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| Courtesy of Disney |
(Rated G.)
The cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Tony Hale, Annie Potts and Keanu Reeves.
What it’s about: Woody (Hanks) isn’t used to being just another toy, but that’s where he finds himself with his new kid, Bonnie. Looking for purpose, he takes it upon himself to care for her favorite toy, Forky (Hale). A glorified arts-and-crafts project who thinks he belongs in the trash, he causes all kinds of problems when Bonnie brings her toys along on a road trip. But Forky also inadvertently reunites Woody with Bo Peep (Potts), his lost love. Now the cowboy doll has a huge choice to make: should he continue to put Bonnie’s happiness above his own?
The good: I thought making another sequel after the perfect ending of Toy Story 3 was a terrible idea, but the geniuses at Pixar proved me wrong. Somehow, miraculously, Toy Story 4 is outstanding. It lives up to the high standards we’ve come to expect from the studio, adding complexity to some old characters while also making us fall in love with new ones.
Director Josh Cooley – along with a team of eight(!) credited writers – takes advantage of viewers’ knowledge of the franchise’s tropes and core characters to take intriguing narrative paths. The team utilizes a deceptively simple story to ask some downright existential questions. For those wondering whether to bring tissues: yes, you’ll cry. But the biggest surprise for me was how consistently funny it is. The film is hands-down the most purely comedic installment in the series.
We’ve grown so accustomed to Hanks as an Oscar-winning dramatic actor (not to mention his role as “America’s dad”) that many of us forget his killer comedy instincts. He instills Woody with not only a ton of heart, but also a simmering frustration that finally erupts in uproarious fashion. Still, Hale might give him a run for his money as Forky. His repetitive delivery of a single word in dozens of different ways (“Trash?” “Trash.” “Trash!”) had me laughing so hard that I couldn’t see the screen through my tears.
Finally, 2019 continues to be the year of Keanu. The actor kicked more butt in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and played a delightfully self-involved version of himself in the excellent Netflix romcom Always Be My Maybe. He’s also fantastic here as Duke Caboom, an action figure who is basically the Canadian Evel Knievel. (Stick around after the end credits to watch him pay off a gag that made the audience in my screening cheer.)
The not-so-good: Wonderful as the new characters are (especially Forky), spending time with them comes at the expense of old characters we’ve loved for decades. Buzz gets slightly more to do than the rest, but reliable favorites like Jessie, Rex, Hamm and Mr. Potato Head are barely in the movie.
Grade: A
Blu-ray Review: Us
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| Courtesy of Universal |
The cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex.
What it’s about: Jordan Peele’s creepy, fascinating and downright weird sophomore effort centers on Adelaide Wilson (Nyong’o), who arrives at a Santa Cruz beach house on vacation with her husband Gabe (Duke) and their two kids (Joseph and Alex). Soon, they are attacked by a family that looks exactly like them, dressed in red jumpsuits and wielding sharp golden scissors. In order to protect her husband and kids, Adelaide must figure out where these doppelgängers came from and what they want.
The good: Us proves Peele is far from a one-hit wonder. He’s got plenty of stories to tell and unique, creative ways of doing so. Like Get Out, this film has interesting points to make about modern culture, it sneaks in some sci-fi elements, and multiple viewings are practically required. It reminds me of The Shining in regards to its dream logic and atmospheric horror.
Peele’s confident direction, Mike Gioulakis’ rich cinematography and Michael Abels’ haunting score are vital contributions to the film’s unsettling nature. However, the most prominent strengths are the mesmerizing performances by Nyong’o and Duke, each playing dual roles. Peele’s screenplay requires them to deliver a wide range of emotions, live in the heads of dramatically different characters and endure a number of physically demanding sequences.
The not-so-good: It’s important to emphasize this film isn’t Get Out 2, which is a misconception that left some viewers disappointed during the theatrical release. Us is much different in narrative and tone. Peele’s debut was a hybrid of thriller and ultra-dark comedy. This one is firmly rooted in the horror genre. The change doesn’t make the filmmaker’s latest better or worse, just different. Viewers assuming it will be more of the same should adjust their expectations.
Special features: Deleted scenes, seven behind-the-scenes featurettes, and scene explorations.
Grade: B+
Blu-ray Review: Dumbo
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| Courtesy of Disney |
The cast: Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, Eva Green, Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins.
What it’s about: This live-action remake of Disney’s classic animated film takes place in 1919, when a struggling circus owner (DeVito) enlists a WWI vet (Farrell), along with his children (Parker and Hobbins), to care for a newborn elephant whose gigantic ears allow him to fly. This draws the attention of a nefarious businessman (Keaton), who recruits Dumbo and his circus family for his state-of-the-art amusement park.
The good: In fairness, director Tim Burton and Ehren Kruger made a few updates to Dumbo that I appreciated. Modern America is a much different place than it was when the original hit theaters, particularly where cultural and social values are concerned. I respect the attempts to bridge the morality of different eras.
Farrell does his best to give a personality to his recently widowed veteran, but he mostly comes across as grouchy thanks to the bland story and a lack of character development. Likewise, DeVito is fine in a thankless role. At least Green gets to play a different kind of character than American viewers are used to seeing her embody.
The not-so-good: Changing the setting to a somewhat realistic world means no talking animals in main roles, but there are no compelling human characters to replace them. Disney clearly shelled out big bucks for recognizable stars, but there’s not really anything for them to do.
Furthermore, the surprisingly cartoonish CGI doesn’t blend well with the real actors. Any time one of the humans interacted with Dumbo, particularly when someone rides on his back, it broke the illusion of the film and reminded me I was watching a bunch of pixels.
Special features: Three behind-the-scenes featurettes; nine deleted scenes; a guide to Easter eggs hidden throughout the film; gag reel; “Baby Mine” video by Arcade Fire
Grade: C
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