Going out to the movies is a rare act for moms and dads. In this series we’ll go to the movies, so you can judge for yourself if it’s a good investment.
What to say about The Batman? Does one look at it from the perspective of quality, as an action movie, superhero flick or gauged simply against the cannon of Batman films that preceded it? Alternately, you could evaluate The Batman as a contrast in movie styles when it comes to DC and Marvel. As a comic book fan and one who appreciates movies of all sort, The Batman is fabulous tour-de-force on every level.
Remember when direct-to-video was a pejorative? The expectations of a direct-to-video movie aren’t as high as something you see in the theater. It’s also a term that is quite dated and I’m probably showing my age just by uttering it as if it’s a phrase that most moviegoers use. Planes is the most recent film that I can think of that was supposed to go straight to video but was redirected when Disney thought they had a low-key hit on their hands. That film was OK, but it wasn’t in the same league as Cars, or even Cars 2. Those were the days when every animated film had the aurora of somewhat being worth ticket prices (and snacks) in movie theaters.
When Sing came out in 2016 it was a pleasant treat. The story about a group of underdog, singing animals seemed earnest, cute, and was genuinely entertaining. Granted a majority of the ‘earnest’ label was provided by Buster Moon, voiced by Matthew McConaughey. That character’s can-do, optimistic demeanor still delivers in this film’s sequel, Sing 2. Actually, most of Sing 2 will still deliver, assuming that the audience is in fourth grade or younger. That’s not meant to be a slam or a pejorative, it’s just the way it is, especially having just seen the film with a fourth and sixth-grader.
Cinema folks have been asking what is the movie that will get us back to the movie theater? For thousands of people and many families, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the film that got us to purchase four tickets to see it. It’s an odd intersection for films right now because movie theaters would like people in their buildings and people are willing to leave their houses, but the movie-paying public has realized that the emperor has no clothes. Now that people have been watching ‘big screen’ movies on television for almost two years a lot of families have either raised their caliber of film entertainment, have less money to spend on optional things, realized that the entertainment level of films has been decreasing, or some combination thereof. So, with all of this in the mixing bag is Ghostbusters: Afterlife any good?
A couple of years ago in the pre-COVID era, Ron’s Gone Wrong would’ve greeted cinemas as a pleasant distraction from the concerns of daily life. Movie theaters are back open and I’ve seen several releases in them. However, I’ve noticed that my threshold of entertainment, especially movies that are in movie theaters, has increased. I suspect that I’m not alone, but I haven’t done any surveys, studies, or polls to confirm that. It’s worth mentioning that because Ron’s Gone Wrong isn’t a horrible movie, it’s just not the red carpet, welcome back to the movie theaters trumpet call that animation is looking for.
Keep Pixar weird. If it were a city then this could be its rallying call among some of its citizens. They’re the folk who’ve lived there for a long time and love the place, but they also like the time when it just got started. Onward is a film from brings the oddity back to Pixar does it with an original story that feels unlike anything they’ve done since the late 2000s. In short, Onward manages to assure critics of Pixar that they’re too reliant on sequels or need them to create ‘those’ moments that we’ve come to expect from them.
On March 10 it’s going to get pigeon-jiggy. That’s the day that Spies In Disguise hits digital and Blu-ray. Spies In Disguise is Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and is just the sort of PG rated, family friendly film that you need to pass those late winter days. At least, that’s what we’ll be doing in our house. For us this was a film that both kids wanted to see, but the hubbub of the holidays got in the way of us going to the movie theater.
Playing With Fire is available on Blu-Ray and DVD now. It features a ton of extras that will have elementary aged kids through middle school howling with laughter. When Playing With Fire was in theaters it was THE film that the kids at our elementary school wanted to see. It’s rated PG and offers the perfect combination of humor and action that will entertain kids and be just enough to keep parents loving it too.
Just yesterday we passed a DVD rental box and our 8 year-old had a meltdown that we weren’t going rent Playing With Fire that evening. We reminded him about the power of being patient, to which he responded that all of his friends want to see the film too.
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