Benjamin-M-Weilert

One year after the release of the book Ready Player One, Disney also jumped onto the video game setting with Wreck-It Ralph (2012). Both have an astonishing number of licensed characters, even if they're relegated to cameo status most of the time. The larger difference between the two is that Wreck-It Ralph examines the virtual world from the villain's perspective. Redeemable villains have been all the rage for some time, so providing video games as a space to contextualize the concepts of destiny and cultural expectations was a perfect fit.

Plot-wise, I enjoyed the video game universe Wreck-It Ralph created-even if there are undoubtedly some plot holes if you take it too seriously. I felt the Sugar Rush section of the film was a little long, but only because it had to deal with an entire other subplot with Vanellope (Sarah Silverman). Sure, feeling like you don't belong because you're a glitch parallels Ralph's (John C. Reilly) journey, but there's almost too much to unpack there after having spent half the film jumping around to other video games.

To flip the Shakespeare quote around, "Some are born villains, some achieve villainy, and some have villainy thrust upon them." While other films like Megamind (2010) cover the first two parts of this, Wreck-It Ralph asks whether video game villains are forced to be the bad guy. In the timeless battle of good versus evil, there's always the need for evil so good has something to fight. Of course, Ralph asks whether this is fair, considering that he always has to be the loser. Strangely enough, the positive message here (and with the glitch subplot) is that we must love ourselves, even if nobody else does.

A positive self-worth story wrapped in a fun video-game setting, I give Wreck-it Ralph 4.0 stars out of 5.

I first heard of Robot Dreams (2023) when it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. When I looked into it, I learned that there is no spoken dialogue in this film. This creative decision is always intriguing to me (almost as much as the one-shot technique) because it requires emphasizing body language and other "show, don't tell" techniques in filmmaking. For this reason alone, I wanted to see it. What I got out of it was a somewhat philosophical treatise on relationships.

While the animation in Robot Dreams is crisp, it's not trying to do anything extraordinary here. And while having most of the characters as animals or other non-human beings was also a creative decision, the only thing I got out of it was a few jokes tied to the characteristics of these animals. And ultimately, I think the lack of dialogue in this movie was right at the edge of being too artsy as it seemed to leave out a few details that would have been better understood if they were spoken.

Despite some of these weaknesses, the strength of Robot Dreams is in its message. Even if it starts with the idea that you can "buy" friends, Robot Dreams handles some tough concepts like loneliness, rejection, and moving on. While most people want relationships (romantic, or otherwise) to last, it's not always achievable. We bear the scars of broken relationships, even if we still have fond memories of our time together. Each individual we share life with contributes something to our personality that we then carry into our next relationship. What's most important is realizing that an ended relationship may not be entirely the fault of either side, but just the result of bad timing.

A deep message about relationships without ever saying a word, I give Robot Dreams 3.5 stars out of 5.

Say what you will about whatever era of Saturday Night Live you want to pick on, but the fact that this show has been on the air for 50 years is astonishing. Even more so when you realize how close it came to not airing on that first night at all. All the iconic moments that have become part of pop culture over its five-decade run should be placed in the context of what Lorne Michaels was trying to do with this ragtag group of comedians.

Saturday Night (2024) is a look into that last hour before the very first episode aired in 1975. I appreciated the ticking-clock aspect that director Jason Reitman brought to this film to emphasize how much still had to come together to make the show work. That everything is moving in real time shows just how frenzied these last-minute preparations were for everyone. There were quite a few moments where something would go wrong or a critical decision needed to happen where I honestly thought the entire premise would come toppling down. This made the ending just that much more satisfying when everything miraculously came together.

Perhaps the biggest flex this movie has going for it is how well the cast looks and feels like the original actors. Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Dylan O'Brien as Dan Akroyd, Matt Wood as John Belushi, and Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner were definitely some of the standout performances that make this movie work. It probably didn't hurt that there were enough hints at some of those well-known SNL bits from that first season to make long-time fans of the show point at the screen like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme. Even if you don't care for SNL now, this movie was an engaging moment in television history.

A well-cast, tautly timed historical comedy, I give Saturday Night 5.0 stars out of 5.