Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there. Onward is definitely the movie that shocked me the most so far this year. Dan Scanlon who directed Monsters University which sadly I was not the biggest fan of. Plus I really think the advertising for Onward was not that great, however life is full of surprises and this movie turned out to be extremely great! First off the chemistry between Chris Pratt and Tom Holland was fantastic, I was really impressed with how well they both worked together, the animation was both stunning and really strong! It gave the movie it’s own unique feel which I really loved, one of the biggest reasons I was very skeptical about this movie at first was the character design and the style of the movie (adventure type) . I didn’t know if the movie could pull off something interesting with these types of characters, or pull off something new. However the movie takes a similar concept and turns it into it’s own, it throws in some Lord Of The Rings elements for the story and for the characters the movie gives them some great character development. Plus the movie does have it’s emotional moments which I will say almost made me cry, the final act is definitely worth the wait. It’s emotional, heartwarming and really well done, I had my doubts about this movie at the beginning but it proved me wrong which it ends up being one of my favorites of the year!
In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends. Emma has a lot of good things going for it, first off the acting is pretty solid all around especially Anya Taylor-Joy and Mia Goth both do a fantastic job. The writing is very solid that gives quite a few great scenes, the costume design is very well done it matches the time period it’s going for. Lastly the movie does have some pretty interesting scenes towards the end that are quite great, I think my main issue with this movie was it wasn’t as strong as it could have been. It does feel like at times this movie does hold back from being even better, plus I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s going to stick to a lot of people. Especially when the year goes on and more films come out, for what the movie is it’s very solid. But it’s not something to go crazy over.
7/10 B What if baby Kal-El’s rocket landed, not in Kansas, but in the Soviet Union? That is the premise of this Elseworld’s tale from DC Comics. Superman Red Son is a huge example of a movie that knows how to have fun and not take itself ultra seriously, it’s pretty much an alternate universe Superman works under Joseph Stalin, Batman is a villain, Lois Lane and Lex Luther are married. The movie is insane but that’s just what’s so good about it, the animation is quite great with some really well done action scenes. Does the movie take a bit to get going? Absolutely but that does not take away from what this movie gave, plus I also like how much different this movie is from the other DCAU movies. The writing is solid in a lot of areas and the character development is pretty decent. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but if it does peak your interest I recommend giving it a try.
What do I even say about this? It’s the exact same thing as the original but CGI…This is the type of remakes I just don’t like at all, it’s a shot by shot remake of a movie that quite frankly putting nostalgia glasses aside wasn’t exactly amazing (although I loved it as a kid) the only few things I can praise here are how the Pokemon looked in the CGI and the battle scenes were fun as well….that’s really about it the design for the human characters like Ash for example were horrendous, like they were genuinely terrifying and not in a good way. My huge issue with this movie is just how soulless it feels, it feels like it was made for no other reason then to pull on nostalgic strings and hope people still care for the Pokemon movies in generally. This movie is pretty much the Psycho (1998) or The Lion King (2019) of remakes. The only few differences I did catch were two things, one Jessie and James don’t dress up as Vikings In this one or have the accents (which you know what I’ll give the movie that, I can understand why they would remove that.) something I DO NOT understand however is why they removed a lot of the music like Brother My Brother. Sadly the scene when Ash turns to stone is nowhere near as strong as it was in the original. In this one it just feels not as strong and just very weak. I feel like that’s mainly due to how soulless the CGI is versus the traditional animation the original used. Overall there is really not much more for me to say, it’s a very pointless remake that really could have went without making.
Overwhelmed with his Kingly duties, Norm’s crown is stolen and he embarks on a journey to find it in conjunction with repairing his family’s relationship. You know every time I review/watch one of these garbage movies it feels like I’m yelling at an empty cavern and hearing my echo. Because these movies are always the EXACT SAME THING. Norm of The North should had never even been a franchise let alone a movie, what can I say that I haven’t said already about the other movies? Same garbage writing, a very cliched plot that has been done better in at least 100 different movies. Horrendous jokes only this time I believe they added more bathroom and fart jokes…well done! Horrendous writing that makes you want to hit yourself against a wall, oh yeah there’s also a dance scene that is terrible one of the worst things in a film I’ve seen so far this year. This movie seriously doesn’t add anything to the franchise whatsoever, as I said before it does almost the exact same stuff the previous movies have done. What’s crazy about all of this is there’s going to be a 5th one…which is just unforgivable. Please avoid this one at all costs…
When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her. It’s very unfortunate this movie never got released into theaters here in the United States, it did get a Netflix release that I just found out about a few days ago! I’m a huge fan of the first movie and was really excited for this one for awhile. Shaun The Sheep Farmageddon is a worthy sequel and is far better than Aardman previous work which was Early Man. This is more on the level of what makes Aardman so great. Farmageddon takes what was incredible about the first movie and does more with it, the plot is truly entertaining! The jokes are genuinely hilarious, there are tons of really cute and heartwarming moments, the characters are lovable and a lot of fun! The animation is stunning some of the design choices they went with are absolutely gorgeous it’s truly a beautiful film, there’s also tons of Sci-Fi film references that are written cleverly into the story. Overall Shaun The Sheep Farmageddon is a very clever movie and is hands down of the best films so far this year, if you are a fan of the first movie you will LOVE this one!!!
9/10 A In the Olympic Athlete Village, a young cross-country skier bonds with a volunteer doctor after her competition ends. You know what this was really cute! It’s a very straightforward story but very charming. Alexi Pappas and Nick Kroll are both fantastic in their roles and really do have a great chemistry, the writing is simple yet effective it does a good job of being this awkward little love story, the camerawork is also great and really compliments the movie in several scenes as well. We don’t get to see Alexi Pappas do any sports but for what the movie was going for I really don’t mind that, not much else to say Olympic Dreams is a very charming film that is genuinely really solid as well..seek this one out!
An Arctic fox works in the mailroom of a package delivery service, but wants to be doing the deliveries. I really don’t think this movie warrants a full review so I’m just going to keep this simple…it’s horrible, it’s made by the same studio who did Norm Of The North. I will give the movie this….the voice acting isn’t bad mostly due to Jeremy Renner, otherwise this movie is pretty much the exact same thing as Norm Of The North only that it tries to go for a Zootopia route. The animation is cheap, ugly and something you would see in the $5 bin at Walmart. Do not quote me on this but strangely enough this movie was a Netflix release for other countries but for whatever reason it was theater released here in America. It doesn’t matter though because it didn’t last long and I can see why. If you have seen any typical terrible animated movie you have seen this movie. It‘s the kind of bad that is really not worth complaining over. 1/10 F
Adam (2019)
Awkward teen Adam spends his last high school summer with his big sister, who throws herself into NYC’s lesbian and trans activist scene. In this coming-of-age comedy, Adam and those around him encounter love, friendship and hard truths. Awful with every sense of the word, how does someone make a movie that is so terrible and completely problematic? Even if the movie took away the offensive plot it would still fall flat, the acting and writing are completely worthless. This is the type of writing where it’s nothing but 20 something year olds and teenager stereotypes, the writing is basically what adults think teens and 20 something year olds talk like. The movie is very poorly paced, very poorly done (the filming is so uninspired) and just how this movie knows what it’s doing is problematic but doesn’t give a crap shows how the lack of care. The fact this made it into Sundance just scares me, I seriously don’t know what else to say…it’s a horrible horrible movie that makes no points or has anything to discuss it’s just there to piss people off. Which you know what it sure did piss me off because not only is this offensive but it’s a pile of garbage filmmaking. Skip this one at all costs… Disgrace To Cinema F
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom. I’ll give credit where credit is due, Frozen II was actually not too bad. For one thing Olaf is far less annoying and actually has a few moments that are actually good, the movie has some pretty impressive animation that standouts well. If it’s something the movie struggles with the most it’s the writing, I appreciate what the movie was trying to go for but when you combine the writing with the tone of the movie that kept switching back and forth it starts to become very noticeable and messy at times. The detail of the movie is really strong especially with the different settings, as for the overall movie it’s a huge mixed bag. Kids will definitely love it and it’s enjoyable enough for adults. 6/10 C+
Freaks (2019)
A bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father’s protective and paranoid control. I’m going to be completely honest…when I saw the trailer for this movie i thought it looked not too great, however I love being proved wrong and this movie did just that!! I can definitely see this movie becoming a cult classic in a few years, it has the right mix of genres and the overall movie is pretty good. Lexi Kolker really has potential of being a full blown star because her performance in this movie was pretty great!! The movie is low budget so of course it’s not going to look as stylized as some other movies, however I feel like in this case it works to this movie’s advantage, there’s just something about this movie that I really appreciate maybe it’s blending all the different type of genres that I grew up with. The writing is solid it isn’t something to write home about but it’s enjoyable, I like the atmosphere too so much bizarre events happen to the point where you wait for something to pop up! Overall Freaks is a very solid watch one of the more underrated films of the year! 7/10 B
A simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg’s new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions. I think what took me so long to actually sit down and talk about this movie was because how surprised I was by the this film. It’s a Santa Claus origin story I wasn’t expecting a really good movie….but damn is this movie fantastic, it’s a 2D animated movie something we don’t get everyday which actually helps the movie by separating itself from everything else that’s been released this year and so on. It has a ton of Emperor’s New Groove and Treasure Planet vibes (funnily enough the director of this movie was one of the Animation Designers for Treasure Planet), the voice acting is really strong everyone delivers some fantastic lines and actually meaningful dialogue as well. Speaking of which this movie has some pretty emotional moments which I would never expect, the way the story is told is in a very classic feel way that it really works for this movie. I think what gives this movie a lot of strength is it’s characters, especially the main characters the chemistry between Jesper and Klaus is just so likable and so well done you really care for their friendship. Overall this is a movie that I highly recommend, this is one of the rare occasions where a Netflix Original is fantastic. 9/10 A
Earthquake Bird (2019)
An enigmatic translator with a dark past is brought in for questioning after an ex-pat friend, who came between her and her photographer boyfriend, ends up missing and presumed dead. This is another Netflix movie where all I have to say is “what the hell happened here?” It’s not like this wasn’t by some bad director no it was by the same person who did Still Alice!! Alicia Vikander is the only reason to watch this movie I mean yes the acting overall wasn’t too bad but Alicia Vikander is the only one I felt stood out, the filming was also not too bad. Every now and then you get some pretty well done shots that are quite honestly beautiful to look at. What kills this movie for me is the pacing, writing and just how the plot was executed. I’ll start with the writing, while it wasn’t necessarily terrible it needed a lot more strength I completely understand on what it was trying to do but I couldn’t help but think that if this had a much stronger script this would be more effective. The pacing….oh god it’s way too slow for it’s own good it takes way too long to get going and by the time something does happen you just lose interest, it’s honestly quite a shame. Lastly the plot itself was poorly executed, I just didn’t care for the characters enough to care about the story that was being told. I feel like the best way to describe it is it was like a run on sentence that felt like an eternity. Overall this is a prime example of a Netflix original that really disappoints. 5/10 C
Noelle (2019)
Santa’s daughter finds herself having to take over the family business. This is the second time this year that one of the only good things a movie has going for it is Bill Hader (first being IT Chapter 2.) That aside Anna Kendrick is also a highlight of the movie, heck she is the only reason why I bothered with this movie in the first place. With that said there really is not a lot to say about this movie, it’s a very below average Christmas movie that really doesn’t do anything new it just feels like it kind of exists and that’s really about it. The writing is very corny, the acting isn’t really great, the movie really borrows a little too much from Elf. I will say though that kids will definitely like this movie and for the most part it is harmless. It’s just not something I would ever recommend to anyone. 4/10 D+
Where’d You Go Bernadette (2019)
A loving mom becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her family. Her leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery. I really don’t have much to say about this one, it’s one of those movies that just kind of exists and you quite honestly don’t care. The movie has some decent acting and some okay writing, but everything else just felt bland and not memorable. It’s very predictable and really doesn’t offer anything new to the genre..
Wonder Woman tries to help a troubled young girl, Vanessa, who has fallen in with a deadly organization known as Villainy Inc. headed by Dr. Cyber. This really didn’t do much for me, I appreciate the nod to Wonder Woman (2017) at the beginning and the action scenes were actually really entertaining plus I did like Wonder Woman. Otherwise the movie consists of some surprisingly bad writing, very weak side characters that really aren’t that interesting. Plus trying to combine several stories into one was just not a smart move, we skip some crucial parts of development to some of the stories so at one moment we are in one story and at the next we are thrown into something completely different. That’s like playing Super Mario 64 and someone randomly comes in the room and turns off the game and puts in something like Contra. That’s how I felt about this movie and when you are trying to do that with only 83 minutes that is asking for a mess to happen. 4/10 D+
An animated version of Charles Addams’ series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family. What exactly happened here? When the trailer for this movie came out I was surprised I actually found it great and was looking forward to it! Somehow they managed to make a BAD Addams Family movie….I’m not sure how they did it but this movie is proof of it! Which is very unfortunate because the cast is very solid, Oscar Isaac (I love you man but PLEASE stop getting yourself involved with a lot of garbage films please), Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz and a few others. The only positives I can say is the cast did the best they could with a terrible script that felt like it was forgotten about for a year and then revisited and nobody looked it over. The jokes….ugh the jokes not once did I laugh, even with some bad animated movies they at least make me smirk (mostly by accident) with this movie I just sat there not laughing. I feel really bad ripping this movie apart because I genuinely wanted this movie to be good but it missed so many marks and it’s the type of movie where it will be forgotten about by the end of this year. 2/10 F
Jerome Reviews... 