‘Lady and the Tramp’ (2019) Film Review

Grade: B

When you first log in to Disney+, one of the first things you will see in the streaming competitor to Netflix’s featured category is their “original” film, ‘Lady and the Tramp’. You may either see it as yet another unnecessary live-action remake of a perfect, well-beloved animated classic, or you may bask in its warmth and glow, as you watch two rescue dogs with mouth movements more animated than Jon Favreau’s remake of ‘The Lion King’ (and voices of Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux ) trade witticisms, kiss over a candlelit spaghetti dinner, and fall in love yet again.

‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie’ Film Review

Grade: C+

Just because ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie’ looks like a legit ‘LEGO’ movie, does not mean it is spotless. (Or without its buffs and scratches.) While the style is an improvement over this year’s ‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ (which felt more of an animated spoof than an actual movie in the ‘LEGO’ franchise.) to the point where it is equal to ‘The LEGO Movie’ itself, its humor and story line are a result of trying too hard to stand alone as an action comedy for family audiences. You could say that the ‘LEGO’ train has run out of steam and should stop there, (It could go until ‘LEGO Star Wars’, or ‘LEGO Indiana Jones’.) while I believe ‘Ninjago’ suffers from a disease I call “Same Year Syndrome”; this happens when two movies from the same animation studio get released the same year, only months apart, and only results when one or more films end up not living up to their potential. Pixar started suffering with the 2015 release of ‘The Good Dinosaur’, months after ‘Inside Out’, and may continue this year with ‘Coco’ (If it is not good); Last year, Illumination Studios released both ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ and ‘Sing!’, now ‘LEGO’ may be suffering the same fate. It is a shame, because I expected ‘Ninjago’ to be as funny as it was marketed to be.

‘The Girl on the Train’ Film Review

Grade: C+

Emily Blunt is a very charming and eloquent actress with films like ‘Into the Woods’ in her filmography, but in this movie ‘The Girl on the Train’, based on the book by Paula Hawkins, she plays someone who is obsessed with the people who kind of happen to be a part of her life; I mean that in a Robin Williams as Seymour Parrish from ‘One Hour Photo’ kind of way. Her performance as an alcoholic stalker, who spends her money on train rides from her city to New York (much to her roommate played by Laura Prepon of ‘That 70’s Show’ and ‘Orange is the New Black’s chagrin) in order to see what’s going on around her personal ex-married life, is one that should definitely be remembered during Oscar season.