Movie Review: Pandemic Edition October 7, 2020
Yes, it's October and the world is still on fire. But, first things first. How are you doing? I do so hope that you and yours are safe, healthy, and do as well as possible under the circumstances.
Whew, it's been a long time, and while the country is reopening to various degrees (including movie theaters), I'm afraid it's going to be a bit longer before I'm willing to venture forth. Numbers are still high in my area (better, but high) and while there are a couple new pics playing, I have to ask myself, "are they worth possibly risking my life to see?". That's a resounding no.
That being the case, I like so many others have been at home catching up on things I wanted to see and never got around to before the big lockdown. Films like "Abominable", "Dolittle", "Playing with Fire", "Doctor Sleep", "Bombshell", and "Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn." What I got was a mixed bag.
Unexpectedly the best film by far is "Abominable". I wasn't sure when this one came out, the yeti looked kinda goofy and it seemed like it could go either way. Turns out this charmer really works. Cute, funny, amazing animation (goofy yeti aside), wonderful messaging, and with all the character development and feels you can want. Yup, I laughed, but I also cried. Finally, I ended up getting a copy for my personal collection. A 9.5 for sure.
That brings me to "Dolittle". Sorry to say, the title pretty much says it all because it certainly did little for me. It's one of those family films with a spectacular voice cast, a decent amount of whimsy and imagination, but it all falls flat. While the main child actor/character does a good job, overall there are too many cringe worthy moments that are simply quite embarrassing to witness.
The same can be said about "Playing with Fire" minus the kid watchability. Two of the kids are just obnoxious and off putting. The adult casts members do there all to salvage this clunker, but other than a couple of scenes here and there, this one is just not salvageable. Really disappointing. "Dolittle" and "Playing with Fire"
are 4s at best.
"Doctor Sleep" is Stephen King's sequel to "The Shining", a book I loved and a movie I hated. I wasn't sure how this one was going to work out. I'm thrilled to say an expert job was done reconciling the elements of the original ("Shining") book/film and marrying them to the "Doctor Sleep" book sequel. Solid all the way around, this is a definite 9 for me.
Finally, "Bombshell" and "Birds of Prey". Two films I had really high expectations for. While not awful, they both feel short of those expectations. "Bombshell" for some inexplicable reason decided to add characters and events to enhance the drama. Completely unnecessary and adding a superficial and disengaging element to the film. It felt too force. As for "Birds" very little character development or story arc, highly predictable, downright silly at times, and nothing more than a long setup for a sequel. 5s for both films.
