MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU: 3 ½ STARS
This image released by Universal Pictures shows the characters, from left, Kevin, Bob, Stuart and Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, in a scene from “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” (Illumination Entertainment/Universal Pictures via AP)
Not since the Three Stooges has goofing off been so much fun. In more than five films, the frenzied Minions in the form of Tic Tac, the goofy sidekicks of former supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), have brought the most kid-friendly anarchy to the screen since Curly said, “Nyuk , nyuk, nyuk”, for the first time.
His new movie, “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” now playing in theaters, sets a new standard for goofiness.
Set in 1976 San Francisco, the story begins with the clumsy 12-year-old Gru and his dream.
“There are many villains in the world,” he says. “But I’m going to be a supervillain.”
To make his evil wish come true, he interviews to become a member of the world’s greatest outlaw team, the Vicious 6. But they don’t take him seriously. Absolutely.
“I’m pretty despicable,” says Gru proudly. “You don’t want to cross me.”
“Evil is for adults who steal powerful ancient stones and wreak havoc,” says Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), the newly appointed leader of the Vicious 6, who replaced the recently deposed former Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin). . “Not for chubby little punks who should be in school learning, taking a break and sucking their thumb! Come back when you’ve done something bad to impress me!
To prove he has what it takes to be a supervillain, Gru steals something near and dear to the peach-pit-sized hearts of the Vicious 6, their prized Zodiac Stone. Instead of impressing Belle Bottom, the robbery pits her against Gru and her loyal Minions. With the crazy, bad and dangerous Vicious 6 on their tail, Gru is kidnapped by Wild Knuckles. “My favorite villain is also my kidnapper,” Gru marvels. “This is going to be a great opportunity if you don’t kill me.”
Cue the Minion chaos.
“The Minions: The Rise of Gru” gives fans of the franchise exactly what they want: no deep thinking, just sublime nonsense.
If you want to get all the movie criticism on this, I guess you could say the leitmotif is the sweetly inspired mayhem that follows the Minions wherever they go. But this is not a movie with layers of subtext or a lot of diegetic elements. There is a denouement, a resolution to the story, but why think too much about it? It’s short, quick, and stupid with an easy-to-digest message of, as Armistead Maupin always says, find your logical, not biological, family. Or, as Gru says, “Find your tribe and never let them go.”
More racy than artsy, it’s made for kids, who I’m sure will gobble it up as parents sit patiently through the 85-minute runtime.
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES: 4 STARS
This image released by A24 shows a scene from “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”, released on June 24. (A24 via AP)
“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” is part touching, part absurd and wonderful.
In the new film, now playing in theaters, the witty, googly-eyed seashell in a pair of pink shoes, voiced by Jenny Slate, seeks to find community after a family upheaval. Marcel may be a one-inch mollusk, but his experience of loss, pain, and joy feels more human and authentic than most movies starring real humans.
In view of this shell, we learn that Marcel lives in an Airbnb, once the home of an unhappily married couple, now a stopover for tourists. When they split up, Marcel’s extended family disappeared, possibly accidentally taken in the couple’s haste to leave the house and their relationship behind.
Marcel and his grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini) stay behind, finding ingenious and often hilarious ways to survive and thrive in the mostly empty house.
When recently estranged filmmaker Dean (Dean Fleischer-Camp, who directs and co-created Marcel with Slate) and his curious dog move in, Marcel finds a friend and collaborator. Dean gets carried away by Marcel’s mix of curiosity (have you ever had a raspberry?) and insight, and begins documenting life at Airbnb in a video he intends to post on YouTube. “It’s like a movie,” Marcel explains to Connie. “But no one has lines and no one knows what it is while they’re doing it.”
As the video goes viral, Marcel wonders if this newfound fame can help him track down his family.
“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” is shot documentary style, with beautiful stop-motion animation to bring Marcel and Connie to life. The star of the show is Slate’s heartfelt vocal performance, both childlike and wise. Marcel is a unique character. Lovable, he’s like he just stepped out of a Pixar movie, bringing with him personality to spare, but also a level of self-awareness and empathy rarely brought to such a high level in family movies. He may be big-screen entertainment about a mollusk, but he feels personal and intimate.
Rossellini warms Connie, in a performance that feels like a grandma’s hug. Comforting and wise, and a bit forgetful, she is Marcel’s anchor and mentor. “Marcello, let’s forget about being afraid,” she says. “He Solo takes the adventure.”
“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” takes a goofy premise — one that could be on the shelf alongside other talking creature kids movies — and elevates it with a sense of humanity and the transformative power of friendship.
This one inch tall character punches well above his height.
THE FORGIVEN: 3 STARS
Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes appear in a scene from ‘The Forgiven’. (Courtesy of TIFF)
A satire of privilege enjoyed by the upper classes, “The Forgiven,” starring Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain and now showing in theaters, is a morality play almost entirely without morality.
Based on Lawrence Osborne’s 2012 novel of the same name, “The Forgiven” centers on a married couple heading to a week-long party in the desert of Morocco. He is drunken, bigoted Briton David (Ralph Fiennes), she is Jo (Jessica Chastain), a bored American with a sharp tongue.
After an afternoon of drinking, they head into the darkness of the Sahara for the “long drive”. On the way, “in the middle of fucking nowhere”, David, feeling the effects of the afternoon wine, hits and kills Driss (Omar Ghazaoui), a young fossil dealer who stood in front of the car. They load the body into the backseat and head to the party for dinner and more drinks. “The boy is a nobody,” David mocks.
The hosts (Matt Smith and Caleb Landry Jones), who boast of throwing the best parties in all of West Africa, call the police, who quickly close the case, deeming it an accident. The next morning Driss’s father arrives and demands that David accompany him to the boy’s funeral. “It is right and proper for the man responsible for his death to do this,” says the father. Its the tradition.
David reluctantly agrees. “What does it matter one way or the other,” he says. “Everyone thinks I’m guilty.” David’s journey of humility contrasts sharply with Jo, who takes advantage of the more hedonistic aspects of life at the party.
“The Forgiven” is a story about the collision of East and West. Director John Michael McDonagh places his wealthy, debauched characters in a place where, because of their money and power, the rules just don’t apply to them.
It’s an intriguing premise, represented in the film’s dueling stories; David and Jo, separated by distance and purpose for most of the film’s runtime. They’re on different paths, but they’re both headed for some kind of comeuppance, payment for their sins, but as the veil of decay covers Jo’s journey, and existential dread clouds David’s, “The Forgiven” stops short. before providing any kind of lighting for his characters.
The undertones of exploitation of the poor and violence that are embedded in the story remain, but are not questioned. Despite a memorable climax, the final understanding and judgment of the characters and the situation is left to the viewer to unravel.
With such rich material available, the vagueness of “The Forgiven” is frustrating, but compelling thanks to Fiennes, Chastain, Smith, Said Taghmaoui, who brings real warmth to the character of host Anouar, and Mourad Zaoui as the perceptive theater manager. and translator. , Hamed.
MR. MALCOLM’S LIST: 3 STARS
This image released by Bleecker Street shows Zawe Ashton in a scene from “Mr. Malcolm’s List.” (Ross Ferguson/Bleecker Street via AP)
The petticoats may be more pronounced and the dialogue straight out of Jane Austen, but make no mistake, “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” a new romance now playing in theaters, is the kind of romantic comedy that kept Drew Barrymore and Kathryn Heigl busy for years. The only thing missing is the traditional rom-com that makes its way through the airport and into the arms of the lover, an omission caused by the time period, not a lack of trying.
Based on a best-selling novel of the same name by Suzanne Allain, the film opens with a bad date between London’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Jeremiah Malcolm (Sope Dirisu), and the anxious but foolish (“Thinking too deeply causes furrows”). on the forehead,” she says) Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton).She has her hopes pinned on a marriage proposal, but he seems more inclined to discuss politics, a subject she knows little about.
Despite their best efforts, the night ends with them going their separate ways. The next day, to Julia’s horror, the newspaper runs a cartoon of Mr. Malcolm dismissing her with a brief “Next!”
It turns out that Mr. Malcolm has a list of requirements for his potential new girlfriend. Candidates must be able to converse sensibly, exude elegance of mind, have an indulgent nature, and gracious social relations, among other prerequisites. Julia’s sin? Not knowing about the newly enacted Corn Laws and batting their eyelashes too much.
Julia is horrified by the publicity. “I’d love to see Mr. Malcolm get what he deserves,” she says. To that end, she enlists Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), a country mouse from out of town, to give her a crash course in high society in order to seduce Malcolm. When he falls for her charms, Julia will produce a list of her own and he will be “tried and found wanting in front of all good society” just as she was.
You already know the rest, and if not, you’ve never seen a romantic comedy before. This is a Kathryn Heigl-esque movie, with high-brow accents and the promise of a ripped bodice or two. Mix jealousy, deception, an attractive alternate love interest in the form of Captain Henry Ossory (Theo James), and the comic relief of the giggly Mrs. Covington, wonderfully played by Broadway star Ashley Park, and you have one entertaining movie, but pretty predictable.
“Mr. Malcolm’s List” succeeds primarily thanks to a captivating and diverse cast that breathes life and lots of personality into a hackneyed genre.