Quick takes on 5 films

I enjoyed Wreck It Ralph, but liked the sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, even more. Taking place years after the first, Ralph enjoys the routine of his life, but little Vanellope wants more adventure in her life. When her racing arcade machine becomes broken, the duo ride the newly installed wifi router to the internet, and a whole new universe opens up. Ostensibly there to replace the broken part in Vanellope’s machine, she instead finds a new racing game with greater action, and meets new friends in the process. Ralph of course wants her to return to the arcade with him. It’s a great movie for all ages, dealing with codependent relationships and the meaning of true friendship, but has plenty of laughs for young and older alike (like visual throwbacks for my generation, such as the broken “Geocities” sign in the internet graveyard).

Shoplifters was a smash hit in its native Japan last year, and won the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival too. It is about an extended family riding the line between poverty and all-out homelessness. Most of the family income comes from the grandmother’s pension, but everyone has a job, including a factory worker, a launderer, and a hostess club worker. The man of the house is teaching his youngest son, Shota, how to stealthily steal from local stores to also support the family. One night they come across a young girl who has obviously been abused by her parents, and bring her home with them. The film shows their daily ins and outs for quite awhile, and we get to know each family member intimately. When the grandmother dies though, we find that everyone has been keeping secrets. Though I thought the biggest revelations were telegraphed a bit too much, that didn’t take away from the fact that it is a tremendous and emotional film, about what makes up the true definition of family.

Monsters and Men received some accolades for shining a light on racial tensions that still prevail in the USA, and specifically, the sometimes murky truths when a black man is shot by white cops and the obvious anger by the black community when this happens. In the film, the man is killed, and all is captured by a cell phone camera, purportedly showing the man was not being belligerent and there were in fact 6 cops surrounding him when he was shot. It has good points and some strong scenes. However, some parts are hard for me personally to swallow, such as when a black adult woman says all the man was doing was resisting arrest, and she asks if that makes him deserving of getting shot. I can sympathize with a community who is always targeted, I get the anger and apprehension to police officers in that scenario, and I know I can never truly understand what a man of color goes through in his life, but if I ever find myself getting arrested, I know the last thing I would do is resist, whether I know I’m guilty or not. When a couple white cops are ambushed and killed, you think the pressure is going to ratchet up, but instead the film shifts focus to a young teenager in the area and his views on what is going on around him. This young man potentially has a bright future, but he is willing to throw it away for the groundswelling movement. It’s a decent, raw, unflinching movie, and I’m sure it will resonate more with a black person than this white boy, but I still think you can avoid a lot of problems in life by staying away from situations liable to put you in trouble. Fun fact: the main character, the black cop who tries to balance the color of his skin with his fellow officers and their collective views towards his race, is played by John David Washington, son of none other than Denzel.

Ben is Back is a decent independent movie, but it should be a lot more based on its cast, headed by Julia Roberts. It is about a young man who comes home from Christmas, but rather than welcomed with open arms, he faces hostility because he is a long-time drug addict. Ben seems to be telling the truth, that his sponsor said it was OK to leave the sober living facility for the day, but his step-dad and younger sister in particular don’t trust him at all, whereas his mother Holly thinks only the best about him. As he does more and more secretive things, the viewer starts to wonder if he is still sober or not. The film develops into an almost thriller/drama. The plot is a bit contrived and the dialogue is honestly rough at times, almost like it is based off a bad young adult novel, but overall not a terrible film. Good acting by Lucas Hedges as Ben (his father Peter Hedges wrote and directed, and he also wrote About a Boy and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape).

To round it up, of course I had to see Captain Marvel on opening weekend. Anyone who’s read my blog knows I’m a diehard for the Marvel films, and have generally liked them all. This one is an origin story, taking place in the mid-90s (the first to go back in time in the Marvel series since way back in 2011 with the first Captain America film). It tells how Captain Marvel came into her powers, portrayed magnificently by badass Brie Larson. I’m sure Marvel hoped for the best but feared the worst when she was cast; Larson has done a number of big blockbusters but has shined more in her small independent films (remember, she won an Oscar for Room back in 2016). As it turned out, there was nothing to fear. She commands the screen in this film. It follows her as she kicks ass and finds out about herself, and in doing so, sets up the start of the Avengers. A great backstory which seems to perfectly set up the final Avengers film (Avengers: Endgame is due in just about a month). For a series that started over 10 years ago and now stands at 21 movies and 11 television shows (with more on the way), it has grown to be quite the juggernaut, and somehow they just keep pumping out great stuff.