TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Review: Disney's "MOANA 2" Sails Towards New Horizons

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 of 2024 (No. 1999) by Leroy Douresseaux

Moana 2 (2024)

Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40)

MPA – PG for action/peril

DIRECTORS: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller

WRITERS: Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller; Jared Bush & Dana Ledoux Miller and Bek Smith

PRODUCERS: Christina Chen and Yvette Merino

EDITORS: Michael Louis Hill and Jeremy Milton

ORIGINAL SONGS: Opetaia Foa'il, Mark Mancina, Abigail Barlow, and Emily Bear

COMPOSER: Mark Mancina

ANIMATION/FANTASY/MUSICAL and FAMILY/DRAMA

Starring: (voices) Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualalai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Amhimai Fraser, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Gerald Ramsey, and Alan Tudyk

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

Moana 2 is not as inspired as the original film, but this sequel charts its own path towards adventure

The title character, Moana, is still a hero who takes her friends and the audience on the greatest of adventures, and that is more than enough reason for fans of the original film to come back for more in Moana 2

Moana 2 is a 2024 American computer-animated, fantasy-adventure, and musical film directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. It is produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios – the 63rd full-length animated feature film produced by that studio, and it is a Walt Disney Pictures release. The film is a direct sequel to the 2016 animated feature, Moana. Moana 2 finds Moana and Maui on a journey to find a lost island that could reunite the people of the ocean.

Moana 2 opens three years after the adventures Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) had with the demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and the island goddess of Te Fiti (as seen in Moana). Moana is now officially her people's “wayfinder.” She has spent the time since then exploring the islands near her home island of Motunui in the hope that she will find other people connected to the ocean.

During a celebration, Moana has a vision of her wayfinding ancestor, Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey). He reveals why none of those peoples are connected anymore. A long time ago, the malicious storm god, Nalo, wanted power over the mortals. To gain that power, Nalo sunk a legendary island called “Motufetu,” the island which connected all islands and the people of the sea, down to the depths of the ocean. Tautai also warns Moana that the people of Motunui will go extinct in the future if Moana cannot find a way to raise Motufetu.

Moana assembles a wayfinding crew of people from Motunui: the clever craftswoman, Loto (Rose Matafeo); the tribal historian and Maui fanboy, Moni (Haulalai Chung); and a grumpy elderly farmer, Keke (David Fane), alongside her pet pig, Pua, and pet rooster, Heihei. They set off in a boat designed and built by Loto, to follow the path of a meteor that Tautai says will blaze a trail across the ocean towards Motufetu. But first, Moana and her crew must find Maui, who just so happens is being held prisoner by the forces aligned against Moana's quest.

I wrote this in my recent review of the first film, Moana: I always struggle with writing reviews of modern Disney computer-animated feature films. The animation is always superb. The character design is consistently imaginative and inventive, and the character animation – regardless of whether the characters are human, animals, creatures of fantasy, or machines – is flawless. The production design, art direction, set decoration, and graphic design are so good that just about every Disney animated movie gets its own art book – deservedly so.

Well, I don't have to struggle with my review of Moana 2 because it looks just as good as the first film. While the tattoos on Maui's body are still good, they don't get as much screen time as they did in the original film, so they can't steal the show. Instead, Moana has a little sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert Tsuda), who does that in several scenes set on Motunui.

Moana 2 is very entertaining, but it is not quite as good as the original film. Because we know many of the characters, especially Moana and Maui, there is not the same joy of discovery. The call to adventure is not as complicated in Moana 2 as it was the first time. It is pretty straightforward here: find Motufetu. And the big showdown in Moana 2 is not quite the showdown the first film offered. Moana 2 simply lacks the inspiration of Moana.

That said, Moana 2 offers stunning imagery that overrides the moments when the story drags or goes adrift, and the film moves towards new horizons for the franchise. Moana, once again superbly given voice by actress Auli'i Cravalho, and Maui, once again made cool by Dwayne Johnson's voice performance, are still great characters. And they go on the best adventures.

Moana 2 is the kind of big, colorful, soaring animated adventure that we expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is not perfect, but it is the kind of film that keeps me loving the world's longest-running animation studio. Fans of Moana and of Disney Animation will not want to miss Moana 2.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, December 7, 2024

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Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #3" is More Proof of This Franchise's Greatness

THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #3 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: Giovanna Niro

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2024)

Rating: 18+

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

“The Death of Cordelia Moonstone”

The Magic Order 5 is a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni. This is the fifth installment of The Magic Order series, which began with the 2018-19 miniseries written by Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel. The Magic Order is a band of sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – with a focus on the Moonstone family and its leader, Cordelia Moonstone – that live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night. Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series creative team.

The Magic Order 5 finds Cordelia preparing for her death – the punishment for using black magic (back in Volume 1). However, a new case has dropped itself in front of her, but it all may be a front for some really bad people trying to collect the price on Cordelia's head. The end is coming in three days.

The Magic Order 5 #3 opens on a lonely, rural Vermont road. “Skin-Walker Sam,” the magical hit-man, makes his latest move in a track that will bring him closer to his target, Cordelia Moonstone. Meanwhile, Cordelia believes that she has uncovered the identity of the entities behind the kidnapping of male toddlers from across the country. The “why” is horrific, especially because the perpetrators were supposedly destroyed by The Magic Order long ago.

Later, when a walk in the city turns into a dog day afternoon, Cordelia will have to rely on a really bad hombre, Clyde Bailey, to save her life. Meanwhile, Sister Moon is sending someone to claim the magic world's most attractive bounty.

THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is The Magic Order 5 #3.

I have often said that The Magic Order is my favorite of the titles that Mark Millar has created for Netflix since it bought Millarworld. Millar has filled this franchise with surprises, and each issue of The Magic Order 5 gets crazier with the unexpected. The Magic Order has previously been described as “Harry Potter series meets The Godfather,” and if that is true, then, it is more like The Godfather. I will say that adults who have to tolerate Harry Potter only because of their kids will find that someone has created a supernatural drama and crime thriller just for them.

The art team of Matteo Buffagni and colorist Giovanna Niro are delivering stellar work early in this series. At the halfway point, Buffagni's storytelling dives deep into the peril of Cordelia Moonstone with Niro's coloring blazing a dazzling path to the finale. As usual, Clem Robins's lettering is the gentle chamber music by which to read this deathwatch.

The Magic Order 5 is plotting something mind-bending; that I know, dear readers. Don't miss the twenty-first century's best American comic book about wizards and sorcerers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 5.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://twitter.com/themagicorder

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

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Sony Pictures Drops "28 YEARS LATER" Teaser Poster

Sony Pictures has released a teaser poster for 28 Years Later, the follow-up to the zombie apocalypse films, 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).

28 Years Later is directed by Danny Boyle, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Garland. Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy reprises his role from the first film and stars alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman, and Edvin Ryding.

The film is due June 20, 2025.

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Sony Pictures Drops "28 YEARS LATER" Teaser Trailer

Sony Pictures has released a mysterious teaser trailer for 28 Years Later, the follow-up to the zombie apocalypse films, 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).

The film is due June 20, 2025. The morse code in the teaser apparently indicates "Tuesday." I've posted the teaser below for your amusement:

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 1st to 7th, 2024 - UPDATE #14

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From THR: Sony Pictures has released a mysterious teaser for "28 Years Later," the follow-up to the zombie apocalypse films, "28 Days Later" (2002) and "28 Weeks Later" (2007). The film is due June 20, 2025.

MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: Amy Adams is keeping the secrets of her new film, Marielle Heller's "Nightbitch," to herself.

HARRY POTTER - From THR: "The Hollywood Reporter" is reporting that actor Paapa Essiedu ("I May Destroy You") is being considered to play the role of "Professor Severus Snape" in HBO's "Harry Potter" television series. The role was played by the late Alan Rickman across eight "Harry Potter" theatrical films.

AWARDS - From NBR: The National Board of Review has named its 2024 film honorees. "Wicked" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (for John M. Chu).

MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: Writer Phillipa Boyens says that "The Lord of the Rings" brain trust (Boyens, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson) really wants actor Viggo Mortensen to return in his LOTR role of "Aragon" for the upcoming LOTR film, "The Hunt for Gollum."

MOVIE AWARDS - From Deadline: The winners of the 2024 / 90th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. Director Brady Corbet's three-hour epic, "The Brutalist," has won "Best Film" and its star, Adrian Brody, has won "Best Actor."

From Variety: The winners at the 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards have been announced. Writer-director Aaron Schimberg's "A Different Man" has won the "Best Feature" award.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/29 to 12/1/2024 weekend box office is Walt Disney Pictures' "Moana 2" with an estimated take of 135.5 million dollars.

From Variety: "Moana 2" made an estimated 221 million dollars at the domestic box office over the five-day "Thanksgiving holiday weekend" period. The previous record was held by Disney's "Frozen II" with a five-day take of 125 million dollars in 2019.

From Deadline: Dwayne Johnson has pulled off a rare feat with two films ("Red One" and "Moana 2") opening #1 at the weekend box office in the same calendar month (November 2024).

NETFLIX - From Deadline: John David Washington talks about Netflix's "The Piano Lesson" and working with Christopher Nolan.

MOVIES - From Deadline: 20th Century (Fox) has won a bidding war for a project from director Edward Berger ("Conclave") and actor Austin Butler ("Elvis"). Entitled "The Barrier," it is a sci-fi, time-travel story.

OBITS:

From Variety: American screenwriter and director, Marshall Brickman, has died at the age of 85, Friday, November 29, 2024. Brickman was probably best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen. Brickman and Allen shared the "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar for Allen's 1977 film, "Annie Hall." Brickman shared writing credits with Allen on three other films, "Sleeper" (1973), "Manhattan" (1979), and "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993). Brickman also directed three films, including the comedies, "Simon" (1980) and "Lovesick" (1983).

From Deadline: British-born American assistant director and producer, Adam Somner, has died at the age of 57, Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Somner was the go-to assistant director for Steven Spielberg (12 films), Paul Thomas Anderson (6), and Ridley Scott (6). Somner received a "Best Picture" Oscar nomination, shared with Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, for Anderson's 2021 film, "Licorice Pizza."

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From NBR: The National Board of Review has named its 2024 film honorees. "Wicked" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (for John M. Chu).

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2025 / 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. Cannes 2024 Palme d'Or winner, "Anora," and "I Saw the TV Glow" each lead with six nominations apiece. The winners will be announced Saturday, February 22, 2025.

From Deadline: The winners of the 2024 / 90th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. Director Brady Corbet's three-hour epic, "The Brutalist," has won "Best Film" and its star, Adrian Brody, has won "Best Actor."

From Variety: The winners at the 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards have been announced. Writer-director Aaron Schimberg's "A Different Man" has won the "Best Feature" award.

From Deadline: The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film. Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 British Independent Film Awards have been announced. The Irish film, "Kneecap," leads with 14 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, December 8, 2024.

BEST PICTURE WINNER COUNT:

"The Brutalist": 1 (NYFCC)

"A Different Man": 1 (Gotham Awards)

"Wicked": 1 (National Board of Review)

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Friday, December 6, 2024

Comics Review: "NIGHT CLUB II #4" - Jack's Tribe is Winning

NIGHT CLUB II #4 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Juanan Ramírez

COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramirez

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2024)

Rating: 18+

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club II is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez. A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club. Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition. Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.

Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia. After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen. Now, they're the superheroes: Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy). But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio...

Night Club II #4 opens as Risso, Kendra, and their friends run wild through their Philadelphia stomping grounds. As the high school jocks and cool kids, they were bad enough when they were regular human beings. As vampires, they are monsters. Risso was a minor thug for the local drug lord, Rufus Tee. Now, Risso wants everything Tee has, including his life.

These young vampires are terrorizing the town and not even the cops can stop them. Amy/Yellowbird is alone in the wake of what seemed like Danny/Starguard's destruction. What is her next move if she is going to stop Risso and Kendra in their vampire tracks?

THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Night Club II #4.

Writer Mark Millar uses the first issue of Night Club II to bring us to the current state of affairs. With the second issue, Millar quickly moves things forward, and shit gets real deep, real quick. Issue #3 is the best and most consequential of this series... so far. Now, issue #4 moves into the aftermath of the third issue's shocking affairs. I think that there are a lot of “secrets” to Millar's three-decades long successful tenure writing comic books for U.S. publishers. One of them is that he always has at least one major surprise per issue, and that surprise never seems contrived. In this fourth issue, Millar shows off another “secret of his success,” and that is to always keep things fresh. I'll be honest, dear readers, after this fourth issue, I thought Risso should have his own comic book.

Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil. Ramirez's storytelling has made Night Club II a vampire comic book like no other. Stylish and gaudy, Night Club jumps off the page with Ramirez's incomparable graphics. Colorist Fabiana Mascolo brings the funk and flash to Ramirez's art. Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment.

Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers. It is one of the standards in American vampire comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

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Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Review: Netflix's "ATLAS" Has Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Booty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 54 of 2024 (No. 1998) by Leroy Douresseaux

Atlas (2024)

Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for strong sci-fi violence, action, bloody images and strong language

DIRECTOR: Brad Peyton

WRITERS: Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite

PRODUCERS: Greg Berlanti, Jeff Fierson, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Joby Harold, Brad Peyton, Sarah Schechter, Tory Tunnell, Benny Medina, and Jennifer Lopez

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Schwartzman (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Bob Ducsay

COMPOSER: Andrew Lockington

SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, Abraham Popoola, Lana Parrilla, Mark Strong, Briella Guiza, Adia Smith-Eriksson, and Gregory James Cohan (voice)

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Atlas is a Jennifer Lopez movie, but science fiction does not fit her

--The movie is average and filled with ridiculous ideas, but the action-violence of the last act is good enough to somewhat justify the time you spent watching this, dear readers

Atlas is a 2024 American action-thriller and science fiction film from director Brad Peyton. Atlas is a “Netflix Original” and debuted on the Netflix streaming service May 24, 2024. Atlas pits a counter-terrorism analyst against a rogue artificial intelligence (“A.I.” or “AI”) which believes that the only way to save the Earth and humanity is to destroy most of humanity.

Atlas opens on October 2, 2043. AI humanoid robots are at war with humanity, and they are led by the AI terrorist, Harlan (Simu Liu). By the end of the conflict, three million people are dead. This leads human military forces to create the International Coalition of Nations (ICN). After a string of ICN victories, Harlan and his AI robots are forced to flee into outer space.

Twenty-eight years later, renewed AI-led terrorist attacks force the ICN to begin searching for Harlan's whereabouts. The ICN has created a fleet of mecha known as “ARCs.” These are giant robotic suits of armor worn by humans who “sync” with the AI that operate the ARCs. The ICN seeks help from Atlas Maru Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez), a woman whose mother, Val Shepherd (Lana Parrilla), designed Harlan. Atlas has a deep distrust of all artificial intelligence. In a confrontation with Casca Vix (Andrew Popoola), one of Harlan's lieutenants, Atlas learns that Harlan has a base on GR-39, a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy.

The ICN sends a battalion of ARCs, the Fourth Rangers Battalion, which is led by the taciturn Colonel Elias Banks (Sterling K. Brown), on a mission to GR-39, aboard the space ship “ the Dhiib.” Atlas insists on accompanying the mission because she says no one knows Harlan better than her. The mission is to capture Harlan and to bring him back to Earth. However, what neither Atlas nor the ICN knows is just exactly what Harlan knows about the mission and about Atlas. Now, to save humanity, Atlas must rely on the thing that she hates most, an AI, one named “Smith” (Gregory James Cohan).

Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite's screenplay for Atlas is a hodge-podge of ideas that are similar to what audiences will find in such films as The Terminator (1984), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), I, Robot (2004), and Pacific Rim (2013). If properly developed, these ideas could have made a fine film instead of the mediocre film, which Atlas is.

The problem with Atlas is Jennifer Lopez. Atlas is a science fiction film, and it is also a Jennifer Lopez vehicle, although she is woefully miscast here. Science fiction is not her genre, and she really doesn't seem to have an understanding of what a character like Atlas Maru Shepherd could be. That may be the fault of director Brad Peyton, who specializes in mediocre to average sci-fi/fantasy genre films like 2018's Rampage. Lopez plays Atlas as petulant and as way too narrow minded to be some kind of expert on science and technological matters. Truthfully, Atlas would be grieving and guilt-ridden, which I think would make her introspective. Lopez plays Atlas as a brat who really needs the guidance of others, even the AI she hates so much.

Atlas is saved by the action-violence of its last act, and by the appearance of Harlan, played by actor Simu Liu. Best known for playing the title character in Disney/Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, here, Liu is deliciously cold-blooded and ruthless as Harlan, and I wish there were more of him in this film. But, alas, we get what we get. Atlas is average entertainment, and you, dear readers, can be entertained if you ignore its improbable scenario. If you are patient enough, Jennifer Lopez's fine, round posterior even makes a cameo, perfectly bound in a pair of tights. If Atlas has a “cherry on top,” it's that fine bee-hind.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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