Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of May 6, 2019
Pokemon Detective Pikachu
Rated PG for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73% at time of writing
In Theaters
While I kind of like the Pokemon Go app, especially the bonding time it gives me with my family, I have always abhorred the animated Pokemon cartoons. The frenetic energy and nonsensical repetitive plots have always made me leave the room when someone is watching them. So I was apprehensive at best about this new Pokemon movie. But this one is truly different. The story follows a young man (talented newcomer Justice Smith) who goes on a search for what might have happened to his father when he mysteriously goes missing and is presumed dead. But when he discovers his father’s Pokemon partner Pikachu, voiced here by the amazing Ryan Reynolds, the two go on a journey to figure out what might have happened. There is a lot of silliness everywhere you look here, but the plot is strong enough to satisfy most film lovers while still creating an eye candy environment that will be adored by any child watching it. Will you understand the Pokemon universe after watching it? No – and trust me – you don’t want to. But you should have an appreciation of it when all is said and done, and also a greater tolerance to their strange little world. B-
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Rated PG for mild action and rude humor
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Available on Disc and Streaming
Five years after the events of the box office smash that was the first Lego Movie, all is well in Bricksburg when LEGO DUPLO invaders from outer space wreak havoc on their world, forcing Emmett (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett) and friends to go on a new adventure to try to save their homeland. Once again, the story is clever (although not as much as the first) and the tie-in to the toys’ human owners is surprisingly heartwarming. Much of the plot is a bit random (which probably makes sense due to who in the story is in control of what will happen) and at times you just have to go along with it, much like you would if you were watching your own kids play. But thankfully the movie is overall enjoyable, while at the same time providing good clean entertainment for the kids. B
What Men Want
Rated R language and sexual content throughout, and some drug material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 45%
Available on Disc and Streaming
In 2003, Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show had a raunchy but hilarious bit about what would happen if the 2000 Mel Gibson film What Women Want flipped and had a woman who could hear the thoughts of men. The sketch is a short elevator ride with a beautiful woman hearing the dirty thoughts of every man surrounding her and the point is well-taken: men can be pigs with one-track minds. This film expands that as Taraji P. Henson gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts and while disgusted at first, she learns to use it to her advantage in her job as a sports agent. Unfortunately, the project turns out to be a predictable and sloppy comedy with very few laughs as you watch Henson move through her arc, one misstep at a time. I’m sure there’s a better film to be made here, but this one is mediocre at best, and far less funny than the 46 second Chappelle’s Show segment. C-