Scooby Doo And The Goblin King: The Return Of Tim Curry

Scooby Doo And The Goblin King is an animated family mystery film directed by Joe Sichta. The plot sees Shaggy (Casey Kasem) and Scooby (Frank Welker), go on a magical quest to defeat an evil Wizard and save Halloween.

Unlike others, that have strayed too far from the formula, I think this film benefits form ditching the standard story structure of a Scooby Doo film and going fully out there. I enjoyed seeing Scooby Doo fully explore the concept of magic, I liked seeing classic creeps like The headless horseman make an appearance and I appreciated the larger world and mythology this film tried to set up; I would like to see it explored further at a later date.

When I heard that Tim Curry was returning to voice a character in this film I was immediately expecting big things, he was after all one of the best things about The Witches Ghost. So, I was saddened when he only had a small part. He does his best with what he is given, and he does make the Goblin King memorable.

The villain is okay, serviceable enough to keep the plot running in one direction but not strong enough to carry any real weight. I feel the story itself buckles under all it is trying to do and crosses a line where it becomes more spectacle than anything else.

Overall, this was one of the better Scooby Doo films of this era (the late 00’s), it is up there with Zombie Island and Witches Ghost, however all that it tries to do weighs the film down a bit too much and it just can’t live up to its high ambitions.

Pros.

Tim Curry

Fully going for the supernatural

The headless horseman scenes

It is a lot of fun

Cons.

Tim Curry only has a very small part

The film becomes spectacle and falls apart after a point

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Central Intelligence: The Better Kevin Hart Team Up Film

Central Intelligence is an action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The plot sees high school hot shot turned depressed cubical worker Calvin (Kevin Hart), reconnect with the bullied outcast of his high school Robbie (Dwayne Johnson). Unlike anything Calvin would have ever guess Robbie is now shredded and going by the name Bob Stone. Bob is also being hunted by the CIA. Calvin gets dragged into Robbie’s mess.

This, this is what Ride Along should have been. It is much better done, much more nuanced (yes really), and much funnier.

The characters both feel fleshed out developed, through Calvin we explore what it means to peak in high school and then become trapped in your life, and with Bob we explore what it means to be this big action hero type who is still plagued by high school insecurity. These are interesting ideas and themes to think about, way more so than anything in either of the Ride Along films and both characters are done justice. You go on a journey with them.

The comedy is also more well thought out, Hart is not just screaming and jumping around here, I mean he is a little, but his character is written in a much smarter way and thought the jokes can stem a towards low brow they still feel suitably mature when compared to other contemporaries.

I thought the Rock really did a good job with this one, his arc about being bullied and having self esteem issues spoke to me and was touching, I really enjoyed how they ended things with his character.

Overall, much better than I was expecting it to be, surprisingly heartfelt and well done.

Pros.

Dwayne Johnson

The self-esteem arc

The characters felt fleshed out and well considered

It was funny

Cons.

It does not need to be on for almost two hours

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

To The New Girl: The Conversations You Wish You Could Have

To The New Girl is a drama anthology film directed by Adriana Gonzalez Vega, Aurora J. Culver and Amika Leigh. The plot sees various women scorned address their exes and their new lovers in a powerful open mic night, to be remembered through the ages.

Films like this are important, as they give voices to new talent: specifically in this case female talent that might not otherwise have had the chance to write/direct/star in a film like this. We need more films like this if we ever hope to make filmmaking truly open for everyone.

This film is brutally honest, I mean that as a compliment, it does not pull its punches. It tells things like they are for a lot of women and shows how things like cheating and infidelity can really hurt a person on a deep emotional level, if nothing else this film is true.

The open mic format makes it quite unlike anything else I’ve seen recently and really adds a sense of personality to the film whilst also giving it more of an intimate feel. You really connect with these women telling their stories which help you to empathise with them thereby giving there stories more impact. It is multi-layered

Overall, I applaud this film for being as direct and forging a repour between performer and audience member and for being bold enough to tell the truth.

Pros.

The novel format

Supporting new voices

Creates a personal connection with the audience

Brutal and honest

Cons.

It becomes a bit repetitive after a while

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Early Man: The Origins Of Man United

Early Man is a British stop motion animated film directed by Nick Park. The plot follows a group of stone age people as they are challenged by a bronze age civilisation to a game of football to decide the fate of their valley home.

I will admit I have a bit of a love hate relationship with Aardman and their animations, I really didn’t like Chicken Run and I enjoyed Wallace and Gromit when I was young, but I have not thought about those films in years. So, going into this I had low expectations that were lowered even further when I heard the mixed reviews, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this film.

I enjoyed the story quite a bit and found that the time period leant itself quite well to Aardman’s signature animation style. I thought the characters all had a great deal of rootability, and you really wanted to see them win the game. This film manages to capture the plucky underdog spirit to a tee.

The voice cast didn’t add much to proceedings as I feel like anyone could have played those characters, the voice actors themselves were not memorable, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your viewpoint. Out of the cast I thought Maisie Williams shone the most, her character of Goona was fun and memorable and Williams managed to pull of an accent for the full run time somewhat convincing; much more convincingly then her GOT co-star Sophie Turner in the last X-Men film, however.

Overall, a fun film that really made me consider Aardman that bit more, maybe it has converted me to their cause- time will tell.

Pros.

Fun and accessible

The setting leant itself well to stop motion

Maisie Williams

Capturing the underdog spirit

Cons.

The voice cast weren’t very strong

It felt a bit bloated

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Daddy’s Home 2: Mel Gibson As His Arsehole Self

Daddy’s Home 2 is a comedy film directed by Sean Anders. The plot this time around focuses on Brad (Will Ferrell) and Dusty’s (Mark Wahlberg) dads. As both grandfathers come into town to spend Christmas with their families, but can they all get along?

I want to preface this review by saying that I think Mel Gibson is an awful human being, the comments he made to Winona Ryder (which if you don’t know, I advise you to look them up), are nothing short of sickening. I personally don’t think he should still be getting work. That said I tried to ignore my feelings about him whilst writing this review.

The one thing I will give this film credit for, because this film is hot trash, is the fact that they made Mel Gibson’s character an asshole. It is done in an almost knowing way to real life, and it is implied that because he is such a terrible person that he screwed up Dusty, showing where being an asshole gets you.

The main reason I dislike this film, just like I disliked the previous film is the comedy. It is a mixture of too safe family friendly fluff that isn’t funny, painfully repetitive slapstick that boils down to oh look Brad has hurt himself again and mean-spirited hurtful jokes. Said jokes make even the nastiest most cynical Adam Sandler joke look happy and well intentioned, they make fun of things that just seem needless and in poor taste why?

The dynamic between the actors is fine, weaker than the last film and a world away from The Nice Guys, but it really isn’t enough to sit through this.

Overall, don’t touch this with a ten-foot pole avoid at all costs.

Pros.

They make Mel Gibson’s character an arsehole

Cons.

It is worse than the first film

The jokes aren’t funny

It either feels too safe or in poor taste

The chemistry between the leads is basically non-existent at this point

It doesn’t justify its own existence

0/5

Reviewed by Luke

Chill Out Scooby Doo: Casual, Seemingly Random, International Abduction

Chill Out Scooby Doo is an animated family mystery film directed by Joe Sichta. The plot sees the Mystery Gang’s holiday in Paris hijacked when Shaggy (Casey Kasem), and Scooby (Frank Welker), get kidnapped and taken to the Himalayas to act as bait for someone looking to trap the abdominal snowman.

So, I will admit I love the yeti/abdominal snowman so yes I might view this film a bit more favourably that I otherwise would have, though I have tried to control my bias of course for the purposes of this review.

This film feels like a return to the old ways of Scooby Doo, there is just one monster, there are no attempts to be meta (though in moderation those are a good thing), and there are no needless cameos. It is just the gang hunting a monster and then demasking it at the end.

Hell, I’ve reviewed quite a lot of these at this point and I have to officially say I have gone full circle. I started off apricating the Scooby Doo formula, then I grew sick of it and now after seeing how badly a lot of the Scooby Doo films turn out that don’t stick to the classic structure I am back to apricating it once again.

An issue I had with this film is the side story stuff. The High Lama felt crammed in to pad out the runtime, if done well this could have been like an extended version of one of the classic episodes, but no they had to stuff more in. Furthermore, as has been a recurring complaint, the Tibetan characters are little more than stereotypes and character cliches, which just feels irritating and lazy.

Overall, it has strong parts and weak parts, at its best it is a return to the classic formula and its worst it is still using the same old stereotypes and can be consider a bit offensive.

Pros.

The yeti

A return to the classic form

An interesting and not obvious mystery

Cons.

The stereotypes

The side story and characters

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hosts: An Easy Way To Ruin A Christmas Dinner

Hosts is a horror film directed by Adam Leader and Richard Oakes. The plot sees a sinister race of being possess people in an effort to take over the world. We follow two such possessed people who are invited round to their neighbour’s house to have Christmas dinner with murderous consequences.

This may be the best horror film that I have seen all year, as soon as you finish this review immediately watch it, it is that good. The reasons for this extreme compliment are as follows.

It is utterly engrossing; I couldn’t look away while I was watching it. I had to know what was going to happen next. In the beginning you have no idea what is going on, but as the film goes on more and more little details are revealed and then it all becomes clear. I would recommend a second watch with this one as you get a lot more out of it the second time.

The acting is superb the entire cast are terrific, but the two leads steal the show. Neal Ward as Jack perfectly captures a sadistic edge with such menace that it is a little unnerving. Moreover, Samantha Loxley is haunting and nothing short of demonic. The quiet family dinner scene that quickly turns into a bloodbath is propelled into being so much more by her performance.

I enjoyed the fact that this film builds an atmosphere rather than have cheap jump scares that everyone can see coming from a mile off. I thought the film’s scares were done well and used effectively to great result.

Overall, maybe the best horror film of 2020 don’t sleep on this one.

Pros.

The violence is brutal but effective

The ending

The performances

The atmosphere and the scares

Very hard to look away from

Cons.

None.

5/5

Would give higher if I could

Reviewed by Luke

Ride Along: The Angriest Man In The World

Ride Along is a buddy cop, comedy film directed by Tim Story. The plot follows Ben (Kevin Hart), an avid gamer who dreams of becoming a police officer and making his fiancé proud. One day said fiancé tasks Ben with winning her brother’s approval, so they can wed. The issue is that her detective brother James (Ice Cube), doesn’t think Ben is good enough for his sister. In an effort to see what Ben is made of James invites him on a ride along.

So, I have recently been going through the filmography of Kevin Hart, this is the third movie of his I have seen to date. Sadly unlike Night School and Get Hard, this one isn’t very good.

The issue with this film doesn’t lie with Hart however, he is mostly funny throughout. It is his on-screen foil that I find weakens this film. The buddy cop formula works when both characters are very different and are at odds with each other but are forced to work together, and though that is the case here it just doesn’t work.

Yes, James is the antiphrasis of Ben, but other than that he doesn’t feel like a character. The only emotion Ben seems to feel for the whole film is anger, I get that is the bit, but even still it makes the character feel very one note and cliché. He is the brother in law cliché, as well as the overprotective brother cliché to a tee and not much beyond that. Even when he is supposed to be happy, he comes across as angry- though maybe that is the result of Ice Cube’s lack of acting ability.

Overall, good for a few laughs, but the dynamic just doesn’t work.

Pros.

Hart

The videogame stuff

A few laughs to be had

Cons.

Most of the jokes don’t land

The buddy cop dynamic doesn’t work

Ice Cube feels miscast

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Enola Holmes: When In Doubt Dress As A Yard-worker

Enola Holmes is a mystery film directed by Harry Bradbeer; it is based on the book series of the same name written by Nancy Springer. The plot focuses on the youngest of the three Holmes siblings Enola (Millie Bobby Brown). Enola’s world is turned upside down when her mother disappears suddenly, as such Enola ventures out into the world to find her, becoming tangled up in a conspiracy to kill a young lord.

Before, I had watched this film I thought Millie Bobby Brown was a one trick pony, I thought she was good in Stranger Things and serviceable enough in Godzilla, but she hadn’t convinced me of her acting ability. Now after watching this film I can say she is incredibly talented, and is destined for big things, my change of heart is the result of her performance here.

I found her performance and her character to be the perfect encapsulation of female empowerment. She is self-determined and driven, she is always in control of her own fate, she is a badass, but crucially she evolves over time. If you look at something like the recent Mulan (review on site), that fails as an act of empowerment as she starts off great and becomes superhuman, this does not reflect reality. Whereas Enola in this film trains, she constantly strives to better herself and that can be seen throughout the film, she is rootable and believable as a result.

I found Henry Cavil to be a bit bland as Sherlock, they could have given him more to do, as is he is basically just a Victorian version of Geralt from The Witcher. That said his interactions with Sam Claflin’s Mycroft are perfect and the two play off each other well and are always a pleasure to watch.

Overall, a terrific start to a series and proof that Millie Bobby Brown is more than just the girl from Stranger Things.

Pros.

Female empowerment done right

Millie Bobby Brown

Sherlock and Mycroft

The mystery

Cons.

Some of the feminist talking points are a little on the nose

The romance is quite weak

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Scooby Doo In Where’s My Mummy?: A More Adapt Question Would Be Where Is The Villain?

Scooby Doo In Where’s My Mummy directed by Joe Sichta. The plot follows the Mystery Gang as they head to Egypt to meet up with Velma (Mindy Cohen), who has been restoring the Sphinx, however as they arrive they realise that something is a foot and they find themselves in the centre of a century’s old supernatural mystery.

I have to say this might be the only Scooby Doo film that didn’t have a clear-cut monster, or a guy in a suit. Yeah they have a generic villain, but they are side-lined and ignored so much that you forget the film even has a villain. In the end when you have the big reveal scene you are left confused with only a vague remembrance of who the baddie even is.

Though I am impressed they didn’t go the generic route and have the monster be a mummy, I feel like the film as a whole might have been better served if they had gone that route, rather than have this confusing conspiracy angle that really doesn’t come together.

The only real positive I can give this film is that it does not make the Egyptian characters stereotypes, they feel like actually characters. This is hollow praise as this should just be standard, but some of these Scooby Doo films do like to throw out cultural stereotypes here and there.

Overall, a very confusing, bland mess.

Pros.

They didn’t go for the obvious

Cons.

The obvious might have been better than what we got

The villain is forgotten about and ignored

It is dull

It is not fun to watch

1/5

Reviewed by Luke