Reviews

There is a special allure around Henson. What type of person was this that created what so many people dream of? Just how creative was he? How was he able to revolutionize puppets and our expectations of what puppets can do? This film offers insight to the artistic prowess of Henson and how his ideas formed the base of so many beloved characters, shows, and films. A great artist that left an enduring legacy. It was especially special to hear from his wife, his children and Frank Oz and many times from Henson himself. How he never wanted to limit himself and how much his artistic fire fueled so many people's dreams.

A sweet film about the dangers of pretending to be something you are not. The film does a great job of embracing current demands on fame and reveals the complexity of what happens when your "dreams come true". The film is heavy handed on insisting the audience understand the lessons it wishes to impart, but Thelma is so charming and the action is constant that it all comes together well and entertained my 8 year old with the original songs and how far Thelma goes to be heard.

For the most part this is fun. I enjoyed revisiting those that I felt I grew up with. Keaton has still got it and Ortega brings it in spades. Conti also brings a lot to his role. But there is a feeling of wanting to spend a little bit more time with the characters and their worlds and how they go there. I had a lot of questions that tI wanted to have answered, but the film was insistent on telling me its story to the pace that it was going to tell me. Considering how long we all waited for this story...did it live up to expectations? I don't know...but I am happy that I got to see it realized and got to sit in a theatre with others to share the communal experience.

This film has more charm than the TV series and ultimately I found it more enjoyable. The voice characters have great representation from their respective groups and the heart of the story...making space for a young person to practice their autonomy, communication between family members and the complexity of being a young person that has adult impulses but teenager reasoning. The film excels in its Indigenous representations and it is a joy to see a multigenerational family work together.

I am not the target audience for this series. I find them to employ gross humor with a whole lot of violence...similar to Tom and Jerry. The minions repeatedly hit and strike each other with a lot of force and all snap back. The minions can get away with it, but because they employ enough charm that typically all is forgiven. That continues in this installment, however the larger story feels thinner than usual and I found Carrell's performance of Gru to be very similar to previous installments...more yelling and absurd situations that lack logic and order. This feels a bit like throwing spaghetti at the walls style of plots. There are a few genuine belly laughs, but only a few.

Wrapping up Fall Break with this film with my 8 year old. This film was a bit of a surprise. My son had read the book, but I did not really know what the story was about. I did not realize motherhood played such a central theme in the film along with conversation, found family, cooperation and centering kindness. There were definitely places that I got a bit misty and even had to blow my nose. It was easy to endear oneself to Roz and especially to her young charge and to a fox that desperately wanted friends. Inspired me enough to want to read the source material.

Saw this on opening day in 3D with my 7 year old. It was his first full 3D film aaaaaaand it was a rousing success. Was it as good as the first three? I wouldn't say so. Was it entertaining, engaging, fun and captivate my 7 year old from beginning to end? YEP! Zhen's portrayal by Awkwafina is GREAT! Could I see the twists coming from a mile away? Also yes...could my 7 year old? It doesn't really matter. He was in it..all the way...for the entire film. The Chameleon was a formidable foe and it is ALWAYS a pleasure to hear Ian McShane as Tai Lung. The stakes sometimes feel a bit forced, but who cares...the journey is always interesting and the chase scenes are twisty fun with an always welcome Ke Huy Quan and Ronny Chieng.

A tender film to help battle the age old fear of the dark. A sweet story on how to deal with anxiety, loneliness, feeling misunderstood and the complex mystery of nightfall. The film handles existential questions well and helps guide young people to a world that is bigger than themselves, but that is also open to their perceptions. My kid felt excited about welcoming the night after watching this film and thanked the dark for coming.

My 8 year old reluctantly allowed himself to see this film, but he was hooked in the first 5 minutes. The film has a lot of color and the casting is stellar. It is a breath of fresh air to have so much representation in a single film. The story may be a bit predictable, but that does not take away from the pleasure that my 8 year old received from learning about the lunar new year and the different animal representations. The handling of death and transition is also thoughtful and everyone seems to be presented with humanity (expect perhaps the villain). Did not expect much and was pleasantly surprised by how much we were all cheering Tom on.