UglyDolls

UglyDolls is an animated film that follows Moxy, a free-spirited doll, that doesn’t conform to the beliefs that she is not pretty enough or perfect enough for the love of a child. Throughout her story she and her UglyDoll friends have to confront those who don’t appreciate their differences and have to find ways to encourage others to embrace their uniqueness.

I found the movie to be surprisingly star studded. It was a borderline musical with all of the catchy numbers. I was glad that they picked a lot of popular singers to do the voices. Kelly Clarkson was the lead voice of Moxy, Pitbull, Ice-T, Blake Shelton, Wanda Sykes, Janelle Monáe and Nick Jonas were all also a part of the cast.

The animation was visually appealing, the story was engaging and the plot was relatable. Where I think that the movie lost me was that it was too focused on the negativity of the plot. You almost wonder how this could be a child friendly movie at times. The run time was 87 minutes but it took until about 60 minutes in to finally see the more positive themes in this underdog tale.

With that being said, I thought that the movie meant well but I don’t really think that this was able to strongly showcase the themes that they were trying to highlight. I think that it could be easy for kids to misinterpret the purpose of the movie, thus this is not one that I would recommend for kids and not worth checking out for adults.

Spider-Man: Far from Home

Spider-Man: Far from Home is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming. It picks up right after Avengers: Endgame. In this film Peter Parker is still reeling from the death of his friend and mentor. All he wants to do is check out and enjoy his international summer school trip but Nick Fury has other plans for him. Peter then has to come to terms with either stepping up as a leader and an Avenger or falling back, putting the world at risk.

In this Marvel film I had more enjoyment of the script and cast dynamics than I did with the actual action sequences. Quite a few people came back from the original group of actors, which I enjoyed. The new additions also did a great job playing off of one another. I am really enjoying seeing Zendaya on screen as MJ. She was once again a great co-star to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. She has such spot on, dead pan sarcasm. Someone who is direct and straight forward on what she says. I also liked her seemingly disinterested yet still very interested personality. The script was very age appropriate for the cast, which I appreciated. I don’t like it when writers create a script for high school characters but the conversations that are so full of depth that you know it’s not what high school kids would be saying. Additionally, the plot moved well, there was never a dull moment. I also found the twists within the story to be unpredictable and interesting.

Within this great film there were only a couple of things I wasn’t fully on board with, the villain was one. I thought he was a bit corny and not as threatening or believable as a Thanos, per se. Also, the action sequences were well choreographed and visually appealing but not as heart pounding or engaging as previous Marvel movies.

With all of that being said, I still really liked this movie. I thought that it was an enjoyable ride, full of funny moments, great acting and plenty of heart. I would definitely recommend checking this out in theatres.

Rocketman

Rocketman is an Elton John bio pic and musical. It follows him from about age 7 until his mid-thirties, covering some of the most tumultuous times in his life.

I thought that the plot was interesting. There were a lot of pieces in Elton John’s life that I didn’t know much about. The movie did a good job giving you insight into his family dynamic, his long standing and destructive addictions and his friendships and relationships.

In regard to the acting. I was impressed across the board. The last movie I saw with Taron Egerton was Robin Hood, which was terrible, so I came in with low expectations for his role as Elton John. I am happy to say that I was actually very impressed with his portrayal. Not only did he sing well, but he was also able to humanize Elton in a way that you don’t see in this iconic singer’s depiction though the media lens or even in his performances. You saw a vulnerable man trying to come to terms with the relationship that he had with his family, someone trying to gain confidence and come into his own while also trying to manage the frenzy that was forming around him during the height of his career.

Additionally, I didn’t know much about Elton's relationship with his longtime songwriter Bernie Taupin, played by Jamie Bell, so that was also an interesting plot line. Bryce Dallas Howard was a great choice for his mother, Sheila. She wasn’t the kindest woman and some of the things that she would say to Elton were terrible, but I think that she was trying to do the best she could with the tools that she had. I also enjoyed seeing Richard Madden as Elton’s love interest, John Reid. It was nice to see this Game of Thrones alum showcase some variety in his craft.

I’m not a huge Elton John fan but I was surprised by how many songs I recognized. I also liked the montage at the end where you see old photos of Elton compared to photos of Taron. They did a great job in the costume department replicating some of Elton’s most iconic outfits.

Where the movie lost me a bit was in some of its editing and that it was heavy on the musical side, almost corny at times. I got Austin Powers vibes with some of the earlier musical sequences in the film. I would have liked it to be more like Bohemian Rhapsody, which was more of a movie with the music parts seamlessly intertwined.

Overall I thought that the movie was good. Not one worth seeing in theatres, but something worth catching once it makes its way to video.