Wildwood - There is Still Magic in this World

    LAIKA may be the only western animation studio that takes the medium seriously anymore! 

    While Disney/PIXAR continues to pretend that it's still an innovative powerhouse, they will never create anything on par with their renaissance years, and we are only fooling ourselves in believing they ever could! DreamWorks is technically better, and has had a more impressive track record as of late (their ridiculous live-action remake of How to Train your Dragon notwithstanding), but more often than not, they still fall into the "made for TikTok" vibe, where they assume their audiences only have five-second attention spans (mostly because they likely do). 

    But the folks at LAIKA, despite one or two missteps, not only continue to innovate and reinvigorate stop-motion, they do so with a storytelling prowess that does not compromise, nor dilutes its mature-oriented themes, narratives, and characters. LAIKA doesn't just create handcrafted works of art; they make us feel alive! 

    Wildwood, LAIKA's latest offering, is not only a fantastic display of epic stop-motion animation and craft, it is a fantastical story of loss, love, and the courage to do what is right, no matter how scary or dangerous it may be. This is a magical story on par with the likes of The Chronicles of Narnia (minus the Christian allegories), and I could not help myself but love every moment of this film! 

    Based on the novel written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, the story follows a young girl named Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), who lives in Portland Oregon with her loving parents and baby brother, whom she adores more than anyone else in the whole world. One day, she decides to take her brother out on a bike ride through town (against her parent's wishes), and enjoy a grand day out. However, the day is suddenly ruined when a murder of Crows snatch up Prue's baby brother, and carry him away into the mysterious woods outside of town. Determined to rescue her little sibling, Prue ventures into the unknown territory, where she encounters many strange things, including talking animals, and finds herself in the middle of an age-old conflict, centering around a woman named Governess Alexandria (Carey Mulligan), a grieving mother and leader of a dark army, seeking a means of reuniting with her lost son, and Prue's little brother may be the key! What follows is an epic adventure of grief, magic, the need to fight for what's right, and the ultimate power of love in all its forms. 

    Unlike most animated fair from any of the other aforementioned studios, LAIKA isn't afraid of being authentic and down-to-earth with its creations; Wildwood is the new example of that proclamation! It has many of the classic fantasy elements you might expect from a story like this, but it does not shy away from story turns involving "darker" directions such as denial, devastation, and death. This is the kind of film that people of my generation grew up watching that most studios are too cowardly to make anymore, and LAIKA delivers in spades! 

    Needless to say, the animation is ASTONISHING! When you examine every frame, every little detail, every nuanced mannerism from the characters, and then remember that it was all made by hand over the course of fifteen years, suddenly every little detail becomes significantly more admirable. 

    Of course, all of this super-impressive animation doesn't mean as much as it should, without a proper narrative to carry it all, which, like the visuals, delivers in spades! The characters are believable, the protagonist is instantly likable (not only through her love for her baby brother, but also in her proactivity and agency), and the overall conflict rings a few more bells than expected, reminding us all of why we continue to fight for what's right, even when the odds are so stacked against us. It is a beautiful example of my favorite quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: 

    "If a man hasn't found something he's willing to die for, he isn't fit to live!"

    While Wildwood may not be my favorite LAIKA film (that distinction remains with Paranorman, and NOT for the obvious reasons 😂), I am comfortable calling it their magnum opus! This is the film that gives me a glimmer of hope for Cinema outside of Hollywood, and I implore you all to see and support this amazing film. It is a love letter to storytellers, creators, outside-the-box thinkers, and those deemed "weird" with pride. Wherever you are, you owe it to yourself to go see this film the moment you finish reading this review! 

    Why aren't you watching it right this minute? 

ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading. 

NOW GO SEE IT, PLEASE!!!

Clayface - Molded into Near Perfection

    I once said about the Star Wars franchise that it would benefit more from branching out with different genres and styles; it never occurred to me until now that the same could be said for any other brand or franchise, especially DC Studios. While last years Superman was a golden winner, their follow up with Supergirl wasn't as much of a home run as it should have been, what with it trying too hard to recreate the essence of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy series, and featuring a protagonist who wasn't as relatable or likable as she really should have been. 

    But, that could all change for the better with the release of their latest offering, Clayface: a feature film about a relatively obscure member of Batman's rouges gallery that goes all in on its potential, and it is well worth every gooey moment. 

    For those who may not know or would appreciate a quick refresher, Clayface is one of Batman's classic villains who, like so many, has gone through a few different incarnations and interpretations, though the new film seems to be taking most of its notes from the version featured in Batman: The Animated Series, which is arguably the most popular iteration, and has the most potential for a good horror thriller. 

    The story follows a successful movie star named Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), who is on the rise to stardom in Hollywood and is on the road to making his dreams come true. Unfortunately, all those dreams come crashing down when, after a one-night-stand with a mob boss's girlfriend, he gets his face horribly cut up and destroyed, rendering him unable to work and perform ever again. After spending his fortune trying and failing to rebuild his face, loosing his friends, and watching his career swirling down the toilet, he finds an untested opportunity to gain it all back, with the help of an experimental treatment that could rejuvenate his face and his life. However, this chance at a new beginning may come at a price he is unprepared for, as the procedure appears to be doing more than just fixing his mug; granting him unusual and potentially dangerous abilities. 

    Will Matt Hagen use this unusual gift to further better himself, or will the temptation for revenge overwhelm him too much? 

    This is the classic case of the tragic villain: a character you understand and sympathize with (at least to a degree), and want to see do better, only to watch in horror as his greater demons take hold. It's actually a near perfect expansion of the themes and concepts presented in Batman: The Animated Series, where they hinted at the greater implications of the character, but couldn't go too deep into it, due to the fact that the show was still intended for younger audiences (mostly). Although the creators of the series managed to push the concepts as far as they reasonably could, they still could have taken it much further if the times had permitted. 

    The film does what the original animated show could not: take a concept that is ripe for mature horror and go all in with everything the character is capable of and willing to do. It may not be pretty, but it's a bit more relatable than you might think. 

    The script, penned by Hossein Amini and Mike Flanagan (one of my heroes), succeeds in creating a story of loss, revenge, and ones true self within an unusual framework wrapped around comic-book science, while maintaining a strong sense of humanity and verisimilitude, or at least as much as they can with a script about a shape-shifting man. Coupled with James Watkins' tactful and considerate direction, the film succeeds in delivering a horror story on par with the likes of, dare I say, The Invisible Man. 

    Clayface is a greater surprise than it has any right to be. Its take on a relatively obscure comic book villain and elevates what making a "comic book" movie can mean. While it may not be the first of its kind, it's nice to know that there are still creatives working in the mainstream world who now what they're doing, and care enough to make it the best it can be. It's not a masterpiece, but it's damn near close. 

    Give it a shot, if you're not too squeamish at a little body horror. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading. 

I don't know what's going to happen

My Beautiful Readers,

    First, please forgive my absence in recent weeks. Although I have seen and enjoyed some fine films (along with a few terrible stinkers), I have found myself less motivated to sit down and write a review for them. Partially due to my mind being occupied with a number of other things, and partially due to...well, I don't know how else to describe it other than "a lack of excitement."

    Something has shifted (either within me or outside myself; I can't tell) that has altered my feelings toward writing these reviews and commentaries, and while I do still enjoy writing them (I think), my mind and heart have been pulling my focus on other things. 

    Therefore, while I am not giving up on this blog entirely, I am saying that my absence will likely continue for a while longer. I cannot say when I may return, but I hope to do so soon. 

    In the meantime, I offer you all my best wishes, and I look forward to when I may return to helping you determine what stories are truly worthy of your time or not. Until then, please stay safe, and keep on creating; our very lives may depend upon it. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.