IF (2024) Thoughts

Image credit (Wikipedia)

• I consider the Imaginary Friend Retirement Home in IF an Extension of “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”. What would happen if a kid like Mac forgot about his imaginary friend further down the line starting from adolescence to adulthood? What would his imaginary friend’s reaction be like?

• Also Foster’s doesn’t have the monopoly on imaginary friend plotlines. A film like IF could make a different variation of this plotline too.

• -Theme: Reconnecting to your inner child and rediscovering imagination through imaginary friends.

• Favorite scenes: The group dance scene and Blossom dance scene. the painting scene.

• Throwback to 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s family films.

• Theme: Nurturing creativity and imagination.

• Full of heartwarming moments.

Criticisms:

• I would have preferred trained voice actors for the voice of imaginary friends then celebrity voices.
• The worldbuilding is underdeveloped with minimal information for imaginary friends’ backstories. Should Krasinski chose to make this film into an animated series, Fixing the worldbuilding should be a priority. Maybe the animated series should be like an anthology where each episode focuses on a different imaginary friend reminiscing about their adventures with their kid.
• I would have like to have seen more full scenes of imaginary friends reconnecting with their kids instead of a quick montage near the end.

I recommend catching IF in theaters and watching it with your family.

Those families with small children will definitely get some enjoyment from it.

Ranking Winnie the Pooh Movies

Image credit: Evanh123 on Deviantart

10. Winnie the Pooh (2011)

9. A Valentine for You (1999)

8. Seasons of Giving (1999)

7. A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002)

6. Springtime with Roo (2004)

5. Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005)

4. Pooh’s Grand Adventure: Search for Christopher Robin (1997)

3. Piglet’s Big Movie (2003)

2. The Tigger Movie (2000)

1. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

Honorable Mentions: Christopher Robin (2018) Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)

Top 10 Filipino films

Here are my recommendations for Filipino films to watch.

10. Saving Sally (2016)

9. Heneral Luna (2015)

8. The Debut (2000)

7. Ibong Adarna (1941)

6. Anak Ng Bulkan (1959)

5. Panday (198) or (2017)

4. Fabulous Filipino Brothers (2021)

3. Bride for Rent (2014)

2. Starting Over Again (2014)

1. Urduja (2008)

Honorable Mentions: Barcelona: A Love Untold (2016),

Miss Granny (2018) Filipino adaptation, She’s Dating the Gangster (2019),

Hayop Ka! (2020), Rewind (2023)

Ranking Kung Fu Panda films

With the 4th Kung Fu Panda film in theaters, I will rank all 4 films in the franchise.

Image Credit: dlee 1293847on Deviant Art

Kung Fu Panda 1: Fantastic first entry into the serious. Strong characters in Po, The Furious Five, Master Shifu, and Ping. Tai Lung is the first in the lineup of memorable villians.

Kung Fu Panda 2: Second entry is phenomenal and elevates the franchise to a higher level. Gary Oldman as Lord Shen the Peacock is a major highlight. Po’s backstory is revealed through flashback in beautiful hand drawn animation.

Kung Fu Panda 3: Po reunites with his biological father Li and discovers the secret panda village. He trains the other pandas in the village to help fight against Kai. Kai is after the pandas’ healing technique. The highlights of this film are Ping and Li’s interactions and the huge battle towards the end of the film.

Kung Fu Panda 4: The storyline is underdeveloped with the characters and themes not matching up. The villain Chamelon is downgrade from previous villians since her character motivation is one-note and too generic. Po and Zhen needed more time to build up their friendship. I liked seeing the comraderie between Li and Ping.

Thoughts on the Boy and the Heron (2023)

Congratulations to the Studio Ghibli for the Boy and The Heron’s Win for Best Animated Feature 2024.

Image credit: posterboyle20 (Ebay)

I watched the film in Japanese with English subtitles so I can’t comment on the English Dub.

• The film score by Joe Hisashi is haunting yet whimsical.
• There are homages to Miyazaki’s previous works scattered throughout the film which some viewers will recognize and appreciate.
• The fish gutting scene is a visceral image.
• The storyline is more character driven and thematic so some story elements won’t make immediate sense until after repeated viewings.
• It deals with themes of grief& loss, legacy, along with life & death.
• The heron’s movements are fluid.
• A passing reference to the novel ” How do you live” is mentioned.
• The relationship between Mahiro and his new step mom could’ve been futher developed.
• The wooden building blocks are great metaphor creation & destruction.

Definitely recommend checking this film out in theaters either in subtitled or English dubbed! https://gkids.com/films/the-boy-and-the-heron/tickets/

Thoughts on Disney’s Wish (2023)

Image Credit: IMDB

Disney’s Wish is a forgetable film but knowing what I know now about the film, I wish Disney went with the original storyline.

I like a couple songs like “This Wish” & “At All Costs”

Chris Pine hasn’t been in a good Disney film since Princess Diaries 2.

The film feels more incomplete and needs a thorough revision to further develop/flesh out characters and themes.

Valentino the goat didn’t need a voice. No offence to Alan Tudyk. His role would be better off silent like the goat Dijali in Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The wishing star is cute but lacks a defined character.

Asha’s friends could’ve been cut down to 2 friends instead of 7.

Magnifico was more entertaining than Asha.

There are better story rewrites following the original storyline on Youtube.

Tier Ranking List of Marvel Films

This ranking of Marvel Films will be in tiers since I have seen too many Marvel films to fit into a regular numbered list. These films will not be in release year order.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

S: Spiderman (2002), Spiderman 2 (2004), X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), Blade 2 (2002), Deadpool 2 (2018), Avengers Endgame (2019), Spider-Man No Way Home (2021),

A: Blade (1998), Iron Man (2008), Captain AmericaThe Winter Soldier (2013),

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Ant Man (2015), Ant Man and the Wasp (2018), Black Panther (2018),

X-Men Apocolypse (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1-3, Infinity War (2017),

Captain America: Civil War (2016), Doctor Strange (2016)

B: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Spider Man 3 (2007),

Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer(2007),

Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022),

Spiderman: Far From Home (2019), X-Men First Class (2011)

C: Iron Man 2 (2010), Iron Man (2013), Thor Ragnorak (2017),

Amazing SpiderMan (2012), Spiderman Homecoming: (2017),

D: Captain Marvel (2019), Dark Phoenix (2019), Black Widow(2021),

Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Need to rewatch: Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

Should watch: X-Men Days of Future Past (2014)

Bleak House(2005) BBC miniseries review

I read Bleak House for a college literature class through installments rather than chapter by chapter. I recommend doing the latter rather than the former. It will help you pace yourself and better appreciate the story.

Image Credit from IMDB

Synopsis: The legal case of Jarydyce and Jaryndyce has been going on for generations; never leaving the court of Chancery. This suit draws together our intricate cast of characters: Ada Clare and Richard Carston are the wards in Jarydyce “whose inheritance is devoured by legal costs.”, Ester Summerson is a ward of the court whose lineage is a mysterious secret. Tulkinghorn is Sir Leicester Dedlock’s trusted lawyer, and Jo, a crossing sweeper.

Pros: The cast give memorable performances. Too many to list here so I’ll name some. Standouts are Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock, Charles Dance as Mr. Tulkinghorn, Pauline Collins as Miss Flite, Anna Maxwell Martin as Ester Sommerson, Carey Mulligan as Ada Clare, Patrick Kennedy as Richard Carstone, and Richard Harrington as Mr. Woodcourt.

The set design and the costumes transport the audience to 19th century London.

The cinematogography has the beginning scenes lit in shades of grey to signify the “bleakness” and dreary atmosphere of the story. The ending sequence is in bright vivid colors to showcase Esther’s happy ending.

The screenplay by Andrew Davies retains the spirit of the source material.

Cons: There is no frame of reference for Lady Dedlock’s apathy in her introduction scene. No internal monologue to hint at the cause of her apathy. The context is made more clear in the book through a single scene of a child with her parents.

Esther’s grief and anguish about her true lineage holds more weight in the book since there are text passages devoted to it compared to the miniseries where it is on display for a single scene.

Nitpicks:

I didn’t like the ending shot of Esther and Woodcourt.

Jaryndyce’s brief engagement to Esther.

Jo’s death glossed over and give only a mere mention.

Conclusion: I recommend reding the Bleak House novel or listening to the audiobook before watching this miniseries so you’ll have the proper context for character motivations in the story. Other than that, Bleak House (2005) is a great adaptation of Dicken’s original novel with spectacular performances.

Austen Adaptations (Contemporary)

This is my list of contemporary Austen adaptations. These adaptations may cover one specific novel or mention all the other novels aside from Pride and Prejudice.

Image Credit:Huff Post,Claire Fallon “Modern Film Adaptations of Jane Austen Ranked”

1. Bridget Jones’ Diary (novel & movie)
2. Clueless (1995)
3. Bridget Jones:Edge of Reason (novel)
4. Austenland (novel &movie)
5. The Lake House
6. Scents & Sensibility
7. Jane Austen Book Club (movie)
8. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
9. An American in Austen (Hallmark)
10. Paging Mr. Darcy (Hallmark)

Honorable Mentions: Aisha, From Prada to Nada, Material Girls, Lost in Austen,

Bride and Prejudice

Ranking the Mission Impossible films 1-7

Image Credit: Amazon Mission Impossible 6-Movie Collection

Image Credit: Amazon

I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of Tom Cruise however, I do have respect for him as an actor. I enjoy some of his films like Legend and the Mission Impossible Franchise. I saw an episode of the Mission Impossible Tv series by Bruce Geller. The story was moving too slow for my taste so I couldn’t get invested into the show.

Mission Impossible the movie series starts off on slow with the first entry but improves over time getting bigger and more ambitious with each new entry. This is my ranking of the Mission Impossible Films. Once the second part of Dead Reckoning comes out, I’ll add it to this list.

7. Mission Impossible (1996)

6. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 ( 7th film)

5. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (4th film)

4. Mission Impossible: Fallout (6th film)

3. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (5th film)

2. Mission Impossible III

1. Mission Impossible II