Film Review: "The Boss Baby: Family Business" (2021).

"Playtime is over" in The Boss Baby: Family Business. This computer-animated comedy film directed by Tom McGrath, written by Michael McCullers, loosely based on the 2010 picture book The Boss Baby and its 2016 sequel The Bossier Baby by Marla Frazee, and produced by DreamWorks Animation. It is the sequel to The Boss Baby (2017) and the second installment in The Boss Baby franchise.

In late May 2017, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced that a sequel was set with Alec Baldwin reprising his role. In mid May 2019, it was announced that McGrath would return as director. In mid September 17, 2020, James Marsden, Amy Sedaris, Jeff Goldblum and Eva Longoria rounded out the film's cast with Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow reprising their roles. Marsden would replace Tobey Maguire. Portions of production were done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was originally scheduled for a March 26, 2021 release date, but was delayed to September 17, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before moving to July 2, 2021.

The film stars the voice talents of Baldwin, Marsden, Sedaris, Goldblum and Longoria with Kimmel and Kudrow reprising their roles. The two leads are very good in their respective roles, especially Baldwin and Marsden, but it is the supporting characters that really make the film a cut above most family fare. The lovable characters remain, but they never do much of interest in a sequel that's safely above average but superfluous.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not sulking. I liked the film. Honest. Kids will like the film. Most mums and dads will like the film. My problem is this: I didn't like it the way I liked the first film. The animation by which it stands or falls is as brilliant as ever and, though it wouldn't really be right to call it totally anti-Disney, it certainly trumps that institution for sharpness of focus, notably as far as the screenplay is concerned. The characters are still charming, the animation really is spectacularly smooth and expressive, and the Looney Tunes-style humor and pop-culture in-jokes are as inventive and hilarious as before. If you weren't particularly enamored with the first one, chances are this isn't gonna change your opinion on the film's cast. What's missing is the wonderful weirdness that made the original film the strangest children's entertainment since H.R. Pufnstuf. Story wise, this one feels formulaic with less of an edge. There's just no heart, soul, or true purpose in this film; something generic and robotic about every aspect of its existence. Much of it is good, but other moments feel uninspired, as if Sleeping Beauty had a hand in writing the script. Perhaps this sequel no longer has the shock of the new, but the animation is stupendous, with breathtaking effects of light and detail, the gags come thick and fast and the musical numbers are uproarious. Definitely a step down from the first one, but you should not let that stop you from seeing a film with great humour and animation.

Simon says The Boss Baby: Family Business receives:

Also, see my review for The Bossy Baby and Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.

Film Review: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021).

"A Marvel legend will rise" in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This superhero film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, written by Cretton and Dave Callaham, based on the Marvel Comic character of the same name created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, and produced by Marvel Studios. It is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

According to Margaret Loesch, former president and CEO of Marvel Productions, Stan Lee discussed a potential film or television series based on the Marvel Comics character with actor Brandon Lee during the 1980s. In 2001, Stephen Norrington was hired to direct a Shang-Chi film entitled The Hands of Shang-Chi. By 2003, the film was in development at DreamWorks Pictures with Yuen Woo-Ping replacing Norrington as director and Bruce C. McKenna hired to pen the script. By 2004, the film did not materialize and the rights to the character reverted to Marvel. In September 2005, Marvel chairman and CEO Avi Arad announced Shang-Chi as one of ten properties being developed as films by the newly formed studio Marvel Studios. The Ten Rings were featured in the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, Iron Man (2008), without the Mandarin. The Mandarin would eventually appear in Iron Man 3 (2013) portrayed by Ben Kingsley. However, Feige felt this Mandarin did not necessarily mean that a more faithful version of the character did not exist in the MCU. By December 2018, Marvel had fast-tracked development of a Shang-Chi film with the intent of making it their first film with an Asian lead. Marvel hired Callaham to pen the script. In March 2019, Marvel Studios hired Cretton to direct the film. In mid July, Simu Liu was officially cast in the title role and the film's full title, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, was announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. By February 2020, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Tim Roth, Ben Kingsley and Ronny Chieng rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late October. Filming was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late July, filming resumed. Filming took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The film was originally scheduled for a February 12, 2021 release date before it was shifted to May 7, then to July 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, the film was then shifted once again to the September 2021.

The cast's, especially Liu's, performances are not only capable of fighting but is also a vessel for the film's study of the importance of legacy and identity in Asian culture.

A tentpole franchise film that broke the mold of what came before, reveling in a diversity and culture that had barely been touched on in past superhero films and that had certainly not been embraced as widely and emphatically before. However, it is just about the same as every other Marvel title.

Simon says Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings receives:

Also, see my reviews for Just Mercy and Black Widow.

Film Review: "Candyman" (2021).

"Dare to Say His Name." It's Candyman. This supernatural slasher film directed by Nia DaCosta, written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld and based on the characters created by Clive Barker. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name and the fourth film in the Candyman film series. In the present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, a visual artist named Anthony McCoy and his girlfriend, an art gallery director named Brianna Cartwright, moved into a luxurious loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by the upwardly mobile millennials. With Anthony's painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind the Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes the terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with his destiny.

In September 2018, it was announced that Peele was in talks to produce a sequel of the 1992 film through his Monkeypaw Productions. In November, it was confirmed that Peele would produce the film with Universal and MGM and will partner with Rosenfeld to co-produce and co-write the film, while DaCosta was hired as director, and filming was due to commence in early 2019. In January 2019, it was reported that Lakeith Stanfield was considered to star in the film, but not as the main titular character rather as an older version of Anthony McCoy. However, in February 2019, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast to play McCoy, and, ultimately, it was announced that Tony Todd would reprise his role. By early August, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Vanessa Estelle rounded out the film's cast with Williams respiring her role. At the same time,. principal photography commenced and wrapped in late September. Filming took place in Chicago, Illinois under the working title Say My Name. The production was brought back to the Cabrini Green neighborhood. Though the high rises have long been demolished, the Rowhouses still exist. The film was originally scheduled for a June 12, 2020 release date, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed to September 25, 2020, and then again to October 16, 2020, and then finally delayed to August 27, 2021

Thanks to the strong cast, the film is now a Black slasher flick for a new generation as the white characters, typical of the genre, have been dispatched. Now African-American characters are front and centre, and they will have to face the Boogeyman.

After two lacklustre sequels, the original Candyman is back and in a new form. Peele and DaCosta almost nail it despite a few weak decisions. But the Candyman mystique is back along with hellish surprises.

Simon says Candyman receives:

Also, see my review for Little Woods.

Film Review: "The Starling" (2021).

"Hope. Starts. Small." This is The Starling. This comedy-drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Matt Harris. After Lilly suffers a loss, a combative Starling takes nest beside her quiet home. The feisty bird taunts and attacks the grief-stricken Lilly. On her journey to expel the Starling, she rediscovers her will to live and capacity for love.

Harris' script was featured on the 2005 "Black List" of most-liked unproduced screenplays. The script originally had the main roles reversed. The main character was the husband, who stayed at the house and battled the starling, while the wife was the one who left. In March 2017, it was reported that Dome Karukoski was attached to direct the film, with Keanu Reeves and Isla Fisher in negotiations to star. In June 2019, it was announced that Melissa McCarthy and Chris O'Dowd would star in the film, with Melfi hired to direct. By early August, Kevin Kline, Kimberly Quinn, Timothy Olyphant, Daveed Diggs, Rosalind Chao, Laura Harrier, Emily Tremaine, Elisabeth Rohm, Veronica Falcón, Edi Patterson, Dan Bakkedahl and Don McManus rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late September. Filming took place in New York City.

The film stars McCarthy, O'Dowd, Kline, Quinn, Olyphant, Diggs, Chao, Harrier, Tremaine, Rohm, Falcón, Patterson, Bakkedahl and McManus. Somehow McCarthy makes the film work. It's not exactly in the comedic actress' wheelhouse, full of melodramatic dialogue, with a tiny hint of a comedic element that humanises Lilly. She gives it her all, which is always worth seeing, but everything about the production seems to have been designed with one goal in mind: to snag its star an Academy Award.

The film should serve as a nice calling card for Melfi, and fans of McCarthy should be pleased as it's one of her most interesting lead performances in quite some time. The film will likely satisfy on the actress' strength, but McCarthy -- and her audience -- deserve better than focus-grouped pablum. The characters have rather cardboard characterisation and are too melodramatic, the acting is competent, and the story is rather boring as it is simple. There's only so much fun to be had watching McCarthy blatantly at odds with a movie so clearly intent on sentimentalising audience affection for him. It will appeal to people who like their melodrama repackaged with faux cynicism in a bid to reach those that wouldn't have touched the story had it been told straight; that is, without McCarthy's cultural cachet. One of the main problems of the film is that it builds the drama in a very naive, very artificial, very intentional way. The film is almost all preaching with very little film to speak of, and what movie is there is so broad that much of the message falls flat. The film is not a must-see by any means, unless you're a die-hard Bill Murray fan who has to see everything he's in.

Simon says The Starling receives:

Also, see my review for Hidden Figures.

Series Review: "Midnight Mass" (2021).

"From the creator of The Haunting of Hill House" comes Midnight Mass. This supernatural horror series created and directed by Mike Flanagan. The series tells the tale of a small, isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest. When Father Paul's appearance on Crockett Island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community – but do these miracles come at a price?

In early July 2019, Netflix announced a seven-episode horror series, with Flanagan serving as writer, director and executive producer.  By March 2020, Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, Annabeth Gish, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, Alex Essoe, Rahul Kohli, Kristin Lehman and Henry Thomas were cast. Principal photography was originally scheduled to commence at the same time, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually principal photography commenced in mid August and wrapped in mid December. Filming took place in Vancouver, Canada.

The series stars Gilford, Siegel, Linklater, Gish, Trucco, Sloyan, Essoe, Kohli, Lehman and Thomas.
Despite the incredible performances given by the entire cast, the most interesting characters are not the leads but the zealous and overbearing church goer, the Muslim sheriff, and the enigmatic new priest.

The show offers plenty of potent scares and narrative twists to keep you guessing while wrapping its story in a fresh set of themes. The show is more of a slow burn than Hill House and Bly Manor but, like those shows, there's plenty to fall in love with, especially if you love gothic stories. The show lacks some of the horror found in Hill House and Bly Manor, but that's fine, it works as a story about love, loss, and yearning. It doesn't sound so much like a horror story when it's laid out like this, but it is one of the most intriguing horror stories told in a long time. It's also hard to deny Flanagan's visual eye. The dialogue and pacing may falter at times, but the look of the show never does. While you may go into watching the show for the ghosts and potential horror aspect, the reality is that this is a beautiful, dark gothic story of love and loss. Even though it doesn't reach the heights of Hill House and Bly Manor, the show is still a grim and entertaining ghost tale with a talented cast, grat direction and flawless aesthetics. If nothing else, the fact that the show doesn't totally measure up to some of Flanagan's best work is a testament to how consistently good the emerging auteur can be. Entertaining to watch even during the times it's not trying to scare the audience, and that's something that not many horror series can do. The show ultimately finds its strength by foregoing on typical scares to tell an intimate, captivating, and regret-filled story. The show should make fans of Flanagan feel right at home, even if the focus is on an entirely new ensemble of characters.

Simon says Midnight Mass receives:

Also, see my review for The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Film Review: "Je Suis Karl" (2021).

"We declare war on you." This is Je Suis Karl. This German drama film directed by Christian Schwochow and written by Thomas Wendrich. Not just some day - today. A parcel in a hallway. Alex, a husband and father of three, leaves his flat to get wine from his car. In the confusion that follows, he's torn from the routine of everyday life and fails to ever find his footing again. Maxi, his daughter and a strong young woman, sets out into what might pass as life. It's a brutal weaning process though, and she ends up angry and demanding answers. Karl set off long ago. He is beguiling, smart as a whip and has the answers Maxi craves. He entices her in, recognizing her rage and provides the prop outlet. Part of a growing radical movement, he dances with her on a razor's edge. Today in Berlin. Tomorrow in Prague. Soon in Strasbourg and all across Europe. This is a power grab.

The film stars Luna Wedler, Jannis Niewöhner, and Milan Peschel. Wedler gives a performance that deserves something more serious than an Oscar. It's a sublimely convincing portrayal of a young girl who is brutally determined to find out who took away her happiness is in order to seek retribution.

It strikes me as an honest, relatively complicated and humane effort-in many ways, quite remarkable-and one that provides little comfort for defenders of the status quo, in Germany or elsewhere. A daft and directionless thriller from Schwochow, cynically hijacking radical tensions to fuel the engine of an over-heated action vehicle. Schwochow's passion is clear, its intention good, the skill behind it immense; there is something brave about its decision to take politics into the multiplex. It's an incoherent film, as if Schwochow desperately wanted to say something important and could only come to the conclusion that killing is bad and we're all human. The film is an important story to be sure but an important movie isn't the same as a great one. It's told in such a muddled way the message is easily lost, except for the moments when it is hammered home at the cost of story-telling believability. It's difficult to imagine just what Schwochow was hoping to accomplish with this disastrously inept piece of work. Schwochow trades in hollow, spuriously cinematic gestures and in explicitly topical politics that I suspect will render this movie embarrassingly dated before decade's end. The brow-scrunching and ethical debates don't grow out of the terrorist attacks, they merely follow them, and are not only inadequate but irrelevant. While this courageous film lacks in narrative dynamics -- and factual precisions -- it deserves a medal for suggesting a higher law than laid down by the vengeful god of radicalisation. Shooting in a style that echoes classic Paul Greengrass thrillers, Schwochow orchestrates a number of terrifically exciting suspense scenes. Yes, it's violent, but the questions raised, the internal journey followed by the film's main character subtly tends toward peace, or at least rethinking all this violence.

Simon says Je Suis Karl receives:

Film Review: "Schumacher" (2021).

From Netflix comes Schumacher. This German sports documentary film co-directed by Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Vanessa Nöcker, and Michael Wech. Through exclusive interviews and archival footage, this documentary traces an intimate portrait of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. The film was produced in cooperation with Schumacher's family using private family archives, Formula One archive footage, and interviews. The film features interviews with Schumacher's wife Corinna, his father Rolf, his brother Ralf, and his children Gina-Maria and Mick, his manager Willi Weber and interviews with prominent figures of Formula One including, Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, and Flavio Briatore.

On January 3, 1969, the German former racing driver, Michael Schumacher, was born. He has competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles with Lewis Hamilton, and at the time of his retirement from the sport in 2012, he held the records for the most wins (ninety-one), pole positions (sixty-eight), and podium finishes (one-hundred-and-fifty-five); he maintains the records for the most fastest laps (seventy-seven) and the most races won in a single season (with Sebastian Vettel) (thirteen), amongst others. After beginning his racing career in karting, Schumacher enjoyed success in several junior single-seater series. After a one-off Formula One appearance with Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher was signed by Benetton for the rest of the 1991 season. He won his first and second drivers' titles consecutively in 1994 and 1995, twice finishing ahead of runner-up Williams' Damon Hill. Schumacher moved to the struggling Ferrari team in 1996, with whom he won five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, including unprecedented sixth and seventh titles, breaking several records. After finishing third in 2005 and second in 2006, Schumacher retired from the sport, although he later made a brief return with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. Schumacher was noted for pushing his car to the very limit for sustained periods during races, a pioneering fitness regimen and ability to galvanise teams around him. Over his career, Schumacher was involved in several controversial racing incidents. Twice, he was involved in collisions in the final race of a season that decided the title, first with Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix and later with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix. An ambassador for UNESCO, Schumacher has been involved in humanitarian projects and has donated tens of millions of dollars to charity. In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident. He was placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014. He left hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the Lausanne University Hospital, before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014.

The film is one of those documentaries that's clearly deeply meaningful to fans, but it also happens to be viscerally engaging for those with no prior interest in the subject. An engrossing, nerve-wracking and beautifully crafted examination of a sporting hero, the film is a must-see.

Simon says Schumacher receives:

Film Review: "Malignant" (2021).

"From James Wan, the director of Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring" comes Malignant. This horror thriller film directed by James Wan and written by Akela Cooper. Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.

In July 2019, it was announced that Wan would direct the film at New Line Cinema from a screenplay by Akela Cooper and J.T. Petty, based on an original story he wrote alongside Ingrid Bisu and serve as a producer alongside Michael Clear under his Atomic Monster banner. In September, Wan officially revealed the title as Malignant, with Bloody Disgusting claiming the film would be more in line with a giallo film. By late September, Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jacqueline McKenzie, Jake Abel, Mckenna Grace and Bisu were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early December. Filming took place in Los Angeles, California. Additionally, Wan announced the title of the film would be called Malignant. In late October, Wan clarified that the film is not based on his graphic novel Malignant Man. Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema originally scheduled the film for an August 14, 2020 release date, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was removed from the release schedule in March 2020. As part of its plans for all of its 2021 films, Warner Bros. will also stream Malignant simultaneously on the HBO Max service for a period of one month, after which the film will be removed until the normal home media release schedule period.

The film stars Wallis, Hasson, Young, White, McKenzie, Abel, Grace and Bisu. It's great seeing the cast, led by Wallis, getting the chance to have fun with their characters, who prove to be a highlight of the film.

The film has a lot of good qualities (the production design, the Gallo-inpired cinematography, great makeup effects), but overall this film has a huge debilitating weakness: it is predictable as f***. Wan has a carnivalesque sense of fun and a sure instinct for recycling classic horror tropes, but their characters are so flat and their plotting so listless that this low-budget feature fails to generate much suspense. There's something quaintly charming about Wan's unabashed affection for their inspirational source material, although the sense of over-familiarity means that none of it is in the least bit scary. The film is not going to reinvent the genre. It's actually a big pile of nonsense, but that doesn't stop it from being fun nonetheless. So if you're in the mood for a Saturday afternoon-ish throwback horror/thriller, you could certainly do a hell of a lot worse than this one. I admit that I did see the daft last-minute twist coming, and sort of admired it, but for the rest you'd need an extravagant love of hokum not to feel mildly bored. It's also a bit shocking that a movie this mediocre is getting an HBO Max release at all. The film more resembles a purely theatrical release.

Simon says Malignant receives:

Also, see my review for Aquaman.

Film Review: "Untold: Breaking Point" (2021).

From the directors of Untold: Crimes & Penalties comes Untold: Breaking Point. This documentary film directed by Chapman and Maclain Way. Under pressure to continue a winning tradition in American tennis, Mardy Fish faced mental health challenges that changed his life on and off the court.

On December 9, 1981, the American former professional tennis player, Mardy Simpson Fish, was born. Fish is the son of a tennis teaching professional and a housewife, Tom and Sally Fish. At the age of two, he was hitting tennis balls from the baseline over the net. In 1997, Fish's family moved to Boca Prep in Boca Raton, Florida, for his junior and senior years of high school. He, Andy Roddick, and Jesse Levine all attended Boca Prep International School. During 1999, he lived with Roddick's family, and the two played on the same tennis and basketball teams. As a junior, Fish compiled a fifty eight–twenty five singles win/loss record (thirty two–nineteen in doubles), reaching as high as No. 14 in the world in 1999 (and No. 19 in doubles). In 2000, Fish turned professional at the age of eighteen. He spent his first few years as a pro playing in the Challenger and Futures circuits. In 2002, he earned his first title on the ATP Tour playing doubles in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, with Roddick. Fish won six tournaments on the main ATP Tour and reached the final of four Masters Series events: Cincinnati in 2003 and 2010, Indian Wells in 2008, and Montreal in 2011. His best results at Grand Slam tournaments are reaching the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, the 2008 US Open, and the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. At the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Fish reached the final in the men's singles, losing to Nicolás Massú. In April 2011, Fish overtook Roddick to become the American No. 1 in the ATP rankings, reaching a career-high singles ranking of world No. 7 in August 2011. He then played in the year-end tournament for the only time in his career. Fish went down in the second round of the 2012 Australian Open. He made it to the third round of Indian Wells, before being defeated. He reached the quarterfinals in Miami, but was defeated. Citing fatigue, he did not play any of the European clay-court season and withdrew from the 2012 French Open. What he did not tell the media until later is that immediately after his last match in Miami, he was taken to the hospital with severe cardiac arrhythmia. After the 2015 US Open, he retired. In January 2019, Fish replaced Jim Courier as captain of the United States Davis Cup team.

We think we all know the story of Mardy Fish, but the Untold entry on his life and career is still a valuable and insightful biopic. Breaking Point may not be a game-changing film but it shows that Netflix has potential to rival ESPN in the sports documentary department.

Simon says Untold: Breaking Point receives:

Also, see my review for Untold: Crimes & Penalties.