In Theaters: Movie Review: ****^Raya and the Last Dragon

 This is an offering from Disney but has the feel of Japanese Anime.  It has a definite Asian flavor with writers from Malaysian and Vietnamese backgrounds.  Kellie Marie Tran of Vietnamese descent and Star Wars voices Raya. This movie is very entertaining.  The fantasy world Kumandra fascinated me with its dragons and rivers.  This is a great family movie and teaches not only perseverance but also trust and loyalty.  I would recommend this movie to others.  It is playing locally in Kingman as well as available through Disney +

Movie Review: ****Smallfoot (2018)

The Bigfeet live in a community above the clouds, where people cannot survive.  The all are comfortable in their lives, except those who suspect something is not quite right.  Migo (Channing Tatum) is not one of them.  He is the son of the bell ringer.  On his first trial, he misses the gong, and travels well outside of the community, where he sees a plane crashing, and the pilot who jettisons in his parachute.  He observes the pilot, and sees his small feet before the wind carries him through the clouds. 
However Migo's story is not welcome; in fact it is scary, and he is banished when he refuses to recant.  While banished he meets the King's daughter, Meechee (Zendaya).  Migo is convinced to go through the clouds, which he does, and finds people, and brings one of them back, Percy (James Corden) a reporter..  The king (Meechee's father) (Common) takes Migo under his wing, and shows him pictures of history where the humans tried to kill the Yeti, forcing them to hide.  Their community is an elaborate scheme to keep their community balance.  This is done through deceit.  The Yeti (which are much bigger than people) decide to return the on they brought back.  However this results in the humans chasing after the Yeti as they try to capture them.  They have different languages, and it is hard to understand each other.  Only with Percy's help are they able to escape. 
This movie is about relationships, and whether we can get past differences and find common ground.  Both sides have to give.
This movie feels like a ray of sunshine amongst all the "R" rated fare available.  Great family movie.

Movie Review: ****A Fish Story (2013)

This is a brilliant find from Netflix Instant.  It is presented from Lumberjack Films, and appears to be of Canadian origin; the actors are American or Canadian.  This movie is as intriguing as "Ghost," without the sexualized mumbo jumbo.  Nick (Sam Roberts) has put his family life on hold, building a cabin by a lake.  It is finally done, and he wants to introduce it to his family.  Just a few more touches, and he is going to take them fishing like he promised.  His best friend in the community is the chief of police.  He mentions someone his burglarizing many in the neighborhood, so as Nick drives to the cabin, this person jumps in front of him.  Avoiding the collision, Nick rolls the truck, and dies.  The chief comes upon him, and seeing someone fleeing from the scene, calls for backup, and pursues him, leaving Nick alone as he dies.
Turn of fate, the individual, Eddie (Eddie McClintock) who walked in front of him steals a boat, and crashes, and also passes away.  Nick is there to meet him in spirit.  However his body stirs.  Eddie doesn't want to return to his body, and allows Nick to do so.  This is an interesting twist, because Nick is given time with his family to keep his promise and say goodbye, but in the body of the many who caused his accident.  Nick's children have discovered the body, and take the injured many home.
This movie is a good presentation of a family in crisis.  Can they accept this man into their life; and how can he and they move on?
Very entertaining and engaging.  This is a good family film.  there is some drinking as part of the coping, but this is confronted in the movie.
Nick's wife is portrayed by Jayne Heitmeyer.  His children by Jordyn Negri, Jamie Spilchuk and Steven Yaffee.  Eddie McClintock has a very difficult role as he portrays two men in the same body, and has to convince us that he has changed.  Roberts has a double roll in production as he is also credited with writing the story.

Movie Review: ****^The Secrets of War (2013)

This movie was made in the Netherlands, and it is presented in Dutch with English subtitles.  Even so, it does a great job of telling its story.  I found the story very disturbing.  This is a WWII era story, where a community in the Netherlands is torn apart by the Nazi occupation, and the evacuation of the Jewish population to concentration camps.  This is mostly kept from the children of the community.  However, the community is dividing.  Some children join the Nazi Youth, and other families wouldn't have their children in this program.  Of course the mayor's son is part.  He plays a role in having some community members arrested for harboring a jew.  Tuur (Maas Bronkhuyzen) and Lambert (Joes Brauers), the mayor's younger son with a club foot, are best friends.  They do many things together, including exploring a cave, where they find English comic books.  Father warns him not to snoop.  However he does, and discovers his own father is part of the resistance.  A new girl comes to town, Maartje (Pippa Allen) and only tells Tuur that she is Jewish and in hiding.  When Lambert becomes jealous of his friend, having a new friend, he goes to the home and discovers a hidden pig.  He inadvertently mentions this to his own father, the mayor, and then everything goes wrong.  However, there is still some hope for the friendship, as Lambert can help his friend and his family one last time before they flee the country.

Musical Movie Review: ****Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

This is a classic Dick Van Dyke musical.   Van Dyke portrays Caractacus Potts, a down-on-his luck inventor; father of two children, Jermina and Jeremy (Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall)  who have their hearts set on an older motor car which is going to be sold from the junk yard, and Potts doesn't have money to purchase it.  He first tries to sell his tooting candy invention to Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson Justice), an old gentleman, but rather stodgy, and the father of Truly (Sally Ann Howes), a woman he offended the day before.  When this fails, Potts sings to his children:

"A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain
Softly blows o'er lullaby bay.
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting--
Waiting to sail your worries away.
It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain
And your boat waits down by the quay.
The winds of night so softly are sighing--
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea.
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain.
Wave good-bye to cares of the day.
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Sail far away from lullaby bay."
Potts then tries an automatic hair cutting machine at the carnival, but he destroys his customer's hair.  Fleeing his customer, he becomes part of a bamboo dance, "Me'ol Bamboo."  This is cool, the way they dance with the bamboo sticks.   The company gives him the most of the money that is tossed at them, as he brought them success; and there is enough for the old car.
He then goes into a work period where he restores the car, and adds a few extra gadgets and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is born.
Potts gets the car working, and the go to picnic with Truly Scrumptious.  "Truly Scrumptious" is another favorite song.  Then it's time for a story, and off to the land of Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Gert Frobe and Anna Quayle.)  They sing a clever duet, "Chu-chu Face."  In this story, the Baron and Baroness hate children, and have banished them to the sewers.  Only the efforts toy make (Benny Hill) and Truly and Potts dancing "Doll on a Music Box and Truly Scrumptious."  The children are rescued, and the end of the story sees the group flying away in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
This is a classic, with beautiful songs, great dancing and a plot that is a bit contrived, having to add this story and such things.  However, it works.

Movie Review: ***^ Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)

***^  Mr. Popper’s Penguins

This is a good forum for Jim Carrey to interact with some penguins in his suite in New York.  Carrey portrays Mr. Popper, a businessman who is hoping to be made partner.  He has one more assignment to earn the promotion.  Purchase the property of Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury), the last available property in Central Park.  The company wants to knock it down and then make a large sky scraper of some kind to make lots of money.  Popper approaches the project with this goal in mind.  However Mrs. Van Gundy is not selling, she does not want to let down her staff.

In the mean time, Popper receives a last present from his father who has deceased—penguins. 

At first the penguins are a nuisance and troublesome, but eventually they grow on Popper.  It is when his son comes for a birthday, and thinks they are his cool present, that Popper decides to keep them instead of giving them to the zoo.  However, the penguin master at the zoo is intent on getting them.

The penguins destroy a meeting with Mrs. Van Gundy, but Popper persists.  When they have eggs, he becomes obsessed with the penguins; but then one egg doesn’t hatch.  He becomes discouraged, and sends the penguins to the zoo.  He is just the same old Popper who is only worried about his career, not his kids or ex-wife.  However the kids are so disappointed, he decides to get them back, and his wife goes with him as a date.  The zoo keeper says they can’t have them, he has traded them with other zoos for other specimens.  However they haven’t been sent yet and we have a big zoo escape scene.

This movie was pretty fun.  Sheri had read the book.  It is another family oriented theme movie—what is more important, your career or your relationships?

Movie Review: ***^Earth to Echo (2014)

This is about a group of kids, friends, Alex, Tuck and Munch (Teo Halm, Astro and Reese Hartwig) who live in a neighborhood which has been condemned and everyone is being evicted, with some leaving tomorrow.  They have one last night together.
However they are going to make it meaningful.  Their cell phones have gone weird, and they discover it is a map to a location 20 miles away.  They decide to take their bikes and see what's up, and maybe save their community.
When they get there, they find a hunk of metal.  Munch is a hoarder and decides to keep it.  As they leave, their phones adjust and now a new location is shown.  When they get there a piece of metal attaches to the hunk of metal, and they discover the metal is coming alive.  They have really discovered a damaged alien robot.  The third map shows the home of a girl, Emma (Ella Wahlestedt) who has a crush on Alex.  She discovers them, as the next piece of metal is in her room and she sees the alien robot.  She wants to come with them, but they refuse.
However, there are men looking for them, or the alien, and when they confront the boys about being out, Emma, who has followed them, rescues them by telling a big lie.  Things are not all as the appear.  The robot has powers to manipulate matter, but will this power be enough to get him to his ship and get him home?  The strange men are relentless.
Tony really liked this move.  It has some very funny parts.  The kids sneak up on Munch and scare him, almost to a hart attack.  The presentation is different than most movies.  It is based on a theme that this is Tuck's home movie.  They have a spy camera, as well as a camera that always runs.  Munch is pretty good with technology.  Alex is a foster child.
The theme is that of friendship.  At one point Alex is left behind and caught by a security guard.  The boys run, but later realize their mistake.  In the end it is friendship, covering each others back, that gets them through.
Tony had a dilemma.  The boys sneak out.  Tony asked me after what would happen if he did that.  I said he would get in big trouble unless he had a good reason, like saving somebody like the boy.

Movie Review: ***Beethoven (1992)

A dog adopts a family where the father hates dogs.  In this case the dog is a Saint Bernard, which takes lots of care, and slobbers all over everything.  He chews shoes, makes messes and is generally obnoxious. The antics of Beethoven also are helpful and life saving to the family in their own way.  He saves the son from the bullies, helps the daughter meet the guy she likes, saves the youngest daughter when she falls into the pool.
But in this movie there is a sinister plot going on.  The local veterinarian is in charge of a ring of dog snatchers.  They use the animals for experiments.  They need a large dog to test a new type of bullet.  When he tricks the family into giving up the dog, after convincing the father that it is a dog prone to violence, they are on their way to save Beethoven from the dog nappers, and leads into a much bigger rescue than this.
This movie created six sequels.  But the original is the best.  The parents are portrayed by Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt.  The mean vet by Dean Jones.

Movie Review: ****Hook

This is one of my favorite movies.  It is based on a continuing story, after Peter Pan (Robin Williams) has grown up.  He married Wendy's daughter Moira (Caroline Goodall) It starts with Peter Banning neglecting his children because he is too involved in business.  He misses his son's baseball game, and most of his daughter's play.  They travel to England to visit Grandma Wendy (Maggie Smith) and present a special award to the lady who adopted the lost boys.  Somehow Hook (Dustin Hoffman) is not satisfied with the way things have gone, and leaks through to London, where he steals Peter Pan's children.  This sets up a series of events in which Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) must first remind Peter of who he is, teach him how to fly, and restore his confidence.  This will give Hook the satisfaction of battling a worthy opponent.  Peter must rescue his children.  In the meantime, Hook sets out to win Peter's children over to him, so he could take the parental role.  This almost works.  One of the cute scenes is where the pirates are playing baseball, and Jack, Pan's son, (Charlie Korsmo) hits a home run.  Hook says that's my boy, and Pan is left in the dark as his boy is losing his loyalty.  But it is when Pan gets his happy thought that the show reveals its theme.  His happy thought is his children.  That is what makes it so he can fly again.  John Williams wrote the music for the movie, including the theme sone, "When You're All Alone"

When you're all alone
far away from home
there's a gift the angel sent
when you're alone.

Everyday must end
but the night's our friend
angels always send a star
when you're alone.

At night when I'm alone
I lie awake and wonder,
Which of them belongs to me,
which one I wonder?

And any star I choose
watches over me
so I know I'm not alone
when I'm here on my own

Isn't that a wonder?
When you're alone
you're not alone
not really alone.

The stars are all my friends
till the night time ends
so I know I'm not alone
when I'm here on my own

Isn't that a wonder?
When you're alone
you're not alone
not really alone.

Pan's daughter Maggie, (Amber Scott) does a beautiful job with the song.  

Peter Pan starts out shaky in his relationship with the lost boys, but this develops and is one of the highlights of the movie.  Rufio (Dante Basco) plays a great modern rufian.

Movie Review: ***^The Fox and the Hound (1981)

This is a story of friendship.  The friends are on opposite sides of a spectrum, a hunting dog, Copper (Kurt Russell) and a fox, Tod (Mickey Rooney).  While they are small, this is OK.  However, when the get older they are intended to be mortal enemies.  It takes a large bear to remind them of their friendship.  Other characters include Vixey (Sandy Duncan), the fox's girlfriend.  The wise owl, Big Mama (Pearl Bailey) can see things from a different perspective, which she uses to improve things. 

Movie Review: ***The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

These two movies were released together by Walt Disney pictures.  Mr. Toad is presented first and is narrated by Basil Rathbone.  It is based on the book "Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame.  Mr. Toad goes through a series of manic pursuit of different hobbies or fancies.  He starts with traveling by gypsy wagon, moves on to motor cars, then to escape, and last to airplanes.  At each juncture his friends Mole, Badger and Rat have to bail him out.  In this version they must rescue Toad Hall and the deep given to Mr. Toad when he was accused of stealing a motor car.
The second feature, Ichabod, is based on "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" written by Washington Irving.  This portion of the film is narrated by Bing Crosby.  This version pits the town bully as the headless horseman, and Ichabod who as the school master.  Ichabod has his eyes set on the bully's girl; so the bully takes matters into his own hand.  This is not Disney's best effort.

Movie Review: *****The Dreamer of Oz (1990)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMMjwMkpcXw
Every once in a while you find something very good and so unexpected, you want to let everyone know about it.  If you follow this blog, you know I am a fan of l. Frank Baum, and the Oz series, and his other books.  I found this made for TV movie very enjoyable.  This is the history of L. Frank Baum, and the history of his writing the stories of OZ, starting with “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”  Baum was a delightful teller of tales, however they were not well received in the publishing community at first.  John Ritter stars as Baum and Annette O'Toole as his wife, Maude.  Baum was a regular character, with business ups and downs, and a heart condition, until age 40. His first break was "Mother Goose: in Prose" followed by "Father Goose: in Prose."  However the Oz book was his first love.  No one wanted to produce it.  He went from publisher to publisher and still no luck.  He was at his wits end.  He finally proposed self publishing the book, and that was the turning point.
This is a motivational movie about a relationship, but also about a very gifted and creative man.  This is a great family movie.