Tag: 2019

Categories
2 Stars Movies

Yesterday (2019)

From what I remember, I was about 9 or 10 when my dad introduced me to the Beatles, easily his favorite band (though I think Bread was a close second). The first song I remember hearing was “I want to hold your hand”, and then my world of music was never the same again. This is what would start me out on listening to other “oldies” of the 1960s and 1970s. Even those who don’t like The Beatles cannot deny the influence they have had on music, putting them right on the list of names like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Elvis. The love of the fab four from Liverpool is clearly evident in the movie Yesterday, but its brain is not.

The premise is well known by now: Struggling solo musician Jack Malik (relative newcomer Himesh Patel), once a former teacher and now working part time at a local factory, is about to hang up his guitar strings for good, having only his manager/life long friend Ellie (the always charming Lily James) as his main supporter (even his parents seem hesitant on his musical career). All this changes one night when, as he is riding his bike home, there is a mysterious power surge all over the world that lasts for twelve seconds. This also happens right at the time Jack is hit by a bus, knocking out his two front teeth in the process.

Eventually, he realizes he is the only person left alive who remembers any songs from John, Paul, George, and Ringo (his google searches lead him straight to Beetles and Pope John Paul). While he has some struggle remembering certain song lyrics (mainly Eleanor Rigby), he finds he can become famous by passing the songs as his own (and does a good job of singing them in the process). He becomes so well respected that Ed Sheeran (as himself) says that Jack is Mozart and he is Salieri.

One of the things of the film I was not expecting was that the Beatles would not be the only thing that people have forgotten about. I won’t spoil what they are, but they seemed really superfluous to the film other than some laughs and a product placement (one of the absences would be even more impactful than the absence of The Beatles, without question). Another flaw is the character of Debra, Jack’s new manager. She is played by Kate McKinnon. This is a character that felt totally out of place and even somewhat annoying, going for total schtick. This is in no way a negative take on McKinnon (who has done wonderful work on SNL.)

Parents, the movie is a very soft PG-13. There is swearing, but very little violence (just the aftermath of Jack’s accident). There is also mild suggestive material, but it does not get past lots of kissing. I would think that mature middle schoolers and up are okay.

One thing the movie does get right is the zeal that Jack has for the Beatles (such as his reaction to Ed trying to change the name of “Hey Jude”). Sure, he can use the money, but at the core of it all he is trying to make sure people here songs from the most influential band of all time. This got me thinking: What if I got up one day, and somehow found myself to be the only person alive who has heard about Jesus Christ? While I would assume my first reaction would be utter shock, how would I get his message across? How much fervor would be behind it? Even now, when not alone in knowing the name of Christ (who the Beatles did say they were more popular than at one point), how much joy do I have in proclaiming his name to all?

Yesterday was written by Richard Curtis (who wrote 2003’s wonderful all star cast rom-com Love Actually), and was directed by the very talented Danny Boyle (who won an Oscar for his 2008 capraesque like Slumdog Millionaire). Their work on Yesterday, though well intended, falls short of their previous works, as well as other films revolving around The Beatles such as the underrated Across the Universe (2007) and (perhaps the best of the fab four flicks) A Hard Day’s Night (1964). As a relatively loyal fan of the band, I will stick with those films and the original tracks.


Ob-La-di, Ob-La-Da. Life still goes on.

Overall:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Categories
3 Stars Movies

Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019)

There is a time in everyone’s childhood where (most) of the things we liked as kids become too childish, and we move on to other things that are more mature (basically adolescene). For me, the world of Pokemon snuck in just before I reached this stage as it became one of the staples of my childhood (as well as most kids in the 90s). The games were what intrigued me the most (I did not collect the cards as much as my little brother did), and survived (to say the least) the first animated movie (the show was better). I stopped being totally interested after the second or third generation.

Now, a few years after the huge mobile explosion that is Pokemon Go (which I still dabble in), we have the first live action film in Pokemon Detective Pikachu. While the film is not likely to appeal to those who don’t know a Squirtle from a Pidgey, the film is still nearly as close to a good Pokemon film as we will get. The film starts out with Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) being told that his long estranged father has perished in a car accident. Though he has not seen his father in years (his mother passed away when he was young), he decides to visit the city after being told the details by his father’s partner, Lt. Yoshida (Ken Watanabe).

Unlike the video games (at least the ones I played), there is no fighting in the city (at least legally). Thanks to a business guru named Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy), people and Pokemon live together (somewhat peacefully). Still, Tim realizes that things don’t completely add up. When he arrives at his father’s apartment, he runs into a Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds). Even if you are not at all familiar with Pokemon, you should at least know that they only say their name (or are they named after what they say?) For some reason, Tim can clearly understand the wisecracking electric rodent, and even though he says he does not need a Pokemon, he can clearly use help in finding out what really happened to his father. He gets more intel from rookie reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton), accompanied by her Psyduck (and if you know Pokemon, you know you don’t want Psyduck to have a headache).

As of this writing, there are over 800 different types of Pokemon (seven generations). A very wise choice was made in keeping the number of them very limited on screen. For the most part, we get some good crowd favorites ranging in minor cameos (the always lovable Jigglypuff and her “singing” voice, the ridiculous Magikarp, though we do get to see it evolve with wondrous results) to more powerhouses like Charizard and the legendary Mewtwo. Sadly, for a Pokemon movie, there are very few action scenes (the battle scenes we do get are rather effective). The film plays more like a semi-noir flick (On “The Big Picture” Podcast, host Sean Fennessey said it best when he described the film as “a Humphrey Bogart movie with Pokemon”.) I am not arguing that film noirs are bad (I am a huge fan of Bogie). Its just that if a movie is going to be about Pokemon, I would have wanted more battles.

Undoubtedly, if there is one reason for people (fan or not) to see the film, it is Ryan Reynolds. I walked in expecting a PG version of Deadpool, and that is basically what happened. There are snappy one liners (“At this point, how can you now believe in climate change?”) that are a wonder, mainly because of Reynolds. There are times when it feels like he was just free to adlib most of his dialogue.

Parents, there is very little here to worry about. Despite some mild (maybe two or three times is a minor four letter word used) swearing, there is nothing that should stop you from taking you kids.

It is not hard to imagine that some of you reading this have thought of the whole “Pokemon thing” silly and ridiculous. Fair enough. However, God gave us one of the best gifts, imagination. Some of us have only limited this to playing “pretend” or having an “imaginary friend” (mine was named Gerald), but others have taken it to great lengths. These are names such as Walt Disney, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, A.A. Milne, P.L. Travers, George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, and Stan Lee. Each of these individuals excelled with their imagination and gave worlds that some of us would find near impossible to “live” without. Moreover, Jesus frequently gave some of his best teachings through the use of storytelling (e.g., parables). Perhaps if Jesus’s life and ministry were to have occurred in the 21st century, he might have used film to speak to his audience.

The man who created the Universe of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri, may not be completely well known here in the states (at least not as much, I imagine, as he is in Japan), but even non fans of Pokemon have to show some respect for what he did. His universe may not have as many fans as that of Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, or the MCU, but the ideals and core values are still there. It brings the kid out in adult fans. To quote C.S. Lewis, “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

Overall:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Categories
4 Stars Movies

Shazam! (2019)

It is not much of a secret that the DC universe has not made the best of films, with the exception of Wonder Woman (and possible Man of Steel). It is true that superhero films can be better when darker and have more depth, but it is a fresh reminder that they can also be fun. Enter Shazam!, which I would wager is the best film in the DC line up to this point.

Directed by David F. Sandberg (whose recent films, Annabelle: Creation, and Lights Out, were in the horror genre), Shazam! starts off with two flashbacks: one involving a young Thad Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) who is transported via a magic 8 ball (oh how I miss those) to the cave of a magic wizard (Djimon Hounsou, who Marvel fans may recognize as Korath). He is looking for someone to pass his magic to, provided they are pure in heart. While young Thad may look like he is pure in heart, he fails, and is transported back to his father and older brother (who are not the most loving).

Fast forward to the present day, where we meet Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a runaway orphan who has spent most of his life looking for his mother after losing her at a carnival when he was younger. He is given new foster parents, Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans), who already have a couple of foster kids on hand. The youngest is Darla (Faithe Herman), a super loving and always talking tike. Eugene (Ian Chen) is an adorable computer geek. Pedro (Jovan Armand) is kind but very reserved. The oldest is Mary (Grace Fulton), who takes the others under her wing as she is in the process of finding out which college to attend. Finally there is Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer, most recently seen as one of the “Loser’s in 2017’s IT, and proves again here is one heck of a young talent), who, despite having a crutch, cracks one liners like a pro.

One day, Billy is summoned by the wizard, who tries again to pass his powers on. While the Wizard is still looking for one with a pure heart, Billy assures him that he is not the right choice (even going so far as to say no one really has a pure heart). It is discovered that the wizard has been holding off the seven deadly sins (gluttony, envy, lust, pride, greed, wrath, and sloth) from re entering the world and wreaking havoc. Eventually, the Wizard convinces him, and has Billy say the his name, Shazam!, turning him older and with powers (as well as into Zachary Levi, who is clearly having the time of his life in the title role).

We are then treated to half an hour or so of Billy learning of his super powers (with Freddy’s help, since he is the only one who knows about “this caped crusader stuff”). In this time, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing quite a lot at the shennanigans that these two get themselves in (such as finding out what beer really tastes like). Meanwhile, the adult Thad (Mark Strong) has found his way back to the mystery cave, and has started to cause his own chaos. He becomes something that every DC film has basically lacked (unless you count Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad): a good villian.

Parents, the movie is PG-13, with some casual swearing (since the kids are mainly middle school age), and some suggestive material (the kids end up at one point in a “Gentleman’s Club”, though we never see the inside of it). There were even times I was thinking the film may even have been PG, so I would think ten and up would be okay.

The source of the power Billy possesses, of course, is in the name Shazam! (so much so that I have to always end it with an exclamation point). The same, of course, is true with God (only much more so). In Exodus 3, Moses asks God what name he should use when he reports back to the Israelites. God’s answer is one of my favorite moments of the whole bible: “I AM WHO I AM” (verse 14). The same also can be said of Jesus. If you bring the name of Jesus Christ up in a conversation, it does have quite an affect. Some people still cannot get over what to do with Jesus. If you want a quick primer on the argument for the resurrection of Jesus, click here. Speaking of authority and one’s name, the movie is also a nice reminder of how power (like the word of God) is not as effective if not shared. Romans 10:14 says, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

The film does have some flaws (it does run long at times, but not terribly so), but it is a nice big leap in the right direction for DC films. Shazam! brings joy and life back to this universe with a beating pulse from its own (mostly) pure heart.

Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Categories
5 Stars Movies

Us (2019)

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

-Psalm 27:19

This was the verse that was on my mind as I was watching Us, the new horror film from Jordan Peele (who won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his 2017 debut film, Get Out). We tend to be our own worst enemies at times (something Satan knows and loves to use as mind tricks on us), which is one of the many things that this film gets spot on. While it is no secret that many horror films are bad, the past few years have shown many quality examples (The Babadook, The Witch, IT, Hereditary). Us is one of the best of the decade. Hitchcock would not be proud: He would be envious.

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