Adventure – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: ‘Oak Street’ struggles in establishing right tone

It’s not a good sign when a film leaves a person asking “who is this movie for?” That’s unfortunately, a common occurrence in this dinosaur-filled movie, though.

The picture, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as suburban married couple, Denise and Greg. All is not happy in their home, though, as their marriage is on the rocks, with Denise particularly tired of the way the relationship is going.

They’re forced to put their marital issues aside, though, to protect their two children when a strange event happens. One morning, they wake up to find their entire neighborhood has been transported back in time to a dangerous age of dinosaurs. Now, the family has to band together to survive and find a way back to their own time.

REVIEW: Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ is an extraordinary cinematic experience

The word epic is sometimes thrown around loosely, but Christopher Nolan’s films usually earn the title. His latest flick once again qualifies.

“The Odyssey” is the latest from the Academy Award winning filmmaker. Based on Homer’s ancient text, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of the city state Ithaca. Following the victory by Greece at Troy, Odysseus and his army are now trying to sail back to their home, but as legend tells, their journey is a perilous one.

Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, Odysseus’ son Telemachus (Tom Holland) is anxiously waiting for his father to return and deal with an escalating situation. The issue in question is the group of suitors wanting to marry Ithaca’s queen, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), as most believe Odysseus is dead leaving the throne vacant.

REVIEW: Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ is an enjoyable mix of science and nature

Pixar has had a mixed track record in the 2020s, but fortunately, it’s new release is one of the better flicks from the animation studio.

The latest feature from the Disney affiliate centers on Mabel (Piper Curda), a college student who cares deeply about animals and nature. Her appreciation puts her at great odds with her city’s mayor, Jerry (Jon Hamm), who intends to develop a highway bypass. Doing so would mean the destruction of a natural area Mabel holds dear.

One night, when looking for solutions with few options left, she learns of a program at her college which has developed life-like robots, one of which looks like a beaver. The robots are controllable by humans with a neural link, and Mabel takes control of one to connect with animals and lead them in taking back there home under threat.

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REVIEW: ‘KP Demon Hunters’ has infectious energy despite pedestrian story

K-Pop is entertaining enough by itself, but throw in some glowing weapons and action, and things really get dialed to 11.

That’s the case with this new animated flick from Sony. Released on Netflix, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” follows a trio of singers who moonlight as fierce warriors. Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) make up a wildly popular group who regularly sell-out concerts.

At the same time, they spend time ridding the world of demons who threaten to steal souls from the unsuspecting public. The three have gotten exceptionally good at both of their jobs. However, a new threat arises in the form of a group of demons who take the form of a boy K-Pop group, which begins siphoning their fans for a nefarious plot.

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REVIEW: ‘Rebirth’ shows ‘Jurassic’ series should go extinct

The people behind this film better bow down anytime they see John Williams.

That’s because the legendary “Jurassic” theme is used often in the latest movie in the franchise. Scarlett Johansson stars in the film as Zora, a mercenary for hire with plenty of experience in dangerous places. That’s where she’s headed in this flick, as she’s been hired by a pharmaceutical company to lead a paleontologist to an island inhabited by dinosaurs.

The goal is to extract the blood of three dinos, which could help lead to a cure for heart disease. That paleontologist is Henry Loomis (Jonatahn Bailey). He’s accompanied on the trip by Zora’s teammates, including Duncan (Mahershala Ali), the captain of an excursion boat.

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REVIEW: Live ‘Dragon’ finds mild success with animated playbook

After six years, the dragon Toothless returns to the big screen looking much like he did in the animated film from 2019. The world around him, though, is much different.

The latest “How to Train Your Dragon” film is a remake of the 2010 animated feature. Like its cartoon counterpart, the picture centers on the young, awkward Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames), who doesn’t have the same battle prowess of his father, Chief Stoick (Gerard Butler).

But he makes up for it with his inventiveness, which he uses to one day catch one of the dragons attacking his village. He can’t bring himself to slay the dragon when push comes to shove, though, and instead decides to learn about the creature and train it.

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REVIEW: Long live the ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’

It’s hard to imagine the current run of “Planet of the Apes” continuing on without Caesar, but director Wes Ball’s latest film in the series is a fitting follow-up to the 2010s trilogy.

“Kingdom” takes place several generations after Caesar’s death. Humans are now primitive and scarce, while the apes have built up small villages, one of them being home to the protagonist, Noa (Owen Teague). Led by Noa’s father, the clan built a peaceful society around training falcons.

The peace of Noa’s village is shattered, though, when it’s raided by another ape kingdom set on conquest. Injured in the battle, Noa awakens to find his village destroyed and residents taken hostage. From there, Noa sets out on a quest to rescue those imprisoned and gets an unlikely ally along the way.

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REVIEW: ‘Madame Web’ is a woeful ‘Spider-Man’ spin-off

This film may be titled “Madame Web,” but the titular character barely gets to shine in her own movie.

Dakota Johnson stars as Cassie Webb in this new film set in 2003 with loose ties to the “Spider-Man” mythos. Webb is a paramedic in New York City in her 30s who grew up in foster care as her mom died in Peru studying a rare spider species.

The film picks up with Cassie as she begins to have visions of the future on a regular basis. Her most important vision comes when she sees three girls in danger of being attacked by a person with superhuman abilities. From there, she sets out to protect the girls who are destined to do heroic things in the future.

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REVIEW: ‘Nimona’ is an awesome animated adventure

Production issues nearly sidelined this film. Thank goodness it was revived and released on Netflix.

“Nimona” is set in a kingdom where the past meets the future. While the kingdom has all the makings of a medieval state in function, the movie is set in a high-tech world, with knights using hovercraft and advance technology.

The movie centers on one such knight, Ballister (Riz Ahmed), who finds himself framed for killing the queen of the kingdom. He meets an unlikely ally, though, in an unruly shapeshifter named Nimona (Chloe Grace Moretz) who has been shunned by the society at large for her abilities.

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REVIEW: ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a fine film about healing

The mind of Hayao Miyazaki continues to be a wonderfully mystical place.

He’s shared some more of his magical vision with his latest animated fantasy feature, “The Boy and the Heron.” The film, set during World War II, centers on a pre-teen boy, Mahito, who is struggling mentally and emotionally after the death of his mother in a fire.

The film picks up with the protagonist’s father recently getting remarried to the sister of his late wife, Mahito’s aunt Natsuko. Mahito is resistant to moving on and accepting the new reality, but when he discovers a path to a magical world, he’s thrust into an adventure where he has to learn to live and trust again, as well as embrace his family.

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