Luca: Adventures and dangers and amazing moments for the whole family

Movie Review: Luca (2021) on Disney +

Disney and Pixar have a fun new animated winner, Luca, bridging the undersea and above-the-sea worlds with great new energy. 

Luca is a young sea monster shepherding a herd of fish, unhappy with his lot in life. His mother and father guard him constantly, afraid he will take after his grandmother and her lust for the life ashore. He finds "treasures" dropped overboard from human fishing trawlers, simple everyday items like watches and pictures and -- a phonograph, and feels the pull of wanderlust. Eventually, Luca escapes the binding ties of his mother's apron strings--yes, his mother wears an apron--and emerges on an isolated island beach. And there he meets Alberto, who feeds his lust for human life and discovery. 

Whenever Luca or Alberto are in the water, they appear as sea monsters. However, whenever they are in the fresh air, they lose their scales and fins and become human, with arms and legs and skin with hair. To remain human, all they have to do is avoid the water. Oh, and learn what it means to live like a human, such as eat, and walk upright, and talk. Escaping the island for a mainland fishing village and the allure of humankind, they begin to succor the good life and the pursuit of their dream, owning a Vespo motor scooter. To do that, they must win the local triathlon, with the help of a newfound friend, Giulia, and defeat the local bully Ercole, who never loses. This is complicated, but it's tons of fun to watch.

A ton of great voice talent brings the story to life. Jacob Tremblay is the voice of Luca. Jack Dylan Grazer is the voice of Alberto. You'll love Emma Berman as effervescent Giulia. And Saverio Raimondo gives life to the irascible Ercole. There are lots of others, too.

There are lots of adventures and dangers and amazing moments for the whole family on Luca. I rate it A^ for Always a winner with Disney and Pixar.

Wonder: A Feel-Good Movie with a Sympathetic Message

Movie Review: Wonder (2017)
Version: Library borrow

Sometimes you just want to see a feel-good movie. Wonder is that film.

Auggie (played to perfection by Jacob Trembley) was born with facial disfigurements that required multiple operations and a "lifetime" of parental love and nurturing to help him through its consequences. But it was finally time for Mom and Dad to cut the strings and send him off to school -- to fifth grade -- where he would learn how to navigate the world of real people and their prejudices. This basically is the story of Wonder and the world of August "Auggie" Pullman, his mother Isabel (played by Julia Roberts), his father Nate (played by Owen Wilson), and his sister Via (played by Izabela Vidovic).

In this heart-warming story, Mom sends Auggie off to school, where he faces discrimination, bullying, and false friendships, despite the support of his family and the school principal. Over time, Auggie's classmates come to learn it's not the face but the heart and the spirit that make for the best friends, and his parents come to realize their decision to mainstream their son was the right decision after all.

This film has all the look and feel of any quality independent, which are at their core character driven. You cannot help but embrace Auggie, feel empathy for Isabel and Nate, and give encouragement for Via caught in the middle. Part of it is because of the greatness of the acting, but another part is the story line with its message of compassion for those who are judged by their looks rather than by the content of their character, not to mention the benefit of giving the misguided a second chance.

So, Wonder is good entertainment, but it is also a good vehicle for guiding our families about how to better interact with others. We are not all what we seem. Most of us aren't. Wonder helps us explore that truth in a sympathetic and empathetic and entertaining way. Great viewing for the whole family.

The Book of Henry: The Critics Are Wrong; This Is an Endearing Film

Movie Review: The Book of Henry (2017)
Version: Cable on-demand rental

The Book of Henry is an endearing film about an 11 year old boy upon whom is heaped the woes and cares of a world barely within his control. He is beyond question a genius surrounded by misfits and underlings, and he does his best to use his talents to aid those in need in the time he has in life. The story takes a sad turn and you think he has failed, but then the misfits and underlings rise to Henry's hopes and dreams, and the story reaches its uplifting climax as we realize that the genius was in Henry's thoughtful trust in those for whom he cared.

In researching this admittedly quirky independent film, I saw a lot of emotional critical raw dislike. But let me be contrary to that notion in loving this movie. It could be depressing in places. SPOILER: Main character Henry dies in the middle of the film. His younger brother Peter is heart broken. His mother Susan flips out and loses it. But those don't turn out to be critical to the outcome of this story or the heart of the film itself.

Here is the gist of the story. Henry is a genius; he tells his mother's best friend, Sheila, he prefers "precocious". His mother Susan appears irresponsible, flighty, barely able to take care of two young boys let alone raise two who will grow into responsible young men. It is Henry who guides her own adult decisions, including looking after her finances and investments. While she is working at a restaurant, Henry and his brother keep an amazing "fort" in a treed back lot, where Henry does his thinking and where he builds amazing contraptions. They do for themselves while Mom plays video games in the living room after hours. Yet, she reads them bedtime stories -- she dreams of being a childrens book author and illustrator -- and has rituals which comfort the boys at bedtime. Clearly, she is a good mom. And next door, there is Henry's classmate Christina, a lovely and gentile 11 year old girl that Henry suspects is being abused by her stepfather and whom Henry seems obsessed with protecting. Part of the drama unfolds around Henry scheming to expose her father's abuse.

A good part of the film involves the intricate interplay between these key characters and it seems as if all depends on Henry's dominant smarts and willpower to overcome evil. But then all that falls apart when he dies. Key to our hope as viewers is Henry's red book, which he tells Peter to make sure he gives to his mother. And it's what that book provides Henry's mother that moves this movie and its positive energy forward. It's not quite what you think, if you've started this movie and didn't finish it, by the way. The conclusion is far different than you might have thought!

I'll give high marks to the actors in this feel-good drama. Naomi Watts is brilliant as the mother, at first ditzy as a scatter brained, clearly inept leader of the family, then slapped in the face to reality when she really needed it. It was quite a responsibility for Jaeden Lieberher as lead male in this role as Henry, but he played it well, hitting all the emotional notes when needed, yet also playing out the smart bits equally well. Maddie Ziegler is vulnerable and yet not obvious in her role as Christina. There's also a special bond between Henry and Susan's friend Sheila, played with precision by Sarah Silverman, who appear not to get along but in the end appreciate each other very much. Jacob Tremblay is very young as brother Peter, but he handles the tear-jerker scenes of losing his brother, who was his protector at school and in life.

As an indy film, The Book of Henry also enjoyed the freedom to be a beautifully filmed movie. The opening scenes were elegant. Settings were moody and defined the emotional impact of the story. The shots and lighting suited the moods as well, and the sequence timing and editing suited the storytelling rather than manipulating the marketing. This is a well crafted film. Kudos to the opening credits graphics as well.

The vast majority of the critics were wrong about The Book of Henry. If you are patient with this film and get your head out of the Hollywood blockbuster mode, you can and will appreciate this movie for the story and storytelling that it is. And that's what film ultimately is -- storytelling. If it's just about bringing in dollars to the box office, there's something wrong. This is a worthy film for most members of your family. See it!