It is the return of CORALINE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD, writer/director Henry Selick, Laika Studios and Shout! Factory is the return of the beloved story of a young girl named CORALINE.

Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) and her family mom Mel (Teri Hatcher) and dad Charlie (John Hodgman) have moved into an old mansion called the Pink Palace Apartments. Also in the mansion are Mister Bobinsky (Ian McShane) and Misses Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Forcible (Dawn French). Her parents are attempting to write about gardening and sometimes they forget about Coraline.

She meets Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr.) and as a token of friendship, he gives her a button-eyed doll from his grandmother Lovat (Carolyn Crawford) that resembles Coraline. One night she is woken up by a mouse who takes her through a secret door into another world. There she meets her mother and father, but they have buttons for eyes. Looking past that they are fun, loving, caring and pay attention to Coraline.

Called the Beldam’s, Coraline discovers that they have taken her real parents. Miss Spink helps her get back to the other world where she proposes to her ‘other’ parents a game, if she can find those missing, they get to go free. If not, Coraline accepts the button eyes and stays.

They do not expect young Coraline to be so smart and that is their first mistake!

Fanning as Coraline has given this beloved character a distinctive voice that will always be that of Coraline. I have been told so by my six-year-old granddaughter who has loved the film for years now. Bringing character and voice together is so amazing and having CORALINE return to the big screen and Bluray is a reminder of what Fanning has done for Coraline.

Hatcher as Mel is funny, quirky and when button-eyes a bit too good to be true. Hodgman as Charlie is equally as quirky and funny with or without his button-eyes. They are so delightful and creepy at the same time and these two actors using their voices and Laika giving them life is such a wonderful partnership.

Bailey Jr. as Wybie is everything we all want in a friend accepting Coraline for just who she is and I awe at their friendship. He also has Crawford as Grandma Lovat, which makes his family complete. I love McShane as the delightfully limber Mr. Bobinsky and Saunders and French are interesting neighbors to have.

Other cast include Aankha Neal as Sweet Ghost Girl, George Selick as Ghost Boy, Hannah Kaiser as Tall Ghost Girl, Emerson Tenney as Magic Dragonfly, and Jeremy Ryder as Toy.

SHOUT! Factory has grown into a tremendous multi-platform media company. Releasing new animated features such as the exquisite Long Way North, and the epic fantasy Beauty and The Beast. Also, their own original horror film, Fender Bender gives fans a good scare. For more of what SHOUT Factor has to offer please visit www.shoutfactory.com.

Laika is a stop-motion animation studio that is best known for such films as CORALINE, PARANORMAN, THE BOXTROLLS, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS and MISSING LINK. Being nominated by BAFTA, Academy Awards and Golden Globe awards, and Annie Awards, Laika studios continues their amazing storytelling with the film MISSING LINK. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.laika.com.

The Special Features include: New Inside Laika-Discovering the Characters of CORALINE Featuring Never-Before-Seen Test Footage, New Inside Laika – Revisiting the Puppets with Laika’s Animation Team, New Foreword by Peter Debruge, Chief Film Critic for Variety, New Character, Concept Art and Behind-the-Scenes Photo Galleries, Audio Commentary with Director Henry Selick and Composer Bruo Coulais.

Also, The Making of CORALINE, Original Featurettes, Deleted Scenes and Feature Length Storyboards.

CORALINE was the first Laika film I saw and have been captivated by every movie they have made since. True their films are stop-motion, but their stories are love, friendship, being accepted for differences, mystery, belief and even laughter and fun.

Those are the type of films that bring families together in the theatre and also brings them together on the sofa with a tub of popcorn and cuddles. The story may be full of life lessons but, director Selick also gives us entertainment, giggles and everything we crave about films that become classics.

Having CORALINE in our home entertainment library sit happily next to other Laika films on the shelf. See it for the first time or revisit it again and again with CORALINE on Bluray and DVD.

In the end – she discovers who she truly is and who loves her!

 

Two Hours in the Dark with JOHN WICK: Chapter Three - Parabellum!

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Chad Stahelski and Lionsgate Is the next installment on the journey of JOHN WICK: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

Wick (Keanu Reeves) is still on the run especially now since it has been declared that he is 'excommunicado' for killing a man at the Continental - major boo-boo. Basically it means that all the dogs are off their leashes with a W$14 million dollar bounty and no rest anytime soon for him.

Those he has relied on now tread carefully because the Table has sent The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) to punish anyone who has helped Wick to this point. Her first task is to sentence Winston (Ian McShane), Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) and The Director (Angelica Huston).

Wick knows he has only one chance, to find The Elder (Said Taghmaoul) to ask how he can make this all stop. The one person who can make the meeting happen is Sophia (Halle Berry) who isn't actually thrilled to see him at the door. Watching his every move is Zero (Mark Dacascos), an assassin who is quick and deadly. 

Making a deal with the devil, as it were, Wick returns to The Continental where an all out war is declared. 

Reeves as Wick has most definitely made sure no one else could possible take his place. He is still broody, still soft spoken and can still give a killer glare that gives nothing away. Oh, and one more thing, he can still make my heart flip-flop in that funny exciting way. What he also does is bring sympathy to a character we should all probably be afraid of!

McShane returns as Winston, the manager of The Continental who has a flare for words, for the finer things in life and has an elegant way of letting who ever know that he is going no where. His affinity for Wick is obvious but there is also a sneakiness about him that makes me give him side eye constantly. Well done!

Berry as Sophia has a history with Wick that is filled with a little rage yet she has no problem wielding a gun when wrong comes her way. Reddick as Charon keeps his concierge desk refined and run like a well oiled machine. I just love his calm demeanor, even when bullets are flying past his face.

Fishburne as the Bowery King is a rougher version of Winston running his bowery as he sees fit. He regrets nothing and is always looking at the bigger picture - that is his saving grace. Fishburne still has it and Wick should be glad he does.

Huston as The Director knows that even though there is an excommunicado order, there is one thing higher than that even if The Table doesn't want to acknowledge it. I just love when Huston plays roles like this because she is a tough broad and I love it. 

Dacascos as Zero, aka the Iron Chef Chairman, is fantastic! From the moment his character hits the screen to the very last frame he brings martial arts and twisted humor to the film. Taghmaoul as The Elder brings his own brand of justice and a plan for Wick to stop all the madness. 

A serious shout out to Dillion as The Adjudicator and let me tell you why. I have NEVER heard outcries throughout a film when one character shows up on a screen. I'll admit I was one of them yelling at the screen toward this cold hearted character who felt she was above everything and untouchable. When a room full of people react the same way to a character then listen because 1,000 people can't be wrong!

Thumbs up to Yayan Ruhian as Mad Dog, Cecep Arif Rahman as The Assassin and Man of Tai Chi as Tiger Hu Chen for taking on the Baba Yaga with admiration and humor and, of course, sweeping martial arts moves and guts for taking on the boogeyman!

Other cast include Jerome Flynn as Berrada, Randall Duk Kim as Doctor, Margaret Daley as Operator, Tobias Segal as Earl, Obin Lord Taylor as Administrator, Susan Blommaert as Librarian, Jason Mantzoukas as Tick Tock Man, Sergio Delavicci as Ruska Roma, and Boban Marjanovic as Ernest.

Lets be honest here, anyone who loves the JOHN WICK franchise won't need me to say anything to convince them to see the film. But let’s pretend there are those who haven't seen any of the films or even know who John Wick is, wait, what?

Sorry, had to shake off that thought because seriously it is almost incomprehensible to the Keanu Reeves warm and fuzzy side of my brain. Moving onward!

From the first five seconds of the film until the last five seconds of the film I think blinking didn't much happen for me. There is little downtime and since John Wick doesn't get any, then WE don't get any either. This is a ride we take with him and the filmmaker made damn sure we are exhausted by the end - or are we?

Audience participation in films can go between being a good or irritating thing. Let me tell you in the case of JOHN WICK it is almost an involuntary reflex. The gasps, the shock, the wicked (pardon the semi-pun) humor, the action, the story, the cinematography that are happening on screen create the shouting at the screen from the audience.

During this screening I heard shouting, applause, cheering, guttural reactions of groaning, hostility, actual hissing and a theatre full of people rooting for a different kind of super-hero. I can not even count how many times The Adjudicator was a target of audience wanna-be verbal assassins. People in front of me were jumping, the gentleman beside me was constantly fist pumping with a 'yesssssssssssss' and comments behind me ranged from 'they don't know who they're dealing with' to 'ouch - that's gonna leave a mark'.

We were in unison with cheering, applause and groans which makes JOHN WICK: Chapter 3 - Parabellum a group experience. This is the reason we go to the movies (at least a lot of us anyway), to be transported, entertained and walk out of the theatre alive and full of conversation that is going to last for days. 

Personally, I was completely exhausted not even realizing how much this film was slowly draining me. Yes, yes, I realize it is Reeves and the cast who worked their collective asses off to bring the story to the screen so let it be known that they drained every bit of everything out of this viewer. 

That being said it should also be stated that I may be personally exhausted but after spending two glorious hours in the dark with John Wick aka Keanu Reeves, I'd gladly do it again, and again….and again.

In the end - if you want peace then prepare for war!

BILAL: A New Breed of Hero

Jeri Jacquin

Coming soon from directors Khurram H. Alavi, Ayman Jamal and Barjaoun Entertainment is a story of family, hope, survival and breaking the chains for freedom with BILAL: A New Breed of Hero.

Many generations ago surrounded by his sister and mother, Bilal is a young boy who dreams of being a great warrior. In a fraction of a second, Bilal and sister Ghufaira watch in horror as they are separated from their mother and become slaves to the vicious overlord Umayya (voiced by Ian McShane).

Told to always take care of his sister, Bilal is now a servant to Umayya and his narcissistic son Saad (Thomas Ian Nicholas) who clearly enjoys finding ways to hurt Bilal. As the years go by, Bilal (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) watches as the other slaves suffer and Umayya demands loyalty as well as coin but focuses on taking care of Ghufaira (Cynthia McWilliams).

One day Bilal stops a boy from doing the wrong thing that could have gotten him beaten and it catches the attention of the Lord of Merchants (Al Rodrigo). Asking why Bilal saved the boy, he explains that his only intention was to help him. The conversation turns to being free and he remembers his own mother telling him something similar as a child.

It wasn't until Bilal saw Hamza's (Dave B. Mitchell) reaction to the poor treatment of slaves that he realizes that there is more to life than being a slave. During an evening serving Umayya, Saad makes it known that Bilal is part of a group that believes in freedom. When confronted, Bilal lets it be known that he is an equal to every man in the room which causes him to be tortured much to the delight of Saad.

He is rescued by Al-Hakam who buys Bilal's freedom and takes him to a place where he would be safe. Unfortunately, Bilal discovers that Umayya has given Ghufaira to Saad who has no intention of giving her up. Now Bilal must train to fight for the freedom of other until he can come to Saad face to face to reunite his family.

Bilal learns that he must control his anger and pain to 'not let the weapon dictate decisions' and although he has plenty of reason to be angry, Bilal learns it serves nothing. As the years go by, Bilal and his people finally come back to where it all began and he makes one more decision that could change his life.

Understanding and forgiveness is everything.

The voice of Akinnuoye-Agbaje as the adult Bilal is powerful, strong, beautiful and verbally expresses so much emotion. Struggling with who he is and what his place is in the world, Akinnuoye-Agbaje offers up a vocal performance giving this historic character strength and beauty.

McWilliams as Ghufaira as well as McClain give their voice of caring and even fear knowing that Saad truly wants to hurt them both. She is such a lovely character who knows that their childhood was filled with pain but constantly strives to be a support for her brother Bilal. That is an endearing sentiment to share between siblings and these two ladies do a fantastic job of portraying that.

McShane as Umayya is a voice that I recognize without ever having to see his face. The amazing things about this actor is that as much as I adore seeing him on the big and small screen, he has the unique ability to bring emotion with just his voice. He has the ability to be evil, charming, a bit sarcastic and even funny when called for. In the vocal role of Umayya, it is pure evil and has no difficulty making us believe that he has no care for anyone other than himself.

Nicholas as Saad is a chip off the ole block as a boy who has definetly learned how to be an angry and vindictive 'master'. He relishes in the fact that people fear him for who his father is and delights in making Bilal suffer by using the love for his sister as a weapon all its own.

Mitchell as Hamza is the man who sees what Bilal's mother saw when he was a child.

Although it is at times difficult to reach Bilal because of his anger, Hamza does not give up. Instead, he takes the time to explain how Bilal is responsible for his own life and all the decisions that come with that. Letting him know that even a free man must deal with the consequences of his actions, Bilal begins to transform before our very eyes. Mitchell's voice is strong yet unwavering in conveying the belief that all men are free!

Other cast include Michael Gross as Okba, Jon Curry as Soheib, Mick Wingert as Safwan, China Anne McClain as teen Ghufaira, Jacob Latimore as teen Bilal and Andre Robinson as child Bilal.

BILAL: A New Breed of Hero is a wonderful story that is told exceedingly well in this animated film. The characters are well developed in such a way that the viewer has time to understand the era of time in the Arabian Peninsula. Fourteen hundred years ago the city of Makka was being controlled by a man who clearly believed that all were inferior - perhaps even his own son. Finding a way to fleece all and put the fear of a made up religion in their hearts is a story told time and time again throughout the world at this time.

The animation is absolutely stunning with its brilliance in bringing the story even more life and reflection. The scene where Bilal sees himself in the sand is breathtaking. There is so much detail in everything from the eyebrows to the hair on the horses that adds such dept to an already deep story.

From the life of Bilal ibn Rabah who was a slave known for his beautiful voice, he would also grow to be a loyal friend of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Chosen to be a muezzin, he would call people to prayer with his voice. That is an amazing part of his life but trust me when I saw that everyone should read more about this person's existence because he had the choice to be a product of the heinous things that happened to him but instead chose another path. In other words, he made his mother's words proud.

BILAL: A New Breed of Hero is a solid and original story along with visually stunning animation that I enjoyed very much. This is an opportunity for families to learn a little history and grasp on to the universal beliefs of family, doing what is right and always standing up for those who may not be able to do it for themselves. I always find it beautiful when these stories are shared that are set in 'ancient' times but aren't so ancient at all.

In the end - a legend breaks free!