Friday, December 31, 2021
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Sunday, December 19, 2021
A very quick update 12/19/2021
Hi, I just want to let you know that starting next week going into January there will be a lot of reviews coming including…
- The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- Spirit Untamed
- Wish Dragon
- The Boss Baby: Family Business
- Vivo
- My Little Pony: A New Generation
- The Addams Family 2
- Ron’s Gone Wrong
- Encanto
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Rumble
In February I will be doing a Ranking of all the animated movies for 2021, but unfortunately, I will probably not review Sing 2 in time but it will be reviewed.
As always I have a lot more exciting things planned so stay tuned,
Goodnight and Bee Happy™
Mr.Bee
Monday, December 6, 2021
Monday, November 8, 2021
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Monday, October 18, 2021
Monday, October 11, 2021
Monday, September 6, 2021
Directing
Hi! This was originally written as an essay for my film class way back in 2017, I honestly don't remember what my grade was for this Assignment but I remember it was not the greatest ( below an A). So to my former teacher if you're reading this you might want to give this a 2nd look in order to realize your past mistakes! enjoy
Mr.Bee
The role of a director is difficult to define because it is the movie, personality, and often studio-specific as to what a given director does. Essentially though, a director is the “driving force” for completing a movie. There are some general common duties of a director though.
The first task required of a director is reading a script and coming up with his or her interpretation of it. Primarily for an animated movie, the director makes a storyboard to lay out his or her vision. This pre-production process takes several weeks with the writer(s) and potentially producers. Directors are often then involved with deciding on a cast, but sometimes the director works with a casting director. During shooting, the director’s main responsibility is getting the actors to give the performances he or she wants. The director also usually helps the cinematographer with the cinematography. After the movie wraps, however, the director plays an integral part in post-production - albeit in a more limited role. Directors may act as consultants with editing and sound, but usually don’t have the “final say” in the process that they have - up until now - been the catalyst in. Essentially, directors must work lockstep with producers, studios, writers, cinematographers, editors, and actors to adapt and share a similar vision for what a movie is supposed to do and how it is supposed to do it.
The title of Director may be misleading because the actual craft that goes into directing is the movie and personality-specific and difficult to narrow down. However, there are some key aspects to directing. Basically, though, directors have to collaborate and often bring together every aspect of what goes into a movie. Only then can the director sits back and watches the finished product.
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Sunday, August 22, 2021
PAW Patrol: The Movie -Mr.Bee’s Review
I guess I should begin by letting you know that I have not watched a single episode of PAW Patrol, sure I had heard of it, but when it premiered I was way past the time of Preschool shows (at least regularly) but I did ironically have a friend my age that was a big fan so maybe there's something there for the Beyond 6 crowd. All that is to say that I went into this completely blind, so let’s begin
Background
In 2017 it was confirmed that the company that owns the PAW Patrol brand, Spin Master (your suspicions are correct that it is indeed a toy company), was considering whether to extend the PAW Patrol franchise into feature films. Animation tests were conducted to see how the characters would look on the big screen. Development of the film was confirmed on February 21, 2020, with Cal Brunker as the director (his credits include Escape from Planet Earth and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature- not the greatest resume to say the least).
Plot
The PAW Patrol's arch-rival, Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo), who hates dogs, becomes mayor of Adventure City. A dachshund named Liberty (Marsai Martin) calls the team. So it is up to the leader, Ryder (Will Brisbin); Chase, a police dog (Iain Armitage); Marshall, a firefighter dog (Kingsley Marshall); Skye, an air dog (Lilly Bartlam); Rubble, a construction dog; Rocky, a recycling dog, and Zuma an aquatic rescue dog, to save the day.
Opinion
To start off, the animation looks pretty good with some very good texture. Although I have not watched a full episode of the show, what I have seen looks half rendered, which makes this movie a major step up. The story, as you would probably guess for a little kid's movie, is very predictable. However, to the movie’s credit, the execution is surprisingly decent and it walks the fine line on introducing newcomers to the characters while not making it feel tedious for the old fans (at least that is what I am assuming as I am a newcomer to the series). The characters are pretty likable and Mayor Humdinger is a pretty entertaining villain. However, Chase’s character arc, while not entirely bad, needed to be fleshed out more. Overall, it is a pretty passable film. I am completely in the wrong demographic for this movie, but if you have a child 5 or under they will probably enjoy this just fine.
I give this movie two and a half out of five stars. On a side note, is it just me or does Mayor Humdinger look like a young version of the Monopoly guy?
Goodnight and Bee Happy™
Mr. Bee
Friday, August 13, 2021
Johansson V. Disney: With Bob Chapek driving, Disney is on route to Disaster
Hello! This was originally written between the days of Monday and Wednesday of this week before Disney's earnings call during the Q&A No one asked about Scarlett Johansson directly but it was very much implied in a low of questions, Bob Chapek did not do anything to help he’s case with the tone he used I think he made the problem worse.
my opinion still stands, enjoy!
Mr.Bee
Hello and a welcome back to the Olympic athletes returning home who may be reading, and to everyone else reading, I guess you can read along.
It has been 7 years since this blog began (well, 7 years this coming Saturday). So every year I think long and hard about what to do for the anniversary. This year I was considering a third part to “Are the Movie Theaters Dead?” but the theaters are not dead, granted they are still on life support, but not dead (not even on hospice). I then considered doing 5 to 10 lessons the movie industry learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, but you may not know we are still in it! So no dice. Finally, I heard of a lawsuit against a literal Mickey Mouse operation.
Full disclosure, I do not own any stock in Disney and I am also not on their payroll. So basically, until Disney buys me up (and I come with a high “price tag”), I can say anything I want.
First off, I am a Paralegal Major (which is a lawyer’s assistant) so I’m not the most qualified to discuss a lawsuit, but I’m the best you've got at this moment (at least I hope I am). Going back before COVID (what feels like a century ago) Black Widow was going to be released theatrically on May 1, 2020, and then COVID happened and it was moved to November and then again to May 7, 2021, and finally to July, 9 but it was also day-and-date with movie theaters and Disney+ Premier Access. Standard Hollywood practice for blockbusters is that the director and the stars of the film will get a percentage of box office receipts. Although the percentage is very small and most of the time it is a bonus and not the actual box office money, however, Scarlett Johansson had this type of deal. The allegations of the suit include the accusation that Disney was well aware of the deal with Johansson and just ignored it. Furthermore, Disney was aware that the Box Office was not fully back to normal. If the allegations are correct it is not good for “Mickey”.
Disney gave a response, now this is a PR Response and not a legal one that would hold up in court, but here it is:
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing...The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic...significantly enhanced Johansson's ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 million she has received to date."
just a few thoughts:
The lawsuit has nothing to do with the pandemic and this is the same company that laid off at least 32,000 employees.
Be a good little girl and we will give you a good recommendation.
What you made before is meaningless and if I said that I would give you $20 and then gave you only $10, what would you want from me?
Remember, Johansson did not wake up one day and say “I’m going to sue the Mouse '' so it comes down to a failure of the leadership of Bob Chapek and his Team. In February 2020, you may remember the almost downright shocking news that long-time Disney CEO, Bob Iger, was stepping down and handing over the reins to the head of parks, Bob Chapek, and Iger would become executive chairman and also continue as the chairman of the board, and this was all effective immediately. Fast forward to the Fall of that year, when Bob Chapek announced a reorganization that, in short, separated the creative and the distribution arms of the company. In charge of distribution Chapek appointed a friend, Kareem Daniel, who was a banker with no experience in media. Fast forward to today and we are hearing several reports that Iger and Chapek are no longer on speaking terms (Of course, Disney has denied this). Taking the creative side out of distribution is not a very good idea and the proof is in the pudding with the Johansson lawsuit in that it is the creative arm that knows how to work with the talent. Chapek does have a very good resume but noticeably absent are any relationships with talent, because remember, Hollywood is about who you know. Johansson may not be the only one who files a lawsuit, because Emma Stone, the star of Cruella, and Emily Blunt, the co-star of Jungle Cruise are also considering lawsuits. On a side note, Pixar is very angry about their movies getting sent straight to Disney+ at no extra cost but they will not be filing lawsuits because animation contracts are different.
If I were Bob Iger, I would call a meeting of the board and ask for a vote of no confidence for Bob Chapek, because it is only a matter of time before his leadership affects the quality and content of all the new movies and this will lead to low revenue and tarnished reputation which will then, in turn, lead to a low stock price.
Thank you everyone for watching or reading any of my content for the past seven years. To you, I am forever grateful. And to the Disney board, if you need a new CEO, I am available.
Goodnight and Bee Happy™
Mr. Bee
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Space Jam: A New Legacy -Mr.Bee’s Review
Hello and welcome,
I’m sure I said it before that I am a big Looney Tunes fan, however, I’m not a basketball fan (it’s 2021 and that sentence still sounds like it doesn't belong). All that is to say I’m only half of the adult demographic for the Space Jam franchise. In my younger days I remember watching the 1st Space Jam a lot, but rewatching it now I think it is just okay. With my opinion of the 1st movie, down let’s begin
Background
A Space Jam sequel was in development hell for nearly 20 years. Soon after the 1st movie was released, development on a sequel began, and oh but you're going to love this one, the producers literally lied to the studio by saying that Michael Jordan was already on board so that they could continue the work. When WB found out that they were being lied to (I would have hated to be in the same room when they found out), WB Stopped production so they could negotiate with Jordan. But no dice. After that, they were going to do the Air Bud route by just making the same movie but with a different athlete and sport, and they had multiple variations of these in development. One of these was with Tiger Woods (Golf and Looney Tunes sounds surprisingly boring) and one starring Jackie Chan Called Spy Jam which eventually became Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Finally, in 2014 LeBron James signed and the sequel was moved forward. And the rest is history.
Plot
Basketball champion LeBron James (himself) wishes for both of his sons, Darius and Dom, to follow in his footsteps. But Dom (Cedric Joe) dreams of becoming a video game developer. LeBron is invited with his family to the Warner Bros. studio to become a movie star, but LeBron dismisses the idea while Dom shows an interest in the studio's software, particularly its A.I., Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle). Al-G lures the two to the basement and traps them inside a server where he takes Dom prisoner and orders LeBron to assemble a basketball team made from WB IP and challenges him to a game in a day's time. Telling him that he will only be released if he wins, he sends him through virtual space where he lands in Tune World where meets Bugs Bunny (Jeff Bergman).
Opinion
The studio basically did the Air Bud route with the same sport but a different athlete. Although it is not a direct copy, it is still pretty similar. The differences are how everything takes place in a server (which does make more sense than the Looney Tunes living underground) and the relationship between Lebron and his son, but that is just a generic father-son plot. (On a side note, that plot makes LeBron look egotistical). The parts with the Looney Tunes are well done and funny but nowhere near the original shorts. My biggest problem with the Looney Tunes in this movie is actually the texture. The CGI animation itself is fine but the texture makes them look too realistic and seeing them with actual fur makes them look off and unsettling. However, in most of the movie you see them in traditional hand-drawn animation which looks great. As far as the countless cameos of other Warne Bros. IP it is fan-service for the sake of fan service. The acting is pretty solid and LeBron James is a better actor than Michael Jordan. Overall, I have to give it 3 out of 5 stars. It was, in my opinion, a little weaker than the first movie, but ironically my rating ends up being the same. I can think of a whole lot more things that I would rather see the Looney Tunes do than simply play a basketball game.
GOO GOO, That's All Folks!
Mr.Bee
Thursday, July 15, 2021
A very quick update
Hi, I just want to let you know that nontheatrical Animated Films are my decision on if I will review them or not. If it is theatrical I will 100% get to it eventually (depending on if it's a wide release). I have two more quick updates for you. My review of Space Jam: A New Legacy It will be coming sometime this weekend hopefully. My reviews of The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Wish Dragon will come out eventually.
As always I have a lot more exciting things planned so stay tuned,
Goodnight and Bee Happy™
Mr.Bee
Justice Society: World War II -Mr.Bee’s Review
Hello and welcome,
What you might not know about me is that I have always been fascinated with World War II. If you gave me a time machine, out of all the time periods, World War ll would be at the top of my list at least here in the US (for obvious reasons I would not like to go to Europe back then). When I heard that the next DC direct-to-video movie was going to be about the Justice Society in World War II I was very excited. Not surprisingly, that is a time period of comic books that I also have a fascination with (most of which are not politically correct today). I did temper my expectations a bit because DC animated movies have been a hit or miss in recent years.
Background
I found very little background for this movie except that it was directed by Jeff Wamester who has only directed a few episodes of the Guardians of the Galaxy TV Series. However, I think it is necessary to give you a basic understanding of the Justice Society (and I also love to talk about this stuff so this is a good excuse). The Justice Society is, or was, a team of superheroes created during the Golden Age of Comics (1938 to 1956). To the best of my knowledge, the Justice Society is the 1st superhero team and is the precursor to the Justice League (which I'm sure all of you know who they are). The original members of the JSA (Justice Society of America) included Doctor Fate; Hour-Man (who only has superpowers for one hour at a time); the Spectre; the original Sandman (who used a gun full of sleeping gas to sedate criminals); the original Atom (who did not have any superpowers); Hawkman (who was a reincarnated Egyptian); the original Green Lantern (whose ring is a magical object); and the original Flash (who got his powers by breathing in the fumes of hard water- that is not a typo, at least on my end). Oh! By the way, he (Flash) was also smoking openly in a lab (I do not need to tell you what is wrong with that). There were also 2 honorary members who were Superman and Batman who never showed up to the meetings, that is Comic Book speak for being too popular to waste in a silly team book. Wonder Woman did join the team later as their secretary (1940s taking a step forward but also taking 2 steps back).
Plot
With Nazi Germany invading most of Europe and Adolf Hitler seeking magical artifacts, President Roosevelt and Steve Trevor (Chris Diamantopoulos) create a team of superhumans consisting of Trevor, Black Canary (Elysia Rotaru), Hawkman (Omid Abtahi), Hourman (Matthew Mercer,) Jay Garrick / Flash (Armen Taylor), led by Wonder Woman (Stana Katic).
In modern-day Superman (Darren Criss) is fighting Brainiac and Barry Allen / The Flash (Matt Bomer) comes to Superman's rescue. When Brainiac fires a Kryptonite bullet, Flash tries to catch it, but he runs fast enough to open up a wormhole and he arrives in what he believes is the past during a battle between the JSA and the Nazis. Despite initial confusion over his allegiance, the JSA realizes Allen is an ally after he defeats the Nazis and saves Trevor so he needs to help the team defeat Hitler and get back home.
Opinion
To begin with, one of the problems of the recent DC Animated Movies is the animation to no fault of the animators; it is clear that these movies are made on a shoestring budget, but someone at Warner Bros. animation realized that if they design it in such a way to make it look like a comic book that they can hide the fact that they had a limited budget. For the most part, this technique works but it is still obvious that the WB executives do not want to spend money on this. Ironically it does not look that great on pause but in motion it is fine. The movie is very “comic bookish” so if you are not a fan you will probably be lost. There is a twist but actually, I’m not sure there really is one because it is revealed early in the movie. Nonetheless, they left it out of the marketing so I will not spoil it here. I like the relationship between the characters, particularly the relationship between the original and the current Flash. Overall, this movie is not for the non-fan, but if you are one, this is a good watch. Given the fact that I am a fan, I am giving the movie 3 out of 5 Stars.
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Friday, July 9, 2021
Luca -Mr.Bee’s Review
Hello and welcome,
As Many of you know I am a big Pixar fan so it’s no surprise that Luca was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. When Disney announced that Luca was going straight to Disney+ at no additional cost I was equally excited and disappointed because, on the one hand, I will be getting the new Pixar movie for free, not including subscriber price (given the economics and the number of titles on there you still end up getting it for free). However, on the other hand, I wouldn't get to see it in the theater. (On a side note, Disney did screen it in the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood but I live About 41 hrs. or 2,724.5 mi. away so it did not make anywhere near financial sense for me to have gone LOL). Luca may have been the movie to get me back in the theater, which I still have not returned to just yet. With that out of the way, let’s begin
Background
This is the 1st movie directed by Enrico Casarosa. He did however direct the 2012 Short La Luna and watching the short you can definitely see that it is the same guy even if I did not tell you. Luca Apparently is based on Casarosa’s childhood (for the record, as far I know he is not a Sea monster but I have not seen him in water so I cannot be sure). This is also the 1st Pixar movie to be made mostly in homes due to a little thing called a pandemic
Plot
Luca (Jacob Tremblay), a young sea monster living off the coast of the Italian city Portorosso is forbidden by his parents (Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan) to approach the surface, fearing that humans might hunt him. Luca meets Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), a fellow sea monster child, who lives alone above the surface and he encourages Luca to adventure out of the ocean, showing him that sea monsters look exactly like humans when dry, but return to their true forms when wet (Don't overthink it). Upon discovering their son's actions, Luca's parents plan to send him to live in the bottom of the ocean with his uncle Ugo (Sacha Baron Cohen). Luca and Alberto run away to Portorosso to find a Vespa and travel the world. The boys run afoul with Ercole (Saverio Raimondo), the local bully and a young girl Giulia (Emma Berman) helps them escape. In hopes of winning the money needed for a Vespa, the boys and Giulia form a team for the triathlon, which involves swimming, pasta-eating, and biking.
Opinion
To start off, the plot is not the most original. The story is a combination of several overdone plots such as Luca's parents not wanting him to go up to the surface (The Little Mermaid anyone)? You also have an unlikely friendship and a team of underdogs needing to win a competition. Ironically it is not the plot driving the movie but it is the characters. Luca, as a protagonist, has a well-defined goal which is freedom. The other characters are there to help Luca meet his goal of freedom and to drive home the other themes of friendship and being yourself (oh if you can not tell, the sea monsters are a metaphor for that). All the characters are likable (in the case of Ercole you love to hate).
In a way, this is almost like a Studio Ghibli Movie as they are not known for original plots. It is the characters, themes, and animation that are the reason why Studio Ghibli is known as one the best and most original studios in the world (You know Enrico Casarosa is a big Studio Ghibli fan because the city is named Portorosso as in Porco Rosso). The animation is amazing but it is Pixar, would you expect anything less? The designs go for a more cartoony look but not too cartoony to make It look off, that is one the major differences between hand-drawn and CGI.
Overall Luca is a wonderful movie, well I cannot say that it is one of Pixar’s best, it is still a great movie with characters and themes so strong that I have already watched it twice. (To be honest, another reason why I watched twice was scheduling, so much to watch and so little time). I have no major problems with it so I am glad to give it the highest rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Pixar Made a better CGI Studio Ghibli Movie than Studio Ghibli did.
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr.Bee
Monday, July 5, 2021
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
In the Heights
Hello and welcome
One thing you should know about me is if there is anything I love just as much as movies, it is musical theatre. So, knowing that, it is not too surprising that In the Heights was one of my most anticipated movies of last year. Unfortunately, like many other productions last year, It was delayed until this year. For the record, I'm not all that familiar with this musical, but of course, I have heard of it and I had seen excerpts of it on shows like the Macy's Day Parade and the Tonys, but I had never seen a full production of it. And let's just say I never got around to listening to the Broadway cast recording. My biggest introduction to Lin-Manuel Miranda was, like a lot of people, with Hamilton. With that out of the way, let’s begin.
Background
This movie was originally set to be adapted by Universal with Kenny Ortega hired to direct with a planned release for 2011 but was canceled in March of that year because Universal was looking for a "bankable Latino star" like Jennifer Lopez (who, in my opinion, is not that great of an actress). In 2016 Harvey Weinstein (just saying his name makes me feel dirty) picked up the project. Jon M. Chu became the director and after Weinstein got busted, for you know what, and he’s studio went bankrupt, the movie ended up at Warner Bros for $50 million (only judging by its current box office It seems unlikely that it will meet those “Heights”)
Plot
It is telling the story of a corner in the Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan where every member of the community pursues their dreams of a better life. Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) found out that his late father's business in the Dominican Republic, which Usnavi dreams of reviving, is for sale. Meanwhile, Nina (Leslie Grace) returns from Stanford and she finds her father and tells him she was unable to pay tuition, but he brushes it off, telling her not to worry.
Vanessa submits a rental application downtown, where she dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but her application is rejected. Usnavi talks to Sonny's father about letting him go with him to the Dominican Republic, but Sonny's father implies he and Sonny are undocumented immigrants and cannot leave.
Opinion
First off, this story seems very episodic but none of the storylines are bad and most of them are really quite good but could have used more “glue”. Given that I have not seen the musical that it is based upon, I do not know if this is a problem unique to cinema. This being a musical, the most important part, or at least the part you want the audience to leave remembering, are the musical numbers. And with that, the movie pulls them off in spades. All the numbers look and sound amazing giving you scenes that would be nothing but impossible to do on stage like in a pool and on the side of a building. The Cinematographer is Alice Brooks who has not done much In the line of movies, but I can say that this might be her magnum opus, and if the Oscars were held today I believe she would be a lock. Of course, the songs are well written, but it is Lin-Manuel Miranda. This is the same guy that did Hamilton so would you expect anything less? The actors are also good as well.
In the Heights unfortunately did not get to “the Heights” that I anticipated but it is still a good movie. To check out If you're in the mood for a Musical I am giving 4 out of 5 stars. Oh, and if you are planning on seeing this movie, I would recommend the big screen as I did not do this movie any favor by watching it on my computer screen.
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr. Bee
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon-Mr.Bee’s Review
Hello and welcome,
Raya and the Last Dragon was Disney’s 2nd Premier Access Experiment. It was also simultaneously released In Theatres and that is the reason why it took me until now to do this review. Because at the time of release NY theatres had yet to be open and it did not make financial sense for me to pay Mickey $30 to Watch it (on a side note I still have not gone back to theatres, but I will probably go soon). On the surface, this movie seems to have done alright for Disney, but doing the math my rough estimate is that the base case scenario that Disney can bank on is that it broke even. But given the fact that Disney will probably never release the Premier Access numbers, the success or failure may forever remain a Mystery. What really matters is the quality of the movie which is what we are here to talk about, so let's begin.
Background
In 2018 That Hashtag Show (which I had never heard of until I researched this) reported that Walt Disney Animation Studios was developing a film titled Dragon Empire (On a side note that is an awesome title, maybe not for this movie, but it is totally awesome). Since then, directors have come and gone which ironically is not entirely uncommon for animated films such as this. In August 2020 it was announced that Don Hall, director of Winnie the Pooh and Big Hero 6 (both great movies), and Carlos López Estrada, who only joined Disney a year earlier, took the helm.
Plot
The prosperous land of Kumandra is ravaged by the Druun, evil spirits that attack and petrify the land's people and dragons. Sisu (Awkwafina), the last dragon, concentrates her magic into a gem and banishes the Druun, reviving Kumandra's people but not the dragons. A power struggle divides Kumandra's people into tribes, based on their placement along a giant, dragon-shaped river: Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail. About 500 years pass and Chief Benja holds a feast for the leadership of all five tribes. Chief Benja’s daughter Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) befriends Namaari (Gemma Chan), daughter of Chief Virana of the Fang tribe, and trusting her, Raya shows Namaari the location of the gem. Immediately Namaari stabs Raya in the back and the gem breaks and Raya’s dad learns a very valuable lesson why not to be a parent in a Disney movie. For the next six years, Raya treks across Kumandra to find Sisu in order to help her recover the missing orb pieces.
Opinion
To start off, the animation is Disney so of course, it looks amazing. I only have one gripe about the animation and that is when the characters turn into stone, there is something off about their appearance, I can’t put my finger on it, but I just do not like the look of it. However, the rest of the animation looks fantastic like the character animation and the water which is one of the hardest things in CGI to get to look good.
The voice acting is fantastic, but one thing I will say is Awkwafina as Sisu, while not bad even by the loosest sense of the word, I do think it is a little too similar to the Genie from Aladdin. However, I don't really blame Awkwafina because I think it was more the fault of the writers. I do not think Sisu is a bad character but the Genie similarities hold her back on being great. The movie is extremely unique and has more in common with Avatar: The Last Airbender than it does with any of the other Disney classics. I like the fact that Disney is finally getting away from the Twist Villains. Granted, spoiler alert, this movie doesn't really have a traditional villain, per se. Raya and the Last Dragon is a great movie, but while not among Disney’s greatest achievements, is still a movie worth watching at least once and I suspect that a second viewing for me is not too far off. As of right now, it is the best-animated movie of the year. I am giving Raya 4 and a half out of 5 stars. All I can say is that Jennifer Lee’s tenure as Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation is off to a great start.
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr.Bee
Friday, June 11, 2021
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Arlo the Alligator Boy- Mr. Bee’s Review
Hello and welcome,
Arlo the Alligator Boy seems to be Netflix’s attempt to make a franchise as profitable as Spongebob because, along with this movie, they are also planning a series coming out later this year. As to how it is going for Netflix it is hard to say because they do not release numbers, but given the fact, this movie has never trended on Twitter and I have never seen it on Netflix's top 10 I would say not so well. However, we must see what happens with the series. With that out of the way, let’s begin.
Background
This movie was directed by Ryan Crego who also wrote the Screenplay. He formerly worked at Dreamworks doing multiple jobs with the exception of the director. He was the director for only one project and was a few episodes of the Nickelodeon series Sanjay and Craig (which I have not seen a single episode). This is all I have for the background because I gave you the rest in the intro (whoops).
Plot
Arlo (Michael J. Woodard) is placed in a sewage drain shortly after his birth, where he is taken by a stream of water into the ocean. Arriving in a swamp, Arlo is adopted and raised by a woman named Edmée (Annie Potts). When Arlo is a teenager he wishes to interact with other people but he fears his alligator appearance will not be accepted by society. In an attempt to help him, Edmée explains to Arlo that he is from New York, and unaware that he was actually abandoned. Arlo decides to travel to the city to find his birth parents. Meeting a colorful cast of characters along the way Including Bertie (Mary Lambert) a teenage human giant, Alia (Haley Tju) a tiger girl, Furlecia (Jonathan Van Ness) a pink flamboyant furball, Marcellus (Brett Gelman) a fish with legs and Teeny Tiny Tony (Tony Hale) a rodent-like creature.
Opinion
Reading the plot you may think that it sounds like a rip-off of the Muppet Movie, although I probably won't go that far, they do have a lot of similarities making the movie feel very predictable. Granted the plot is not horrible and if this was an intentional rip-off there are worse plots out there. The animation, although it looks very isTV-like, is not bad at all. I loved the character designs because they are unique and creative and watching them makes me think of one of the reasons why I love animation so much. However, the characters themselves are very one-dimensional, for example, Arlo is just a generic Spongebob clone and the villains are cookie-cutter bad guys in it to simply make money. The songs are not bad but they feel like they were written to make money for Netflix off of the soundtrack and to move the story along came was 2and.
Arlo the Alligator Boy is not that good as a movie, but as a pilot, it is off to an okay start (I’ve seen great shows with awful pilots, granted they are often the ones canceled too soon). As a movie blogger, I need to rate this as a movie so that is why I am giving it 2 out of 5 stars.
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr.Bee
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
The 93rd Oscars Recap
*Hello! This was originally written on April 26 the day after the Oscars but due to life, I didn’t have time to post it until now but by this point, I think you have come to expect this from me, So, sit back and enjoy!
Mr. Bee
Hello and welcome,
Last night The Oscars took place so let’s get right to it.
The ceremony was held at Union Station in LA Instead of the Dolby Theatre, and the show was just Okay. I liked the atmosphere and the opening was fantastic, making it feel like an opening of a 1970s movie. Unfortunately, it went down from there. The show did not have a host again which is not normally a problem if there are some good comedy bits throughout, but this year the 1st comedic bit did not come until about 90 mins to 2 hrs in when the DJ went around to different nominees and asking if the song he played was nominated, won, or none of the above. The other comedic piece was Harrison Ford reading old Blade Runner reviews. Both bits were meh, in my opinion, and a host may have made the show a little more entertaining (as long as it was not Franco and Hathaway). There were no clips of the nominees (except for Feature Categories). To give the producers the benefit of the doubt, they were probably appealing to the die-hard fans (like me) who have already seen most of the movies. However, clip reels would have made the show more visually appealing.
Now for the ending, the producers decided to present Best Picture 3rd to last, making the best actor be last, which I assume was set up the ending with a Chadwick Boseman tribute; however, it was Anthony Hopkins who won but was not present. (Hopkins did give a belated acceptance speech the next morning). The visibly uninterested Joaquin Phoenix just stood there, accepted the award on Hopkins behalf and the DJ simply said good night which was rather anti-climatic.
A word to the producers, You never plan awards shows based on what may happen, because if your prediction is wrong you may end up with a messy night like this. The culmination of the night should always be the Best Picture and not having it as the finale is the equivalent of having the presidential debates after the election (to be fair, I would not mind seeing what that would look like).
There are a few things I did like about the ceremony such as not cutting people off in their acceptance speech. I really liked it that they put the Honorary Awards back in the actual Oscar ceremony. I hope that this is not a pandemic special and they will remain in the show for next year and not go back to being presented in a non-televised ceremony in November. the Producers said that it would feel like a movie, but apart from the opening, it did not. Instead, it felt like a private dinner party that we were not invited to but somehow we got a recording of. This is not the worst Oscars I have seen, the Franco and Hathaway year still takes the cake. this one was just ok. Now let's get to the winners.
Best Picture: Nomadland
Not a big surprise, but judging by the nominees I have seen, I think The Trial of the Chicago 7 (which got 0 wins) is the better movie, Nomadland is not bad.
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins for The Father
This was one of the biggest surprises of the night. I have not seen The Father so I cannot judge his win. Anthony Hopkins now has 2 Oscars Hopkins probably won by enough people thinking that they were doing a throw-away vote (a vote of passion) for him.
Best Actress: Frances McDormand for Nomadland
Not a big surprise for me. Frances McDormand who now has 3 Oscars (4 due to Best Picture wins).
Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah
Not a big surprise, however, he gave one of the weirdest acceptance speeches of the Night, to say the least
Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung for Minari
Not a big surprise and Youn Yuh-jung gave one of the best acceptance speeches of the night.
Best Director: Chloé Zhao for Nomadland
Making history as 2and Woman and the 1st Woman of color to win Best Director
Best Animated Feature: Soul
Not a big surprise and well deserved
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Father
Not a big surprise
Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman
Not a big surprise but I do think The Trial of the Chicago 7 had the better Screenplay. I am not a big fan of Promising Young Woman.
Thank you everyone for following me for my 6th year covering award season. To the Academy, If you want a Host Next year, I am available, I can also produce and write the show (oh, and decide all Winners and nominees)
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr.Bee
Monday, May 24, 2021
Friday, April 23, 2021
Friday, April 16, 2021
The 2021 BAFTAs
Last weekend The British Academy Film Awards were held, like most things in this pandemic, virtual but it was one of the better virtual award shows. I still think the Emmys were the best one out of the bunch, but BAFTA did not do a bad job either, as they probably had the Least Amount of technical difficulties. The ceremony was hosted by Edith Bowman and Dermot O'Leary (at least for the broadcast on BBC America) and they were just okay, not bad but not good. Now let's get to the winners
Best Picture: Nomadland
Nomadland is looking like a lock for the Oscar, but keep in mind that the BAFTAs and the Oscars have not matched for Best Picture since 12 Years a Slave back in 2014. In case you are interested, the movies that may overcome Nomadland will probably be The Trial of the Chicago 7,
Minari and Promising Young Woman (which won best British film) but if I had to put money on it I would say Nomadland
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins for The Father
This was the biggest surprise of the night but it is still very likely that Chadwick Boseman will win the Oscar, however, I can not say he is a lock anymore.
Best Actress: Frances McDormand for Nomadland
This is one of the closest races of the season. Every nominee for the Oscar has a shot at winning but your three front runners are Frances McDormand, Viola Davis, and Carey Mulligan with Andra Day and Vanessa Kirby as your dark horses, but I think McDormand has a slight lead.
Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah
He is totally a lock for the Oscars.
Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung for Minari
I think she is going to win the Oscar but there's a 30% chance that Maria Bakalova or Glenn Close get the Oscar
Best Director: Chloé Zhao for Nomadland
This race is over - she is going to win the Oscar
Best Animated Feature: Soul
Now a shoo-in to take home Oscar gold
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Father
I’m thinking that this will win Oscar gold but there's a 45% chance that Borat (which won at The Writers Guild) or Nomadland could take it
Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman
That is your winner but there still is a 25% chance that The Trial of the Chicago 7 may take it.
Thank you for reading. If you want more awards season coverage I will recommend that you check out In The Mind Of Mr.Bee on my Facebook page.
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr.Bee
Monday, April 5, 2021
2021 SAG Awards
Hello, and welcome to my award season coverage. A little delayed, But I'm back to keep you up to date on who/what may win an Oscar on April 25th. So, with that out of the way, let's Begin
The Screen Actors Guild Award (aka SAG Awards) aired last night. My opinion on the ceremony, To be honest, was 1 step above the Golden Globes press conference during the 2008 writers’ strike. The ceremony was only an hour-long pre-recorded zoom session which was too condensed for my liking and rendering the acceptance speeches too short to leave an impact. I have no idea why they did not do a 90-minute ceremony.
Let's get to Winners Best Supporting Actor which was won by Daniel Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah he is now a lock for the Oscar.
Best Ensemble win was won by The Trial of the Chicago 7 and this category is SAG’s equivalent for Best Picture. However, I have my doubts that Trial of the Chicago 7 will win Best Picture at the Oscars for one very important reason: Trial of the Chicago 7 does not have a Directing nomination and only 5 movies in the 90+ year history of the Oscars have won without a Directing nomination (Wings(1929), Grand Hotel (1932), Driving Miss Daisy (1990) Argo (2013) Green Book (2019)) Now given the fact that the last two are only 6 years apart you could argue that maybe winning without a directing nomination is not as uncommon as it used to be. As of now, I predict that Nomadland will win, but on that note, Nomadland was not nominated for Best Ensemble at SAG which is also rare for a win as only 3 movies in the 20+year history of SAG have accomplished this. Those that have accomplished the win for best picture without the SAG Ensemble nomination are Braveheart (1996), The Shape of Water (2018), and Green Book (2019). This year only 2 nominations match between SAG Ensemble and Best Picture which is equally rare.
Thank you,
Goodnight, and Bee Happy!™
Mr.Bee