Tag: Family

REVIEW: While Not As Good As Original, ‘Finding Dory’ Is Still Fun For The Family

Per usual, Pixar knows how to pull an audiences heartstrings. In “Finding Dory,” though, that’s not fully enough.

The latest film from the animation studio picks up a year after the first film left off. Marlin (Albert Brooks), Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) all live along the familiar coral reef and despite Dory’s occasional issues with her memory, life seems to be happy.

Adventure starts to set in with the returning protagonists, though, when Dory suddenly remembers her parents and decides she has to find them. Joined by Marlin and Nemo, Dory travels to a rescue and release park for fish where she believes she can find her family.

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REVIEW: ‘The Jungle Book’ Hits Its Stride With Lead Voice Talents And Effects

The 2016 “Jungle Book” film certainly adds some new bits here and there, but those who have seen the Disney animated movie should find themselves in familiar territory.

As the classic tale goes, “Jungle Book” tells the story of Mowgli (played by Neel Sethi), a young boy living in a vast wooded area who’s been raised by a pack of wolves and a panther named Bagheera (Ben Kingsley).

While Mowgli’s life for much of the film’s introduction is peaceful, his world shakes up when a human-hating tiger, Shere Khan (Idris Elba), threatens him. While trying to escape, Mowgli comes across multiple other animals in the jungle including a bear named Baloo (Bill Murray) and the two form a friendship.

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REVIEW: Disney’s Win Streak Continues With The Fantastic ‘Zootopia’

Since John Lasseter took over Walt Disney Animation Studio, the company has continuously put out good material. “The Princess and the Frog,” “Tangled” and “Wreck it Ralph” were all well crafted features and “Frozen” and “Big Hero 6” were downright great. I’m very happy to report that “Zootopia” may be a film that tops them all.

In the movie, Zootopia is actually a major metropolis populated by all sorts of mammals. The film follows Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a bunny who becomes the first of her kind to join the Zootopia Police Department but is immediately given parking meter duty. She gets a big break, though, when she manages to work her way onto a missing persons case.

In doing so, she teams up with a Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a cynical con-artist who has a few clues as to what happened.

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REVIEW: While Not Perfect, ‘Eddie The Eagle’ Still Pulls Off The Landing

“Eddie the Eagle” is the latest film that captures the Olympics and the second one that tells an underdog story at the 1988 games, with the other being “Cool Running.”

The film’s first half hour follows the titular character, Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton), through childhood. Edwards is completely obsessed with going to the Olympics and much of his youth is spent trying out a selection of different sports, with them all ending in failure.

That is until he comes across skiing, which he is actually pretty good at. Unfortunately, the British Olympic officials decide to not take Edwards with to the 88 games in Calgary, which spurs the protagonist to find another route to the event. His solution is ski jumping and he finds help in a washed up, former champion named Bronson Peary (played by Hugh Jackman).

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The Good Dinosaur review

Director:
Peter Sohn
Cast:
Raymond Ochoa
Jack Bright
Sam Elliot
Jeffrey Wright
Frances McDormand
Rated: PG

“The Good Dinosaur” follows the story of what appears to be a young brachiosaurus (even though it never clarifies) who is the smallest in his family. The young dinosaur named Arlo (Ochoa) tries help his family with chores but keeps messing up. Things get worse when he is swept away in a river by a storm.

This leaves Arlo stranded and needing to find his way back to his family with the only help coming from a young human boy.

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Love the Coopers review

Director:
Jessie Nelson
Cast:
Diane Keaton
John Goodman
Ed Helms
Amanda Seyfried
Alan Arkin
Olivia Wilde
Anthony Mackie
Marisa Tomei
June Squibb
Jake Lacy
Rated: PG-13

“Love the Coopers” is a story of a large extended family who are, for the most part, all dreading a Christmas Eve dinner where everyone gets together. The two main characters of the film are Charlotte (Keaton) and Sam (Goodman), a couple who’ve been married for 40 years, however, their relationship is falling apart. This holiday stress coincides with their son Hank (Helms) losing his job, having a strained relationship with his ex-wife and children and their daughter, Eleanor (Wilde) meeting a soldier named Joe at an airport and developing a friendship with him.

These plot threads and more, such as one of Hank’s sons having a teen romance and another where Charlotte’s sister Emma (Tomei) being arrested ,develop for much of the film’s first half until they converge when everyone meets for Christmas.

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The Peanuts Movie review

Director:
Steve Martino
Cast:
Noah Schnapp
Hadley Belle Miller
Francesca Capaldi
Alexander Garfin
Rated: G

It’s a full length feature Charlie Brown!

In this computer animated film based off the classic Schulz comic, Charlie Brown (Schnapp) has a goal of winning the affections of a young girl who just moved to the neighborhood and is in his class.

As usual, though, Charlie runs into troubles, whether they be of his own or other people’s doing.

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Jem and the Holograms review

Director:
Jon M. Chu
Cast:
Aubrey Peeples
Ryan Guzman
Juliette Lewis
Stefanie Scott
Rated: PG

Jerrica (Peeples) is a young girl living with her aunt, sister Kimber (Scott) and two cousins Shana (Perrineau) and Aja (Kiyoko). While Jerrica is shy, she does have great musical talent and one day, under the disguise of Jem, records herself playing an original song.

After Kimber uploads the Jem video to Youtube, Jerrica’s alter ego becomes a sensation in the music industry. But the situation gets complicated when she has to start dealing with Erica Raymond (Lewis), the head of a huge music label.

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Goosebumps review

Director:
Rob Letterman
Cast:
Jack Black
Dylan Minnette
Odeya Rush
Ryan Lee
Amy Ryan
Jillian Bell
Rated: PG

“Goosebumps” is a film inspired by the childrens’ books written by R.L. Stine. The film is, in a way, in the same vein as “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare,” since R.L. Stine (Black) is actually a character who has to face his own creations.

The movie follows Zach (Minnette), a teen moving to a new city because of his mother getting a new job. As he gets settled into his new home, he meets Hannah (Rush), a teen living next door whom he befriends. He comes to find out, though, that her father actually is Stine. Stine right away comes off as frightening and things go from bad to worse when it’s discovered that his novels can come to life when they open.

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REVIEW: ‘Pan’

Director:
Joe Wright
Cast:
Hugh Jackman
Levi Miller
Garrett Hedlund
Rooney Mara
Rated: PG

In the latest adaption of the story featuring a boy who never grows up, Levi Miller is tasked with playing the legendary character Peter Pan. In “Pan,” Peter starts off his journey growing up in an orphanage with less than stellar conditions making up his surroundings.

It all changes, though, when he is whisked away by a group of pirates who are kidnapping orphans.

The pirates, who operate massive flying ships, bring Peter to Neverland and that’s where he comes to meet Blackbeard (Jackman), the leader of the bandits who is using kidnapped orphans to dig for the precious commodity, crystallized fairy dust. Peter decides to get away from the whole situation and does so with the help of a young man named Hook (Hedlund).

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