Movie Review: Abominable

Abominable (2019) 

Directed by Jill Culton 

Written by Jill Culton 

Starring Chloe Bennett, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin 

Release Date September 27th, 2019 

Published September 27th, 2019

“For me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy” Roger Ebert 

There is a moment in my experience of the movie Abominable that reminded me of that Roger Ebert quote and why Roger was always the best of us, always so prescient. Our young protagonist in Abominable has a violin that means the world to her, a gift from her late father and it appears to be broken and lost forever. 

Behind me, in the dark of the theater, a little girl, who couldn't have been older than 5 or 6, says to her mom, ‘oh no her guitar,’ with genuine concern and empathy. The poignancy of this moment cannot be understated. Abominable inspires feelings like that and while it may not be perfect, if it inspires one child toward that kind of genuine empathy, it’s worth more than all of the greatest movies ever made. 

Abominable features the voice of Chloe Bennett as Yi, an industrious teenager who, since the death of her father, has barely stopped working long enough to grieve his loss. Her absence from her mother (Michelle Wong) and her Nai Nai (Tsai Chai) is deeply felt but mom fears interfering in her daughters coping mechanism, even if it means not being able to offer the comfort she desperately wishes to give. 

Yi’s multiple side hacks, including dog walking, babysitting, and emptying fish guts in the trash of a restaurant, are her way of avoidance and her way of raising money for a trip she and her father had planned and she’s determined to take. But all of that will have to wait when Yi finds a yeti on the roof of her apartment building. Yes, a yeti, a big, white furball of a yeti with more than a touch of magic and wonder to him. 

The yeti, which Yi nicknames Everest, after his home summit, has escaped from the laboratory of a big game hunter named Burnish (Eddie Izzard). Burnish encountered a Yeti as a young man when he climbed Mt Everest and he intends to prove to the world the yeti exists. With the help of his Zoologist sidekick, Dr Zara (Sarah Paulsen) and his bumbling team of security Burnish will do anything to bring Everest back to his lab to exploited. 

Helping Yi and Everest on their journey, as Yi has decided to return Everest to his home, are Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Jin’s young cousin, Peng (Albert Tsai). Jin had no intention of helping but when Peng ran off to join Yi and Everest on a departing ship, he leapt after him to protect him. Jin also provides a lucky cover story for the trio as well as he had a trip to Beijing planned for his college visits and he claims Yi and Peng are accompanying him. 

That’s all I will tell you about the plot of Abominable, an unfortunate title for this delightful movie. Truly, THIS movie deserves to be called Everest and it is a shame that the awful mountain climbing movie from earlier this young century claimed that title first. The two films are remarkably different in story but also in quality as Abominable is a wonderful adventure and Everest is a paean to the courage of people dying for no reason other than their ego. 

Stepping off my soapbox, Abominable was written and directed by Jill Culton who has greatly improved her work since the slight and forgettable animated animal flick, Open Season, in 2006. Abominable has the heartfelt care and craft of a Pixar movie without the lowbrow pandering of most non-Pixar animated fair. The animation is lovely, even as the character design choices are a little odd. Not so odd as to be notably bad, just a few unusual choices. That’s just critical nitpicking. 

The eagle eyed among you readers were likely struck by a name in the credits of Abominable, that of Tenzing Norgay Trainor. That’s not merely an homage to the man who joined Sir Edmund Hillary as the first men on the top of Mt Everest, Tenzing Norgay. Tenzing Norgay Trainor is the grandson of Tenzing Norgay making Abominable an apt tribute to his grandfather’s legacy. Trainor was an inspired choice for the role of Jin not just because of his heritage, but also because he’s a star on the Disney Channel and has a naturally expressive voice. 

The most important thing about Abominable is that the story is full of heart. It’s the kind of movie that overwhelms you with a big, lovable heart. These are wonderful characters inside a terrific story filled with adventure and laughs and a few well earned tears. Watching Abominable in a theater full of children and watching even the most attention span challenged child slowly become mesmerized by the sights and sounds is an utter delight. 

The experience of Abominable was nearly enough for me to recommend it. That Abominable is a genuinely wonderful movie, is icing on the cake. 

Movie Review Rock Dog

Rock Dog (2017) 

Directed by Ash Brannon

Written by Ash Brannon, Kurt Voelker

Starring Luke Wilson, J.K Simmons, Eddie Izzard, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson, Mae Whitman

Release Date February 24th, 2017

Published February 24th, 2017

To complain that “Rock Dog” is a low-quality bit of animated flotsam is something akin to complaining about the wind blowing, that’s simply its nature. “Rock Dog” is an animated cash-in from China that isn’t meant to be good but rather is intended as a product, and a cheap one at that. China may still be under the boot of Communism but the burgeoning capitalists working their way around the government have learned a thing or two from Hollywood charlatans who pump out products rather than art or even the modest bit of fluffy entertainment.

“Rock Dog” features the voice of Luke Wilson, a paragon of youthful enthusiasm at a mere 45 years old, as teenage mastiff singer Bodi. Bodi lives on Snow Mountain with his bruising mastiff daddy Khampa (J.K Simmons) who has seemingly planned Bodi’s life for him. Like his dad, Bodi is expected to become a guard dog, protecting the simple and sweet sheep of Snow Mountain from the dastardly and deadly wolves, led by Linnux (Lewis Black).

Bodi however, dreams of music and when a radio falls from the sky from a passing airplane Bodi finds his muse in a rock singer named Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard). With dreams of having Angus teach him about music, Bodi leaves his family behind to travel to the city and join a band. Unfortunately, the wolves see Bodi leaving and see it as a chance to attack the village. Can Bodi achieve his dreams and still find a way to protect Snow Mountain? Will you care?

Don’t let this incredibly funny voice cast fool you, “Rock Dog” has only three laughs. Mostly “Rock Dog” seems to exist. The story is rudimentary, as my description indicates, when it isn’t filling time with nonsense about wrestling a murderous bear or padding things further with voiceover from Sam Elliott as, ugh,….. Fleetwood Yak. Somewhere several screenwriters high fived over that pun.

No, Fleetwood Yak is not one of the three laughs in the movie, though it did rank among the uncountable groans. No, Eddie Izzard’s rock star cat was responsible for the laughs “Rock Dog” inspires. One comes when he is forced into a bit of old school Warner Brothers slapstick, the second when he feels guilty for stealing a song from Bodi and is shamed by his robot butler and the last wasn’t memorable enough for me to recount but I can at least admit the laugh was there.

Does a negative review of “Rock Dog” matter in any way? Of course, not. Most parents don’t care what they throw in front of their small child’s consciousness. That said, for the few parents who do care, for the parents who are vigilant and give thought and care to what their children consume, this review is for you. This review says don’t waste your child’s developing brain cells on this. It’s not that “Rock Dog” is offensive or even bad for the children who do see it. Rather, that “Rock Dog” isn’t worth the 89 minutes your child could be reading or imagining or exploring a worthy work of pop entertainment. This review is for anyone who actually read all the way to the end of a review of “Rock Dog.”

Movie Review My Super Ex-Girlfriend

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) 

Directed by Ivan Reitman 

Written by Don Payne

Starring Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Rain Wilson

Release Date July 21st, 2006 

Published July 20th, 2006 

It's a good concept for a movie. The idea of a superhero in a dating situation with a regular human being is an idea that other films, Spiderman or Tim Burton's Batman, have alluded to but only now has a film made this idea its subject. The comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend drew a number of big laughs from this great premise but unfortunately director Ivan Reitman was unable to sustain those laughs for the length of the feature.

Thus what I get with Super Ex-Girlfriend is two thirds of a very funny film and a third of a chaotic special effects movie with no solid finish. It's disappointing but not entirely destructive. Too much of Super Ex-Girlfriend is too funny to be written off entirely because of third act problems no matter how huge those problems are.

Luke Wilson stars in Super Ex-Girlfriend as Matt an architect who spends his days pining for the engaged girl of his dreams Hannah (Anna Faris) and his nights fending off the lecherous advice of his best friend Vaughn (Rainn Wilson) whose idea of good dating advice is to find a chick and bang her then find another and do the same.

Vaughn did have one seemingly smart piece of advice, he was the one who encouraged Matt to approach Genny (Uma Thurman) , a bookishly sexy art gallery employee. Though the meet cute on the subway is interrupted by a mugger that steals Genny's purse, Matt still manages to land a date by chasing down the mugger and retrieving the lost purse, though he is nearly pummeled by the bad guy.

The relationship is nearly tumultuous as the meet cute as Matt discovers Genny is more than a little odd. Clingy, neurotic but a raging wildcat in bed, Genny is certainly not like any woman Matt has met before. But there is far more to Genny than meets the eye.

Genny happens to be the Clark Kent identity to a superhero known as G-Girl who has made a habit of saving New York City from repeated disasters. Her crime fighting has naturally hindered much of her dating life but once she tells Matt of her secret identity their relationship takes off to another level.

Meanwhile Matt is still pining for Hannah and eventually when it looks like Hannah might be available and Matt has tired of Genny/G-Girl's insane jealousy and neurosis Matt makes the difficult decision to end things. If you think breaking up with an everyday crazy girlfriend is hard, try breaking up with a girl with superpowers.

The first two acts of My Super Ex-Girlfriend are very funny in capitalizing on the unique idea of a superhero and her non-super boyfriend. Director Ivan Reitman and writer Don Payne spin a number of humorous scenes from this brilliant scenario, such as G-Girl and Matt's midair coitus and G-Girl's jealousy at having to leave Matt alone with Hannah while she saves the world. These scenes draw huge laughs from the premise to the skilled performances of Thurman and Wilson and the smart writing.

Unfortunately nobody figured out how to bring this brilliant concept  to a satisfying conclusion.

The third act of Super-Ex which features G-Girl's attempts to punish Matt for breaking up with her and the evil scheming of her arch nemesis Professor Bedlam, played by the wonderful Eddie Izzard, to use G-Girl and Matt's break-up to his evil advantage devolve to simply into a series of chaotic and unsatisfying special effects.

The story closes with a perfunctory predictable and unearned happy ending which ties the story up far too neatly. Eddie Izzard is a wonderful comic actor but his story arc as Professor Bedlam is almost non-existent. For the ending to work he needs to be a more established character. Instead he is a plot instigator, a pawn moving the story to its conclusion and not a functioning character.

Ivan Reitman and Don Payne are far too interested in Matt's mundane existence as an everyman dating a superhero and not nearly interested enough in the far more interesting superhero. Little attention was paid to giving G-Girl powers beyond standard Superman abilities, her backstory is dull and her outfit is neither sexy or functional.

Just creating a character with super powers does not make the character interesting or compelling. Uma Thurman gives an energetic but flailing performance as it seems Reitman decided somewhere along the line to use the broadest comic takes filmed. Thurman is far too classy for much of the overwrought scenes she is forced to play and thus her performance seems strained.

Luke Wilson is spot on as the everyday guy. His reactions are natural and grounded and his charm is endearing without being cloying. Wilson's comic skills are impeccable and he plays even the broadest scenes with a smart economic ambivalence that seems perfectly natural to the character. Like I said, much of My Super Ex-Girlfriend is really good. It's only the film's third act that keeps the movie from rising to a level at which I could excitedly recommend it to you. As it is My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a flawed funny movie worthy of a rental if not an actual trip to the theater.

Movie Review: The Wild

The Wild (2006) 

Directed by Steve Williams

Written by Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Mark Gibson

Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner

Release Date April 14th, 2006

Published April 14th, 2006 

For people familiar with the not so amicable divorce of Jeffrey Katzenberg from Disney, the new animated film The Wild is a bit of a humorous inside joke. A joke Disney, you can be sure, is not laughing at. Katzenberg was the number 2 man at Disney, right behind Michael Eisner, in the early nineties. He is said to have been responsible for relaunching Disney's moribund animation division by championing The Lion King amongst others.

When Katzenberg was forced out and ended up founding Dreamworks with Steven Speilberg and David Geffen, he had a bit of revenge on his mind. Hence, in his time as the head of Dreamworks animation an odd pattern of copying emerged.

In Katzenberg's first post Disney animated launch Katzenberg chose Antz to lead off the new Dreamworks division. An odd choice considering Katzenberg was well aware of Disney's long in development animated film A Bugs Life, courtesy of Disney partner Pixar.

From there the pattern continued, Disney/Pixar release Finding Nemo, D'works is out soon after with Shark's Tale. And then last year Katzenberg pulled the ultimate coup when he released D'Works zoo escape adventure Madagascar ahead of Disney's long in development The Wild, a picture that was in the planning stages late in Katzenberg's own Disney run.

The Wild is Disney's first foray into computer animation without the imprimatur of the geniuses at Pixar and thanks in part to Madagascar the film not only feels like a cheap knockoff it tanked at the box office like one too. Somewhere Jeffrey Katzenberg is smiling.

Kiefer Sutherland leads the voice cast of The Wild as Samson whose massive road has made him the featured attraction at the New York City Zoo. Unfortunately, Samson's son Ryan (Greg Cipes) can't seem to get his roar going beyond a weak meow. Having spent his entire life listening to his dad's stories about fighting wildebeests in the wilds of the jungle, Ryan longs to go to the wild himself to find his roar and capture some glory of his own.

Ryan gets his chance when he spots a cargo hold being loaded on a truck that he is certain is headed for The Wild. When Samson finds his son on a truck headed for the harbor he and his pals, including Benny The Squirrel (Jim Belushi), Nigel the koala (Eddie Izzard), Bridget the giraffe (Janeane Garofalo) and Larry the snake (Richard Kind) give chase and have a grand adventure in the streets of New York before commandeering a tugboat and taking off after Ryan to the Wilds of Africa.

The stories of The Wild and Madagascar are similar but not the same. Yet it cannot be denied that the creative team at Dreamworks was well aware of Disney's competing project which was in production even before Madagascar. Nevertheless most will see The Wild as a rehash of the story from Madagascar and they are not entirely wrong.

Both stories jump off from the premise of Zoo animals escaping their cage confines and heading out to adventure in the jungle. Both feature lions as lead characters, Kiefer Sutherland taciturn and authoritative in The Wild and Ben Stiller freewheeling yet neurotic in Madagascar. Both feature giraffes as second leads with Janeane Garofalo evincing a smart sexy giraffe in The Wild to David Schwimmer's laconic dopey giraffe in Madagascar.

The main difference between the two films is the switch from Chris Rock as an ascerbic energetic zebra in Madagascar and Eddie Izzard as the wildly improvised koala in The Wild. Otherwise the films play along very similar storylines.

Try to decide whether one of these two animated flicks is better than the other is really a question of taste. Madagascar appeals to fans of broad comedy while The Wild sticks closer to a family adventure vibe with Eddie Izzard providing the occasional comic jolt with his ad libbing.

I prefer Madagascar because I just could not buy the voice of Kiefer Sutherland as Samson in The Wild. All I could hear was Jack Bauer, Sutherland's iconic TV badas, coming out of the animated mouth of a lion. When Sutherland is called on to be playful or broadly comic he comes off as stern and a little angry. His line deliveries are staccato, forced and halting, not unlike Jack Bauer's tight lipped hyper authoritative line readings on 24.

Jack Bauer simply cannot play cute and cuddly and because of that I found The Wild to be more uncomfortable than humorous.

Directed by special effects specialist Steve Spaz Williams, best know for Jim Carrey's cartoon histrionics in The Mask, The Wild has uniquely realistic look that definitely looks complicated. The hard work of the Disney animators is all up there on the screen for all to see in the couple of hundred thousand individually drawn hairs on each of the animal characters.

Complicated however, is a far cry from elegant or beautiful and like all other non-pixar computer animated films, The Wild pales in comparison to the remarkable works of art that are The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.

Even without the thievery of Madagascar I would not be recommending The Wild, a family animated adventure that is lacking in big laughs and adventure.