Noelle's Bursts of Originality Highlight Its Heavily Derivative Elements

SPOILERS FOR NOELLE AHEAD

There's a really interesting idea for a Yuletide family movie nestled within Noelle, one of the first original films made for the Disney+ streaming platform (it was once set for a November 2019 theatrical release). But much like a Christmas present tucked away at the very back of the tree, it remains out of grasp of writer/director Marc Lawrence. Well, mostly out of grasp I should say. There is a stretch of the third act where Noelle actually manages to hit upon something special and unique. Unfortunately, too much of it settles for being derivative, a hodgepodge mixture of Elf, The Year Without A Santa Claus and Arthur Christmas. 

It Chapter Two Ends The Pennywise Saga On An Underwhelming Note

It's been thirty years since the events of the first It movie. All the members of the Loser's Club have grown up and gone their separate ways outside of their hometown of Derry, Maine. Well, all of them except for Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), who stayed behind to do research on how to definitively kill Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard). When it becomes clear that Pennywise has risen from his slumber and devour people once again, it's time for Mike to turn on the Loser's-Signal and call the other members of the Loser's Club home. Soon, Beverly (Jessica Chastain), Bill (James McAvoy), Ben (Jay Ryan), Richie (Bill Hader) and Eddie (James Ransone) have all reunited with Mike in Derry to figure out how to defeat Pennywise., though this clown isn't going down without a fight.

Ralph Breaks The Internet Is An Episodic But Frequently Fun Voyage Into The World Wide Web

As Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) notes early on in Ralph Breaks The Internet, the internet is a vast place. This sprawling domain is rife with possibilities for comedy and it's easy to imagine that writing up potential internet-based plot points or gags for Ralph Breaks The Internet would be an incredibly fun exercise. Unfortunately, the excess of potential in its central concept seems to have thrown Ralph Breaks The Internet off-kilter to a degree in terms of storytelling. Frequently, the films feels like a collection of stand-alone short films chronicling the exploits of the Wreck-It Ralph protagonists exploring the wide world of the internet rather than a cohesive feature-length movie.

The Richly Written First Season of Barry Is Incredible

SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST SEASON OF BARRY FOLLOW 

Back in 2014, Bill Hader got to prove his dramatic acting chops in the high-quality film The Skeleton Twins. An excellent dramedy also starring Kristen Wiig, Hader delivered a terrific performance that redefined what I thought he was capable of as an actor. Nearly four years later, Hader's got another sublime dramatic performance to reinforce his versatility as a performer, and even better, it's a completely different character than the one he portrayed in The Skeleton Twins. The character is Barry, the star of the HBO comedy Barry. Who is Barry? Well, he's a hitman, a former Marine and...that's about it. Barry doesn't have anything to his life beyond just being a guy who kills people, his Uncle Fuches (Stephen Root) makes sure of that.

Superbad? More Like SuperGreat!

Sure, we all know who Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are today but ten years ago this very month, each of them got to headline their very first (but certainly not their last) motion picture with the Greg Mottola-directed feature Superbad. Neither came from out of nowhere of course since Cera had done Arrested Development for three seasons and Hill had been a character actor in a couple of comedies, but neither one were movie stars until Superbad came along and rocketed them both to new levels of fame. In my first time ever viewing of Superbad, I was delighted to see that the initial breakthrough movie for these two wasn't just a worthy start for two talented actors but may be one of the strongest movies either of them has ever appeared in.

Saban's Power Rangers Is...Diverting Fun? Wait, What, It's Actually Fun? Huh.

Someone at Saban Entertainment (the company that owns Power Rangers) obviously wanted to make a live-action feature film about the Power Rangers in order to cash in on the craze of big-budget live-action movies adapting childhood TV shows with massive nostalgia-driven fanbases. And so, lo and behold, the resulting project is Saban's Power Rangers, a $100 million budgeted motion picture whose starting premise basically amounts to "What if we merged The Breakfast Club and Pacific Rim into one movie?". That very much sounds like two motion pictures that should never ever be mashed together but they've gone and done just that. The resulting movie is....actually not bad, much better than I expected it to be, though this whole thing carries more than a few major shortcomings to its name.

The Angry Birds Movie Is A Dream Come True For Marketers And Tedious For Everyone Else

One day, we'll get a good video game movie. Hell, we've gotten multiple high-quality movies using video game iconography like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Wreck-It Ralph. But as for direct film adaptations of video games? We're still not there yet. The Angry Birds Movie does nothing to reverse this trend, though its flaws aren't so much related to the failings of other video game movies as they are about this movie clearly trying to imitate conventional tropes of major American computer-animated family movies without understanding how to make these storytelling staples work in a remotely successful manner.

The BFG Review

At this point, Steven Spielberg knows the name of the blockbuster game. Hell, he pioneered it with Jaws, which was far from the first movie to bring spectacle to the big screen, but it was the first movie to utilize release patterns and box office grosses that are all too familiar today. And while his newest The BFG isn't technically a "summer blockbuster", instead being a family movie, it's still got oodles of visual effects and a prime 4th of July summer release date, both elements that are familiar terrain for one of cinema's rightfully most celebrated auteurs. Returning to the realm of family fare for the first time since Hook (not counting his 2011 effort The Adventures Of Tintin), one might understandably query if the man's absence from this avenue of storytelling might leave him rusty, perhaps out of touch with the times.

A New BFG Trailer Has Arrived For All Of Us Human Beans to Watch!

Roal Dahl is a trick author to adapt to film. His works were so full of flights of the most fantastical kind of fantasy that it can be difficult for certain filmmakers to adapt such works into cohesive features. Tim Burtons Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, for instance, does not work in any shape or form any way you slice it. As its own thing, it's a repetitive slog sorely lacking in whimsy or fun, while as an adaptation it's borderline infuriating. Like I said, the books of Dahl thrived on the nonsensical and all of that vagary found in the text is tossed aside so that the root of all of Willy Wonka's idiosyncrasies are....daddy issues. His father was dentist ya see. Not only did it go against the spirit of the source material, it was an eye-rolling plot development take in the context of just the film itself. Screw that garbage.

YAHOOO! The First Trailer For The Angry Birds Movie Has Flung Onto The Web!

As weird as this may sound, I kind of get why an Angry Birds movie exists. I'm not saying it's guaranteed to be a masterpiece destined to be hailed as a cinematic masterpiece on par with the works of Jean-Luc Godard, but the franchise has already invaded the realm of animated shorts, so is a feature length film really all that implausible on a conceptual level? Plus, at least this one is aiming to be a family comedy, and not trying to be a dark gritty take on the mobile game fowl. If you're curious how an Angry Birds movie would look, well, the first trailer for it has dropped, and you can watch it below.

Trainwreck Review

Trainwreck Does Not Go Off The Rails (I Spent Five Hours Working On That Pun,  Savor It)

Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of Amy Schumer breaking out with Trainwreck is her lack of previous film roles. The likes of Zach Galifianakis, Melissa McCarthy and Will Ferrell spent years as character actors doing supporting roles in comedies, whereas Schumers largest film roles prior to Trainwreck were an uncredited role in Sleepwalk With Me and a part in Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World.

The Skeleton Twins Review

Going from SNL to the world of film is a voyage many have taken to a wide range of results. Some like Adam Sandler found great success with the transition, while the likes of Jimmy Fallon found other avenues for their comedy. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig have certainly had their hits, especially Wiig with Bridesmaids, but they've chosen to do more offbeat projects in their spare time instead of starring typical comedy features. That approach is an excellent maneuver if it results in more movies like The Skeleton Twins.

There's Another Night At The Museum Coming Out And Here's The First Miserable Trailer For It

I have a soft spot in my heart for the first two Night At The Museum movies. They're just clever and fun endeavors that contain some great actors (Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson) yukking it up as recognizable characters from history. I actually thought 20th Century Fox was letting the franchise go after the second movie in 2009, which I thought a nice gesture on their part. Unfortunately, the franchise is back, and boy howdy does it look bad. Check out the trailer below and prepare for a rant of mammoth proportions.

So, I Was On Netflix: Hot Rod Review

Motorcycle Mayhem Centerpiece of Great Comedy

You know I have a hormone disorder!

Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who form up the comedic band The Lonely Island, are probably among the bigger comedic voices running my generation. All of their SNL skits from "Dick In A Box" to "Motherlover" were instant viral hits, and even their non musical bits became quotable bits that were universally beloved in my age group. I myself loved these guys and their inventive comedic sensibilities that more than a whiff of Monty Python in it, but one big blind spot for me was the trios only major feature film; Hot Rod.

Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader Are Siblings In Crisis In Skeleton Twins Trailer

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are two very talented people that share three things in common. 1) They were both on SNL. 2) I absolutely adore both of them. 3) They have had really unique careers in the world of film. Normal SNL vets leave the show, and either become big comedic stars or don't. While exceptions to that rule exist, Wiig and Hader are the most notable (and arguably most talented) example that those exceptions exist.