gyllenhall. But the main character is a little girl in South Korea, who has befriended a genetically modified giant pig. When the pig is collected by the company that created her for food purposes, the girl must save him.

From this summary, it is easy to believe that this will be a family film, but that may be up for debate. While there are far worse movies you could show your children, there is still a moderate amount of f-bombs, and the last act gets pretty disturbing, leading up to a bittersweet ending.

The movie juggles whimsical, lighthearted moments of the girl's friendship with the titular creature, with more serious moments. It has a strong message on the ethics of the meat industry, including topics such as GMOs and treatment of animals. It wears these morals on its sleeve, without being preachy.

The creature often feels like a real character. Like the best CGI characters, she looks realistic, but there is also an essence to her movements and expressions that makes her seem almost human.

In conclusion, Okja is a sweet, sad, yet charming tale of friendship for an older crowd. Its message on the controversial topic of the meat industry may put some people off, but for others, it is an interesting, thought-provoking sci-fi satire.

4 out of 5 stars

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Review

Some of you are probably surprised that I am reviewing this movie, considering I put it on my Least Anticipated Films of 2017 list. Well, I was a fan of the books as a child and my curiosity and nostalgia got the better of me, and I went to see it with my two brothers. And now here I am writing the review.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is the big screen adaptation of the popular children's book franchise. However, it does not directly adapt one book, but makes its own plot with elements from many of the books. And it captures the immature spirit of these books very well.

The plot revolves around two fun-loving kids (Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch) who, after being caught pulling a major prank at their school's science fair, might face being separated by their mean-spirited principal, Mr. Krupp (Ed Helms). As a last resort, they try hypnotizing him. By doing this, they accidentally put him in a state where he believes he is the the superhero, Captain Underpants. The two kids often use this alter ego to make him act less strict, resulting in Captain Underpants resembling a nicer, happier side of the cynical principal.

Meanwhile, a new teacher named Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll) armed with a giant robot toilet, plans on destroying the world's sense of humor, so that nobody would ever laugh at his name again. It is up to Captain Underpants to stop him. That last paragraph should tell you exactly what type of movie to expect.

The director of this movie is David Soren (Turbo), who directs with a fast paced, at times unusual style. The tone is always upbeat, and almost constantly breaking the fourth wall. It retains a cartoonish feel throughout, with plenty of sight gags to go around.

A lot of credit should also be given to the animation. It is done in the same way as the Peanuts reboot, which maintains the standard CGI animation while staying true to its original 2D art style. There are also moments where it veers into other styles including 2D animation, and even sock puppets and a flip book (in homage to the source material's Flip O' Rama sequences). This variety keeps the movie fresh throughout.

However, one technical aspect that doesn't work as well is the voice acting for the children characters. This is not the voice actors' fault per say; it's just that their adult voices don't  match with their child appearances.

As you may have guessed, there is a lot of immature jokes, which will probably turn a lot of people off. But if you can sit through a little toilet humor, it is a fun, lively animated feature, that speaks to the immature child in us all.

3 out of 5 stars

Wonder Woman Review

A lot of people are viewing Wonder Woman as a symbol for female empowerment. With a strong female lead (Gal Gadot), a female director (Patty Jenkins (Monster)), and, of course, the failing state of the DCEU, there is pressure on it to be a good movie. And for the most part it pulls it off.

The movie takes place during World War I. When a fighter pilot (Chris Pine) crash lands on her home island, she decides to go to his world to defeat the Greek god of war, Ares, thus ending the war.

This movie follows a traditional superhero movie formula. There are very few surprises in the story, but there is enough charm to make up for that.

Gal Gadot gave a show-stealing performance in Batman v Superman, and her version of Wonder Woman holds up as the front and center of her own movie. She pulls off the warrior attitude very well, but also has moments of wonder and naivete, as she is introduced to the human world. She also has great chemistry with Chris Pine, who acts as a love interest for her.

The tone is also much more lighthearted than previous DC movies. It isn't nearly as upbeat and funny as The Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy, but it is definitely a move away from the darkness of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.

However, this movie is still held back by it's unoriginal story, and by it's overlong run-time of two and a half hours. But if you don't mind hearing the same old superhero origin story, Wonder Woman is a perfectly decent superhero movie.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Alien: Covenant Review

Alien: Covenant is uninterested in answering any of the questions presented in Prometheus. Instead, it focuses on what made the first Alien movie work so well: creating a sense of terror and isolation in space where no one can hear you scream.

This film takes place between Prometheus and the original, focusing on a mission to colonize a remote planet. They receive a transmission from another planet that is seemingly better suited to support human life. As you may have expected, this does not go well.

This movie is a triumphant return to form for the franchise. It is the same format as the original classic, with a crew in space hunted by an alien. With the exception of a few subplots, the story doesn't stray far from that description. But Ridley Scott directs it with the same sense of dread that made the original such a classic.

It is full of graphic violence, but the real scares come from the aliens themselves. They are brought to life with terrifyingly realistic special effects, and their onscreen presence is very menacing. I feel like they could have shown less of them, maybe having them lurk out of sight, but they were still scary when shown in all their glory.

Alien: Covenant is significantly better than the previous outing, Prometheus, and an effectively creepy thriller. Though I am disappointed that it didn't continue the story of Prometheus, I am still glad we got another Alien movie that focuses on tension and atmosphere.

4 out of 5 stars

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Review

At a time when many superhero movies are starting to look similar, the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie is fresh and different.

In this installment, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finally meets his father (Kurt Russel), a celestial being who may have a sinister agenda.

The Guardians of the Galaxy has proven itself to be the most fun franchise in the MCU. And this movie is just as entertaining as the original. It is full of intense action, good special effects, a lot of humor, and a fun soundtrack.

Like the original, this one doesn't feel so much like a traditional superhero movie. It plays out more like a more colorful, retro, comedic version of Star Wars. The Guardians are a conceptually bizarre team, and the movie knows this and has as much time devoted to comedy as it does to action. And James Gunn, who also directed the previous movie, perfectly replicates the fun of the original.

That being said, this is still not as good as the first movie story-wise. However, it is as fun as the first movie. This is a very entertaining, funny, and visually stunning time at the theater.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Fate of the Furious Mini-Review

The Fast and the Furious has been going strong for over fifteen years, and as the latest installment shows, it is not running out of gas yet.

In this one, the gang is recruited to stop an international terrorist (Charlise Theron). She has coerced Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) into helping her retrieve nuclear launch codes, by holding his family hostage. For this mission, the heroes are forced to work with former enemy, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).

This installment was directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton), who delivers exactly what fans have come to expect from this series. Insane action and a lot of fun. It is very over the top, and if you care about realism, this isn't for you. If you liked the previous entries, and you're willing to turn your brain off for about two hours, you are going to like this movie.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Colossal Review

Indie hit Colossal is a weird movie. It is all at once a monster movie, a romantic comedy, and a story of alcoholism. And for the most part, it pulls it off.

Anne Hathaway plays an unemployed alcoholic who moves back to her childhood home after breaking up with her boyfriend. Upon arriving, a giant monster attacks Seoul, South Korea, and she gradually finds out that she is connected to this. Every time she sets foot onto a playground in her neighborhood, the monster appears and does whatever she does, on the other side of the world. Jason Sudeikis also stars as Hathaway's childhood friend.

The monster is treated as a representation of Hathaway's problems. She is an alcoholic and spends a lot of time around men who treat her like dirt. This destructive behavior is shown as literally destructive, as the monster tramples the city.

But the monster is rarely treated as the center of the movie. This is about Hathaway and her struggles. It is true that the monster is the driving force of the story, but very little of the rampages are shown. There may be points where it looks as if the movie is headed toward a big Pacific Rim style climax, but, to put it simply, it's not. But it is still an entertaining movie, nonetheless. Anne Hathaway's character is relate-able, and is played very well. The movie also has plenty of funny moments, even though it's rarely hilarious.

I guess my main complaint with this movie would be Jason Sudeikis' character. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that I felt the motives for what many of the things he did were not very believable. The movie does not try to justify these actions, but it felt more like they were trying too hard to make him into the kind of character he turns into.

Despite the weird concept, Colossal is a very entertaining comedy and monster movie. It is a bizarre fusion of genres that stays entertaining throughout.

4 out of 5 stars