Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 31, 2021

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK MARCH 31, 2021
Rotten
Visual Sorcery At Its Best
BY CHRIS MCKINNEY
PAPAYAS
My older daughter just turned 17. I don’t know how many times just the two of us went to the theater to watch the latest animated film, but it’s been frequent.
entire cast is Asian. This mat- tered to my daughter. I’m not exaggerating. It’s the first time she’s seen it in a major studio production. Hopefully, when I go through this again 13 years from now with my younger
daughter, it won’t matter as much to her because she’ll have seen it many times before.
So, as part of her birthday celebration, I figured we should go and watch an animated film in a theater (Consolidated The- atres Ward) for perhaps the last time. She’s getting too old for cartoons and will soon be off to college.
chrismckinney808@gmail.com
Raya and the Last Dragon
is currently playing in theaters.
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I’m glad the last one was a good one. We went out with a bang.
Animated character Raya (left), voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, appears with Sisu the dragon in a scene from Raya and the Last Dragon. IMAGE COURTESY DISNEY+ VIA AP
Raya and the Last Dragon
steal it from Heart, and the orb is fractured, allowing the Dru- un to return after five centuries.
and chances are I’m going to enjoy it. Add to that characters who kind of look like me and my kids, and I’m all in.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more gorgeously produced an- imated film.
is set in the mythical kingdom of Kumandra (Southeast Asia), which has been fractured into five kingdoms: Fang, Tail, Spine, Talon and Heart (parts of a dragon). The only thing keeping Kumandra safe is an orb that was created by dragons 500 years before. It was used to destroy the evil Druun, spirits that turn people (and dragons) into stone. Well, of course, each kingdom wants control of the magic orb. Fang attempts to
Six years after the Druun return and ravage most of the kingdoms, Raya, princess of Heart, is on a quest to find Sisu, the last living dragon. She’s a lone rider, almost Clint Eastwood-esque, a steely young woman ready for a double-cross and quick with a blade. I’m not that difficult to please. You give me some- thing with elements of Indiana Jones, Mad Max, old kung fu movies and Asian mythology,
The animation in Raya and the Last Dragon is breath- taking. Raya’s quest takes her through desert, river and mountain landscapes that are stunningly rendered. The vi- brant palate used in this film — wow. No color is spared. And the hair — I didn’t know if I was looking at cartoon or real hair. Raya and the Last Dragon is why we go to the- aters: to witness visual sorcery.
Is the movie perfect? No. The plot is rushed and uneven at times. The film could have been around 30 minutes longer. Ultimately, Raya and the Last Dragon needs to cater to the short attention spans of young children. The fact that it moves too quickly at times is easily forgiven.
On a final note, it’s worth mentioning that the movie was written by screenwrit- ers of Asian descent. And the
★ ★
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Wekeephearingtalkaboutownerswhoaren’tgoing to be able to keep their homes following a year after staying at home resulting in a year’s worth of deferred mortgage payments. Based on a how deferrmentswerehandledinthepast,theprojection of mass foreclosures may be off the mark. The trickle-down effect of the stimulus package may help some but for those for whom foreclosure is imminent, exploring options that grew out of the mortgagemeltdownmaybehelpful.Keepingowners
in their homes is key to stabilizing our economy. Remember, lenders don’t wantyourhome.Forthem,owning property creates a host of problems; squatters, yard service, general property maintenance and foreclosure expenses to name a few. It makes more sense for a lender to cooperate with a distressed homeowner than to proceed to foreclosure. This cooperationmighttakeseveralforms;thelendercan re-set the mortgage meaning that they can re-start
thepaymentperiodandaddmissedpaymentsto the end. They could re-finance the entire mortgage including the missed payments which basically accomplishes the same thing. I’ve even seen lenders forgivepaymentsforahomeownerwhostayscurrent for a period of time and demonstrates the ability to pay moving forward. If you are re-negotiating your loan or asking for a forbearance, be realistic. While some adjustments can be made, don’t expect your paymenttobecutinhalf.Goingforward,Isuspect lenders will be required to exhaust repayment options prior to foreclosure. Remember, any time youmissapayment,thelenderwillsenda“noticeof default”. They must do this to protect their financial interest. Forbearances are short term. Lenders might reduce interest rates or adjust payoffs but if your situation is not likely to improve quickly then it’s probably best to explore alternatives with your REALTOR®. Talk to the lender early and often and shouldallthatfail,keepinmindthatduringCOVID prices have increased significantly. When keeping
thehomeseemshopeless,contactyourREALTOR® to find out what your home is worth. It makes more sense for a distressed homeowner to sell than to allow the lender to foreclosure. And consider for owner-occupants, profit up to $500,000 (for a couple) will be tax free. If foreclosure happens, you may need to rent for a bit but after a few years, you can likely jump back into homeownership. Here are a few more tips that might help if you find yourself hopelesslybehind.Stayinthehomeuntiltheright of possession has ended which, in Hawaii, normally means a judicial foreclosure. Be sure to answer any summonsandIfyouarechallengingtheforeclosure or working on a repayment plan, this is the time to consider available resources... which brings me to a final piece of “Mom” advice; REALTORS® can be that resource. Trust me, there’s nothing fun about showing a foreclosed home, they’re usually dirty, smelly, buggy and if you’ve been around as long as me,youremembertheminbetterdays
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