Tag: anna kendrick

ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR – Review

This week’s big streaming feature film release could be compared to the return of an unexpected Fall romance from several years ago, seven to be precise. This movie captured my heart, along with my critical sensibilities. when it seemed to appear seemingly out of nowhere, with little fanfare or hype. Yes, I was, and remain, a fan of the filmmaker and one of the lead actors, but this was a real step out of their “comfort zone” with an engaging murder mystery full of snark and satire, along with fabulous fashions. That movie, A SIMPLE FAVOR, nabbed a spot on my top ten list of 2018. And now, almost everyone is back for a sequel, but is that magical spark still there? Will I have that same frothy fun and romance with ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR? Or was the original “just one of those things, just one of those crazy flings…”?


In the opening sequence, much has changed in the sleepy California suburb. “Home lifestyle vlogger” Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) has expanded her “brand” and is the author of a true-life murder mystery novel based on her past experience there (y’know, the first flick). She’s doing a “reading” from that work at the town’s bookstore with her “mom pals” there along with a small audience, under the guidance of her aggressive manager Vicki (Alex Newell). All is pretty normal until someone arrives late, Sasshaying up the aisle (as if it were a fashion show runway) is none other than Emily Nelson (Blake Lively). Seems a pack of high-powered lawyers have gotten her released from prison, just in time for nuptials to her new wealthy fiancé (who paid for the legal team). Emily wants Stephanie to be her maid of honor at the big wedding ceremony…in Capri. Steph balks, but Emily insists, saying that her law squad could sue her for libel and slander unless she agrees to go. Luckily, Steph’s son Miles is off to Summer camp, so …bon voyage. Actually she boards (with Vicki in tow) the private jet of the wealthy, perhaps “connected” family of Emily’s beau, the hunky, handsome Dante Versano (Michele Morrone). Upon landing, they’re whisked away to a fancy hotel where Steph meets him and reunites with Emily’s ex (and her former “fling”), the boozing Sean Townsend (Henry Golding). He’s brought along his son with Emily, Nicky (Ian Ho). At the big pre-wedding reception, we meet the Versano matriarch Portia (Elena Sofia-Ricci), who detests Em and her pals. But she’s got a surprise for her future daughter-in-law. She’s flown in her dingy mother, Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins), and her pushy sister, who Em hasn’t seen in thirty years, Aunt Linda (Allison Janney). With the “players in place, the “game” soon begins with multiple murders that point to Stephanie. Has Emily set up the whole event as a way to exact revenge on her former friend who helped send her to the slammer years ago?

Well, the two leads haven’t missed a “beat”, effortessly going into that verbal ‘dance” they aced so well way back in 2018. Yes, Kendrick is still a delightful snarky “hot mess”, as she doles out the “burns” while trying to grasp all the chaos swirling about her. She gets us back on her “side” even as she has to go into the cliche drunk/stoned bits in the story’s troubled (more about that later) second half. Lively as Emily is still the epitome of swaggering super-confidence (I mean, look at those wild outfits that she “works” expertly), though there’s more than a hint of sadness in the veiled threats she utters casually to Kendrick, perhaps to always keep her off-balance. Her character is a supermodel who’s always ready to strike. As for the supporting players, the real standout may be Ricci, who is constantly “shooting daggers” at the “Americans” as she spews venom through her perfectly clenched teeth. Morrone is a prime “Euro-stud” with a smouldering but dangerous stare and primo product-filled hair and white linen tailored suits. He’s the opposite of Em’s “ex,” who Golding plays as an ever “open wound” in need of constant liquid medication in a thankless expendable role. Ditto for the rest of Emily’s “side” with the talented Perkins reduced to playing a dotty, daft unfiltered harridan (think of a really nasty Sofia of “The Golden Girls”) and the usually superb Oscar-winner Janney who has to bark out threats while doing a variation of the old villainous “mustache-twirling”. They’re both such gifted actresses, saddled with subpar material. And then there’s Newell, whose Vicky may be the standard “fish out of water American doofus”, but his stint as the comic relief reactor is marred by constant “mugging” and a delivery right out of a 70s sitcom, maybe due to some misguided direction. But happily, we do get some brief early scenes with Steph’s “Greek chorus” back home led by the terrific Andrew Rannells. Plus, we get a new comic character from an energetic screen newcomer, Taylor Ortega.

So, I’m reminded of that old phrase from WWII, “Was this trip really necessary?” when thinking about this flick. Well, I’m not so sure if it was needed. All the right elements are back, including comedy movie master Paul Feig and the original screenwriters. Mind you, the first act is lots of fun with the reunion of Steph and Em. fraught with fun and danger. Unfortunately, the film soon goes “off the rails” when the murder mystery kicks in. We’re given a “heads up” with a bizarre flashback to a recent mystery with Steph, that may be there to plant some doubt on her sleuthing skills, but just serves little function till a quick final act nod. Part of the problem may be the often conflicting acting styles, with Feig giving a bit too much “leeway” with some of the performance “choices”. And this is the director who guided Melissa McCarthy in her best movies, really. Maybe this is a way to “sell” the script. to make the muddled plot revelations, with each new “twist” trying to “upend” the previous one to the point of exhaustion (for us, the audience). Maybe this is meant to be a dark, satirical “soap opera”, with triple-crosses, and “ret-cons” of storylines in the first flick which induce migraines rather than laughs. Plus, we get some “travel cliches” including “mafia mirth” and even a chase on a Vespa, of course. Sure, the location work is spectacular, a great “tourism pitch” in those long shots, and those wild fashion styles are still fun (Em wears a hat that’s bigger than a stingray), but it’s not enough to smooth out the story glitches where we’re meant to see Emily as a naughty “scamp’ rather than the mudering mastermind “diva deviL’. So, to answer my earlier question, no, this isn’t the same delicious romp from 2018, so perhaps it’s best to leave that movie romance there, even though Kendrick and Lively are a different kind of dynamic duo of crime comedy, they just can’t deliver the charm and laughs with ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.

2 Out of 4

ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video beginning on May 1, 2025

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR

Launching globally on Prime Video starting May 1 is ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.

Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.

Directed By Paul Feig, based upon characters created by Darcey Bell, ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR stars
Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, with Henry Golding and Allison Janney.

The St. Louis screening is at 7PM on Tuesday, April 29th at Marcus Ronnie’s Cinema.

PASS LINK: https://amazonscreenings.com/WAMGanothersimplefavor

Please arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.

Rated R.

Blake Lively stars as ‘Emily’ in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER- Review

Though the end of the year is mainly the mainstay of serious and somber award-seeking films, there’s almost always room for family-friendly flicks. After all, there has to be a break from all the hectic holiday preparations, and what better way to relax than getting off your feet in one of those swell reclining plush multiplex chairs? So, the “mouse house” will arrive shortly with a slick fantasy fable, but how about their “major ‘toon rival”? Well, the fine folks at Dreamworks are completing a trilogy begun seven years ago when they put a new spin on a beloved baby boomer toy. Much of that spin involves music, as the lil’ critters interpreted classic (and some brand new) pop tunes. This makes their third outing feel a bit foreshadowed as those TROLLS BAND TOGETHER.

This new outing begins with a flashback to the final performance of the huge Troll boy band BroZone. After an attempt at the “perfect harmony”, the quintet went their separate ways. And now we’re back in that Troll kingdom nestled deep in the forest. Things are more hectic than usual as Queen Poppy (voice of Anna Kendrick) and “maybe” BF Branch (Justin Timberlake) are helping with the big wedding of Bridget (Zooey Deschanel) to the Bergen King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Just after the “I do’s” a stranger disrupts the proceedings. It’s none other than John Dory (Eric Andre), singer and manager of BroZone who’s also Branch’s big bro! What? Branch was part of that supergroup and was then known as “Baby Branch”! And what has prompted this reunion? It seems that brother Floyd has been kidnapped by the current “red hot” singing duo, sibs Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells). They’re keeping Floyd inside a near-unbreakable glass cage to “drink in” his musical talent. Ah, but his prison can only be shattered by that ole’ perfect harmony. Yup, it’s time to get the band back together, so the trio hit the road, along with Tiny Diamond (Kenan Thompson) to find brothers Spruce and Clay to save Floyd before his singin skills are completely drained.

The returning voice actors slip back into their established roles as though nary a day has gone by since the previous flick three years ago. Timberlake has a bit of renewed energy as he appears to be having loads of fun by satirizing his own boy band past while trying to deny his attraction to Poppy. As usual, Kendrick brings lots of energetic show-tune spirit to her and gets a chance to shine after meeting her new surprise BFF (and perhaps a tad extra) Viva who is given equally frenetic vocal life by pop singing sensation Camila Cabello (and they’re another terrific song duo). Much of the flick’s laughs are provided by SNL vet Thompson who peppered the story with snarky asides as TD (who still looks like Will Ferrell’s Harry Carey to me). His comic delivery is matched by the story’s villainous twosome with Schumer delivering her insults with a hissing sneer while Rannels conveys a sweaty desperate need to serve her as her bumbling bro. The movie also has a major role for the comic ‘force of nature” Andre but aside from being the “big boss” (and very bossy), he’s given little to do as Dory.

The directing duo of Walt Dohrn and Tim Heitz keeps the pace at a fever pitch while tossing in a near-endless stream of music standards and original melodies. And like the previous films, you could almost get a visual sugar rush from the candy-coated color spectrum paired with the shimmering “sparklies”. The CGI is top of the line, though they don’t take as many stylistic chances as Dreamworks’ Puss In Boots flick from a year ago. Happily, some classic 2D animation from Titmouse Studios sneaks in with some knowing psychedelic nods to Peter Max and that YELLOW SUBMARINE. Sure, the trolls are still “homely/cute” as they bounce into the camera for tight close-ups, but the filmmakers do a deep dive into some classic animation icons of the last century. With their rubbery limbs and big eyes, Velvet and Veneer could’ve sung with Betty Boop or Flip the Frog in the 1930s. And then there are the natives of Vacay Land who recall a Muppet spin on Dr. Seuss. Much of this is merely a bonus bit of fun for the adults as the kids are mesmerized by the catchy songs and bombastically energetic lil’ critters. It’s a haphazard plot structure (the Bergens have little to do), but adults can zone out (but try not to snooze) as those TROLLS BAND TOGETHER.

1.5 Out of 4

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER is now playing in theaters everywhere

ALICE, DARLING – Review

So, a couple of weeks ago we saw the “Mr. Nice-Guy” of the movies, Tom Hanks channel his inner grump as A MAN CALLED OTTO. And now a new release has another actor “pushing” out of their cinema “comfort zone”, though maybe not as jarring as Mr. H. For the last few years she’s made her “name” in bouncy musicals (even a music franchise) and frothy, but usually witty, “rom-coms”. From this film’s title, many moviegoers may think this effort falls in the latter category. And they would be mistaken. Granted it concerns modern relationships and a romance that, to put it lightly, has taken a turn. As you might guess, today’s tech (social media, cell phones, etc.) “amps up” the problems. Perhaps that’s why there’s more than a touch of irony in its title, along with general menace, with what should be a phrase of endearment, ALICE, DARLING.

The story begins with some dream-like images as a young woman dangles her legs in dark water before diving in and slowly sinking downward. Abruptly, the locale cuts to dry land, actually a busy city street outside a bistro. The “woman in the water” is Alice (Anna Kendrick), who is trying to respond to a barrage of texts on her cell phone (I think the phrase is “blowing up”). As the messages subside she enters the eatery and meets her two BFFs, Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Tess (Kaniehtilo Horn). Their get-together is to finalize an upcoming getaway. Tess is having a major birthday, so Sophie is providing her parents’ lakeside house (they’re out of town) for a week-long celebration/”chill-fest”. But they can tell Alice is distracted by a new flood of texts from her beau (and her pals aren’t keen on him). To appease him, Alice dashes off to the restroom to send a “sexy selfie”. Upon her return, she invites the duo to her boyfriend’s art gallery show. They begrudgingly agree to attend. After they say their goodnights, Alice returns to her apartment to shower and pull out a few strands of hair, before her partner Simon (Charlie Carrick) arrives. Of course, he has to get all the details of her evening before he derides her old pals. . The art show is the next night, and (no surprises) Tess and Sophie “bail”. Simon is bummed by the absence of “VIPs” while Alice frets about telling him of her “girls’ trip” the next morning. Finally, she fibs about a big out-of-town work “thing”. The next morning the trio “hits the road”, but the Simon texts keep coming. At long last Tess has had enough and hides Alice’s cell which lifts a huge weight off her shoulders. But what happens when this act of friendship leads to an encounter that will alter their “dynamic” forever?

Of course, the actor I alluded to earlier is the film’s title lead, Kendrick, who truly delivers a complex dramatic turn as the story’s fragile focus. Her Alice is truly “walking a tightrope, as she puts on a confident front to her friends while demurring to her domineering beau behind closed doors. Kendrick captures that unease with a jittery often hesitant line delivery as her expressive eyes show us that Alice is quickly deciding on the response each listener wants to hear. Unfortunately, she only shows her strength when her pals try to give her a “wake-up call” before she returns to the plush “cage’ run by Simon where she’s quick to agree with his verbal abuse as she cowers. Her body language conveys Alice’s “spirit” leaving her body. Kudos for Kendrick’s command of the character. Adding to the conflict are the unique performances of her two “sisters’ who aren’t exactly a united front, though both are aware of their pal’s baffling behavior. The most strident is Horn as the formidable Tess, the “bad cop’ of the duo who dishes out the “tough love”. Alice tries to push away her views as that of a frustrated artist, but Horn’s steely glare tells us that she will “breakthrough” to her somehow. The “good cop” is Mosaku’s Sophie who doesn’t want to “break” the fragile Alice, as she attempts to be the impartial referee (“Now, you both have good points…”). Finally, she needs to “take a stand” and ease out of the “middle ground”. And the source of the rift is the sensitive, smarmy manipulator Simon played with a passive-aggressive bullying tone by Carrick. As Simon heaps all of his insecurities onto Alice, we see him using his constant texts and insults as pummeling blows to Alice’s self-esteem. Despite his sophistication, Simon is a toxic bully who thrives on her passivity, as a vampire in need of blood.

In her feature directing debut, Mary Nighy has crafted a tense, often languid look at the changing dynamics of friendship. With the tranquil lakeside setting, the tension slowly bubbles up, as the trio may shatter into a duo. We wonder what the women will do, as Alice appears to be in the final moments of a “shame spiral”. The unexpected twists in the screenplay by Alanna Francis and Mark Van de Ven lead down paths that take us to surprising destinations. A subplot involving a missing teen girl near the lakeside village seems to point to a standard studio mystery/thriller ala’ SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY or ENOUGH, but it doesn’t veer into an action finale. Instead, it’s a compelling and quiet look at the new tech tools of a modern “controller”, and how the power of friendship can break the emotional “chains”. Those long-standing relationships are the heart, along with the terrific turn by Kendrick, of ALICE, DARLING.

3 out of 4

ALICE, DARLING is now playing in select theatres

Joe Penna’s STOWAWAY First Trailer Is Thrilling And Stars Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson And Toni Collette

STOWAWAY – SHAMIER ANDERSON as MICHAEL ADAMS. Cr: © 2021, Stowaway Productions, LLC, Augenschein Filmproduktion GmbH, RISE Filmproduktion GmbH. All rights reserved.

Coming to Netflix on April 22 is director Joe Penna’s intriguing sci-fi film STOWAWAY.

On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway (Anderson) accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially grim outcome, a medical researcher (Kendrick) emerges as the only dissenting voice against the clinical logic of both her commander (Collette) and the ship’s biologist (Kim).

Catch a look at this first preview now.

Add it to your Netflix cue here: https://www.netflix.com/title/81321986

STOWAWAY stars Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (A Simple Favor, Pitch Perfect), Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (Velvet Buzzsaw, Hereditary), Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O, Lost, Always Be My Maybe), and Shamier Anderson (Race, Destroyer).

Directed by Joe Penna and written by Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison, STOWAWAY is the second feature from Penna and Morrison, the duo behind the Cannes Official Selection ARCTIC. (TRAILER)

The film was shot entirely in Germany at Bavaria Studios in Munich and at MMC Studios in Cologne, with VFX handled by RISE | Visual Effects Studios.

Until the movie bows in April, check out the other terrific sci-fi films Netflix has to offer: https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1492

STOWAWAY – ANNA KENDRICK as ZOE LEVENSON. Cr: © 2021, Stowaway Productions, LLC, Augenschein Filmproduktion GmbH, RISE Filmproduktion GmbH. All rights reserved.
STOWAWAY – (L-R) SHAMIER ANDERSON as MICHAEL ADAMS, ANNA KENDRICK as ZOE LEVENSON, DANIEL DAE KIM as DAVID KIM and TONI COLLETTE as MARINA BARNETT. Cr: © 2021, Stowaway Productions, LLC, Augenschein Filmproduktion GmbH, RISE Filmproduktion GmbH. All rights reserved.
STOWAWAY – DANIEL DAE KIM as DAVID KIM. Cr: © 2021, Stowaway Productions, LLC, Augenschein Filmproduktion GmbH, RISE Filmproduktion GmbH. All rights reserved.

TROLLS WORLD TOUR Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray and DVD July 7th

DreamWorks Animation presents TROLLS WORLD TOUR, a music- filled, exciting adventure that’s sure to make the whole family sing, dance, and have fun again and again. Join Poppy, Branch, and the rest of the Trolls in the all-new Dance Party Edition exclusively on Digital June 23, 2020 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray™, and DVD July 7, 2020 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Dance Party Edition includes an interactive dance party mode where viewers are introduced to dance moves to learn while they watch the film, lyrics to sing along, and surprises featuring their favorite characters! This special Dance Party Edition includes bonus content, such as an exclusive original short film starring the unforgettable Tiny Diamond, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes exclusives with the power-house musical cast of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and many more. This fun and entertaining family film is the must-own movie of the summer.
 

This upbeat journey that’s sure to get your feet tapping is brought to life through a star-studded cast including Anna Kendrick (Trolls, Pitch Perfect), Justin Timberlake (Trolls, Friends With Benefits), Kelly Clarkson (Ugly Dolls), Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” The Angry Birds Movie 2) and Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades Franchise) as well as Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live,” Playmobil: The Movie), James Corden (Into The Woods, Peter Rabbit), Ozzy Osbourne, Anderson .Paak, Sam Rockwell (G-Force, Jojo Rabit), J Balvin and Anthony Ramos (Original Hamilton Cast, A Star is Born). The film is currently available for early viewing on a wide variety of popular on-demand services as a premium rental offering.
 

Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick), Branch (Justin Timberlake), and the rest of your favorite Trolls are back for another musical adventure that’s bigger—and louder—than ever before! In TROLLS WORLD TOUR, Poppy and Branch discover that their kingdom is only one of six musical realms—Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop, and Rock—that were once united in perfect harmony. When the power-hungry ruler of the Rocker Trolls threatens to silence all other music so her tribe can reign supreme, Poppy and Branch must embark on an epic quest to unite the realms of Trollskind, before the songs in their hearts are lost forever! The film is currently available for early viewing on a wide variety of popular on-demand services as a premium rental offering.
 
BONUS FEATURES ON 4K Ultra Hd, BLU-RAYTM, DVD and digital:

  • DANCE PARTY MODE – As Queen Poppy makes her way across the lands, this on-screen experience encourages the viewer to sing and dance along as they customize their own musical journey. With sing-along and dance elements, interactive pop ups and more, it’s sure to be a world of fun!
  • TINY DIAMOND GOES BACK TO SCHOOL – In this exclusive original short film, journey back to school with Tiny Diamond as he tries to figure out how to be the cool kid and ‘fit in’.
  • TROLLS DANCE ACADEMY – Compilation of How-To-Dance pieces from Dance Party Mode
    • Pop
    • Waltz
    • Country
    • Funk
    • KPop
    • Reggaeton
  • TROLLS WORLD TOURIST MAP – Cloud Guy provides a quick “tourist guide’s” view of the six realms that make up Trolls Kingdom.
    • Trolls Village
    • Symphonyville
    • Lonesome Flats
    • Vibe City
    • Volcano Rock City
    • Techno Reef
  • DELETED SCENES WITH INTROS BY DIRECTOR WALT DOHRN, PRODUCER GINA SHAY AND CO-DIRECTOR DAVID P. SMITH*
    • Cooper’s Destiny
    • Let’s Go Save the World
    • Bicycle Built for Two
    • Breaktime
    • Meet the Bounty Hunters
    • Making New Friends
    • Cloud 9
  • TROLLS PERFECT HARMONY – Hear from the star-studded cast of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Kunal Nayyar, James Corden and the filmmakers about the history of music featured in the film. From classical to country to rock, pop and techno, the cast and filmmakers reveal their favorite types of music.
  • TROLLS WORLD TOUR BACKSTAGE* – A behind-the-scenes making of featurette showcases Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, Ron Funches, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Sam Rockwell and Kenan Thompson as some of the talent behind the Trolls and the process of bringing the them to life.
    • Opening Act
    • Headliners
    • Encore!
  • FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR WALT DOHRN, PRODUCER GINA SHAY AND CO-DIRECTOR DAVID P. SMITH

* Exclusive to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ & Digital

TROLLS WORLD TOUR will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM, DVD and Digital.

  • 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.
    • TROLLS WORLD TOUR 4K Ultra HD is available with HDR10+™, providing a premium HDR picture quality. HDR10+ transforms your movie watching experience with incredible brightness and contrast for each scene, delivering brighter brights and deepest darks.
  • Blu-rayTM unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
  • MOVIES ANYWHERE is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. MOVIES ANYWHERE is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com.

TROLLS WORLD TOUR – Review

TROLLS WORLD TOUR serves up a disposable abundance of flash and sparkle with a smorgasbord of dancing and music. This animated sequel (originally scheduled for theatrical release) offers enough kaleidoscopic visuals and good-hearted platitudes about tolerance and celebrating differences to earn the trust of parents who need something new to park their 5-year olds in front of during the pandemic. That said, don’t sit with them. This over-bright sugar-rush of a film is a brand-driven cash grab, the equivalent of having glitter blown in your face for an endless 95 minutes.  

When TROLLS WORLD TOUR starts off, all seems to be well in Troll Village with bouncy Queen Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick), and her downer wannabe boyfriend Branch (Justin Timberlake). Before long the pair discovers there are five other Troll clans, each of whom is trained in a different style of music. There’s Funk (represented by the voices of Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and Anderson Paak), Classical (violinist Gustavo Dudamel and Charlyne Yi),  Country (Kelly Clarkson, Sam Rockwell, and Flula Borg), Jazz (Jamie Dornan) and Techno (Anthony Ramos). That sort of musical diversity doesn’t sit well with Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), a Hard Rock-loving Troll who decides no other musical forms are acceptable and attempts to do away with them. But Poppy and Branch attempt to unite the remaining groups and prove that all Trolls not being the same can be a good thing.

I missed the first TROLLS, though perhaps an animated Hip-hop musical based on weird cute/ugly dolls that were a fad many decades ago could be fun, and maybe it was. But TROLLS WORLD TOUR is almost non-stop musical numbers, mostly classic rock standards (and some new tunes), but no matter the pedigree of the artists they’ve hired, all the songs sound like earworm Kidz-Bop covers. Vast amounts of money and expertise have been poured into the film which boasts a star-studded voice cast and animation that strives to be expressive despite hideous character design. The cast does their best (though Timberlake is an awful voice actor) but they have almost nothing to do here save for fitting the requirement for singing all these pop covers. The writing is lazy in terms of developing these characters, so they emphasize their feelings through one trite song after another. There’s no heart or any kind of emotion behind the story, just so many shallow and simple ideas about happiness and acceptance. Toddlers will eat TROLLS WORLD TOUR up like candy so I’ll give this one more star than it deserves for being a decent distraction for them.

2 of 4 Stars

Throw a TROLLS WORLD TOUR HOME PREMIERE PARTY – Here’s How!

TROLLS WORLD TOUR is available today on the Sky Store, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes/Apple TV, and Google Play Throw your own home premiere for TROLLS WORLD TOUR !

For fun activities, download the Home Premiere Party Pack HERE

Here’s how to draw Tiny Diamond:

Here’s how to draw Poppy:

And here’s how to draw Branch:

TROLLS WORLD TOUR – At home on demand April 10 on WatchTrolls.com

Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | #TrollsWorldTour

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return in Trolls World Tour, an all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 musical hit. In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they’ve known before, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Trolls tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder.

A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), aided by her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne), wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends — Biggie (James Corden), Chenille (Caroline Hjelt), Satin (Aino Jawo), Cooper (Ron Funches) and Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar) — set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who’s looking to upstage them all.

Cast as members of the different musical tribes is one of the largest, and most acclaimed, groups of musical talent ever assembled for an animated film. From the land of Funk are Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and Anderson .Paak. Representing Country is Kelly Clarkson as Delta Dawn, with Sam Rockwell as Hickory and Flula Borg as Dickory. J Balvin brings Reggaeton, while Ester Dean adds to the Pop tribe. Anthony Ramos brings the beat in Techno and Jamie Dornan covers smooth jazz. World-renowned conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel appears as Trollzart and Charlyne Yi as Pennywhistle from the land of Classical. And Kenan Thompson raps as a newborn Troll named Tiny Diamond.

Trolls World Tour is directed by Walt Dohrn, who served as co-director on Trolls, and is produced by returning producer Gina Shay. The film is co-directed by David P. Smith and co-produced by Kelly Cooney Cilella, both of whom worked on the first Trolls.

TROLLS WORLD TOUR in Theaters April 10th – Check Out the New Trailer

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return in Trolls World Tour, an all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 musical hit. In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they’ve known before, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Trolls tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder.

Check out the Trailer:

A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), aided by her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne), wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends — Biggie (James Corden), Chenille (Caroline Hjelt), Satin (Aino Jawo), Cooper (Ron Funches) and Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar) — set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who’s looking to upstage them all.

Cast as members of the different musical tribes is one of the largest, and most acclaimed, groups of musical talent ever assembled for an animated film. From the land of Funk are Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and Anderson .Paak. Representing Country is Kelly Clarkson as Delta Dawn, with Sam Rockwell as Hickory and Flula Borg as Dickory. J Balvin brings Reggaeton, while Ester Dean adds to the Pop tribe. Anthony Ramos brings the beat in Techno and Jamie Dornan covers smooth jazz. World-renowned conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel appears as Trollzart and Charlyne Yi as Pennywhistle from the land of Classical. And Kenan Thompson raps as a newborn Troll named Tiny Diamond.

Trolls World Tour is directed by Walt Dohrn, who served as co-director on Trolls, and is produced by returning producer Gina Shay. The film is co-directed by David P. Smith and co-produced by Kelly Cooney Cilella, both of whom worked on the first Trolls.

Toni Colette Joins Anna Kendrick In Sci-Fi Thriller STOWAWAY

XYZ Films and CAA Media Finance announce Academy Award® nominee Toni Collette has joined Anna Kendrick in the cast of the sci-fi thriller STOWAWAY, which marks the second feature film from Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison, the duo behind the Cannes Official Selection ARCTIC.

STOWAWAY will be directed by Joe Penna and co-written by Penna & Ryan Morrison. Morrison will also serve as executive producer. XYZ Films will produce alongside augenschein Filmproduktion and RISE PICTURES, with RISE Visual Effects Studios providing VFX. XYZ and CAA Media Finance are arranging financing for the film and handling worldwide sales at the coming EFM in Berlin.

On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially grim outcome, a medical researcher (Kendrick) emerges as the only dissenting voice against the clinical logic of both her commander (Collette) and the ship’s biologist.

Multiple award-winner Collette is best known for roles in THE SIXTH SENSE, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, and most recently the critically-acclaimed Sundance hit HEREDITARY, released by A24. She will next be seen in the Netflix film VELVET BUZZSAW with Jake Gyllenhaal and Renee Russo, and Lionsgate’s KNIVES OUT with Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas.

XYZ Films will be in Berlin at EFM 2019 with an additional slate of films that include SYNCHRONIC starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan, PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND starring Nicolas Cage, and THE EAST starring Marwan Kenzari and Martijn Lakemeier.

Collette is represented by CAA, United Management and Finley Management; Kendrick is represented by CAA; and Penna and Morrison are represented by CAA and Management 360.

Bleecker Street will release ARCTIC in selects theaters on February 1st.