Jul 29 2021

Moonbound (2021) Movie Review

Moonbound – Enjoyable Adventure

Director: Ali Samadi Ahadi

Writer: Ali Samadi Ahadi, Arne Nolting (Screenplay)

Plot: Based on one of Germany’s most popular children’s books MOONBOUND tells the story of little Pete who embarks on an enchanting journey together with June bug Mr. Zoomzeman and the Sandman to rescue his little sister from the evil Moon Man.

Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Moonbound starts when young boy Peter who is obsessed with space, finds himself needing to impress people because his little sister Anna gets him overly involved in situations, he stumbles up on a legend of Mr Zoomzeman a June Bug that needs two humans to take travel to the moon to save his lost love.

When Anna is kidnapped, Peter must work with Mr Zoomzeman and the Sandman as they look to rescue their loved ones from the moon and the evil Moon Man.

Thoughts on Moonbound

Thoughts – Moonbound is an adventure animation movie following a young boy getting to live his father’s dreams of making it to the moon, where he will need to save his sister, playing into the legends of his sister’s children’s books to rescue her. There is a big message about family and supporting each other between siblings, letting both sides have their own enjoyment with what they can find in life, with the adventure side of the film taking us out of this world in a rescue attempt. The family can all get a different level of enjoyment out of this family friendly film, with jokes for all ages and an adventure out of this world.

Signature Entertainment presents Moonbound in Cinemas Nationwide 6th August

Final Thoughts – Moonbound is a fun family film that everyone can enjoyed.

Jul 26 2021

ABC Film Challenge – Comedy – Z – Escape from Planet Earth (2013) Movie Review

We are under Z because of the small Steve Zahn appearance.

Director: Cal Brunker

Writer: Bob Barlen, Cal Brunker (Screenplay) Tony Leech, Cory Edwards (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Ricky Gervais, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara

Plot: Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet.

Tagline – Earth’s greatest secrets are about to break out!

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun Little Animation

Story: Escape from Planet Earth starts as we meet two alien brothers, Scorch is the macho brave heroic figure on the planet, while Gary is the smart one that always manages to get Scorch out of trouble. When the two clash after the latest mission, Gary refuses to help Scorch on his latest mission, which sees him get caught on Earth.

Gary decides to go and rescue his brother, only to discover a bigger problem that Scorch finds himself in, where Gary leads the rescue of other alien species being held by humans at Area 51.

Thoughts on Escape from Planet Earth

Characters – Scorch is the big strong heroic alien that the species sees as an ideal, even though he is a clumsy fool, he rushes in head first usually needing someone else to save him, this sees him clash with his brother and end up getting captured. Gary is the smart one of the two, he always helps his brother out, despite having the insecurity of not being seen as much of a hero of his brother. He decides to risk everything in an attempt to save his brother, where he gets to be the hero for the first time. General Shanker is running Area 51 with his own plan for holding different aliens, while Gary and Scorch’s own species have their own dramas back on their home planet.

Story – The story follows two brothers from a different planet that are going through their own problems, one being the hero of the world, while the other does the work behind the scenes, with then refusing to work together, only for them to realize they need each other to complete the missions at hand. This does show the importance of family, the consumption of greed of power and learning to work together will always get the best results. The story does have plenty of heart, without being one of the most original with the ideas being put into it.

Adventure/Comedy/Sci-Fi – The adventure takes the aliens to Earth, a world they haven’t been to before, one where they need to learn from, with the comedy coming from the different alien creations, the sci-fi side of the film shows us that life could be out there on every planet.

Settings – The film does create the typical settings you would imagine, with the evil laboratory and the colourful open world.

Animation – The animation in the film looks great without every looking weak, with the style adapting to the slapstick used through the film.

Scene of the Movie – The escape

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too generic.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun enjoyable animated movie that gets laughs when needed and brings the heart required from the story.

Overall: Enjoyable Comedy.

May 24 2021

Felix and the Hidden Treasure (2021) Movie Review

Felix and the Hidden Treasure – Enjoyable

Director: Nicola Lemay

Writer: Marc Robitaille (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Gabriel Lessard, Karine Vanasse, Guy Nadon, Marc Labreche, Antonie Durand, Tristian Harvey

Plot: Taking advantage of his mother’s absence as she departs on a cruise ship for some rest and relaxation, 12-year-old Félix sets out to find his father, a fisherman who disappeared at sea two years earlier.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Felix and the Hidden Treasure starts when young Felix looks to take advantage of his mother’s cruise ship vacation to sneak off to go in search for his lost father Jack. Felix turns to Captain Tom to take him to island he believes he sank by, which will put the pair on an adventure that will see Tom meet someone from his past, living in a secret community on the island.

Thoughts on Felix and the Hidden Treasure

Characters – Felix is a 12-year-old boy that has been struggling with the disappearance of his father, he wants to go in search for him, turning to the one person he knows he can trust to help him. He has a sense for adventure and doesn’t want to give up on the hope of finding his father. Tom is the elderly captain that is willing to help Felix go in search for his father, being on of his old friends who has his own story on the oceans. Madeleine is the woman that has created her own community that will have her keeping people on her island, giving her a chance at something people would want to. We do spend a lot of time with the mother Mylene and Aunt that are trying to get Felix’s baby sister to talk for the first time. Each character does get their moment to shine, be it the innocent or the evil character, or over the top rich person.

Story – The story here follows a young boy that sets sail in hope of finding his missing father who was lost at sea, turning to an experienced captain in hope of guidance, only for the pair to find the bigger problem going on within the open ocean. This is a story that will give our lead character an adventure which will give him a chance of putting his family back together, with him believing his life is changing and falling apart. Felix does remain positive through his journey, knowing how important this could be and not wanting to worry his mother. The journey itself does bring a legend of the ocean to life, which will show how people will do anything for what is there. The story does have the side story about Felix’s mother and Aunt, which will get a couple more laughs along the way and will often have some of the more serious moments.

Themes – Felix and the Hidden Treasure is an animated movie that will see our characters head out to sea in search for a lost loved one, taking the adventure out there. The animation does look beautiful with how the different worlds are created and we do get a lot of comedy from the supporting characters too.

Signature Entertainment presents Felix and the Hidden Treasure in Cinemas Nationwide 4th June with previews 28th May

Felix and the Hidden Treasure is an enjoyable family animation adventure.

May 17 2021

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – Q – The Ladybug (2018) Thoughts

With this being a Chinese production with a character called Queenie, we are going under World Cinema for Q.

Director: Ding Shi

Writer: Ma Hua, Ding Shi, Yungei Wang (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Lisa Schwartz, Haylie Duff, Norm MacDonald, Michael Donovan, Greg Chun, Michelle Ruff

Plot: Seven-spotted ladybug Rube lives in a glass cage inside a greenhouse inside a glassy laboratory. He longs for legendary bug utopia Golden Canyon. When he helps dragonfly Master Water escape wasp guards that have chased him into the laboratory, he accepts the suggestion to travel together. But Master Water has no intention of going to Golden Canyon, and abandons Rube.

Runtime: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Poor Storytelling

Story: The Ladybug starts when young ladybug Ruby has been living in a glass cage for years, wanting to head to Golden Canyon gets her chances when Master Dan rescues her and they set out on their adventure, with Ruby needing to learn about the big wide world. As the adventure along the world, they meet a string of other insects that show them the dangers of the world.

Thoughts on The Ladybug

Final Thoughts – This is a story that follows a ladybug looking to get to Golden Canyon, a place of beauty, filled with insects and animals, outside of the cage she is living in. we have a leading character that is filled with innocence only to feel too positive to be in this film. The adventure is everything we have seen before, without going to the levels that show us the distance truly needing to be covered. We do get the message about friendship and bravery, only it just doesn’t capture the magic of A Bug’s Life, with the same message.

Overall: Standard Animation

May 15 2021

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – O -Okko’s Inn (2018) Movie Review

Director: Kiraro Kosaka

Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay) Niroko Reijo, Asami (Novel)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Seiran Kobayashi, Nana Mizuki, Satsumi Matsuda, Rina Endo, Etsuko Kozakura

Plot: After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko starts living in the countryside with her grandmother who runs a traditional Japanese inn. While she prepares to be the next owner of the inn, Okko can somehow see friendly ghosts.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Okko’s Inn starts when young girl Seki Oriko, or Okko for short loses her parents in a car accident, forcing her to move in with her grandmother in her welcoming Inn. Okko is lined up to become the junior innkeeper.

Okko finds herself meeting Uri-bo a ghost that lives in the inn, one that used to be a friend with her grandmother, when they were young. She soon starts meeting another ghost Miyo who is the older sister of her rival, as she learns how to make people happy in their stay, while dealing with her own trauma.

Thoughts on Okko’s Inn

Characters – Okko is a recently orphaned young girl that must move in with her grandmother, an innkeeper in the city. Okko becomes a junior innkeeper, where she starts to meet ghosts around the area, ones that will guide her, as she learns what the importance of an Innkeeper is, facing the grief, she hasn’t let out yet. Okko is such a beautifully written character, one that will be showing us just how difficult it would be to lose their family. She is filled with the positive attitude to help the guests along the way, with how she deals with problems. Uri-bo, Miyo and Suzuki are different spirits that visit Okko, that will help for, guide her through the next most difficult part of her life.

Story – The story here follows a young girl who gets orphaned and finds new hope with her grandmother as a junior innkeeper. The grieving process for this character is different to anything we have seen before, showing us that we could see the goodness in someone motivating them to improve everyone around him. We do get to dive into cultural learning, as Okko hasn’t always known about the importance of this position and must learn just how much it means to the community around her. There will be an emotional gut punch in the end, as we see she deals with the change all together.

Themes – Okko’s Inn is a beautifully drawn out animation, that shows the compact lives next to the cultural importance of the area, the different shades for the ghosts, show us just how important there wait has been in life too.