Wonka
This was such an earnest, old-fashioned, wholesome, funny, heartfelt little musical that by the time the end credits rolled, I was smitten.
★★★★1/2
Mild Spoilers
Directed by Paul King
Written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby
Based on the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Wonka tells the origin story of the world famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet), who sets out to fulfill his dream with empty pockets but a suitcase full of ingenuity, only to be thwarted by a group of greedy businessmen. Along the way, he befriends orphan Noodle (Calah Lane) who joins Wonka on his confectionery adventures.
Four and a half out of five? For a prequel to a beloved classic (Wilder, not Depp) that seems like a blatant cash grab? Surely, Wei has lost his… way? But this was such an earnest, old-fashioned, wholesome, funny, heartfelt little musical that by the time the end credits rolled*, I was smitten. Was it the silly musical numbers, the colourful supporting characters, the deliciously over-the-top scenery-chewing villain (we haven’t had a good one for ages), the heartbreaking ending, the enigmatic performance by Chalamet that surprised the heck out of me (sorry for ever doubting you bro), the whimsical charm of the movie, or perhaps all of the above? That was rhetorical, but yes, all of it.
(Also stars Paterson Joseph, Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, and Keegan-Michael Key, plus two others I think were surprise cameos? I didn’t know they were in this one until they showed up.)
I don’t know if it will hit a billion at the box office or even earn back its budget, but honestly I don’t care. I’m a fan. Love it, might watch it again, will get the 4K Bluray for sure.
*You’ll probably want to stick around for the credits.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
I’m not sure if the movie has satisfied the expectations of D&D fans, but for me this is a welcomed return to the kind of comedy that I thought Hollywood has forgotten how to make.
★★★★★
Mild Spoilers
Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
Written by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio
Story by Chris McKay and Michael Gilio
Set in an alternate medieval fantasy world, thief Edgin (Chris Pine) and a ragtag team of wizards, warriors and more must embark on a quest to save the city of Neverwinter from being usurped by the nefarious Red Wizards, and rescue Edgin’s daughter Kira from the clutches of the Lord of Neverwinter (Hugh Grant).
The synopsis above doesn’t really do the film justice, because the movie is a lot more fun than it sounds. It takes its inspiration from movies like The Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and even Army of Darkness. You can say it’s a silly, low-brow action comedy, a parody even, but with a bit of class and wit. I’m not sure if the movie has satisfied the expectations of D&D fans, but for me this is a welcomed return to the kind of comedy that I thought Hollywood has forgotten how to make. Some of its highlights include the graveyard scene, certain magical spells and artifacts, a guy named Jonathan, and I kid you not, Regé-Jean Page. Yes, the dude from Bridgerton and The Grey Man was FUNNY. There are even unexpected cameos and funny Easter eggs from the game and other reiterations.
But what impressed me more was how it also did the other stuff just as well. Firstly, every one of the main cast of characters are likeable. Each has his or her own story arc, cool skillsets and relatability, and brought to life perfectly by the actors playing them, which includes Pine, Michelle Rodriguez (from the Fast & Furious movies), Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and Sophia Lillis (It: Chapter One and Two). There are even some genuinely touching moments that are testaments to how well-realised these characters are. The action sequences were surprisingly well-choreographed, from the hand-to-hand combat to the magical melees. Hugh Grant was effortlessly great as the awkwardly charming villain.
Honestly, for an obviously commercialized endeavour to promote the Dungeons & Dragons brand, it delivered a lot more than it ever needed to on a creative level. It could have been the Top Gun: Maverick of 2023 because of how similarly well-put-together it was, if only it did just as well box-office wise. Don’t let these detract you from watching the movie, though. If you enjoyed movies like The Princess Bride, you’re going to love this one, I guarantee it.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Another surprise of the year, especially with all the dire warnings from critics that this was going to be godawful. It’s not even close. I didn’t just like the film - I loved it! But there’s a catch.
★★★★
Mild Spoilers
Directed by Aaron Horvath
Written by Matthew Fogel
Another surprise of the year, especially with all the dire warnings from critics that this was going to be godawful. It’s not even close. I didn’t just like the film - I loved it! But there’s a catch. If you’re not familiar with the games at all - knowing what they are isn’t enough; at the very least you have to had played them before - you’d be confounded by all the love this vanilla Hollywood animated flick is getting. But to Super Mario Bros. fans, this is not vanilla at all. There is genuine love for the games on display here; from the use of iconic musical cues to the integration of actual gameplay into the action sequences. Weaved into all that is a relatable story about two down-on-their-luck Italian-American plumbers who find their calling when they become heroes in a magical world found under the sewers of New York. It was a good call not to do this as live action, as the animation design is almost indistinguishable from the latest iteration of the Mario or Mario-adjacent video games, making the game-to-movie transition basically seamless.
Next, let’s address the elephant in the room. Chris Pratt, who was controversially cast as Mario (for some reason), is actually not bad here. I also didn’t once think that Mario sounded like Starlord, Owen Grady or Andy from Parks and Recreation. The rest of the cast did a good job too, among them are Charlie Day (as Luigi), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), and Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), but it was Jack Black’s Bowser that stole the show. Actually, that isn’t entirely true. There is another scene stealing character that I suspect is going to be a big meme star after this, but I’ll let you discover that one yourself.
The movie is also loaded with many references and Easter eggs not just to Mario games but also to other Nintendo games. You can find some of this already listed on the IMDb trivia page. As of this writing, it has not mentioned about Charles Martinet who was the first to voice Mario in the games, who I think made an appearance in the movie because 1) I heard his voice, and 2) his name is listed on the movie’s IMDb cast list.
EDIT (13 April 2023): I forgot to mention about the very well-depicted brotherly bond between Mario and Luigi, which led to an unexpected emotional catharsis in the end. So, there IS a story here, one with heart. Not a 1UP heart, but better. I suspect people who said there was no story here was just not relating to that relationship, but I have two brothers myself so this did connect with me. I wonder if it’s the same for anyone else who are close with their siblings.
Overall, this is a solidly enjoyable adaptation of a beloved video game that will please fans and befuddle everyone else. It’s funny, fun and faithful to its source material. Stay on for the end credits scene, but it’s minor enough to skip over and ask someone else about it later if you needed to leave right away.
Cocaine Bear
I felt guilty for not defending M3GAN when people were deriding it for being silly and dumb. At least M3GAN had something to say, and that “audition” scene with the board of directors was absolutely riveting. Cocaine Bear had none of those.
★★
Directed by Elizabeth Banks
Written by Jimmy Warden
Cocaine Bear is very, VERY loosely based on an actual incident in 1985 when a drug dealer tried to dump his stash of cocaine from an airplane, only to end up dead from a parachute malfunction, and his loot gobbled up by a wild bear who subsequently overdosed and died from its exotic meal. In the movie, the bear fictitiously went about tearing people to shreds in search for more of the white powder scattered across a forestry to sate its addiction. With the boffo box office that it’s doing (relative to its production costs), don’t be surprised to see more cheap bearsploitation films being released within a week.
I felt guilty for not defending M3GAN when people were deriding it for being silly and dumb. At least M3GAN had something to say, and that “audition” scene with the board of directors was absolutely riveting. Cocaine Bear had none of those. Outside of the cheap thrills of seeing a wild animal gratuitously dismember human beings, the majority of the movie was really dreary, with barely anything of interest to keep you engaged until the next bear rampage, while a number of other things even annoyed and frustrated. And speaking of bear rampages, the best and biggest set piece actually occurs in the middle section of the movie, which leaves the ending with a disappointingly unremarkable finish.
I did enjoy Aaron Holliday’s performance, who played one of the three smalltime crooks, and I did want to know if the bear survived by the end. (But not the humans, though.) The bear VFX wasn’t too bad.
If you enjoy B-movie schlock, go for it. For me, this felt like a waste of time. I doubt I’d ever revisit this movie again.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
I never thought that I would have anything interesting to say about this one, but this latest installment of the Despicable Me/ Minions films managed to surprise me on a couple of things.
★★★
Picking up where we left off with the Minions and their newfound master Gru at the end of the last movie, The Rise of Gru shifts the focus back on the protagonist of the Despicable Me movies. Set in 1970s San Francisco, an 11-year-old Gru aspires to join the villainous Vicious 6 gang, but will his disaster-prone Minions help or hinder his goal?
I never thought that I would have anything interesting to say about this one, but this latest installment of the Despicable Me/ Minions films managed to surprise me on a couple of things. There are the many Chinese references, for example the Chinese zodiac, San Francisco Chinatown and the Chinese New Year parade held there, Michelle Yeoh’s brief appearance, and the iconic Bruce Lee yellow jumpsuit. There was also a joke on Kungfu Panda’s “inner peace”, and another one stolen from Shrek 2. Even a googly eyed rock made an appearance, very likely a nod to Yeoh’s most recent film. They should have opened this during the Chinese New Year celebration. It would have been on-theme and could have done particularly well in the Southeast Asian region.
The problem I have with this movie and its predecessor is that they both have this constant barrage of slapstick gags that became really tiresome to watch. There are no build-ups and pay-offs, just Minions punching each other, and yelling and shrieking throughout the entire runtime. The Rise of Gru is slightly better than its predecessor because at least the A-story is about him. The Minions have always worked better as comic reliefs in the Despicable Me movies, but what do I know? The first Minions movie made a billion freakin’ dollars in 2015!
Originally published on my Facebook page, here.