Movie Review: The Boy and the Heron
Rated PG-13 for some violent content/bloody images and smoking
It’s hard to believe that for over 25 years, Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki has claimed retirement on numerous occasions, and then retracted the statement.
While several of them were truly surprising and unexpected, his 2013 feature The Wind Rises felt most like his attempt to do something more “mature,” with much of his “flights of fancy” tempered under the story of a real-life figure.
When word came around the late 2010’s that he was working on yet another film, many of us wondered what the final result would be. And now at last, it is here.
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Following the death of his mother, a boy named Mahito is moves to the Japanese countryside along with his father. While his father continues to provide airplane parts for the war effort via a factory in town, they take up residence on a large estate wherein lives Mahito’s Aunt, Natsuko.
Before long, Mahito’s attention is drawn to a large (and somewhat aggressive) heron, and an inaccessible building not far from his new home.
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Right off the bat, Miyazaki hits us with probably one of his most visceral openings ever, before plunging us into a lush green world that feels safe and familiar for those who know of his love for nature.
The handmade visuals may be one of the most soothing balms of the film has to offer. In a year where our senses have been largely assaulted by fast action in a number of CG-animated films released stateside, the often languid pace at times helps make the moments of action seem much more heightened.
While one may see a reference or two in previous Miyazaki films (the soot sprites in Totoro also appear in Spirited Away), one of the most surprising revelations about The Boy and the Heron is how so many scenes and concepts feel so familiar.
This isn’t like Miyazaki re-using animation, but certain elements and even image layouts may give his most loyal viewers a feeling of deja vu a few dozen times. Over the years, Miyazaki himself has rarely gotten melancholic regarding his films, and to see what he has done here makes one wonder if he is contemplating where his life has led him after decades of work.
This film may also be one of the most mysterious adventures since Spirited Away. For those expecting a structured tale here, all bets are off once the film hits the halfway mark. This is where you will either become frustrated, or let yourself go and see where the story takes you.
Much like a number of previous Studio Ghibli male leads, Mahito’s face barely breaks from its stone-faced stoicism at the start, but once things begin to move beyond the normal, he almost becomes our surrogate, trying to make sense of the unusual surroundings.
The heron as a character is quite enigmatic (and downright uneasy in some instances). At times deprecating and at other times helpful, he reminds me a little of the character of Flip from Windsor McCay’s Little Nemo comics (note: Miyazaki did work briefly on development for the animated feature Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland in the 1980’s).
Though taking place in the 1940’s, The Boy and the Heron is surprisingly bereft of one of Miyazaki’s favorite things: man-made flying machines. Instead, flight is mainly left to a number of birds within the film, creating some hypnotic animation during several scenes (let alone some humor in what they leave in their aftermath!).
Unfortunately, the flow of the film gets a little uneven in places (particularly the third act). It feels like the story is going in circles a few times (one setting’s background is reused three times), and a few scenes feel like they were added in to provide some additional “padding” to explain some sequences.
But even this can be forgiven in regards to the overall film. While 2013’s The Wind Rises felt more like a hard-stop “end” for Miyazaki’s career, The Boy and the Heron feels more like he is “pumping the brakes,” and slowing to a stop. Word is that he may have another film in him, but if this truly becomes his final work, I think it will greatly suffice as a final film from a man whose vision is truly one-of-a-kind.
Final Grade: B+
Movie Review: Wish
Rated PG for thematic elements and mild action
With 2023 being the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Walt Disney Company, there has been all manner of celebratory events that have happened throughout the company this past year. Most notable, was word that their latest animated feature titled Wish, would pay homage to the studio’s animated feature history.
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In the kingdom of Rosas, it’s citizenry give their wishes to King Magnifico (Chris Pine), in the hopes that at a special monthly ceremony, he may make one of them come true.
When it seems that her grandfather may never have his wish granted, good-hearted Asha (Ariana DeBose) wishes on a star. Surprisingly, it appears to her in the form of a little creature with magic dust. However, the star and its powers soon pose a threat to the much-beloved king.
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Over the years, fairy tale adaptations have been a major part of the company’s identity. Wish attempts to create its own once-upon-a-time, but in trying to make something simple like the earlier days of the studio’s animated features, they end up creating a very uneven story.
It doesn’t help that the film seems to be in quite a hurry to keep moving along (clocking in at 95 minutes!), and because of this it seems there’s very little time for it to take a breath and really focus on Asha and some of the other characters.
There were some elements that looked like we would get explanations further in the story, but all of those possibilities quickly fizzled out. In a way, the storytelling reminded me of how truncated Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken was this past Summer (what is it with some animated features being afraid to hit the two-hour mark to give us a more satisfying story?).
Plus, I don’t think I’ve heard the word “wish” said so many times in a film (warning: do not consider turning this into a drinking game). It made me think that the writers on the film had to lock down the story before a deadline, and just turned in a rushed screenplay.
Character-wise, aside from the cute pantomime antics of the little star character, I found almost everyone in the film to not leave much of an impression.
As the lead, Asha is a kind-hearted yet awkwardly-clumsy teenager (are we done with this trope yet?). I think the character development they were trying to get down is for her to become confident in doing what is right, but there are not really enough elements to make us feel that she has accomplished much in the overall storyline.
Aside from Asha, the only other “character” in the film that has much focus is Magnifico. The internet was abuzz that the film would give us a real bad “bad guy,” but he just comes across as a crazy cult leader, who very quickly starts losing his mind when something magical happens outside of his control (Hmm….an egotistical male figure who has to be the greatest out of everyone around him?…).
Nostalgic callbacks are also now a horrid way of life when it comes to media these days, and the film attempts all sorts of little homages and easter eggs, some of which feel very unnecessary (example: Asha has seven friends, when she probably only needed one or two).
I was not familiar with Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and J.P. Saxe, but these three have crafted a series of songs for the film, that feel desperately like they want to be up there with the greats in the Disney song catalogue. Unfortunately, what we have here are a numbers that feel “Frankensteined” together, with many of them fluctuating between Howard Ashman and Lin-Manuel Miranda lyric stylings. They rarely feel sincere, and mostly ring “hollow” at times (even the closing song A Wish Worth Making, feels like a less heartfelt version of Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For from this past summer’s Barbie movie).
Much like when I saw PIXAR’s The Good Dinosaur, the bright spot in the film were the visuals in some scenes. The studio wanted the film to resemble the watercolor feel of their earliest animated features, and for many scenes (sans the very loosely-animated characters), I was taking in the textural look. Sadly, when most of the characters began to move around, it never really felt like they meshed well with the image filters.
Wish is one of those films that could have been something special, but comes across as rushed and very unfocused. We know the studio can do better than this, and it just seems so crazy that the fifteen-minute short Once Upon A Studio (where animated characters from the studio’s history gather for a group photo), feels like it has more genuine heart than this film.
Final Grade: C+
Book Review: Spielberg – The First Ten Years
Since I started exploring behind-the-scenes features many years ago, the name Laurent Bouzereau (pronounced “luh-rahnt boo-zeh-roh”) has been attached to so much of what I have seen.
Hailing from France, Laurent’s fascination with film eventually led him to Los Angeles in the late-1980’s. One of his dreams had been to meet the director who fascinated him, and it wasn’t long before he got his wish. Laurent not only got to meet Steven Spielberg, but also found himself directing several laserdisc documentaries for a number of Steven’s films in the 1990’s. That was the start of a beautiful friendship, and for the last few decades, Laurent has been involved with making-of material for each of Spielberg’s films.
With his latest book from Insight Editions, Bouzereau offers his views and observations on Spielberg’s first decade of feature-filmmaking. This includes the films Duel (1971), The Sugarland Express (1973), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), 1941 (1979), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
The book is fascinating, in that we read about a young man wanting to prove himself, while also trying to find his own identity in the world of filmmaking. We read about Steven’s struggle with confidence on his first films, let alone how some decisions he considered as a young single man, somewhat clash with his ideals later on as a family man. He learned some important lessons on 1941, and worked to make Raiders of the Lost Ark under strict time and budget restrictions from his friend George Lucas (who had writing and producing credits on the film).
Each films section also includes Q&A material taken from (mostly) past conversations with Spielberg for Laurent’s documentary materials. As I read through them, I at first felt like I was just getting a printed refresher of what I had seen talked about dozens of times on DVD (except for The Sugarland Express), but the information also included some additional bits of material that had been cut from those materials. Plus, Bouzereau also grabs some follow-up questions with Steven recently, to see what he thinks about some of his past works (there also is a nice little bit where Spielberg explains his work on the 1982 film Poltergeist, which a number of people claim he ghost-directed instead of Tobe Hooper).
What was also mesmerizing, were a large number of behind-the-scenes pictures from these films, some I had never seen before. There are also images of script pages, Steven’s own hand-written notes, and promotional materials from the films he did.
Much like some of the other behind-the scenes books from Insight Editions, this one includes a number of reproduced paper items in relation to the films, or their productions. A few are quite striking (such as a reprint of the plotted-out filming schedule for Duel), but there are a few things mentioned in the interviews that I wish could have been reprinted in their entirety to quench my thirst for all things Spielberg.
This book also acts as some additional insight into Bouzereau himself. Along with revealing his own thoughts about these films, he also proves to still be a fan as well. The book includes pictures of his interactions from past interviews, let alone a few little fan-related inquiries here-and-there in his interviews. I found this to be a fun little bonus, as I didn’t know much about him prior to this book.
While I prefer the visual documentaries Laurent has done concerning Spielberg and his films, I still find this book release to be a noteworthy addition to the collection of those that are fans of his work, let alone those who may have an interest in a few of the films covered here. While the majority of them are revered, the book may give some second thoughts on films like The Sugarland Express, and 1941 (which has actually gained popularity decades after its release).
Laurent has stated that he currently has no plans for a book series based on Spielberg’s filmography, but I could at least see a second volume chronicling the next decade of Spielberg’s films, from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), through Schindler’s List (1993). This period of time was just as much of an evolutionary period as his first decade of filmmaking. Steven tried to “grow up” in his filmmaking (with films like The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun), let alone struggled with his attempts to become a family man, and grapple with his Jewish heritage that he often felt ashamed of in his younger days.
What resulted after that second decade of filmmaking, could be a worthy follow-up to Laurent’s current work (though I would be surprised if he could get any comments on the film Hook (1991), which Steven is not-so-apt to talk about).
Movie Review: Ruby Gillman – Teenage Kraken
Rated PG for some action, rude humor and thematic elements
After studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg left Dreamworks Animation, it has felt like the studio is trying to shake things up from the way they once were.
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the studio’s film output over the years, but was pleasantly surprised when a lot of the positive talk about Puss In Boots: The Last Wish turned out to be true, giving me a fun and emotional afternoon at the theater.
Following that film’s release, the word-of-mouth on Ruby Gillman – Teenage Kraken seemed incredibly light, but I was curious if what I was seeing was just a case of lackluster marketing on Universal Pictures’ part.
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Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor) is part of a kraken family that lives in the town of Oceanside. Though she has a small group of friends, she feels out-of-place in that she can’t reveal to them what she really is.
One day while attempting to save her crush Connor (Jaboukie Young-White) from drowning, Ruby discovers that she has the ability to become a giant kraken. This family secret is soon revealed further by the appearance of her Uncle Brill (Sam Richardson), who eventually leads Ruby to her Grandmama (Jane Fonda) who just so happens to rule the ocean.
As Ruby struggles with these revelations (and trying to ask Connor to Prom), she also has to contend with a new girl in school named Chelsea (Annie Murphy) who also knows of Ruby’s “heritage,” and has a secret of her own.
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Like a number of people, I didn’t know this film was coming out until a few months before its release. It also didn’t seem to be a good sign that the trailer looked to be summarizing the entire film (spoiler alert: it pretty much does!).
Ruby Gillman could almost draw parallels to two of PIXAR’s most recent films: Luca (where a sea creature looks for acceptance on land), and Turning Red (a young girl experiences changes that make her feel like a freak). Unfortunately, it is in the story department where Ruby‘s biggest issues rear their head, and the comparisons pretty much cease.
The film attempts to juggle a number of story elements, but does not work to bring any of them to a really satisfactory conclusion. The film’s 91-minute runtime also doesn’t help, making it feel like there once was a more engaging story that ran longer, before the director was forced to whittle the film down at the behest of the studio.
There also is a rather flimsy explanation on just how the humans around Ruby’s family aren’t more suspicious of these nose-less, blue beings living amongst them.
Even with family, friends and a crush in her life, it feels like the more interesting elements of the story come into play once Chelsea appears, and Ruby has someone to confide certain secrets to. With these scenes, it feels like the film could be leading to a more progressive third act…before we find that this film has decided to make this a more black-and-white story.
There are also a number of supporting characters that feel like they were just there to kill (valuable) time. The local kraken-obsessed tour guide Gordon Lighthouse (Will Forte) feels like he was added for extra comedy touches, but many of his jokes fall flat regarding his over-excitable nature.
Once Ruby transforms, that is when her Uncle Brill suddenly surfaces, but everything from his first appearance to how the film handles him, makes him seem like he’s mainly there to get Ruby into the ocean to meet her Grandmama. Like Lighthouse, he is also being relied on for comedy that does not work a lot of the time.
Right from the get-go, the artistry on hand is definitely eye-catching, and that seems to be the saving grace for much of the film. Ruby and her family are not your typical characters, and rely on a lot of unusual squash-and-stretch animation techniques (much like some techniques seen in PIXAR’s Elemental this year).
The designs for some of the secondary human characters can get a little grotesque, though much like PIXAR’s The Good Dinosaur, it feels like the most effort in the film was put into realizing the environments and atmosphere. Underwater, there’s a feeling of effervescence that allows one to be as enamored with the ocean as Ruby is, let alone the usage of bioluminescence to punch up the sometimes murky depths of the deep.
Another saving grace is the score by composer Stephanie Economou. It can be playful with some of its synth beats, while expounding some Kaiju-sounding “bigness” at other times. I definitely did not expect to be listening to this film’s score shortly after exiting the theater.
The quality of Dreamworks Animation’s output rises and falls like the tide. It would have been great if Ruby Gillman could have felt like a gradual progression for the studio following their last releases. While there are some notable visuals here-and-there, the average-to-low-average story strucuture drags it down in a big way, making this another animated feature this summer that needed some more time and effort to really become something amazing.
Final Grade: B-
Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking
It was a given when Harrison Ford was set to return for one last adventure as Indiana Jones, that I was going to see it. Just like how Star Wars and Jurassic World films keep me going back to theaters, it’s not so much out of interest, but curiosity. I’ve been burned by over-anticipation a few times in my past, that with a film like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, I sit down with no “list of demands” like the most fussy of persons watching Lucasfilm Ltd productions…I’m just here to see if the film can get me to care.
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On his own in New York City in 1969, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is in the throes of early retirement, when he is visited by his Goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridges). Helena has come to Indy seeking information on the Antikytera, a special dial created by Archimedes.
However, their meeting is compromised by a number of people, led by a figure with some connections to Indy’s past, named Dr Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). Soon enough, Indy finds himself on the run, and off on another adventure.
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Dial of Destiny marks a major shake-up for the world of Indiana Jones, with it being the first film in the series to be directed by James Mangold (Logan, Ford vs Ferrari), while Steven Spielberg is relegated to executive producer duties (along with former Indy co-creator, George Lucas).
At times, this seems more like a “legacy sequel” than something that fits into the mold of the films that came before. It feels like the world of Indiana Jones is being revered much like the newer Star Wars sequel trilogy: a treasure of the past that is placed high on a shelf, with a promise to make this as reverent and serious as possible…and that is where I feel the film really falters.
I chalk this up to a number of factors, starting with the characters. Ford does what he can to keep Indy active, but much of the film has him doing more “low-impact” action and stunt work. While there was an attempt to focus on Indy near the end of his life, the overall execution of the story never really had me as fully engrossed with Indy as I wished.
Waller-Bridges’ Helena is our new leading lady and sidekick for Indy this time around, bringing with her a personality that you will either like or hate. Here we have a character who went off on her own and got into archaeology “for fun and profit,” thus leading to some rather bad life choices. I will admit when Helena didn’t sound like she was talking a mile a minute, I was mostly okay with her character. She also employs a young man named Teddy (Ethan Isidore), who is basically “Short Round 2.0” of this adventure.
Like the odd-numbered films that came before, Nazi’s are the main villains to be had here. The opening sequence drops Indy into a past event taking place during the last days of World War II, but the structure and pacing feel like the sequence desperately wants to be our main story, or at most, act as a nostalgic salve for those longing for the glory days of the lead character (who has ben de-aged visually for these scenes, but the gruff voice could have used some tweaking).
Mads Mikkelsen as Dr Vollmer feels like the more impressive stand-out, though he is mostly soft-spoken and not prone to large amounts of action. There is a restraint to him that may remind some of Rene Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
At 154 minutes, this is also the longest Indiana Jones film that has been released (and we won’t get into how much it cost). Spielberg’s films had a certain efficiency to them, even when there were moments to slow down. Here, a number of sequences that deal with Indy and Helena on their quest felt like a lot of globe-trotting that didn’t really seem all that interesting. Even a chase sequence in Morocco sounded like a fun romp, but the action at times was hard to comprehend, let alone understand where everyone was at times. It reminded me a bit of the chaotic, show-stopping chase in Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, but the big difference is Spielberg kept us able to focus on the direct elements of that chase, while the one here focuses so tightly it almost feels like Michael Bay is calling the shots in the editing room.
The film feels afraid to drop the serious act at so many times, while not realizing that these films are meant to not be taken as super-seriously as many of the more obsessive fans wish. There should be elements of “goofy fun” thrown into the mix, but the film seems to think it’s too old for such things.
This is a competently-made film, but most of the fun of an Indiana Jones film was getting swept up in the excitement of the adventure. It wasn’t until the film was 3/4 of the way finished did a set piece actually get me to sit up a bit straighter in my seat. However, the interest didn’t last very long.
There has never been a bad Indiana Jones film (yes, I’m one of those crazies who loves Temple of Doom and tolerates Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), but it didn’t bode well when once Dial of Destiny was finished, I somewhat yearned to throw on Crystal Skull for something a bit more refreshing than what we got as the curtain-closer on Dr Jones’ career as a treasure-hunting instructor. This film feels moreso like it wants to be that “apology film” a number of people felt was owed to them, after Steven and George made them endure Shia LaBeouf and inter-dimensional saucermen 15 years ago.
I still agree with Spielberg on one interview that Indy riding off into the sunset in The Last Crusade was where it all should have ended on film. Indiana Jones being an amped up homage to the 1930’s action serial was fine for its time, but pulling him out of that era and trying to keep him relevant and exciting decades later, is a little like watching an older man trying to recapture his glory days to please his friends.
Final Grade: B-
Movie Review: Elemental
Rated PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language
With their ability to make films out of almost anything (toys, cars, emotions), PIXAR Animation Studios’ latest feature centers around the natural elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
Set in Element City, the main story focuses on Ember (Leah Lewis), the daughter of fire immigrants whose life has been all about helping her family run their business. When an unexpected mishap causes her to cross paths with a watery inspector named Wade (Mamoudou Athie), Ember finds herself struggling to save the business, but also has her eyes opened to some new experiences outside of her own world.
Right off the bat, some may find the concept of the bustling metropolis of Element City to seem very similar to the look and feel of Zootopia. Much like that world, the city is seen as a melting pot where all manner of beings can live together, but not everything is perfect when one gets deeper into the city.
This is most notable in how a number of the fire citizenry are treated. While those of water, earth, and sky move freely around the central areas, those like Ember do not venture outside of their little area of the city, and their rather destructive nature makes them targets of prejudice by some.
For much of the film, director Peter Sohn juggles a number of elements (get it?), from immigration to family traditions, as well as inter-racial relationships and trying to find oneself. Unfortunately, it feels like the film doesn’t go far enough to balance these elements in a satisfying way.
This seems to be the case when it comes to Ember and Wade’s growing relationship that we see onscreen. There are hints that something is forming between them, but the film pulls back from really delving into some deeper elements as Ember struggles with her feelings, especially given her parents and others telling of how “fire and water cannot mix.” This could have gotten pretty deep in delving into an area of relationships PIXAR rarely tackles. For a good portion of the film, Ember and Wade’s interactions are connected via some “ticking clock” story points. I feel this could have maybe been dropped, let alone also put focus on Ember coming to grips with trying to work through her family’s prejudices against water persons like Wade.
There is also a subplot about Ember having a talent that she never considered could be something she could develop and nurture, but it feels so much like an afterthought, that one almost forgets it until a story point near the end of the film. And…let’s just say there are also some things that Ember and a number of fire denizens do, that made me wonder “how.”
Despite the story issues, Elemental is a film where PIXAR does not skimp on the artistry. They have always given everything when putting their vision on the screen, and seeing this in theaters surely will remind people that their films are made for a big-screen firsthand. Plus, the effects animation for all of the elementals and their interactions with different persons/places/materials, are going to be things that most of those watching the film will never think twice about…which just shows how masterful the studio is at making personalities and characters out of these elements.
In the end, Elemental is a good film from PIXAR Animation Studios, but it feels like a few of their most-recent films (sans Turning Red) where a bit more time was needed to make something great. Compared to Peter Sohn’s directorial work on the short Partly Cloudy and the film The Good Dinosaur, this is his strongest picture yet. However, I do hope the next one he does will have a much stronger story.
Final Grade: B–
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Short Review: Carl’s Date
This marks the first time a short has played before a PIXAR film since Incredibles 2.
In this tie-in to the film Up (as well as the Disney+ series Dug Days), Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) is requested out on a date with a friend. While Carl frets about if he should go through with the request, Dug (Bob Peterson) tries the best he can to help his master with his problem.
While the short has a few cute moments, I was hoping for something a bit more “original.” The shorts before a film I often felt were a great way for the studio to showcase their artists doing some great things with the tools they had, and giving us a hint at who to watch out for at the studio regarding upcoming or new talent.
Final Grade: B–
My Top 10 Episodes for The Owl House (Season 2)
While Dana Terrace’s series The Owl House surprised many with what it had to offer in its first season, I also became a believer when the first season was available through Disney+. Like many, I was eager for news of the shows second season, but when that information came about, it shook many of the shows fans (and much of the internet) up
While the second season was granted a 21-episode run (two more episodes than the first season), word was the series would end with its third season. Unlike the previous seasons, the third would be condensed into three, 40-minute episodes.
Needless to say, there was a loud decrying from fans at the treatment of one of their favorite shows, but it was said that fan anger and petitions would do no good: the crew of The Owl House already saw the writing on the wall, and were already hard at work to do what they could with the time and episodes they had left.
With this information in mind, I couldn’t help but notice what effect the studio decisions had on the show’s second season. Story elements seemed rushed, the growing romance between Luz Nocera and Amity Blight felt severely truncated, and storylines involving Eda’s former flame Raine Whispers, struggled to find footing amid a number of additional story elements.
I tried to review each of the episodes for this season as I had with the previous one, but found myself struggling given the way many of the episodes were formatted. However, after some recent thoughts (and viewing the most recent releases for season three), I decided to work on crafting a Top 10 list for season two.
*This list contains my own personal choices regarding favorite Season 2 episodes. It may not be the same as a number of other lists out there, and I have tried to keep most episode spoilers to a minimum.
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10. Hollow Mind
This was one that bounced around my list before settling in the tenth spot. The story of Luz and Hunter getting trapped inside Emperor Belos’ mind is intriguing, and the story dynamics reminded me of their team-up in the episode, Hunting Palismen. Much like the season two episode Elsewhere and Elsewhen, this one ties into showing us some past elements related to Belos, when he was just a wandering human known as Philip Wittebane. The episode brings about a shocking revelation into just “what” Hunter is, but it felt to me like the storytelling let up too soon in revealing the specifics about Hunter, as well as the numerous Golden Guards who came before him.
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Of Luz’s friends at Hexside, it often felt like Gus was the character just off to the side for most stories, let alone it seemed like his Illusion magic wasn’t as cool as stuff like Abomination or Plant magic. With this episode, it was nice to see him on an adventure of his own with some students from Glandus, and the return of the ever-annoying Mattholomule. Even the “B-plot” of the episode of is decent, with Luz requesting Amity’s help to find a book in the restricted section of the towns library. Personally, I would have swapped the B-plot for the A-plot, to give us as close to an actual “date” storyline for Luz and Amity, as they explore more of the library. Even with these issues I have, the episode does have a nice end.
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Much like with the series Gravity Falls, The Owl House would use one of its seasonal episodes to do things a little differently. For this episode, Hooty happens to be the glue that links the three segments together, as he sees King, Eda, and Luz struggling with personal issues, and wants to do his best to help them. A character that can be creepy-yet-funny, there’s fun and earnestness to the “bird-tube’s” efforts, including a sequence revolving around Luz and Amity that feels like it moves their relationship forward.
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Luz is sad that an event to have a palisman choose her, does not go as planned. However, she is soon thrust into an unexpected adventure that involves Hunter, The Golden Guard. This episode proved to be quite a surprise, notably in how it focuses on one main storyline, let alone revealed more about the newly-introduced Golden Guard, a figure whom Luz seems unsure just how to feel about. It also shows trouble brewing within the Emperor’s Coven, both with Belos himself, and Kikimora, an assistant who seems to be jealous of Hunter’s closeness with the Emperor.
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After sending a message out to find his father, King receives a letter that sends him, Luz, and Hooty to the other side of the world in search of answers to his lineage. The story ends up being quite an adventure, not only in taking us briefly outside of The Boiling Isles, but also leading to a place that holds a few secrets regarding King, and what his future may be. Comedy is used sparingly in this episode, and the trip makes up the main plot of the story, cementing it as one of two King-centric storylines that left an impression on me this season.
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Of all the characters introduced in Season 2, it feels like Raine Whispers is the one that series creator Dana Terrace could have just gone on and on about if she had more time. This episode to me, felt like the most solid appearance we had of Raine for much of the season, mainly because it is coupled with giving us a view of Eda from her past as someone who didn’t play by the rules in school. One can only imagine what additional episodes/stories of young Eda and Raine could have shown if the series had more time.
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This is an episode that is still entertaining on repeat viewings! We finally get some more insight into King’s past, along with putting him, Luz, Lilith, AND Hooty on an adventure to a mysterious and deadly new environment! The writing stays witty and active to the point that it moves along so well, you almost don’t want it to end! Plus, Eda’s inclusion and information reveal adds an extra layer that one doesn’t fully expect, and plays into a number of other stories in the season.
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The Day of Unity is upon the Boiling Isles, and Luz and her friends get to work, to prevent Emperor Belos’ nefarious plans. Much like season 1’s final episode, there’s not a lot of comedy in this one, as there’s pretty high and dramatic stakes here. What moves this episode down to this spot, is that it’s overflowing with stuff, like Terrace and the crew were trying to overpack a suitcase. Even so, there are moments that make it probably the most emotional episode of the entire season.
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Luz manages to make a connection back to the human realm, where she finds that her mother has a a new guest…one that resembles her! This episode proved to be one that just kept making things more and more interesting, as we learned a little about where Luz grew up, let alone who has been impersonating her, and how even the human realm has dangers for those from the demon realm. Plus, we get some added (and surprising!) character development for Luz’s mother, Camilla.
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Much like season 1, the second-to-the-last episode of the season to me, just feels like it is a ball of awesome! We have our leads getting ready to take on Belos as the Day of Unity approaches, character interactions all around, and some verbal and emotional moments that just make me grin from ear-to-ear! A smaller highlight is we finally get to see Alador Blight (aka Amity’s father) get his chance to shine this season in a great way as well!
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And that’s my Top 10 episode ranking for Season 2 of The Owl House.
I’ll always wish that Dana Terrace and her collaborators could have been given a full third season to complete the story, but I won’t deny that despite the ups and downs of season 2, there were some glimmers of emotional content and some dramatic moments that I did not expect. However, maybe in the future, additional Owl House material in the form of graphic novel or chapter books could be published.
At the time of this writing, the final third of the series’ third season is just days away from being released. My current plans are that once The Owl House ends, I’ll be able to give a proper review of its third season, and share it here on my blog.
Until next time…
An Animated Dissection: My thoughts on the 2023 Oscar nominations for Best Animated Short
It’s been awhile since I got the chance to see all of the nominees for the Academy Awards‘ Best Animated Short category. Thanks to a recent showing at the Music Box Theatre and presented by Shorts.TV, I was able to see this years nominees on the big-screen.
Below you’ll find information on the nominees, and my thoughts on them.
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Country of origin: Australia; Time: 11 Mins
Synopsis: An office-worker begins to notice some unusual things happening at his sales job. When he sleeps past working hours, an ostrich in the elevator makes him begin to question his reality.
My thoughts: The presentation of the short from the start may throw one for a loop, but once things get going, the short becomes fascinating, in both comedic and horrifying ways. Told via stop-motion and replacement animation, director Lachlan Pendragon’s short wants one to focus on the central portion of the screen, but adds extra stuff blurred around the edges that soon has one wondering just how/where this will all end.
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Country of origin: Canada; Time: 7 Mins
Synopsis: After a freak accident, a sailor in its vicinity ends up being affected in an unexpected way.
My thoughts: Based on a true story from Halifax, Nova Scotia, this piece from NFB (aka The National Film Review Board of Canada) starts one thinking they know where it will go…and then sends the viewer on an unexpected journey that contemplates one’s life under extraordinary circumstances. Canada has often brought about unexpected work from the north, and the audience I was with definitely wasn’t prepared for where things went, let alone just what the conclusion would be.
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Country of origin: Portugal; Time: 14 Mins
Synopsis: A father and son have a most unusual way of making money from a nearby village, but their tranquil lifestyle is soon put upon by forces beyond their control.
My thoughts: The first animated short to be nominated from Portugal, director Joao Gonzalez uses simple shapes and colors, but plays with the ability for animation to shift size, shapes, and distance in such a dynamic way. The story of the family unfolds in numerous ways as it builds to an unexpected conclusion.
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Country of origin: United Kingdom; Time: 34 Mins
Synopsis: On a snow-covered landscape, a young boy is in search of home. Before long, several animals join him on his journey, and each come to several revelations about life, and themselves.
My thoughts: Based on the best-selling book of the same name (and whose author is also co-director of the short), the story feels almost like a 21st century Winnie the Pooh (the moles design kept reminding me of Piglet), as each character makes subtle observations on life and themselves. At 34 minutes, it is the longest nominated short this year, and definitely feels like it is willing to take its time.
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Country of origin: United States of America; Time: 25 Mins
Synopsis: A five-part story where a teenage girl is looking to lose her virginity over the course of a year.
My thoughts: The one short that came with a disclaimer before it started. Despite the title you won’t find any full-frontal nudity, but there are some moments that may make some people uncomfortable, including one that make make one cringe and laugh at the same time. The short also serves as a time capsule of the 90’s.
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Which one I would like to win: The Ice Merchants
In studying animation, I have often been a fan of the simpler, and oftentimes emotional pieces. The short also plays with scale in a way that I was not expecting as the story went on. This one ended up being full of surprises, to the point where I soon wondered just where things were going to go. The colors also serve a specific purpose. This is notable at one point with the subtle inclusion of the color yellow, which we soon find out has special significance.
One could almost see this being a picture book, but there’s a stronger emotional power to the piece in just seeing it move, rather than reading words to go along with the imagery. In a way, it reminded me a little of one of my favorite Oscar winning shorts, Anna and Bella by Danish animator, Borge Ring. His short also used a simplicity in line and colors and an exaggeration of elements, that made the emotional story of two sisters a piece of art that still haunts me to this day.
Ice Merchants also has a pretty good awards pedigree. It won the Best Animated Short Subject award at this year’s Annie Awards, and has even been nominated and awarded at numerous film festivals around the world, including Cannes.
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Which one will most likely win: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
As of now, this short has taken home a number of top prizes, from the Bafta Awards in Britain, to four Annie Awards.
Given the last few years, the story’s premise of finding others who will support and accept you in a time of great uncertainty, will probably make it speak moreso to Academy voters as the world seeks to return to some semblance of normalcy over the last few years of the pandemic.
I originally thought the short was fully computer-generated art with shaders and special tools to make the character animation look hand-drawn…and was surprised to find that what I was seeing were actual uses of pencil, ink, and paint! While I did feel that the films message was a bit blunt at times and that maybe the short could have been a bit “tighter” in its storytelling, it’s still one of the top nominees in my book.
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Final Thoughts: Overall, I was largely entertained by the five shorts. This was one of the few years where the likes of Disney or PIXAR did not receive a nomination, leaving only The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse as the only “studio piece,” given its release as an Apple TV production.
Even the stories contained in An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It and My Year of Dicks soon had me yearning to know what would happen next. In fact, one could also feel like there could be a continuing series of animated stories for My Year of Dicks.
The Flying Sailor ended up being my least-favorite out of the nominees. An intriguing concept expanding on a real-world situation, it feels a bit more like an idea compared to the others that tell stories that are a bit deeper in tone.
Movie Review: Skinamarink
This film is Not Rated
In 1999, one of the most famous word-of-mouth film success stories, was The Blair Witch Project. An internet ad campaign soon had people believing the film’s “legend” of finding footage of a group of students who disappeared along the Appalachian Trail. The film became a hit for Artisan Entertainment, and ignited the “found footage” trend that is still going strong today.
Recently, social media has been abuzz regarding director Kyle Edward Bell, and his unconventional horror film Skinamarink. Filmed on a budget of $15,000 in his childhood home, it has currently been in limited theatrical release, and is now available on the Shudder streaming service.
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The year is 1995. In a house that still displays the wood-paneled trappings and stucco ceilings of the 1970’s, two children named Kevin (Lucas Paul) and Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) reside. One evening, they notice that a door has disappeared in the house. Soon, a window follows, and then, their parents. Other things soon begin to disappear or show up in unexpected areas, and the kids turn their attention to the flickering images of cartoons on a tv set, unaware of a sinister presence in the house.
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Needless to say, I was intrigued by the premise I read, along with the rather cryptic trailer. With the word-of-mouth building over the last month, I kept myself away from spoilers to experience the film as openly as possible.
The result was an experience, unlike anything I could recall viewing in a theater.
One assumes that the first frames of the camera showing feet walking around on carpeted floors, indecipherable mumblings, and off-kilter filmed images are to set up the world of the film. Instead, it soon becomes clear that this is the norm going forward.
While previews make it look and seem like a found-footage piece, I feel that is grossly incorrect. What Bell has done, is crafted what I can only describe as an “experimental horror film,” albeit one that is at least 70 minutes too long.
We never do see just who Kevin or Kaylee are except for a foot here, or a disembodied voice there. The few bits involving their parents are also utilized in this way, and it creates an environment where I found myself unable to connect or even fully care for anyone.
Vocals in the film are also a mixed bag. Rarely can one make out what anyone is saying. At certain times, subtitles will pop up for some mumblings, while others leave us to wonder what was said.
The film images are meant to invoke the tone of a low-light filmed VHS recording, with some scenes just holding on a particular item or environment for minutes at a time. At one point, the camera spends five minutes staring into the darkness of a doorway. We see a grainy texture on the film, and try to decipher if there’s something there…and then it just cuts to something else!
There are a few instances of implied violence (“stick the knife in your eye,” an ominous voice commands), but when something happens, it’s usually met with very little emotion, or reaction. Even when their parents disappear, the kids just seem to quietly call out for them, before retreating to the living room to drink juice and watch cartoons, or wander around the house. The film creates such am emotional disconnect, that I was unable to care about them, along with what was going on.
At 100 minutes long, Skinamarink feels like a tedious endurance test of an experiment, where one can imagine the director sitting in the back of the theater, watching how many people will still be in their seats once the film ends.
I went into this one with an open-mind, but I fail to see how this film is getting such high praise from so many people on social media, and even top film critics. As the film expands out via Shudder, it does make me wonder if the current praise will continue, or if others will share some of the same feelings I had.
I could imagine this film being an inspiration to some people, and a future of “abstract horror” trends could lead to copycatting vagaries of horror for younger generations, who may be looking for something beyond what it feels horrors current incarnation has been in the last decade.
Final Grade: C-
Book Review: Sounds Like Titanic, by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
I still remember walking through Midway Airport a few years ago, and seeing the cover for this book staring back at me in the window of a bookstore. The intriguing title immediately took me back to early 1998 when I would blast James Horner’s film score from my Jeep in small-town Iowa, the weird actions of a teenager who surely was not going to end up having a life that involved working on a farm.
Sounds Like Titanic is a memoir from author Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman. Growing up in West Virginia to middle-to-upper-middle-class parents, hearing a particular musical piece in an animated film when she was young soon had her wanting to play the violin. She eventually stopped playing following high school, when she went to New York City to study at Columbia University.
It was here when trying to pay for college, that she answered an ad looking for a violin player to do several gigs. This led to her meeting several people who were under the employ of a figure Hindman refers to only as The Composer, whose music they played.
This is where the title of the book comes into play. What Hindman and several others play “sounds like (the music from) Titanic,” but is not. The group doesn’t even play the music, but “plays along” as the album music blasts from speakers, convincing numerous people that they are in the presence of incredibly talented musicians, who want to bring hope and joy to millions!
Eventually, Hindman “playing” and selling CD’s of The Composer’s music at malls and fairgrounds around New York, leads to her being chosen for a multi-city tour across the country in 2004 with The Composer and a couple musicians.
When I started reading the story, I had expected the entire thing was just going to chronicle the God Bless America tour Hindman was a part of. Instead, the story soon began to weave in other elements as Hindman begins to analyze her life, and who she is/was.
We get remembrances from her youth of 3-hour drives to get to the closest violin instructor, how New York and Columbia became unexpected goals for her, as well as her brief stint enrolling in the armed forces to pay for her tuition.
In reading over her background, I could draw some parallels to my own life. It was due to Schroeder playing Beethoven on his toy piano in the Peanuts specials, that led to 6-8 years of piano lessons by the time I was in high school.
In Elementary School, children could play instruments as part of the band or orchestra in fourth and fifth grade. I remember the allure of considering the viola, before deciding to hold off, and went with the trumpet in fifth grade. Why? Because of the regal, booming fanfares those instruments made in the John Williams scores for the likes of Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark! While Williams did weave orchestra and band elements into a musical whole, the trumpet was an instrument that seemed to command attention…and like some kids, I had that egotistical need to be loud, and heard! I still recall getting some chances to shine in high school marching and jazz band, before the laissez-faire atittude of the marching band in a college I attended, finally made me retire the last of my musical talents.
Hindman does also bring up the feeling of her instrument giving her an identity, as she struggles through her teen years in the face of a changing body, depressive middle-school dynamics, and earning praise from those around her for her playing (while she does work to be good, she doesn’t see it as a professional career move). Plus, I soon realized that she was chronicling these elements from the same time period that I grew up in! There were some instances of pop-culture that made me recall commercials or the ways of a world that I had almost forgotten, let alone that feeling of escaping a small town world, and going off to make something of oneself far from the norm.
That introspection was something that soon had me turning pages, as she chronicles her views of an America several years after 9/11, a time where many were mostly convinced of the war rhetoric that shifted focus from Afghanistan, to Iraq. At one point, Hindman’s study in Middle Eastern culture (she was in Egypt at the time the Twin Towers were hit) makes her feel that her experience and study could lead to a lucrative career covering the war from the battlefront. What she finds instead, is fascinating and frustrating. This even extends over into some other small jobs she takes upon returning to America (one of them involving the development of the MTV reality show, Teen Mom).
As for the God Bless America tour, this is the through-line of the story that the book’s 272 pages focus on. Crammed into an RV with The Composer, a few other musicians and a voluntary driver who is obsessed with The Composer, she sees an America beyond her youth in Appalachia, and college years in New York City. The tour plays in malls, fairgrounds and concert halls, all while The Conductor smiles like a frightening (but sincere) Velociraptor, and seems hell-bent on making the PBS-loving audiences forget their troubles, while selling CD’s of his “not quite Titanic” music.
The tour overall does make one wonder just what is going to be encountered. I’ve seen plenty of road trip films to expect the unexpected, but what happens here is not the movies, but a more “humanized” view of a person trying to earn enough money to survive, let alone seemingly living a lie while being highly-praised for her skills by people she’s never met.
At first, I questioned her storytelling bouncing around at times. Instead of an early start and leading into the aftermath, we have little story “detours” along the way, that worked out surprisingly well. She even finds ways to reference James Cameron’s film in a few instances, and tries to decipher just what it is about The Composer’s music (let alone some other similar-sounding music at that time), that was making people so emotionally connected to it.
Sounds Like Titanic is a memoir that chronicles a most unexpected journey in one person’s life, that leads to events, opportunities, and instrospection as its writer moves from one century to the next. Her observations lead her to observations and introspection of the people who she met at this time, along with the state of the world she lived and grew up in. There’s quite a lot crammed into the books 272 pages, and it is a journey I think many others who lived through those times, can get something out of as well.
The Entertainment Nut 