FILM REVIEWS:
BLOODY AXE WOUND (USA 2024) **
Directed by Matthew John Lawrence
If you like your horror films bloody with gore and violence then BLOODY AXE WOUND should satisfy, even if it provides not much more. The axe comes down several times on victims, suspecting or not, with crunching sounds as the victims drop to their deaths. The film is supposed to be a horror comedy though the ones only laughing appear to be the film's characters. Perhaps the film could be described as a comedy as what transpires looks quite unbelievable, and a bit comical. The film has a strong female slant with a gay slant insetted as well.
Abbie Bladecut (Sari Aranbulo) is a teenager torn between the macabre traditions of her family’s bloody trade and the tender stirrings of her first crush - another female called Sam (Molly Brown). In the small town of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut (Billy Burke), has built an infamous legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and selling them to eager customers. Still, as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly family business, she begins to wonder if it’s time to take the family tradition in a new direction. The father has his face all cut up and scarred, looking like a surreal monster, though the look is never really explained.
The film contains several chases and runarounds. The premise of the family’s failing video store needing to have new horror videos for rent or purchase to survive financially also makes little sense. The victims who are picked one-on-one from the local school’s yearbook also make no sense. The cops are baffled, which is strange as the killing has gone around so often that there should have been clues left and the murders solved already. Abbie finally goes against her father and one wonders the reason it took her so long to do so.
BLOODY AXE WOUND besides providing a few boldly axe killings provides nothing much more in terms of comedy or suspense. The film opens from Shudder RLJE films in theatres on December 27th.
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THE BRUTALIST (UK 2024) ****
Directed by Brady Corbet
THE BRUTALIST is about the life and work of László Tóth This is not László Tóth, the infamous Hungarian geologist who infamously vandalized Michelangelo’s Pietà statue in 1972, was hospitalized, and then sent home to Australia but an Eastern European architect. A fictitious one. (if one is to look up the name in Wikipedia only the vandal’s credentials will show up.) But the fictional Toth is so meticulously created and one can hardly believe that this person never existed.
Director Brady Corbet returns with another bold vision — an American epic, starring Adrien Brody as a Jewish Hungarian architect who flees Europe at the end of the Second World War to rebuild his life in an unfamiliar land.
László Toth (Brody) arrives in America with barely anything to his name, eagerly hoping to soon be joined by his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones). Settling in Philadelphia, he has a not-so-gracious run-in with Harrison Lee Van Buren (a hardly recognizable Guy Pearce), a wealthy businessman, after he becomes an unwitting client for a home renovation scheme. This serendipitous encounter leads to a more complex undertaking, as Van Buren and his son (Joe Alwyn) enlist László’s brilliance for a monumental new project. It is a dream that he never thought he could relive, but it comes with a dark cost, as László sacrifices more and more of himself to complete his exacting vision.
The film is told in 3 parts including an epilogue. The first part is titled ‘The Enigma of Arrival’ and the second is ‘The hard core of Beauty’. It is an epic story of an individual from his arrival to America to his eventual success though not without sacrifice and extreme hardship. The film feels like a biopic and with all the eats in the film it is surprising to learn that the Toth character is made up. Adrien Brody who has already won an Oscar delivers another powerful performance as the troubled architect.
Just like a biopic. the film traces the rise and fall and rise again of an individual. The film also shows that the American Dream is almost always distorted by the efforts to achieve it.
Though long, THE BRUTALIST is eloquent storytelling, the over 3-hour running time unfelt for the most time. Credit too should be given to the location scout and details in the architecture seen in the film.
The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, where Corbet was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Direction. It received critical acclaim and was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the American Film Institute.[7] It received seven nominations at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, including nominations for Brody, Jones and Pearce in the acting categories and Best Motion Picture - Drama. It is scheduled to be released in the United States by A24 on December 20, 2024, and in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures and Focus Features on January 24, 2025.
THE BRUTALIST will be presented in 70mm (at select screenings). This includes the Advance Screening on December 16. at the TIFF LIGHTBOX. The film opens on Christmas Day. Note that the film has a 215-minute runtime that includes a 15-minute intermission. (Brutal - but worth it.)
THE BRUTALIST is the runner-up for the Toronto Film Critics Association Best Picture of the Year.
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CHASING CHASING AMY (USA 2024) **
Directed by Sam Rodgrs
In CHASING CHASING AMY, filmmaker Sav Rodgers takes a journey of self-discovery while making a documentary about Kevin Smith's' ‘Chasing Amy’' and its polarizing reputation among LGBTQ+ people. Smith’s “Chasing Amy” chronicles the impact on the long-term friendship of two New Jersey comic book artists when they are joined by a third artist, who turns out to be lesbian. The fallout includes heartbreak and jealousy. It starred Ben Affleck, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams. It remains controversial among LGBTQ+ people.
CHASING CHASING AMY begins with the introduction of the film CHASING AMY< a cult hit but for the sake of those who have not heard or seen it or have forgotten much about it. It then shows clips from various critics including Roger Ebert praising the film for its writing and performances, a film that went on to win Golden Globes for those categories. It is without doubt that movies change people’s lives. Myself, the love for cinema led me to immigrate to Canada from Singapore, a place of cinema-art emptiness. CHASING CHASI ]NG AMY aims to do the same, CHASING CHAINS AMY is a documentary.
“Can you give me the Genesis of CHASING AMY?” asks Sav to Kevin Smith at one point in the movie. The doc is a thorough, from Sav’s point of view examination of how the film has affected her, and how she brings the obsession to fruition in the doc. It is Sav’s personal journey, and though, might not be of interest to everyone, is a genuine personal odyssey, which makes it an earnest film that one might want to sit through. Sav and his girlfriend, Rile revisit the places where Kevin Smith has shot CHASING AMY to re-enact certain scenes. Less amusing can it come across, are these clips really necessary to emphasize Sav’s obsession with the film? At best, the doc beats the correctness of C HAIDSNG AMY even though at the time, many LGBT+ audiences accepted the facts. These days, the depiction of gays is more critical, an example being the trans community protesting how a trans subject is portrayed in Jacques Audiard’s EMILIA PEREZ.
The film contains lots of clips from CHASING AMY. One need not have to see the film recently to watch the doc as the doc provides clips whenever a reference is made, One annoyance of the doc is the way Sav and her girlfriend Riley speak, as most teens do these days. The word ‘like’ is used in every sentence and one wonders the reason these people do not (or at least the filmmakers as well) try to correct and remove the word from all the conversations.
CHASING CHASING AMY explores the transformational impact of the ‘90s cult classic on a 12-year-old queer kid from Kansas, coming of age and to terms with his identity. For young Sav Rodgers, the Kevin Smith cult classic became a life raft. As Rodgers examines the film and its making as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ cinema, he finds himself at a complicated crossroads.
CHASING CHASING AMY exclusively On Demand 12/17!
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (USA 2024) ***½
Directed by James Mangold
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is a 2024 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jay Cocks. Based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, the film revolves around the controversy over the use of electric instruments by Bob Dylan, though the controversy is only shown during the climax and end of the film.
The film follows the life and career of musician Bob Dylan from January 1961, when he moved from Minnesota to New York City, to his 1965 concert at the Newport Folk Festival, resulting in controversy over the use of electric. The concert a year earlier at the Newport Folk Festival is also shown.
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is a movie about Dylan who is still living. The big question is whether Boy Dylan approves of the movie. Dylan took to social media (X) with his comment: "There's a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!)," Dylan wrote about the movie that opens Christmas Day. “Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role," Dylan continued. "Timmy's a brilliant actor so I'm sure he's going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me.” Naturally, the message "floored" Chalamet.
The film can hardly be described as a biopic as it only shows a portion of Bob Dylan's life. His childhood and school days are all omitted in the film.
Dylan’s praise for the film is understandable. The film shows Dylan in a positive light from start ti finish. Dylan can do no wrong in the film. Every song, new or old that he sings is perfect and everyone loves them. Even when he switches to electric guitar at the fateful concert in which diehard fans are upset, the film shows those fans to be in the wrong and that Dylan’s electric guitar performance is excellent and should be accepted by all. Though the film is based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, the film is one-sided in that Dylan is not seen with any faults. Even his tumultuous relationship with Joan Baez is seen to be her fault in the film, even though Dylan wakes her up in the middle of the morning while she is sleeping with his songwriting.
Timothee Chalamet who also produced the film is nothing short of marvellous in the role of Bob Dylan. He eases in the role of the singer-songwriter with the greatest of ease. Hi acting does not look false or forced unlike performances like Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein or the more recent Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in MARIA
Other famous singer-songwriters in Dylan’s day are also featured in the movie. Thenaudicne sees Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), JohnnyCash (Boyd Holbrook) and Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy).
Director James Mangold has a fine film, he has done biographies before like the 2005 film WALK THE LINE. Mangold has done everything from COP LAND with Sylvester Stallone as an aging sheriff to WOLVERINE to the western 3:10 TO YUMA.
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN opens Christmas Day in theatres.
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FERRY 2 ( Belgium/Netherlands 2024) ***
Directed by Wannes Destoop
In FERRY the movie in 2021, Ruthless Ferry Bouman is sent to his native region of Brabant by his boss Brink to avenge an attack on their gang. When he meets lovely Danielle and old family feuds resurface, Brabant starts to pierce his steel armour.
After the series UNDERCOVER and the movie FERRY, this series in 2023 is the third series/movie Netflix dedicates to the gangster Ferry (of course the series Undercover was not entirely centred around him) taking place between the first two. In the series, before "Undercover's" Ferry Bouman the series traces how he becomes a notorious drug lord, he had to rise from obscurity by ascending the ranks of Brabant's criminal underbelly.
In FERRY 2, a sequel that brings back the character of Ferry Bouman, portrayed by Frank Lammers. Directed by Wannes Destoop, this film continues the story of a former drug lord who thought he had left his criminal past behind. After losing everything, Ferry retired for a life below the radar, far away from Brabant. On the surface, he seems to be doing well, surrounded by superficial contacts. But deep down, his inner voice haunts him, preventing true happiness. Ferry's past is filled with violence, lies, and a trail of betrayal. He battles with his conscience while trying to keep a low profile. Why would our tough yet charming drug lord come out of retirement for one last trick..?
After the 2021 film THE FERRY followed by a series THE FERRY, FERRY 2 the Dutch/Belgium film is pretty much the same anti-hero in a slightly different scenario. Forgettable action entertainment though not a boring watch on Netflix.
FERRY 2 opens for streaming on Netflix this week Friday.
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HER BODY (Jeji Telo) (Slovakia/Czech Republic 2023) ***
Directed by Natálie Císařovská
The film HER BODY is inspired by the life of Andrea Absolonova. At the film's start, the audience sees Andrea (Natalia Germani) competing and winning the title of the new Champion of the Czech Republic. Andrea Absolonová (26 December 1976 – 9 December 2004), better known by the pseudonym Lea De Mae, was a Czech diver and a member of the Czech high diving national team, later an adult model and pornographic actress. She died from brain cancer on 9 December 2004, at the age of 27.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Absolonová became a member of the Czech high diving national team, along with her younger sister Lucie (born 5 March 1979). She injured her spine when she was 20 years old in an accident when training for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, diving from the 10m platform. She recovered from her injury but did not qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her problems persisted, so she retired from professional sports. Absolonová was later persuaded by a photographer to pose nude and eventually to participate in the adult film industry. As Lea De Mae, she appeared in over 80 adult films. She first appeared on American screens in a series of features for Private Media Group. She eventually returned to Europe, shooting more films, but after a short time returned to the United States.
The film is divided into 3 parts that make up the three parts of her life. Through the audience already knows what has happened to Andrea finally, director Císařovská
does her best to keep the story interest going by injecting family drama and her relationship with her so-called boyfriend who introduced her into the adult movie industry. The first part shows the lost unbearable rigour of professional diving training. Andrea has no time for herself and has to keep to the strict regiment necessary to compete professionally, When she succumbs to her spine injury during her one dive, the real cause is omitted. All the audience is shown is the injury after the dive. Director Císařovská eases her into the adult movie industry with lots of erotic shots of the swimmer including lots of sexual acts as is usual in pornography, though no genitals or actual intercourse are shown. Going through the motions is good enough to get the message through. ‘What does your family think of this?” Andrea is asked by a reporter. Her answer: "We have a great relationship.” comes the answer. The lie is revealed with family disapproval, especially from their father and younger sister Lucie. her mother seems to take everything in stride.
HER BODY displays the hopes and resilience of Andrea and hence of any strong-willed human being, despite being given an awful slice of life. Andrea experiences an accident and then cancer - a really sad story. The film captures the atmosphere and sad state of Andrea’s life effectively.
HER BODY was nominated for Best Film in the Critic’s Picks Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and Denisa Baresová was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 Czech Lions.
HER BODY makes its North American premiere on December 20, 2024 via VOD Digital and the streaming service Film Movement Plus.
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MUFASA: THE LION KING (USA 2024) ***1/2
Directed by Barry Jenkins
MUFASA: THE LION KING is the prequel to THE LION KING. It comes with the accolades of star director Barry Jenkins making his animation debut. Has the LION KING franchise been hacked to death? Close! The addition of Barry Jenkins breathes new light into the franchise, aided by Disney’s impressive animation, something expected from the Magical Kingdom.
In the Pride Lands of Tanzania after the events of THE LION KING (2019), Rafiki the mandrill tells the origin story of two lions, Mufasa and Taka, to Kiara—the granddaughter of Mufasa and daughter of Simba and Nala. The story follows the orphan Mufasa, who is befriended by the young prince Taka and adopted by Taka's family; the pair become as close as brothers. Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog add colour commentary.
The film feels a bit clumsy moving towards and backwards in time from the present when Rafiki tells the story to the story of Mufasa itself. Mufasa is the grandfather of Kiara. The humour provided by Timon and Pumbaa is also distracting. Seth Rogen who voices Pumbaa delivers his two cents worth in terms of gross humour including one involving wiping his behind after doing a number 2. One could have done away with the toilet humour but young lids should delight in it, while the adults frown upon it.
Animation-wise, the film is magical and inspirational. From the opening scene in which he camera swoops down on herds of animals like zebras and giraffes to the birds of the air, the animation is an absolute delight. The resolution is very clear from the furry hair of a bee pollinating the flowers to the stampede of elephants.
MUFASA has a fairytale quality to it. There is a King and his Kingdom, the fight for a new king, how brothers become enemies and the search for a magical Kingdom, in this case, a Utopia called Melelie (pardon the spelling) which means ‘Forever’.
The voice talent includes Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr., who lead the voice talent as the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively. Other new voices include Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter); Tiffany Boone as Sarabi; Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki; Preston Nyman as Zazu; Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride; Thandiwe Newton as Taka’s mother, Eshe; Lennie James as Taka’s father, Obasi; Anika Noni Rose as Mufasa’s mother, Afia; and Keith David as Mufasa’s father, Masego. Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reprise their roles from the “The Lion King” remake. The film is dedicated to late actor James Earl Jones who had voiced THE LION KING in the past.
2024 has seen a flurry of excellent animated features such as MEMOIR OF A SNAIL, painstaking stop-animation from Australia, excellent animation from Latvia FLOW, THE LORD OF THE RINGS animated feature THE WAR OF ROHIRRIM and of course this one - MUFASA: THE LION KING, not to mention many others like DESPICABLE ME 4, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3. MUFASA is right up there and should be a shoo-in for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
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NOSFERATU (USA 2024) ****
Directed by Robert Eggers
The film’s opening scene has Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and his young wife, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) in a room speaking of love things before Thomas says he has something very urgent to attend. He dons a top hat and coat and he ventures into the streets of 1938 Germany. But what is immediately noticeable is the excellent wardrobe and production sets which are also present throughout the film, which are shot in both black and white and grey colours. It is not surprising that director and writer Robert Eggers had his film experience in production design before his breakthrough film THE WITCH. NOSFERATU was supposed to be his second film but was delayed, now being his fourth film. But a worthy wait.
The plot of Nosferatu is set in Germany in 1838 and follows the story of Thomas Hutter and his wife Ellen. Hutter is sent on business to the mountains of Transylvania, in the Carpathian Mountains. There he is to do business with Count Orlok (an unrecognizable Bill Skarsgard), an ailing nobleman who is looking to buy a new house in Hutter's neighbourhood, the Grunewald Manor estate. Thomas makes the journey, leaving Ellen with her pregnant best friend Anna Harding, her husband Friedrich, and their two young daughters.
After a complicated and sinister journey filled with chilling experiences, Thomas stops at a tavern, where the locals warn him to abandon his journey. During the night he dreams, or thinks he dreams, of witnessing a vampire hunt in the woods, but not even the mud on his boots stops him from walking the last few miles to his destination, and he finally manages to get a ride in Orlok's ghostly carriage. Hutter, after being welcomed by the host Orlok, is tricked into a contract in a foreign language and is locked away in the empty, ruined castle, while Count Orlok sets sail for Germany to meet Ellen.
The film takes a strong female slant, something that has been missing in all previous Dracula and Nosferatu films. It is Ellen that the film centres on and her that is instrumental in the destruction of the monster. This strange magnetism between Ellen and Count Orlok is the central axis of the film. Director Egges based his adapted screenplay (nominated for a Golden Globe) on the 1922 film and Bram Stoker’s DRACULA.
Many NOSFERATU films centre on the voyage on the ship where the crew members learn of the deadly cargo and perish as a result. The ill-fated voyage is given less screen time but still kales an unforgettable impact on the film.
Director Eggers proves himself in total control of his movie. seeing the scares taut and the characters believable and important enough for the audience to care for.
Most of the gist of the 2022 Murnau German silent film remains intact, the main difference between the shift in the importance of the characters. (The film is a remake of the 1922 German film, which was in turn based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. The film opens in theatres on Christmas Day.
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THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT (2024) ***
Directed by Tyler Perry
` It is clear that America needs women soldiers who know how to struggle. And Negro women at that. Director Tyler Perry makes it clear at the start of the film what is wanted of the Negro women soldiers in the welcome speech of the recruits that is delivered by Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington) But the training shown is not as tough as depicted in Stanley Kubrick’s FULL METAL JACKET. If one can recall, the training was so tough that it resulted in a recruit suicide in that film.
Director Perry’s film is one of his more serious outings, he is now taking on a deadly serious subject. There is no goofing around here. There is not Tyler Perry dressing up in drag as Medea slapping kids who need to be slapped to be put in place. But one surely misses Perry’s humour and fun entertainment, but there is a time and place for everything. As stated in the tiles at the start of the film, the film is based on a true story of real people during World War II.
The film at the time of writing received mixed reviews from critics. This news is not surprising as Tyler Perry films never have good reviews. So THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT appears to be liked more by critics than most of his other films. THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT shows Tyler Perry in a more serious mode, tackling black historical stories that need to be told, and he succeeds in an entertaining and not too-controversial way. Kerry Washington is also excellent as the major fighting for her troops.
One actress who stands out is Shanice Shantay who plays the rebellious recruit Johnnie Mae. Mae joins the corps to meet men. She is known for her performance as Dorothy in the televised live performance of NBC's The Wiz Live! in December 2015.
The film however, is either too black or white. The characters in the story are either all for or all out against black women.
Though the enemy of WWII is Hitler, the enemy in this story is the white man, the prejudiced white man, particularly General Halt played by Dean Norris
THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT had a limited opening at the TIFF Lightbox last week and opens for streaming on Netflix this week. The review was unable to be written prior to the theatrical release as the film was only sent to critics for review two days before it streams on Netflix this Friday the 20th of December.
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SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (USA2024) ****
Directed by Jeff Fowler
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 is a 2024 action-adventure comedy film based on the video game series published by Sega. It was directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Idris Elba reprise their roles, with Krysten Ritter and Keanu Reeves joining the cast. In the film, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles ally with Dr. Robotnik to defeat a new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog.
The question is whether the world needs another sequel of SONIC? The world may not be ready but this one is the best of the franchise with Jim Carrey at his looniest out of control with his unsolicited expositions, in the character’s won words - whatever they mean. Carrey’s antics are spot on and as fast and furious as his motor-mouthed banter
Doctor Gerald Robotnik, the long-lost grandfather of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, frees Shadow the Hedgehog from a secret G.U.N. prison off the coast of Japan by hacking its systems. Elsewhere, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are celebrating the anniversary of Sonic's arrival on Earth with their adoptive parents Tom and Maddie Wachowski. G.U.N. director Rockwell arrives and recruits the three to stop Shadow, who is causing chaos in Tokyo.
Shadow easily overpowers the three in a fight before escaping. A group of Ivo Robotnik's drones arrive and fatally wound G.U.N. Commander Walters. Before he dies, Walters gives Sonic a digital keycard and warns him to keep it safe. Feeling they no longer know who they can trust, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails vow to find Shadow without G.U.N.'s help. Ivo Robotnik's assistant, Agent Stone, reveals to the three that Robotnik is still alive and didn't send the drones; they form an uneasy alliance with Ivo and track the drones and Shadow to an abandoned G.U.N. base.
During the second half of the movie, the plot gets a bit more consulted with a second key card and if one just stops to ponder - one can realize that one can be tally lost interns of what is going on, And then one realizes that it does not matter about what the plot is or what the villain intends to do It is all madcap, super looniness that is such an entertaining thane does not want this film to end - though it does in less than two hours,
Jim Carrey plays the dual role of the mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather Gerald Robotic. Who else could play a mad scientist with such inspired craziness than Jim Carrey? He is not only innermost in every scene but twice in every scene with the dual role. The film contains many best lines, one of those being said when Dr. Ivo comments on how weird it is to meet his grandfather. “It is as if I am in a movie where an actor is playing dual roles.” The film had the audience cheering at the promo screening I attended - and the screaming came from the adults, not the kids. It is reported that Carey did not want to do this sequel unless he was given a golden script. So they sent Carrey the script written in 15K gold ink.
A major surprise and total Christmas delight, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 arrives on December 20th. Forget MUFASA! The hedgehog rules!
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WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL (UK 2024) ****
Directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham
Gromit's concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified when Wallace invents a "smart" gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past (introduced as Heathers McGraw) might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master ... or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
In case one is unfamiliar with Wallace and Gromit, Wallace is the human inventor of gadgets galore and Wallace is the name of his pooch, a loyal friend and confidant. As the film opens, a whole slew of new inventions are on display for the audience, from the best way to get up in the morning to the new A.I. robot gnome helper, that is sure to put the film up with the current advances.
The inventiveness of the humour only matches Wallace’s current inventions. It is a laugh-out-loud laugh a minute if not more, the kind of British humour one has come to adore. The robot gnome fuddles about just as a Brit would do just as Gromit walks around the house in the typical British attire of a bathroom robe. As it turns out, the robot gnome is his competitor for his Master’s friendship and is more of a threat than the villain of the piece - yes, another chicken (remember the fowl villain in CHICKEN RUN?).
The best joke is when the robot gnome plugs itself into the socket and charges itself next to Gromit. His gurgling and humming sounds are unbearable to Gromit. After annoyance for several minutes, ins which one can tell from Gromit’s frustration of his face while trying to sleep, come the words: “Recharged 1%”.
WALLACE AND GROMIT started as a series that spun into a franchise that includes several features. It is claymation at its best with humour for both adults and children. Director Nick Park continues to charm the Wallace and Gromit fans and this latest entry makes a good Christmas present for all. The previous Wallace and Gromit films partnered with Dreamworks but Aardman Studios was dissatisfied with the daily meddling of Dreamworks always wanting changes in the films to be more catered towards American children. Thank God this latest feature does away with that nonsense. Part of the charm of the Wallace and Gromit movies is the British fare. This can be observed many, many times as in a reference to a teapot, the typical British stories where there is bumbling going around and someone least expected to save the day. The police chief is a bumbling twat while his subordinate, an Indian constable makes the discoveries, just like Wallace is oblivious of the evil gnomes while Gromit has to save the day, And lots of play on English words with puns like ‘gnome Improvements’ and ‘vengeance most fowl’ and British sayings heard like “What the Dickens?”
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL opens at the TIFF Lightbox for a limited engagement before streaming on Netflix. The film is an original animated feature on Netflix.
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