gabrielpappel Reviews

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

Made with lots of love

[8/10 · 21 July 2020]

Since Eurovison was cancelled this year this movie chose a good time to premier. It pokes lovingly fun and there's a lot of little easter eggs for fans. At times the jokes/plot gets a little too silly but overall this is a very fun, spot on parody of Eurovision Song Contest.

Rachel McAdams were fabulous, Molly Sandén was a great fit as the voice. You couldn't tell Rachel was lip syncing at all. A lot of the supporting characters were great as well.

The biggest minus I give is mostly the glaring, well known plot hole of a beautiful young woman who is for some reason attracted to a mediocre man played by the comedian who wrote the script.

It Chapter Two (2019)

Not what you expect - in more ways than one.

[8/10 · 24 October 2019]

I think a lot of people walked out of the movies disappointed after seeing this movie, but I don't think it's cause they had just seen a bad movie. It's cause it isn't what you expect it to be. So lets get it over with right away: This isn't a scary movie. It's not scary, it's not going to give you nightmares, it doesn't even have the jump scares that makes you flinch in your seat.

However, it is a movie with unexpectedly strong character arcs. In flashbacks, which are nicely woven into the movie, we see how the characters that seems grown up and successful in their modern selfs are actually stuck in the past. Pennywise feels less like an actual threat, and more like a metaphor of how they're hunted by the destructive and abusive relationships they had with other people in the past. There's also scenes which are downright funny, which also play on the actors chemistry with each other.

James Ransone really does a stellar job to portray the slightly neurotic and foulmouthed Eddie, and he steal the show several times. Bill Hader surprised me with his performance and one of the most heartbreakingly bitter-sweet ending scenes I can remember.

This is a good movie, but not if you want to be scared.

Is It Just Me? (2010)

Imagine high schoolers creating their first movie from scratch

[6/10 · 5 November 2018]

I liked the concept for this movie and the poster makes it look like a fun romantic comedy with-a-big-load-of-misunderstandings, which caused me to have big hopes it would live up to that.

Unfortunately everything from the main characters performance to the (honestly awful) dialogue to cutting and editing reminded me of the amateur movies of the sort you'd see high schoolers upload to youtube. They are fine and fun in their own medium, seen for what they are, but it did not do well as a full length film pretending to be professional. Unfortunate, because had the same movie been made with a better writer I think it would be a lot better.

Also, worth to notice: there are exactly three women in this entire movie. I don't mean characters, I'm talking out of everyone, background characters and all. That is honestly a little bit hilarious. Where does these people live?

Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018)

Fun, fast paced action that forget it's own strengths

[5/10 · 1 November 2018]

The action is fast paced and ever present, sometimes so much it feels overwhelming. The main characters are all lovable and funny with distinct personalities and their own time to shine.

The storyline about saving the universe takes the main focus and does it (mostly) well. The aliens are interesting and diverse and there's a lot of hidden references to pop culture which are always a joy to pick up on. The animation on the action sequences are top notch and will leave you clutching your seat, granted you take a couple breaks inbetween to catch your breath and process. We have one character who is basically an deux ex machina in and of herself, being the solution to each otherwise unsolvable riddle. This still works, mostly, due to the mystery of alien magic.

Unfortunately this makes little time for the show's absolute strong point - the characters. The character development is splotchy at best and storylines built up by one character are anticlimactically ended by another. Relationships are failed to be clearly established, creating confusion.

Even in spite of this issue, more characters and side plots seems to be introduced each season while what would be important scenes seems to be routinely cut. At first I expected this to be to leave room for a fandom to explore, but after a while it got clear it's more likely a flaw in the writing. More than once you're left waiting for a scene that never comes or faced with crucial development apparently happening away from the camera. You get the feeling the show wanted to include a hundred storylines at once, but didn't have the necessary idea of how to make the stories fit into the greater one. It leaves you as an involved viewer with a lot of unsatisfactory endings.

In conclusion; If you want a show to every-now-and-then and in-the-background watch about some people saving the universe, battling and working with cool aliens - you'll love Voltron: Legendary Defender. If you want to watch a show about just people or because you've heard there's some kind of representation to be found - despite it quickly growing a mighty fandom, this show is not for you. The more you try invest thinking into it the less enjoyable this show will become.

The Babysitter (I) (2017)

So much better than expected

[8/10 · 24 July 2018]

I went in thinking this would be one of those low budget horror movies which focus is on splashing blood everywhere to make up for a bad script.

Instead this movie did it right: by keeping the gore but not taking itself too seriously. Similar to Tuck & Dale Vs. Evil (2010) in it's humor, it's a bloody but fun watch. The main characters are actually likable and even the bad guys are memorable.

Definitely worth a watch if you're into comedy as well as horror, to properly enjoy all the tropes.

The Blue Umbrella (2013)

Simple and Sweet

[8/10 · 20 June 2018]

A very sweet, simple story about a blue umbrella falling in love with a red umbrella. The animation is gorgeous and the soundtrack is fittingly charming.

Though giving the red umbrella (and the red umbrella alone, in a sea of umbrellas) extra long eyelashes and her human rain boots with 3" heels felt a bit unnecessary. Have you ever even seen rain boots with heels? It comes across as stupid rather than the "it's a straight couple" assurance I assume they were going for.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Three minutes into this movie I had shivers

[9/10 · 16 January 2018]

I have always been a fan of the stories Studio Laika chooses to tell, but I have often found they fall just a little short of actually hitting all the right emotional responses in dramatic scenes. In Kubo and the Two Strings there was so much emotion I almost forgot to breath.

A boy that loves to tell stories must go on to make it through his own, though the cruel dangers he faces spares no one. Absolutely beautiful (but so incredibly sad) story about family.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Quick paced, quirky and hard to take your eyes off

[9/10 · 25 December 2017]

I tend to avoid finding out too much about the actual plot of movies I'm going to watch as possible, as I am easily distracted and it helps me focus on the story. As with most Wes Andersson movies though it turned out I really had no need to worry - whatever I thought I had figured the movie to be about beforehand was not even close to what I'd find. The movie didn't have a single slow moment, always something going on. Camera angles, colouration and characters are quirky and swift as is Wes' characteristics. I'm not the biggest fan of Anderson myself, though I did also enjoy Moonrise Kingdom which this movie do have similarities too both in how the story is told and the characters, but this is a movie I believe will do well even with the people that might not be into the slower, more artsy movies. Not only is it pretty to look at but there is also an epic adventure taking place that keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Coco (I) (2017)

Somewhat predictable but genuinely heartwarming

[7/10 · 23 December 2017]

I wasn't sure what this movie was about at all when I started watching, but I definitely didn't leave disappointed. There was a lot of gorgeous and colorful moments, and all the characters look individual! It's pretty refreshing to see strong matriarchs in a Pixar movie. The storyline I found it a bit predictable and the way they changed between english and spanish a bit odd (it's not like they are supposed to be speaking english at any point? So what are the switches supposed to symbolize?) but a nice opportunity to learn a couple of new phrases of a new language. There's also some thrilling moments and just enough Though the biggest joy I found with Coco was how curious it made me to find out more after all it taught me about this wonderful holiday and the spirituality behind it! I think there is a nice message about loving your family but also accepting their differences and individuality. Definitely a movie I could see being a big favourite, if it just got the promotion it deserved.

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2017–2020)

Genuinely good series!

[9/10 · 22 December 2017]

I don't know what I expected from a series made from Tangled, to be honest. I liked Tangled, didn't think it was the best thing ever but definitely a good time. This series however went up and abound my expectations! I didn't expect it to start (in the Before Ever After-movie) with Rapunzel feeling trapped again and not liking her happy ever after, even though Flynn/Eugene settles in like it's the best thing ever. It's so realistic though, for a character that have always been locked up and a character that used to have nothing. Not to mention I have yet to see a tv series EVER to portray such a good, healthy relationship as Raps and Eugenes. All the characters are cool, though slightly more one dimensional at times than the movie. The new characters (Cassandra and Varian especially) are interesting and gives us fun relationship dynamics. There is some silliness that might be a bit much at times but mostly the jokes are genuinely funny. The animation is really nice, and the colour setting in this series is to die for! I couldn't give enough praise to the people working on the colours in this series. The music is also surprisingly good and catchy for a series, things you find yourself humming all day.

Moana (I) (2016)

One of the best animated movies Pixar have made

[10/10 · 22 December 2017]

I don't rewatch movies a lot, but I think within half a year I watched this movie at least 4-5 times. There definitely is some flaws, most obvious to me is how they simplify some of the troubles the main characters face, but it's genuinely a good movie. The animal sidekick I am usually just annoyed by is surprisingly funny, and relevant to the plot! Not to mention it's not the sidekick you first thought it'd be. The music is super catchy and fun, and all the characters memorable. Some parts are just beautiful to watch, and the plot twist is one of the best handled I've seen in ANY movie, animated or not. Big recommendation!