Review Quickfire Round

REVIEW QUICKFIRE ROUND

Hey, guys! Been a while since I’ve been on here. But once again, life and poor scheduling on my part have gotten in the way. But now, I’ve got a little bit of time, and since I’ve seen a lot of stuff recently – and since the film I just saw today does not really warrant its own review – I thought I’d take this chance to do a little quickfire round of mini-reviews talking about all the stuff I’ve seen recently. With that said, let’s start with the film I saw today…

HONEY BOY

The story of child actor Otis Lort and his tumultuous relationship with his abusive, alcoholic father played by Shia LaBeouf, the screenplay was written by LaBeouf himself as a coping mechanism for the relationship that he really shared with his own father. LaBeouf really is the reason to see this film, rendered nigh unrecognizable under large spectacles, a noticeable beer gut, and one hell of a short temper.

LaBeouf’s heart and soul are so apparent in this film that it gives me no pleasure to report that I wasn’t entirely into it by the time it ended. I think most of it comes from the fact that it runs a little too short, as when the ending came, I found myself thinking, “Wait, we’re here already?” Now, that’s not to say the film’s bad; it’s quite good and meditative when necessary, but it doesn’t quite hit me in the way I thought it would. Maybe it will for some others, though.

KLAUS

Now this was a real treat to watch! This is the film many an animation nerd have been waiting for a couple of years to see as it was something of a return/evolution for traditional animation. And it was definitely worth the wait. It tells the story of a pampered postman-in-training named Jesper, who’s sent away to the desolate, hostile town of Smeerensburg to be taught a lesson. It’s there that he acquaints himself with the titular reclusive woodsman Klaus, and they start delivering toys to young children, effectively creating the Santa Claus myth. The animation makes great use of techniques from both the traditional style and CG style of the medium, making for a unique feast for the eyes while telling a story that will have you bawling at the end.

The voice cast is especially good with J.K. Simmons stealing the show as the laconic Klaus and Jason Schwartzman being lovably spoiled as Jesper. The film’s so good that it’s easy to overlook the moments where it falls into the family film tropes that unfortunately haven’t gone away, such as the third act Liar Revealed trope. The ending will erase all memory of those hiccups, believe me.

KNIVES OUT

I’m not generally a fan of whodunit mysteries, but this new black comedy from writer/director Rian Johnson was a lot of fun. Daniel Craig is entertaining playing a doggedly committed P.I. with a near-parodic Southern accent, Chris Evans gives an unexpected turn, and Ana de Armas is great as the wide-eyed innocent POV character of the story.

The script is full of the kind of twists and turns that made Star Wars: The Last Jedi so entertaining for me – yes, I’m in the camp of people who thinks The Last Jedi is a good film – even if it indulges in too many twists by the end. All of the supporting characters are a lot of fun, and the ending will knock you out of your seat.

GREEN EGGS AND HAM

Yet another return for traditional animation, this TV series adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss book plants its flag as the best modern redo of Seuss’s work. The story is expanded into a buddy road trip comedy where Sam-I-Am (Adam Devine) and Guy-Am-I (Michael Douglas), the nameless protagonist from the book, are tasked with returning a rare animal called the chickeraffe, named Mr. Jenkins, to its home. They are accompanied by paranoid Michellee (Diane Keaton) and her adventurous daughter E.B. (Ilana Glazer) whilst being pursued by two animal hunters played by Jeffrey Wright and Jillian Bell and constantly interrupted by Keegan Michael-Key as a fourth-wall breaking narrator.

Much like Klaus, the animation is stellar, invoking a nostalgia for early to mid-aught animated films like the 2006 Curious George and others. I don’t know if this book needed to be expanded out into a full series, but it’s definitely entertaining for both kids and adults alike. Can’t wait for Season 2 to drop…whenever it drops.

And that’s about all I got for now. Join me next time for…

Wait, wait! Hold the phone! I’ve got a special announcement!

On Friday, December 27, I will be dropping a special End-of-Year podcast, where I, Nathan Cook, and my younger brother Nathan Anderson will be discussing our favorite and not-so-favorite films of the year, and some films we’re looking forward to in 2020. I will drop the podcast on both SoundCloud and a video version on YouTube.

Think of it as a late Christmas gift!

Anyways, happy holidays!