Secret Magic Control Agency

 

A few days before the King's (Thompson) birthday, he is kidnapped by black magic.  The guards are unable to rescue him and the Prime Minister (Mike Pollock) turns to the Secret Magic Control Agency for help.  The Secret Magic Control Agency (SMAC) covertly watches all magicians in the kingdom.  They know every spell, potion, and trick that the magic community performs.  Even they are stumped by the King's disappearance.

The leader of the SMAC, Agent Stepmother (Reilly), wants to try a new strategy: look at the crime from the criminal's perspective.  Agent Gretel (Shaw) is ordered to arrest her famous magican brother Hansel (Corda).  Gretel is a serious, by-the-books agent, working hard to become the Best Agent.  Hansel is a charlatan and con-artist, who likes a good spectacle.  Agent Stepmother asks the siblings to work together to find the King.

They reluctantly agree to work together.  Their clashing investigation methods lead to an accident with magic potions, turning them back into children.  Can the siblings put aside their animosity to find the King and save the kingdom?

The film, by produced by Wizart Animation, is based on the Hansel and Gretel fairytale.  It has all of the main points of the story, while adding a fresh spin.

The Good:

This is clearly a family film.  It is bright and colorful, not too scary, and encourages the bonds of family.  The film is a nice mix of fantasy, fairytale, and spy movie.  It keeps the story from veering into some of the darker images/themes from the classic fairytale.  There is lots of humor, without talking down to the audience or boring the adults.

The Bad:

Elvira's confectionary minions.  They have cartoonishly big eyes, speak in gibberish, and don't really contribute to the story.  The cupcakes are a cute idea (like the Despicable Me Minions), but are annoying.  The gingerbread men and licorice ladies don't really do much.

Other Comments:

-I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  I know the Hansel and Gretel story, and I enjoyed the ways this film used the story as a template, without being a scene by scene retelling.

-The villains - Baba Yaga and Elvira - cover the main characteristics of the villain from the fairytale.  Baba Yaga is the witch that wants to eat kids and Elvira is the candy/baking witch.

-The SMCA is a great idea and gives them lots of material if they want to expand the world.

-The end of the film teases a future case, recalling another Brothers Grimm fairytale.  I would love to see their take on other beloved fairytales.

Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) 104 minutes

Director: Alexey Tsitsilin

Starring: Nicholas Corda as Hansel

Sylvana Joyce as Gretel

Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld as young Hansel

Courtney Shaw as young Gretel

Erica Schroeder as Elvira

Marc Thompson as King

Georgette Reilly as Agent Stepmother

Johanna Elmina Moise as Agent Stepdaughter

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

"I rode a motorcycle through the jungle with a pack of raptors."

"We're not compatible."

Three years after Jurassic World was overrun by dinosaurs, the island of Isla Nublar is facing a new threat.  The active volcano on the island is going to erupt and destroy all life on the island.  Claire Dearing (Howard) leads a group that wants to save the dinosaurs from extinction, again.  After the U.S. Senate rules again a rescue, Claire is contacted by Sir Benjamin Lockwood (Cromwell).  Lockwood created the dinosaurs with John Hammond, but their partnership ended before the park was created.  Lockwood and Eli Mills, his assistant, want to save the dinosaurs and they need Claire's help.  To rescue the last velociraptor, Blue, they need the assistance of the raptor wrangler Owen Grady (Pratt).

Owen and Claire are joined by veterinarian Zia Rodriguez (Pineda), IT technician Franklin Webb (Smith), and a team of mercenaries.  They quickly learn that the mercenaries have other plans for the captured dinosaurs.  As the danger from the volcano and the dinosaurs loams, they are able to escape the island and return to the mainland.  Can they discover the real reason the dinosaurs were rescued?

This is the 5th film in the Jurassic Park franchise, after Jurassic Park in 1993, The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997, Jurassic Park III in 2001, and Jurassic World in 2015.

The Good:

The filmmakers attempted to learn from the criticisms of the previous film: the characters have reasonable clothing / footwear, the deaths are earned, etc.  Does it match the power of the original film - no, but it isn't terrible.

The Bad:

Jurassic World was like a retread of Jurassic Park (putting dinosaurs in a park is bad), and this film is more like The Lost World (the dinosaurs are alone on an island, idiots return to study them and at least one dinosaur is brought back to the mainland).

My question throughout the film is why: Why go back to the island (especially if you already experienced the carnage); why do you believe moving the dinosaurs is a good idea; why do you trust the men with guns who clearly have different motivations; etc.  In addition to that, I don't particularly like any of the human characters.

Once again the scientists are trying to create a smarter, deadlier dinosaur, without thinking about the consequences.  We are also supposed to feel sympathy for the dinosaurs, who are given more emotions in this film.  It works in some cases, but in others it just feels like overkill or a waste.

Other Comments:

-The film features a cameo by Jeffrey Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm.

-The sequel, Jurassic World: Dominion, is planned for 2022.  This film will end the Jurassic World trilogy.

-I didn't hate this film, but I also didn't love it.  It has some good suspense, but it doesn't stay with you like Jurassic Park.  I will probably see the sequel, but I don't have high expectations.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) 128 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for 

Director: J.A. Bayona

Starring: Chris Pratt as Owen Grady

Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing

Rafe Spall as Eli Mills

Justice Smith as Franklin Webb

Daniella Pineda as Zia Rodriguez

James Cromwell as Sir Benjamin Lockwood

Toby Jones as Mr. Eversoll

Ted Levine as Ken Wheatley

B.D. Wong as Henry Wu

Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood

Stan & Ollie

"I'll miss us when we're gone."

"So will you."

In 1953, Stan Laurel (Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (Reilly) travel to Great Britain for a comedy tour.  It is an opportunity for them to perform together and build momentum for their next film: a Robin Hood comedy.  They use the travel time on the tour to work on material, even though their film producer is elusive.

While they enjoy working together, old wounds start to resurface.  Sixteen years earlier, their films were popular, but contract negotiations pulled them apart.

The tour producer, Bernard Delfont (Jones), does not promote their shows or understand their appeal.  Audiences love the show and as they start making public appearances, the shows are sold out.  On stage, they are a well-oiled machine, but life off stage is not as rosy.  The tension increases with the arrival of their wives Ida (Arianda) and Lucille (Henderson).  Can their friendship and careers survive the tour?

Laurel and Hardy were an iconic comedy duo.  They made 107 films together: a combination of silent, feature-length, and short films.

The Good:

Where to begin.  The story, by Jeff Pope, focuses on a specific point in their careers: it opens at the height of their careers in 1937 and then the rest of the film is the 1953 tour.  It takes a look at the private lives of these legends, while also showing why audiences love them.

The performances are great.  Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly may not seem like obvious choices, but they really deliver.  Both wore prosthetics to mimic the well-known look of their characters, and studied their mannerisms.  They have the difficult task of recreating iconic Laurel and Hardy acts, while making it look easy / natural.  Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda also wanted to bring their characters to life, while paying homage to these women.  They all work well together and make the characters come to life.

The Bad:

No real complaints.

Other Comments:

-I loved this movie... it was a fun tribute, without being overly sentimental.  It also focused on the end of their career, while still lovingly looking back at their heyday.

-The end credits feature clips and photos of Laurel and Hardy, from the the real events depicted in the film.  It made me want to go out and watch Laurel and Hardy films... starting with Way Out West

-The story is inspired by the book "Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours" by A.J. Marriot (there is a part I and part II).

-While the film was not nominated for any Oscars, it was nominated for several British Academy Film Awards.

Stan & Ollie (2018) 98 minutes

Director: Jon S. Baird

Starring: Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel

John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy

Shirley Henderson as Lucille Hardy

Nina Arianda as Ida Laurel

Rufus Jones as Bernard Delfont

Danny Huston as Hal Roach