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Josh Gad

Olaf Presents: Retelling the Old Story

November 12, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Though the Frozen films may be on hiatus, Olaf is still more than willing to tell us some stories.

In Disney+’s new series of shorts Olaf Presents, the beloved snowman does his best to recreate the magic of some of Disney’s most well-known animated films. From The Little Mermaid to Tangled, Olaf (voiced once again by Josh Gad) takes a few moments to take on the roles of mermaid, genie, lion king and many, many more as he speedily recalls the tales that defined a generation using his unique voice and vision.

Directed by veteran Disney animator Hyrum Osmond, Olaf Presents is silly, (very) brief but ultimately fun addition to the Disney+ canon. Designed as additional content for ‘Disney+ Day’, Olaf continues in the vein of rapid storytelling that marked his role in Frozen 2. Recounting the events of the first Frozen adventure, Olaf’s interpretation of the story added a certain level of goofiness and self-awareness to the Frozen franchise and Osmond and Gad clearly want to do the same here. By poking fun at other major Disney franchises such as Moana, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and more, Disney injects a little bit of meta-humour into their greatest hits and, frankly, it works well.

Although the shorts are extremely… well… short at only 2 minutes each, Gad definitely brings the energy and enthusiasm that one would hope for this sort of project. Having shown up in a number of projects as the lovable snowman (like the Lego Frozen project?), Gad is now synonymous with the character and clearly enjoys embellishing the role. (Seriously, whereas it can be easy to substitute voice actors, it’s actually hard to imagine anyone else as Olaf at this point.)

Admittedly, there’s very little to Olaf Presents by way of character arc or development of any kind. However, the project does serve as a gentle reminder of the fact that stories are shaped by perspective. Despite the fact that Olaf sticks closely to the original tales, his own unique brand of humour does shape the way that the events are presented. In Aladdin, he points out the silliness of the Sultan’s inability to change his own laws. In The Lion King, he points out the irony of Mufasa’s leadership over the animals while he still needs to eat. He even mocks Flynn’s overuse of the ‘smolder’ in his interpretation of Tangled. In this way, Disney does lean into the notion that the meaning of these stories can be affected by who tells the tale. Olaf’s innocence and unique take provide a different window into the stories that we have grown up with. Even if it’s done with silliness in view, that’s an interesting suggestion about the way we understand the world.

However, while the power of perspective is certainly an important aspect of these shorts, the ultimate goal of these tales is strictly entertainment. Olaf’s silliness and enthusiasm are infectious, even within these brief mini-tales. After all, who doesn’t love a good story, especially one that help us ‘see the light’ in a new way.

Olaf Presents is now playing on Disney+.

Filed Under: Disney+, Reviews Tagged With: Disney, Disney+, Frozen, Josh Gad, Olaf Presents

6.10 Into the Unknown of FROZEN II

November 29, 2019 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Six years after her powers are revealed, FROZEN II reacquaints us with Queen Elsa as she hears a mysterious siren song that calls her into the unknown. When Elsa responds, she inadvertently creates a disaster that forces them to leave their beloved Arendelle behind. As Elsa, Anna and their friends run off into the dark night, they soon discover that, in order to bring peace to the nation, they also must uncover the terrifying truth about their family history and growing up. This week, Steve welcomes back Miriam Ibrahim and Amanda Jane Smith to talk about the fear of change, being on our own together and healing the sins of our past. 

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

6.10 Frozen IIDownload

More than an hour of special features accompany the Blu-ray combo pack with outtakes, deleted scenes, deleted songs, music videos, and “Did You Know?” to get you started with the experience!

The soundtrack was certified Gold by the R.I.A.A., as the only Oscar-nominated film’s soundtrack that went #1 on the Billboard charts in 2019. “Into the Unknown” (by Idina Menzel) was certified gold, and is part of the soundtrack that has been streamed 1.7 billion times, explaining how it went gold and platinum in Japan, Korea, Philippines, China, Germany, UK and Canada.

Watch the film and sing along!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Anna, Elsa, Frozen, Frozen II, Idina Menzel, Into the Unknown, Johnathan Groff, Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, Olaf

Scenes From A Cinematic Weekend 10/23/17

October 24, 2017 by Chris Utley Leave a Comment

Hey SF’ers!  Trying something new so here goes:

  • Marshall w/Chadwick Boseman & Josh Gad:  They say that the opposite of the White Savior trope in film is the Magical Negro trope. Marshall clearly went full Magical Negro with Josh Gad’s character being the only lawyer allowed to try the case the film centers on.  A more compelling movie would have been watching Marshall defy the sea of racist White venom and beat a case against the odds. Way too much focus on the Josh Gad subplot to me.

  • BOO 2 was BAD, even by Madea/Tyler Perry standards. 20 minutes into it, I was half watching and half looking at my phone.  (Calm down movie theatre police – I was at a drive-in!)  No faith-filled or redeeming messages.  Honestly…the thing felt like a lame live action episode of Scooby Doo.   By the way, the audio overdubs that were supposed to drown out the cursing in this flick were HORRIBLE!  All those hecks, darns and friggins tells me that the uncut unedited version would have gotten a hard R.  I say to TP, don’t screw around with it next time. Let those F-bombs fly and let the church folks go up in arms!  Most of the ones who’d protest are avid Scandal watchers anyway where Cursing: Bad and Adultery: Good.

  • Shame Only The Brave didn’t find an audience.  Very good telling of the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots with themes of brotherhood, sacrifice – both at home and in the fire path – and redemption.  No Oscar prospects but this’ll find it’s proper audience in Redbox and streaming platforms.

  • Glad to have celebrated my 45th bday on Saturday.  I look and feel 35!  But I’m thankful to God for my wife and kids, my ScreenFish family for enduring me & my love for movies!

Well, that’s it.  Hopefully y’all will enjoy this.  If so, there will be more to come! ✌🏿

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: BOO 2, Chadwick Boseman, James Badge Dale, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, Josh Brolin, Josh Gad, Madea, Marshall, Miles Teller, Only the Brave, Taylor Kitsch, Tyler Perry

A Dog’s Purpose: Companionship In Life

May 2, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

Growing up, I remember dogs were always a part of the daily activities at my house.  In the early years, there was a black Labrador who lived in our backyard and loved to play with the neighborhood kids.  Middle school brought a tan dachshund to the mix—she liked everyone in the family–except me. In high school, I found my companion in the form of Fred, a beagle named after the basset hound in Smoky and the Bandit due to his looks. He followed me everywhere and slept on my bed at night.  Leaving for college without him was bittersweet, but he always remembered me when I returned for holiday visits.  He passed away a number of years ago, but the memories and companionship he brought me live on today.

Into this theme of companionship comes a new film from Universal and Walden Media called A Dog’s Purpose.  You might have heard about it recently, as an online video surfaced that suggested animal cruelty happened on set.  PETA reacted predictably and called for a boycott of the film, but I’m here to say there’s no reason to avoid attending for that reason (by the way, this article by one of the film’s producer explains the whole thing and is quite interesting).  In fact, although extremely melodramatic, A Dog’s Purpose is a decent film and showcases companionship in a touching way.

In the story based on the book by Bruce Cameron, we see life portrayed through the eyes of a dog (voiced by Josh Gad).  Actually, that should be lives, as the dog’s first iteration finds him as a stray and caught by animal control before being euthanized.  Before he can determine what his purpose is, he’s back as a puppy and eventually escapes from a cage.  Two guys find him and leave him in a truck with the windows closed on a hot day.  Thankfully, a lady (Juliet Rylance) breaks the window and rescues him.  After a discussion with her husband (Luke Kirby), their son Ethan (Bryce Ghesiar) has his first dog and names him Bailey.  The two are inseparable, although Bailey gets out of control one night at dinner and ends up costing Ethan’s father a job—and eventually, his family due to alcoholism.

Ethan grows up (now played by KJ Apa) and Bailey indirectly helps him find Hannah (Britt Robertson), and a relationship begins.  Bailey doesn’t understand a number of things that happen later, such as why Ethan leaves for college and why he breaks up with Hannah.  But he’s fiercely protective to the end.  And when that happens, there’s a pause, followed by a new life to live as another dog.  The canine goes through lives as a female police dog, a smaller companion for a college student, and a St. Bernard look-alike that finds his way back to an old farm house and runs into Ethan (Dennis Quaid), who doesn’t recognize him. The ending is neatly tied up and is reminiscent of something airing on the Hallmark Channel, but dog lovers might find themselves wiping away tears by then.

Director Lasse Hallstrom (Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape) keeps the film going at a good clip, keeping the distractions to the story to a minimum.  The whole concept of a dog bouncing through multiple lives is a topic worthy of a later discussion, but it’s handled tastefully and quickly each time.  The soundtrack isn’t particularly memorable, but in this case, that’s a good thing.  In my opinion, the acting is a bit uneven, mainly due to having so many different lives to account for on the part of the dog.  And, outside of the melodrama, the biggest issue I had with A Dog’s Purpose’s involved characterization.  Not of the dogs, mind you, but of the humans portrayed in each section.  Only Ethan is fully conceptualized; the others need more background—why for example, did the police officer live by himself?  We see a picture of him and his wife (daughter?), but nothing else is offered. More characterization would help to increase the power of the bond between human and canine.

And that is really the biggest takeaway from the film for me. When man was created, God realized he needed something. “It is not good for the man to be alone,” he said (Genesis 1:18).  In this case, he created the woman, but the loneliness and companion factor are important for humanity.  Nobody wants to be alone forever, having nobody to talk to or shower love on them.  Perhaps this is why dog owners are so fiercely protective of them, even calling them part of their family—they’re friends who stick closely by through the good and bad times—“closer than a brother,” in fact (Proverbs 18:24).

A Dog’s Purpose offers a look at why canines are referred to as man’s best friend.  They provide more than companionship and love to their masters—they exude hope, courage, loyalty, and strength.  These are fantastic qualities each of us should seek to embody in our lives. Perhaps the film will help a person do just that—thanks to a little bit of wisdom from a dog.

Special features on the Blu-ray and DVD available now are deleted scenes, outtakes, and two featurettes, “Lights, Camera, Woof!” that looks behind-the-scenes and “A Writer’s Purpose” that shares about W. Bruce Cameron (writer of the novel and screenwriter of the film). 

Filed Under: Current Events, Film, Reviews Tagged With: A Dog's Purpose, Britt Robertson, Bruce Cameron, Bryce Ghesiar, Companionship, courage, Dennis Quaid, Eden, hope, Josh Gad, Juliet Rylance, KJ Apa, Lasse Hallstrom, Loneliness, Loyalty, Luke Kirby, PETA, Smoky and the Bandit, strength, Universal, Walden Media, wisdom

Beauty and the Beast: A Mixed Transformation

March 20, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer 4 Comments

Unless you’ve been on a remote island for the last year or so, you know Disney has been working on a live-action version of its beloved, animated hit Beauty and the Beast.  After much teasing and considerable hype, the finished product has finally been released to theaters around the world.  People are flocking to theaters in droves, along with their kids (at least two girls were dressed in Belle’s signature yellow dress at the screening I attended). What they will see on the screen is a good film that doesn’t quite reach the bar set by its predecessor.

The film, for the most part, tells the story known the world over—a prince isn’t very nice to an old lady stopping by his opulent castle for shelter.  She puts a spell on him and his servants, transforming him into a horned beast (Dan Stevens) and them into various household objects.  The castle becomes frozen in a perpetual winter to boot. If the Beast finds true love before the magical rose in his room loses its petals, he can become human again. If not, he remains a beast forever and his servants become permanently inanimate.

In a nearby village, Belle (Emma Watson) is groaning about wanting more from life, all while helping her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) and avoiding the romantic passes of certifiable egomaniac and Narcissus wannabe Gaston (Luke Evans). When Maurice takes a wrong turn one day and lands at the castle, he picks a rose for Belle and is imprisoned by the Beast for it. Belle eventually comes to take her father’s punishment, but the Beast’s gaggle of talking appliances, led by Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) and Lumière (Ewan McGregor), keep her around—for a while.  When she escapes, wolves surround her, but the Beast saves the day, suffering injury in the process. That’s when Stockholm Syndrome befalls Belle.  Gaston learns of this and eventually leads a charge to kill the Beast (but fails), and the ending is all fairytale happiness.

In this adaptation, Beauty and the Beast succeeds in many areas–yet falls short in a few.  The sets and costumes are exquisitely designed—there could be an Oscar nomination coming Disney’s way next year. There were some issues with the CGI—especially with the wolves and a few of the backgrounds. As for the cast, Stevens’ Beast doesn’t seem quite as angry as his animated counterpart, coming across as more of a tortured soul (he also has a solo that is fantastic). Watson does admirably as Belle, but you can tell from the first song that she can’t quite hit the high notes. To her credit, she does get stronger in her singing as the film progresses. McKellen, McGregor, and Emma Thompson (as Mrs. Potts) are fabulous; Thompson is probably the only person that could give Angela Lansbury a run with her rendition of the theme song. I didn’t quite find Evans’ Gaston to be as convincing–his change from vain leader to exactor of vengeance was too abrupt. There are a few new additions to the film, including the rose Maurice picks at the Beast’s castle, a magic book that acts as a corollary to the magic mirror, a look at Belle’s childhood, and Agathe (I won’t say any more about her).  This adds almost forty-five minutes to director Bill Congdon’s film (it runs 2:09), but I didn’t find myself checking the time as a result.

There’s been a ton of discussion on the Internet and in real life about Josh Gad’s portrayal of LeFou as gay.  As with many other things, speculation is just that—speculation.  In the film, LeFou wants to be on Gaston’s good side, but does act a bit odd at times.  It’s only at the ending battle where anything resembling gay comes into play, thanks to Madame Garderobe (Audra McDonald).  This comes into play (if you want to call it that) as LeFou, in the final dance, spins off from his female partner to a guy.  It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it sequence and really has nothing to do with the overall story.

The themes of sacrifice, love, and restoration come into play quite prominently. However, one early sequence is worth mentioning. Belle asks Maurice about her mom, who describes her as “fearless.” To a large extent, that’s exactly what Belle becomes—both in her determination to protect her father and her belief that something good exists in a hideous horned creature.  In our lives, fear is an attribute that can render the strongest person powerless.  But true love can vanquish fear—the Bible notes this when it says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18 NIV).”  Obviously, Belle grew up a lot by the time the credits rolled.

Beauty and the Beast has its ups and downs and is definitely worth a visit to the theater with kids in tow. Just don’t expect to have it replace the animated version sitting on your shelf at home.

Filed Under: Current Events, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Beast, Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Bill Congdon, Cogsworth, Dan Stevens, Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, Ewan McGregor, Fear, Fearless, gay, Ian McKellen, Josh Gad, LeFou, Love, Lumière, Madame Garderobe, Mrs. Potts, Rose, sacrifice

Angry Birds: Birds of a Feather

May 27, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

angrybirds

Based on the most downloaded freemium app of all time, The Angry Birds Movie has grossed over $157 million dollars in its first week. With a worldwide following for the game, it was a no-brainer that the film would follow. Seriously, we’ve seen news of PONG and Centipede movies in the works, so could a hammed-up version of our favorite birds really be denied?

In the ‘plot’ of this animated 3D lark, Red (Jason Sudeikis) is already living on the fringes of the bird community on Bird Island, where birds have forgotten how to fly. When he blows up a young chick’s birthday party, he’s sentenced to anger management class with Chuck (a yellow bird played by Josh Gad) and Bomb (Danny McBride), who become his friends. In the meantime, the pig king Leonard (Bill Hader) lands on Bird Island, lulls the birds into believing his benevolent, and, you guessed it, steals all of the eggs.

Red seeks out Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), the once-proud leader of the birds, and find that he’s grown overweight and lacks any sort of fighting discipline. Left to rally the birds himself, Red proves to be the only one with any emotional or mental capacity for ‘war,’ and proves to be valuable to the society in a way that they never believed possible.

Littered with some funny moments, the laugh out loud moments are mostly thanks to the sarcastic quotient that Sudeikis and Gad bring to the film, intent on keeping the adults from dozing off. From a plot perspective, it’s like watching Titanic: you know this is going to end with slingshots, TNT, and flying birds, right? (Sorry if I spoiled it for you.)

Written by Jon Vitti (The Simpsons, King of the Hill), it’s no wonder that this is where the humor goes – even while the onscreen hijinks are aimed at entertaining kids. And yes, I’ll critique the plot of a movie based on an app momentarily. First, there’s little discussion of Red being “angry” after the pigs arrive; he’s simply doing what he needs to do to liberate the eggs. Red’s behavior pre-invasion is clearly inappropriate, but we’re to understand he now channels it into helping people. Okay … it’s based on an app, right?

More troubling is this Mighty Eagle avenue, where the hero, or god, of Bird Island, is found to be slob and reasonably worthless. Is this Wizard of Oz material or is it downplaying how our heroes were once heroic, or even how society once put their trust in a god? I’m not sure. I know it was over my kids’ heads, but I found myself distracted by this misadventure in the film, long after the camera had moved past the vision of an eagle urinating into a pool where other birds bathed, and drank from.

Yes, Angry Birds will entertain you. Just remember it’s based on an app – there are in purchase options that will cost you something.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage

Pixels – Video Game Death Match!

November 3, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

pixels

Alien life forms have interpreted 1980s messages sent into space as a challenge. Now, they have arrived on Earth to ‘play’ through three rounds of attacks to decide whether or not the Earth will be destroyed. Only a group of video game-playing thirty- and forty-year-old slackers can stop them. 

If that sounds wildly entertaining – and you love Adam Sandler movies – then rush out right now to buy Pixels on Blu-ray, DVD, or Digital HD. If it doesn’t – or you hated Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and Grownups… well, stop reading.

For me, there’s something endearing about a bunch of lovable losers putting it all on the line to save the world. It’s what I’d hope that I would do if it came down to it.

And yes, I love video games, films like The Last Starfighter, and ’80s icons.

Sandler plays Sam Brenner, one-time arcade champ, while Kevin James plays William Cooper, the President of the United States and Brenner’s best friend. Mix in Peter Dinklage as Brenner’s childhood nemesis, Eddie Plant, Josh Gad as Ludlow Lamonsoff, and Michelle Monaghan as the only real soldier on the team, and you have some seriously funny (and stupid) hijinks about how the fate of the world might come down to a duel over Pac-Man, or Donkey Kong.

Special features here on the DVD include a look at Q’Bert, Dojo Quest, and the “Game On” music video by Waka Flocka Flame featuring Good Charlotte. The Blu-ray actually comes with a look at Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Centipede. (For the record, Centipede was my favorite one of the bunch!)

While there might not be much to speak of besides the humor here, I still find myself considering that there’s a parable here about what it means to identify your gifts, and use them for the good of humanity. Sooner of later, one of these movies has to prove my mom wrong: video game skills WILL come in handy!

Filed Under: DVD, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Adam Sandler, aliens, Josh Gad, Kevin James, videogames

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