Tag: Hawaii

LILO & STITCH (2025) – review

And we’re finally back to the blockbusters, to be precise, the big Summer box office blockbusters, that will dominate the multiplex for this weekend (of many to arrive). Of the titanic duo for the three-day holiday, this one’s a remake, though it actually may be considered a “franchise” or even a “tent pole”. In the wake of the huge success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, several other studios have wanted their own “unified, united film series”. In a few weeks, we’ll see DC Studios at Warner Bros. try once more with SUPERMAN, while Universal continues to “fiddle” with their “Dark Universe” returns of the classic movie monsters of the “golden age” (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.). Well, that “home of Marvel”, Disney, has an ongoing universe comprised of “live-action” remakes of their iconic animated classics. They stumbled, to put it lightly, a couple of months ago with SNOW WHITE. That nixed a planned redo of TANGLED, but this new redo was already well “down the pipeline”. Maybe since this isn’t almost 90 years old like the March misfire, this “re-imagining” of a 23-year-old cartoon feature will work, since children continue to adore (I’m stunned by all the clothing “merch” over the last few years) the cartoon chaos of LILO & STITCH.

We return to deep, far, faraway outer space as the United Galactic Federation meets to pass judgement on “mad” scientist Jumba Jookiba (voice of Zach Galifianakis). The Councilwoman (VO: Hannnah Waddingham) announces that he’ll be imprisoned while his “creation”, the destructive, wild Project 626, will be banished to a barren, empty world. Well, the little critter breaks his bonds and hijacks a ship and is on his way to Earth. The Councilwoman is relieved since the planet appears to be comprised of water…until she sees that 626 has crashed on an island. She then sends “Earth expert” Agent Pleakley (VO: Billy Magnussen) off to retrieve it with the begrudging help of Jookiba, who hopes this will help to reduce his “sentence”. Meanwhile, on that Hawaiian island named Kaua’i, an orphaned six-year-old girl, Lilo (Maia Kealoha), struggles to make friends and stay out of trouble. Luckily she’s not completely alone, as she lives with her nineteen-year-old sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), who is her legal guardian after the death of their parents. But she’s having a tough time holding down a job while keeping their home tidy for the inspection from a kindly but firm social worker, Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere). Luckily, Nani is helped by her neighbor Tutu (Amy Hill) and her smitten (with Nani) grandson David (Kalpo Dudoit). When 626 crash-lands, he disrupts a big wedding party, before being knocked out by a truck and taken to an animal shelter. That’s where he’s spotted by Lilo, who’s been begging for a puppy. 626 retracts the spikes on his back, along with his antennae and a pair of arms (he has four and two feet) in order to look more like a dog. It follows Lilo home, where she names it Stitch (VO: Chris Sanders). Oh, his pursuers are not far behind, as Jookiba and Pleakley assume human form and search for the escapee. Also on the hunt is CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance), who suspects that an alien is on the loose. Can Stitch evade them while curbing his destructive instincts as Nani tries to convince Kekoa that she should retain custody of lil’ sis’ Lilo?

Heading up the cast, in the “co-title” role is the bubbly, effervescent screen newcomer (hey, she’s only nine now) Kealoha as Lilo. She’s got an infectious smile, bringing lots of good-natured energy to the role, getting us on her side when those “mean girls” zero in on her. She has a good rapport with the more-seasoned actress Augudong as her frazzled big sis Nani, who has a deft comic touch even in the manic slapstick sequences as she tries to keep the crazy chaos under control. Galifianakis tones down his weird, awkward comedy flick persona as the fussy and devious mad doc Jookiba. Most of the alien zaniness (aside from Stitch) is provided by Magnussen, who appears to be having a grand old time goofing on his leading man looks. Vance is somber and stoic as the determined fed who’s always a few steps behind his quarry. Carrere projects warmth and concern in a role that is usually villainess, but her social worker is truly trying to help things work out for the siblings. Hill is also a nurturing presence as the protector of those girls. while being a good “foil” for Dudoit as her clumsy, cute, and charming grandson who just can’t say the right things to his adored Nani.

So, this is a big leap from MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON for director Dean Fleischer Camp as he tackles a sprawling family fantasy adventure. For most of it 108-minute runtime, he keeps the story afloat with the plot pretty much “on track’ in a variation of the classic cartoon chases (think the Roadrunner and the Coyote, Tom and Jerry, etc.). And, as with many of these remakes, it’s not really all “live-action” as Stitch and all the aliens have now gone from smooth, fluid, hand-drawn (2-D) animation to state-of-the-art, every hair rendered CGI animation (we don’t see the live actors in the first six or seven minutes of the “space trial”). And these beloved cartoons have lost little of their appeal in the transition, though I’m not keen on Pleakley’s mucus-like skin texture. So the effects animation is slick, but it doesn’t mesh completely with the often clunky live slapstick, with many of the action set pieces ending with “wacky” frozen still shots. It proves distracting, much like the overuse of vocal “looping” or ADR, which results in many quick cutaways while characters are speaking. And a few shots where bits of dialogue are delivered by actors with their backs to the viewer. Perhaps this may have been implemented due to the stilted line direction of some film acting novices. For a time, I was flashing back to one of the many irritations of MADAME WEB (they set the bar very low for audio editing). The whole film seems to be running (or swimming) in circles, going into its second hour, with the obligatory set destruction and the overused “death fake-out” of so many family-friendly flicks. Sure, the island locations are gorgeous, and kids will still love the gross-out antics of Stitch, but those not swept away by a wave of nostalgia for that 2002 original may prefer to dust off that DVD (or VHS tape) for a more consistently entertaining comic romp with LILO & STITCH. Aloha!

2.5 Out of 4

LILO & STITCH is now playing in theatres everywhere

MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES – Review

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Summer’s in full swing with big family gatherings and social events. It’s the perfect time for some raunchy laughs at the multiplex. Eleven years ago (no, really!) R-rated movie comedies made a big, big comeback when Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson were WEDDING CRASHERS. Four years later, the lead up to nuptials ignited a comic trilogy with THE HANGOVER. Then the ladies got in on the act just two years later with BRIDESMAIDS. This weekend’s new flick doles out a bit from all those entrees in the funny flick buffet, expanding on a comedy staple (or main course in the food analogy), namely the comic team. This doesn’t quite harken back to Stan and Ollie or Bud and Lou, rather the inspiration may be a bit over twenty years ago to Harry and Lloyd, those DUMB & DUMBER dudes, continuing through Harold and Kumar, on to various unions of Rogen, Hill, and Franco. Happily these two “bros” are matched up with a terrific pair of funny ladies when MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES.

The title duo are two goofball brothers, Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave Stangle (Zac Efron) who run a liquor distribution biz out of their plush NYC digs. Coming home from a big sale, they’re surprised to find the rest of their family camped out at said pad. It is an intervention of sorts. Papa Burt (Stephen Root) informs them that their kid sister Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard) will be getting married to her fiancée Eric (Sam Richardson) in Hawaii. The boys are in the wedding party, but Burt insists that this not be a repeat of previous family get-togethers. Mike is puzzled, since he believes that the two are the “life force” od those parties. A home video DVD compilation reminds them of how three such gatherings ended in disaster (usually with ambulances and major property damage). Burt will have none of this because he insists that the two swingin’ singles bring along dates for the wedding. You know, nice respectable, professional women. Mike get an idea to advertise on the website “Craig’s List”, and the ad soon goes viral. Their fame lands them a spot on TV’s “The Wendy Williams Show”. Out of work waitresses Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) and Alice (Anna Kendrick) just happen to catch the program. Alice is still down after being left at the altar (her boozing cost them their last job), so Tatiana thinks a “vacay” may the way to get her pal out of her funk. After giving each other “classy” make-overs, they stage an accident in front of the bar where the boys are interviewing prospects. Now for a few more “white lies”, Tatiana says she’s a teacher, while Alice is a hedge fund manager. Mike’s ecstatic! Mom and Dad will love them! The boys are blithely unaware of the catastrophes and calamities in store for them when they arrive on the island with these “nice ladies”.

Of the many talented comic actors involved, the flick’s MVP may be the formidable Ms. Plaza as the take charge (and no prisoners) mastermind Tatiana. With her wide expressive eyes (always seconds away from rolling in disgust), she comes from a lone line of smart, funny women, going back to Mae West to Barbara Stanwick in THE LADY EVE  all the way to Jamie Leigh Curtis in A FISH CALLED WANDA with a dash of, seriously, Bugs Bunny (especially in drag, vamping Elmer and others). She seems elated to leave the “good girl” roles in THE TO DO LIST and TV’s “Parks and Recreations”. And Plaza has the perfect stooge (in the classic stage sense, not the famous team) in Devine as the far too confident dimwit Mike. His body struggles to keep up with his manic motor-mouth. Still Devine seems to have comic energy to spare, even sharing it with the amiable Efron. His Dave is the sweet, eager-to-please puppy who will go anywhere his big brother leads. His chiseled good looks nearly distract from the likable goofball within. Kendrick departs from her usual screen roles as the great brainy gal always in control (particularly in the PITCH PERFECT flicks) in portraying a lady best described as a “hot mess”. Alice is so intent on self medicating that she almost neglects the decency of Efron’s Dave. She still able to instigate the major high-jinks especially as she hilariously tries to bluff her way through describing her “high finance” job. The always dependable Root shines as the short-fused, but often indulgent, Daddy Burt. Special kudos to the fearless work by Beard is the often abused (literally the brunt of much slapstick) and resilient Jeanie. She’s hysterical in one of the film’s comedy highlights, an erotic and silly massage from scene-stealer Kumail Nanjiani (of TV’s “Silicon Valley”). Lots of funny folks get a chance to play in paradise.

First time feature director (but veteran of TV) Jake Szymanski keeps the action moving at a brisk pace and keeps the usual comedy flick lull (around the hour mark) fairly brief. The script (supposedly based on a “mostly” true story) from Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien provides several good set pieces (the “Jurassic Park Tour”), while allowing for the performers to “cut loose”. Luckily any self-indulgent “improv” bits are kept to a minimum (still stick around for some funny end credit bloopers), and the main plot points veer into some unexpected conclusions. And, as usual, Hawaii is gorgeous. It doesn’t hit the zany satiric heights of recent box office dud POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (it’ll find its audience some day), but it delivers more consistent chuckles than recent retreads ZOOLANDER 2 and NEIGHBORS 2. If you can handle the barrage of rudeness and raunch (truly a “hard” R rating), then MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES might be (as the old song goes) the “cure for the Summertime blues”.

3.5 Out of 5
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BATTLESHIP – The Review

Hasbro may have naming and branding rights to the film, but don’t let the “source material” fool you. BATTLESHIP is an action-packed, fun-filled piece of pure popcorn entertainment that deserves a spot amongst the best of it’s kind. The board game-inspired film is directed by Peter Berg (THE KINGDOM, VERY BAD THINGS) who has given the film it’s greatest strength… a knowledgeable and talented commander at the helm of this summertime blockbuster.

Taylor Kitsch (JOHN CARTER, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) stars as Lt. Alex Hopper, a smart yet unfocused and discipline-challenged Navy officer. Alex has no direction in life and nothing but trouble in his future, so his big brother Commander Stone Hopper, played by Alexander Skarsgard (STRAW DOGS, TRUE BLOOD) recruits Alex by way of an ultimatum in an attempt to help turn his life around. Brooklyn Decker (JUST GO WITH IT) plays Alex’s girlfriend Sam, who also happens to be the daughter of Admiral Shane, played by Liam Neeson (THE GREY, TAKEN).

With the back story planted in the backs of our minds, the core of BATTLESHIP begins as humanity is caught off guard when a message sent into deep space is answered by a visit from an alien race far from being your childhood E.T. It becomes quickly apparent that these invaders are far more advanced in every way than we mere, puny humans, but like so many times before in the motion pictures, we humans strike back and fight to survive, proving we can overcome any obstacle thrown at us, regardless of how overwhelming the opposing force may be.

BATTLESHIP does not set itself up as a film with some stellar, intricately designed plot. It truly does wear it’s heart on its sleeve, stating with bold bravado that it intends to satisfy your primal desire for action, big guns and explosions… lots and lots of explosions. The difference being that BATTLEFIELD does this with such technical confidence combined with a script written specifically to show off how cool the film will look and feel. Despite a cast filled with several stars, the real star of the film is the visceral, bone-rattling experience of the characters they play.

In so many ways a happy melding of INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996) and PEARL HARBOR (2001), Peter Berg’s BATTLEFIELD overcomes my initial skepticism and surpasses my expectations of another Michael Bay style showcase of explosions with weak writing and exaggerated plots. Sure, it may sound like I’m splitting hairs, but Berg manages to bring together the massive special effects, the non-stop action, the patriotism, the kinetic visual style, the somewhat hokey love story, and the thin plot in a way that encourages pleasurable suspension of disbelief.

BATTLESHIP features strangely simple lizard-like humanoid aliens in Halo-esque armor. The only design element of the aliens I found slightly off-putting are the weird quadruple-thumb claw-like hands. These seem a flawed choice for a race of being so technically advanced, more interested in orchestrating a full-scale invasion than with taking an immediately aggressive approach. Initially, this has the human military confused as they struggle to understand and defeat the aliens’ superior weapons and defensive technology. Cut off from the rest of the Naval fleet by a giant force field dome, Alex Hopper and his Destroyer crew must find a way not only to survive, but to save humanity.

The alien ships are vaguely Transformer-like, but its more accurate to think of them along the lines of the classic ’80s cartoon M.A.S.K, whereas the alien ships reconfigure themselves into a sort of “battle mode” when the need arises. The alien arsenal is different enough to satisfy the science-fiction fans without being absurdly over-the-top and unrealistic. On the other hand, the over-sized fireball-fueled circular saws of death that the aliens unleash on Hong Kong were pushing the boundaries of being absurd, but with an audience now well-accustomed to TRANSFORMERS films, I doubt it will be an issue.

Did I mention there are a lot of explosions? Good. The audience is likely to cheer loudest during the all-out battle scenes, as they did when I saw the film and with good reason. BATTLEFIELD draws on that video game culture of craving glorified violence and I couldn’t have been more happy to comply. Overall, the acting was average, but this isn’t the kind of film you see hoping for an Oscar-worthy performance. Liam Neeson is a great actor, but he and Alexander Skarsgard as well have far less screen time than Taylor Kitsch, accompanied by his crew including Petty Officer Raikes, played by hip hop star Rihanna, making her acting debut. Surprisingly, she does all right as the Vasquez-like [ALIENS] woman who controls the “big guns” of Hopper’s Destroyer ship.

BATTLESHIP is more than just a board game turned into a movie, which I’m sure is what most people think it will be. With that said, its still a film that’s all show and little substance in as satisfying a way as that can be. The ultimate question on so many of your minds is most likely “how can they make the Battleship game into a movie?” Here’s my answer to you… they have not turned the board game into a movie, but rather made a cool movie that shares the name of the game. Without giving anything away, there is one scene — a very crucial scene — whereas the board game’s general method of play is cleverly and indirectly referenced. Audiences should be able to pick up on this scene — for those who have played the game — smile at the reference and then continue to enjoy the film unencumbered by any actors yelling the line “You sunk my battleship!”

Overall Ratting: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: ‘A Perfect Getaway’

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When a film has a title like A PERFECT GETAWAY, one should be able to have that very expectation going in. Unfortunately, the only perfect element of this cinematic getaway is the scenery, as the movie was shot almost entirely in Hawaii. The landscapes in the film are often simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the only other breathtaking that occurs in this movie are the sighs of disbelief over the terrible writing. Well, that and some laughter.

A PERFECT GETAWAY was written and directed by David Twohy. What’s amazing is how Twohy, who wrote THE FUGITIVE (1993) and wrote/directed PITCH BLACK (2000), could have fallen to writing such a generally unimpressive movie as A PERFECT GETAWAY. As far as the action/suspense serial killer genre goes, movie fails. The plot devices used to generate the mystery, intended to keep the viewer guessing are misleading, culminating in a twist at the end that feels like some guy took a cheap shot in a fair fight.

The story is primarily focused on three couples, all of whom are “vacationing” on a remote part of one of the Hawaiian island. Cliff and Sydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. They’re typical city folk. He’s an aspiring screenwriter and she’s happy being a newlywed housewife dreaming of a big family. Shortly after they arrive in Hawaii, they encounter Kale and Cleo (Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton), a rough and wild looking married couple with dreadlocks and tattoos. Cliff and Sydney find themselves intimidated by Kale and Cleo from the very start as they try and hitch a ride. Once Cliff and Sydney are fully committed to the beautiful but dangerous trail leading them to a remote beach they encounter Nick and Gina (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez), an adventurous and uninhibited, unmarried couple out to simply enjoy themselves in paradise.

To be perfectly honest, the mystery didn’t hold up. The “twist” was revealed to easily in an earlier scene than Twohy likely intended. I won’t be that guy that spoils the ending, but I will say that the film has more than one red snapper, uh… I mean, red herring. [That’s an inside joke. You’ll get it if and when you see the film.] One thing A PERFECT GETAWAY certainly is not short of is plot holes and an excessive use of these red herring moments. After exiting the theater, if you’re not trying to keep track of all the plot holes and story elements that don’t really work, then you were probably making out with your partner or fell asleep.

Twohy abuses the writing tool known as the red herring, intended to throw the viewer/reader off the correct trail and onto a fake trail, abuses it to the point of being shameful. As Hitchcock did so masterfully in his films, the red herring is a plot device that, if done correctly, is needed only one in a story and maintains its strength through, or at least until it’s no longer needed. In Twohy’s script, the suspicions hop around like little red herring bunny rabbits, bouncing from one to another, then another and then back to the original and so on. Once the real killer(s) is revealed, it no longer holds any dramatic weight.

I have a general dislike of movies that try to be a serious addition to a specific genre of film, but at the same time plug in repeated tongue-in-cheek moments where it clearly and obviously makes fun of itself. Is this a serious killer suspense film, or is it a parody of one? A PERFECT GETAWAY attempts to be both, but fails. This isn’t to say there aren’t some funny moments. Myself and much of the audience were laughing frequently, but the laughter was a mixture of humorous moments, usually provided by Timothy Olyphant, and moments that were just simply too stupid not to laugh at.

Timothy Olyphant (HITMAN, DEADWOOD) is actually a lot of fun in A PERFECT GETAWAY. He’s funny and crazy (in a good way) and gets most of the laughs. He’s also the only really interesting character written into the story. Nick, aka “Micko”, is a hard man to kill, as Gina repeatedly points out to Cliff and Sydney. Steve Zahn actually isn’t bad, giving a decent performance, but the part isn’t that well-written and that means even a great actor will have trouble conveying a truly believable character. Kiele and Milla are average in their performances and certainly not hard to look at at least.

A PERFECT GETAWAY is filled with typical jump-in-your-seat scares and fairly stock styles of suspenseful techniques. Nothing truly stands out in this movie. Most of the running time is filled with cliched moments or ridiculously written scenes intended to explain some part of the plot. One of the worst parts of the movie is right after the intended reveal point in the story as to who the killer(s) really is, when Twohy chooses to lapse into a Cliff’s Notes style retelling of all the major plot points, as if we needed a reminder. This entire recapping is shot in black and white, edited together in block frame style, sort of like a motion comic book… except far less interesting.

Let’s get down to brass tacks here. A PERFECT GETAWAY isn’t the worst movie you’ll see all year, but it certainly isn’t worth your hard-earned $9-12 ticket price, in my opinion. It’s possibly worth a $3-5 rental, if you’re a fan of Timothy Olyphant, or just desperate for a mindless action/suspense film and nothing better is available at your local video store. The movie is visually energetic, but the overall outcome is less than electrifying.