Movie Review – A Dog’s Purpose

A Dog’s PurposeA Dog's Purpose

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom

Starring Dennis Quaid, KJ Apa, Juliet Rylance, Peggy Lipton, Britt Robertson, John Oritz, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Pooch Hall, and the voice of Josh Gad.

Backstory

I know, it’s another one that’s not my typical kind of movie.  Well, it was recently Family Day here in the province of Alberta, and I celebrated with my sister and her family.  My nieces got to pick the movie, so of course they picked the one with the cute puppies.  So I was off to learn what A Dog’s Purpose is.

Plot

Our hero is a dog named Bailey.  Bailey gets reincarnated several times throughout the film, and through it all, ponders the meaning of life.  In his first life, he’s fast friends and companions with a boy named Ethan.  Ethan grows up to be quite the popular young man, a football star with a bright future, but then a twist of fate takes it all away from him.  In his next life, Bailey becomes Ellie, a police dog learning to serve and protect on the streets of Chicago.  From there, Bailey is reborn as Tino, a Corgi who helps his owner find love and happiness.  And then, as Buddy, Bailey is able to use all the skills he’s picked up in his lives to help out those who have helped him, and truly discover what a dog’s purpose is.

What I Liked

Cute dogs!  Pretty good acting all around, too.  Funny in some parts, and actually kind of uplifting.

What I Didn’t Like

Well, “boy and his dog” stories are about as cliched as superhero stories at this point, so the formula gets a good workout.

Final Verdict

Nice family entertainment, but bring a hanky.

3 Nibs

Movie Review – The Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Batman Moviethe Lego Batman Movie

Directed by Chris McKay

Starring the voices of Will Arnett, Zack Galifiankis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes and Jenny Slate

Backstory

With Lego Batman being one of the breakout characters of The Lego Movie, and superhero films being all the rage these days, and Lego and Warner Brothers desire to start creating a Lego Cinematic Universe, making a Lego Batman movie just made a whole lot of sense.  And given the sense of humour in The Lego Movie, and the lack of humour in the recent DC Superhero films, we were ready for a more lighthearted take on the Batman mythology.  How does it work when one of the most beloved construction toys in the world meets the Dark Knight?

Plot

We all agree, Batman’s life is pretty sweet.  Beating up bad guys, being a billionaire, and universally beloved.  But if there’s one thing he’s always asserted, it’s that he can do it alone.  It’s an assertion that seems to hurt the Joker most of all, as the Joker always envisioned himself as Batman’s #1 villain and always assumed that Batman was obsessed with him.  But Batman finds his desire to do this on his own put to the test, as the new police commissioner, Barbara Gordon, wants the police department to start working with Batman, instead of relying on him.  And then, he accidentally adopts an orphan named Dick Grayson with designs on becoming Batman’s partner.  Will Batman be able to work with all these new people in his life?  And to what lengths will the Joker go to prove once and for all that he’s Batman’s #1 bad guy?

What I Liked

Dear God, when this film comes out on Blu-ray, I’m going to have to watch it frame-by-frame.  That is the only way to fully take in all the references and Easter eggs to Batman’s long and storied history.  Every scene is filled with some kind of reference.  The 1960s Batman, gets a lot of love, as does the 1989 Tim Burton film.  But it’s more than just non-stop pop culture references.  The whole “I can never let anyone into my life.  I must do this alone,” attitude of superheroes has become a huge superhero trope, and this is perhaps the most in-depth exploration of that trope and why it is.  The voice cast is excellent as well.  As Robin, I’ve never heard Michael Cera sound so happy and excited and chipper.  It was genius casting.

What I Didn’t Like

It’s a superhero movie. The formula is firmly established at this point, and it follows the formula pretty closely.

Final Verdict

We’ve got a new contender for greatest Batman movie.  It`s fast and furious and funny.

3.5 Nibs