Pep Reviews

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run brings some much needed joy and humour to 2020. It is full of self-awareness and jokes for all ages which is a sign of a good family movie. It focuses on friendship, kindness and adventure, and provides a welcome distraction from the current troubles of the world. It follows Spongebob and Patrick as they attempt to rescue Gary the Snail from the King Poseidon who is using him for his skincare routine.

The first in the franchise to use CG animation instead of the traditional cel animation, the shift is in no way distracting or detracting from the essence of Spongebob. There are absurd twists, and musical numbers that the TV show does so well and is very suited to the child audience. The star-studded additional cast includes Matt Berry, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish and Keanu Reeves.

The movie takes an adorable look back at the origins of the characters friendships at Camp Coral, pokes fun at itself and the fourth wall with David Attenborough and movie references. It’s funny and light hearted, and a great tribute to the late creator Stephen Hillenburg.

‘The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run’ is available to stream on Netflix.

The Secret: Dare To Dream (2020)

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s based on a self-help book, or maybe it is the fact that much of the dialogue could probably be found on the Facebook wall or tea towel of a middle-aged woman, but The Secret: Dare To Dreamis boring. The characters are underwhelming and matched to the dialogue rather than the dialogue coming from their personalities which makes it feel all the more preachy.

It begins with Louisiana preparing for a tropical storm, and that is about as exciting as it gets. If one were wondering how to fix a house up after a storm, then this movie would be helpful in that aspect at least. Katie Holmes (Logan Lucky) plays a widowed mother of three, whose life couldn’t be going worse, until a wonderful stranger comes into her life to regurgitate almost biblical quotes about living her life better. It could be described as a slow burn, but really, whatever burn there might have been fizzles out to a bland and disappointing ending.

This film is like wholemeal toast with a mashed-up banana on top. It might be good for you to hear but wouldn’t you rather have a frosted-flake comedy to pass the time? Sure, maybe if you were looking for it you could find some kind of meaningful sentiment but if you were that desperate then it would be much better to just go out and buy the book.

‘The Secret: Dare To Dream’ is available to stream on Netflix.

Blackpink: Light Up The Sky (2020)

Blackpink is South Korea’s biggest girl group and this documentary takes a look behind the curtain of sparkling outfits and perfect dance routines to the members themselves and their rise to stardom. They are preparing to record their debut album and they meet with their producer/songwriter Teddy Parks, a former K-pop group member himself. They go through each of the members’ lives and how they ended up in Blackpink, and how all the girls get on within the group.

It explains the brutal process of training that each girl goes through which sounds like the longest audition for an acting role that one could imagine. And the prize? A world tour and chart-topping singles, recognition across the globe in this case. There is some commentary on the history of K-pop and the company that brought them together, AG Entertainment, and how diverse their fanbase is as the Western market has opened up to music in different languages over the past few years.

The documentary takes a typical look at popstars’ troubles with overworking, fame and life’s uncertainties, but what makes this one different is the look into the manufacturing process and tough training that it takes to create these groups.

‘Blackpink: Light Up The Sky’ is available to stream on Netflix.

Over The Moon (2020)

This space musical animation film from Pearl Studio and Netflix follows Fei Fei, a young girl who is told the story of Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the moon, by her mother when she is a young girl and comes up with a plan to get to the moon to prove that she is real. A feature film directorial debut from former Disney animator Glen Keane, the animation is smooth and realistic with beautiful visuals and cinematic shots.

It is a well-written, uplifting sweet story of family, grief and loss. It also deals with the way that new technology interacts with traditional myths and stories. Fei Fei is a spirited and intelligent female lead with Phillipa Soo (Hamilton), Ken Jeong (The Hangover) and Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) voicing the supporting characters of Chang’e, Gobi and Mrs Zhong respectively. The music is very pleasant with a solid ‘I want’ song although it is probably not quite as catchy as its Disney/Pixar counterparts.

Pearl Studio has created a wonderful new children’s film that can be enjoyed by all ages and has made Chinese mythology accessible to all. The messages are clear, the characters engaging, and hopefully will become a new classic for the younger generation.

‘Over The Moon’ is available to stream on Netflix.

Holidate (2020)

If you are looking for a cheesy, predictable holiday romance film, then this new Netflix Original is the one for you. Emma Roberts (Wild Child, We’re The Millers) and Luke Bracey (Hacksaw Ridge, The Best of Me) star in Holidate, a romantic comedy about loneliness during the festive period and the persistent questioning from family members about your love life.

It is a harmless and light-hearted film that does exactly what it says on the tin. There are some misogynistic moments that are never really redeemed, some cringe-y dialogue, and ill-placed rude jokes. In the beginning, it almost veers into fanfiction-style set up with Bracey looking like he could be a Hemsworth cousin. Roberts does what she does best being a leading lady in an easy-watch-comedy drama.

Holidate seesaws between festive, sweet romance and crude, unabashedly sexual humour that rarely lands. Much of the humour comes from the awkward situations that the main characters get themselves into. The concept of holidays played well for the production designers as the sets and costumes are a key part of this film’s appeal. There are storylines that never resolve and half-evolved secondary characters, but it also pokes some fun at itself and has somewhat original scenarios.

‘Holidate’ is available to stream on Netflix.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Sacha Baron Cohen’s iconic character returns in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm at a crucial moment for America’s political landscape. Like Borat did in 2006, this sequel challenges the key issues of our time, through the lens of a satirical character. Instead of Baron Cohen taking centre stage, Borat’s daughter (played by newcomer Maria Bakalova) provides the insight into the opinions of the American people.

The film is wonderfully self-aware, from the similarly structured scenes from the original, to the fact that Borat is now famous in the USA both within the film and in real life. There is a definite loss of authenticity from the first one because there is no anonymity anymore but it is remedied somewhat through Bakalova’s character Tutar. This is where the link to current issues really shines through as it focuses on conservative views on women and their reproductive rights, conspiracy theories, and Trump’s administration.

The timing of the release is the key to this film as the presidential election and COVID-19 pandemic are prevalent in the messaging and even ends with the imploration to vote. It feels similar to films such as Jojo Rabbit (a self-described ‘anti hate satire’) in the way that it uses comedy to communicate important social issues.

‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan’ is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

How To Build A Girl (2019)

It is refreshing to see what could be classed as a ‘chick flick’ (if you have to use the outdated phrase) have such funny, relatable characters and situations. It adds to the great trend of female directed, female written stories about women (Lady Bird, Booksmart). Semi-autobiographical, written by Caitlin Moran (The Times), it follows the life of teenage Johanna Morrigan as she takes her first step out of her working-class childhood into the world of music journalism and heartbreak.

Beanie Feldstein stars as Johanna with a surprisingly convincing Wolverhampton accent, and is joined by a star-studded British cast including Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Alfie Allen and Chris O’Dowd. The film takes a look at the newfound power of adulthood and being the breadwinner for the whole family at only sixteen. One of other key themes is the sexism in the music journalism industry and how much reinvention women have to do in order to be taken seriously and even then, it is rarely enough.

It’s a story that women can see themselves reflected in, with scenes like having your period at school, to post-natal depression. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously and it gets some good messages across in a funny and heart-warming way.

‘How To Build A Girl’ is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Clouds (2020)

Like all stories like it, Clouds asks us to think about what we are doing with our lives and what we actually would like to be doing. Based on the true story of Zach Sobiech, the film follows the journey of a teenage boy with terminal cancer during his final months of life. The message really fits the brand of Disney but it would not really have fended very well without the name attached to it as there is the double whammy of cringe in the dialogue and musical element.

However, there is a more serious element to this movie than in many other Disney originals, but the stakes never really get that high given that we all know what will happen in the end. There are twists, turns and jumps in the plotline but truth is often stranger than fiction. They could have been a little more economic with their time and played around with the linear narrative more. Lil Rel Howery shows off a different side as Zach’s enthusiastic teacher.

The songs are definitely a shining part of the film, and director Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin) seems to like making films about ill teenage boys in beanie hats (see also: Five Feet Apart) but they are harmless and heart-breaking in the end.

‘Clouds’ is available to stream on Disney+.

Rebecca (2020)

The newest adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s iconic novel Rebecca fails to hit all of the mystery and legacy of Hitchcock’s interpretation, but there is more room for feminism to flourish. Because it relies on an interesting story, the film is good, but it will forever live in the shadow of Hitchcock.

Lily James (Cinderella, Mamma Mia 2) gives a decent and three-dimensional performance as a woman who finds love but cannot shake the ghost of her new husband’s late wife. Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name, The Social Network) is certainly no Laurence Olivier and isn’t a very strong presence in the film, but his English accent is quite good. Mrs De Winter gets a makeover in a mixture of period and modern styles that make her out to be more of a modern woman. Many of the sets are true to that of the Hitchcock original, but on a grander scale and there are some wonderful shots of the English countryside.

Kristen Scott Thomas plays Mrs Danvers as a severe woman but she is rarely scary. The writers give her a more fitting ending, and there is a more dynamic feel to the whole story with the cuts and the way that the shots are set up in the now-standard way for modern films. However, with all the new techniques that we have gained since Hitchcock, there is a loss of tension without the room for the ghost (and the camera) to be included as characters in the film. Overall, there is no magic of the original Hitchcock, but a more feminist heroine is definitely an improvement.

‘Rebecca’ is available to stream on Netflix.

I Am Greta (2020)

There from the very beginning, I Am Greta documents climate activist Greta Thunberg’s journey from a lone protest outside of Swedish parliament every Friday to a global movement of school strikes attended by hundreds of thousands of people. In her own words (and native language of Swedish), she tells the story of what drove her to first strike outside of the Riksdag building in August 2018, how she changed her lifestyle and convinced her family to do the same.

The documentary takes a look behind the cult figure that this now-seventeen year old girl has become and the audience gets to see her relationship with her father, learn about the extent of her Asperger’s syndrome and how she really is still just a child. Nathan Grossman has managed to film in a way that captures all of the action, the intimate moments and everything in between without ever having an overbearing commentary. He really gets the balance between the big, serious issues that she is burdened with and her reality of being merely a child thrust into the limelight.

It also touches on the hatred that she has received from world leaders and journalists and how she reacts to it. Her father is ever present as her travel companion as she makes her way by train, electric car and eventually carbon fibre boat across Europe and America, and it is both scary and comforting to see the lengths to which he will go to protect her. Overall, the documentary is a brilliant and emotional behind the scenes look into the teenage girl that has jump started the conversation about the climate crisis.

‘I Am Greta’ is available in select cinemas and to stream on Hulu from 16^th November.