The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Release Date: 5th April 2023 - Australia

Production Companies

Universal Pictures (present)

Nintendo (present)

Illumination Entertainment

Dentsu (presented in association with)

Fuji Television Network (presented in association with)

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 92 minutes

Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office Gross: $871,836,610 (Worldwide - figure subject to change)

Plot Summary

Two plumbers from

Brooklyn, Mario and his

brother Luigi, find

themselves transported

down a mysterious pipe to

a magical new world while

working underground to

repair a water main. When

the two brothers are

separated, Mario sets off

to find him. Mario unleashes

his powers with the help

of Toad, a resident of the

Mushroom Kingdom.

He also receives training

from Princess Peach, the

strong-willed ruler of the

Mushroom Kingdom.

Voice Cast

Chris Pratt - Mario

Anya-Taylor Joy - Princess Peach

Charlie Day - Luigi

Jack Black - Bowser

Keegan-Michael Key - Toad

Seth Rogen - Donkey Kong

Fred Armisen - King Cranky

Kong

Kevin Michael Richardson - Kamek

Sebastian Maniscalo - Spike

Charles Martinet - Mario's Dad/Giuseppe (Cameo)

Jessica DiCicco - Mario's Mom

Rino Romano - Uncle Tony

John DiMaggio - Uncle Arthur

Khary Peyton - Penguin King

Juliet Jelenic - Lumalee

Scott Menville - Koopa General

Crew

Directors - Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic

Co-Directors - Pierre Leduc and Fabian Polack

Writer - Matthew Fogel

Executive Producers - Brett Hoffman, Bill Ryan and Yusuke Beppu

Producers - Chris Melendari and Shigeru Miyamoto

Co-Producer - Christelle Balcon

Production Designer - Guillaume Aretos

Art Director - Matthieu Gosselin

Additional Art Director - Yoriko Ito

Character Designers - Tohru Patrick Awa,

Daniel Fernandez Casas, Maxime Mary,

Sam Nielson, Nicolas Olivieri, Tony Siruno

and Philippe Tilikete

Head of Story - Ed Skudder

Studio CG Cinematographer - James C.J. Williams

Animation Directors - Christophe Delisle

and Ludovic Roz

Supervising Animators - Adrien Keeochim,

Aymeric Palermo, Basile Heiderscheid,

Benjamin Faure, Benoit Guillaumot,

Ludovic Savonnière, Mathieu &

Nicolas Menard,

Pierre Avon and Quentin Piq

Editor - Eric E. Osmond

Additional Editors - Tiffany Hillkurtz,

Ken Schretzmann, Julian Smirke and

Andrew Walton

Supervising Sound Editor - Daniel Laurie

Sound Designers - Jamey Scott

and Randy Thom

Re-Recording Mixers - Pete Horner

and Juan Peralta

Foley Artists - Ronni Brown,

Sean England and Jana Vance

Original Nintendo Themes - Koji Kondo

Music - Brian Tyler

Review

Five years in the making, THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE has been in the pipeline since 2014, and it seemed the right option to adapt the franchise into an animated feature. It is also an apology letter to fans, who were gravely disappointed by the 1993 live-action iteration, which is untrue to the games. Illumination is the only animation studio other than DreamWorks willing to produce an animated movie based on a popular video game franchise. Given it had a mixed track record of successes like the Despicable Me series, The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. I'm unsure if they are the right people to handle this sort of film, but thankfully, they proved me wrong.

Audiences loved the movie more than critics, who gave it mixed reviews and are not huge fans of the games. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE brings back nostalgia to those who have played the games and remained loyal to its accuracy. However, I am delighted to see it maintain its colourful spirit, world and menagerie of characters brought to life by its splendid animation. The storyline is average, but that's a minor misstep I won't have to worry about. Bolstered the film is an ensemble voice cast with highly-trained, well-known actors and a killer soundtrack.

Chris Pratt was incredible as Mario (when he took over from Charles Martinet of the video games, who, surprisingly, does a cameo in the film as Giuseppe and Mario's dad) despite what other people thought of him not being perfect for the role. Pratt nailed that part, even capturing the accent. Jack Black undergoes a role shift in a villainous portrayal of Mario's arch-nemesis, Bowser, rather than the heroic characters he's portrayed, like the shark in Shark Tale and Po in the Kung Fu Panda series. It isn't the first time Black has played a character that bad since The NeverEnding Story III, in which he didn't want to acknowledge its existence.

In hindsight, this is a much better movie adaptation than its critically-maligned and in-name-only live-action interpretation. It's an introduction to some youngsters who have never even heard of the Super Mario Bros. games, let alone didn't have a Nintendo Switch. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE is in general release and recommended to Mario fans who have played the game before on every Nintendo console.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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In Memory of Barry Humphries (1934-2023)

Barry Humphries (1934-2023)

The beloved Australian comic genius Barry Humphries has died after complications from a broken hip. He was 89 years old. Humphries was best known for his comic personas, most notably Dame Edna Everage. For over seven decades, he entertained audiences on the stage, has toured globally and has appeared in more than 20 films.

The 21-year-old actor conceived his feminine alter-ego in 1955 for a skit he did on the stage in Melbourne as a satire of Australian suburbia when Edna Everage was just a housewife in Monee Ponds. The character made film appearances, like "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" and "Barry McKenzie Holds His Own", the latter of which she becomes a dame, evolving into a more over-the-top figure that audiences loved. Barry continued playing Edna in several stage tours, talk shows and TV specials in the coming years, which include "The Dame Edna Experience" and "The Dame Edna Treatment". His other satirical personas aside from playing Edna are the drunk and lecherous cultural attache, Sir Les Patterson, etc. Throughout his career, Humphries has appeared in films, playing characters like the great white shark Bruce in "Finding Nemo" and The Great Goblin in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". His other film appearances include "The Naked Bunyip", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Shock Treatment", "Spice World", "Da Kath & Kim Code" and "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie".

He received many honours in his lifetime, including being an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007.

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Psycho (1960) Review

Psycho

Release Date: 21st September 1960 - Australia

Production Companies

Shamley Productions

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Thriller

Rating: M

Runtime: 109 minutes

Budget: $806,947

Box Office Gross: $50,052,925 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Unhappy with her job as a secretary in a real estate

office in Phoenix, Arizona

and frustrated with her

romance with a hardware

store manager, Marion

Crane steals $40,000

from her employer and

flees from Phoenix to

settle a new life with the

stolen money. Marion

decides to spend the

night at the dilapidated

Bates Motel after 36

hours of paranoia and

exhaustion. She meets the

polite but highly-strung

proprietor Norman Bates,

a young man with a hobby

for taxidermy and who has

a complicated relationship

with his mother.

Marion's journey ends with

her taking a shower when

she meets her grisly demise

in the hands of an unknown

assailant. First, a private

detective, then Marion's

sister and lover search for

her. It is then they begin to

unravel the identity of her

mysterious killer.

Cast

Anthony Perkins - Norman Bates

Janet Leigh - Marion Crane

Vera Miles - Lila Crane

John Gavin - Sam Loomis

Patricia Hitchcock - Caroline

Martin Balsam - Milton Arbogast

Simon Oakland - Dr Fred Richman

John McIntire - Sheriff Al

Chambers

Frank Albertson - Tom Cassidy

Vaughn Taylor - George Lowery

Lurene Tuttle - Mrs Chambers

John Anderson - California Charlie

Mort Mills - Highway Patrol Officer

Virginia Gregg - Norma Bates (Voice) (Uncredited)

Alfred Hitchcock - Man Outside

Real Estate Office (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Paul Jasmin - Norma Bates (Voice)

(Uncredited)

Jeanette Nolan - Norma Bates (Voice)

(Uncredited)

Ted Knight - Policeman in Hallway

Opening Door (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Producer (Uncredited)/Director -

Alfred Hitchcock

Assistant: Mr Hitchcock - Peggy Robertson

(Uncredited)

Based on the Novel - Robert Bloch

Screenplay - Joseph Stefano

Art Directors - Robert Clatworthy and

Joseph Hurley

Costume Designer/Wardrobe: Women -

Rita Riggs (Uncredited)

Costume Supervisor - Helen Colvig

Makeup Supervisors - Jack Barron

and Robert Dawn

Director of Photography - John L. Russell

Camera Operator - Leonard J. South

(Uncredited)

Assistant Director - Hilton A. Green

Film Editor - George Tomasini

Pictorial Consultant/Titles Designer - Saul Bass

Music - Bernard Herrmann

Awards

1961 Academy Awards

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Janet Leigh

(Nominated)

Best Director - Alfred Hitchcock (Nominated)

Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -

John L. Russell (Nominated)

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -

Joseph Hurley, Robert Clatworthy and

George Milo (Nominated)

Review

On a rainy evening at Halloween 2022, I began watching PSYCHO, which is said to have been a breakthrough of a modern thriller and is Alfred Hitchcock's landmark masterpiece. For years, I've never seen it. I thought it would be a great experience since I'm old enough to endure its terrifying psychological themes. What began as an episode for Alfred Hitchcock Presents in pre-production has evolved into groundbreaking. It's impressive that a movie on a lower scale could become a milestone.

Almost everything in PSYCHO makes it work, from Hitchcock's artful direction to the groundbreaking camerawork to Bernard Herrmann's identifiable music score. My only complaint about the movie was that the first half was slow, but it got better once it started to get into its tense atmosphere. The film has a few incredibly shocking plot twists, but I won't spoil them since this is my critique. I loved the iconic shower scene, which has become a staple in pop culture and was spoofed multiple times in numerous TV shows and films. The acting performances were fantastic, especially Anthony Perkins, who did great as Norman Bates.

PSYCHO is not just a pinnacle in Hitchcock's career as a director but is a suspenseful movie with a mystery tied into the storyline. I say this because it is not a horror film, as many would believe. It is a terrific classic despite the slow first half. I'd still recommend PSYCHO to anyone who hasn't seen it or any classic filmgoer.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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Super Mario Bros. Review

Super Mario Bros.

Release Date: 10th June 1993 - Australia

Production Companies

Allied Filmmakers (present)

Cinergi Pictures Entertainment (in association with)

Hollywood Pictures (present)

Lightmotive (co-production)

Nintendo (Uncredited)

Touchwood Pacific Partners I (Uncredited)

Distribution

Umbrella Entertainment

Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 minutes

Budget: $48,000,000

Box Office Gross: $38,912,465 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Two plumbers from Brooklyn, Mario and Luigi, are about to have the shocking discovery of their lives when they stumble upon a parallel world populated by the intelligent descendants of dinosaurs. The meteor didn't destroy them millions of years ago but threw them into another dimension. Now, they have plans to take control of our world. It's up to our

improbable heroes to

battle the evil King Koopa

and his goombas, free the

beautiful Princess Daisy

and save humanity in this

life-changing quest.

Cast

Bob Hoskins - Mario Mario

John Leguizamo - Luigi Marko

Dennis Hopper - King Koopa

Samantha Mathis - Daisy

Fisher Stevens - Iggy

Richard Edson - Spike

Fiona Shaw - Lena

Dana Kaminski - Daniella

Mojo Nixon - Toad

Gianni Russo - Scapelli

Francesca P. Roberts - Bertha

Lance Henriksen - King Bowser

Sylvia Harman - Old Lady

Desiree Marie Velez - Angelica

John Fifer - Goomba Toad

Don Lake - Sergeant Simon

Terry Finn - Hatcheck Girl

Rob Priester - Egon

Preston Lane - James

Robert D. Raidford - TV Announcer

Frank Welker - Creature Voices

(Voice)

Dan Castellaneta - Narrator (Voice)

Crew

Directors - Annabel Jankel

and Rocky Morton

Based on the Concept and

Characters: Creators -

Shigeru Miyamoto and

Takashi Tezuka

Writers - Parker Bennett, Terry Runte and Ed Solomon

Producers - Jake Eberts and Roland Joffé

Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Fred C. Caruso

Casting - Don & Mali Finn

Production Designer - David L. Snyder

Conceptual Artist/Creatures Designer

and Supervisor - Patrick Tatopoulos

Art Director - Walter P. Martishius

Assistant Art Directors - Sarah Knowles

and Simon Murton

Set Decorator - Beth A. Rubino

Costume Designer - Joseph A. Porro

Prosthetics and Cosmetic Skins Supervisor:

Koopa Creature - Rob Burman

Director of Photography/Second Unit

Director - Dean Semler

First Assistant Director - Louis D'Esposito

Choreographer - Barry Lather

Stunt Coordinator - Gary Jensen

Special Effects Coordinator - Paul J. Lombardi

Mechanical Creature Effects Supervisor -

Russell Shinkle

Visual Effects Designer and Supervisor/

Second Unit Director - Chris F. Woods

Lead Digital Animator/Compositor - Peter Webb

Editors - Mark Goldblatt and Caroline Ross

Supervising Sound Editors - Jerry Ross

and Hamilton Sterling

Sound Mixer: Second Unit - Whit Norris

Re-Recording Mixers - Gregg Landaker

and Steve Maslow

Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker and

Dan O'Connell

Music - Alan Silvestri

Music Supervisor - Peter Afterman

Writers and Performers: "Almost Unreal" -

Roxette

Review

Welcome back, viewers. As you all know, I haven't done anything in my blog except grammatically proofread my reviews, news updates, etc. It's been a few months since I last posted a new critique, but with the new Super Mario Bros. movie in theatres, it's time to refresh my memory on the previous movie adaptation.

As far back as I can remember, SUPER MARIO BROS. is a well-known platform video game series as its titular character was the official mascot of Nintendo. Its popularity fell with the advent of Sonic the Hedgehog and modern video games like Halo and Minecraft. Through its iconic status, it spawned three television cartoons and two movies (the latter is a recent animated feature from the studio that brought Despicable Me). There was even a live-action film adaptation that many people would try to forget but grew a cult following.

As a young child, I wasn't aware there was a Super Mario Bros. movie until I discovered its packaging on VHS. The film may seem nostalgic as I look back, but it was nothing like the Mario video games I've played. It felt like a wound that never healed, leaving a lasting mark on fans of the series. The failure of this movie may have led Nintendo to prevent any more big-screen adaptations (except for Pokémon). Even the co-creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, felt it tried so hard to replicate the games.

All criticisms have pinpointed the film's poor direction and mishandling of the source material. That's why fans consider it the worst video game movie adaptation. Aside from the film's lack of resemblance to the games, it had a confusing plot and inconsistent tone. However, I appreciate the filmmakers' efforts to try and make this movie different from the games, but they're woefully misguided. I applaud the marvellous set designs (despite being too gritty and industrial for a feature based on the Mario Bros) and the innovative effects that aged beautifully.

I feel bad for the actors that have participated in this film, particularly the late Bob Hoskins, who plays Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, whose experiences in making this movie had soured them. Their performances are good, and they have excellent chemistry. While they did their best to save the adaptation they could, unfortunately, they are mismatched, especially Bob, who is too gruff-looking for the character. The same goes for Dennis Hopper, whose baddie, King Koopa, isn't the character known as Bowser. He is having fun overacting in his role and not taking himself too seriously.

Some people may see SUPER MARIO BROS. as oddly charming in a way that honours the source material, while some don't find the film that bad and find it fun. While disappointing, it certainly has its separate storyline detached from the games and is not the perfect adaptation I would expect. Here's hoping Illumination will do a better job of handling the concept. And Chris Pratt will be a better Mario than Bob Hoskins.

Star rating: (3/10) Disappointing

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