Daddy Mojo

Pokemon Detective Pikachu, go it’s great entertainment

I rolled my eyes when I saw that movies were being made based on video game characters. At its core, that shouldn’t really matter because all a good movie needs is a great character and video games have those in spades. Comic book movies were once relegated to the bin of low expectations also. Even James Bond films have the ‘every other Bond’ disclaimer attached to them as a way to inoculate them to critics and fan expectation. Video game movies though have truly been horrible. Looking at the list of video game films through 2019 and only a couple of them, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and Silent Hill are worthy of mentioning as something that was close to memorable. Enter the potentially annoying, but highly cute squirrel like character from the world of Pokemon. And Pokemon Detective Pikachu has accomplished what dozens of other well known characters and franchises have failed to do.

Pokemon, detective Pikachu, pokemon detective Pikachu, ryan Reynolds, cgi,

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is a very good movie that will entertain people seeing Pikachu for the first time; as well as, those fans that go to the theatre with their Pokemon paraphernalia. To some it’s not news to say: this film is very good. Few studios make a bad movie on purpose; it’s just that, more often than not, the end result is less than what you hoped that it would be.

In the case of Pokemon Detective Pikachu we expected it to be bad and were incredibly pleased when it turns out to be very good. In the case of our 9 year old test market whom we saw the film with, it’s better than Shazam!-which he raved about for a couple of days. It’s even more remarkable because this kid is not a fan of Pokemon. He knows the basics, like Pikachu looks like a squirrel with a lightning bolt on his tail, but that’s it.

All I know about Pokemon is that our kids collected the cards for a season or two, never played the game and then stopped asking about it. If that’s you, then Pokemon Detective Pikachu has you covered. You don’t need to know anything about these sometimes cute, sometimes explosive animals that have live amongst us. It also establishes a world in which some Pokemon live in civilized society, while others prefer to be in the wild, which could be a key ingredient to a sequel.

The film works because of the CGI and Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds’ voices Pikachu in a calm, snarky manner that makes the character lovable and very easy to root for. The CGI in the film is fabulous. It makes you want to hug him, but ever so carefully so that you avoid the tail. The other Pokemon characters also have a texture and visual depth to them that makes it easy for you to believe that they’re real. The marketing for the film has been great also. Reynolds has been sharing sarcastic comments, previews and even ‘leaking’ the film online. Said ‘leak’ was actually an hour and forty two minutes of Pikachu dancing to 80’s type soundtrack music, utterly brilliant.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is great for those who are 13 and younger. It’s rated PG and rewards elementary school movie goers with a fun time that balances action, sight gags and humor. There are some older jokes that are provided through Reynolds’ dialogue that make the film seque a bit older too. It won’t have mass appeal to where high school students will see it en masse, but will demo up to those middle school kids who want a fun time at the movies.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part puts it all together for ages 7 and up

Everything is awesome. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital. Think of the joy, happiness, creativity and feeling of accomplishment that you get from completing an advanced LEGO set. Now put those feeling into a LEGO movie, but throw in some LEGO: DUPLO bricks and you’ve got chaos coming together.

That is the basic premise behind The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. It’s a gorgeous piece of animation that makes your mind tumble at the intricateness of how fun it would be to create any of these brick machines. For the Brickphiles….it’s only the opening and ending credits that are filmed using stop animation. The rest of the film is seamlessly made using CGI with beautiful, plastic bricks that look like you could build a Unikitty village. In other words, you won’t mind that it’s not ‘real’ LEGO bricks because they haven’t been real in any of the other movies and they were all ridiculously entertaining.

So LEGO Duplo invaders are here, laying waste to any new construction and preventing any repairs to existing structures that have been damaged. Emmett is back and as chipper as ever, but the landscape is different, a bit darker and filled with surly characters. The LEGO characters in the film are great and the film was really entertaining. We took our 7 and 9 year-old boys to the film and they loved every minute of it.

One thing that people have come to expect from a LEGO film is a great song. After all, everything is awesome and The LEGO Movie 2 delivers on a couple great songs that make you laugh and wish that top 40 radio would play it. For us, the best song was played during the credits. It was also a song about the end of the movie and the credits. To make things even better, it’s performed by Beck, featuring Robyn and The Lonely Island. Supercool has that trademark Beck sound with the whip smart lyrics that one expects from LEGO. When you see The LEGO Movie 2 be sure to stay around for the end credits.

As a film, it does have moments that you know are coming. While it doesn’t have the surprising elements that some of the earlier LEGO films have it’s still very entertaining and had both kids (and I) laughing out loud.

We were provided with a copy of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second One for review, all thoughts are our own

All age comic books for May 8

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It’s the New Comic Book Day after Free Comic Book Day and it’s OK if you’re feeling just a small comic book hangover. Typically the NCBD after FCBD is a bit light. I wouldn’t say it’s light this year, there’s certainly something for lots of readers who are six and up, but the heavy hitters aren’t here this week. In a way that’s a great thing because it frees up some titles that don’t get enough Oxygen, as well as some cool graphic novels that will hook the crowd for all age comic books. In the podcast we’ll talk about Windy Day by Tony Sandoval, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, 5 Worlds The Red Maze, Ronin Island, Samuai Jack and much more. For now, here are three great all age comic books that will get kids reading the things that they want to read.

Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book

Do not purchase Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book if you’re hoping to gain spoilers about the movie. This soon to be classic Little Golden Book about the Toy Story gang is based on the film. However, these characters are timeless and will resonate with any reader 2 or older. Plus it’s presented in the classic Little Golden Book format and priced at only $4.99.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6

Spider-Man has lots of comic book incarnations. If you’re looking for a realistic, contemporary Spider-Man that has lots of action, but also focuses on the ‘neighborhood’ aspect of our web crawler, this is for you. It’s also one of the great all age comic books that doesn’t skimp on the action. Younger readers will also enjoy it because the characters are drawn more realistically than the superheroes in the fabulous all age comic book, Marvel Action Spider-Man. There’s a subtle difference that makes that title great for ages 6 and up, whereas the former is great for ages 8 and up. There’s a little more reading, slightly more advanced plot mechanisms and deeper thoughts needed to really enjoy this one, but enjoy it they will.

Carmen Sandiego: The Sticky Rice Caper

Where is the world is Carmen Sandiego? We’ve been asking that question for decades and kids have found out, but they still keep asking. Carmen Sandiego is back on Netflix and to correspond to that, Carmen Sandiego: The Sticky Rice Caper is out as a graphic novel for middle elementary school and up. This graphic novel will stick very closely to episode 3 from this Netflix series where she goes to Indonesia and find adventure, bio terror (in a palatable elementary format of course) and lots of education, but don’t tell the readers. This is fun stuff that harkens back to what old school moms and dads will remember, but contemporizes it for today’s youth. It’s awesome and check yourself if it hurt to say, much less type out “today’s youth”.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

Lola Dutch When I Grow Up beautifully reminds kids of what they can be

Lola Dutch, you are indeed much too much. Except you aren’t really, we just like repeating the catch phrase that you uttered in your first book and referenced one time in Lola Dutch When I Grow Up. Size does not matter in a children’s book, yet these books by Kenneth and Sarah Jane Wright soak up every inch of their pages and would be comfortable with more. One of our kids is past the illustrated book phase, but I still find myself looking at this book, getting lost in the artwork and reading it his 7 year old brother who hasn’t quite discovered the love of books yet.

Lola Dutch is awash in imagination based play. She’s reading books with Bear, Crane, Gator and Pig when she has a rush of ideas as to what she wants to do when she grows up. She could be an inventor where she experiments, improvises, researches and discovers things. Maybe she could be a botanist, a judge in the highest court or an Egyptologist. All the while her anthropomorphic friends are accompanying her as willing subjects, helpful assistants or dubious onlookers.

What makes Lola Dutch When I Grow Up a fabulous book, and a great good-night book is its combination of art and words. The art in the book has soft, water colored images with edges in its drawings that mute it just a little bit. When you look at some of the illustrations they will have clear, defined markings, with some elements having just bit of white, uneven space between the edges that the paint or crayons left. Our kids and I love this style of art. It has a fun, whimsical appearance to it that confirms that it’s an illustrated book great for ages 3-6.

Its loose, carefree spirit is infectious for girls slightly more than boys, but not by much. There are rhyming elements, but for the most part the text is simply enough to where there are some sight words that allow young readers to get in on the game. For the most part this is read-along fun for small ones and those who are reading to them from this great good-night book.

A Grand Success! is a cracking good business, life and animation book

Rare is the biography that matches the quality of something that we really enjoy. One glaring example of such rarity is Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson. That book was effortless to read, enjoyable at every turn and even manages to inspire jaded souls who could use a pick me up. A Grand Success! The Aardman Journey, One Frame at a Time by Peter Lord and David Sproxton joins our list and will be on yours too for many different reasons.

A grand success, a grand success!, aardman, peter lord, david sproxton, nick park, matt groening, aardman animation

A Grand Success! is the story of Aardman Animations, the legendary studio that’s brought the world Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Morph. This book follows Peter Lord and David Sproxton from their childhood inspiration, constantly changing (and enlarging) headquarters to the release of Shawn the Sheep: Farmageddon. We’re long time fans of all things Aardman and hoped to personally enjoy the book. However, after reading the book we’re even bigger fans due to the growth, history, they way they’ve conducted business and life lesson that the book passes along.

A Grand Success! is not preachy, it’s not that kind of life lesson. However, as with any entrepreneur; there are huge, massive sized risks that any venture has to make in order to succeed. Aardman started small with David and Peter doing small segments on British children’s programming. Morph is the brown creation on the front of the book that most people won’t recognize. I didn’t. It has that trademark Aardman warmth and love, but it doesn’t register any memories. However, it was his creation that helped usher in many of the great things that the company came to do.

In the early 80’s Peter and David were getting steady gigs doing things for the BBC. At the same time they were invited by Nick Park to speak to a local university. Park had this dream of a creation that he’d been tinkering on about a man and his dog. Flash forward to today and we all know Wallace and Gromit. It’s this parable, as well as a couple others about perseverance, optimism and simply doing what’s right that really made A Grand Success! work as a book.

Lord and Sproxton have always operated in a niche world. Stop-motion animation, the permanence of of plasticine or clay and filming techniques aren’t the stuff that will ignite the conversation floor on a standard dinner party. However, their passion and the way they conducted themselves provide proof that if a business idea-and the people presenting it-are grounded enough it can work.

The two had multiple high growth periods or chances that showed them a different realm. After their Academy Award and Peter Gabriel video they were flooded with jobs and taunting things. Hollywood called, they met with some of the big names and created Flushed Away, kind of. That film was supposed to be stop-animation, but Dreamworks, disappointing box office results from their previous films and more turned the film into CGI.

A Grand Success! looks at the many highs, as well as, the lows that Aardman had created. Early Man, being an example of later, but a small, non-descript sheep being a massive example of the former. I teach English online. I can show any of them a picture of Shaun the Sheep and they’ll start grinning from ear to ear.

You never know what you’ll create and what the audience will enjoy is another great take away from the book. It also helps that Sproxton, Lord and Park all seem like nice guys. A Grand Success! is a fabulous read. You can be a business student, in need of a self-help primer, animation fan, Anglophile, want something happy for the beach or just want a quality read that ewe’ll love. This is a great book that’ll stay in your permanent library.

The Kid Who Would Be King is fabulous fun for 7 and up

Even as a kid I loved movies. Our kids love movies too, but they’re a different beast today. I’m not getting on my middle-aged soap box and waving my “back in my day” sign, but there are some things that I certainly preferred to the box office back then. There seemed to be many more PG rated films back then. Now a PG film is either part of a series or animated. Rare are the PG films that have action, front and center, while still speaking directly to elementary school aged kids and up. If said film keeps the attention of those middle school kids or, dare I think it, their parents also, then that’s a bonus. The Kid Who Would Be King manages to do all of those things. It’s a fabulously entertaining film that our 7 and 9 year olds loved, I really enjoyed it and my wife also loved it.

The kid who would be king, elementary school family movie, merlin, young merlin

The Kid Who Would Be King very carefully knows how to pace itself so that older audiences remain engaged. The film is wholly entertaining for elementary school students. The King Arthur hook will attract some older fans and there are many other factors that will hold them throughout the film.

Alex, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, is a middle school kid with problems that anyone that age will understand. His best friend, Bedders, played by Dean Chaumoo is a willing accomplice to the story that Alex is about the follow. There is a stereotypical ‘where-is-my-father’ plot line that weaves through the film, but the cast, as well as the Arthurian legend gamely add more depth to this trope.

What really makes The Kid Who Would Be King something that kids and families want to see is that it is greater than the sum of its parts. The child actors in the film are great. They’re not annoying, too perfect or unrealistic. The many characteristics of kid’s social circles are all represented-and acknowledged on screen by them. They point out their flaws and readily point at the impossibility of this sword really being one belonging to the once and future king.

You will want to believe too. This is a big scale, fun, action oriented kid’s film that you wanted to see when you were 9 years old. It’s a shame that more families didn’t discover this film in theaters. The battle sequences, especially the one that takes place in the school really play out better on the big screen. Having said that, we were the coolest house on the block last week when we played the DVD for a gaggle of elementary school kids. Our 9 year old (ever the film purist), kept admonishing those who came in late not to watch any of it, lest it ruin the surprises. I kind of grinned to myself because he gets it. He appreciates the quality that went into this film, and in his slightly curt way, wanted the neighborhood kids to experience it in its entirety.

The entire cast does a great job, but Angus Imrie, who plays the young version of Merlin really stood out for us. His portrayal of a reverse-aging Merlin is magnetic and funny. He also sets up the plate for the few times that the old Merlin, played by Sir Patrick Stewart enters the screen.

The Kid Who Would Be King is great for ages 7 and up. It’s just scary enough for young kids to handle and lets older kids enjoy the ride too. We received a copy of the film for review. All thoughts are our own.

All age comic books for May 1

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Free Comic Book Day is nigh. The first Saturday of every May is Free Comic Book Day and this week has more than a dozen great (and free!) comic books for ages 6 and up. There is also a costume contest with the winners in various categories receiving $500 in free comic books and stuff from your local store. For all of the details on Free Comic Book Day just dig into their website.

All of this free stuff on Saturday doesn’t mean that the new all age comic books are taking a back seat to anything. In the podcast we’ll chat about Marvel Action, Goosebumps, Frozen, Giant Days and more. For now here are three comic books that will entertain-and be appropriate for ages 6 and up.

Disney Frozen: Reunion Road

Disney Frozen is like kryptonite to our two boys. However, to some kids this mini-series from Dark Horse will fit that frozen bill until Frozen 2 arrives in theaters later this year. The art in Disney Frozen: Reunion Road is gorgeous and the story will speak to those kids 6 and up that like the film. In this mini-series everyone is trying to get to the Harvest Festival, but Olaf is separated from the group. Disney Frozen: Reunion Road retails for $3.99 and is from Dark Horse.

Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir: New Hero

As a television show, Miraculous is a guilty pleasure. There’s a Wild, Wild West aurora about it when Ladybug brings out the Miraculous and has to choose between a series of objects that allow her to solve the problem. This graphic novel from Action Lab is cut from the same cloth as the show. It’s packed with sharp lines, bright colors and hand-picked scenes from the show. This graphic novel retails for $8.99 and will entertain kids 6 and up, those who like the show or those passive fans who don’t want to admit that they enjoy it.

Blastosaurus, Volume 2

Blastosaurus is everything that young readers want from an all ages comic book. It’s got elementary aged characters, over the top action, an insane plot, monsters and more. This is New Zealand’s best selling comic book and once you see it you’ll know why. Think Savage Dragon, but with an all age sentiment and younger side-kicks. Blastosaurus, Volume 2 collects issues 4-6 from this mini-series that will become one of your favorites. There is also a Free Comic Book Day issue that features Blastosaurus, so keep an eye out for that.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

The Mutts Summer Diaries is perfect summertime reading for 8 and up

Mutts is an institution. It’s how a cat and dog, plus the occasional crab, mussel, dolphin or farm animal see the world. Mooch and Earl, the main guardians of Mutts are eternally optimistic. They do see some things that aren’t all, pardon the pun, puppies and kittens. These are things like the environment or animals that are up for adoption; yet even when our animal friends encounter these things they do it with a sense of optimism and hope, rather than despair or guilt. Mutts is back with a new collection of comic strips, The Mutts Summer Diaries, just in time for road trips, easy summer reading and good books under a shade tree.

The Mutts Summer Diaries is the final season in the ‘diary series’. I guarantee you that if you pick up any of the other three seasons you’ll find them just as entertaining. Personally, I can think of very few jobs that are as challenging as a daily comic strip creator. Create characters that people want to see every day, then have the main medium that it’s delivered in shift to an online presence and continue making a quality product. That is the great thing about having quality comic strips collected in a graphic novel format.

These strips are previously printed online and in newspapers. However, for those that don’t subscribe to a newspaper or have the strips emailed to them this is brand new stuff. It’s also classic comedy that you’ll be reading 20 years from now. As I write this I’m looking over my Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes book from the 70s, 80s and 90s. From time to time I still look at them and laugh. My children also look at them and while they don’t have the same memories of them as me, they laugh. They sneak the books out of my office, read them, laugh and then try to put them back in the book shelf at just the same angle so I won’t be able to tell if they’ve been in here.

The Mutts Summer Diaries is printed on recycled paper, as are all of Patrick McDonnell’s books. Some of the strips make you laugh out loud. Some make you grin because they resemble a person or pet that you once had. Other strips make you think about the animals that you’ve seen for adoption. Our 9 year-old has finally started to enjoy Mutts. He’s had cats and dogs for most of his life and I hope that he thinks of some of our pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge when he laughs along. Even if he had never had any pets, Mutts is a comic strip that he’d enjoy because of its uncanny ability to make anthropomorphic animals even more animal-or even more human, depending on the strip.