Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Tag Archives: John C. Reilly


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My Review of STAN AND OLLIE

Stan and Ollie, rated PG
*** ½

Stan and Ollie is a well-made, funny and at times emotional film about the final tour of the popular comedy team of Laurel and Hardy. The film is directed by Jon S. Baird and written by Oscar nominee Jeff Pope (Philomena), based on the book Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours by A.J. Marriot.
The film begins in 1937 on the set of the film Way Out West being filmed at the Hal Roach Studios. Laurel and Hardy are at the peak of their popularity, but Stan Laurel, played by two-time Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (Philomena) doesn’t feel that Roach, played by Golden Globe nominee Danny Huston (Magic City), is adequately compensating them, and he plans to push for more money for the duo. Oliver Hardy, played by Oscar nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago), doesn’t want him to push too hard, as he has debts – multiple marriages, gambling on the horses – so he is fine to keep his job with the salary just as it is. Oliver is under a different contract, and so when Stan leaves Roach, Oliver is forced to stay and partner with comedian Harry Langdon in the 1939 film Zenobia.
The movie then moves forward to 1953. The duo goes on a comeback tour of Scotland, London and Ireland to encourage a London-based film producer to finance a Robin Hood film. By this time, Hardy has gained more weight, and has heart and knee problems. Throughout the tour we see Laurel working hard on the Robin Hood film script. Continue reading →


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My Review of Sing

singSing, rated PG
***

This animated film with a budget of approximately $75 million is directed by Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet. It has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards (for Best Animated Motion Picture and also for Stevie Wonder’s song “Faith” for Best Original Song).

Buster Moon (Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyer’s Club), a koala bear, owns a once grand theatre that has fallen on hard times. He can’t pay the stage hands or the mortgage, and is constantly being hounded by the bank. To help generate interest in the theatre and hopefully keep it from closing, he decides to hold a singing competition (think of American Idol), which is questioned by his best friend sheep Eddie (Oscar nominee John C. Reilly). The plan is to offer a $1,000 prize to the winner. But his elderly one-eyed iguana assistant, and my favorite character, Miss Crawly (Garth Jennings) mistakenly lists the prize amount on fliers as $100,000, rather than $1,000. Needless to say, this prize amount generates a lot of interest.

We meet the contestants, all of whom have dreams, and like American Idol we hear their backstories. Finalists include Johnny the ape (Taron Egerton, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Eddie the Eagle), Rosito (Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line) a stay at home mom to 25 little piglets, Ash (Golden Globe nominee Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation) a teen punk-rock porcupine, Oscar nominee Seth MacFarlane plays Mike a shady white mouse and Meena (Tori Kelly) is a shy elephant. Throughout the film, you hear bits of more than 85 songs, ranging from the 1940’s to the present day. The film builds to an excellent finale.

I really enjoyed this film. The writing was sharp, and the animation, while not spectacular, was good. While the film will interest children and they will enjoy the animals, some of the backstories were a bit heavy. A theme in the film is to always pursue your dreams. The importance of support from family was another theme.

The film includes a small amount of bathroom humor and some mild sexually suggestive content, such as three female rabbits dancing to Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda”, but overall is acceptable for all ages.