“Forgotten Island” Review
It seems like every couple of years we get an animated film whose core story is about friendship amongst girls. With films like Turning Red (2022) and Inside Out 2 (2024), Forgotten Island takes its place in the lineup of girl powered friendship. This movie can be described as overstuffed with characters, frenetic, and predictable; it can also be described as visually opulent, bittersweet and wildly imaginative.
Teenagers, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) are the classic case of opposites attract. Jo is a tomboy who has a knack for getting in trouble and living loudly. Raissa has a knack for academics and flying under the radar. After an incident in class sends them both to the principal’s office, they officially meet for the first time and their unbreakable duo begins. Well…there’s kind of a trio with Lola (Dolly De Leon) Jo’s grandmother who not only stokes their love for movies and folk stories about the island of Nakali, but she also encourages their morale in ways their parents don’t.
The story really takes off when the girls are at a fork in the road of life. Raissa is going to go off to college in the United States, while Jo will stay in the Philippines where they grew up with a seemingly lack of a bright future. So with one last night to create another lasting memory, the girls go out to their favorite spot on the beach only to find the lost island of Nakali.
A candy colored palette paints the entire film and the use of animation is absolutely on display on overdrive. There is so much to take in with every frame of the film. As the girls meet friends, like Raww (Dave Franco), a shapeshifting dog, and enemies like Manang (Lea Salonga) on the island, a Hangover-esque plot unveils. While they try to put the pieces of what happened at the party last night together, they also must wrestle with the possibility of their friendship coming to an end.
Co-writers/directors Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado have crafted a pure film examining friendship and how it has to evolve over time. Drawing on his past as a Filipino American, you can see the love that Mercado has for his roots on the screen. The script is a little aimless at times, like its main character Jo, and has too many characters we’re introduced to that seemed to have gotten stuck somewhere between bit role and main character in the writing process. Yet, at its core, the friendship of Jo and Raissa is something we can all relate to. It’s a timeless story of the struggle of watching your best friend progress, not wanting to get left behind but also not wanting to hold them back. It’s a good time at the movies for any family, or friends.
Rating: B-
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review
Paws Of Fury: The Legend Of Hank is a self-aware, intelligent movie but also has a lack of self-awareness and maturity. How does that work? It’s the type of film about cats that understands Save The Cat (a screenwriter’s Bible of sorts) and mentions what part of the film the characters are in throughout the course of it. It’s also a movie that has more jokes in two minutes than a sitcom; some jokes are universal and others are over your head if you don’t know pop culture. So your left in a place where you should either turn your brain on and keep your ears open for this animated film, or turn your brain off and just enjoy the time in the theater with your kids.
Ricky Gervais as "Ika Chu" and George Takei as "Ohga" in Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align, and Aniventure.
Kakamucho is a small dessert town by the mountainside in the land of cats. In these land, all cities are guarded by a samurai. Having been saved by a samurai at a young age, a dog named Hank (Michael Cera) is looking to be trained. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in the land, but Hank is determined. It’s actually a great thing for Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais), a cat who is building a new palace for the Shogun (Mel Brooks) but has secret desires of his own. Kakamucho is an unsightly town that obstructs his idea of a beautiful view. In order to get rid of the townspeople, he decides to allow Hank to be the samurai of the town in hopes of utter failure.
With no knowledge of how to be a samurai and a town that doesn’t want him there, Hank stumbles upon Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson), a catnip drinkin’, rusty samurai. As Ika Chu sends waves of marauders to intimidate the townspeople, the odd couple (Hank and Jimbo) learn from one another. It’s the typical narrative of an unlikely hero and his mentor.
Michael Cera as “Hank” and Samuel L. Jackson as “Jimbo” in Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align, and Aniventure.
The film does some things well and others not so much. If you enjoy pop culture, there are tons of jokes and callbacks throughout the film. Jackson is the true star here as he brings his signature voice and demeanor to the role of Jimbo. His inflections and delivery are perfect as an old curmudgeon who slowly comes back to life. The film tries to send a message about racism and stereotyping through the dog/cat relationship, but simultaneously slips into stereotyping of Asian people and culture. It’s this odd, dare I say, yin and yang, that gives the film an uneven tone.
This isn’t the type of animated film that becomes an instant classic. It’s riddled with fart jokes and sophomoric humor, while also having witty lines that you need to pay attention to catch. It’s this strange in between that makes this movie memorable and forgettable at the same time. In actuality, it’s an animated remake of Blazing Saddles. If you look at the screenplay credits, outside of Ed Stone and Nate Hopper, it also gives credit to the original Blazing Saddles screenwriters: Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger. But that film was made in a different time where it pulled no punches for better or worse. In 2022, some things don’t fly and leaves this film a bit declawed. Kids will enjoy it and if you don’t think too hard about it, you will too.
Rating: C