THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2

Voices of:  Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Harrison Ford, Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet

Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper

      Whereas in the first rendition of The Secret Life of Pets, a relatively simple story with lots of excitement is told, in Secret Life 2, the filmmakers opted to have three loosely related story plots alternating with one another.  One story is about the main character Max having to adjust to his owner’s new baby and going for a visit to a farm where he encounters an intimidating bigger dog named “Rooster” (Ford), although Rooster isa dog.  Another is about Max’s friend Gidget (Slate) trying to retrieve Max’s favorite toy, “busy bee”—which he entrusts her with while he is out of town—when it bounces away and ends up in a cat-filled apartment.  The third story is about Snowball (Hart) feeling like a super hero when his owner dresses him up in an action figure costume, and his friend Daisy (Haddish) asks him for help in rescuing a circus tiger from its abusive trainer Sergei (Kroll).  

     In my opinion, this structure becomes a near fatal flaw, because it fragments the plot and literally lurches through three very different settings and intrigues. Max is trying to brave it up on the farm; Gidget and her friend Chloe (Bell) are frantically trying to wrest “busy bee” from one huge snarling cat in a house full of cats, and Snowball and Daisy become action figures in outwitting and outfighting the evil Sergei for the tiger. Try as the filmmakers might, the three stories don’t really come together in the end; we just get a sample of endless chases modeled after adult action movies.  Bravery seems to be the element tying all this together, but by the end, we feel like we’ve seen three different movie shorts.

     The actors voicing the animals do a great job highlighting their characters’ personalities (Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish, and Nick Kroll are welcome additions to the first team), the animation and special effects are entertaining, and Alexandre Desplat’s music is an apt accompaniment.  

     Children in the screening I attended giggled and laughed at expected times and seemed to enjoy the film overall; I just wonder how well the younger ones especially followed and kept track of the three plots.

Another peek into the pet world, where challenges and intrigues are aplenty.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES

Voices of:  Scott Menville     Kristen Bell     Nicolas Cage     Tara Strong     Will Arnett

Khary Payton     Hynden Walch     Stan Lee     Patton Oswalt     Jimmy Kimmel

     In our narcissistic age, it’s fitting that we have more films for kids about its consequences, particularly when Hollywood has such a draw.  This animated film is about a “sidekick, a nobody” who has aspirations for greatness like the known superheroes enjoy.  Robin (Menville) is chafing about his insignificance in the superhero world, and his team’s references to his small hands only makes it worse.  (Wonder where the filmmakers got the idea that small hands has some significance in a film about hubris…)  So he begins to whip up enthusiasm among his team of Teen Titans, consisting of Raven (Strong), Cyborg (Payton), Starfire (Walch), and Beast Boy (Cipes), for making a superhero movie with them as stars.

     They proceed to Hollywood with high hopes of getting a contract, and wonder about who would be their nemesis, which all superheroes have.  Not surprisingly, one appears in the form of Slade (pronounced ‘slade-a’ to give it more oomph and voiced by Arnett). His power is in mind manipulation, and we see all kinds of manifestations of that in the story, except those times when Robin is onto him and doesn’t succumb to some of his mis-directions.  But Robin is susceptible to thinking about his own interests without regard to his team.  He keeps chanting that he wants “a movie all about me.”

     In the meantime, the Titans go to Warner Brothers and try to enlist the interest of director Jane Wilson (Bell).  [As an aside, much of this film is spoofing not only Hollywood, but superhero films in general, and this includes DC and Marvel comics.  Stan Lee of Marvel Comics has two wonderful cameos.] Wilson comes across as a caricature of director stereotypes, dismissing the Titans initially for their inconsequentiality.

     Eventually, though, the movie will get made, but at considerable cost; Robin will have to make compromises (like dispensing with his team) and learn a life lesson—one that will be to the edification of children in the audience.

     Clever references to previous superhero movies will please those knowledgeable about DC and Marvel Comics.  At one point when Robin wants to take him in, Slade reminds him that superheroes’ archenemies never go to jail—instead, their next plan gets foiled in the next movie by a superhero.  

     Teen Titans is clearly geared toward children, both in its humor (yes, farts and poops) and in its attempts to convey good principles such as thoughtfulness toward others and the pitfalls of pride. But with its running commentary on super hero figures and the comics behind them, it’s entertaining for adults as well, particularly those familiar with the genre.

     The core group responsible for the “Teen Titans Go!” TV series are at work in the movie version as well, for instance, directors Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida, production designer Dan Hipp, and musician Jared Faber.  The design, animation, and graphics match up nicely with the action, creating a unified whole.  Actors’ voices are apt for their parts, and special shout-outs go to Scott Menville as Robin and Will Arnett as Slade who are onscreen the majority of the time.

High Jinks and fanciful animations keep this production entertaining for children and adults.

Grade:  A-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

PLEASE STAND BY

Dakota Fanning     Toni Collette     Alice Eve     River Alexander     Patton Oswalt

       First of all, it helps to be reminded of what the title of this film means.  A common term in media productions, it refers to a problem that is being fixed.  And it’s a perfect mantra to calm young Wendy (Fanning) down, a teenager with autism who, astonishingly, is writing a Star Trek screenplay.  She is well versed in what the term means, and her primary caretaker, Scottie, has picked up on that and wisely incorporates it as a calming technique in her therapy.  Wendy has advanced so far in managing her symptoms, she has actually written 400+ pages, with the aim of entering a contest announced on TV in which she could win $100,000. 

     The problem is, of course, that no one really takes her seriously, and Scottie has never been a Star Trek fan.  However, she has made it clear that she is serious about entering the contest, has worked diligently to finish her script, typed it in the proper format, and fully intends to submit it to Paramount Pictures by the deadline.  She’s gifted like some autistic persons in savant-like knowledge—in this case of Star Trek—as demonstrated in a comical scene in which skeptics devise questions about Star Trek they are sure she can’t answer, until after she wins a fair amount of money off them.

     Wendy has had top-notch training at Scottie’s facility on how to navigate the real world, memorizing rules (such as crossing a busy street only when it shows the icon for it), and making detailed notes for herself in a notepad suspended on a string around her neck.  She has been trained well enough to hold a job at Cinnabon, even advancing from a greeter to icing duties.  She knows about how to count money and shop in stores.

     Then a crisis happens, associated with a visit from her sister Audrey (Eve), which blows up when no one seems to understand the importance of mailing in the script that very day, and she learns she will not be going home with Eve and taking on the role of an aunt to her newborn niece.  She has a tantrum, Audrey leaves, and Wendy refuses to adhere to her normal routine.  But her mind is working during the night, and she resolves to take the manuscript herself to Los Angeles, slipping out of the building at dawn.

     Now, the excitement and suspense builds, as we see Wendy go through all kinds of obstacles in reaching her goal.  It’s not clear at all whether she will make it.  Unfortunately, the film lapses into implausibility at times, although it is not enough to seriously affect the viewer’s enjoyment of the film.  One example I’m talking about is the scene where an elder care employee rescues her from a con, and then offers to have the retirement facility van take her to Los Angeles driven by a very old driver, which doesn’t turn out so well.  Another is Wendy being able to navigate a number of situations involving skilled problem solving that an autistic person would likely not be able to master.  Still another is that when police bulletins are sent out they cannot locate her, and don’t even bother to check with bus stations along the way.  

     As a whole, though, this is a delightful film with entertainment, suspense, and warmly humorous encounters, and the accompanying music (Heitor Pereira) enhances whatever mood is being portrayed.  Dakota Fanning is convincing as an autistic person, and pulls in the viewer’s empathy and admiration for her right away.  Toni Collette is consistently good, as she is here.  Patton Oswalt’s cameo at the end is priceless.

An engaging film with a view of autism rarely seen in dramatic works.

Grade:  B+                           By Donna R. Copeland