SCOOB! - Review

In today’s age of decade long build ups for crossover films, the prospect of a cinematic universe of classic cartoon characters seems extremely appealing. Doubly so if those characters regularly crossed over with each other in their original incarnations as well. That’s what makes “Scoob!” so appealing: it’s essentially Warner Bros. testing the waters for a potential Hanna Barbara cinematic universe!

As a first step in this kind of plan, it unfortunately leans far closer to another first step in a cinematic universe by WB, “Man of Steel” than something like “Iron Man.” It’s a great incarnation of these classic characters, but they constantly feel like they’re shoved into somebody else’s film.

Despite initial woes, Will Forte (“The Willoughbys,” “Last Man on Earth”) as Shaggy is delightful. He might not be a perfect vocal match for the classic hipster, but he nails the heart of the character, as well as the various vocal tics and mannerisms. Frank Welker (“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!,” “The Transformers: The Movie”), the voice of Scooby-Doo since 2001, returns and is as wonderful and iconic as he’s always been.

The rest of the voices are a mixed bag. Fred, Daphne, and Velma are voiced by Zac Efron (“High School Musical,” “Neighbors”), Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia!,” “Les Misérables”), and Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin,” “Annihilation”) this time around, and while they aren’t terrible, their vocals reek of celebrity casting syndrome. It feels like they were cast because of their names, not because they best embodied the characters. Mark Wahlburg (“Ted,” “Lone Survivor”) and Ken Jeong (“The Hangover,” “Community”) fair far better as Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, since you can actually tell they’re putting forth effort. Kiersey Clemmons (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” “Hearts Beat Loud”) as Dee Dee Sykes would be worth mentioning if the film actually did anything with her, as she constantly feels like the screenwriters forgot she existed.

Thankfully there is a giant bright spot, and its Jason Issacs (“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “The Death of Stalin”) as Dick Dasterdly, the antagonist of the film. His version of the classic cartoon maniac is weird and overtly British in a great way. It isn’t as iconic as Paul Winchell’s old performance from “Wacky Races,” but it’s still pretty good.

It’s not a coincidence that the film’s antagonist is a classic Hanna Barbara character, as the entire film is choked full of Easter eggs and sight gags that pay homage to the long history of Scooby-Doo and other Barbara properties. There are billboards for “Pitstop Perfume”, a Hot Dog stand with the name Casey plastered on it introduces Shaggy, and a sequence in an amusement park features posters for The Hex Girls and The Banana Splits, with arcade cabinets for the Laff-A-Lympics and Wacky Races.

Unfortunately, these great Easter eggs are about as good as the movie gets. It’s just a generic hero’s journey story, the exact same Warner Bros. expertly parodied in “The LEGO Movie”, with the Mystery Inc. gang shoved in the middle. Not once does it truly feel like it’s a film that they belong in, rather like an existing script they were retrofitted into.

It’s not all bad though. There are plenty of set piece moments that perfectly recapture the whiz-bang cheesiness of the original Scooby spirit. An early sequence in a bowling alley is a particular delight, and whenever things get actiony, the sound effects and squash and stretch techniques of the old Hanna Barbara days shine through. It’s just a shame that all of that is bogged down under a cliched to all hell storyline, and some truly groan worthy jokes. There are even tiny robotic Minion stand-ins, and a really dumb extended celebrity cameo. And yes, Scooby-Doo did have a whole series based around celebrity cameos, but this one in particular is just stupid.

The animation also looks rather cheap. While there are moments of beautiful creativity, like the overall use of bright colors, the fur texturing on Scooby and other animals, and the way they nail the old school stilted animation of the 60’s show, most of the other sequences feel flat, cheap, and lifeless, like an (intentionally) direct to DVD film.

That’s the worst part about all this; there are better Scooby-Doo films you can find direct to DVD from the early 2000s. What “Scoob!” delivers is a decently animated film with a cliched plotline, so-so voice acting, some really groan worthy jokes, all mixed in with some great physical comedy, an actually pretty good third act, and some cross-over moments that will make any Boomerang kid happy. It’s not as bad as the live-action films, but at least those had the spirit of the source material down. This feels more like a overly mediocre film wearing a rubber Scooby mask. 2.5/5

The Half of It - Review

 

It easy to trivialize “The Half of It” and sum it up as a quaint teen romance movie that serves its purpose well and nothing more. And while that might technically be true, it’s the smaller details within its plot and filmmaking, as well as the terrific performances that make this a standout romance for any orientation and any age.

Directed and written by Alice Wu (“Saving Face,” “Over the Moon”), the film features many stylings typical of independent film. Had Netflix not snapped this up, its easy to see a studio like Focus Features, Annapurna, or even A24 (though it might be a bit too happy for their tastes) having put it out. The world is clean and features a muted color palette, but this is all on purpose.

Wu clearly knows when to let locations, colors, and cinematography take over and when static shots will suffice. It almost seems like a plot device, letting the colors take over when things need more color to communicate the happenings.

These might seem like rudimentary techniques, but for the romance genre, specifically the teen romance genre, its almost revolutionary. To see a filmmaker approach a film like this with some actual skill instead of shooting it like a sitcom is nothing short of a miracle. It helps to not only make the film more watchable, but more memorable as well.

Anyone familiar with the tale Cyrano de Bergerac, or its more well-known film counterpart Steve Martin’s Roxanne, knows the story here. Guy like girl but is too afraid he won’t know what to say, so he enlists in the help of a smarter stranger to write letters for him. The twist here is all about the main character and smarter stranger Ellie Chu.

Ellie is queer and an immigrant, and while we get more details on her birth and moving to the U.S. than here queerness, both are quietly revolutionary. The film doesn’t ever call her gay, a lesbian, bisexual, or anything of the like, instead allowing her attraction to just exist. There is some of the requisite “sinner” talk in the latter half of the film, but for the most part Ellie’s attraction is allowed to exist just as an attraction.

Some easy comparisons could be made to the friendship that blossoms between Ellie and Paul, the guy who hires her to write for him, and the “lesbian and himbo” meme culture that has popped up recently, but their bond is a highlight of the film.

It’s a friendship that evolves naturally and with ease, which only makes it more fun to watch the two of them get along and involve themselves in each other’s lives. Take out the romance plot, and you’d still have an engaging and charming story of two opposite people becoming friends.

Leah Lewis (“Charmed,” “Nancy Drew”) plays Ellie with a quiet and stern attitude that only sees her coming out of her shell more as the film progresses. Daniel Diemer (“The Man in the High Castle”) might speak with a slight monotone, but that also fades as the film progresses and his doofy charm and slightly askew mannerisms come into play.

“The Half of It” is a movie about finding joy in the unexpected pleasures. It features a football star who wants to become famous for cooking, not for playing football. It features a queer twist on a classic tale that seems so extremely effortless and it features the most mature incorporation of queerness in any recent romance because its never pointed out directly.

Like previously stated, its easy to write off “The Half of It” because of what it appears to be, but like the characters within, its what’s on the inside that makes it so extremely charming and easy to watch. It’s a well-made romance with intelligence put into it, not dumbed down or easy to swallow for mass audience appeal. To call it a charming film isn’t even the half of it. 4/5

Senior Thesis Video: Birds Of Prey: How to Kill the Male Gaze using a Clown and Camp

My senior seminar presentation video, in which I detail the history of Harley Quinn, Camp film, the Male Gaze, and how Birds of Prey uses Camp to surgically counteract the Male Gaze and the typical incorruptible female superhero films.