Dog’s Movie House: “Haunted Mansion” A Delightful Homage To The Classic Disney Ride!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here and I have to tell you the the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is one of my favorite rides at the park. I was one of the first three rides I went on as a wee child of seven and it continues to enchant all these years later. Spooky without really being scary, it’s the perfect haunted house for the whole family! The same can be said for Justin Simien’s very entertaining film of the same name, improving on it’s mediocre predecessor from 2003 (that one starred Eddie Murphy) and providing a smart script that fleshes out the living, so to speak!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Cars 3” Lovable End To Cars Trilogy!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!
Lightening McQueen in “Cars 3”
Pixar’s Cars franchise has always been considered the acclaimed studio’s red-headed stepchild. While the animation has always been top-notch, many felt the storytelling was more simplistic than classic Pixar fare like “Toy Story,” “Up,” and “Inside Out.” I find myself in that camp as well, but unlike some of my colleagues I very much enjoy the Cars films for what they are: wonderful cartoons designed primarily for kids. In the case of “Cars 3,” Pixar has decided to forget the Mater-centric “Cars 2” doesn’t exist and bring a nice, sentimental conclusion to the story of legendary racer Lightening McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson). Continue reading
Dog’s Movie House: “Zoolander 2:” Fifteen Years Is Too Long To Be This Mediocre!
Howdy folks! It’s The Kendog!
Derek And Hansel Rock The Runway In “Zoolander2”
As I was watching “Zoolander 2” one thought kept running through my mind: “How in the hell can so much talent produce so much mediocrity?” Behind the scenes you’ve got Ben Stiller as the director and co-writer along with Justin Theroux and Nicholas Stoller. In front of the camera you’ve got Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, and Penelope Cruz along with a cornucopia of celebrity cameos from luminaries from both Hollywood and the fashion world. With all of that talent you’d think you’d be watching something fairly entertaining at least, but in the case of “Zoolander 2” all you get is a rousing cinematic case of “meh.” Continue reading
Dog’s Movie House: “No Escape” Slick But Somewhat Unpleasant Thriller!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!
Pierce Brosnan And Owen Wilson In “No Escape”
John Erick Dowdle is primarily known for his horror films. Movies like “Quarantine” and “As Above, So Below” trade on the menace of inhuman threats for the thrills he generates. It’s not a bad formula and those two films, while far from perfect, have some genuinely interesting elements to them. I suppose, then, I could forgive Dowdle (along with his brother Drew, who co-wrote the script) for applying the same formula for the new political thriller “No Escape.” Trouble is the people menacing the recently arrived to Thailand (or Cambodia or whatever country to which they’ve recently moved; the film doesn’t say) are supposed to be people, no monsters, and treating them as the latter makes this otherwise slick exercise in suspense and action filmmaking uncomfortable to watch in all the wrong ways. Continue reading
