Two big trailers released this week. Firstly, Lightyear, a story about the person who inspired the Buzz Lightyear toys seen in Toy Story. The animation looks beautiful, and this trailer definetly did not give off the impression of a kid's film. The use of Starman by David Bowie is also great. Second one is for Jurassic World: Dominion. So glad to see the original cast interacting with the new cast, and I will definitely go to the cinema to give it a watch. Looks like a very interesting premise, and i'm glad they didn't just overlook the ecological damage they did in the previous film.
The main thing that got me about the Jurassic World Dominion trailer is the dinosaurs seem to be doing just fine in that snowy landscape even though they were raised in Costa Rica and are genetic clones of species that lived in tropical and hot climates. I know it's just a movie and all, and it's nice that they've moved away from the usual setting, but it feels like not much thought was put into it.
Honestly, that looks like it will be the worst of the lot. And the Jurassic World movies weren't exactly much good to begin with...
Perhaps one of the year’s most anticipated films, The Batman did a fine job and entertained the packed room I was in. I was lucky to be part of the Fan Preview night in select theaters around the states, one being my home theater the TCL Chinese Theater. I went into the theater with reservations about Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader, I can say he did a great job at his interpretation of the Batman. The principal cast all played their parts well, it did feel that Andy Serkis was somewhat wasted with Alfred not being as prominent compared to many other iterations. The main negatives for me came down to the camera work at times and the run time. For the camera work, you can clearly tell that many shots, predominately up-close shots, had a really shallow depth of field. While this has been done well many times in other films, it seemed rather jarring how often some characters became out of focus due to slight movements. It had a similar feel to the cinematography choices down by Zack Snyder in Army of the Dead, not a good picture by any means. As for the run time, it felt rather long despite it seemingly didn’t have “wasted” scenes in my opinion. There are slower moments, much related to the detective work done by Batman and Jim Gordon. It feels like it’s trying to be a crime drama in the guise of a superhero film. What I loved about the film was the following: the acting, the soundtrack, action set pieces, and the gritty atmosphere of Gotham City. As I mentioned before, I am a fan of the main cast and everyone did their job well. Jeffrey Wright was perhaps my favorite cast member, his Jim Gordon had the same ideals of the righteous justice he follows. The score was made brilliantly by the one and only Michael Giacchino, invoking the spirit of the dysmal Gotham City and the bombastic entrance of the Dark Knight when needed. While not as iconic as Danny Elfman’s or Han Zimmer’s previous work with Batman, it still created an atmosphere of terror and epic scale. Gotham City here is shown to have the wears and tears of a city in desperate need of help. It’s the type of Gotham I’ve wanted to see since the 1989 Batman. My final score for those who may want a number would be an 8. Not too high but just at the appropriate spot, perhaps it may drop further or increase later when I revisit the film. Only time will tell
I feel like it’s a fair score and I enjoyed it, it wasn’t perfect but did a good job If you don’t mind me asking, what is something you liked and didn’t like about the film?
I liked that it was quite different from the other movies, highlighting Batman's skills as a criminal investigator and creating an interesting mix of crime noir, Se7en, The Zodiac Killer with a sprinkle of Saw and several comic book references (like the heavy boots => Brian Azzarello's The Joker). I enjoyed the performances of all actors, the portrayal of Gotham City and the score. What I didn't like was the length of the movie and that while the movie tried to portray a world grounded in reality, some of the injuries Batman (and his opponents) received would have left them seriously injured or even dead, not just with some minor scratches. And a Batman interacting and walking around plenty of people to see him clearly kind of reminded me of the awful "Batman & Robin" movie.
I was having a discussion with my brother how this film actually felt much more adapted from its source material. It had as you mentioned touches of Brian Azzarello’s Joker, as well as echos of Hush Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee along with some of the recent Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo Batman run too! The way Paul Dano portrayed the Riddler had a definite Se7en/Usual Suspects vibe to me. And to piggyback on what you said about the injuries incurred, there were times where I turned to my brother and said “So does Batman have Vibranium in his suit?” I’m glad I do see others like yourself actual feel in a similar way about it as I did. I’ve seen people say it’s either the best Batman or it being complete garbage, seeming a bit extreme to me haha
Some people (in particular men of a certain age) still seem to harbour a certain grudge against Pattinson for his "Twilight" role; probably they are on Team Jacob... Given that some people think highly of "Batman & Robin", TDKR or the Adam West series, I can somehow understand that for this kind of fans, "The Batman" is a disappointment. For me, who since BTAS has always wanted Batman to show more of his skills as a detective, it was a very positive cinematic experience.
Haha I think too perhaps they were Team Jacob aka Shark Boy I thoroughly loved the BTAS, it was always on in my home and it came out just as I was young kid. Batman in that iteration, as well as this new version, is definitely living up to the World’s Greatest Detective moniker and it shows how although far from perfect, he is constantly thinking and trying to make the puzzle piece to fit together.
Last night, I watched Pixar’s Turning Red. I had been so hyped for this and I really hoped that it wouldn’t disappoint. I was ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY!!! Everything from the storyline, characters, Red Panda lore, and style of animation was just so well done. Plus, it's set in Toronto!!!! By the end of the movie, I didn’t want it to end. The director, Domee Shi, and the rest of the cast and crew really did a phenomenal job and knocked it out of the park…. an instant classic! I’m sure a number of you may know the storyline from the trailers and ads. Here’s a quick recap from Disney: “Mei Lee is a 13-year-old girl who is torn between being her mother's obedient daughter and the chaos of her youth. As if that were not enough, when she gets too excited, she turns into a big red panda.” Source One of the many reasons I was so excited for this film isn’t just because its animal-focused. When I saw last summer that it was set in Toronto I was so hyped. I originally thought maybe they would incorporate the Toronto Zoo somehow since it has Red Pandas as well in addition to the fact that Toronto is an AWESOME city! Some of you may remember that I visited in 2017 and went to Canada’s Wonderland, the Zoo, and the ROM. Next time I’m in Toronto I want to spend some more time in the ROM’s Gallery of Chinese Architecture because they had some really unique pieces that were like Mei’s family temple in the film. Source Perhaps my favorite aspect of Turning Red is the exaggerated faces that the characters make which really makes this animation style work. The film uses a lot of anime inspiration for added effect such as the huge eyes when the characters see something they really like such as kittens. This is particularly evident when Mei shows the rest of her squad the 4*Town brochure at the beginning. I thought Mei was going to be the funniest character and indeed she was! The part where she runs home from school after she poofs into her Red Panda form was absolutely hilarious! I haven’t LOL’d that hard since watching the scene where Boo chases Sully in Monsters Inc and that was way back in 2001. In terms of humorous characters and moments, Ming, Mei’s mom was perhaps 2nd. She has several moments where she looks funny. However, you don’t want her to get mad!!! Mei’s friends Abby, Priya and Miriam are great too. They each have their own unique different personalities which help Mei control her inner panda. Source One thing that I found out was really awesome was that, unlike a regular Red Panda which is long and tubular, due to living a mostly arboreal lifestyle Mei’s panda design is chunky and bear-like. This was fascinating to me because figure-wise she looked like the extinct Giant Raccoon (Chapalmalania altefrontis) from the Pliocene. Mei’s Red Panda was a little larger than the Giant Raccoon which was the largest Procyonid to ever exist. The scene with Tyler’s birthday party was intense and made me realize I’m glad Chapalmalania is extinct especially after encountering a ferocious raccoon at night last spring! Source Also, I found out not too long ago was that there actually used to be Red Pandas in America! They’ve found fossils in Tennessee and Florida that date from the Miocene. The specific related species from Tennessee was larger and named Pristinailurus bristoli. Its reconstructed skeleton can be seen at the Gray Fossil Site. Source The final showdown of the film was completely different than what I originally thought would happen. It gave off vibes from the conclusion of the first Incredibles. The main conflict is resolved and everything goes back to normal. The finale at the end with the bamboo forest was so well done. The attention detail is meticulous and I could really tell that the bamboo species was ‘Moso’ Phyllostachys edulis. The design of the family temple was really interesting and Mei’s family history with the Red Panda was well written. I really want there to be a sequel but it would have to be just as original and unique as this first one to work. I want to see Mei & her friends go on a cross-country adventure or maybe create their own band group and go on tour. Source After watching the film, I watched the documentary all about how they made it titled “Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red”. It gives a great behind-the-scenes look at how they created the movie from start to finish. In final, I would suggest this movie to anyone. Several zoos are promoting the film including Nashville, San Francisco (where the zoo's Red Pandas were used as references by the animators), and of course Toronto! Now I want to do one of those Red Panda encounters at a zoo where you get to meet them close up. I'm glad that the species is gaining attention. Hopefully, this movie will help others realize that they're special and raise awareness of the plight of Red Pandas in the wild. Now you’ve read my review…. what are you waiting for??? Go watch Turning Red! What species do you think your “inner panda” would be? I think for me it’d be a Sarus Crane, Adjutant Stork, or Gaur! Final Score & Rating: A+ 10/10
I think you're interpreting a little too much in there... For Pixar to release a movie that might interest me more. Based on your and other reviews as well as the synopsis, I think I'll pass over this one. Glad to read that you enjoyed it, though.
Great review indeed!! Very glad that multiple Zoo’s are promoting this film. It definitely brings a lot of good attention and fun to a beautiful animal.
Turning Red was great! It felt so fresh and had such a distinct voice, and I really liked the more unique animation style and overall art direction. Disney animated movies haven't really experimented with style in a while, so it's nice to see Pixar trying to do that. And this movie is totally going to give red pandas a popularity boost. And if nothing else, turn them into a "staple" species that most people will be able to recognize. Also, thanks for mentioning the "making of" documentary. I recently splurged on Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-Ray set (I can't be the only Wolfwalkers fan on this site!) and have been going through the special features, I forgot how much I loved those things, they're a little harder to get to with the streaming era. I'll have to check out the ones on Disney+, since I'm particularly interested in animation, ESPECIALLY animal-based. I got a membership for those Aaron Blaise online classes primarily to learn about drawing animals, you really get a better sense of the anatomy and "details" on an animal when you're trying to draw it. Even when you're drawing a cartoon animal, you gotta know that stuff.
Oh no - I just realized that by not considering myself as part of the target audience of "Turning Red", I have, according to Twitter, turned into a racist sexist. Or sexist racist. Oy vey... *Sigh* CinemaBlend Pulls Review Of Turning Red After Social Media Accuses Author Of Sexism And Racism Over Opinion That He Was “Not The Film’s Target Audience”
By any chance as anyone watched Everything Everywhere All At Once? Very good film about the multiverse apparently, but I want to see if anyone here has watched it to see if it is worth watching or not.
If you just want other peoples opinions as to whether it is good, then why not just look on Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a 95% rating (or a 90% audience score)? Otherwise, just go and watch it and see if you like it or not.
Because RottenTomatoes isn't exactly a reliable source. Take Multiverse of Madness for example. On RottenTomatoes, it clocks in at an 86% audience score and a 74% rating, but when talking to most of my friends and considering my own personal opinion, that is way too high in my estimations. I'm not saying people can't use it as a source because that would be pretentious of me, but I personally don't see the merit in it. To your second point, the only reviews I have seen are from critics, who I also don't personally trust. Furthermore, the reviews from fellow ZooChat members are often formatted better and offer a more welcoming insight than most fan reviews. And personally I'm not a fan of going to see a movie just to be disappointed by the end of it.
My point is that all you are doing is asking for "just another person's opinion" on the movie, when that is already soundly given on loads of other sources from thousands of viewers. You're not gaining anything different which will tell you if you will like the movie or not. You can only get that from watching the movie yourself.
