The Bob’s Burgers Movie – Review

Posted on July 14, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Directors: Loren Bouchard and Bernard Derriman

Writers: Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith

Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Zach Galifianakis, Kevin Kline

Rating: ★★★★

The animated TV show Bob’s Burgers has had twelve seasons so far and now its first full-length film, that was released in cinemas earlier this year, has made its way to Disney Plus (At least in the UK). It was originally scheduled to come out almost two years ago, before being pushed further and further back thanks to Covid, but it’s here now and will hopefully win over some new fans to the series.

The film follows the Belcher family as they try to keep their family restaurant open, while facing mounting pressure as a loan extension is denied and then a sinkhole outside the restaurant means the front door isn’t accessible. On top of that, Louise (Kristen Schaal) finds a dead body in the sink hole, while trying to prove she’s not a baby by climbing down into it. The murder investigation slows the filling of the hole even further, so the family must look for other ways to save their restaurant.

First things first, you don’t need to know anything about the TV series to watch this film. It’s completely stand alone, and while there’s call-backs, it’s nothing that will make a newcomer feel unwelcome. In fact, it’s a perfect introduction to the characters and humour and hopefully the show will find a whole new audience through the film now that it’s on Disney Plus.

There are several plot threads running throughout the story that all come together in the end. Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) fail to get a loan extension and have to resort to taking the restaurant on the road, while the three children investigate the murder that is pinned on their landlord, believing that will save the restaurant as the landlord can allow the to skip a month’s rent. It’s very fast paced, rarely slowing down as moves from beat to beat.

There are so many great funny moments right from the opening scene as Bob makes a practice burger, in hoping to make a burger for the loan manager to convince him to extend the loan. Bob whispers ‘practice’ so the burger doesn’t hear, and then speaks to the burger directly. It’s a strange moment that pretty much tells you how the rest of the film is going to be with offbeat comedy.

The characters are charming, the story works, and the stakes feel real. Whether you’re a big fan or never heard of Bob’s Burgers before this is definitely worth checking out. There’s a lot to love about the film.

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Ms. Marvel – Season One Review

Posted on July 13, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Season one of Ms. Marvel has been a real joy to watch each week. The series is very light-hearted and clearly aimed at a YA audience, and it makes for the perfect easy-watching show. Marvel’s answer to DC’s CW shows, but unlike those shows it manages to remain entertaining each episode.

Iman Vellani does a fantastic job at bringing Kamala Khan to life throughout. She’s completely believable in the role and does a great job at balancing both the dramatic and the more actiony moments. Everyone in the cast is great, especially those playing Kamala’s family. To be honest the absolute highlight of the show is how focused it is on Kamala’s family and takes a more coming-of-age approach to the superhero origin story. The family are all great characters, and her situation feels relatable even though it’s a superhero story. Watching their dynamics is funny and authentic.

The first episode of the show is absolutely electric. It feels like it’s ripped right out of a comic book with a quirky tone and exciting visual flairs. It’s an absolute blast, with Kamala’s thought projected onto the buildings behind her. Sadly, that comic-book style is lessened with each episode until it starts to feel a little more generic visually as the episodes go on. It’s still bright and colourful, and the effects look great, but it loses the personality that set the show apart in the first place.

Even if its uniqueness fades as the series progresses, the story is still entertaining all the way through with a central mystery surrounding Kamala’s family that is slowly unwrapped a little more each episode, with solid reveals that keep you hooked all the way up to the final scene.

With the way the series ends, especially with how it sets up The Marvels, it feels like Kamala’s story is just beginning. Essentially this is a six-part origin story as Kamala turns into Ms. Marvel and learns to use her powers. Most of it has been done before, but the show manages to make it feel exciting, thanks mainly to some great characters.

You can also read my individual episode reviews here:

Episode One – https://ashleymanning.com/2022/06/09/ms-marvel-episode-1-review/

Episode Two – https://ashleymanning.com/2022/06/16/ms-marvel-episode-2-crushed-review/

Episode Three – https://ashleymanning.com/2022/06/23/ms-marvel-episode-three-destined-review/

Episode Four – https://ashleymanning.com/2022/06/29/ms-marvel-episode-four-seeing-red-review/

Episode Five – https://ashleymanning.com/2022/07/06/ms-marvel-episode-five-time-and-again-review/

Episode Six – https://ashleymanning.com/2022/07/13/ms-marvel-episdoe-six-no-normal-review/

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Ms. Marvel – Episode Six: No Normal – Review

Posted on July 13, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Directors: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Writers: Will Dunn, A.C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey

Starring: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Laurel Marsden, Azhar Usman, Rish Shah

Ms. Marvel wraps up its first season with an action packed episode that closes up the origin story nicely, while also laying the groundwork for the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels. With how interconnected the TV series and the movies are becoming a bit of a mess to keep track or what’s going on in the MCU. Regardless, this was a really solid episode of Ms. Marvel.

After the events of last week’s episode, Kamala (Iman Vellani) is back in Jersey and her mother is now aware of her powers. Damage Control are out searching for Kamran (Rish Shah) after the explosion and are stopping at nothing to find him. Kamala is late to hear about what’s happened while she’s away, but with a new costume, she’s helping her friends in no time.

The whole episode absolutely flies past, with some solid action and character development. Kamran has to decide his own fate, after what happened to his mother in episode five, while Kamala also has to face her family now that her mother knows her secret. Thankfully, the series avoids following clichés and her family are proud of the good she’s doing while also in shock. It’s refreshing.

Most of the action takes place at the school, with the main group defending themselves against Damage Control. Even though there’s a lot a stake. the show keeps its light-hearted tone, with there being no real risk to any main characters. It’s fun and energetic, but the comic-book style is really missing from the first couple of episodes.

There’s a central theme about being yourself and only you can decide if you’re a hero or not, which works pretty nicely with the coming-of-age storytelling the series has given us so far. Every character gets a moment to shine, and they’re all such great characters that it really works. After spending six episodes with them, we’re completely invested by this point.

The series finale also loosely sets up The Marvels, especially with its post-credit scene. Unless the film does some catching-up, those who haven’t seen this series will probably feel like they’re missing out. Hopefully the film is able to blend the two characters together, as Kamala’s story has been great so far and it would be a shame for it not to live up to the series.

No Normal is a fairly standard finale to a superhero show, with a big stand-off, characters making life-altering decisions. While it’s doing nothing unique, it’s still a solid finale and entertaining right the way through.

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When Marnie Was There – Film Review

Posted on July 12, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Writers: Masashi Ando, Keiko Niwa, and Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, Ava Acres, Vanessa William, Geena Davis, John C. Reilly, Grey Griffin, and Catherine O’Hara

Studio Ghibli’s 2014 drama When Marnie Was There is based on the 1967 children’s novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. The film was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who had previously directed Ghibli’s Arrietty, as well as working on animation for various films for the studio. It’s an understated coming-of-age story told through the lens of a supernatural mystery, where you’re kept in the dark for most of the film.

Anna Sasaki (Voiced by Hailee Steinfeld for the English dub) feels completely isolated from everyone around her. She’s living with a foster family and doesn’t feel like she fits in. After having an asthma attack at school a doctor advises that Anna goes to live in the country where the air is cleaner and Anna goes to live with the Oiwas in a remote town where everyone knows everyone.

The story follows Anna as she tries to fit in to the new town over the summer break. The Oiwas try to give her as much freedom as possible, letting her go out and sketch whenever she wants and they only really try to integrate her into the village once, with a poor outcome. The family that takes Anna in are very bubbly and friendly, clashing with Anna’s more withdrawn personality, but never in a confrontational way. Anna is a very relatable character, lashing out at others out of fear. There’s constant moments where attention is diverted from her to something else, leaving her feeling unimportant and furthering the divide between her and everyone else. For the longest time when arriving at the village Anna’s only friend is an old fisherman Toichi, who is similar in his quietness and being withdrawn from the rest of the village. They spend time together on his boat, Toichi fishing, while Anna sketches the mansion on the other side of the salt marsh.  

Right from the start you know this is a Studio Ghibli film, with its understated narration and beautiful animation. Yet again Ghibli whisks you away on a fantasy adventure. For the first part of the film this feels like a slice of life anime with a little bit of magical realism such as with Whispers of the Heart, but as the film continues it becomes a lot more rooted in the mystery of Marnie (Kiernan Shipka), a girl who lives in the mansion across the marsh, even though the mansion seems to be unoccpupied and Anna is told that no one has lived there for years. Anna and Marnie become quick friends, going on adventures and getting up to mischief, but there’s something unusual about it all and Anna can’t quite understand it. Slowly you start to get a sense of what’s going on and the whole thing is revealed in the last act of the film. Because of the reveal, there’s a really strange relationship between Anna and Marnie that leaves you with a few more questions than the film is going to answer. It’s impossible to talk about without spoiling, but you’ll understand completely if you watch it. Despite that, it’s still a lovely tale about friendship.

Studio Ghibli rarely put a foot wrong, and When Marnie Was There is a very great addition to their filmography. It’s magical and completely captivating. An emotional story about growing up and gaining confidence.

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Dr. Who and the Daleks + Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

Posted on July 11, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Gordon Flemyng

Writer: Mitton Subotsky

Starring: Peter Cushing, Roberta Tovey, Roy Castle, Jennie Linden, and Bernard Cribbins

The often forgotten and overlooked Dr. Who films (stylised as Dr. instead of Doctor) from the mid-60s are being remastered and re-released in 4K, and are really worth seeking out for any fan of Doctor Who or classic cheesy sci-fi. Peter Cushing takes on the role of The Doctor, who this time around isn’t an alien, but a human with the surname ‘Who’. It’s a completely different origin story, and he creates the Tardis in his back garden. Even so, he’s still recognisable as the eccentric goofball, reading comics in his spare time and making jokes whenever possible.

The first film features him taking his two grandchildren on an adventure to another planet and getting caught up in a multi-generational civil war between the Daleks and the Thals, which is based on the classic episode ‘The Daleks’ written by Terry Nation. The second film involves the Doctor and family as they accidentally kidnap a policeman (played by a young Bernard Cribbins who would appear in the actual Doctor Who as Donna’s grandfather Wilf), and taking him to the year 2150, where the Daleks are invading Earth. The second film is based on the episode ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’, also written by Nation

In the almost sixty years since they where first shown, they have both received a lot of criticism and to be fair most of it is warranted. To start off, the Daleks aren’t scary or menacing in the slightest. They’re reduced to being silly monsters that people push around and always lead to their own doom. They even come across as sympathetic when the first Dalek is blinded and killed by the heroes as it screams ‘help me’ over and over. Although they are pushovers, it is still pretty cool to see the Daleks, with the iconic design and voice.

In all honesty the first film is vastly superior to the second one. It moves faster, has a more interesting storyline and has a really charming quality about it when watching it over half a century later. The charm starts to run thin in the second one, with a storyline that makes little sense, and a lack of Peter Cushing, who is side-lined to being a side-kick in his own story. It drags on a bit, while the first one never stops being entertaining.

Both are very low-budget films, with poorly constructed sets, and a lot of imagination required to really get into them. The second one features many shots of a spaceship flying about with strings clearly on show, made a lot worse by the 4K upscaling.  The acting is pretty poor throughout, but that works in the films favour, winning you over with the charm of it all. They’ve aged surprisingly well over the years, and they are more than just a novelty interpretation of the classic sci-fi show.

Yes, they are goofy, poorly acted, and have effects that probably felt dated even at the time, but they’re still a lot of fun to watch. It’s a shame the series didn’t spawn more films, based on classic episodes, as Peter Cushing makes a good Doctor. It’s also amazing how similar they are to modern episodes. Spruce up the dialogue with more mumbo jumbo and add some better special effects and you could have an episode out of the David Tennent or Matt Smith era. They’re fun, easy-watch cheese and a must for any die-hard Doctor Who fan. This was also the first time Doctor Who was shown in colour, so an important piece of history of the franchise.

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