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Klaus

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  • Title: Klaus
  • IMDb: link

Klaus reviewKlaus offers a fun, if a bit predictable, holiday tale that explains various aspects of the Santa Claus mythology when a spoiled postman (Jason Schwartzman) is shipped off to the edge of the world and enlists the help of a hermit named Klaus (J.K. Simmons) to provide toys to the children of Smeerensburg where two rival families have been at odds for generations. While Jesper’s (Schwartzman) motives are originally selfish in terms of bumping up the post office’s numbers to earn a trip back home to the good life, his actions lead to a dramatic change in the town’s children, and eventually their parents.

The pair’s attempt to deliver presents sets the precedent of Santa coming through the chimney, lumps of coal, and a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Klaus works well as a holiday film where both our selfish protagonist and the bizarre city he finds himself exiled to discover the meaning of Christmas. Even the lonely Klaus is helped by Jesper’s schemes, although the story flounders a bit in the final act where Jesper’s motives behind the town’s changes are put into light prior to the inevitable conclusion to the story. Klaus is currently available on Netflix.

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Aniara

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  • Title: Aniara
  • IMDb: link

Aniara Blu-ray reviewWith Aniara the writing and directing team of Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja deliver an increasingly depressing sci-fi odyssey of the show breakdown of human civilization aboard a transport ship that becomes lost on its way from Earth to Mars. The ship itself is a combination of a cruise ship and giant mall where the crew’s main purpose, even before the mechanical issue that forces it further and further from their destination, seems mainly to distract the passengers from what is actually happening to them.

Inspired by the poem of the same name, the bleak tale centers mostly on a holodeck operator (Emelie Jonsson) and the events she witnesses when the three-week journey extends indefinitely.

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Us

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  • Title: Us
  • IMDb: link

Us Blu-ray reviewUs is a creepy horror flick featuring evil doppelgangers rising up from the sewers hoping to kill off and replace the human race. The film is primarily centered around the Wilson family (Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex), but opens the story broader as the scope of the attacks become realized. Writer/director Jordan Peele succeeds in creating a bizarre experience as each member of the family comes face-to-face with more murderous version of themselves (the tie-in to a carnival house of mirrors is a nice touch). While disturbing at times, and at times bordering on unintentionally funny, the film doesn’t have the payoff to elevate the film past a good genre film (and the late reveal was far from shocking).

Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, extras include outtakes, deleted scenes, and short featurettes on the main characters, shooting sequences from different perspectives, the actors, and the movie’s dancing scene. Horror fans should enjoy themselves here, although the film began to lose me the moment it tried to explain the existence of the red-jumpsuited evil clones.

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Missing Link

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  • Title: Missing Link
  • IMDb: link

Missing Link DVD reviewMissing Link is one of two animated films focused on returning a mythical creature home this year. While it lacks the heart of Abominable, the latest movie from LAIKA is a fun romp.

The story centers around self-absorbed adventurer Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) who discovers a Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis) in the Pacific Northwest and agrees to see it to the Himalays, dressed-up as Frost’s assistant, where its distant cousins live. The villains of the peace are the members of and exclusive club that has barred Frost from entry for his ridiculous beliefs (which he hasn’t been able to prove… until now). Along for the ride is Frost’s ex-girlfriend (Zoe Saldana).

Available on Blu-ray and DVD, extras include commentary by writer/director Chris Butler, the film’s trailer, a photo gallery, and various short featurettes on the making of the film. You can certainly do better than Missing Link but there’s fun to be had on Frost’s adventure across the world.

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The Secret Life of Pets 2

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  • Title: The Secret Life of Pets 2
  • IMDb: link

The Secret Life of Pets 2 Blu-ray reviewA sequel to the 2016 film that showcased what pets get up to when their owners aren’t around, The Secret Life of Pets 2 offers three separate storylines featuring the characters from the first film along with a few new faces. The neurotic Max (Patton Oswalt) learns to relax about the child of his owner, the would-be hero Snowball (Kevin Hart) goes on a mission to save a tiger from the circus, and the flighty Gidget (Jenny Slate) enlists the help of Chloe (Lake Bell) to recover a toy from a cat woman’s home. Each provides some humorous moments here and there, but the stories are only loosely connected (as if a trio of TV-specials were combined into a single film).

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