Gemini Man (2019) review

For the past few decades, Ang Lee has consistently been one of the most prevalent filmmakers in the industry. After making it big in his native country of Taiwan with a pseudo-trilogy of films known as the Father Knows Best trilogy that explored the clashing of generational ideals, Lee transitioned to Hollywood and would go on to helm several critically acclaimed films. This includes, among others, the Emma Thompson-penned adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, the groundbreaking martial arts flick Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the emotionally devastating romantic drama Brokeback Mountain. However, in recent years, Lee’s films have become defined by their attempts at breaking new ground in the medium of film. This arguably all began with his 2012 outing Life of Pi, which was one of the biggest hits of that year and touted for its impressive visual effects. Four years later, Lee took on his next project, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which became notable for being the first film shot at a frame rate of 120 frames per second, five times more than the industry standard of 24 frames per second. However, this method proved to be difficult to present in theaters, which meant that only a select few could present it in its intended format (120fps in 3D at a 4K resolution). But now Lee’s back with his newest attempt at a film shot at such an astoundingly high frame rate, Gemini Man, and while its script doesn’t exactly match the aspirations of its technical aspects, it still manages to be a decent little action flick that also serves as a fascinating experiment for its technology.    

After years of being one of the top assassins in his field, Defense Intelligence Agency operative Henry Brogan (Will Smith) decides that the time has finally come for him to retire. However, not long after leaving his old life behind, Henry learns from his old colleague Jack Willis (Douglas Hodge) that his last target wasn’t a global terrorist as he was originally led to believe. Instead, he was a scientist who was working on a secret black-ops project known as ‘Gemini’, and as a result, Henry learns that he’s become marked for death by his superiors, specifically Gemini’s director Clayton Varris (Clive Owen). This, in turn, forces him to go on the run with fellow DIA agent Dani Zakarweski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who also becomes a target due to her interactions with Henry. Eventually, Henry finds himself pursued by Gemini’s top asset and is surprised to find that this mysterious agent acts a lot like him while out in the field. Sure enough, Henry ultimately discovers that this agent, named Junior (also played by Smith), is his younger clone and has been raised by Varris to be the ultimate assassin without any of the emotional baggage that had led to his retirement. Thus, as Henry and Dani fight to stay alive against Varris’ forces, they must also try to convince Junior of the ulterior truth behind his existence.

The first thing to talk about when it comes to this film is its ambitious 120fps format since I was lucky enough to be at a theater that could present it as such, albeit at a 2K resolution instead of 4K. Sure enough, that difference in frame rate is noticeable as soon as the film begins… which also means that it’s quite distracting at first when you’re seeing images that move much faster than what you’re normally used to when watching a film. As such, I can see why some feel that this format hinders the classic cinematic feel and makes films look like soap operas in the process, especially whenever an in-camera transition like a zoom-in/zoom-out is used. At the same time, though, it does live up to its claim of producing a highly crisp image quality that, in turn, also lends itself nicely to 3-D. This is especially apparent in the film’s action sequences, which are enhanced considerably by their crystal-clear cinematography. However, this primarily applies to any action sequence set during the day since, aside from the finale, most of the nighttime action sequences are severely hindered by some incredibly hasty editing. As for the film itself, there’s admittedly not much to talk about as this is very much one of those middle-of-the-road action flicks with a decent enough premise but also minimal plot and character development. After all, it is worth noting that this film has been in the works since 1997, with the likes of Joe Carnahan and the late Tony Scott attached to direct it and stars like Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and even Sean Connery being approached to headline it.

Ultimately, Will Smith ended up being the one to headline this film, and despite its shortcomings, he’s easily its biggest highlight thanks to his solid turn in the dual role of Henry and Junior. Of course, to have Smith properly portray the latter, the film goes the same route as several recent Marvel Studios films by de-aging him with CG and motion-capture technology, and for the most part, the visual effects for Junior are solid. It also helps that Smith manages to establish a solid distinction between the two, with Henry being the disenchanted veteran forever hardened by his experiences in the field and Junior being the wet-behind-the-ears rookie who gradually begins to experience moments of pure emotional turmoil despite being a clone. Everyone else in the cast is solid as well even if they don’t have as much to work with by comparison. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, for example, is a solid foil to Smith as female lead Dani, who thankfully isn’t just limited to a straight-forward ‘love interest/damsel in distress’ role since she does get to partake in several of the film’s action sequences. Backing the two of them up is Benedict Wong as Baron, an old ally of Henry’s; sure, the role is your standard best friend archetype, but Wong makes the most out of what he’s given. The same applies to Clive Owen as main antagonist Clayton Varris; it’s as basic of a villain role as you can get but at the same time, the character does manage to form a fascinating father-son relationship with Junior.

Gemini Man notably served as my first major experience of seeing a theatrically released film that was shot and presented at a high frame rate. As you might have guessed, I didn’t see Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in theaters, and even if I did, odds are that it wouldn’t have been at the full 120fps format since only a few theaters in the country could present it as such. However, I still remember when Peter Jackson did something similar a few years back when he filmed the Hobbit trilogy at 48fps, double the industry standard. Plus, unlike Billy Lynn, I was near a theater that could show these films in their intended format. And yet, while I did have the opportunity to see the first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey, in the 48fps style, I only ended up seeing it via the traditional 24fps format in IMAX 3D. Regardless, the film’s use of a high-frame-rate proved to be highly controversial, and as a result, this experiment arguably fell by the wayside once The Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies rolled around as their 48fps screenings came and went with little to no fanfare. Thus, while I’m not going to outright dismiss the concept entirely, it’s still very much an inherently flawed method of filmmaking as it provides some of the most crystal-clear images ever put on film… while also making films look rather cheap in the worst possible ways. And yet, the irony of Gemini Man is that this whole discussion behind its ambitious high-frame-rate is far more interesting than the film itself. Sure, Will Smith is genuinely excellent in his dual leading roles and, at the very least, the film is a decent little popcorn flick, but at the end of the day, that’s all that Gemini Man has going for it, really.

Rating: 3/5

Joker (2019) review

In the world of comics, Batman has always been one of the most prolific superheroes to come from the DC Comics Universe. Likewise, many would agree that he also boasts one of the greatest collection of supervillains AKA his ‘rogues gallery’, which is easy to see why when you have classic figures like Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy as part of this illustrious group… and yes, that’s just to name a few. However, when it comes to the Dark Knight’s definitive archnemesis, that honor goes to the one and only Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. The Joker made his debut in the first issue of Batman’s original comic book series (which, for the record, does not count the Dark Knight’s official debut in Detective Comics #27) in 1940. And while it was initially planned to have the character killed off in that same issue, Whitney Ellsworth, DC’s editor at the time, overruled the decision, effectively allowing the Joker to become one of the most recognizable characters in all of comics. Since then, there have been numerous takes on the character though they all maintain the same general concept of a man who dresses like a clown and is a full-on murderous psychopath. On the big screen, actors like Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger have all brought their own unique takes on the role to great success, with Ledger even winning a posthumous Oscar for his work on 2008’s The Dark Knight. In the world of animation, Mark Hamill’s critically acclaimed turn as the character in the iconic Batman: The Animated Series (plus later appearances in other forms of media, including the series’ 1993 feature-length spin-off Mask of the Phantasm and the Batman: Arkham video games) is often cited by fans as quite arguably the best on-screen interpretation of the character.

But now a new Joker is looking to make a name for himself in the pantheon of legendary Joker performances via the character’s first-ever solo film, simply and appropriately titled Joker. However, as cliché as it may sound, it should be made clear that this is not your typical comic book film. To the uninitiated, this may just seem like the newest installment of DC’s current film franchise, the DC Extended Universe. However, the fact that this one doesn’t star Jared Leto (who, of course, played the character in 2016’s Suicide Squad) in the title role proves that this isn’t the case. Instead, it’s Joaquin Phoenix who headlines this new project under the direction of Todd Phillips, who’s best known for his work on comedies (even though he’s recently gone on record stating that he doesn’t do those anymore for reasons that I won’t be getting into here) like the 2003 cult classic Old School and the 2009 smash hit The Hangover. It’s been said that this film is meant to be the first installment of a new line of films from DC that revolve around their characters and yet are not connected to the DC Extended Universe. Running under the label of ‘DC Black’, these new films would give filmmakers a chance to do more experimental takes on what is easily the biggest film genre there is without having to connect them to other films or set the groundwork for sequels. In other words, there’s been a lot said about Joker and how it could potentially impact the superhero genre going forward, and yet, despite a genuinely dedicated performance from Joaquin Phoenix, Joker isn’t exactly the game-changer that it aspires to be.

On the seedy streets of Gotham City in 1981, a man named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) can never seem to catch a break. Stuck in a dead-end job as a party clown and afflicted with a condition that causes him to laugh at inopportune moments, Arthur spends most of his time looking after his mentally and physically ill mother Penny (Frances Conroy). At the same time, Arthur also aspires to become a stand-up comedian like his idol, talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). However, his first stand-up appearance doesn’t go very well and, to make matters worse, it ultimately becomes the butt of all jokes when Murray plays clips of it on his show. This, in turn, paves the way for even more bad things happening to Arthur. He is informed that he won’t be getting any more of his medication due to citywide budget cuts and ends up getting fired from his job when he accidentally drops a gun that was given to him by a co-worker during one of his gigs. And when he ends up reading one of the letters that his mother has been writing to her former boss Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) to ask for his help in getting the two of them out of their current life predicament, Arthur discovers the potential connection that he has to the billionaire. Thus, as his life continues to get more chaotic with each passing day, Arthur starts to embrace his dark side as he prepares to get revenge against all those who’ve wronged him. In the process, he even ends up inspiring a citywide revolt via his clown persona as the disgruntled citizens of Gotham start to fight back against the corruption in their city.   

If anything, Joker does deserve a lot of credit for how it genuinely delivers on its promise of not being a typical comic book film. Unlike most films from this genre, Joker doesn’t feature large-scale action sequences or flashy visuals. Instead, it’s a more traditional drama inspired by the likes of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, which makes a lot of sense when you consider that it was nearly produced by Martin Scorsese before he had to back out due to other commitments. This is also one of those films that rely on a slow burn narrative that, in this instance, is based entirely around Arthur’s descent into madness, and overall, it’s one of the better-handled aspects of the film since it’s properly maintained throughout without having to come at the cost of decent pacing. It also helps that the film sports some excellent cinematography from Todd Phillips’ frequent cinematographer Lawrence Sher and an appropriately sinister score by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. However, the film’s promising start ultimately paves the way for an extremely underwhelming finale that doesn’t even come close to being the intensely disturbing conclusion that it was seemingly building towards. In fact, without directly spoiling anything, one key action that Arthur does before the finale is the pinnacle of this film’s disturbing content. Plus, despite all the claims that this wasn’t going to abide by the superhero genre’s usual tropes, the film’s conclusion ends up shoehorning in what is quite arguably the most recognizable plot thread from the Batman mythos. Seriously, I don’t even need to mention what it is here because let’s face it, you already know exactly what I’m talking about.

At the very least, the film does manage to serve as a solid showcase for the genuinely superb performance by Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. While there is a lot to be discussed when it comes to how effective the film truly is at portraying people with a mental illness, Phoenix commands the screen and succeeds in crafting a character who effectively evolves from a sympathetic punching bag to a terrifying monster. However, because this is one of those cases where he’s always the primary focus of the film, everyone else in the cast gets far less to work with by comparison. Robert De Niro’s Murray Franklin is a prime example of this because no matter how much the film pays homage to The King of Comedy (in which De Niro played Rupert Pupkin, an obvious precursor to Arthur), De Niro isn’t in the film as much as you may think for a character that plays a pivotal role in Arthur’s downfall. The same goes for Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne, whose role in the film is even smaller than De Niro’s and ends up going exactly as you’d expect for the father of Bruce Wayne (played here by Dante Pereira-Olsen in a small handful of scenes). But the one who gets it the worst is Zazie Beetz as Arthur’s neighbor Sophie, who ends up being his love interest… and that’s literally her entire role in a nutshell. And once the film gets to a major twist surrounding her relationship with Arthur, she’s out of the film completely. As such, Frances Conroy is technically the real female lead of the film as Arthur’s mother Penny, and she’s great in the role thanks to the solid mother-son relationship that she forms with Phoenix that undoubtedly gets tested when some of her dark secrets are revealed.

It goes without saying that Joker has been one of the most talked-about films of 2019. Many are predicting that this film could be a major game-changer for the superhero genre and even a potential frontrunner at this year’s Oscars. At the same time, though, it’s also amassed quite a lot of controversy due to the fear that it will inspire acts of violence in the real world. However, I ultimately find myself comparing it to another controversial film, 2014’s The Interview. Both films attracted some considerable controversy before their release to the point where things nearly got violent… and yet are so underwhelming that it makes you wonder why these were the films that nearly got folks riled up in the first place. Case in point, as much as Joker claims to be a fresh, new take on the superhero genre, it’s more like a hodgepodge of elements that were lifted from other, more successful films. Its dark and gritty take on Batman’s iconic nemesis doesn’t feel that far off from what Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger did more than a decade prior with The Dark Knight. And as much as the film acts like it isn’t going to follow the usual narrative structure of other superhero films, it still feels the need to crowbar in the one Batman trope that anyone familiar with the character’s comic backstory will see coming more than a mile away. Sure, it does have the benefit of a terrific performance from Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, but all in all, Joker is a film that talks a big game but ultimately doesn’t have one.

Rating: 2/5

Judy (2019) review

When it comes to some of the most legendary figures who graced the entertainment industry with their immense talent, there are arguably none who are more iconic than the one and only Judy Garland. For practically every generation there is, she’ll always be known for her starring role as the beloved heroine Dorothy Gale in the timeless 1939 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. However, outside of the time that she spent traveling down the Yellow Brick Road, she was also one of the most acclaimed singers of her time with hits such as ‘The Trolley Song’ from her 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis and, of course, The Wizard of Oz’s iconic solo, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’. Sadly, Judy’s life was plagued by financial instability, mental and physical health issues, and a severe addiction to drugs that would ultimately culminate in her tragic death in 1969 at the age of 47. Thus, she ultimately became one of the most definitive examples of the industry’s cautionary tales, which brings us to today’s subject, the first theatrically released Judy Garland biopic (not counting a few made-for-TV films that have been made over the years) simply titled Judy. Inspired by the 2005 play End of the Rainbow by playwright Peter Quilter, the film focuses on one of the last major moments of Judy Garland’s career when she performed at the Talk of the Town theater in London, England. Fittingly enough, this film’s director, Rupert Goold, is best-known for his work in theater while his directorial credits in both film and television primarily consists of Shakespeare adaptations. And while Judy does occasionally feel like a straight-forward adaptation of the play that it’s based on, it still succeeds at being a well-meaning biopic fortified by a phenomenal performance by Renée Zellweger in the title role.

It is 1969 and Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) is dealing with some major personal crises. She has been struggling financially, is still addicted to the various substances that were given to her as a child actress (e.g. amphetamines) and has been stuck in a nasty custody battle with her ex-husband Sidney Luft (Rufus Sewell) over their two kids, Lorna (Bella Ramsey) and Joey (Lewin Lloyd). With her options for money becoming more and more limited with each passing day, she is offered a five-week gig to perform concerts at the Talk of the Town nightclub in London. The only catch, however, is that Lorna and Joel won’t be able to come with her due to the ongoing nature of the custody dispute. Thus, Judy hesitantly accepts the offer, even though it destroys her to have to leave her kids behind, since she realizes that it’s practically her only option at this point if she wants to keep providing for them. Once in London, she meets with her new assistant Rosalyn Wilder (Jessie Buckley) and begins her new gig at the Talk of the Town to initially solid success. Along the way, she also strikes up a relationship with entrepreneur Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock) and their romance blossoms to the point where he ends up becoming her fifth husband. Unfortunately, the bad habits that have plagued Judy her whole life soon start to rear their ugly head which, in turn, ends up having a considerably negative impact on her performances.

As far as biopics go, Judy is admittedly very straight-forward when it comes to its retelling of Judy Garland’s life. In other words, it hits all the usual story beats that showcase both the highs and lows of her life, ultimately ending on a high note for her career-wise despite being juxtaposed with the factoid of her untimely death. But just like the Elton John biopic Rocketman from earlier this year, Judy does manage to craft a highly respectful take on Judy Garland’s story that’s also openly candid about her various personal struggles. Whether it’s the nasty feuds that she gets into with her husbands or key flashbacks to her childhood during the time that she was working on The Wizard of Oz and had to endure the strict demands of her handlers, it’s easy to sympathize with her given everything that she went through. And because of this, the film perfectly highlights how Judy Garland was, above all else, a good-natured girl who just wanted to live a normal life but sadly never got the chance to do so because of an overbearing studio system. But, of course, the biggest selling point of this film is Renée Zellweger, who is phenomenal as the one and only Judy as she completely disappears into the role and perfectly encapsulates Garland’s captivating stage presence. This then translates nicely into the film’s musical numbers, with excellent renditions of classic Judy Garland songs all culminating in an emotional performance of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ that’s sure to tug at the heartstrings. Thus, while it may sometimes feel like the original play this film was based on was just lifted directly to the screen without a lot of significant changes to fit its new medium, Judy is a genuinely solid entry in the biopic genre. Thanks to a heartfelt portrayal of its subject’s life and an Oscar-worthy turn by Renée Zellweger in the title role, this film perfectly showcases why Judy Garland will always be fondly remembered as one of the greatest entertainers of her time.

Rating: 4/5

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids - Series Retrospective

I’ve done quite a lot of Disney-themed retrospectives over the years. It all started, of course, with the big series of retrospectives that I did on Disney Animation’s vast library of feature films back in 2016 (and, technically, 2013). There’s also the one that I did last year for the classic Disney franchise that is Herbie the Love Bug. Thus, with the impending debut of Disney’s new streaming service Disney+ in November, which promises to host practically every Disney film ever made, I figured that it’d be fun to continue doing retrospectives on other classic Disney franchises. This brings us to today’s subject, which is a franchise that was quite arguably a staple of the 90’s that starred Rick Moranis as a bumbling yet good-natured inventor whose latest invention causes all sorts of problems for his family. This franchise’s first installment also happens to be celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year and is currently being set up for a reboot starring Josh Gad that will debut on Disney+. Yes, we’re talking about the franchise known as the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids series, which provided Moranis one of his most famous roles as Wayne Szalinski and consisted of two feature films and one direct-to-video release. However, it would also notably spawn a TV series that aired in the late ’90s (even though Moranis wasn’t involved with it) and a few notable attractions at Disney’s theme parks. Disney’s Hollywood Studios used to have a playground themed after the original film and a 4-D show titled Honey, I Shrunk the Audience ran for several years at Epcot, Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. However, for the purpose of today’s retrospective, we’ll only be discussing the films. Thus, without further ado, be careful not to step directly in front of the shrinking machine as we look at the three feature films that make up Disney’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise.

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS (1989)

The original Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, released in 1989, served as the official directorial debut of Joe Johnston, who of course would later go on to direct films like Captain America: The First Avenger, Jumanji, and The Rocketeer. But before all that, Johnston officially got his start in the industry as a visual effects artist for ILM, meaning that he had a considerable hand in developing several of the effects for the original Star Wars trilogy and Raiders of the Lost Ark. As such, it’s safe to say that he was a solid choice to direct this effects-heavy film about an inventor whose shrinking machine accidentally shrinks both his kids and his grumpy neighbor’s kids. While there are a few effects here and there that have dated a bit, Johnston and his team deserve quite a lot of credit for all the creative ways that they manage to put their characters in literal larger-than-life situations, from oversized sets to the use of stop-motion animation. All this and a generally breezy pace make up for the film’s more generic familial drama (e.g. a misunderstood son, marital problems between the inventor and his wife, etc.). That said, the film does feature a solid ensemble cast. Rick Moranis headlines the project excellently as Wayne Szalinski as does Marcia Strassman as his wife Diane and Matt Frewer and Kristine Sutherland as their neighbors, the Thompsons. Meanwhile, Amy O’Neill, Robert Oliveri, Jared Rushton, and Thomas Wilson Brown impressively manage to hold their own as the Szalinski and Thompson children, respectively, especially considering that the whole film revolves around them. Because of this, it’s easy to see why Honey, I Shrunk the Kids continues to be a fondly remembered live-action outing from Disney to the point where, upon its release, it was even the highest-grossing Disney film of all-time at that point (probably due in part to a Roger Rabbit short that ran alongside it).

Rating: 4/5

HONEY, I BLEW UP THE KID (1992)

To answer your first question… yes, Disney managed to get away with having a title like that in 1992. To answer your second question… no, this is not about kids literally getting blown up. Instead, it’s just the opposite of what happened in the first film, as Wayne accidentally exposes his youngest son Adam to his shrink ray’s growth setting, causing Adam to grow to over 100 feet tall. Just like the previous film, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (directed this time by Randal Kleiser, who directed the classic musical Grease and would later do the film segments of Honey, I Shrunk the Audience) features some fun visual-effects work to juxtapose the ever-growing Adam with the various locales that he goes through. It all culminates in a solidly entertaining finale where he ‘rampages’ (a term used loosely since he’s just a baby) through the Las Vegas strip. And sure, it could be argued that the visual effects work isn’t exactly as impressive as it was in the previous film since it simply revolves more around an infant going around shrunken sets. Still, a lot of the visual effects in this film do manage to hold up just as well as those from the first film. Plus, if there’s one advantage that this film has over its predecessor, it’s that everything has a better emotional hook to it given the necessity of the family keeping Adam safe (although it could’ve given the older sister Amy more to do since this was technically spawned from a different screenplay, which meant having to write Amy O’Neill out entirely save for a cameo). Also, dare I say that the humor is a little more consistent in this one? In short, the usual consensus towards Honey, I Blew Up the Kid is that it’s a generally inferior follow-up to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. And yet, I’d argue that, at the very least, it’s ‘just as good’ as the original.

Rating: 4/5

HONEY, WE SHRUNK OURSELVES (1997)

Our last film for today is the third and final film in this little franchise, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. As the title suggests, this one follows the route of the first film by having Wayne, Diane, Wayne’s brother Gordon, and his wife Patti be the ones who get shrunk, thus forcing them to try and get their kids’ attention, especially after the kids decide to throw a party in their parents’ ‘absence’. The film notably served as the directorial debut (and admittedly only directorial effort to date) of veteran cinematographer Dean Cundey, who’s been responsible for the camerawork of classics like Halloween and Jurassic Park. Originally, the film was intended to be a theatrical release before it was downgraded to a direct-to-video release, meaning that its budget was cut from $40 million to $7 million. As such, it’s easy to see that the visual effects in this film aren’t as impressive as those from the first two films. Most of the shots where the parents are shrunk are just them in front of a green screen while other visual effects are the very definition of ‘90s dated’ (see the 1997 remake of The Love Bug for further proof of that). For what it’s worth, though, the film does still offer a lot of fun sizing gags even if it basically just rehashes most of the key moments from the original, whether it’s characters having to fend off a bug or them trying to avoid getting eaten. It’s also worth noting that, perhaps due to the various behind-the-scenes changes that were going on, Marcia Strassman did not return to reprise her role as Diane while Amy and older brother Nick were written out entirely save for passing mentions. Because of this, Adam (who’s also recast since he’s older in this film) is the only one of Wayne and Diane’s kids featured here and is thus paired with Gordon and Patti’s two kids Jenny and Mitch instead. And while it would’ve been nice if they had kept the original cast so that some sort of continuity could be maintained, Eve Gordon is a solid enough replacement for Strassman while Stuart Pankin and Robin Bartlett provide solid support as Gordon and Patti.  

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this film (from my perspective, at least) was that, technically speaking, this was the film that served as my official introduction to this franchise. Yes, the first Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film that I ever watched wasn’t the original or Honey, I Blew Up the Kid; instead, it was Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, which was mainly due to it airing a lot on Disney Channel back in the day. After that, my further experiences with this franchise mainly stemmed from two things. The first was watching a few episodes of the short-lived TV series (which I won’t be covering here but will note that some episodes of it can be found on YouTube) that starred Tom Hanks’ Bosom Buddies co-star Peter Scolari as Wayne. There were also the various times that I went to see the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 4-D show at both Epcot in Walt Disney World and Disneyland up until its closure in 2010. It wasn’t until sometime in the early 2000s when I watched Honey, I Blew Up the Kid for the first time, meaning that it too was one that I had more experience with than the original and could also partially explain why I feel that it isn’t the ‘inferior follow-up’ that it’s often viewed as. So how long did it take me to watch the original Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, you ask? Well, aside from catching the tail-end of the film on Cartoon Network one night around the early 2010s or so, I didn’t fully watch the film until recently when I was preparing to do this retrospective. Luckily, this didn’t end up impacting my thoughts on the film in any way since, just like the Herbie films, this is another Disney franchise that was generally consistent throughout its run. And while Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves is the weakest of the bunch due in part to it being downgraded to a direct-to-video release, it’s still a pleasantly nostalgic affair for those who grew up with it.

Rating: 3.5/5

And that concludes this little retrospective on Disney’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own personal history with this franchise. And like I said in the intro, thanks to the coming advent of Disney+, this is only the beginning when it comes to me doing more Disney-based retrospectives on this site. Stay tuned…

Favorite Films of Summer 2019 - As Voted By You!

While this isn’t the fifth installment of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s annual End of Summer Fan Poll, it has officially been five years since I started doing this event back in 2014. Aside from it being a unique little project to do for this site, one of the main reasons why I do this every year is because it provides a positive outlook on the various films that came out during the summer, which isn’t always easy to come by online. Now with that said, I’m well aware that this summer was a rather rough one from a financial perspective for several films, especially if they weren’t a superhero film or Disney release. Ultimately, though, this poll is intended to combat the increasingly negative attitudes of modern film fandom (which, believe me, are only getting worse…) by showing love to any film that gets a vote in it regardless of its overall quality. And I must say… this was one hell of a year for this little Fan Poll of ours. Thanks to your contributions, we managed to set a record when it comes to responses with 89 (!) votes going to 17 different films, a tally that far surpasses the previous record of 60 votes that was set by the 2017 edition of this poll. Thus, as always, I want to express nothing but thanks to everyone who voted and those who helped spread the poll around. And now, with all that out of the way, it’s time to delve into this year’s big winners. Without further ado, these are the most popular films from the Summer of 2019 as voted by you lovely folks, the readers…

THE FOLLOWING 4 FILMS EARNED ONE VOTE APIECE

POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU

After years and years of disastrous adaptations that have left many fans disappointed, the genre of live-action films based on video games finally experienced its first genuine success story this year with Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. And as I’ve said plenty of times before, it managed to do so by simply being a solidly faithful adaptation of its source material, which isn’t always something that films from this genre tend to do. Now, of course, just like the various animated Pokémon films that have come out over the years, this film is still primarily geared towards fans of the franchise thanks in large part to the numerous references that it makes to practically every facet of the Pokémon universe. However, those who aren’t as familiar with the series will still find this to a very enjoyable film since it maintains a strong emotional hook throughout via main protagonist Tim Goodman’s quest to discover what happened to his missing father. It also helps that the film is headlined by the excellent lead duo of Justice Smith in the role of Tim and Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the titular ‘Detective Pikachu’, as their excellent camaraderie manages to make up for the generally predictable nature of the film’s mystery plot. And because of this, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is well-worth the distinction of being the first truly great live-action film based on a video game. Plus, if the other live-action Pokémon films that are currently in development end up being just as solid as Detective Pikachu (including an adaptation of Pokémon Red/Blue and a Mewtwo film), then a promising new film franchise has been born.       

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2

In 2016, Illumination released the first installment of their next big attempt at a major IP after Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets. Upon its release, the film was a massive hit at the box-office as it grossed over $875 million worldwide, effectively paving the way for a sequel in 2019. Like the first film, Secret Life of Pets 2 follows a bunch of pets and the various escapades that they get into when their owners aren’t around, primarily focusing on a Jack Russell Terrier named Max as he attempts to adjust to the newest addition to his owner Katie’s family, her infant son Liam. Most of the main cast from the first film returned to reprise their respective roles save for Max, with Patton Oswalt taking over the role from Louis C.K. for… obvious reasons. Meanwhile, newcomers to the cast included Tiffany Haddish as a Shih Tzu named Daisy and Harrison Ford as a sheepdog named Rooster. But despite these new additions and the same generally decent reviews as its predecessor, Secret Life of Pets 2 surprisingly underperformed at the box-office, only grossing over $425 million worldwide. Granted, it wasn’t necessarily a flop since it had a modest budget of $80 million, but it was still less than half of what the first film managed to pull off. One could say that this was simply a case of diminishing returns, especially for a series that isn’t exactly as popular as other animated franchises including Illumination’s own Despicable Me franchise. Still, for what it’s worth, based on what I’ve witnessed since I started working at the Universal Orlando Resort (where we regularly sell Secret Life of Pets merchandise), it does seem like younger audiences are still very enthusiastic about these films.

YESTERDAY

Amidst all this summer’s superhero epics and animated flicks, one little romantic comedy managed to pull off a genuinely solid run at the box-office. The film in question is Yesterday, the latest film from director Danny Boyle that was written by Richard Curtis, who directed the 2003 holiday cult classic Love Actually, and based around the iconic music of the most legendary band of all-time, the Beatles. In the film, newcomer Himesh Patel plays a struggling musician named Jack who finds himself in a peculiar situation after he ends up in a bicycle accident during a mysterious worldwide blackout. When Jack recovers from his injuries, he quickly discovers that he is the only one on Earth who knows who the Beatles are. Thus, he starts to take credit for their songs, effectively allowing him to get signed to a lucrative record deal; at the same time, though, he quickly finds himself having to deal with the pressures of stardom, which begin to take a toll on his relationship with his childhood friend/love interest Ellie (Lily James). Upon its release, Yesterday did generally well with critics, who found the film to be very charming but lamented the fact that it didn’t quite live up to the full potential of its premise. Nevertheless, the film did quite well for itself financially as it maintained a consistent spot in the domestic Top 10 for several weeks on its way to grossing over $134 million worldwide. In other words, audiences found this film to be a highly enjoyable crowd-pleaser that effectively utilized the iconic works of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison.   

GOOD BOYS

In 2007, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg had their big breakout hit as a writing duo with the coming-of-age comedy Superbad, effectively paving the way for them becoming two of the most prominent writers/producers of R-rated comedies in recent years. And while they only produced their latest endeavor, Good Boys, it still very much feels like the kind of films that they’re known for. Good Boys serves as the directorial debut of Gene Stupnitsky, who spent several years writing multiple episodes of The Office with his writing partner Lee Eisenberg. In the film, Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams and Brady Noon star as a trio of best friends in the sixth grade who are hoping to learn how to kiss in time for their first middle-school party. Their efforts to do so end up leading them on a wild journey that sees them getting into all sorts of hi-jinx, including trying to recover a valuable drone from their neighbors and accidentally coming into possession of drugs, among other things. After making its debut at this year’s SXSW Film Festival back in March, Good Boys officially hit theaters in the middle of August to generally solid reviews. Critics felt that the film was a solid comedic romp that, while perhaps a bit too raunchy at times, still managed to have a good heart to it. The film has also done quite well at the box-office having currently grossed over $91 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. In fact, its $21 million opening weekend proved to be quite a big deal as it became the first R-rated comedy since The Boss back in 2016 to open at #1 domestically, thus making it another big win for producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and their production company Point Grey Pictures.

5 FILMS EARNED TWO VOTES

THE INTRUDER

One interesting thing to note about The Intruder is that it originally wasn’t meant to be a summer release as it was initially set to come out on April 26^th. However, since a certain blockbuster ended up following the same route as its immediate predecessor from the year before by coming out a week earlier than its initial release date (and yes, like last year, that doesn’t disqualify it from this poll), that presented a bit of a complication. After all, it’s practically common knowledge at this point that you don’t try to compete against films from that franchise during their opening weekends. Thus, The Intruder was moved a week back to take the now open May 3^rd slot, and while that other blockbuster ultimately retained its spot at #1 that weekend, it managed to place second with an $11 million opening weekend on route to a respectable $36.5 million worldwide gross, which was quite good for a film whose budget was under $10 million. However, the film itself, which follows a couple played by Michael Ealy and Meagan Good who find themselves terrorized by the previous owner of their new house, didn’t fare as well with critics. Simply put, most found the plot to be mediocre and, at worst, laughably absurd. If anything, though, many agreed that the best part of the film was Dennis Quaid’s delightfully over-the-top performance as the crazy ex-homeowner. Thus, while critics may have found The Intruder to be one of the prime examples of a forgettable summer release, the fact that it got two votes here means that some people out there found it to be a decent little popcorn flick. 

   

A DOG’S JOURNEY

(Huh, look at that, two Dennis Quaid films in a row…)

Back in January 2017, a film adaptation of author W. Bruce Cameron’s 2010 novel A Dog’s Purpose was released in theaters. Like the book, the film focused on a dog named Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad) who embarked on a fascinating journey where he kept being reincarnated as other dogs while still maintaining the memories of his past lives and his former owners. While the film did about as well as you’d expect from a January release when it came to critics, it did manage to gross over $205 million worldwide despite nearly getting derailed by an animal abuse controversy that, thankfully for the sake of the animals, was ultimately proven to be fabricated. This, of course, then led to the development of a sequel based on Cameron’s 2012 follow-up, A Dog’s Journey. Once again, Josh Gad stars as the voice of Bailey as he continues his adventures across various lives while also focusing on his efforts to look after his original owner’s granddaughter. Dennis Quaid also returns as Bailey’s original owner Ethan, though there was a notable change in director. Instead of veteran filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom, directorial duties went to Gail Mancuso, a long-time TV director who’s worked on the likes of Friends, 30 Rock, and Modern Family. Upon its release, A Dog’s Journey fared a little better with critics this time around with several agreeing that, at the very least, it was a touching little pet drama despite being overly sentimental. And while it didn’t do as well at the box-office compared to its predecessor (although it did do well in China, who’s been touted as the key reason behind the first film’s international success), it still did around $64 million. It was also the second of three major films this year that were based around dogs in which audiences could listen to their inner thoughts. The first was an adaptation of a different W. Bruce Cameron novel, A Dog’s Way Home, which came out in January. The second was a different book-to-film adaptation, The Art of Racing in the Rain, which came out a few months after A Dog’s Journey in August.

BOOKSMART

Currently being touted as one of the best films of the year, Booksmart served as the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde and is clearly on its way to becoming the latest coming-of-age comedy classic. The film stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein as best friends Amy and Molly, who are about to graduate from high school. However, when they realize that they probably spent way too much time being Grade-A students instead of having fun like the rest of their classmates, the two decide to finally partake in one night of unabashed partying. As noted earlier, this film proved to be quite a big deal after it debuted at SXSW. Critics deemed it as an absolute comedic riot with excellent performances from Dever and Feldstein in the lead roles and a break-out turn by Billie Lourd as Amy and Molly’s unpredictable classmate Gigi. However, upon its theatrical release in May, the conversation then began to shift into how it wasn’t exactly a hit at the box-office. To be clear, it genuinely did okay for itself on a modest $6 million budget, ultimately grossing around $26 million. However, many industry experts felt that the film was considerably undermined by the fact that it didn’t opt for a limited release before it expanded into a wide release a la 2017’s Best Picture nominee Lady Bird. Instead, it went straight for the wide release during a time of multiple big-name blockbusters, including two that ended up doing at least $1 billion. And yet, for what it’s worth, Booksmart is still one of the best-reviewed films of 2019 and will most likely get some major attention during this year’s awards season.  

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

So… our boy Spidey has been in quite a major pickle recently, hasn’t he? I won’t get into specifics here, but in case you haven’t heard, the deal between Marvel Studios and Sony that allowed Spider-Man to join the MCU has officially stalled. This means that, until further notice, all future Spider-Man films will be made solely by Sony and, unfortunately, everyone’s favorite web-slinger will not be appearing in a future MCU film anytime soon. However, like I said before, that’s the most that I’ll say about this predicament, for now, other than the fact that I’m just hoping Disney and Sony will eventually work something out. If anything, Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t a bad one to end on when it comes to Spider-Man’s tenure in the MCU (though, hopefully not in a permanent sense) since it’s easily one of the best Spider-Man films to date. As the first MCU film to come out after Avengers: Endgame, it perfectly serves its purpose as an epilogue to the Infinity Saga’s grand finale by showing how Peter must now overcome the trauma and guilt that he feels after Tony Stark’s death. What follows is yet another case of a superior MCU sequel with greater action sequences and a tighter script (yes, I’ve seen all the jokes about how Tony Stark trusted his top-of-the-line A.I. system to a high-school student… it isn’t that big of an issue, internet…). It also boasts one of the MCU’s best villains to date in Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck AKA Mysterio. Sure, anyone who knows Mysterio’s role in the comics saw this coming a mile away, but the film manages to work around this by giving him a solid new backstory as a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee. It also helps that Jake Gyllenhaal proves to be one of the most pitch-perfect casting choices in the history of the superhero film genre as the slightly disturbed illusionist, and because of all this, Spider-Man: Far From Home has legitimately become one of my Top 5 favorite MCU films to date.

HOBBS AND SHAW

Many agree that the introduction of Dwayne Johnson as the hard-boiled Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs in 2011’s Fast Five was a key factor behind the Fast and Furious franchise’s unexpected resurgence. And now, eight years after his debut, Hobbs has taken on the honor of headlining the franchise’s first big spin-off alongside Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, who also became a breakout character for the franchise after starting out as its then-newest villain before rather controversially transitioning into being more of an anti-hero. Together and under the direction of veteran stuntman turned filmmaker David Leitch, Hobbs and Shaw prove to be the best mismatched duo since the days of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtagh from the Lethal Weapon series. Sure, just like the other recent Fast and Furious films, Hobbs and Shaw isn’t afraid to bask in the franchise’s increasingly ludicrous plots to the point where it’s practically a superhero film at this point given that the main antagonist is a genetically enhanced super-soldier. But for fans of the franchise, this film does continue to maintain everything that they love about it from the solid action sequences to the incredibly cheesy but still entertaining comedic banter. And as to be expected, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham headline the project excellently while being backed by an equally terrific female lead in Vanessa Kirby’s Hattie Shaw AKA Deckard’s sister. In short, while it’s unclear at the moment how Johnson and Statham’s commitment to this spin-off will affect next year’s Fast and Furious 9 (especially after the scandalous feud between Johnson and Vin Diesel during the production of Fate of the Furious), Hobbs and Shaw is another highly entertaining installment from this all-out beast of a franchise.

THESE NEXT 2 FILMS EARNED FOUR VOTES

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was notably the first installment from the John Wick franchise to see a summer release since the first John Wick came out in the fall of 2014 while 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2 hit theaters in February of that year. As such, it’s easy to see why it did so well in this year’s poll given how John Wick is easily one of the best action franchises around. Every installment of the series is a finely tuned action-thriller with phenomenal direction from Chad Stahelski (who, like his uncredited co-director on the first John Wick, David Leitch, is also a veteran stuntman turned filmmaker) and an outstanding turn from everyone’s favorite ‘breathtaking’ action star Keanu Reeves in the title role. And while a lot of action films these days tend to rely on shaky-cam and quick cuts, the John Wick films instead opt for well-shot and excellently choreographed action sequences that are made even better by the fact that Reeves and his co-stars do almost all their own stunts. As for Chapter 3 – Parabellum, it’s yet another excellent installment of a franchise that has impressively managed to craft a seamless narrative throughout its films where each subsequent installment is directly instigated by the events of its immediate predecessor. And while this one is perhaps a bit too overlong for what is arguably one of the franchise’s simpler plotlines, it’s still an absolute blast to watch and, as you might have guessed, ends on a note that perfectly sets up a fourth film that’s slated for a May 2021 release. Thus, I think it’s safe to assume that if Chapter 4 ends up being just as excellent as the first three films, it’s going to fare quite nicely in the 2021 iteration of our annual poll.  

LATE NIGHT

Late Night serves as the feature-length screenwriting debut of Mindy Kaling, who has already amassed a sizable resume as a screenwriter having written several episodes of The Office (which she, of course, also starred in as Kelly Kapoor) and creating her hit show The Mindy Project. In Late Night, she stars as Molly, the newest addition to the writing staff of longtime talk show host Katherine Newbury (played by Emma Thompson). When Katherine learns that she’s potentially getting replaced due to her show’s declining ratings, she starts relying more on Molly’s input (especially since she’s her only female writer) to figure out a way to appeal to a wider audience. When Late Night premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, it quickly became one of the most talked-about releases from this year’s festival slate. It also made Sundance history from a financial standpoint when its U.S. distribution rights were acquired by Amazon Studios for a record-setting $13 million. It ultimately saw a wide release in June, where it did about the same as Booksmart at the box-office with a worldwide gross of around $19.9 million. Just like Booksmart, it wasn’t necessarily a bad outcome for a film with a low budget that was under $10 million, but some did consider its overall performance to be underwhelming given how much money Amazon put up for its distribution rights. Critically, though, the film was very well-received, with many touting it for its sharply written script and an excellent cast. All this certainly helped it become the best performing film in this year’s poll that wasn’t a blockbuster.

In the past, I’ve mentioned that my original hope for this annual poll was to have a ranked list of the most popular films. Ultimately, though, I realized that this would be a rather difficult thing to come by since multiple films can end up having the same number of votes. I did manage to have a Top 5 in 2017, however, and lo and behold, the same situation happened again this year. Thus, without further ado, here are your Top 5 Favorite Films from the Summer of 2019…

TIED FOR FIFTH PLACE WITH SEVEN VOTES EACH

ALADDIN

To reiterate what I said a few months back in my annual Midyear Recap, I do consider it a genuinely impressive feat that the live-action remake of Aladdin managed to gross over $1 billion worldwide. Obviously, it was going to do well at the box-office regardless given how well Disney’s other live-action remakes have done these past few years, but at the same time, this was quite arguably the most scrutinized of the bunch to date, especially after the first reveal of Will Smith in Genie’s traditional blue form. And while critics were ultimately mixed on the film when it came out, it clearly did well enough with audiences to prove that, at the very least, it managed to win over some of its biggest critics. It’s also worth noting that the film’s impressively consistent run at the box-office was partially due to some of the various critical/commercial underperformers that came out the first few weeks after its release. Ultimately, though, the key thing to take from this film is that it’s just another example of why these live-action Disney remakes aren’t as big of a deal as some people are making them out to be online. Instead of trying to ‘replace’ the films that they’re based on, they simply serve as enjoyable companion pieces to their classic animated counterparts, and that is very much the case with Aladdin. Obviously, its biggest hurdle was trying to respectfully follow in the footsteps of Robin Williams’ iconic turn as the Genie from the original film, which it manages to pull off thanks to an excellent turn from Will Smith in the role, who’s then backed by equally charismatic performances by Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine. Scott, especially, is a major standout thanks to the great new characterization for Jasmine that allows her to have a far more proactive role in the story. Because of all this, Aladdin was a very fun time to be had at the cinema and a solid new take on Disney’s 1992 animated classic. However, as we’ll soon find out, a different Disney remake basically ended up stealing its thunder.

TOY STORY 4

Like Aladdin, there was quite a bit of skepticism surrounding Toy Story 4, although in this case, it was more to do with people feeling that the series had already reached its appropriate conclusion with Toy Story 3 back in 2010. However, Pixar ultimately managed to prove why Toy Story continues to be their studio’s premier franchise as Toy Story 4 is yet another one of their masterpieces. Just like the previous 3 films, Toy Story 4 boasts an excellent script with strong themes that, in this instance, primarily focus on coming to terms with one’s purpose in life. In doing so, the film continues to maintain the franchise’s strong emotional poignancy (right down to an ending that will surely hit hard for Toy Story fans) while still providing them with another fun adventure with its lovable cast of characters. Admittedly, it probably could’ve given the long-time supporting characters of the franchise more to do (which I presume was partially due to the passing of Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head) in 2017), but great new characters like Tony Hale’s Forky and Keanu Reeves’ Duke Caboom do make up for this, for the most part. Plus, you also have the very welcome return of Bo Peep after she was absent from the third film in what is easily her most substantial role to date in these films. In short, Toy Story 4 is certainly another example of how the internet tends to scrutinize Pixar sequels a lot more than their other films to the point where Pixar even had to announce that this will be their last sequel for a while. And yet, if there’s anything else that this film proves, it’s that they’ve never once faltered when it comes to Toy Story, which is quite arguably the best animated franchise around.

IN FOURTH PLACE, WITH 8 VOTES

ROCKETMAN

To go off something that I mentioned in my review for this film, it’s rather funny to note all the similarities between Rocketman and last year’s Best Picture nominee Bohemian Rhapsody. Both are musical biopics about legendary British musicians who are also gay men, both were directed by Dexter Fletcher in some capacity (partially for Bohemian Rhapsody, fully for Rocketman), and both feature John Reid as a character as portrayed by a Game of Thrones star. Things start to differ, however, in terms of their overall reception. While Bohemian Rhapsody wasn’t necessarily panned by critics, it did get a lot of flak over its portrayal of Freddie Mercury, although that didn’t stop it from surprisingly managing to gross over $900 million worldwide. By comparison, Rocketman didn’t reach those same financial heights (only amassing $193 million worldwide) but was far better received, and even as someone who did like Bohemian Rhapsody, it’s easy to see why. While it does occasionally abide by the typical tropes of the musical biopic genre, Fletcher imbues the musical numbers with a fantastical visual style that very much captures the spirit of Elton John’s music. And it’s all headlined by a phenomenal lead performance by Taron Egerton in the title role as he perfectly personifies John’s eccentric persona while also effectively conveying the emotional struggles that he goes through when it comes to the relationships that he has with his friends and family. Thus, whereas other musical biopics tend to get dinged for feeling more like the CliffNotes version of their subjects’ lives, Rocketman avoids all that to become one of the genre’s most openly honest outings.

WITH 11 VOTES, THIRD PLACE GOES TO…

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

As I hinted at in my intro post for this year’s poll, I figured that Quentin Tarantino’s latest film would do quite well here. Simply put, Tarantino films are practically guaranteed to be a hit with both critics and audiences, and sure enough, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has been touted as one of this year’s biggest Oscar candidates… which effectively makes this all awkward for me since I’m one of the rare people who found it to be quite underwhelming. Like I said in my review for this film, its biggest issue is that it’s incredibly unfocused in terms of its story. The main plot of an aging TV star hoping to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry does, at least, feel like a Tarantino-type plot and perfectly conveys his intent of celebrating the Golden Age of Hollywood. However, it’s the inclusion of Charles Manson and his infamous cult that ends up making it all problematic since their role in the story feels like an afterthought. It also doesn’t help that the film barely gives any screen-time to the Manson family’s most well-known victim Sharon Tate despite an incredibly dedicated performance by Margot Robbie in the role. And because of this, the film’s big ending that’s set on the night of Tate’s murder but ends up pulling the same trick as Inglourious Basterds by changing history and having the main characters kill the Manson subordinates who partook in that night’s murders ultimately feels cheap. It’s sad, really, because the film still has all the hallmarks of a classic Tarantino film while featuring a solid ensemble cast headlined by the great duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Ultimately, though, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood simply lacks the bite of other Tarantino films.  

THIS YEAR’S RUNNER-UP, WITH 15 VOTES

THE LION KING

I have the feeling that this particular result will be heavily controversial for various reasons ranging from the fact that this is another Disney remake we’re talking about to how it managed to outdo an original film like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood when it comes to votes. In other words, Jon Favreau’s photorealistic remake of The Lion King has easily proven to be one of the most controversial Disney remakes yet due to how it ultimately ‘remakes’ its source material. For the most part, the biggest changes that this version makes stem from the shift from traditional animation to CGI as the story is almost entirely the same as the original animated film save for some minor cosmetic changes. As such, this inevitably brings up the usual argument that critics of Disney’s live-action remakes (even though this one technically isn’t live-action save for the opening shot) have in that they never capture the same spirit of their animated predecessors. Still, for what it’s worth, it could be argued that this new Lion King does deserves some credit for not attempting to make any radical changes to the story while still managing to hit all its big emotional moments in an effective manner. Plus, it genuinely is one of the best-looking films of the year thanks to the same top-quality visual effects that headlined Favreau’s remake of The Jungle Book while also boasting a fun cast highlighted by the scene-stealing duo of Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. In short, I recognize that I may be heavily biased in this situation since the original Lion King is my favorite Disney animated film of all-time, but I quite enjoyed this new take on it simply because I knew that it wasn’t going to replace the original.

AND FINALLY, THIS YEAR’S CHAMPION INSTANTLY BROKE LAST YEAR’S RECORD SET BY BLACKKKLANSMAN WITH 19 VOTES OVERALL. IT WAS ALSO THE CLEAR FRONT-RUNNER THIS YEAR, EFFECTIVELY GIVING ITS FRANCHISE ITS FIRST UNDISPUTED CHAMPION IN OUR ANNUAL POLL. YES, FOLKS, I’M SURE YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT FILM THIS IS…

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

I mean, was there ever any doubt? Not only is Avengers: Endgame easily the biggest MCU film to date, but it also ended up making history when it dethroned James Cameron’s Avatar to officially become the highest-grossing film of all-time, and if you ask me, it was well-deserving of this honor. I know that I say this all the time when it comes to MCU films, but it goes without saying that Endgame is yet another example of how this franchise has managed to achieve a perfect blend of amazing action sequences, sharp humor, and powerful character moments steeped in emotional poignancy. And as the finale to what Marvel Studios has now designated as ‘the Infinity Saga’, Endgame brilliantly sets the stage for future MCU films while also effectively tying up many of the franchise’s longest-running plotlines and providing cathartic finales for many of the characters that started it all. In other words, Avengers: Endgame is literally the very definition of everything that has made Marvel Studios the undisputed champion of the superhero film genre, and because of this, it more than deserves some attention at the Oscars this year including, hopefully, a Best Picture nomination. Yeah, I know that it probably won’t win since, apparently, some Academy members don’t respect ‘money-grabs’, but if Black Panther can win a couple Oscars at last year’s ceremony, why not Endgame? And while there may be a bizarre collection of fans out there who act like it isn’t that great (I’ll elaborate on these ‘stans’ some other time), Endgame truly is a landmark entry in the superhero genre.

This concludes the 2019 edition of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s annual End of Summer Fan Poll. Once again, a very special thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s event, and for those who didn’t get the chance to partake in it, feel free to sound off in the comments below with your favorite films from this past Summer.