Gal Gadot

Review of “Ralph Breaks the Internet”

After Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) creates a new race track in her video game Sugar Rush, Vanellope (voiced by Sarah Silverman) is trying it out for the first time. The human playing the game thinks it’s malfunctioning and accidentally breaks off the steering wheel. When arcade owner Mr. Litwak (voiced by Ed O’Neill) tries to reattach the wheel it breaks. Kids in the arcade check the internet on their phones and find a new replacement part on eBay that costs $200.00. Mr. Litwak thinks this is too much to pay and decides to unplug the game, leaving Vanellope and all the characters in the game homeless. Mr. Litwak has recently installed a wireless router in the arcade, providing wifi access to the internet. Ralph and Vanellope decide to go on the internet and get the part needed to repair Sugar Rush. Entering the World Wide Web, Ralph and Vanellope discover social media, an MMORPG called Slaughter Race and its lead character Shank (voiced by Gal Gadot), a search engine called KnowsMore (voiced by Alan Tudyk), video sharing site BuzzzVideo and its algorithm Yesss (voiced by Taraji P. Henson), pop-up ads and even the dark internet. The trip outside the arcade opens Vanellope’s eyes to the potential of something more than Sugar Rush while it strains her friendship with Ralph.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” does much of what “Wreck-It Ralph” did in being a nostalgic look at old school cabinet video games while also opening the world to the internet. There is plenty the audience will recognize of the internet in the film. Familiar names like Google, eBay, Snapchat and Twitter get ample screen time while other well-known websites, I assume they didn’t allow their names to be used, are referenced with similar sounding names and similar looking logos. The personification of pop-up ads, search engines, video-viewing likes and even viruses turns something we know about and use everyday into something we can visualize. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” brings to life the good and bad of the web while also telling a story of friendship that works for children told in a way that also entertains adults.

The voice cast of the film is terrific with much of the original film’s voices returning. John C. Reilly gives the oversized and under-brained Ralph a personality that is both grating and charming. Ralph always means well but doesn’t give as much thought to his plans as he should. His love for Vanellope leads him to make selfish mistakes that endanger her and their friendship. Reilly sells Ralph’s desperation and his insecurity in his voice acting and makes clear he still has a great deal to learn about being a good friend.

Sarah Silverman’s Vanellope is a sweet and enthusiastic character that runs counter to what we see of the real Silverman and in her standup. Vanellope loves Ralph and is thrilled to go on adventures in the other arcade video games with him, but as the movie progresses and the two venture onto the web, her eyes are opened to the bigger digital world and the possibilities it holds. Vanellope still cares for Ralph but she also wants more for herself. It’s like that old song about keeping the kids on the farm after they’ve seen Paris. Silverman’s high-pitched squeaky voice suits the look of her character perfectly. The actress’ smart aleck personality shines through and it adds to her vocal performance.

Another standout is Gal Gadot as the video game character Shank. Shank is tough and ruthless but has a streak of kindness in her. Shank appears to be designed to resemble Gadot and perhaps that combination is what makes the character so appealing. Shank takes on a mentoring role for Vanellope, giving her a sounding board to work out her confusion over her future. Godot’s warm voice, with a hint of her Israeli accent, makes these scenes with Vanellope that much more effective. If there’s a third “Ralph” film I hope Shank plays a big part in the story.

A big part of the marketing for “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was the appearance of all the Disney princesses. While it isn’t a huge part of the story it does provide a pivot point, sending Vanellope down a road of self-discovery. The gathering of princesses, old and new with the original voice actresses when available, is about as meta a moment as has ever been on film. That it happens in a Disney film is nothing short of a miracle. The scene calls out commonly used tropes in Disney films regarding female characters: They are frequently kidnapped, the focus of some sort of pursuit or persecution and most of them are orphans or lost a parent at a young age. The scene is played for laughs, and it works, but perhaps this signals a shift in how women are portrayed in Disney and Pixar films. Moana and Merida haven’t fallen into the common stereotype. While I’m probably giving the scene too much thought, it was enjoyable seeing all the princesses on screen together and not having to complete some epic quest.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” is rated PG for some action and rude humor. The action usually involves a character falling from a tall building. One character is nearly crushed and there is a car chase in Slaughter Race that puts a couple of characters in peril. There are other moments when a character faces being wiped out of existence. Rude humor consists mostly of references to “butts” and one use of the word “fart.”

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” manages to tell a story that is interesting to both children and the adults that brought them to the theater. There are laughs that also transcend generations. While seeing this film will be more likely to have an audience member marvel loudly at the presence of Anna from “Frozen,” it’s a small price to pay for a movie that is so colorful, so funny, so entertaining, so emotional and so good.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” gets five stars.

There’s only one new movie opening this week. Why a horror movie is opening the week after Thanksgiving is anyone’s guess, but I will probably see and review it. It does look creepy.

The Possession of Hannah Grace—

Listen to The Fractured Frame for the latest news in movies, TV and streaming. It’s available wherever you get podcasts. Follow me on Twitter @movimanstan and send emails to stanthemovieman123@gmail.com.

Review of “Justice League”

The world continues to mourn the death of Superman (Henry Cavill) along with those that knew and loved him: His mother Martha Kent (Diane Lane) has lost the family farm and has moved to an apartment in Metropolis. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is only working on puff pieces for the Daily Planet newspaper. Batman (Ben Affleck) is troubled by his role in Superman’s death. He is also troubled by the appearance of winged creatures showing up in Gotham City. When he traps one against a wall it explodes leaving behind a pattern of three box shapes burned into the wall. Similar images show up in drawings made by convicted criminal and billionaire businessman Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) seized from him in prison. On Themyscira, the island home of the Amazons, a box that’s been dormant for thousands of years begins humming and shaking. A tube of energy appears above it and through that tube comes Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciaran Hinds), an alien destroyer of worlds. After a brief battle led by Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), Steppenwolf seizes the box and along with his army of flying parademons leaves by another tube of energy. When Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), learns of the attack she seeks out Batman to tell him the history of Steppenwolf and how he tried to take over the Earth before but was beaten back by the Amazons, a sea-dwelling civilization called the Atlanteans, humans and the gods themselves. Diana and Bruce decide to look for other people with special abilities and form a team to defeat Steppenwolf and his parademons. They know of Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) who is endowed with incredible speed that has earned him the nickname The Flash. There’s the water-dweller that aides a coastal village with food when their harbor is iced closed named Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) also called Aquaman. Finally, there’s the son of the head scientist at Star Labs that was thought to have been killed in an accident but has been merged with technology giving him the ability to hack into any computer system and more. He’s Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) but some call him Cyborg. Together this league of justice must overcome their differences and fears to work as a team to defeat Steppenwolf; but it may not be enough so a risky plan is put into place to add one final member.

If you haven’t heard about “Justice League” it must be because you’ve made an active effort to not hear any of the news this film generated. It wasn’t always good news: Director Zack Snyder left the film during post-production after the death of his daughter and Joss Whedon came in to do some sizable reshoots and the editing. While industry experts suggest Whedon’s reshoots account for about 20 percent of the film, the difference in style and tone make for a film that is inconsistent and could have used a bit more time spent with the newer characters to give them a better fleshed out reason to exist.

It’s ironic that “Justice League” could have been longer since one of the biggest criticisms of “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” was that it was far too long. This time I think Snyder and Whedon could have improved the film by showing us more about Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. While we get small nuggets about each it all feels like we are being pushed through an open house by a realtor that has somewhere else to be. We see bits and pieces but the rest goes by in a blur.

There are clear efforts to lighten the tone of “Justice League” over its DC predecessors. There are jokes approximately every three and a half minutes. While I don’t know that to be absolutely true, I get the feeling there were a great deal of focus groups and test audiences in the production of this film that guided the effort to put more laughs in the script. Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen is the source of a number of these laughs but even the usually dour Batman provides a bit of levity from time to time. The Caped Crusader even delivers one of the film’s biggest laughs while connecting a scene from “BvS” to “Justice League.” You can see there was an effort but I appreciated it.

With a cast this large and a story that moves almost as fast as the Flash, there isn’t much of an opportunity for any actor to really stick out and despite some brief moments, no one does in “Justice League.” Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa shine brightest in their fleeting time. Momoa has a very entertaining scene where he gives his true feelings about what they are facing when it is shown why he’s being so honest. Miller is quirky as the Flash. Barry Allen is insecure about his place on the team and in the world, unsure of what he adds. Batman gives him so good advice that guides him in the right direction but that uneasiness with being a hero persists. While Miller and Momoa don’t have a great deal of screen time they do the best with what they are given. Ray Fisher is given very little to do other than look sullen. His character is not dealing well with becoming part man and part machine and only begins to grow into something interesting once he takes on the mantle of hero. Fisher’s Cyborg is underutilized and is difficult to fit into these other superheroes since his is the least known of the group. Perhaps there’s a better storyline in the future for Cyborg but his appearance in “Justice League” is poorly thought out.

The leaders of the group are clearly Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. The pair takes turns being the grownup of the league. The fight against their foe together, bicker, nearly come to blows then realize they can never beat Steppenwolf if they don’t work together. There are no real surprises as it concerns the way the story flows or how Affleck’s and Gadot’s characters rise to the challenge of leading a team of strangers into a life and death battle. What is a surprise is how bored Affleck looks. Rumors have swirled for months that he wants out of playing Batman despite his protestations to the contrary. That talk has flared again just at the movie was released with Jake Gyllenhaal being the most mentioned name to replace Affleck. If Affleck’s performance in “Justice League” is any indication of his enthusiasm for the role then Gyllenhaal should show up for a bat suit fitting ASAP.

The story races through the fairly standard arc of the good guys being unable to defeat the bad guy on a couple of occasions, nearly coming apart due to some internal struggle then rallying to face the bad guy one more time. It is about as predictable as the return of Superman although how he’s brought back from the dead left me scratching my head. While I won’t give away any of the details, the scene at the end of “BvS” where the dirt on his casket is floating can be ignored. It’s like screenwriter Chris Terrio read the comic books where Superman returned after being killed by Doomsday and said, “You think that’s silly? Hold my beer.” The numerous moving parts of Superman’s revival are so Rube Goldberg-like in their complexity (not to mention dealing with alien technology and the physiology of an alien that’s been dead for quite some time) that even in the anything-goes world of super heroes it stretches credibility.

The weakest aspect of “Justice League” has to be the villain Steppenwolf. The issue isn’t just because he’s a CG character but that he isn’t terribly interesting. His mission is to destroy the world and we’ve seen that a million times and in better movies (*cough – The Avengers – cough*). Steppenwolf is nothing much more than a bully…granted he’s about nine feet tall, carries a glowing axe and commands an army of flying soldiers but still, he’s kind of dull as big bads go. Considering all the villains in the DC library of bad guys Steppenwolf is a dud.

“Justice League” is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action. There are numerous battles with beings both human and non-human. There is no blood except for some green parademon blood. There is scattered mild foul language.

I really wanted to love “Justice League” as I was a DC Comics reader and subscriber in my youth. I was seriously invested in the lives of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and whoever else made up the rest of the league in the 1970’s. It was an escape from my humdrum life as a kid in school that desperately wanted to be a super powered hero. There’s still a little of that desire running through me despite my grown up knowledge that I’m not from Krypton, I’m not a billionaire, that getting struck by lightning won’t give me super speed, that I’m not the son of the Atlantean king, that cybernetic parts won’t let me hack into any computer system and that I’m not an Amazon princess (that last one really stings). Since I can’t be a superhero I want to be able to enjoy movies about them. “Justice League” isn’t awful but it isn’t the rapturous experience I wanted and that hurts me a little bit.

“Justice League” gets three stars out of five.

This holiday week sees two new movies arriving at theatres. I’ll see and review at least one of the following:

Coco—

Roman J. Israel, Esq.—

Listen to The Fractured Frame podcast on all the podcast platforms. Follow me on Twitter @moviemanstan and send emails to stanthemovieman123@gmail.com.

Review of “Wonder Woman”

On the island of Themyscira, hidden by an invisibility shield, the Amazons, a race of female warriors, live in peace. Led by Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), the Amazons are immortal, created by the King of the Greek gods Zeus to battle his son Ares the god of war who was jealous of his father’s creation, humankind. Ares was narrowly defeated and went into hiding but Zeus was mortally wounded. His last act was to create a weapon that could kill a god in the event Ares returned. Hippolyta’s daughter Diana (Gal Gadot) has wanted to be trained as an Amazon warrior since childhood but her mother refused. Secretly the Queen’s sister Antiope (Robin Wright), the greatest warrior of the Amazons, has been training Diana and she is showing a level of ability that actually frightens her sister Amazons. One day the peace of Themyscira is shattered when a German plane crashes just off shore. The pilot is an American working as a spy for the British named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Diana witnesses the crash and saves Steve but soon a group of German soldiers come through the invisibility shield and attacks the island in an effort to capture the spy. The Germans have guns but the Amazons have centuries of battle experience and soon defeat the soldiers but Antiope is killed in the battle. Steve wants to return to the war in Europe known as the war to end all wars as he has evidence that General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) a leader of the German military has been working with Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya) a chemist that makes chemical weapons and they have a new weapon that could kill millions but Hippolyta refuses to release him for fear of exposing the island. Diana believes Ares is responsible for the war and wants to go with Steve back into the world and slay Ares with a sword she calls the God Killer believing that will end the war. Diana gathers various weapons, including a lasso that compels those caught in it to tell the truth, a shield and the God Killer, and intends to leave with Steve in secret on a small sailboat but Hippolyta catches them. She knows she can’t stop her daughter from leaving with Steve and tells her she may not be able to return to Themyscira. Diana understands and she and Steve leave. Hippolyta is concerned for Diana’s safety, fearing Ares will find her but also worried that Diana will find out a secret the Queen has been keeping from her.

A movie version of “Wonder Woman” has been in the works for 20 years. Several directors and writers including Ivan Reitman and Joss Whedon have been involved at one point or another. Every A-List actress from Sandra Bullock to Angelina Jolie has been rumored to be up for the lead. Making this movie has had more twists and turns than an overwritten comic book. Now, after all the time and effort, we finally get to see the Amazon princess on the big screen. It was worth the wait.

“Wonder Woman” is successful primarily due to the performance of Gal Gadot. While the audience wants to see the super heroic daring do, the script by Allan Heinberg gives us a Diana that is certainly unprepared for everything other than fighting. The role of women in the 1910’s is certainly foreign to the Amazon as well as the fashion of the time. The hierarchy of government and the military also doesn’t make much sense to her as well as the cold reality of letting soldiers die to avoid upsetting the armistice negotiations. We watch Diana not only discover her place as a hero, we see her learn about a world that isn’t as black and white as life and Themyscira. Some of these are harder lessons than she is expecting and Gadot manages to avoid playing the role like a child. Diana asks legitimate questions that still have no satisfactory answers to this day.

Chris Pine is also very good as Steve Trevor. The spy with skills but and “aw shucks” attitude transforms from a pretty good guy to a very good person over the course of the film. It’s nice that some of what makes Diana a hero rubs off on the soldier. It is a subtle but convincing performance that never strains your willingness to believe.

What might shake your confidence is some of the CGI during the battle scenes. Of course the actions shown on screen would be impossible in real life but the CG characters don’t look real at times especially when Diana is throwing people around with the lasso. While the movements are impressive, the visuals are lacking. I would have preferred something that was maybe a bit less showy and looked more realistic.

The story also drags a bit early on when Diana and Steve are in London. While I enjoyed the humor of the scenes of Diana trying on clothes and questioning how she could be expected to fight in them they did go on too long. Also, when our main characters are reporting what Ludendorff and Maru are plotting to the government that also feels a padded out. Maybe the idea was to hammer home the inequality women faced no matter how qualified or experienced they might be but it seemed like unnecessarily beating a dead horse.

“Wonder Woman” is rated PG-13 for some suggestive content, sequences of violence and action. Since the film is set in World War I there are scenes of battle and shooting with people shown dead or with significant injuries including missing limbs. We also see people shot and killed with arrows. Wonder Woman also doesn’t mind ending the life of a bad guy and does so in various ways including with her sword but no gore is shown. A male character is shown nude covering his genitals with his hand. There is little to no foul language.

Unlike “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Wonder Woman” is actually lighthearted at times. The uncomfortable but sweet chemistry early on between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine is adorable and parts of Diana adjusting to the human world are funny. I hope this signifies a change in tone for future DC films as a superhero movie shouldn’t make you want to end your life. We’ll have to wait and see if the lighter trend continues when “Justice League” comes out in November. Until then we have a DC film that is actually enjoyable with only a few minor issues that don’t include a humorless tone and confusing editing. What a nice change of pace.

“Wonder Woman” gets four stars out of five.

This week things that go bump in the night, four-legged loyalty and the possible beginning of a new monster movie franchise are arriving on screens near you. I’ll see and review at least one of the following:

It Comes at Night—

Megan Leavey—

The Mummy—

Follow me on Twitter @moviemanstan and send emails to stanthemovieman@comcast.net.

Review of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”

After witnessing the massive destruction in Metropolis and aiding in the rescue of some of his employees, billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who also fights crime across the bay in Gotham City as Batman, decides measures need to be taken to protect the citizens of Earth from a being who could conceivably destroy it. Alexander “Lex” Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) agrees and uses his considerable power and wealth to gain access to the spaceship that brought General Zod (Michael Shannon) and the other Kryptonians to Earth believing there may be a way to defend against Superman (Henry Cavill) amongst its technology. Lex has also been scouring the sights where other alien technology crashed and has discovered a large glowing green rock of kryptonite. Lex knows it will weaken and possibly kill Superman and so does Batman. Meanwhile, Kentucky Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) is holding hearings on Superman and his actions, caused by his rescue of Lois Lane (Amy Adams) from an African warlord and the deaths of several innocent villagers. Looking to gain information about Lex and his involvement in criminal activities, Bruce Wayne attends a reception at Lex’s home. While there he runs into Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) who has taken a piece of technology Bruce was using to spy on Lex. With Bruce distrustful of a super powered alien and Lex Luthor plotting and pulling strings in the background, the stage is set for a showdown of massive proportions with the last son of Krypton.

Very few movies have been as highly anticipated as “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Ever since it was announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2013, fan boys and the internet clamored for the tiniest nugget of news, set photos and fuzzy cell phone footage. The film, the kickoff of DC /Warner Bros. Pictures extended movie universe, was obviously an attempt to cash in on the comic book movie craze started by Marvel/Disney. However, instead of introducing one character at a time in their own stand-alone movies like Marvel/Disney did, DC/Warner Bros. decided to give us three of the heaviest hitters in their line up in one movie: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. These characters and the story of the movie are meant to set up 10 or more films featuring Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash, Green Lantern and Shazam along with the super team of Justice League. I expected tons of CG special effects, explosions, destruction and the titular fight between Batman and Superman; but what I didn’t expect was such a plodding, tedious, convoluted and largely ineffective goulash of a movie.

While there isn’t much that’s good about “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” I will start with what I liked. All the worries about Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman were unfounded. Affleck handles the dual role as well as a script this bad can allow. Affleck treats both Bruce and the Bat as individuals. His performance is nuanced in a way that creates a clear division between the two even when Bruce is doing some detecting and Batman is trying to be caring and compassionate in a scene near the film’s end. Affleck may not have been everyone’s choice when his casting was announced (myself included) but he shows he’s worthy of the cape and cowl.

Gal Gadot’s casting as Wonder Woman also received a fair amount of fanboy hate; however, she also is very good. Able to be sultry as Diana Prince and a kickass warrior as Wonder Woman, Gadot’s performance should silence most of her critics. While she doesn’t have that much screen time as either character she makes quite an impression nonetheless.

Not everyone comes off as well as Affleck and Gadot as Jesse Eisenberg makes some odd and unfortunate choices in his performance as Lex Luthor. Eisenberg, either by choice or direction, turns Lex into something of a rambling madman. He gives a nearly incoherent toast at a fundraiser held at his home that sounded like he was having a mental breakdown or a stroke. His interactions with people are filled with odd and inappropriate gestures, such as putting a piece of candy in a senator’s mouth. Lex is super intelligent and obscenely wealthy but he has some serious daddy issues and a wildly inflated sense of self-importance. All these things go into making an interesting super villain but the external choices made in playing the role turn Lex into mostly a distraction rather than a threat.

Henry Cavill continues to play Clark Kent/Superman as seriously as he did in “Man of Steel.” His role in this film is nearly relegated to that of supporting player as the movie focuses primarily on Batman. Cavill is a perfect physical choice to play Superman. He may not be the best actor but he certainly has the face and body for the role. Cavill and Amy Adams still share absolutely no chemistry as a romantic couple. Their one scene where they are supposed to be playful together in a bathtub is rather uncomfortable to watch. Adams sometimes looks like she isn’t sure what to do despite her role largely being limited to either that of a supportive or concerned girlfriend to an alien.

The rest of the cast does as well as can be expected with the only standout being Jeremy Irons as Alfred. Irons manages to be a voice of reason and snark to Bruce Wayne. While Bruce usually ignores Alfred’s advice Irons delivers his lines with both a sense of concern and thoughtfulness.

The story of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is extraordinarily complicated. What it boils down to is Batman doesn’t trust Superman, Lex doesn’t like either of them so he plots to insure they battle and kill each other. That simple plan gets rolled up into congressional hearings, human trafficking, African terrorists, Russian mobsters, alien monsters and more. Wading through the labyrinthine plot will test the attention and endurance of most moviegoers. The jumpy editing doesn’t help make the story any more coherent. Scenes start and end abruptly with sudden changes of location, tone and character. It makes it so the audience is getting yanked in multiple directions for no apparent reason. It all combines to turn what should have been a fun and exciting movie into a torture test that takes childhood memories of our heroes and grinds them into dust.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality. There are numerous fights of various types throughout the film. Some are more violent and graphic than others. Guns and knives are uses and we see people shot and stabbed but there is no blood or gore. We see Superman use his heat vision to kill people in a dream sequence but that is also not graphic. One character is shown being impaled through the chest. The bathtub scene is the sensuality of the film although Gal Gadot does wear some revealing dresses as Diana Prince. Foul language amounts to two instances that I remember and both are mild.

I generally base my reviews on how entertaining I found the film. In this instance, I am tying my level of entertainment to a bodily function that I will keep as clinical as possible. When I saw “The Dark Knight” with a running time of two hours and 32 minutes I needed to go relieve myself pretty urgently by the end but wasn’t in any hurry for the movie to be over because I loved it so much. When I saw “The Avengers” in 2012 it clocked in at two hours and 23 minutes and by the end I had a full bladder. While I could feel the need to go to the bathroom, I didn’t care as I was mesmerized by what I saw on screen and didn’t want it to end. By the end of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” my bladder was again full but I was more than grateful for the film to be over so I could take care of business. If a film can’t take my mind off the need to go to the bathroom then it doesn’t have my attention and it hasn’t been entertaining. It may be a crude method of determining the quality of a movie but it is rather accurate.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” gets one star.

This week there is only one new film in wide release so a couple of art house movies are on the radar. I’ll see and review at least one of these:

God’s Not Dead 2—

Hello, My Name is Doris—

Knight of Cups—

Follow me on Twitter @moviemanstan and send emails to stanthemovieman@comcast.net.