Nightbooks: We Need More Of Krysten Ritter In This Role

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young boy, Winslow Fegley, obsessed with all things horror is kidnapped by an evil witch, Krysten Ritter, and forced to write her scary stories.

I enjoyed this film quite a lot, it turned out to be much more narly and hardcore than I was expecting it to be, and it managed to create some great horror visuals over the course of its runtime. In some ways this was more scary than a lot of the adult horrors out there.

The best thing about this film is easily the performance given by Ritter. By now you should all know that Ritter is an incredible talent, but if you didn’t know it for some reason this film proves it to you. She manages to pull off so many different emotions with just her face alone without even the need for words. She captures comedy, sadness and intense anger and rage completely, and manages to make her character both sympathetic and loathsome.

Even the child actors were fairly good, that in and off itself is a big deal as child actors are never good.

Overall, a lot of fun.

Pros.

Ritter

The scares

The ending

The characters

Cons.

The Hansel and Gretel twist was a bit too obvious

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Monsters At Work: Welcome To Monsters, Incorporated

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A new character who has always dreamed of being a scarer, has to come to terms with the change in direction at Monsters Inc and try and find his place.

So this show is exactly what I was expecting it to be- needless. There is no reason for this show to exist at all, did we really need to see how the business would run once they switched over to laugh power instead of fear? The answers we get are boring and easily guessable.

Furthermore, the new characters, whose names I cannot even remember are also entirely pointless. Clearly they are being written to fill the whole in the show that comes as a result of Mike, Billy Crystal, and Sully, John Goodman, taking a reduced role. Can they even hope to be worthy replacements? If this first episode is anything to go by no.

Finally, I am left to wonder who is this for? If it is for long time fans who loved the film when it came out and have then grown up with it why only have Mike and Sully in such small roles, if this is to attract new people then why not just create a fresh idea altogether. As it stands this show is for no one.

Overall, the only reason it got a 2 is because the animation is good, and the score is suitably jazzy.

Pros.

The animation

The score

Cons.

The new characters are bland and uninteresting

Why does this exist?

It answers questions no one asked

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Ritchie Rich: Kevin McAllister’s Adventures After Home Alone

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film almost feels like a spiritual follow up to Home Alone. That is not just because Culkin is basically playing the same character, but also because it continues America’s fascination of stopping those who are after their wealth, and the idea that if you’re rich you will have to defend your fortune at least once.

I felt that this film was sweet and heart-warming, not Home Alone charming but still fairly feel good. Though the film can feel overly sentimental at times, it also still feels fun to watch. For the most part I enjoyed the story, I found it entertaining to watch this little kid use gadgets to defeat an evil corporate man intent on stealing his families fortune: it really is Home Alone.

We do manage to feel some sympathy for this incredibly privileged character and though he could have felt somewhat unrelatable or even cold if it were an adult in the same role, Culkin makes the character easy to like and we do root for him to befriend the local children and be able to be a normal kid just like everyone else.

I found the plot of the film to fall apart the more I thought about it, but I won’t overly analyse this as it is a kids film, and they are not known for their air tight logic or quick wits.

Overall, fun and breezy, but not something that you will think about again once it is over.
Pros.

Culkin

The fun

It is basically Home Alone all over again

Cons.

The plot falls apart

It is insanely predictable

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The Boss Baby 2: My My Dreamworks Is On The Decline

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The brothers from the first film are now grown up and now there are new talking babies.

This film is only slightly better than the first. The only reason I have given it a half mark improvement is because they don’t go into the secret world of babies in as much tedious detail as the first film did. We are not subjected to exposition scene after exposition scene this time around.

However, what we do get here is not much better.

The film goes out of its way to show how after the first film, even though they were friends at the end of it, that the two boys have now grown apart as adults and have nothing to do with each other. As such the film spends a lot of it’s time showing them bonding, for some odd sense of sentimentality that never really comes together.

Moreover, the film never really justifies it’s own existence. That is probably because there is no reason for this film to exist. The new threat is laughably dull, and surely the secret baby organisation could have had any number of their agents deal with it, there is no reason why it has to be the boys from the first film.

Furthermore, the new female boss baby, voiced by Amy Sedaris, is totally needless as she adds nothing to the film and is really just there to be the new talking baby for the film. It is just gimmicky.

Overall, this film is entirely needless and is only very minorly better than the first film.

Pros.

Less exposition

Two funny jokes

Cons.

It is needless and doesn’t need to exist

It forces sentimentality for the sake of it

The new boss baby has nothing to do and no reason to be there

It is boring

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Ice Age: Thawing Our Hearts

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I fondly remember the first few Ice Age films from my younger years, and though they are still watchable and entertaining enough, they are nowhere near as good as I remember them being.

Firstly, the voice John Leguizamo does for Sid the sloth feels vaguely offensive and more than a little reminiscent of the voice than accompanies certain Adam Sandler characters. I found the voice to be noticeably jarring throughout.

Secondly, despite not being on for very long this film suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the first half, with their being little of interest beside the Saber-Toothed Tiger attack. Things get better as the trio assemble however.

Once we get all of the main character together and the journey truly begins then the film starts to work. Though I would not say the film soars to the emotional heights of say a Pixar film, it does get close. You feel the bond the characters have with one another and with the little human baby they are protecting, as such when it comes time to see the child reunited with his family and leave the company of our main characters it is deeply effecting.

I think it is in this emotional dimension that this film shines.

Overall, one of the better entries in the series but perhaps not as strong as you remember it being.

Pros.

The emotion

The ending

Our main trio of characters

Cons.

A very slow assembly

Sid’s voice

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Father Of The Bride Part II: Slightly Less Sociopathic

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Whilst I gave the first Father Of The Bride film a hard time I do think this is marginally better. Mostly this is allowing to the fact that this film feels less whiney and cynical, and Steve Martin’s lead actually feels like a loving family man rather than a sociopath who wants to control everyone in his life.

In that regard I think the film does a lot better to make you feel sympathetic towards Martin’s character and to warm to him. There is a scene near the end when Martin is waiting outside the room as his wife gives birth worrying for her and their babies’ safety and we feel for him, this is a million miles away from the self-obsessed ego maniac in the first film that moaned about being comfortably off and living in a large house.

The stereotypes and accents are still an issue with the film’s comedy, and no they don’t age well as you can imagine. I found the film more emotionally feel good then I did funny, I had several moments where the film made me feel warm inside and I had no moments where the film made me laugh- or even really smile.

Overall, it is a shame as Martin is trying but sadly these films just aren’t very funny, to me at least.

Pros.

Less obnoxious

A few heart-warming moments

Cons.

It is not funny

The accents and the stereotypes

The plot makes very little sense

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Luca: Life On A Vespa

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Luca delights me by signalling that after a few wilderness years Pixar are back on form. I very much enjoyed Soul, check out my review, but this film is just slightly better: both films, however, are leagues above everything Pixar has made over the last few years with the exception of Toy Story 4– so heading in a positive direction.

All the conversations that have been floating around since release about this being an LGBTQ+ love story or a hidden romance are wrong, as confirmed by people at Pixar. Frankly, it is slightly alarming to even be hearing these sorts of conversations considering the leads are children, who are have not reached the romantic stage of their life yet. Anyway.

I found this film had a good deal to say about our own world and how we view other people, like all good Pixar films this feature was quick to tap into our emotions and once it did it didn’t let go. The final scene is heart-breaking. However, what I enjoyed most about this film is that there are no scenes where the film feels overly like it is trying to make you cry or manipulate your emotions, it is far more organic than that and is better for it.

I found the sun-soaked world of Italy that we are introduced to transformative and lush. Immediately there are so many interesting characters to explore and meet and places to go, when you combine this with the under the sea areas, the scope of this film is truly colossal. I think it would be apt for this film to get a sequel as there is a lot left to explore and unpack.

I found the fantastical elements helped the film to explore the idea of outsiders and those shunned by society very well and brought the themes of the film to centre stage without them feeling forced down your throat.

Overall, a beautiful film.

Pros.

The characters

The world

The distinctive feel

Pixar is back

The final goodbye scene

Cons.

A little predictable plotwise

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Wish Dragon: Subtle Propaganda Very Obviously Disguised

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film wants so badly to be a DreamWorks’ or a Pixar film, but it is nowhere even remotely close.

So firstly there is an odd amount of subtle pro-China stuff in here, not as bad as something like Abominable which though a good movie featured a map of the Chinese claim over the South China Sea on it, come on guys really, but there were a few lines that made me cringe with how blatant they were being. Please stop putting government propaganda into your films, we all know what you’re doing.

Moreover, the idea itself feels heavily inspired by Aladdin, yes I know the idea of wish granting deities also exists in other cultures as well, but the way the film handles itself and more importantly the relationship between the lead and the Wish Dragon feels clearly more than a little ripped off.

The voice cast didn’t do much for me either. The best of a bad bunch would be John Cho as the Dragon, who I thought did the best with what he had though that wasn’t very much. The worst was probably Constance Wu who is playing a very similar character to the one she did on Fresh Off The Boat, the show she hated, and lacks anything even remotely resembling range.

Overall, this film is blatantly clear in what it is and try as it might, it can’t disguise it.

Pros.

John Cho

A few feel good moments

Cons.

The propaganda

The lack of any kind of originality

The voice cast aren’t given much to work with

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Minions: This Is Why Children Are Dumb

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Who would have guessed that the vaguely racist lead of the Despicable Me films is the glue that is holding it all together. Yikes.

The Minions were the obvious breakout stars of the Despicable Me franchise however, what works in small doses peppered in around a wider story does not translate into being able to anchor their own film.

I found this film to be far more simplistic and childish than the previous films, which primarily aimed at kids, had enough depth and adult jokes to make both ages groups feel like they were getting something out of the film. This time here it is painfully dumb in humour and in writing, probably because the creatives thought ‘kids won’t know it’s bad’.

Moreover, the central story is so convoluted and all over the place that by the time you get to Sandra Bullock’s evil villain trying to take over from the Queen Of England, for reasons you are so lost and confused that you can’t properly regain an understanding of, and worse you don’t want to.

If I had to describe this film in a word it would be loud. It is loud and bright and there are a lot of things all happening at once to pander to the ever diminishing attention spans of children.

Overall, a definite low point for the franchise clearly brought out to try and get more milk out of the cow, but this milk is bad.

Pros.

It is watchable

The Minions are likeable

Cons.

It is dumb

It isn’t funny

It is hard to tell what is going on

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Peter Rabbit 2: Comments On Current Capitalistic Shortcoming By An Emo Rabbit, Featuring Product Placement

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This is an odd film both knowingly self-aware and also surprisingly reflective. Yes, it also has James Corden as a talking rabbit that wretches for a few minutes for a gag, pros and cons.

Something I want to point out about this film and many others referencing something as being bad and then doing it anyway does not make the film clever or meta if anything it makes the choice worse. This film does this by saying how bad it would be if the Peter Rabbit books were turned into American films and lost their way, they even look at the camera: they are simply stating a fact that in and off itself is not funny.

That said I did find this film surprisingly funny, both internationally and unintentionally. The Rooster and his deep thoughts about life remain the highlight of course, but I also found Domhnall Gleeson to be quite amusing this time around.

The story does feel a bit long in the tooth but has a nice message that manages to create happy feels by the end. Peter’s journey throughout the film does feel impactful and as there is growth there which is nice to see: Corden does his best to make the character off putting and irritating, but the film manages to prevail in spite of him.

I feel like this film was a step up from the first film and I wouldn’t be all that opposed to seeing a third film in the franchise.

Overall, a pleasant enough watch.

Pros.

The humour

The character growth

Domhnall Gleeson

Cons.

James Corden

The attempts at meta commentary

If you enjoyed this review, then please head over to my Patreon to support me. I offer personalized shoutouts, one on one Q and As, the ability for you to pick what I review next and full access to my Patreon exclusive game reviews. Check it out!

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