San Diego Comic Con is around the corner and the trolleys are wrapped promoting the fourth season of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
The blazing chain in the promotion is reminiscent of Ghost Rider and it would be an awful idea to introduce the character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on network television. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started off as a cute idea but has since been a thorn in the side if the MCU by destroying the origin of the Inhumans. As a fan of Clark Gregg and Agent Coulson, I feel bad that he’s stuck in a wasteland of a show. If the ABC show was decent you would expect Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to reintroduce fan favorite Coulson back into the films, but that has yet to happen. Furthermore, with the addition of the MCU on Netflix the bar has been raised on the cinematic expectations on television and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. just doesn’t make the cut.
There has been no official announcement from Marvel Studios that Ghost Rider will be introduced on the show, as comingsoon.net points out a Hellfire chain was the weapon of choice for the Secret Warriors‘ character J.T. James, aka Hellfire. James made his television debut, played by Axle Whitehead, on the series last year.
Ghost Rider is a character that needs a Netflix series to properly introduce and understand the complexities of his world. Also, he’s a dark character by nature and to put him on ABC would an injustice far worst than Nicholas Cage as Johhny Blaze. Now that Marvel has the rights to the character, let us treat him with the respect and dignity that Ghost Rider deserves and keep him as far away from the abomination that is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
We are not sure where Mephisto’s film rights fall as his first appearance was in Silver Surfer #3 (December 1968), and Silver Surfer is controlled by 20th Century Fox.
If you are watching Robert Kirkman’s Outcast on Cinemax (and you should), the horror-religious element would be a perfect template for a Ghost Rider series on Netflix.
Do you want to see Ghost Rider on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or would you rather the character get its own Netflix series.
Between ‘Jaws’ and ‘Deep Blue Sea’ Lies The Intense Fun That Is ‘The Shallows’
I admittedly love shark movies. Hoping to get something with more substance than 2003’s ‘Open Water‘, there was a happy surprise to see that ‘The Shallows‘ is campy horror that knows exactly what kind of film it is.
The story is simple: Blake Lively plays Nancy Adams, a young girl with a heavy heart and a need to find peace. She believes surfing this hidden spot in Mexico is the way to that peace. What she finds is a great white shark who doesn’t enjoy her entering his feeding area. Stranded on a rock, she fights nature & a shark to survive.
My biggest compliment has to be the way it strings together different elements of the horror genre. Intense gore, great suspense, and some jump scares can be found within this film. ‘The Shallows‘ also leaves room for some genuine humor within this twisted situation. Summer horror films needs to have this sense of dread while remaining entertaining; this is something not many films do well but director Jaume Collet-Serra pulls it off. He totally used the most of his PG-13 rating.
Also, the breathtaking cinematography from Flavio Labiano has to be noted. I can recall many times where I was just taken back with how jaw-dropping the scenery was or applauding sleek stylistic shot choices. The scene where Nancy is first attacked and the water turns red; the entire scene becomes red and you instantly feel the pain and panic. All the masterful work from Labiano is showcased from beginning until the very last frame.
“What was once in the deep is now in the shallows”
Blake Lively really impressed throughout the film. While her exposition scenes are clunky, Lively’s “fish out of water” All-American girl character was perfectly used here. That is until her survival instinct kicked in & we saw her go from bubbly girl to a determined mad-woman. There was a quirk the creators gave her and that was this medical background. It was hinted her character wanted to drop out of med-school but that training is what kept her alive during this ordeal. Filling dialogue within the film, the character Nancy Adams would verbally walkthrough her self-performed medical procedure step-by-step. Lively also worked well with her seagull sidekick…told you got it a little campy at times.
Now it’s time to talk about the shark.
The shark films of recent have relied heavily on their computer generated creatures. While obviously the good chunk of the shark’s screen-time was CG, the practical moments were superb. Animatronics or prop effects used in 70’s masterpiece ‘Jaws‘ still have a place within the film world so there’s admiration for seeing it used here. That’s not to take away from the visual effects as they were stellar. In particular when it came to the epic ending fight scene.
Many will call them over-the-top but the underwater sequences were the most suspenseful moments. The build up to the shark attacks was slow; the audience was treated beautiful surfing shots with fake-out scares along the way. A great one being a slow brooding build & it just turns out to be adorable dolphins. When you finally see the shark underwater, you’re sucked into the moment.
Final Thoughts:
Look, you don’t go into a film like this knowing the story will be the shining star but the script was backed by original thrills & stunning visuals. The third act becomes a bit slow but all of the earlier exposition paid off with emotion and plot development.
I have to recommend this fin-tastic horror film.
‘The Shallows‘ comes out June 24th, 2016. Starring Blake Lively and Óscar Jaenada.
Tony Stark is “the cool exec with the heart of steel.” He’s a genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, and he’s not afraid to let everyone know. Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stark and his alter ego, the Invincible Iron Man have become a household name. But where did the golden Avenger really come from?
Created by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber with art by Don Heck and Jack Kirby, Iron Man was introduced in 1963 in Tales of Suspense #39. Based on Howard Hughes and made to be a symbol against the Cold War, most of his early villains were from the Soviet Union. Their purpose was to steal or destroy technology Stark had created to aid National Defense Agencies like the Army.
Of course he was already inventing technology before he could even drive. While on a trip to Vietnam to aid the Army, Stark stepped on a booby trap was severely wounded. He was captured by Wong Chu, a local Warlord who wanted Stark to build weapons for his forces. His life hanging by a threat, Stark was saved by a fellow prisoner named Ho Yinsen, a scientist in his own regard. Together, the two designed and built a chest plate which was capable of keeping Stark’s injured heart beating. Realizing the chest piece could also work to power other devices, Stark and Yinsen built a suit of armor and gave birth to Iron Man.
While still in Vietnam and trying to make his way back, he met a soldier named James Rhodes, who was one of the first trusted with Stark’s true identity as Iron Man. He would later get his own armor and become known as War Machine. After escaping the country and returning to America, Stark used the Iron Man armor to fight against many villains, create new technologies, but dealt with many struggles along the way. He would redesign his armor into many different versions, but would realize the weapons he created were hurting people and focused his company, Stark Industries on technology which could benefit humanity. He would also lose his business to Obadiah Stane and have to start again from the bottom, become both the Secretary of Defense and the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. and become a member of The Illuminati, a group designed to keep the bigger threats of the world in check behind the scenes.
Stark is blessed with many allies who have his back when the chips are down and many villains who want nothing more than to see him dead. His right hand woman, Victoria “Pepper” Potts has stuck beside him for many years and is the love of his life but the two are always just able to be together. One of the best examples is when she married, Harold “Happy” Hogan, Stark’s chauffeur. Happy would unfortunately meet his end at the hands of villain known as Spymaster during Civil War. His enemies would include armored fiends trying to test his metal such as Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and Iron Monger. He would also face organizations of evil such as A.I.M. and their most recognized member, M.O.D.O.K.
Other than the Illuminati, Stark as Iron Man has been a part of many teams throughout the Marvel Universe. He started as one of the first Avengers, but went on to join other split off teams such as The Avengers West Coast, the New Avengers, and The Mighty Avengers. He would also create his own team called Force Works, and briefly be a part of teams such as The Thunderbolts and The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Throughout his career, Stark has had two great enemies. The first, The Mandarin, is a man who not only has utilized ten rings, each with their own unique power but is also a master strategist. He sees both Stark and Iron Man to be obstacles which stand in the way of his destiny of ruling the world. His second greatest enemy is his personal battle with Alcoholism. His struggle is one hel deals with even today and has cost him the trust of friends, the comfort of lovers, and the business he dedicated his life to advancing. Still, despite the efforts of many, Stark has shown he can be tough as nails, resourceful in a pinch, and can create technology which allows him to keep saving the world as Iron Man.
Quite a mute topic I know, but while Im waiting for the spring season to end and get my reviews ready I need to talk about something. Luckily I have a habit of thinking about things that don’t warrant as much critical thought to the point where I drive myself insane. One of which was my morbid curiosity about the dub scene. Considering that I’ve been watching a lot of Funimation’s simul-dubbing, I have taken this chance to give a sort of status update on dubs these days and maybe give a few recommendations of some modern dubs that you can sink your teeth into. But before all that we need to address the big question that I think needs addressing, “Why should I watch a dub of a show I’ve already seen?” And maybe in my excessive and tangential ramblings we’ll formulate some kind of an answer.
So I am one of those people who still get super excited when a dub comes out for a show that I really liked. I also don’t try to make it a habit of buying series without an english track. So I am probably the only dub fanboy who talks critically about anime. I am also the first critic to make that previous statement (<—sacasm alert). Sure its understandable that for the most part what you see first will be he subtitle version if you like to keep up with Anime. I certainly wont hold off watching a show because it doesn’t have a dub. This isn’t just because I review shows for a living and would be severely irrelevant if I talked about shows months after they released. Its because when a dub comes out it means that I will get either a brand new experience with at show or a heightened version of what I had already watched. The reason for this is that I just get more out of dubs because I don’t speak Japanese that well, not to mention the different dialects. When it comes to english I can tell the difference between every accent the language has and know what the inflections of these accents mean. As for Japanese I know little about how inflection works and what word or phrase its necessarily being put on, and seeing that inflection gives meaning to what you’re saying, its a big deal. Plus since subtitles can never be an exact mirror of what the Japanese are saying, there’s even more disconnect. At least with english dubs they change it to where what the characters are saying is congruent to what Im hearing. Some people will say that those things don’t matter since the emotions from the Japanese cast come’s through better than the english cast. Well something always sounds good when you don’t know how its suppose to sound like. This is the reason that I think most people praise subs over dubs. This is where I lose them.
Lets take Comedy as an example. When it comes to comedy series, unless its an extreme case, I will always find that the english dub release makes me laugh more. Theres just something about the Japanese language that doesn’t fit well with my brand of comedic timing. I really commend the english adapters on how they can bring the comedy in anime and localize it for western audiences. Most of the time they hit it out of the park. Shows like Baka and Test, Maria Holic and Date A Live, are made by how well the english comedy fits right in with those shows.
Moe/Slice of life shows are another matter here I can see a hard argument of just not getting a good experience from english dubs. But the market usually tends to release a lot of Moe/Slice of life as sub only so I think they get that too. There’s just something about that genre that doesn’t translate well enough to english. I guess Americans don’t know how to accurately portray funny cute girls or something.
But enough about genre specific stuff lets get into the reason why “you” the reader show even bother with watching an anime dub. To put it simply, when they hit it out of the park, which they do often, its just so good. I don’t buy all that original intent crap when it comes to voice acting, most of anime doesn’t need the original Japanese vocals to get the point across and people who say that don’t understand art in general. Besides if this were true we wouldn’t have plays and Shakespeare wouldn’t be the greatest playwright who ever lived, if his works couldn’t handle a simple change of cast. I mean I don’t think people know but subtitles are already unfaithful to the original Japanese intent. English and Japanese are two very different languages and a lot of things said in Japanese cant be directly translated into english. When something is truly great and is handled by people who care, the product that comes out will more often than not be great. And yeah I get where some people are coming from, there was a point in the mid 2000’s where Anime dubs sucked and everything felt like it was coming off a conveyor belt. And don’t even get me started on the dubs in the 90’s (#90kids). Since those dark times, the shows that are good, get a good dub. So this isn’t really a call to action seeing that the dub industry doesn’t really need it right now. I mean, I’m pretty sure if companies are willing to crank out dubs in such a quick fashion there is still a demand for it. All I’m here to do is maybe give those of you who haven’t seen a good anime dub in awhile some suggestions.
And if you’re asking “Why should I even watch a dub to a show I already have seen?” Well for one it gives you a reason to watch a show you like. Two, it will help you really focus on whats going on since anime is a visual medium. And Lastly, trust me when I say this, when you’re hearing emotion in your own language (and the acting skills are on par) its going to resonate with you more. Watching a dub is getting the fuller experience out of your anime, and who doesn’t want that. You do right? Of course you do. So go watch some of these stellar/recent dubs I’m about to recommend.
For this list I’m gonna be doing shows that are currently streaming, aired after 2010, and that I think benefit by having an English track.
Despite previous reports of a second season, HBO has decided to scrap Vinyl. The 70s coke-fueled music industry retread of many, many better films and shows won’t be back, much to the chagrin of dozens of people who watched the entire first season.
In a statement, HBO said “After careful consideration, we have decided not to proceed with a second season of ‘Vinyl.’ Obviously, this was not an easy decision. We have enormous respect for the creative team and cast for their hard work and passion on this project.”
HBO was eager to give Vinyl a second season renewal, going so far as to green light another go days after the season 1 debut. But over time, viewers and critics began to figure out the feint that was Martin Scorsese’s overcooked drama. Personally, I made it through one episode before I realized the show had absolutely nothing new to offer to a scene which had been dragged through literally every artistic medium. It was a terrible show. Everyone involved, from Scorsese to Bobby Cannavale to Ray Romano and everyone in between, is better off moving on to something better that suits their incredible talents.
And HBO doesn’t need Vinyl to move forward; Westworld is just around the corner, and is poised to be the station’s next big thing. That trailer certainly indicated as much.
So put Vinyl in the pile with John From Cincinnati, Luck, and Tell Me You Love Me as one-and-done HBO experiments. The network’s batting average is still quite impressive. They can’t all be hits.
Lucasfilm has kept any information about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story under tight wraps for a while. But with the movie only six months away, the studio is finally releasing character names and descriptions, with Forest Whitaker’s role being the most notable.
Whitaker will be playing a character that hardcore fans will find familiar: Saw Gerrera from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Gerrera was featured in a five episode arc on Clone Wars, starting with episode two of season five. He was an insurgent soldier on his home planet of Onderon, and fought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
“Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera is bulkier, more battle-hardened with the years, and maybe a little shellshocked. He has continued to fight; and, as he suggested in the trailer, he has become something — and it’s not quite a hero. Rather, he’s a man who has tried to do the right thing by occasionally doing questionable things.”
—
“’Consider him kind of a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists,’ Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy tells EW. ‘He’s on the fringe of the Rebel Alliance. Even [they] are a little concerned about him.'”
—
“One reason we saved his reveal until now, in addition to him having a deeper backstory than the other new characters, is that Saw is an ally to the Rebel squad in Rogue One, but he’s not really one of them. ‘He’s off on his own,’ Kennedy says.”
The official Star Wars YouTube Channel released the following video in conjunction with the reveal:
Pablo Hidalgo then took to Twitter to expand upon the character, and the choice to use him in Rogue One.
So. Saw Gerrera. Yes, to reiterate, he was an idea developed for the proposed live action TV show, but was introduced in The Clone Wars.
When it comes to sequels they really can be hit or miss. Sometimes a sequel gives a fan everything they want and properly continues the adventures of the characters and helps to enrich the plot of the world they exist in. Other times, it’s an absolute train wreck and it makes a fan not only hate the sequel but also takes a bit of enjoyment away from the original installment as well.
Anime is not immune to having bad sequels. Some of them have been so bad they have actually been the last installment in franchise or worse the series keeps going even after it. These are anime’s worst sequels.
10. Samurai Troopers OVAs
This one is a bit more obscure which is why it’s lower on the list. Remember Ronin Warriors? Well it had OVA sequels. One of them had the team fighting a generic villain, the other had them lose their armor in a battle with a Black Inferno armor, which didn’t properly explained they lost them. Finally, a third last OVA series gave the team a new set of armor entirely but ends before they can even have their first fight. This thing went downhill fast and made fans wish they had never asked for a sequel in the first place.
9. Metabots Damashii
How do you do a follow up to a season where the main character went to the world championship? Just reduce the cast, add a stupid gimmick, and take away everything which made the show fun. This was the part of the anime where Metabee got a transformation mode but most of the designs simply looked like bots from the previous seasons. Also a lot of the cast didn’t make it back in this season such as Koji, Karen, and Rintaro, which were fan favorite characters. Even the devout fans of the franchise have a hard time defending this sequel.
8. WXIII: Patlabor the movie 3
Have you ever thought “Let’s have as little of what made the other films and the TV series enjoyable as possible” then you’d have the thought pattern of the creators of the third Patlabor movie. Focusing on a pair of detectives in the Patlabor world the main cast from the TV series gets about ten whole minutes of screen time which is just about how much time the giant robots get as well. Because less giant robots is exactly what people want when they watch anime.
7. Ninja Scroll: The series
Though the Ninja Scroll sequel movies could have easily fit on this list, they are actually disqualified for not being direct sequels and only used the Ninja Scroll name. The TV series on the other hand was a director sequel and goes downhill fast. It posses one of the best first episodes ever, filled with the action, violence, and art quality much like the movie. It sadly never reaches this level of quality again and limps to the finish line with an unsatisfying defeat of the demonic army and Jubei walking off as if nothing happened.
6. Eureka Seven AO
The basic description for this series makes its sounds like it should be a winner. Ao, Eureka and Renton’s son has to pilot a redesigned Nirvash and help to stop incidents involving Scub Coral which can result in massive destruction. How could such a concept not succeed? Unfortunately, Ao, isn’t nearly as endearing a character as his father was and viewers just forced themselves to wait for members of the original cast to show up. Sadly by the time they decided to finally show up it was too late and most had given up before seeing this show through to the end.
5. Gundam Seed: Destiny
The original Gundam Seed was a great series. It introduced a bunch of great characters and some very powerful Mobile Suits to the franchise. Unfortunately the follow up, Destiny repeatedly used a lot of the same story elements of the first and overused flashbacks to the point series director Mitsuo Fukuda who was given the nickname “Flashback em’ all” by fans. The series ended on such a bad note a movie was announced to give the series a proper ending. Unfortunately there will be no movie. There have been eight series since then. It’s not coming out people so let it go.
4. Dragonball GT
Filler is any episode of an anime which has no connection to the original manga it was based on. Dragonball GT was based on no manga and the original creator of Dragonball, Akira Toriyama had absolutely no involvement in it. Even the most hardcore and devoted Dragonball fan has dismissed this series entirely, especially since the introduction of Dragonball Z: Battle of the Gods, Dragonball Z: Resurrection of F, and the new series, Dragonball Super. Of course, it did have the Super Android 17 saga, which was a pretty cool idea but this arc only went on for six episodes. The other 58 of them you can forget about.
3. Macross II
Some series are so bad fans wish they didn’t exist. Then there are the shows which are so bad, they are never referenced again, and are erased from the franchise’s canon. In this well forgotten sequel to the original Macross, a new group of aliens appear with their own singers which they use to control their warriors. A reporter helps one of the alien singers escape and shows her the joys of earth. Unfortunately their efforts result in the destruction of the original Macross in the final battle. Way to go guys, destroy a battleship which helped to bring peace to the entire galaxy.
2. Tenchi Muyo: Ryo Ohki
Why is this series on this list and not the more infamous entry in the franchise, Tenchi in Tokyo? Because Tenchi in Tokyo is bad but can be easily dismissed as a bad show. This series on the other hand wrecked the OVA series, the original introduction of the Tenchi Muyo characters which after all the different spin offs had been looked at as being the proper storyline. Then this series came around and answered everything fans had spent years speculating on as poorly as possible. The mysteries of Ryoko jewels was solved crudely, the evil goddess Tokimi was not only defeated but also starts hanging around Tenchi’s house, and entire series only served to set things up for Tenchi Muyo: GXP, which was the final nail in the coffin.
1. MD Geist 2: Deathforce
How do you follow up the worst anime OVA ever made? Simple, you give it a sequel. MD Geist, a terrible OVA about a genetically engineered soldier who at the end of the first series decided to destroy the world, because he’s only programmed for fighting. The sequel is far from a redemption story as Geist continues to kill but this time goes up against Krauser, another Most Dangerous (Yes, this is what the MD in the title stands for) soldier who is helping to rebuild society. The violence is over the top and not in a good way and the plot makes no sense. This OVA should just be avoided as it offers nothing but poor plot, bad art, and unnecessary violence.
Was there a sequel which you feel is the worst in the history of anime which isn’t on this list? Leave your opinion in the comment section below.
Twenty One Pilots released ‘Heathens’ Tuesday afternoon. This is the first music video to go along with the ‘Suicide Squad’ Motion Picture Soundtrack.
The song is rather bland and doesn’t inspire the chaos that is the Suicide Squad.
‘Suicide Squad’ is directed by Ayer and stars Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Oscar winner Jared Leto as the Joker, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.
The band of anti-heroes will be in theaters on August 5, 2016.
‘Suicide Squad’ Motion Picture Soundtrack
Bohemian Rhapsody
Written by Freddie Mercury
Performed by Panic! at the Disco
I Started a Joke
Written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb
Performed by Confidential MX featuring Becky Hanson
You Don’t Own Me
Written by John Madara and Dave White
Performed by Grace Sewell (as Grace) feat. Gerald Earl Gillum (as G-Eazy)
Ballroom Blitz
by Sweet
Back in Black
by AC/DC
Mother Brick in The Wall
by Pink Floyd
Bad Girl
by Avril Lavigne feat. Marilyn Manson
Sympathy For The Devil
by The Rolling Stones
The Polyphonic Spree
by Nirvana
Class Animal
by Kanye West
Where Is My Mind
by Yoav & Emily
Goodbye Horses
by Q Lazzarus
Creep
by Radiohead
Purple Lamborghini
Performed by Rick Ross and Skrillex
Heathens
Performed by Twenty One Pilots
Sucker for Pain
Performed by Lil’ Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons featuring Logic, Ty Dolla Sign (as Ty Dolla $ign) and X Ambassadors
Standing in the Rain
Performed by Action Bronson and Dan Auerbach featuring Mark Ronson
Gangsta
Performed by Kehlani
Know Better
Performed by Kevin Gates
Without Me
Performed by Eminem
Wreck Havoc
Performed by Skylar Grey
Medieval Warfare
Performed by Grimes
Slippin Into Darkness
Performed by War
Fortunate Son
Performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Nicolas Winding Refn is back with his 10th feature, The Neon Demon. The film is a visually startling, emotionally void tale about the dark, tumultuous holes one can fall into while traversing the fashion industry. Refn isn’t known for his films having substance in the traditional sense, but they do favor excessive glitz and style. He tends to craft his stories around images he wants to show rather than the story dictating cinematography. Refn certainly demonstrated this in Drive anddoes it once more in The Neon Demon.
Normally a movie this devoid of substance would be annoying, but this movie is different … it’s special. Hereis an aesthetically appealing spectacle that’s both unsettling and breathtaking at the same time. You don’t want to watch, but at the same time, it’s impossible to look away.
Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a naïve, eager, and pure 16-year old who moves to Hollywood and instantly lands a modeling gig. After a photo shoot that’s more foreboding than we initially realize, Jesse befriends Ruby (Jena Malone), a makeup artist who has offered to take Jesse under her wing and show her the ropes. One of her initial moves is to drag Jesse to a party that night where she meets two ultra-competitive and vapid models named Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee), who are immediately jealous of the younger Jesse. Jesse lands a meeting with a high profile agency and is told by Jan (Christina Hendricks) she needs to lie about her age and say she’s 19. And this is where the decent begins.
A fashion designer describes Jesse as “a diamond in a sea of glass.” The same can be said about the cinematography in The Neon Demon. The creativity is rich, the symmetry in the framing of each shot so precise that Kubrick himself would approve of Refn’s obsessive eye. And to the devastating use of lighting, Refn’s film is visually decadent.
There is a scene in the movie where Jesse is trapped in a motel room. The owner (played by a sleazy Keanu Reeves) is forcing his way into the room next to hers, and the audience can hear him assaulting a woman. Refn shot this scene by having Jesse go up to the shared wall and place her ear up against the wall. Most directors would have just stopped at that point, but Refn isn’t most directors. Refn illuminates the wall blood red, and thins the wall out to the depth of paper or canvas, conveying a sense of not only the brutality of the act but how helpless Jesse felt at that moment without her even having to say a single word.
The deliberate pacing gives the impression that this all could be a dream, a very violent, dark, and twisted dream. Refn sedates the audience just enough, enhancing the shock of some of the most violent scenes of the year. The narrative, at most, is incredibly simplistic. Fanning, Malone, Bella Heathcote, and Aubrey Lee all portray their characters with such little emotion that the audience is not attached to any of them. It’s as if they morphed from portraying people to portraying images, beautiful, twisted, dark, and sadistic.
Now for those who are fans of Refn, especially when he pushes the envelope, no need to worry because he takes what’s acceptable and pushes it to the limit. This film has everything from multiple stabbings, to thrown up eyeballs, deepthroating a knife, and morgue necrophilia.
Some may accuse this film of misogyny. I agree. But that’s the point Refn is trying to make to the audience. Hollywood can be incredibly misogynistic, and there is a dark side to the town most don’t want to think about.
Illumination Entertainment is the house the Minions made, and they are now expanding beyond their stable franchise with their first non-Despicable Me animated movie – The Secret Life of Pets.
Max (Louis C.K.) is a Jack Russell Terrier, who lives a perfect life with his loving human Katie (Ellie Kemper). When she disappears during the day, Max hangs out with friends. His idyllic life is shattered when Katie brings home a new dog – a big brown bruiser called Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Their rivalry leads to the dogs getting lost in New York, and they have to make their way home – being chased by animal control and an underground group of animals led by a psychopathic white rabbit (Kevin Hart) – while their friends led by Gidget the Pomeranian (Jenny Slate) attempt to find them in the Big Apple.
2016 has offered some great animated movies like Zootopia, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Finding Dory – family films that appeal to a wide audience: The Secret Life of Pets does not match them, aiming more towards a younger audience. Gags are mostly visual, playing on typical pet behavior – my personal favorite being Chloe the obese cat sitting in items that are too small for her and playing with cat toys. These were fun little touches in the animation. However, many of the best jokes have already been shown in the trailers. Some jokes were ripped off from other movies and TV shows such as a fantasy sequence being very similar to Homer Simpson’s daydream of the Land of Chocolate and the dogs obsession of squirrels like the dogs in Up. Others reminded me too much of The Angry Birds Movie – using fantasy sequences – and one joke where one character gets the names of other characters wrong.
Unlike many animated movies who hire a big name cast, The Secret Life of Pets hires a cast of TV actors, SNL cast members and comedians. This works in the movie’s favor for the most part – Louis C. K. made for a fine lead saying what we would expect a dog to say and sounding a lot younger than he really is. Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet’s was unrecognizable from his famous sitcom role – his voice being deep and imposing rather than being campy. Jenny Slate has a maniac energy fitting for her role as the energetic little dog, and Lake Bell had the best lines as Chloe – having a sardonic delivery. Albert Brooks was also a delight as the Tiberius the hawk – even if I was thinking at the time ‘where do I know that voice?’
The biggest cast members were Kevin Hart and Steven Coogan. Coogan is turning into a regular for Illumination Entertainment having appeared in Despicable Me 2 and Minions and this time he plays a gangland Sphynx cat who inexplicitly has a Cockney accent. But for someone who finds Hart to be no more than short Chris Tucker his Snowball the rabbit was a character trying to be funny by thinking shouting and screaming is enough.
The Secret Life of Pets is essentially like Toy Story and The Incredible Journey – a movie where we see what our pets get up to when their owners are away and with other pets trying to get back home. There is nothing wrong for movies to use similar storylines – it is bound to happen, especially for big budget and family films who have to play it safe. But The Secret Life of Pets has story beats that can be seen from miles away – particularly involving Duke’s back story. Only the youngest audience members would be surprised by the movie. Also with the invention of YouTube, we can watch animals getting up to crazy antics anytime we want.
The animation is fantastic as would be expected from a movie like this. Chris Renaud, the director of the Despicable Me movies, and Yarrow Cheney, Despicable Me‘s production designer go to great lengths to replicate New York City, and the animals are cute creations – particularly Gidget who is a white puffball. There will be a lot of stuffed toys made of these characters.
The Secret Life of Pets is a kid friendly film where only children below the age of four may find the movie too intense: that is a scene involving a snake. There is little on offer for an adult audience: there was only sporadic laugher at the screening I attended. Illumination Entertainment are masters at marketing and merchandising, and they should make a lot of money from this movie’s related products.
The movie also comes with a short film Mower Minions. It is a quick slapstick affair where everyone’s favorite yellow being starts a gardening business, and their accident prone ways make it a fun little diversion. The Minions work best in short burst.
Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a naïve, eager, and pure 16-year old who moves to Hollywood and instantly lands a modeling gig. After a photo shoot that’s more foreboding than we initially realize, Jesse befriends Ruby (Jena Malone), a makeup artist who has offered to take Jesse under her wing and show her the ropes. One of her initial moves is to drag Jesse to a party that night where she meets two ultra-competitive and vapid models named Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee), who are immediately jealous of the younger Jesse. Jesse lands a meeting with a high profile agency and is told by Jan (Christina Hendricks) she needs to lie about her age and say she’s 19. And this is where the decent begins.
