“Dolittle” Movie Review

    I haven’t had the opportunity to view many new movies lately while my state has been on lockdown.  Theaters remain closed and even deliveries take quite some time to arrive due to increased orders of essential items from websites such as Amazon.  I finally got a chance to check out the latest remake of “Dolittle” and I was very excited to see something new.

    The film opens up with an animated sequence which sets up the rest of the film showing Doctor John Dolittle and his wife Lily before she passes away while at sea.  Following Lily’s death, Doctor Dolittle has become a recluse and only communicates with the animals he lives with.  Dr. Dolittle is forced to set off on an adventure to save the life of the Queen, much to his dismay.  While on the adventure, Dolittle ends up taking on an apprentice named Tommy, a young boy with a love for all animals as well.

    I went into this film a bit blind as far as the overall tone of the movie.  I enjoyed the Eddie Murphy films but I had never read the source material and I have never seen the original musical adaptation so I was curious how this film would be.  I was pleasantly surprised by how family friendly the movie ended up being.  I figured it wouldn’t be too adult in nature, but you never know these days.

    Much like the original books written by Hugh Lofting, this film is set in Victorian England unlike the contemporary setting of the Eddie Murphy adaptation.  This time frame helped set it apart from the most recent adaptations while also providing a fresh visual palette that the modern setting couldn’t take advantage of.  All of the colorful sets and costumes featured really help you feel engrossed in the setting.

    Now, there are some faults I found in the film which I will now dive into now.  The most distracting aspect of the film for me is how the film uses voices overs to cover exposition and actions not shown on screen, it doesn’t happen often, but it can be a little jarring (it was to me at least).  It almost felt like the filmmakers forgot to film some scenes and just figured a quick ADR session would be a better (and cheaper) solution to reshoots (which to be fair, it is).  Also, there are some beautifully shot scenes in the film and the cinematography is often very good overall, but there are parts with extreme zooms that I found a out of place with the rest of the film.

    The animals and the overall computer animation is very good.  The voice cast including the likes of John Cena and Tom Holland also did a stellar job making the animals feel real.  So many different personalities are displayed with the animals and they often feel the most realistic elements of each scene.

    As far as the human cast of characters goes, they are led by the great Robert Downey Jr. and he seems to be having a blast.  Now this admittedly seems like an odd role for Downey to take post Iron Man, but I think he just wanted to make a different type of movie.  I really enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. in the movie and it was a delight to see him go over the top in the role.  Downey Jr. sets himself apart from Eddie Murphy and Rex Harrison with this adaptation and showcases why he gets paid the big bucks.  I should also point out that despite little screen time, Antonio Banderas absolutely steals his scenes and he managed to make me wonder why he was never cast in a “Pirates of the Caribbean” film.

    In a world consumed by the Coronavirus epidemic, it’s refreshing to see a film like this and know that the author who wrote this came up with the characters during another dark time in the world, World War I.  Even during dark times, light always shines through.  While “Dolittle” isn’t a perfect film, it was still cute and better than I expected with some wonderful performances.

Grade: B

“Dolemite Is My Name” Movie Review

    I have to admit that I have not seen the film “Dolemite” nor have I had much of a desire to see it.  Still, I have always found Rudy Ray Moore to be a rather fascinating celebrity so when I heard there was going to be a movie based on his life, I knew I wanted to see that film.  Interestingly enough the film ended up becoming a Netflix original film even though I have a feeling it might have made a decent amount at the box office had it graced the silver screen.

    The film depicts Rudy Ray Moore’s life from just before he invented the Dolemite character to the opening of the first “Dolemite” movie.  The film opens with Rudy working at a record store and also working at a local nightclub as the establishment’s announcer.  Rudy is hungry to showcase all of his vast skills, but is constantly overlooked.  After listening to some stories of the local homeless community, Rudy creates the character of Dolemite which he debuts at the nightclub he works at (unknowingly to the own) to vast acclaim from the audience. From that moment on, Rudy sets his sights high and decides to bet on himself.

    Being a Netflix film, I really didn’t expect a great deal from this film, but the film ended up far exceeding my expectations.  “Dolemite Is My Name” is currently the best Netflix original movie I have seen this year (if not ever).  I would even go as far as to say the film is one of the best movies of the year.  Everything about the movie clicked in all the right ways and created an entertaining look at one of the most popular figures in African American entertainment.

    The film’s script is sharp and funny and paints Rudy Ray Moore as a very relatable person with big dreams.  I think it was interesting how Rudy Ray Moore was constantly pushed aside when he tried to do a more traditional act (his boss at the nightclub even told him he didn’t want his vaudeville act) and he didn’t achieve recognition until he created a foul mouthed character in Dolemite.  It’s ironic because Rudy even mentions disliking Redd Foxx early in the film because he cursed so much in his comedy act.

    The cast of the film was beyond stellar.  This was the best film Eddie Murphy has done in a long time.  Even though Eddie Murphy doesn’t resemble Rudy Ray Moore much, Murphy does manage to capture his energy and spirit.  The supporting cast is amazing as well.  Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a revelation as Lady Reed and holds her own among many other seasoned professionals.  Keegan-Michael Key is hilarious as screenwriter Jerry Jones.  It also enjoyed the glorified cameos Chris Rock and Snoop Dogg provided in the film.  To my amazement, the biggest treat in this film besides Eddie Murphy in this film is Wesley Snipes.  Wesley Snipes absolutely steals every scene he is in as D’Urville Martin.

    The film is helmed to perfection by Craig Brewer who will next helm Murphy and Snipes again in the sequel to “Coming to America”.  Brewer succeeds in his ability to both showcase the importance of the blaxploitation movement in Hollywood while still providing enough levity to poke fun at how ridiculous elements of it were.  You can’t make a movie about Rudy Ray Moore without loving his work and Brewer clearly appreciates the legend.

    So this is officially an end of an era for me, because I can now officially say I love a Netflix original movie.  I hope I can say the same about “The Irishman” when I get to see it later this month, but I believe this is the first Netflix movie of the year that is a real awards contender.  It’s really that good.

Grade: A

“I Spy” Movie Review

    Once upon a time, I used to go out to the movies at least once a week with my parents (before they sadly passed away) and one movie I remember my dad really wanting to see was “I Spy” because he was a fan of the original show.  I never actually did see the original television show but the film looked funny and I have always been a big Eddie Murphy fan.  This movie has a special place in my heart partly because it reminds me of my dad and I am glad it is finally getting a wide Blu-ray release.

    The film tells the story of a spy named Alex Scott as he is paired with hotshot boxer Kelly Robinson on a mission to recover a stealth fighter named the Switchblade.  The fighter was taken by an arms dealer named Arnold Gundars but Scott and Robinson have to learn how to get along before taking down Gundars and recovering the Switchblade.

    “I Spy” was met with mediocre reviews and was quickly forgotten.  While I don’t think the film was a masterpiece at all, I did find the film to be fun.  The biggest fault I can say about the film is that it played everything a little too safe and was a bit by the numbers.  “I Spy” actually had a few well executed action set pieces but they often got overshadowed by the constant banter of Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson.

    The original television show starred Robert Culp as Kelly Robinson and Bill Cosby as Alex Scott (the film swapped the character’s races around).  Unlike this remake, the television show also featured both men as spies and equals from the very beginning.  The original show had more in common with James Bond than “Beverly Hills Cop”, which is part of the reason many critics considered this film to be a ‘in name only’ remake.

    The original television show also pioneered new grounds by featuring the first black lead actor in a drama series.  Both Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy do a decent job with the material they are given, but they also don’t have much chemistry together either.  Malcolm McDowell as Arnold Gundars is the real scene stealer in my book.

    I actually got a chance to meet Robert Culp before he passed away at the Motor City Comic Con and he ironically autographed an “I Spy” script for me.  I wonder if including Culp and Cosby might have made this remake a little better.  Side note: I did not know that Robert Culp had a grandson who raps (stage name Bones) who was raised in my town of Howell, Michigan.  You learn something interesting everyday and it really is a small world.

    Thank you Mill Creek Entertainment for providing me a review copy and letting me relive a fond memory I have of seeing this movie with my dad.  I also had a fun time rewatching this movie as well.  “I Spy” is definitely an overlooked action/comedy that deserves more attention.

Grade: B-

Buy “I Spy” on Blu-ray Here!!!