Movies, Films & Flix

Quick Thoughts:

1. It features one of the greatest alien hugs of all time
2. Good things happen when Ryan Gosling goes to space or plays a teacher. Project Hail Mary, Half Nelson, First Man, La La Land (City of Stars lol), and Barbie (traveling from Barbieland to the real world) have been good for his career.
3. Between Project Hail Mary, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller like directing or producing movies about world (or city) ending situations.
4. I love rock aliens.
5. You can see the $200 million budget on the screen. It’s a big spectacle that looks wonderful.
6. Christopher Lord, Phil Miller and writer Drew Goodard clearly love Andy Weir’s 2021 book, and it shows. 

Adapted from Andy Weir’s wonderful 2021 novel Project Hail Mary (the audiobook is incredible too. Ray Porter is a vocal legend), the Phil Lord and Christopher Miller-directed science fiction is a sight to behold. The film lacks the amiable nature of the novel, and instead adopts a “sad-happy” vibe that blends humor, first encounters, science, and suicide missions into a 156-minute spectacle. Ryan Gosling carries the film with ease, and he comes across as a genuinely kind human who is good at what he does. At its core, Project Hail Mary is a film about capable people (and other things) being capable as they attempt to save the world from organisms that are “eating” the sun. Amazon MGM Studios wisely pumped $200 million into the production, and it will pay off as early reviews (critics and audiences) are super positive and people will undoubtedly flock to the theaters to see it on an IMAX screen (they will also buy the audiobook on Audible – which is Amazon-owned). 

Project Hail Mary centers around a junior high school teacher (and disgraced molecular biologist) named Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) being recruited to save the world. Small single-celled organisms dubbed “Astrophage” are eating the sun, which is slowly cooling the Earth. In 30 years, the majority of the populace will be dead, so the world unites under the leadership of Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller – excellent casting) to figure out a way to destroy the deadly organisms and save the sun. The film is told in a nonlinear fashion that switches back and forth between Ryland’s outer space shenanigans and earthbound preparation for the world-saving mission. Since it’s a film about saving the world, the plot is loaded with problems on top of problems that need science-based solutions, and the science is always interesting and clearly explained. Screenwriter Drew Goddard (who also adapted Weir’s book The Martian into a blockbuster hit) had a tough task of taking Weir’s science-heavy novel (which is always engaging), and turning it into a smartly accessible crowd-pleaser. At 156 minutes, the film does feel a bit stretched, but it’s clear that Goddard loves the book and wanted to keep its plot intact. 

The trailers have already spoiled the appearance of an alien nicknamed “Rocky” (voiced by James Ortiz), but I don’t want to spoil the character because he’s such a delight. The friendship between Dr. Grace and Rocky is the heart of the film, and by the end you wouldn’t mind if the friendly rock creature watched you sleep. The visual effects direction by Paul Lambert and Mag Sarnowska is excellent, and the VFX vendors Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic, and Sony Pictures Imageworks do a fine job creating beautiful planets, expressive rock aliens, and gorgeous (and deadly) space lines. The production design by Charles Wood (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War) is top-notch, and he did a fine job creating a spaceship with a geography that makes sense. The ship differs a lot from the one in the book, but it makes sense that they wanted to create a larger ensemble for Ryan Gosling to exist inside. The cinematography by Greig Fraser (The Batman, Dune) is expectably great and several moments are beautiful to behold. 

As expected, Ryan Gosling does a fine job holding the screen, and he’s believable as an ultra-smart loner who finds himself saving the world. The good news is that Half Nelson, Barbie, La La Land, and First Man have proven that Gosling is a great movie teacher and space (or stars) adventurer, so he had no problem channeling his charisma and star power into the character. As always, he wears a comfy sweater, unleashes his patented screams and gets beaten up really badly (think Drive, Only God Forgives, The Fall Guy, The Gray Man, and The Nice Guys). It would be nice if his performance was remembered during the awards season, but the March release won’t help his chances.

Final Thoughts – Watch the film on an IMAX screen and listen to the audiobook.

1. The person who suggested Nick Offerman should voice an ocean pout needs a raise.
2. It’s refreshingly straightforward. 
3. Between The Pout-Pout Fish and A Sloth Story (2024), director Ricard Cussó loves offbeat animal stories. 
4. When talking about the film, Nick Offerman used the phrase “medicinal storytelling,” and it’s a solid way to explain the proceedings. 
5. Co-writer Elise Allen (Superkitties, Minibods, Polly Pocket, Princess Power, Barbie in a Mermaid World) has a stacked resume. 

Released in 2008, the Deborah Diesen-penned The Pout-Pout Fish has sold millions of copies, pulled in a handful of awards, and introduced the world to an ocean pout named Mr. Fish, who looks pouty due to his oversized lips. Mr. Fish is afraid that his pouty demeanor spreads “dreary-wearies” across the ocean, but through a series of interactions with fellow ocean-dwellers, the perennially-pouting fish becomes less pessimistic and learns to spread “cheery-cheeries” to other fish. Adapting the 32-page book into a 92-minute film was a no-brainer because it has a built-in audience and the bright underwater environments are perfect for a children’s animated film. It’s also nice that future sequels could pull from follow-up books that expand the lore of Mr. Fish (The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully-Bully Shark sounds fun).

The Pout-Pout Fish centers around a pouty fish named Mr. Fish (Nick Offerman) who spends his days in constant dread of being told to smile. He practices meditation, lives in a sunken boat (that is almost broken in half), and swims to the local reef town to buy signs that say “no trespassing.” His pouty existence is interrupted when a teenage seadragon named Pip (Nina Oyama) stumbles across his house while she’s scavenging for supplies for her 300+ brothers and sisters who are about to hatch. After some household shenanigans, Mr FIsh’s precariously located home falls off a reef cliff and crushes Pip’s new house. Since both of their homes have been destroyed, the two polar opposites decide to seek out Shimmer (Jordin Sparks), a mystical wish-granting Siamese fighting fish who can magically repair their homes.

What they don’t know is that a cuttlefish named Benji (Remy Hill) is also looking for Shimmer. He plans on using his wish to get rid of an influx of sea-kelp that has blocked sunlight from entering his tribe’s cavernous home. If he doesn’t get his wish, his mom, Marin (Miranda Otto), plans on taking over the nearby reef where Mr. Fish and Pip live. What follows is a low-stakes tale about two groups of fish looking for a magical Siamese fighting fish.

The episodic film sees Mr. Fish and Pip travel to multiple locations, like Jellyfish Junction (the home of electric jellyfish), and Dolphin Cove, a brightly-colored cove where pink dolphins (voiced by Amy Sedaris) hang out in a 1980s mall environment. The groups also explore dark cave systems and interact with whales, electric eels, and a group of starfish spies. The adventure leads to a climax that involves kelp eating, cuttlefish hypnosis, and mutual understanding. 

Directors Ricard Cussó and Rio Harrington eschew ambitious storytelling for a hyper-safe story about finding community and friends. It wasn’t a bad idea to keep the plot simple; however, the straightforward storytelling prevents the movie from being nothing more than a pleasant 92-minute distraction for families. If you’re looking for a safe and pleasant experience, you can’t go wrong with The Pout-Pout Fish.

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Mark, Megan and David talk about the 2026 Best Picture race and piece together the MFF Best Picture lineup. In this episode, they also talk about emotionally mature movies, safe picks, and Hot Spring Shark Attack. Enjoy!

If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!