SPIES IN DISGUISE

"No man is an island" ...when pigs can fly And birds of a feather do eventually flock together. Upbeat inclusive family animated film of extreme and opposite personality types accepting each other and themselves. Set in the cool cool world of spies, Bad guys vs Good guys, under the pressures of authority. The set is as best as it gets, streamline animation, chiseled and stylized to a sleek lines, smooth blocked rich colors, rectangular as one side of the atmosphere to a round fluffy caricatures like Pikachu. This contrast of moods is also basis the theme of "weird" vs "society norm"/ fitting in. Being misunderstood. Acting out based on trama. Of course, it's not a dark approach, It's about making friends, making a team. If you give a person with a good heart time, everyone becomes a winner. Will Smith and Tom Holland are featured. And the screenplay and development accentuates the niche these Film Archetypes brilliantly have. Smith's kooky smug suave and Holland's cuddling jinxy exasperated teen yearning...test each other and find common loving ground and acceptance. Some would call them "vanity roles"; and for sure they are tweaked and tailored. But that is the only reason why this film was made and why Smith and Holland signed up. So we could see more of them as themselves indulging us in their charisma's. Both these guys are attractive, interesting to watch. And that's enough sometimes. It's all about People and animals naturally having different skills and finding away to co-exist without throwing some one away. Everybody is useful. Now, this is not a high-powered in your face animated film, that leaves you all twisted out, emotional, headachey, heartbreaky. There's mutual respect and comeraderie. That doesn't mean there isn't action, and goofiness. It has both great action sequences and silly laughs. Finally it's easy for kids to just jump right in. As an animated feature it really gets a 4.5...because it's the best it can be for what it is. Go enjoy yourself, be entertained, and don't lay an egg about it

DOWNTOWN ABBEY

A Day In The Life First, I never watched one episode of this series and went in totally blind. The film present the pomp and circumstances of the class system of Great Britain in the day to day lives from the Royals, the Upperclass, to the Servant, way back when.... It's not a film about plot, archs, intrique, it is a film about details, the smaller details, ticks, and quirks -- emotional and mental thought-ware, we humans share in our ant-like daily routines... without judgement. One's place in life, being loved and or approved, and self worth are the underbelly of everyone's character and the "raison d'etra". The reason to be. At that period in time This place was the economy of everyone and essential to live and have any livelihood at all. There was nothing better so everyone makes do. This is the essence of the film. With a broadstroke, nothing is whitewashed. All the peccadillos, bitterness, sweetness are unreservedly served without any winks or nods, but with attitude to remember one's place and position. Yet finally, One can have their position in this society And Have hope to find and have love, self worth in their life, and be satisfied. The sets, costumes, scenery are well established. You believe you are there. You can feel the well manicured grass growing, and hear the grandfather clock ticking, how the furniture is nicely dusted, the fireplace roaring.... All tidy and ordered. This is a safe place. This is why people stay in their positions. What is beyond this haven is unknown unsure and unsafe. This is why this film portrayal of Downton Abbey is brilliantly appealing and why it gets an A+, because it focuses on that and only that. One character wanders off and for a moment and gets lost into the big bad unsafe world exclaiming " This is my first time here, I've never been here before." Lucky for these denizens Downtown Abby was there. To diatribe, the film and its resonance is a parallel to all societies and classes. More importantly, it is a macro family. Update the period, the clothes, the lingo...it could be your family. The film shows people as they were and are, good average people who tried to behave well. And if you are like that, this will suit your fancy. If you want more contrariness, murder, betrayal, super opining archs...maybe you should sit this one out.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER STAR WARS IX

"Love is a battlefield..."
"...What's love but a second hand emotion"
"And I-I-I will always love you-ou-..."

A Fantasy Film! With a cornucopia of Clones, DNA, Karma, Dharma/Adharma, and Ancestry.com. Who knew? 

This sequel is all in line with the Star Wars Saga
The look the touch the feel is absolutely fabulous.
Star-war-nistas should be very happy contented.

Star Wars still remains the simple narrative of siddhis= supernatural power used for selfish or humanitarian goals, dark nature or good nature. 
And you know, that's why it still is fresh today. The bottom line is the Wizard of Oz's Glenda asked Dorothy, 
" Are you a good witch or a bad witch?!"
From Harry Potter, Borne Identity, Maleficent,  etc ... will you do good or evil with your talents.
Will you join the dark side or the force?"

It is brilliantly Star Wars-y, lots of action, great drama comic moments, unmatched cinematography, good acting, classic direction...it surpasses itself but remains the levels and imagery we love and expect,  it wasn't hijacked or reinvented into a superintergalactixaluniverse.

As a child, we loved hearing Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood over and over again.
This story line is a follow through soap opera but nonetheless it's has that great nature of never growing old to hear the retelling.
That's why we go. To see old friends.

And it got a little cuchie-fritto with the love story, sniff sniff.
Ooh, I was like these peeps need to get a room! And can I watch?
Seriously, I loved it.

It's for everybody, I mean 
everybody. 
Literally, button button who's got the button has finally been answered.

The most important take away from this film is that with all the planning in the world by the good people and/ or evil-doers ...there is always the unknown quality called choice.
A choice has to be made.
What will one choose?
Here a mother's unconditional love is the tipping point.

Go see this for yourself, you owe it to you to enjoy " IX " without anyone fogging up your lens.
Over 40 years of storytelling was created not to waste your time or money, but to entertain you.
Director's, Crews, Costumes, Lights, Casts, thousands upon thousands worked tirelessly to tell you a tale on film. Respect that process and go enjoy yourself.
The admission price is less than you would spend on lunch. Just go.

Have fun and
...the look...of love...is in... your eyes...the look...that time... can't erase....."
bring some tissue

JOJO RABBIT

Hey "Kill anything that's different" except yourself and who decides?

A film tackles tragi-comedy of how a boy JoJo is swept up into real life waters of the training of war heroes/criminals by brain wash propaganda.
Nothing makes sense.
A dynamic presentation of horrible absurdities of extreme ugly truths and beautiful lies.

His playing field is the ending days of WW2 /
the backdrop of the perplexing psychological emotional ride of who is right, and what is right, and who and what is wrong.
How can a child exist and navigate this?
All throughout war history, children manage, cope, survive, live to tell their story.
This is JoJo's story,
and
His Vision is a collage amalgamation of what could be numerous experiences by many youths as one person.

Like all films, they are a man-made artist's vision, this no less is a conglomeration of visions, narrative, stories presented as one vision.

Director Waititi was not around so this is his version of his research
of what others have said and plus what was written in the novel "Caging Skies by Christine Leunens. ~ [ Hogan's Heroes the television serial, and Springtime for Hitler of Mel Brook's Film turned Broadway Hit "The Producers" are the heavy tangential referenced predecessors of this nincompoop comic war film genre.
And to be a frank, wartimes do not cause people to lose their humor / only maybe suppression and even concentrates it...but a fly in the ointment would be, could one 50 years from now have these same themes approached around fresh atrocities like 911, Hiroshima, Rwanda...

for sure,
long time gaps create fertile ground for the mindset to tackle this,
and future contemporaries with no doubt will be having political incorrectness talk-ins
regarding them ].

In This Film:
Ignorance, humour, satire, pretense, absurdity, mother's love, friendship love are the pillars buttresses which keep JoJo and His World from caving in and swallowing him up, though it's suffocating.

The writing mixes complex tragic humour to always look on the bright side.
Like a laughing cry or a crying laugh. But it is no flippant lemonade-making.

The acting is committed and earnest and believeable.
This is a very strong brew because war is never irreverential.
Similarly we can laugh at the families' antics and nature of a feud like the Hatfield and the McCoy
but not at the feud and its carnage.

At the end of the day: All are victims of war eventually. No matter the winners.

The effects of it remain.
The atomic radiation and the results of ethnic cleansing are the outcome.

Great loss and gain are inevitable, and those too are JoJo's effects.

You can't guard the world against the darkness vileness of humans against humans,
like ants invading ants, hyenas and lions,natural resource fights go back to time immemorial.

The Mahabharata, the epic true history of War in Ancient India...yes, it is true,
when you see the size of it and know it was orally transmitted for thousands of years bc if its value,
no priest of that time would waste time to memorize garbage. It's counter culture.

So War it seems will always be a human thing to do to pass time.

The great aspect of this film, we always hear statistics like 20 million Chinese died due to Japan's Invasion,
the great aspect is that a personal face individualizes the event and brings it us to experience.

JoJo does this.
And in hopes,
it can help rid us humans war-itis.

Who should see this.
All ages. Why?!

"Less history keeps repeating itself" over and over again.

The unfortunately prophetic mantra that needs no proof

DOCTOR SLEEP

Room 237 "the darkest things are the hungriest things..." Oh! Stephen King Ambience at its best. The storytelling is superb The acting is tight The mood and tempo is thrilling All the filmesque ducks are in a cinematic row and this film shines. Ewan Mc brings a caliber of acting that heightens the trauma drama. Ferguson brings in a touch of sinister that could sweetly groom anyone. Curran sharp and tough with frills and frou frou. Now the film, is a great sequel to The Shining without being stuck in homage mode. Danny-still-shining is all growed up living a la vida reckless homeless loca" life when he gets the proverbial "who you gonna call? ghost-buster" call. The Horror- Coaster Ride thusly commences. Nuff said. It's a thing that goes bump in the night ride, fasten your seatbelts. Stephen King always stresses beware of the groomers bc since Time immemorial there will always be evil and evil-doers looking for prey with good and good-doers thwarting them with comeuppance. Evil most always wears a nice mask to camouflage their evilness. These evil ones are no different. And here, you can't help but root for the good guys, and cheer when the bad guys get clapped back and knocked on their asses. Human or non-human, or spirit. Yeah for the good guys. The film's screenplay stands firmly on its own.... Fresh and innovative. Crisp writing New and Old relateable characters Understated cgi Phenomenal music score. Mouse trap fly trap glue trap The sets cinematography locals are what you expect in King film. Any number of lines, visuals, twists that give this the unexpected narrative watchabilty, seriousness and humour. They slowly unfold and pull you in, giving you jolt after creepy jolt. You just can't look away a moment less you miss something vital. Director Mike Flanagan establishes his own mood and craftily lifts enough from the original Shining that gives you this woozy wow atmosphere. He never references it, He expands it with a new nuance. I'm gonna use the "M" word. Masterwork. A Delight. Kubrick would be proud. At the end of day.. if you owe a spiritual debt, pay it while you have time.... And also see this entertaining film, it's a treat. ---a real life serious aside: This type of grooming portrayed in this film is how children, adults are disarmed and molested by strangers and friends. It's unsettling and blunt, but it's a discussion point worth noting. Scouts, Priests, Bankers, Politicians all use these tactics. If your gut tells you some thing is fishy, believe it and move away. Sometimes it's only you who can protect you

JUMANJI THE NEXT LEVEL

There is no game like an old fun game "... getting old is a gift..." The Jumanji Realm is a reactivated and revisited and the slippery slope trap door fun escapade commences. Conventional and gameboard hijinx mix it up as the waterfall puns tumble downstairs like a slinky. Lots of paper airplane giggles and jokes hit the air one after another as they are tossed across the classroom and hit their mark. It's not miked stand-up comic humour, it's fresher. Like a cucumber. How is a cucumber funny?! Under the right setup, a cucumber can be really funny. They come out of left field unexpectedly -- this is probably one of the hardest techniques to execute it. ie I love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore, Gilligan's Island episode high quality genre. The various locales these wly ones tramp through are for sure the standard Earth Wind and Fire initiational snowflakey sandy airy misty pitstops places...like Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Hobbit with even its own type of Star Wars token shady shanty watering hole bar/town of shifty characters. Great artisan values. The Cinematography is on epic scale with pearl like effervesence...I mean it's highly texturized, you feel cold or hot or creepy or dusty, like having to schlump through a crowed plant filled jungle with emerald floppy elephant sized leaves hanging all over you, And yet capture a very slick sophisticated comedy action packed trek with an adventure quest through it. The pacing is on point. The dialogue and the narrative, the writing mainly stays with a sensitive punchy hearty friendship themes, light and deep. In which...when and where "what am I doing with my life and what have I done with my life" intersect. This self discovery can't be mapped so therefore the laugh and tears cannot be expected. Exceptional comedy farce at its best. The genius of laugh-cry. It's not meant to be hilarious or ridiculous. It's about real ordinary people coping with themselves and others and happenstances cause laughter. It is an accomplished troupe of acteurs. The ensemble focus smartly shuffles around like 3 card monte . Everybody equally shines and gets the last laugh card. A dramatic moment. A shenangin. A breakfast cereal called Switcheroos. An "A" in timing for all. You are actually made to feel like you're a character too, that you were invited and are tagging along. I will diatribe and make a grist for the mill technical note. The scaling of trying to make 5'4" inch Jonas, Black, Hart look as big as 6'5" Dwayne stature, stifles some of the creative flow. They are constantly layered, stack, placed in positions to look the same size. Silly posturing. Jonas rides a 4 foot shetland pony, not a 6 foot horse. Whatever. If this was dropped, some natural interactions shots scenes wouldn't seem so stilted stiffled and cardboardy. You got Jonas/Dwayne having a tete-a-tete 20 feet from each other but they are suppose to be side by side. Yikes! Too conclude: Kudos to this fine production. An adventure film to be enjoyed. Everyone can go to, laugh with, get excited. Breezy Entertainment at its best. So say my name say my name say my name Jumanji... you heard if from me first.