Frozen II

Somebody super jaundiced might dismiss this film as mostly a collection of music videos of varying quality. Not me though—I learned my lesson from the first outing: there’s more here than meets the eye, at least at first glance. I’m not sure the plot makes a lot of sense, beyond its service as a means to creating its ultimate end, which affirms what has been hinted at all along: that one sister is the real ruler of things, while the other one is more of a symbol, or a figurehead, or perhaps just a metaphor for powers greater than the human world. That’s not really what tends to drive movies for kids, so we get the story we get here. Mostly, it’s entertaining, occasionally touching, every once in a while awkward (and maybe even a bit cringeworthy), and it’s packed with musical numbers that are, if not quite a match for the now classic songs of the first flick, at least good enough to hold their own here. (The Lopezes certainly do have a way with the music and lyrics.) It definitely feels like this should be the saga's second and last part, even with the announced plans for a third installment. After all, it would be a singular irony if it turns out that these, of all people, can’t find the wisdom to let it go.

Belfast

The strength of this film lies in the way director Kenneth Branagh is able to utilize the performance of young Jude Hill--portraying the proto version of himself--to convey all the wonder, fear, confusion and delight that his 10-year-old self felt in his last days in his hometown. The recreation of that milieu is meticulous, with the setting of this story--really, an almost docudrama style witnessing of a clearly defined period in a life--almost serving itself as a character in the tale, a presence that brings the thoughts, feelings, conflicts, and dilemmas of simple, day to day existence in a difficult time and place vividly to life. The cast embodies the director’s family, friends, neighbors and enemies extraordinarily well, delivering performances that bring the dilemma surrounding the fundamental question--stay or go?--right into the forefront of the viewer's mind. One shrewd choice must also be acknowledged: using Van Morrison songs throughout the film, which not only provides a fittingly soulful vibe to the proceedings but also delivers a certain amount of borrowed artistry to the work; you get the sense that Branagh hedged with the music, so that if the audience liked nothing else about the movie, the songs would carry them through. He needn’t have worried; there is more than enough charm, drama, and thoughtful reflection included in this work to resonate with audiences in a most deeply personal way. Undoubtedly, most of us can relate to the life and times depicted here, to some lesser or greater extent, and that connective tissue makes this not just a story of one man's childhood, but a memory that many of us share ourselves, in some small way. Perhaps we all can go home again.

Justice League

I've generally been more on board with the DC stuff than Marvel's overwhelming orgy of comic book movies; they've generally been more grown-up in feel and more realistic in presentation (realistic being a relative term). So I'm not one to jump on the bashing boat just for the sake of piling on. Then again, it's clear that this entry in the largely Batman-driven movieverse is not quite up to snuff. The villain seems to have come out of nowhere, and has little anti-appeal. The proceedings follow a template that's well-worn by now, particularly in "get them together" flicks, up to and including the over-the-top violent ending. What saves this movie is the presence of a large number of likeable actors; the female triumvirate of Gadot-Adams-Lane alone builds a lot of goodwill. Besides, it's an Entertainment with a capital 'E'--not really trying to be anything else, and thus you're seriously off-kilter if you don't enjoy this thing at least a little bit. Not great, but nothing to be ashamed of. Mellow out.

Frozen

Cute, charming, and enjoyable. That’s pretty much the extent of it--not a bad movie by any means, but certainly not the manna from heaven that everyone (seemingly) was declaring it to be when it hit the theaters. It does get points for being mildly provocative in its denouement, and the songs are catchy enough (though they oddly disappear about two-thirds of the way through); but there are obvious shortcomings. Take the look of the thing: the landscapes and “effects” parts of the rendering look fine, but the characters seem to be almost lacking in detail. So it’s good, just not that good.

(Re-review from 6/15/23) I must be getting soft in my old age.. Perhaps I was affected by the overwhelming positive response to this one upon first release; I have so much trouble with the nature of popularity. My original critique of the graphics remains; the animation, while impressive in some ways, is also oddly light on details in the character's appearance. Nevertheless, the rest of the film is a lot better than I originally gave it credit for. Good story, solid relationships between the principal cast members, and the songs—where they are there; as noted before, they kind of vanish part way through the running time—are outstanding, with great melodies and terrific lyrics. Sometimes your cynicism can get in the way more than it protects you; mine led me astray back in the day. Now, I’m old enough to know better, and that shows in seeing that, on second viewing, this is a better movie than I had imagined. That’s all right; being wrong never bothered me anyway. 

The Tale of Despereaux

A beautifully made movie, with plenty of visual and directorial artistry. It seems to diverge quite a bit from the book--it's been forever since I read the original--but in this case that may not be a bad thing. Like all animation today, this one suffers from "familiar voice syndrome," but not as much as other animated movies. (There's no Chris Rock doing a jive-turkey routine here.) And there's enough quirky, individualistic charm to overcome any flaws. All in all, a satisfying viewing experience.

There Will Be Blood

You go in thinking this will be one of those ponderous, slow, boring "important" films--and then you glance at your watch and you're surprised that an hour has already passed. Every scene of this film is so compelling, contains such riveting visuals, presents such an unusual tableaux of score and sound editing, and wraps itself so tightly around another astounding performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, that the cumulative effect is a movie so mesmerizing you can't take your eyes off the screen. It's a marvel, a provocative and challenging film that is better than you think it will be, better than you think it could be. A must see.

Munich

Moral ambiguity and bad fashion collide in 1970s Europe. Spielberg tells us old news--revenge is an ugly and dehumanizing business--but does so with all the skill you'd expect from an acknowledged master of the medium. Tremendous attention to detail, an inherently fascinating story (the aftermath of murders at the '72 Olympics), and strong performances stand as the film's strongest selling points. There are a couple of minor problems (the washed-out cinematography is distracting, and the film runs just a little too long), but nothing to pull down the overall rating. Oh, and pay close attention to the final shot--if you don't, the maker's message might totally go to waste. Posted .