Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! This week, we have two very different science fiction tales vying for your attention. In one corner, there’s sci-fi horror with the franchise installment Alien: Romulus. In the other corner, there’s a more family friendly option in The Wild Robot. Which film emerged victorious? Read on to find out…
Joey’s Top Pick
The Wild Robot
One of the best animated movies of the year, bar none, is The Wild Robot. It’s beautiful, creative, distinct, and moving in equal measure. It’s truly something to behold. Both the young and the young at heart can fully embrace this one, considering how much it has to offer. My review here on the site began like so:
Making an animated film aimed at kids that still lands for adults/parents is a real skill. Sure, Pixar has more or less mastered the art, but they hardly have a monopoly on the idea. The execution just requires a certain touch. DreamWorks Animation hasn’t always been as successful at it, but with The Wild Robot, they’ve really cracked the code. The movie is targeted at children, sure, but the themes, while simple, may well land the hardest for grownup audience members.
The Wild Robot has lots of laughs as well as a tearjerker moment or two up its sleeve. The mix will work best on an older viewer who is fully aware of the themes at play, though it won’t be lost on younger ones at all. That’s the mark of a good animated flick, which this very much is. It works on every level.
Also Available This Week
Ahsoka: The Complete First Season
The Dead Don’t Hurt
Galaxy Quest (4K)
Hawkeye: The Complete First Season (TV)
House M.D.: The Complete Series (TV)
Loki: The Complete Second Season (TV)
The Mandalorian: The Complete Third Season (TV)
Never Let Go
Pulp Fiction (4K)
Shaun of the Dead (4K)
Watchmen: Chapter II (4K)
White Bird
Criterion Corner
Paris, Texas
From The Criterion Collection: “New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in Paris, Texas, a profoundly moving character study written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard. Paris, Texas follows the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis (a magnificent Harry Dean Stanton, whose face is a landscape all its own) as he tries to reconnect with his young son, living with his brother (Dean Stockwell) in Los Angeles, and his missing wife (Nastassja Kinski). From this simple setup, Wenders and Shepard produce a powerful statement on codes of masculinity and the myth of the American family, as well as an exquisite visual exploration of a vast, crumbling world of canyons and neon.”
Stay tuned for more next week…
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