Movie Review - Klaus (Netflix Original)

I'm a big fan of experimental animation, even though most of the time the experiment fails. But when it succeeds, oh how it succeeds!

Klaus is a 2019 animated Christmas film from Netflix. It is rated PG for rude humor but is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Animation. The animation was gorgeous. It was 2-D animation shaded to look 3-D, but because it was 2-D it was very fluid and nice to look at and looked painted instead of plastic.

Story/Concept. The story is basically where Santa Claus and writing to him came from. This was a clever approach and story that was fresh but classic.

The Bad

Main Character. The filmmakers made the main character such an exaggerated caricature of a spoiled rich kid that was really difficult to care about him until he changed significantly halfway thru the film.

Feud. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the main character had been more likable and the feud had been dropped. There was enough conflict and drama without it. This also would have helped make the first third less slow and less painful to get thru.

Overall

Klaus is an entertaining family film once you get thru the boring and painful first third. The animation is gorgeous. The story of how Santa came to be and why kids started to write to him is clever. Once you pass the first third of the film, the characters are interesting and you care about them and what happens to them. The ending was really nice. I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

Movie Review - Frozen II

The first Frozen film was pretty good, but I wasn't sure where they were going to go with that. Sequels tend to either be a repeat of the first film, or the next chapter in a bigger story. Frozen didn't seem to have a bigger story, so I was fearing a bad remake of the first film.

Frozen II is a 2019 cgi animated fantasy family film by Disney. It is rated PG but is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Story/Approach. The filmmakers were really smart to make this movie completely different than the first one. Where the first one was a romantic comedy that make fun of Disney Princess film troupes, this film was a fantasy adventure exploring the origin of Elsa's powers.

The Bad

Pacing. This film was a little slow and dragged in places.

Character Development. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable.

Comedy/Age Range. This movie was made for small children with the humor being very silly and simple. The story and action were also geared for a younger audience so while the film had the potential to be great, it wasn't clever enough or smart enough.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the characters had been more developed and the comedy more sophisticated.

Overall

Frozen II is an entertaining fantasy adventure appropriate for the whole family. The filmmakers were really smart to make this movie completely different than the first one. Where the first one was a romantic comedy that make fun of Disney Princess film troupes, this film was a fantasy adventure exploring the origin of Elsa's powers. Unfortunately, the movie was made for a young audience,  with unsophisticated humor and a pretty obvious story and plot twists. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable. The music was good, but not nearly as classic as the original. I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

AudioBook Review - The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia

I'm not the biggest fan of political satire or comedic social commentary, because it tends to be really obvious and negative. It's rare to find something clever and not mean spirited. But every once in a while...

The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia is an Audible Original scifi comedy. It is available only as an Audiobook.

The Good

Comedy. This book is very funny using insurance to make a lot of really funny jabs at the bizarre things going on in the world and with the government. And it leans slightly conservative which is really refreshing.

Story. The story is pretty simple and straightforward, but takes a unique approach and does a good job exploring several different angles of that approach.

Characters. Most of the characters are very likable being slight variations on classic troupes.

The Bad

Villain. The main villain was a little too "classic black moustache" and could have used a little more originality.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia is a fun, clever comedy that uses insurance as the vehicle to make a lot of really funny comments on society and the strange things the government has done recently. The characters are variations on classic troupes but are still enjoyable. It's a short story that covers a lot of ground in under three hours. I recommend this book and give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.

   

 

The Christmas Clock - Annual Christmas Card