Steven Hold's Movie Reviews

Movie Review: Finding Dory

2016’s “Finding Dory” is yet another home run for Pixar. This poignant CGI underwater adventure, starring the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ty Burrell, Idris Elba, and Diane Keaton and directed by Andrew Stanton, grossed over $1 billion at the box office.

“Dory” is the sequel to 2003’s “Finding Nemo” in which Dory, voiced by DeGeneres. This time, instead of Nemo losing his way, it’s his blue buddy Dory, who suffers from short term memory loss and becomes separated from her parents.

“Dory” deftly handles the stigma of mental illness, and there is no magical ending where Dory suddenly remembers everything; it’s something that is treated with compassion.

Dory isn’t the only creature in the sea suffering from disabilities, and that’s where we learn the overarching theme of the film, that disabilities can be transformed into abilities. Once Dory accepts that for the moment (remember she has short-term memory loss), that’s when the story kicks into high gear.

Hank the octopus, played by Ed O’Neill, steals every scene he’s in, as he uses Dory to try to escape the Marine Life Institute, whose spokesperson, for some odd reason is the real Sigourney Weaver. Hank driving a truck while Dory acts as a absent-minded GPS system is one of the highlights of the film.

There is one jarring moment in the film that may scare small children, and that’s when Dory becomes truly disoriented and we see her almost losing her mind. It may be best to skip that section of the film and move onto the inevitable reunion and happy ending, capped off with the classic Nat King Cole song “Unforgettable”.

“Finding Dory” is an entertaining, thought-provoking film that is easily among the best films of a somewhat disappointing 2016.

~Steven Hold

Batman vs Superman

How can you follow up such an outstanding trilogy of Batman movies directed by Christopher Nolan with a new Batman saga? Unfortunately, the answer that you can’t, with Batman vs Superman, directed by Zack Snyder, a muddled mess void of any fun whatsoever.

This film was designed to be the springboard for future Justice League movies, but if Snyder’s style continues in the same direction, the franchise is headed for big trouble and possible future box office disaster. The fact that it only scored a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes is very telling.

The film opens in a familiar setting where we are “treated” yet again to a quick Batman origin story where once again, we see Bruce Wayne’s parents murdered, with young Bruce Wayne being the only witness. (How many times do we have to see this?) He falls in a hole… surrounded by bats… he’s transformed… we get it.

We move forward in time to present day Metropolis during the last few moments of the battle between Superman (played by Henry Cavill, in a truly thankless role) and General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) from the equally uninspiring “Man of Steel” as they batter each other around as buildings crumble and disintegrate all around them. One of the people caught up in the devastation, which was tastelessly cribbed from 9/11, is Bruce Wayne, now played by Ben Affleck. This Bruce Wayne is older and cynical, and has a super-sized chip on his shoulder.

The devastation caused by Superman brings his trustworthiness and motives into play, and before long, Superman is the subject of a congressional committee inquiry led by a congresswoman played by Oscar winner Holly Hunter. There’s more to the inquiry than meets the eye due to the machinations of Lex Luthor, erratically played by Jesse Eisenberg. His character was all over the place, which is indicative of the entire piece as a whole.

But wait… someone else is thrown into the mix, and that’s the enigmatic Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot. Neither Bruce Wayne nor Clark Kent know what to make of her.

Before long, Superman and Batman are pitted against one another and square off in one of the longest, most senseless most drawn out battles in recent film history; at some point, they make nice and then have to contend with Lex Luthor’s latest creation, Doomsday, which seemed to be slapped in at the last minute. There were too many moving pieces in this script, and unfortunately Zack Snyder handles none of them well.

Everyone in this film seemed to be ticked off about something. There was no sense of fun. No sense of adventure. Amy Adams’ Lois Lane was treated as an afterthought, and seeing Diane Lane’s Martha Kent being victimized in this film sent this reviewer over the edge.

I have serious doubts that I would want to invest in a Justice League franchise film after seeing this multi-million dollar slugfest. Rumor has it that the films will “lighten up” in the future. Warner Brothers says it’s learned its lesson. I’m not sure I want to find out if they’re right.

Independence Day: Resurgence Fails to Blend the Old and the New

Steven Hold on Independence Day Resurgence — Source: Communities Digital News

Let’s face it – despite the long trend of reboots coming out of Hollywood, trying to create film that blends old, fan-cherished elements with new, fresh storylines, characters, and technologies can be challenging. This is especially true when dealing with sequels, and as the case with Independence Day: Resurgence, long-time-coming sequels.

After watching the film it’s obvious that the creators expected the viewers saw the original. Taking it a step further, it feels like the creators of the film assumed fans had a strong loyalty to the world in which these alien invaders visit. I think that was a miscalculation on their part and that most sci-fi fans (me included) would quickly acknowledge that their level of attachment to Independence Day does not come anywhere close to the loyalty they have for other sci-fi universes, notably including the Star Wars universe or the Star Trek universe. In short, this “Independence Day” movie isn’t part of some franchise and while many liked the first one, Resurgence isn’t really the kind of movie where audience expectations are set in stone.

Oddly enough, the continuities that were absent were also a problem. I viewed this movie knowing that Will Smith was not part of the cast and, while I had hopes for it regardless of his absence, the movie did not accurately fill the void his character left, and on multiple levels. Don’t forget it was a big deal to have a non-white male acting as a hero when the first Independence Day film came out and the sequel didn’t succeed in being equally brave in casting their heroes. One exception to that observation was the introduction of a new character: Congolese warlord Dikembe Umbutu (played by Deobia Oparei). This character was a welcomed introduction in Resurgence and was a brief shining moment where the old was successfully being blended into something new.

Read another review at http://www.commdiginews.com/entertainment/independence-day-resurgence-is-a-tired-sequel-to-nowhere-68393/

~Steven Hold

The Legend of Tarzan: “A” for Effort

I have to admit it – I’ve never been a huge fan of the Tarzan story! I love movies set in the beautiful continent of Africa, I love seeing the animals found in Africa, and I often enjoy films that have characters with extra-ordinary abilities, but (for me!) there’s also been something about the Tarzan story that kept from engaging in the suspension of disbelief. To put it plainly, I’ve always had a hard time even pretending that a baby could survive – and be even raised – by a tribe of gorillas.

The Legend of Tarzan—starring Alexander Skarsgård (Tarzan/John Clayton), Margot Robbie (Jane Porter), Samuel L. Jackson (George Washington Williams), Christoph Waltz (Leon Rom), and Djimon Hounsou (Chief Mbonga)— is the only Tarzan movie that helped me to believe in the story!

The film makes excellent choices in how it begins and, these choices, are the primary reason why I finally felt I could “buy-in” on the story. Unlike previous Tarzan pieces of fiction, Legend has us first meet a very realistic character: an English man named John Clayton who is somewhat infamous because of the time he has spent in Africa. While there are quick references to his Tarzan-like abilities, it’s not overwhelming. Instead the Clayton you meet tends to have a sane and boring life and likes it that way. He is invited by King Leopold II of Belgium to go to Africa and John adamantly refuses. At the prodding of American emissary George Washington Williams (played beautifully by Jackson), Clayton reconsiders, believing King Leopold might be enslaving the African people. Jane insists on going with John because of her own history and attachments with Africa, the three of them depart, and the adventures begin.

While there are frequent flashbacks that remind us that Clayton’s parents died while they were in Africa, that the infant John Clayton was raised by gorillas, that Tarzan becomes a kind of “king of the jungle,” and then eventually meets Jane (who never seems to mind the idea of falling in love with a man who spent none of his life among humans or can even speak to her); the flashbacks don’t overpower you as a viewer. They’re the old, familiar, well-known elements and Legend seeks to tell a new story. And they do it well! I believed it….and for the first time! My own real criticisms are the decision to not shoot in Africa (the jungle could look fake at times) and the obvious CGI gorillas that often didn’t seem quite real.

Read another Legend of Tarzan review at http://www.commercialappeal.com/blogs/entertainment/go-play/The-Legend-of-Tarzan—A-Mini-Review-387288291.html

~Steven Hold

Central Intelligence Shows Authenticity

The latest in a string of buddy films, at first take Central Intelligence isn’t providing us with anything new. It’s a comedy about a CIA agent and his high-school friend who are trying to save the day. Dwayne Johnson nails his role as the big, muscle-bound spy Bob Stone who is working to stop the sale of satellite encryption codes. One of Hollywood’s latest golden children, Kevin Hart, is the short man, best friend who gets wrapped up in Bob Stone’s plans.

What ensues is often ridiculous and certainly not based in reality, but who cares? The jokes are non-stop and the punch lines come so fast it’s hard to recover from your last bit of laughter in order to go into another one. In short, we’re “in” on the jokes, we know it’s not meant to be real, and we’re laughing all the way through (special kudos to the CGI team who make us believe in a younger, overweight Johnson).

But while the movie is certainly funny, and Johnson proves himself a comedian while Hart shows his ability to play the straight man; its real strength lies in its sincerity. As with all buddy films, the movie isn’t only about the jokes, but the ability to make you believe these dudes are friends. Central Intelligence definitely succeeds in this goal. The chemistry between Johnson and Hart is perfect and you leave this movie believing these guys are actually, really good friends (they are also planning to do a remake of the movie, Jumanji, together). The authenticity of their friendship is what really makes this movie stand! It’s like watching two of your own high school or college buds getting back together, and like all good movies, it provides a cathartic experience of taking a break away from your daily life in order to re-engage in good times with your own buds.

Read a Central Intelligence review at http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/movie-rewind-central-intelligence-is-outrageous-full-of-heart/article_bba0111d-f62e-5796-8b13-25afba901c81.html

~Steven Hold

Star Trek Beyond: Beyond What?

The third in the latest Star Trek franchise reboot, Star Trek Beyond, brings back the old cast of characters and the new actors that play them including Captain James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine), Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), Sulu (John Cho), Lieutenant Uhura (Zoë Saldana), Doctor ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban), Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott (Simon Pegg), and the recently-passed Anton Yelchin returned to his role as Pavel Chekov.

The plot of the movies centers around the Star Trek crew’s need to defend themselves from a hostile alien named Krall (Idris Elba) on a hostile alien world found within a nebula. The crew is assisted by the formidable character Jaylah (played by Sofia Boutella).

While it’s fairly clear that the “Beyond” title is primarily meant as a reference to traveling within a new part of space, the opening of the film suggests a deeper emergence is meant to occur. In the opening scenes, we learn the crew is on year 3 of their 5-year mission and Kirk is feeling self-doubt about his reasons for joining Starfleet, and he says his life is becoming too “episodic.” He’s considering a way out of the captain’s chair (and we later learn Spock is also considering a role beyond Starfleet). From the start, the viewer is led to believe this Star Trek movie is going to do something different, that it will go beyond the formulaic storylines we’ve seen in previous television episodes and other Star Trek films.

If that was the goal, they didn’t really nail it! Rather it’s clear the Hollywood-blockbuster machine still dictated how the story had to unfold. There must be a sequence with the destruction of a lot of buildings. There must be fights between a good guy and one of the villains. The Star Trek villain must be motivated by a typical grudge of some kind. There must be moments of humor, often relying on the relationships built by the original series. There must be a bit of sex or romance thrown in for good measure. And of course, millions of lives need to be in danger, but shown in a way that preserves the profitable PG-13 rating.

While the movie ends with a feeling the crew can now explore new depths of space, and while both Kirk and Spock have moments of transcendence and growth, the viewer is left wondering: How did this movie go above and beyond what we’ve seen before?

That being said, it did feel more like an episode than the previous 2 films in the Kelvin timeline. We’re reaching the point in this timeline where we have seen enough to recognize the differences and cheer on the personal improvements of the Kevlin timeline crew. With a couple nods to the past (and a really poignant scene with Spock – if you’ve seen it you know which one I mean), it satisfies the Trekkie in me.

Read a professional review of Star Trek Beyond from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/movies/review-star-trek-beyond.html

~Steven Hold