Space Jam: A New Legacy Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

25 years after the original “Space Jam,” Warner Bros. relaunches the series with “Space Jam: A New Legacy” starring NBA superstar LeBron James. The plot follows James as he struggles to connect with his youngest son Dom (Cedric Joe), who would rather design video games than follow in his dad’s footsteps. In an attempt to bond with his son, LeBron brings him to a Warner Bros. pitch meeting for something called Warner 3000. The idea is conceived by WB’s algorithm Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) and would see LeBron become the star of every Warner movie.

LeBron rejects the concept, angering Al-G, and when LeBron and Dom attempt to leave the WB lot, Al-G traps the two inside the Warner ServerVerse. He challenges LeBron to a basketball game where if Lebron wins, he and his son go free. But if Al-G’s side comes to put on top, Lebron and dom have to stay in the server verse forever. LeBron has to put a team together quickly, and he recruits Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang to help him get his son back.

I guess the best way, to sum up, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” is that the movie tries to be a little bit of everything: a showcase for LeBron James, a re-introduction of the Looney Tunes characters, and a tale about how we should focus on the more important things in life. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t execute any of them well enough, and instead A New Legacy serves as nothing more than a two-hour-long Warner Bros. infomercial to let people know all of the cool properties they own.

The relationship between LeBron and Dom is supposed to serve as A New Legacy’s emotional anchor. But from the first moment we see LeBron interact with Dom, I was rooting for the kid. The LeBron we see in these scenes is a horrible parent. Not only does he constantly compare Dom to his older brother, but he also puts down the things Dom cares about. Based on this alone, it was not a surprise when Dom forms a bond with Al-G and turns his back on his father. Now some of this has to be the fault of the script, but I’m surprised no one attached to the movie thought it made LeBron James look like a dirtbag instead of the sympathetic dad he should be.

However, where “Space Jam: A New Legacy” lost me for good was in the pitch meeting scene. After LeBron is shown clips of himself in movies like “Batman” and tv shows like “Game of Thrones,” he turns to the Warner executives and literally says adding to all these properties “is a terrible idea.” Keep in mind that this scene takes place15 or so minutes into a movie that is all about LeBron James interacting with every Warner Bros. property possible. This may be one of the dumbest scenes ever put into a movie. I mean why would you shoot down your own project at the start?

Like the 1996 original, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” contains plenty of the classic Looney Tunes humor. But unlike the previous movie, there weren’t any standout moments for me. Porky Pig’s rap battle was alright but could have been funnier. Lola Bunny attempting to become an Amazon was decent enough, but why Warner Bros. didn’t get Gal Gadot to voice Wonder Woman baffles me. Surely someone at WB has a Zoom account and they could have recorded Gadot that way. And don’t get me started on Bugs Bunny’s voice. Now that I think about it, some of the funnier Looney Tunes moments came in the closing credits, like Foghorn Leghorn’s reaction to a Chicken & Waffles sigh.

The only moments I can honestly say I liked comes while Leron and Bugs Bunny search for their team. Somewhere, the two end up in the middle of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and it was so unexpected it did make me chuckle a bit. The other moment that I liked came during the climactic basketball game, Sylvester the cat claims he found Michael Jordan, and it turns out to be Michael B. Jordan. One of the other Looney Tunes characters shouts out “Couldn’t you find Michael A. Jordan?”

So, yeah, at the end of the day, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” was not for me. I didn’t care for the human characters, most of the jokes fell flat, the Looney Tunes were not used well, and Lebron James is made to look like the worst father in years. But having said that, I’m sure this movie will appeal to younger viewers and die-hard fans of the 1996 film.

“Space Jam: A New Legacy” final grade: C-

In the Heights Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

The new film “In the Heights” was directed by Jon M. Chu and based on the Broadway play by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The story set in New York City’s Washington Heights follows Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos), a bodega owner who dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic to fulfill his father’s dreams. His best friend Benny (Corey Hawkins) works at the local dispatch company owned by Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits), the father of Nina (Leslie Grace).

Nina has just returned from her first year at Stanford and is trying to figure out how to tell her friends she’s decided to drop out of school. Then there’s Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) dreams of becoming a fashion designer downtown, but struggles with how to make that a reality. All of the events take place over several days amid a summer heatwave, with each of the characters choosing what their next big steps in life should be, but also with how their decisions will affect their neighborhood.

I didn’t know what to expect from the film version of “In the Heights.” While I knew what the basic story was about, I hadn’t listened to any of the music and none of the trailers had blown me away, and since I saw “Hamilton” last summer on Disney+, I figured there was no way this musical would be as good. But you know what? “In the Heights” exceeded all my expectations and then some

The film centers on a few characters from the Latinx community, but I thought it was a celebration of life. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or when you were born because “In the Heights” is easily accessible to everyone and that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed the movie so much.

The story and the music will have you laughing and perhaps shedding some tears. But the film does a good job balancing the ups and downs the characters experience. A;l; of the main characters are likable and all are well developed. It also helps that the cast have great chemistry, especially Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace. But the big highlight for me was Melissa Barrera as Vanessa. She had some of my favorite scenes in the movie and has a great duet with Usnavi de la Vega in the third act of the movie.

Another reason I liked “In the Heights” is the way the film uses New York City as a setting. I never got the sense the film was shot on a lot, and every building from the bodega to the Abuela’s house felt like they were real places. And being able to pull off stuff like that, elevates any movie. The city setting gave the musical numbers a lot of energy too, like in the “carnival” number.

Since its release last week there has been a lot of talk about the casting choices made for “In the Heights.” I honestly didn’t notice anything while I watched the movie, but once the topic was brought up I thought “Oh yeah, that’s a good point.” Still, I don’t think anyone involved with the movie went in with bad intentions. The way I see it, they were telling the story of these particular characters, and they accomplished that.

When it comes to complaints I have about “In the Heights” I only have one: The movie is too long. But I’m not sure what (if anything you could cut. However, at almost two and a half hours, I started to doze after the bodega found out they’d sold a winning lottery ticket. Of course, starting the movie after 10 pm probably wasn’t a good idea. Luckily the music pulled me back in and I was fine the rest of the way.

Because “In the Heights” comes from Lin-Manuel Miranda, I’m sure a lot of people will compare it to “Hamilton.” But as I found out, you can’t compare the two. “In the Heights” is its very own thing, and a damn good one too thanks to fun and likable characters and music that will keep your foot tapping the entire time. So yeah, this movie is long, but in the end, it was well worth it.

“In the Heights” final grade: B+

Mortal Kombat Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

The all-new, all-different “Mortal Kombat” film begins in 1617 Japan where Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) fights Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), a member from a warring clan who has the power to create ice and use it as a deadly weapon. Of course, these characters are better known as Scorpion and Sub-Zero, respectively, but before they assume those identities the film jumps to the modern-day and introduces a new character, Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

Cole is a failed MMA fighter, but he bears the birthmark of a dragon that is an invitation to a tournament known as “Mortal Kombat.” For centuries the tournaments have seen champions of Earthrealm battle against the forces of Outworld led by the nefarious Shang Tsung (Chin Han).

Soon, Cole teams up with special forces soldiers Jax (Mechad Brooks) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) as well as smartass mercenary Kano (Josh Lawson) to find the temple of Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) where they can fight alongside fellow warriors Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and Kung Lao (Max Huang). However, the forces of Outworld have no intention of fighting fair and hope to eliminate the champions before they can make it to Mortal Kombat.

The Mortal Kombat video games caught on with fans in the 90s not just because they were gory, but because they were fun. The 1995 and 1997 live-action films failed to capture what made the video games great, and I’m afraid to say Simon McQuoid’s adaptation never gets there either. The best part of the movie is the prologue set in Japan. This sequence looks incredible and it’s heartbreaking. But it’s far too long and it doesn’t matter again until the very end of the film, making it almost unnecessary.

After the prologue the movie shifts between the vague plot with more exposition than action. When the film goes for an action scene, I found the fight scenes dull and badly lit. Several of them are edited badly too, making the action look even worse. Other scenes were filmed at night and in a dark place making it impossible at times to see what the hell was going on. If the filmmakers hired some of the best martial artists in the business, don’t hide the action, let us see them fight. After all, it’s what everyone watching this movie came to see in the first place.

This version of “Mortal Kombat” tries to skate by on gruesome fatalities, but do little with the rest of the plot. The film’s leading character, Cole (Lewis Tan), is boring and brings nothing new to the material. Sub-Zero looks great though, but I wish the script had given him more to do. Out of the entire cast, the only one who stood out for me was Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee). But again, the script barely scratches the surface there. I was left feeling that there is much more to Sonya than what we got in the final cut of the movie.

Another issue that I had with “Mortal Kombat” is that the movie spends too much time introducing the characters and explaining things. I understand it’s been twenty-four years since the last live-action adaptation, and a new generation of potential fans haven’t seen a Mortal Komba movie. However, chances are anyone checking out the new movie has been a fan for a long time. Don’t waste so much time, and get to the fights already!

As you can tell, the new “Mortal Kombat” didn’t do it for me. The movie has some good ideas and some solid special effects. But for some reason, the movie just never gets going. The entire thing seemed like the first episode of a new series rather than a stand-alone movie. On the bright side, the movie is far better than the 1997 sequel “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,” so I suppose that’s something.

“Mortal Kombat” grade: C-

Godzilla vs. Kong Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

Directed by Adam Wingard from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, “Godzilla vs. Kong” is the latest chapter in the Monsterverse that began in 2014 with “Godzilla.” The new film explores a lot more of the Titans’ lore, while also laying the foundation for their big battle.

“Godzilla vs. Kong” takes place a few years after Godzilla saved humanity (and was destroyed by beloved Fenway Park). Things had been quiet until Godzilla reemerged attacking cities and killing many in the process. But once He senses King Kong, the big ape becomes his target. Meanwhile, Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and Jia (Kaylee Hottle) are working to protect Kong from Godzilla and from humans who want to use him as a weapon.

However, things change when Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), who is tasked by Apex Cybernetics CEO Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) to take Kong from Skull Island to Hollow Earth in a bid to obtain its power source and use it to defeat Godzilla. Of course, there is more to this than meets the eye, and those things are being investigated by conspiracy-theorizing (and Apex employee) Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown).

One of the big complaints fans had about 2014s “Godzilla” was that it didn’t have much of the jolly green monster. The main complaint I had about “Godzilla: King of Monsters” was that nearly every monster battle took place in the rain or the dark (sometimes both). But I’m happy to say that “Godzilla vs. Kong” delivers on most fronts. Godzilla shows up early and often, and some of his appearances ramp up the tension for what lies ahead.

The fight scenes between the two titans are fantastic and easy to follow most of the time. Kong and Godzilla go at it scratching, clawing, and throwing punches. Given the scope of the battles, there is plenty of destruction in the film. But at least this time, we understand the reasons for the fight. As I mentioned earlier, “Godzilla vs. Kong” delves further into the lore of the Titans and Hollow Earth, which I must say is incredible to look at. But nearly everything in the movie is visually stunning, and I think it helps when most of the action takes place during the daytime. There are still some sequences filmed with little lighting, but it’s not as bad as it was in King of Monsters.

When it comes to the human characters, they’re mainly there to deliver exposition. But I have to say this is the first time in these movies that I gave a damn about what happened to these people. The most interesting human plotline involves Jia (Kaylee Hottle) and her unique bond with King Kong, who trusts her and protects her. She is the only human who can communicate with Kong, and their relationship is one of the film’s highlights.

Since both protagonists are creatures, there is a lot of exposition delivered by the actors. However, in “Godzilla vs. Kong” the exposition matters to the overall plot. Nearly everything that is discovered by the cast leads to something else, making their stories much more interesting. I’m not saying every piece of dialogue is a home run, but I got the feeling that the screenwriters were trying for a change. Also, the movie has some solid humor from a conspiracy theorist and podcast host Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir). Watching him realize his “conspiracies” are true was pretty amusing, as was his line about not wanting to die sober.

Something else I enjoyed about “Godzilla vs. Kong” is that at no point did I feel like the movie was just setting up another sequel. It’s quite the opposite, because once the credits rolled I felt like everything had led up to this and that it was worth the wait. Not only that, but this movie is fast-paced and clocks in at under two hours, making it an easy watch.

As for complaints, I would have liked to have seen more of Rebeca Hall’s character. She’s in the entire movie and plays a key role. But, everything we know about her and Jia is told to us in about five sentences. I wanted to know who Hall ended up on Skull island, what made her take Jia in, and how her bond with Kong began. All of this could have been done in one of two scenes, and I’m sad we didn’t get to see any of it. And not that I’m a huge Kyle Chandler fan, but I feel bad for him because he only got about three scenes in the entire movie. Considering he’s the father of one of the main characters, I thought he’d be featured more.

Overall though, I was pleasantly surprised with how good “Godzilla vs. Kong” was. The movie delivers on the fights, features one or two surprises old-school fans will like, it keeps things moving, and the human characters don’t overshadow the monsters. As far as I’m concerned, “Godzilla vs. Kong” is the best film in the series so far.

“Godzilla vs. Kong” grade: B

Zack Snyder’s Justice League Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

At the end of 2017, I ranked “Justice League” as one of my favorite movies of the years for one main reason: as a longtime comic book fan, there was just something about seeing DC’s most important superhero team on the big screen. However, despite my ranking at the time, there were things in the movie I did not care for, and I was well aware that the movie I saw in the theater was not what Zack Snyder had planned for several years. But now thanks to a massive fan campaign we finally get to see what the director intended to do with “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.”

The four-hour film picks up following the events of 2016s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and sees Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) — come together to stop Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) from unifying three alien mother boxes that will bring Darkseid (Ray Porter) to Earth.

Unlike the theatrical cut which had little to no character development, Zack Snyder takes his time introducing each character individually before finally bringing them together to prevent Steppenwolf from gaining the mother boxes. While each introduction is good, the standout has to be Cyborg’s story. Ray Fisher finally gets to shine as Victor Stone as the popular hero gets a full arc that is both tragic and heartfelt. Not only do we get to see how he became Cyborg but also how he’s struggling with the change. His anger isn’t theater, it’s real emotion brought on by his father’s actions. And there are layers upon layers of the family drama between Vic and his dad, and they build throughout the movie in a way that I won’t lie, made me misty-eyed.

With four hours to play with, Zack Snyder and his team included plenty of new subplots and action scenes. Some are an extended sequence of the scenes in the Joss Whedon cult, (like the Wonder Woman museum scene) while others like Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) still grieving Superman’s death, are brand new to audiences. There are some great moments between Diana and Bruce Wayne, and between Aquaman and Wonder Woman which made me believe these people were bonding as a group.

For those in the public who like humor in their superhero films, “zack Snyder’s Justice League” features some great one-liners. Most of the jokes come from Alfred and Barry Allen, but my favorite joke came when Bruce Wayne brings the team to the Batcave for the first time and introduces Alfred by saying “Everyone, this is Alfred, I work for him.” The good news is that all the awful jokes from the 2017 movie are gone, as is the scene when Flash falls on Diana’s chest.

Something else I enjoyed about the new Justice League is how respectful Snyder and the other filmmakers treated Wonder Woman. Let me put it this way: the museum scene alone is better than anything in “Wonder Woman 1984.” This is the Wonder Woman I want to see more of. She’s still beautiful of course, but gone are the numerous butt shots that Joss Whedon added four years ago. Her fellow Amazons also fare better here, with an extended action sequence and with color corrected costumes which made them look regal instead of strippers.

The only negatives I can give “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is that the director used too much slow motion. I can understand using it during any action scenes with the Flash because you want non-comic book readers to see what his powers are and how he uses them. But there’s no reason to use them during a football game, while someone is walking, or while waves wash over Aquaman. If you edited out some of the slow-motion scenes, this movie would easily be 20-25 shorter and would not lose anything plot-wise.

Also, there’s the introduction of Iris West (Kiersey Clemons). While it was nice to see the Flash get an action scene all to himself in this version, I’m not sure this was the best way to do it. I say that only because I believe Iris West has already been recast for the upcoming Flash movie (or whatever they’re going to call it), so I wasn’t invested whether this character made it or not. None of this is Kiersey Clemons’ fault though, she was fine in what little screen time she got.

Staying with the Flash for a moment, Ezra Miller is better in this movie. Snyder took out a lot of the more cringe-worthy Barry Allen moments from the theatrical cut, as his rant about brunch. But, Ezra Miller is still not my first choice to play the character. He’s not playing the Barry Allen from the comics, he’s not even playing Wally West at his worst moments. If anything, Miller is playing Bart Allen (Impulse), and I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not.

That said, as far as I’m concerned, this is one of the movies Zack Snyder has made. I was invested from the opening scene until the very end. But I’m also well aware that this movie will not be for everyone. If you liked Snyder’s previous DCEU movies, I think you will be happy with Justice League. However, if you didn’t care for “Man of Steel” or “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” then this movie is probably not going to change your mind.

In the end, this movie delivered everything I could have hoped for and more. It has excellent performances by all involved and exciting action-sequences throughout. But at four hours in length, I did have to take a couple of breaks. But doing so only enhanced the anticipation for the next chapter. I don’t know where the DCEU goes from here, but I would be more than happy to return to the Snyder-verse.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” grade: B

Tom and Jerry Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

Tom and Jerry, the perpetually feuding cat and a mouse who’ve been entertaining kids and adults since 1940 are now starring in their hybrid live-action/animated Warner Bros. adventure titled “Tom & Jerry: The Movie.” Or maybe it’s just “Tom and Jerry” I’m not sure. I’ve seen it called both, so who knows for sure?

Anyways, the new film sends the classic cartoon rivals to modern-day New York City for an adventure that mostly revolves around a young woman named Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz). Kayla is a new employee of the Royal Gate Hotel who hires Tom to catch Jerry before the high-profile wedding of Ben and Preeta (played respectively by Colin Jost and Pallavi Sharda). Watching Kayla’s every move is hotel event manager Terence (Michael Peña), but being a Tom & Jerry movie, things don’t do quite as planned.

Directed by Tim Story from a script by Kevin Costello, “Tom & Jerry” is set in a version of the world where all animals are cartoons. Not only that, but they’re portrayed in a 2-D animated look instead of the 3DCG you’d expect this day. While it’s charming to see old-school animation, the cartoon animals are never explained. Neither is the reason why most of the animals can talk but not Tom and Jerry. The cartoon animals also made me wonder if the humans in this world eat animated animals? Or are there real animals too?

The slapstick physical comedy between Tom and Jerry does provide some laughs for younger viewers. But if you’ve watched more than a couple of Tom & Jerry, then you’ve seen most of these gags before. However, there is one scene I did find funny in which Tom pretends to be a blind piano player in Central Park. Though I suppose most of the laughs come from the humans who turn on Tom once they realized they’ve been conned.

The majority of the action in the film is set within the swanky hotel where Kayla gets hired for a job for which she is not qualified. I didn’t like how Chloë Grace Moretz’s character steals someone else resumes to get the job, but I did enjoy how her character grew and developed during the movie. Chloë Grace Moretz did a nice job with a part that isn’t well written, but the actress made Kayla a very likable character.

Hotel event manager Terence (Peña) dislikes Kayla from the start and is the closest thing this movie has to a villain. But just like with Chloë Grace Moretz, the Terence character grows throughout the film. He’s not as well developed as Kayla, but he does have some great moments in the movie, like when he’s recruited to take Spike for a walk around the city. It’s a short sequence, but it was one of the few times I laughed.

When it comes to the film’s supporting cast, I’d say Jordan Bolger as Cameron, (a hotel bartender), and Patsy Ferran, who plays the quirky bellhop Joy, are among the film’s highlights. Sadly, Ken Jeong as Chef Jackie, a chef, and baker at the Hotel, doesn’t get much screen time, but he is pretty funny in the few scenes he gets.

Where “Tom and Jerry” failed is in the wedding storyline. Colin Jost and Pallavi Sharda are fine as Ben and Preeta, but I never got the sense the two were in love, to begin with. I’m still not sure why the two are famous or what either of them did for a living. None of this is their fault of course, but I wish the script had done a little more to develop their character beyond Ben wanting a big wedding and Preeta not wanting to tell him she does not.

When all is said and done, “Tom & Jerry” is a perfectly adequate offering, especially if you got kids and have access to HBO max. The movie does have some laughs adults will enjoy, and maybe a ga or two they will remember from the classic shorts. But this movie could have been better written and directed, and it would have been nice if Tom and Jerry hadn’t been supporting players for much of their movie.

“Tom and Jerry” grade: C-

Homework: The Podcast Mini-Episode

whats this? What’s this? What’s this?

Why it’s the first-ever mini-episode of Homework: The Podcast! in this special “Winter Break” John Hammel, Nick Jones and yours truly sit around the fireplace to discuss and review Christmas Day releases “Wonder Woman 1984” and Pixar’s “Soul.”

Homework: The Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker

Better late than never review: Tenet

Possible spoilers ahead!

I could try to explain what Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” is about, but I’m not sure anything I say would help anyone understand what is going on in this movie. Do you know how sometimes you have to pay attention to understand the plot? “Tenet” is one of those cases, but this is one of the most complex films I’ve ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, “Tenet” is quite entertaining and has some exciting action sequences. But watching the film with subtitles only helped so much and I had to go back a couple of times to make sure I understood whatever one of the characters said or was about to do.

As for the main cast, John David Washington stars as a character known only as the Protagonist, a tough dude who I assume is a CIA agent of some kind. Washinton is fine in the role, he charming when needed and can pull off some stylish action scenes. But we never learn anything about who he is, why he’s in the business, or what exactly is driving him to go this far. I wouldn’t have an issue with this if the other characters were rounded out, but we learn little about them too. What we do learn about the supporting players is told to us, not shown.

Teaming up with the Protagonist is a man known only as Neil (Robert Pattinson). To my shock, Pattinson was my favorite character in “Tenet.” He plays Neil as a very mellow guy, but he’s witty and comes up with some great plans. John David Washington and Robert Pattison play well off each other and looked like they had fun with the insane stuff they were doing. One of the film’s highlights is a huge airport heist the two put together. It’s an exciting sequence and fun to boot.

Also in the film are Russian billionaire Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh). I’m a Branagh fan, but he has never played a convincing Russian and his accent could use some work. Most of my problems though are with the character. His plan is underwhelming and he changes his mind about things constantly. Fairing much better is Elizabeth Debicki as Katherine “Kat” Barton. She’s Sator’s estranged wife and an art appraiser. I would say she probably has the most character development in the film. However, unless I missed something Satoris abusive to her only because she sold him a fake Goya painting. Again, maybe I missed something, but I didn’t think that was much of an introduction for Kat.

Christopher Nolan is one hell of a director, but I’m torn on what to grade “Tenet.” While the movie is entertaining, the cast is solid for the most part, and it features some incredible set pieces, which the film lacks in other areas. “Tenet” has a lot of conversation, many of which could be cut out, and the overall story would not suffer from it. The film is also too long, and if you cut out some of the conversation scenes, the film would move at a brisker pace.

Something else that may have helped “Tenet” is a little bit of character development for the protagonist and Neil. Just a little development would have helped me care more for them. But perhaps the biggest problem is that the movie tries to be too many things: time travel, multiple storylines happening at the same time in the same scene, and too many twists and turns to keep count of. In the end, “Tenet” is a good movie, but it could have been great.

“Tenet” grade: C+

Scoob! Review

Possible Spoilers Ahead!

“Scoob!” is directed by Tony Cervone with a script by Adam Sztykiel, Matt Lieberman, and newcomers Jack Donaldson and Derek Elliott, from a story by Lieberman and Eyal Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart. But rather than a classic mystery, “Scoob!” sees the Mystery Inc. gang split up, with Scooby (Frank Welker) and Shaggy (Will Forte) teaming-up with the Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) and his associates, Dee Dee (Kiersey Clemons) and Dynomutt (Ken Jeong).

This leaves Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) and Velma (Gina Rodriguez) to figure out the real mystery on their own. But the gang soon discovers that Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs) is after Scooby to complete his evil mission. Now, Fred, Daphne, and Velma must track down their friends on an adventure that takes Scooby and friends all around the globe.

In the process, Scooby and the others meet several other Hanna-Barbera characters like Captain Caveman (Tracy Morgan). However, even if they are successful, it remains to be seen if Scooby and Shaggy’s friendship will survive the ordeal. If not, then this might be the end of Mystery Inc. as we know it.

I have a confession to make: I’ve never been a Scooby-Doo fan. The only good memories I have of Scooby are his team-ups with Batman and Robin and the Harlem Globetrotters. Now that I think about it, I was more of a fan of Jabberjaw, which is ironic since the two shows have a ton of similarities. But for some reason, I always found Jabberjaw’s adventures more entertaining while anything with Scooby-Doo I found repetitive.  So going into “Scoob!” my expectation was low.

Thankfully, “Scoob!” is a complete reinvention of Scooby-Doo and friends, one that brings the characters into the 21st century. The movie doesn’t waste time getting the main plot going, starting when Shaggy meets scooby when they were young. Shaggy is a lonely kid who longs to have friends, and Scooby answers the call. The rest of their pals (and their first mystery) arrive on Halloween and “Scoob!” is off to the races as the friends become young adults.

Many viewers will recall how most of the scary stuff the team faced was always fake and a way to cover for something else. In the movie, you get some of that, but it’s done tongue in cheek which I liked. I won’t say the film makes fun of the original material, but there are a wink and a nod to the sillier aspects of the classic cartoons. But don’t worry, there is still plenty of silliness in “Scoob!” for you to enjoy.

While the Mystery Inc. gang faces of againstDick Dastardly, “Scoob!” is all about friendship. Shaggy and Scooby don’t know if they belong in the team anymore after Simon Cowell (yes, that Simon Cowell) tells them that Fred is the muscle, Daphne the charm, Velma the brains. This was an interesting angle to take these characters in, but somehow the filmmakers pulled it off. This is probably due in part to the talented voice cast assembled for the film.

Will Forte is almost unrecognizable as Shaggy. It’s been a while since I enjoyed anything Forte has done, but he won me over by playing a likable dim-witted but lovable Shaggy. Forte dilled Casey Kasem’s shoes quite nicely. Meanwhile, Zac Effron is hilarious as Fred. He has a couple of scenes that had me in tears from laughing. One of them is when the Mystery Machine gets pulled over, the other scene comes in the final act of the film. Daphne (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), and Velma (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) does a good job as well, but the scene-stealer in the cast is Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon. I hope after this he gets more voice work because he was terrific in “Scoob!”

However, my favorite aspect of “Scoob!” is that it gives a little bit of a spotlight to some of the lesser-known characters in the Hanna-Barbera world. It looks like the film is aiming to set up a new cinematic Hanna-Barbera universe. But I’m okay with that because I like a bunch of this character and most of the cameos in “Scoob!” are fun and memorable. And I can easily say that after watching “Scoob!” I need a Captain Caveman spinoff.

From the reviews I’ve seen and read, “Scoob!” is getting shredded by critics. My guess is these are Scooby-Doo purists who don’t want to see these characters changed or updated in any way. But since I’m not in that camp, I didn’t have any issues with the changes “Scoob!” made.

Yes, “Scoob!” is a bit silly and oddly plot-heavy when it comes to Alexander the Great mythology. But I still loved every second of this film. I think I finally understand why Scoob-Doo has been a fan favorite for decades. This movie was a lot of fun and I would love to see more of the Hanna-Barbara characters in this world.

“Scoob!” grade: B+

Birds of Prey Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

Directed by Cathy Yan (“Dead Pigs”) from a script by Christina Hodson (“Bumblebee”), “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley (Margot Robbie) can tell it.  And it all begins when Harly finally breaks up with Mr. J.

But it turns out that her troubles are just starting because when Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz (Chris Messina), put a target on a young girl named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), the city is turned upside down with every mercenary in Gotham City looking for her. 

In the chaos that follows, the paths of Harley, Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary and police detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) collide pretty much how you’d expect with fists and bullets flying everywhere. But with Sionis and his army for hire about to descend upon them, the unlikely foursome has no choice but to team up to take down Gotham’s biggest crime boss.

Birds of Prey is one of those comics that I always enjoyed reading, especially the Gail Simone era. But I was worried after seeing the trailers for “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).” I didn’t feel the film’s marketing enough to introduce non-comic readers to characters like Huntress, Black Canary, and Rene Montoya.

Now after having watched the movie, I had good reason to be concerned. “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” spend so much time focused on Harley Quinn, that the rest of the characters get shortchanged. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Harley, especially when she’s played by my future wife Margot Robbie. But since “Birds of Prey” is probably the first time people in the audience are seeing the other characters, it would have been nice to spend some more time on them.

It’s a shame because, for the most part, the supporting cast is rather good. But I was shocked at how little screen time Mary Elizabeth Winstead got as Huntress. I loved what I saw, but I wanted to see more of her because I know how amazing her character is. She may not have the Huntress costume here, but visually she was second only to Harley Quinn.

Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Dinah Lance / Black Canary fared a little better than Huntress. She gets more screen time and has one kick-ass fight scene where she saves Harley Quinn from some thugs who want to kidnap her. Smollett-Bell was the biggest surprise of the film, but the script doesn’t develop the character too much beyond a few lines of dialogue. That said, I would love to see more of her as Black Canary.

The only member of the Birds of Prey who I wasn’t impressed with was Rosie Perez
. I’m sorry, but when I think of the character of Renee Montoya, Perez is the actor that comes to mind. To me, Renee Montoya is more like Roselyn Sánchez or Marjorie de Sousa. As for the villains, I was happy with what Ewan McGregor did in the film. However, I don’t think he needed to be Black Mask, he really could have been just a random mobster.

At the end of the day though, “Birds of Prey” is Harley Quinn’s movie, and Margot Robbie shines in the role she was born to play. Even though she took time away from other characters, I can’t argue that Robbie once again nailed the part and added new layers to good old Harley.

One of the best parts of the film is seeing Harley Quinn as the anti-heroine strikes out on her own after finally breaking up with the Joker. It’s funny, sweet, and sad as we see just how lonely she truly is. Robbie also had my favorite fight scene in the film when she breaks out Cassandra Cain from jail.

“Birds of Prey” changes a ton from the comic book, including the character of Cassandra Cain. The Cassie in the movie is nothing like the character I remember as Batgirl. However, despite the changes, “Birds of Prey” was still a lot of fun. I enjoyed this movie more than “Joker” and “Suicide Squad,” which I have to say surprised me. Sure, the movie is over the top, but it’s a fun ride and one worth checking out.

“Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” score: B