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Film reviews

Elemental Review

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The many colors and animated places explored in Elementalmake it one-of-a-kind. From Disney and Pixar comes a tale of the relationship between fire and water. In the film, these elements are enemies of each other. To an extent, it seems somewhat like segregation, but it’s not. It is just an invigorating fictional story of wonders. Elemental may be one of the best animated features I have seen this year and it is going to be hard to compete with this one.

Elemental takes place in an environment where the key characters, “fire” and “water,” must be apart from each other in this enchanting adventure. The film follows Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) who is “fire” and Wade (voiced by Mamamoudou Athie), who plays “water.” The world plays a significant role for Ember. Due to being “fire” she has not been able to experience much in the world that she loves. Her family who is all also“fire” owns a shop in a Water Town. Most of the characters in this town are also “water” and that is where Wade comes in. He is the one who conducts an audit on the business of Ember’s family. She tries to work with Wade to prevent him from shutting her family’s building down. Instead, the film begins to focus more on Ember feeling love for Wade. Is this love possibles once one of them is “fire” and the other is “water”?

The unique and touching moments in Elemental had me soaring with joy. It is a Disney and Pixar film that reminded me of Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, and Atlantis combined. Given this magical combination of prior cherished films, this story adds the theme of segregation based on “elemental” factors. It is a scientific ride of connections and realizations in a fictional world that is fun for the entire family. Spectacular features abound in many scenes of Elemental. It is a joyful and enticing ride that again proves to movie fans how Disney and Pixar films are truly about feeling connected.

To an extent, I feel that Elemental is bound to bring more enchanting additions into the world of animation. During the film, I kept thinking to myself about how many unique and interesting animated nuances I noticed, and how many I may have missed. The film’s extended usage of wonderful and captivating elements makes the feeling ten times more brilliant than what I am accustomed to. The world of “fire” and “water” in Elemental encompasses all kinds of places, scenery, experiences, and comparisons that are astounding and reflect the incredible concept of pure animation. Love is truly all-around during Elemental.

Elemental is breathtaking. It is heartfelt. It is dazzling withgorgeous colors. It will enthrall its audience to the core. It will touch families. There is nothing not to love about Elemental. It demonstrates that “fire” and “water” can play nice in a fictional world. This movie shines even more than audiences will anticipate. Four stars for Elemental.

Film reviews

Transformers: Rise of The Beasts Review

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The good news is that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not directed by Michael Bay. That’s a relief because as Bay continued to make Transformers movies there was less and less meaning to his films. Instead of Bay, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is directed by Steven Caple Jr., who brings a bit of a nostalgic touch to the franchise. The film has almost a 90s vibe, so the new world in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is moderately appealing. But the film ultimately fizzles out and lacks much exhilaration.

The plot of Transformers: Rise of the Beastsis that the Autobots are battling for the earth. Humans Noah Diaz (played by Anthony Ramos) and Elena Wallace (played by Domonique Fishback) leave a struggling life in Brooklyn to be part of the battle for their planet. The enemies of the Autobots are the Decepticons. Robots that are also part of the fight include the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons.

The film begins with an introduction as to why the robots face danger. Later the film transitions to the life of Noah and Elena, and then they get thrown into the world of the Autobots. The robots include Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman), Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage), Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson), and plenty of others.

The introduction to the plot does have some fascination, so the universe around Transformers: Rise of the Beasts initially had me sold. But for me the film often felt like a repeat of previous Transformers projects. There was the same basic setup from the other projects, and many aspects from previous films were repeated, especially in terms of the Autobots and the Decepticons. So I found myself beginning to lose attention and enjoyment. As it progressed the film seemed to be going more and more in the direction of Michael Bay’s versions.

The technology and robotics in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is phenomenal, and maybe it’s worth seeing just for that. And it has humor and witty surprises, so it’s good for some giggles. It’s 90s setup also saves it somewhat. The faithfulness of the 90s with the Autobots and the Decepticons is its strongest suit. But the writing is stale and the storyline is weak. The introductions are rushed and the film became a sleeper for me. I feel this one is a dull installment in the franchise that doesn’t leave much to look forward to. No question that it will find its audience, its fanbase of those who love the franchise, but I’m not a fan of this one.

To be clear, I didn’t find Transformers: Rise of the Beasts awful. It just lost the opportunity to take the franchise in a new and exciting direction. I have no doubt that new director Steven Caple Jr. was trying for an invigorating experience. But he just didn’t get there. Two and a half stars for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Film reviews

The Machine Review

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The Machine is a film that links to Bert Kreischer’s comedy special that made the Internet soar with traffic in 2016. The Machine is a fictionalized comedy with Kreischer playing himself.  His personality and comedic attitude are present throughout the film, but The Machine is just an average comedy. Luckily, the laughable gems in the movie are mostly on par.

The film focuses on Bert, a comedian who finds himself in turmoil due to family problems at home. When Bert’s father Albert (played by Mark Hamill) arrives, life becomes even more difficult for him. After the unpleasant surprise arrival of his father, Bert’s past in Russia comes back to haunt him leading Albert and Bert to be abducted. Despite Bert and Albert having a mixed relationship, they must work together to protect themselves from the dangers they face in Russia.

With Kreischer and Hamill playing father and son, there is an intriguing algorithm to their characterizations. Since Kreischer is a comedian and Hamill is a Star Wars alumni, The Machine is set up like a father and son tale. Their representation is a bit like two absent-minded jedis. The force is not with them in terms of being able to protect themselves, but it is with them when it comes to having witty chemistry which makes the movie amusing.

The words exchanged between Kreischer and Hamill are where the satisfaction lies in the film’s quality and where the most entertainment is to be found in The Machine. Many fans know that Kreischer’s signature move is taking off his shirt in his comedy shows. The act of removing his character’s shirt in The Machine is frequently linked to inducing laughter and providing comic relief.

The Russia connection links to a previous period when Kreischer’s character participates in a college trip abroad. From the movie, he was not the best student. That is where the link is made to the kidnapping scenario in The Machine. There is a “karma” theme played out in many layers of twisted parody. Fortunately, the director throws in joyful tangents which play to this theme, and which make the movie more interesting.

Although there is some backstory that adds a serious element to the film, “seriousness” is not the focus. The film is a farce with a comedic tone and writing. However, the continuity of the film seems to be lacking and the direction rushes to find the comedic moments. This causes the characterizations and setup to suffer.

Kresicher and Hamill give exceptional comedic performances in The Machine, making it must-see. Their unique humor had me laughing out loud throughout the show, resulting in an incredibly enjoyable experience. While it may not be groundbreaking, the pure hilarity delivered by The Machine easily connects with audiences, especially with the addition of Jedi veteran Hamill. Kreischer and Hamill’s frequent comedic banter kept me captivated from start to finish, and their chemistry is undoubtedly the star of the show. In my opinion, The Machine deserves two stars.