by J Nagle
A year ago today, we briefly reported on the film Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank in our July release of Weekend Box Office. It stuck out like a sore thumb in some theaters’ previews, as it’s rare to see a film under the Nickelodeon Movies banner release in theaters not based on a pre-existing property in 2023. In this sense, the film felt a bit out of place, like something that would have released years ago.
Well, this technically is the case; Paws of Fury was first greenlit in 2010 under the title Blazing Samurai and faced numerous production issues and shifts that caused its seeming development hell. It seems like something that would have been better off a Paramount+ exclusive at this point, but it probably still released in theaters due to contractual obligations or something like that. The premise is also bizarre—an animated soft remake of Blazing Saddles made for kids where every character is a common house pet?
On the one-year anniversary of its release, we watched through the film to see what exactly its deal was. Here are our findings.
Paws of Fury feels like, ironically, a feature-length version of one of those film recap/parody cartoons across YouTube. In its attempts to distance itself enough from Blazing Saddles to justify its existence and loosely maintain its plot beats, it just ends up feeling like a lackluster replica that makes the viewer want to watch Blazing Saddles instead. Its attempts to tackle racial allegory fall flat, as it feels like the idea’s abandoned for the majority of the movie, something that people again feel Blazing Saddles handled much better.
The animation feels a tad expressive, in the sense that it feels like the bare minimum compared to other animated releases that came out before and later in the same year. Considering the lengthy parade of vanity cards the film opens with, it really felt like it should have been something more. The best animation in the entire film, in my opinion, was found in the opening of the film. This animation is 2D rather than the 3D the rest of the film uses, and its flashiness is honestly the most entertaining visual the film has to offer. Again, disappointing given it’s only used for the intro.
In spite of its mixed public reception before release, small marketing budget, and little fanfare upon release, Paws of Fury came surprisingly close to breaking even at the box office last year, grossing $42.5 million on a budget of $45 million. While most older audiences weren’t impressed by the film, there is at least a decent enough low-budget kids movie to be found here. There’s definitely worse out there, and it would be pretty funny to see some grown-up kid admitting that this was their first exposure to Samuel L. Jackson’s work in cinema.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is now streaming on Paramount+.
by J Nagle
Whether it’s with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or What We Do in the Shadows, FX has proven time and time again to be capable of broadcasting some of the year’s hottest programs in TV. Last year, The Bear proved itself to be a new name worthy of carrying on this lineage of acclaimed FX programming, with the show’s second season releasing earlier this summer. With said season review already underway here, we wanted to take a moment to review the show’s first season, giving an overview of what’s captivated audiences and critics alike.
The Bear follows Carmen Berzatto—known in the show as Carmy as well as the titular Bear—as he manages the restaurant inherited from his brother Jeremy’s death, The Original Beef of Chicagoland. This narrative is juggled with many other struggles Carmy is managing simultaneously, such as his brother having died in the first place. As both narratives progress and characters develop throughout the season, we get to see their perspectives on both the restaurant’s process and their own methods of processing grief.
The writing throughout the restaurant narrative has multiple strengths and weaknesses that can both entice its viewing audience while also occasionally failing to ignite the same spark other parts have. At times, the cooking segments can feel like they bring little progression to the characters’ development or that of Carmy’s personal struggles, despite how well-directed each shot of said cooking feels. By the fourth or fifth episode, most sections of said segments can feel a bit samey in how they add to the story, as well as moving a bit too quick at times for some. However, some of this is in the show’s favor, as the fast pace goes to justify the frantic nature of the restaurant, as well as serving as an extremely accurate point of view of working in the food service industry.
The restaurant introduces the audience to the main characters they’ll get to know throughout the course of the season, ranging from new recruits to those who have been there since before the death of Carmy’s brother when he ran the establishment. This is where the show excels—each character gets their own time to shine during the season and flesh themselves out. Whenever Carmy’s late brother is brought up, each recalls a different memory or tradition from when he was around to manage the team, and each member of the team clashes or gels with the new management style in a different way. Sometimes the team just wishes his brother had stuck around with them—and occasionally, so does Carmy.
Both seasons of The Bear are now streaming on Hulu.
by J. Nagle
Whether from the Barbenheimer craze spawned by excited fans or from their fascinating marketing tactics, even those who hate all things Mattel have at least heard of the rapidly approaching Barbie film adaptation. While many of its stars have made a point to talk about the fun they had shooting the movie, none have been nearly as vocal as the film’s Ken—or at least, one of them—Ryan Gosling.
While some fans of his work may recall some of his more serious roles, such as Drive or Blade Runner 2049, the actor seems to have been having a blast working on the film in all the roles he could. Every Barbie interview with Gosling seems to reveal a new experience he’s had, and the fun that’s come with it.
To call upon the recollection of one’s own youth is nothing new in acting, where someone may need to call upon a previous memory or place in their life to achieve the authenticity they or a director is looking for in their performance. However, Ryan Gosling seems to be approaching this role as Ken with the vitriol of a character who’s already changed our world extensively, a character he’s nowhere near ready to say goodbye to once Barbie releases.
In this recent interview as well, Gosling ponders on the existence of what he dubs “Kenergy” in the modern world. How it applies to theatergoers planning to see Barbie on opening day and beyond, as well as those undiscovered, with untapped po-Ken-tial. Of all the roles in his catalog, Ryan Gosling definitely seems to be pushing for Ken to be at the top of his list for the foreseeable future.
Barbie is set to release worldwide on July 21st, 2023.
by J. Nagle
What exactly is going on in this photo?
On July 10th, some photos off the set of Marvel’s Deadpool 3 began circulating through Twitter, baffling and exciting both Disney and Fox Marvel fans alike. As shown above, a broken down and apocalyptic 20th Century Fox logo will be appearing in the film, in-universe. Speculation has been running rampant, with fans wondering what this means for the film. Will this be a final send-off for Fox’s X-Men universe, or perhaps a loosely adapted Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe within the Fox Marvel universe’s constraints? Is this just another classic Deadpool meta commentary joke on 20th Century Fox’s merger into Disney’s unending acquisitions?
Things definitely appear that way, or maybe a giant prop of the former studio’s logo was constructed solely for a one-off gag—which would be in the spirit of Wade Wilson’s psychotic sense of humor.
More photos off the film’s set show Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in costume as Wolverine and Deadpool respectively, donning costumes that indicate the department had a few more tricks up its sleeve in this final installment.
In addition to a completely redesigned and retooled Deadpool suit, Marvel fans were pleased to see Jackman finally wearing Wolverine’s classic suit after two decades of none from Fox’s X-Men films. Some pointed out the addition of long sleeves to Wolverine’s suit, due to the comic book-accurate Wolverine suit actually having no sleeves. However, some speculate this is to negate the risk of skin cancer for Jackman, a disease the actor recently announced he had overcome.
Deadpool 3 is set to release worldwide on May 3rd, 2024.
by J. Nagle
Nimona was, of the Disney-Fox merger, one of the names that Blue Sky Studios fans were sad to see go in 2021 upon the studio’s closure. However, hope was restored in 2022 when Annapurna Pictures and Netflix acquired the film, with a projected 2023 release date. With these roadblocks in mind among others—such as the film’s original release date setting it up to compete with Sonic—those looking forward to the film were pleasantly surprised on June 30th, 2023 when they were treated to an adaptation that provided a faithful as well as captivating story within its world.
The visual style of Nimona pops in a way different from most animated films, a result of the experimentation Blue Sky Studios found themselves making with their latter films such as The Peanuts Movie and Ferdinand. The film utilizes a mixture of 3D animation with traditional 2D elements, which can be attributed to its stylistic adaptation of graphic novel flair. However, it’s important to note that this technique was a bit ahead of its time in development. DreamWorks Animation Studios experimented with the same concept in 2022 starting with The Bad Guys, elaborating on this concept later the same year with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Two years earlier, Nimona would find itself incorporating some of the same elements during its production that made those same films so captivating to look at.
Part of what makes Nimona so daring is its central plot being so reliant on the strained relationship between Ballister and Ambrosius, two characters whose romance has seldom been shown onscreen in mainstream animated cinema, a romance definitely not to the degree of which it’s integral to the story. In addition, Nimona’s own journey alongside Ballister shows many metaphors for the fluidity of gender and how those who express themselves in an untraditional way can be cast out of society. It’s a great thing Annapurna decided to revive the film, because it delivers some very clear and heartfelt messages that many people in the LGBTQ+ community can relate to and may still need.
Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed provide inspiring and emotional performances as the title characters and Ballister Boldheart respectively, and the rest of the cast—some names surprising—provide an outstanding job on their vocal work as well. Eugene Lee Yang of The Try Guys fame voices Ambrosius Goldenloin, a respected knight and Ballister’s love interest, and RuPaul of RuPaul’s Drag Race provides the voice of Nate Knight. Additionally, Nimona creator ND Stevenson has a vocal cameo as Kwispy the Dragon in an in-universe cereal advertisement.
Nimona is now streaming on Netflix.
by J. Nagle
Wes Anderson’s newest film, Asteroid City, once again brings together veteran Wes Anderson fans without alienating the new ones it’s surely made. Light spoilers ahead!
When a new Wes Anderson feature releases, there tends to be a sense of curiosity drummed up in the cinephile space, though not in the sense that the film seems confusing. Anderson’s style of marketing and trailers give away his eccentric direction and writing style, but almost never give away crucial twists and plot details worth a spoiler warning online. However, he allows just enough of a plot through in his trailers to let world-building seep through, to craft the environment shown in Asteroid City, thus beginning a curiosity not dissimilar to that of the prodigies shown in the film.
Anderson’s eye for palette control in his films leads to the atmosphere of the titular Asteroid City being one of the more colorful desert towns explored in modern cinema. Half of this job is done incredibly well with the color mixing and set design working together in the town, and the same can be said for costume design. Each character’s clothing has little notes and details that carry over to the next while still feeling distinct from the next. This can be said for both the film’s main narrative in Asteroid City as well as—without giving away too much—the more monochromatic narrative the film opens with.
One theme that both narratives in the film excel with is that of creation. Wes Anderson excels in writing location-as-character screenplays as seen with films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, which can be seen once again with the titular town in this film. However, the film’s other plot concerning the creation of the Asteroid City play is more character-driven. It feels both meta and not at the same time—bringing together how art and the artist coalesce into one another and coexist. Each component in Asteroid City plays a huge role in its felt authenticity, and each component feels as though it shines outside of the central narrative once the audience gets a feel for how the two stories play off of each other.
The weight and intricacies of the two stories are both things that it takes time for the viewer to get used to, but once adjusted to them, it’s shown how integral the two are to each other. The film brings a great feeling to the idea of living for creation, an idea many filmmakers can feel themselves in.
Asteroid City is playing in theaters now worldwide.
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