Family Friendly II: Lilo & Stitch 🏄🏽♀️ & Into the Spider-Verse 🕸
Plus: See it, stream it, or skip it: 'Knives Out' 🔪
🦃 Happy Wednesday and Thanksgiving Eve!
On Monday, we kicked off our family-friendly week with a sendup of the classic tale of King Arthur. Today, to finish it off (sorry, no newsletter on Friday), I’m recommending an animated double feature. Plus, I play a round of a see it, stream it, or skip it with the latest from Rian Johnson (director of the best Star Wars movie).
Okay, here’s day 2️⃣.
Movie #1: Lilo & Stitch
STREAMING ON DISNEY+
What it’s about: Lilo (Daveigh Chase), who lives with her sister Nani (Tia Carrere) on the Hawaiian Islands following the death of their parents, adopts an unusual dog that turns out to be an extraterrestrial alien that she names Stitch (Chris Sanders). Chased by the intergalactic police, Lilo and Stitch must learn to work together and, more importantly, become a family.
Why you should watch it: I wanted to recommend Lilo & Stitch is because it has become an overlooked and underappreciated gem in the Disney animated canon. In addition to being one of their last traditional, hand-drawn films, it’s one of their few to feature a fully minority cast of characters. However, it’s more than that. It’s the usual charming and goofy animated fare filled with silly gags throughout but also delves into deep themes of grief, loneliness, and family. I mean, who could ever forget that “Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.”
Details: 🎬 Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois // ⏳ 85 minutes // 🗓 2002 // 📺 Trailer
Fun fact: In addition to voicing Lilo in 2002, Daviegh Chase also played Samara in The Ring. Talk about range.
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
Movie #2: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
STREAMING ON NETFLIX
What it’s about: Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is a high school student that suddenly becomes a Spider-Man. That’s right a Spider-Man. There’s more than one across multiple dimensions in the Spider-Verse and they’re coming together to help Miles defeat Kingpin (Liev Schreiber).
Why you should watch it: I don’t think I could adequately recommend Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in less than 200 words and it probably doesn’t help that I’m wasting those words on this. It isn’t hyperbolic to say it’s groundbreaking. The animation style — and the mixing of several— required new technology to be created and it shows on screen. However, it isn’t there just for show. It adds to the storytelling. If you’re tired of the glut of superhero movies, this one deconstructs what you know about the genre and makes it feel fresh. In addition to being a fun and light movie for the kids, it’s an impressive feat for the adults too.
Details: 🎬 Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman // ⏳ 117 minutes // 🗓 2018 // 📺 Trailer // 📝 My review
Fun fact: If you pause the movie any time a train goes by, you’re likely to see an animated Stan Lee.
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
See it 🍿, stream it 📺, or skip it 🚫: Knives Out
Let’s play a round of see it, stream it, or skip it! I’ll talk about a movie in theaters right now and let you know whether you should see it in theaters, wait for it to be available on streaming, or skip it entirely. Today’s movie: Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.
What it’s about: The members of the wealthy Thrombey family are shaken when they discover the patriarch Harlan (Christopher Plummer), a crime novelist, dead in his study. While initially ruled a suicide, a mysterious benefactor hires famed detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to investigate the case as a murder.
See it, stream it, or skip it? 🍿SEE IT! Knives Out is one of the best times I had in the theater all year. Every single character is delightful in their own way. Some of my favorites include Blanc, a heavily southern Hercule Poirot-type that Harlan’s grandson Ransom (Chris Evans) refers to as “CSI: KFC.” Ransom is the typical New Englander heir who probably just bought a boat. And best of all, there’s Joni (Toni Collette), a Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired lifecycle blogger who runs a website called Flam. However, what makes the movie truly great, in addition to the offbeat and dry humor, is its commentary on class warfare. Imagine a 70s whodunit version of Get Out.
Details: 🎬 Rian Johnson // ⏳ 130 minutes // 🗓 2019 // 📺 Trailer
Fun fact: Harlan’s grandson Jacob (Jaeden Martell) is inspired by the online trolls that criticized Johnson’s The Last Jedi.
That’s all for this week! Thank you so much for being here. I hope you have a relaxing, food-filled Thanksgiving with friends and family. I’ll see you next Monday with something special.
See you soon!
Karl (@karl_delo)