"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Streaming Service: Disney+ Movie Name/Year: Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
(2022) Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Length: 1h 37min Rating: PG Production/Distribution: Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures, Disney+ Director: Akiva Schaffer Writers: Dan Gregor,
Doug Mand, Tad Stones, Alan Zaslove, Kathleen Shugrue Actors: Andy Samberg, Anthony Molinari,
Chris Parnell, Dennis Haysbert, Emil Beheshti, Eric Bana, Heather Dragulescu,
J.K. Simmons, James Joseph Pulido, James M. Black, John Mulaney, Julian Graham,
Juliet Donenfeld, Keegan-Michael Key, Kenzo Lee, KiKi Layne, Mason Blomberg,
Matt Cook, Paula Abdul, Ryan Alosio, Seth Rogen, Sophie Fatu, Tim Robinson,
Tress MacNeille, Victor Turpin, Will Arnett IMDb Blurb: In Chip 'n Dale: Rescue
Rangers, Chip and Dale are living amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los
Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. It has been decades since
their successful television series was canceled, and Chip has succumbed to a
life of suburban domesticity as an insurance salesman. Dale, meanwhile, has had
CGI surgery and works the nostalgia convention circuit, desperate to relive his
glory days. When a former castmate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must
repair their broken friendship and take on their Rescue Rangers detective
personas once again to save their friend's life. Cat’s Point of View:
I was so excited for Chip
'n Dale: Rescue Rangers to hit Disney+. My daughter was even eagerly
anticipating watching this movie as a family – and she really hadn’t gotten
into the animated series. I, on the other hand, had watched it every day when
it originally aired 1989-1990 on Fox’s afternoon cartoon block. I was 11 at the
time and adored every bit of the after-school cartoon fare. I’m hoping that, in
the wake of this film, she might want to watch the old series with me for a good
giggle. I digress…
In my #3 entry for my Top 20 Movies to Look Out for in May article, I anticipated
a lot of feelings of nostalgia from Chip
'n Dale: Rescue Rangers along the lines of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) with live-action characters mingling
with animated ones throughout the story. It’s a fascinating world to imagine,
where animations are just as real as anyone else and are shown in and out of
character for the productions they’re known for. That sort of element also helped sell some of the casting
differences between the original voice actors for the roles and those in this
new movie. A prime example of this was Zipper, who was voiced by Dennis
Haysbert (24, Ted 2, Fist Fight). In
the series, Zipper really didn’t “talk” in a way people could understand as
cohesive language for the most part. His voice was high-pitched and fast-paced.
Haysbert’s voice is the exact opposite of that and the deep resonating tones
were initially odd to hear, but reinforced that this Zipper was outside of his
role in the old show and living his normal life.
None of the performances or new character voices did any
disservice to the characters – there was just a clear line of demarcation
between their in-character personas for the show and their regular selves. It’s
another case of the high squeaky voice for the show for the chipmunks and
decidedly otherwise voices for the majority of the Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie. I felt John Mulaney (Saturday Night Live, Spider-Man: Into the
Spider-Verse, Dickinson) and Andy Samberg (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Hotel
Transylvania 4: Transformania) were believable in their respective roles as
modern-day Chip and Dale. Not everyone got a revised vocal performance, though.
Tress MacNeille (The Simpsons,
Animaniacs, Futurama) reprised her role as Gadget and also gave us the
traditional high-pitched chipmunk voice for at least one of the primary duo.
All of the Easter Eggs, laced throughout this Rescue Rangers adventure, were a lot of
fun. Some were obvious and jumped right out at me. Others took a second viewing
to pick up on. I think fans of animation should get a kick out of spotting them
throughout the feature.
The story was actually more interesting and had a bit more
heart than I originally gave it credit for from watching the trailer a few
times. Honestly, it didn’t really matter to me since I was in it for the
nostalgia and sharing something I loved when I was younger with my daughter –
but those who might need more to take away from this Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers would find a bit of substance here
beneath the silly cartoon veneer. That actually brings me to the elephant in the room. There
has been a bit of controversy swirling around some character decisions made in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers –
specifically regarding the story’s villain. I’m afraid there’s not much I can
specifically address without spoilers, but the crux of the situation is that
the ‘bad guy’ strongly resembles a former child star who was let go by Disney
as they aged and their lives took a decidedly tragic turn. Some have found that
this choice was in poor taste as a story element here. I can’t entirely
disagree, but at the same time Disney is putting egg on their own face with
this plot element. The story doesn’t mock the individual outright. It’s
unfortunate, but not something egregious enough for me to outright cancel the
whole production over. It did, however, affect my rating somewhat.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue
Rangers was everything I wanted it to be, and then some. The different
styles of animation and the running gag on bootleg animations certainly hit the
mark. If you have access to Disney+, this would be a fun movie for summer
viewing. You can bet I’ll be watching something related to the Rescue Rangers again soon, myself. The theme
song is currently on loop in my head.
20 – The Janes
(6/8) Production/Distribution:
HBO Documentary Films, Pentimento Productions Director: Tia
Lessin, Emma Pildes Genre: Documentary Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 41min IMDb Blurb: Police arrested seven women who were part of a
clandestine network. Using code names, blindfolds and safe houses, they built
an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions
calling themselves JANE. I’m not one for documentaries, but I think The Janes
is exceptionally important right now. A lot of people my age, or younger, weren’t
exposed to what it was like for women when abortion was illegal. I don’t think
people realize how many women died from the kind of abortions that legality
makes obsolete. With Roe vs. Wade in jeopardy, we’re looking at a future
that mirrors the past. The Janes shows us what to expect. It’s not about
left vs. right – it’s about life vs. death. The Janes is a must-see. I only put it at #20 because
I knew that’s where it would be the most visible. Not everyone reads the whole
article, but everyone who clicks the link sees #20. If you’re going to have an
opinion on an abortion, you should know the whole story. 19 – Cryo (6/24) Production/Distribution:
Saban Films, Ten Letters Director: Barrett
Burgin Writer: Barrett
Burgin, Mason D. Davis Actors: Jyllian
Petrie, Emily Marie Palmer, Mason D. Davis, Curt Doussett, Morgan Gunter,
Michael Flynn Genre: Mystery,
Sci-Fi, Thriller Rated: PG-13 Length: 1h 58min IMDb Blurb: In an underground facility, five scientists wake
from cryosleep with no memory of who they are or how long they've been asleep.
They soon make a shocking realization: a killer is hunting them down there, and
may even be hiding among them. Cryo feels like a horror version of Passengers (2016).
There are some very obvious differences, but that was my first thought when
watching the trailer. Mixing that kind of flick with a slasher vibe is interesting
to me. I will admit that I’m not overly sure how well it will work. It is,
however, written and directed by new voices – and the trailer does intrigue me.
So, I think it’s worth trying. 18 – Dashcam (6/3) Production/Distribution:
Blumhouse Productions, Shadowhouse Films, Momentum Pictures, Laterna, M C Twist Director: Rob Savage Writer: Gemma
Hurley, Rob Savage, Jed Shepherd Actors: Annie
Hardy, Amar Chadha-Patel, Angela Enahoro, Seylan Baxter Genre: Horror Rated: R Length: 1h 17min IMDb Blurb: Two friends on a horror-fueled road trip and
livestream the most terrifying night of their lives. Ok, Dashcam looks completely basic and, based on the
trailer alone, it likely wouldn’t have made the list. So why is it here? Rob Savage (Strings, Britannia, Soulmates) is why. Way back in the beginning of the pandemic we saw Host (2020).
It looked like it wasn’t going to be much of anything. I thought it was going
to be this low-budget shaky-cam nonsense. It was new, though, and we weren’t
going to be seeing much new for a while, so I put it on our schedule. What we got was something that felt almost revolutionary.
With the cast and crew all safely separated, Rob Savage had given us a horror
movie that was effective, well-edited, and fast-paced. He took something that
could have been super basic and shaped it into one of the best horror movies of
that year. (I feel it’s important to note that I feel it could have stood up to
the horror movies that came out on a busier movie release year as well.) I said that day that I wanted to watch him. I wanted to see
more from him. Here we have another basic-looking film… with his name
attached. I am not going to judge it on its trailer. I want to see what he does
with it. He’s taken a lump of coal and offered a diamond back before. I’m ready for it. 17 – The
Righteous (6/10) Production/Distribution:
Panoramic Pictures, Arrow, Arrow Video, Vortex Media Director: Mark O’Brien Writer: Mark O’Brien Actors: Henry
Czerny, Mimi Kuzyk, Mark O’Brien, Mayko Nguyen, Kate Corbett, Nigel Bennett Genre: Drama,
Horror, Mystery Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 37min IMDb Blurb: A burdened man feels the wrath of a vengeful God
after he and his wife are visited by a mysterious stranger. Taking The Righteous on story only, it might seem a
bit basic. I’m not judging it on the plot, though. It’s the visuals that make
me feel like The Righteous has a place on this list. I think doing a religious horror like this in black and
white is a stroke of genius. It adds a striking contrast to a story that is
very much about good vs. evil – and paying for one’s own evil. I’m also interested in what Mark O’Brien (Ready or Not, Arrival,
Perry Mason) can do as a writer/director. I’m familiar with him as an
actor, and I’m excited to see his career evolve. 16 – The Lost
Girls (6/17) Production/Distribution:
Ingenious Media, Lipsync Productions, Pelgo Films, Altitude Film Entertainment,
Vertical Entertainment, Lifetime Television, Photon Films and Media, Vertical
Entertainment Director: Livia
De Paolis Writer: Laurie
Fox, Livia De Paolis Actors: Vanessa
Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Iain Glen, Louis Partridge Genre: Drama,
Fantasy Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 40min IMDb Blurb: Like her grandmother and her mother Jane before
her, Wendy must escape Pan's hold on her and the promise he wants her to keep. This trailer is not at all what I expected from a Lifetime film.
That worries me a bit, as it could mean that the movie is being misrepresented.
It could, however, also mean that Lifetime is branching out. Only the flick
itself will be able to tell us. That said, The Lost Girls is an interesting take on
the Peter Pan story. Instead of viewing Pan through the eyes of a fantasizing
child, we see how the grown Wendy might see her promise to never grow up as
more of a prison. It looks to show us the desire to move on while being held
back by a childhood story. I think Hook (1991)touched on that a little bit, but
it still kept its inner child alive and well. In The Lost Girls I think
we’re going to see more of a shrugging off of childish things in order to move
into a new stage of life. I’m interested in seeing what adventure this fantasy is
going to take us on. 15 – Press Play
(6/16) Production/Distribution:
CJ Entertainment, Splendid Film, The Avenue Entertainment Director: Greg
Björkman Writer: Greg
Björkman, James Bachelor Actors: Lewis
Pullman, Danny Glover, Clara Rugaard Genre: Music Rated: PG-13 Length: 1h 25min IMDb Blurb: A young woman has a chance to save the love of her
life, when she discovers that the mix-tape they made together can transport her
back in time. Time travel is a concept that is getting a bit old for me.
There’s been a whole lot of it in movies throughout the past few years, but this
is a special case. Especially this month. I think everyone eventually loses someone that they wish
they could go back and talk to just one more time. I know that I have. And if I
could get to them through a song we shared and stop the tragic event from occurring,
I would do it in a heartbeat. Even if I couldn’t change it, just to see them
one more time would be something. Maybe my pick is colored by recent events, as my husband
lost his brother in May, but I think any of us who’ve lost someone will be able
to relate to Press Play. It’s not going to be an easy watch, though. There will be an
undoubtedly high amount of heartbreak. 14 – Cha Cha Real
Smooth (6/17) Production/Distribution:
Picturestart, Endeavor Content, TeaTime Pictures, Apple TV+ Director: Cooper
Raiff Writer: Cooper
Raiff Actors: Cooper
Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Mann, Brad
Garrett, Raúl Castillo Genre: Comedy,
Drama Rated: R Length: 1h 47min IMDb Blurb: A young man who works as a Bar Mitzvah party host
strikes up a friendship with a mother and her autistic daughter. The trailer for Cha Cha Real Smooth makes it seem
more like a dramatic romance than a traditional dramedy. That said, it has a
lot going for it as a coming-of-age style story. All of us have had that moment where we need to decide who, or
what, we want to be. This kind of story touches on that, but most of them
target a younger demographic. Here we have a person starting their adult life
for us to relate to. It’s a nice change. I enjoy Dakota Johnson (Wounds, Our Friend, Am I OK?)
as an actor in most cases and Leslie Mann (The Other Woman, Motherless
Brooklyn, This is 40) is an absolute treasure. I’m not familiar with Cooper
Raiff (Shithouse, Madeline & Cooper, I Would Have Kissed You), but
he gives off some David Tennant (Good Omens, Final Space, DuckTales)
vibes, so I’m more than willing to give him a chance. Cha Cha Real Smooth might not be my first choice for
a theater trip, but I wouldn’t turn down going to see it with a friend. 13 – Good Luck to
You, Leo Grande (6/17) Production/Distribution:
Genesius Pictures, Align, Cornerstone Films, Searchlight Pictures, MK2 Mile End,
Lionsgate, Wild Bunch Germany, Arna Media, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Front
Row Filmed Entertainment, Hulu, Wild Bunch Director: Sophie
Hyde Writer: Katy
Brand Actors: Emma Thompson,
Daryl McCormack Genre: Comedy,
Drama Rated: R Length: 1h 37min IMDb Blurb: Follows Nancy Stokes, a 55 year-old widow who is
yearning for some adventure, human connection and some sex, good sex. Something about this trailer was just exceptionally charming.
It’s a story about finding oneself that includes a celebration of female
sexuality. Emma Thompson’s (Dolittle, Cruella, How to Build a Girl)
character feels relatable, or at least accessible. While Daryl McCormack’s (Peaky
Blinders, Pixie, How to Fake a War) title character gives off an air of
calm. In a movie like Good Luck to You, Leo Grande the actors are what make
it. And the chemistry between Thompson and McCormack gives me a lot of hope
toward the final product. When it’s just the two of them on screen for an hour and a
half, any small cracks will seem HUGE. But, in this case, I really believe it
will work. 12 – Hustle (6/8) Production/Distribution:
Happy Madison Productions, Kirschenbaum Productions, Roth Films, Roth/Kirschenbaum
Films, SpringHill Entertainment, Netflix Director: Jeremiah
Zagar Writer: Will
Fetters, Taylor Materne Actors: Adam
Sandler, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall, Queen Latifah, Jaleel White, Juancho
Hernangomez Genre: Comedy,
Drama, Sport Rated: R Length: 1h 57min IMDb Blurb: A washed-up basketball scout discovers a phenomenal
street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to
get back into the NBA. I’m the first to admit that Adam Sandler’s (Punch-Drunk
Love, The Wedding Singer, Funny People) more recent films have been crap. Most
of them, anyway. You know which of his newer films wouldn’t stand up to that descriptor?
Uncut Gems (2019). The fact is, as a comedian, Sandler never grew up. His style
of comedy is VERY 90s, and he has no interest in progressing with the rest of
the world. That’s simply the kind of humor he prefers, I guess. And that’s
fine. People can like whatever comedy they want to like. The problem is that
there’s very little room left for that kind of humor in our current cinematic
landscape. It’s not what audiences want anymore. As a dramatic actor, however, Adam Sandler is so much better
than people give him credit for. They get stuck on the comedy and expect the
worst. If you look at his history in the drama genre, though, there’s very
little that gives cause to doubt him. Hustle does have a tinge of comedy, but it is first,
and foremost, a drama. I think that means we can expect great things from
Sandler here. The trailer looks interesting and reminds me a bit of the kind
of dramedy we might see Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire, One Hour Photo, Good
Will Hunting) star in if he was alive today. 11 – Interceptor
(6/3) Production/Distribution:
Ambience Entertainment, Foryor Entertainment, Netflix Director: Matthew
Reilly Writer: Stuart
Beattie, Matthew Reilly Actors: Elsa
Pataky, Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane, Mayen Mehta, Paul Caesar, Belinda Jombwe,
Marcus Johnson Genre: Action,
Adventure, Drama Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 36min IMDb Blurb: One Army captain must use her years of tactical
training and military expertise when a simultaneous coordinated attack
threatens the remote missile interceptor station she is in command of. There are parts of this film that look a bit basic. I’ll
admit to that. Still, it seems like a perfectly solid claustrophobic action
flick. I expect some explosions and bad ass fight scenes. Will it be a thinker? No. Still, if your past month has been
as bad as mine? A turn-your-brain-off shoot-‘em-up is probably going to hit the
spot. I’m currently stuck at home with Covid, so this seems like a
fun little gift from Netflix to me.
