Dec 21 2018

Bumblebee

The year is 1987 and while on the run from the Decepticons, Autobot Bumblebee finds himself hiding in a small Californian beach town junkyard. Discovered by a clever young mechanic, Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), the two offer each other friendship, protection, and healing. But, when Shatter and Dropkick (Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux) arrive it could be game over, preventing earth’s demise and Decepticon rule becomes the new objective. Autobots Roll OUT!

Written by Christina Hodson and Directed by Travis Knight this soft reboot of a the Transformers franchise provides an interesting mix of comedy, action, and heart but often seems absent of a brain as many of the film’s driving plot points require basic logic disabled in the mind, that aside, the focus on family and heart touching emotions feel much more akin to the world of Spielberg as opposed to the world of Michael Bay (who serves as a producer on the film). Furthermore, comedic beats from John Cena as Agent Burns add the necessary chuckle to help keep levity on the level. Plus with a runtime just under two hours, this transformer flick seems mercifully short in comparison to all of its predecessors, so there’s that relief. Fun! Bumblebee is rated PG-13.


Dec 21 2018

Mary Poppins Returns

It’s been decades since the magical nanny Mary Poppins’s (Emily Blunt) first visit to the Banks family nursery. Now, many years later, with hardship knocking, the door is opened and her return is welcomed just the same, may the magic continue.

Written by David Magee and Directed by Rob Marshall the fine folks over at Disney have put together what would appear to be the perfect shelf mate to the original Mary Poppins (1964). Through and through there’s a hefty dose of classic Poppins DNA infused into every nook and cranny of this newer incarnation and the end result is nothing shy of magic. With art direction, animation, musical numbers, and choreography that all sit right at home with a modern twist and the stellar performances from Blunt and her co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda as the lovable lamplighter/chimney sweep Jack, it’s memory material to slide up easily alongside the warm fuzzy spot in your brain. Negative criticisms cast aside, family friendly and full of fun, this is a must see! Mary Poppins Returns is rated PG.


Dec 21 2018

Aquaman

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), born to a human father and Atlantian mother (Nicole Kidman) learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Despite Arthur’s place of power, brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), sees the throne as his and the stage is set for battle while brother vs. brother square off; meanwhile, the mysterious Mera (Amber Heard) works in mysterious ways to ensure Arthur learns the ropes of life underwater, but wait, there’s more, ever lurking Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) will also have his due, will Arthur ever stand a chance to become Aquaman at all?

Directed by James Wan and written by an army of writers this incredibly dense narrative that runs two hours and twenty three minutes is a classic example of what happens when screenwriters attempt to shoehorn an impossibly large foot into an incredibly small and delicate glass slipper hoping to result in something that doesn’t appear to be boxed meat, it does, believe me, it does. To Wan’s credit, he somehow manages to wrap his arms around the entire squidly beast and bring it into some form of submission, but not before our brains are burned out by too many water kingdoms, centers of the earth, dino-slee-stak creepers, octopuses playing drums and so on. There’s simply too much going on, coupled with a number of questionably bad editing choices and CGI abominations to render Aquaman something that should perhaps stay locked away in Davey Jones’s locker. Bubble Bubble Bubble. Aquaman is rated PG-13.