The Wedding Ringer (2015)

"You can hide a fat ass in some baggy pants, but you cannot hide a bad dancer." -Jimmy

I feel like this movie has been made before.  Nothing in it was new.  Nothing.  The best part is 20 seconds of Josh Gad dancing with Kevin Hart. Josh Gad has moves. Beyond that, and the occasional situational comedy laugh, nothing.  Nothing. Kevin Hart is funny.  I just can't really bring myself to like any of his movies or his movie banter. Not even, NFL greats Joe Namath, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, and John Riggins can save this disaster. Jorge Garcia and Aaron Takahashi, please be in more movies. In short, I do not recommend The Wedding Ringer on any level, but if you happen to be in the mood for a truly mediocre not bad enough to laugh at film at 2am on Thursday, have at it.

On a scale of The Wedding Singer to The Wedding Clinger, I give The Wedding Ringer 1.97 out of 5 stars.    

Mr. Holmes (2015)

"Have you ever been bitten?" -Rodger
"Stung! Bees don't have teeth." -Sherlock Holmes

"Because when you're a detective, and a man comes to see you, it's usually about his wife." -Sherlock Holmes

Short Review: As character studies go, Mr. Holmes is better than most. But, as movies go Mr. Holmes is very strange, British fan service.  If you are obsessed with Sherlock Holmes then this is a must see, if you are not...you can at least appreciate the, as advertised and expected, excellent acting of Sir Ian McKellan. 2.35 out of 5 stars.

Long Review: I think that a-temporal story telling has its place and use. Many films use flashbacks and flash-forwards to control information to an audience, holding it back when necessary, granting it when appropriate. It's not as common to see mismatched timelines as a story device for aging and disjointed memory. Sherlock is getting old and thus he lives in both past and present simultaneously -interesting narrative device, I liked it. The stories;all tragedies, the old, the recent past, and the present were not to my liking and, honestly, a little boring.  I also think that there must have been a make-up change during the filming, because Sir Ian's make-up varied greatly in each time period, and not for the better.  His old man make-up at the beginning of was considerably worse that his old man make-up at the film's conclusion.  Finally, I had no idea that a glass harmonica was an instrument until I watched Mr. Holmes.  I want one.  More glass harmonicas in films please.

On a scale of royal jelly to royal peanut butter, I give Mr. Holmes 2.35 out of 5 stars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQemvyyJ--g  -A glass harmonica video.  Check it out.  

Big Hero 6 (2014)

"Get ready to have your face melted." -Aunt Cass
"Diagnosis: Puberty." -Baymax.

Short Review:  Big Hero 6 is cute and fun. It is not particularly innovative or groundbreaking. Pretty good is good enough for a middling thumbs up. See it if you have kids, are a kid, or just happen upon it in the course of random media consumption. 2.8 out of 5 stars.

Long form review:  I might have given Big Hero 6 a better review if not for the extreme appropriation of a Stargate to finish the film. Stargate was great.  More Stargate please. I just would want others to acknowledge Stargate when appropriating its likenesses.  That said I was extremely impressed with the iconographic use of shape within the design of characters in Big Hero 6. I consider this a sign of next level film making and art design.  Most animated features that employee this technique don't try and hide their efforts as making each character a distinctive shape ( circle, square, triangle, etc.) creates easy differentiation for viewers.  Big Hero 6 still used this template, but did a masterful job of softening their work for a smooth believable world.  I appreciated the design team's efforts to include a variety of body types, and forms, both male and female.  I feel that female characters, in particular, have been limited as to what kinds of body types make the big screen.  People come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and physiques.  Animated people should too. Variety is truer to reality, empowering, and welcome.

Oh and Alan Tudyk can be in anything he likes.

On a scale of Fox Force 5 to the 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, I give Big Hero 6 2.8 out of 5 stars.