MOVIE TIME for Stay-at-Home Streaming!
by Bonnie L. Harris
Letting Go of Love Pearl Studio Rated: PG Streaming on Netflix
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lthough I love Pixar, Blue Sky, and Disney Studios, t h e re ’s a fo r m i d a b l e n e w animation company called Pearl Studio that’s producing some remarkable new films. With the backing of Dreamworks Animation, Pearl Studio gave us Abominable in 2019 and their new feature, Over the Moon, is nothing shor t of exceptional. With top-notch animation, a soundtrack I must add to my playlist, and energetic characters that practically jump
off the screen, Over the Moon, is both heartfelt and thrilling. But at its core, it’s a story of devastating loss and how a teenager named Fei Fei overcomes her fear of change. In a small Chinese village, Fei Fei and her parents celebrate the annual Moon Festival with their extended family by telling moon Goddess stories, making moon cakes, and sharing dinner. After Fei Fei’s mother dies, the family continues the Moon Festival traditions until one day, Fei Fei’s father brings a new woman and her son, Chin, to dinner. Fei Fei feels betrayed so she decides
Bungee & Fei Fei make a plan. to build a rocket to go to the moon to prove that the Goddess still faithfully waits for her lost
partner. She believes this proof with cause her father to change his mind and not remarry. Fei
Fei’s plan seems to work, but Chin stows away on the rocket and when they arrive on the moon, the Goddess isn’t at all what Fei Fei expected. She demands a mysterious gift that leads Fei Fei and Chin on the ride of their lives. With the help of some quirky unexpected friends, Fei Fei finds the gift and convinces the Goddess to let go of her lost love, which in turn, helps Fei Fei do the same with her mother. It’s a wonderfully imaginative story that teaches a priceless life lesson. Be sure to keep the tissues handy.
FOR THE PARENTS Survival Lessons Love and Monsters Paramount Pictures, Rated: PG-13 Streaming on Amazon
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he world turns upside down, people are separated into colonies, fear keeps them locked down, terrors lurk around every corner! Does that sound like 2020 or what? Not to make light of the pandemic, but the off-beat new feature, Love and Monsters, has plenty of parallels with what we’re enduring. It’s an entertaining, goofy coming-of-age film about a young man searching for his lost girlfriend in a world ruled by genetically altered insects
about giant slugs, killer centipedes, and voracious Sand-Gobblers. Even the stray dog and animals. The film doesn’t take itself too named Boy, who often rescues our clumsy seriously, but at the same time, the characters hero, Joel, seems genuinely devoted to the have remarkable emotional depth for a story quest. Joel finds his girlfriend after an 85-mile trek and some tough survival lessons, but she’s responsible for a colony of older people who’ve allowed suspicious new arrivals into their safe zone. Joel must decide to help them or return to his own colony, which he finally realizes is his new family. The ending fits the zany story, and although it’s far-fetched, we cheer Joel’s newfound courage and conviction. Pass the popcorn Advice from Mavis. and enjoy!
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