"One Night in Miami" Film Review

By: Keaton Marcus

One Night in Miami. The first new release I’ve seen in 2021. And it wasn’t even a 2021 movie.

Regina King’s much-anticipated directorial debut, One Night in Miami, landed on Amazon Prime Video last night after so much fanfare leading up to its release. Although parts of the movie devolve into mediocrity, for the most part, this is exceptional for a first film and still fairly impressive as a movie in itself. With clearly capable performers and a timeless subject, this was a generally enthralling movie (it picked up considerably after the first 30 minutes) that makes up for its lack of creative stylistic choices easily. Both King and the lead actors, Leslie Odom Jr., Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, and Eli Goree are incredible talents, and I will not be surprised in the slightest if one, or even several of them receive Oscar nominations this April. It’s been a big year for Prime Video, especially in terms of diversity, so it’s only the right thing to do to spoil them during awards season.

What’s really interesting about this film is it isn’t actually a biopic, which many people will likely expect going into this. The film is set in 1964 Miami, a time, which, as you’d expect, wasn’t exactly the greatest for black people. Cassius Clay, who would later become known as Muhammad Ali, is quickly climbing the ranks as a rookie boxer. Malcolm X, a radical civil rights speaker, continues to run his controversial “white people demonizing” campaign, Sam Cooke is one of the most successful African American songwriters, but he’s having trouble winning over the white audience, and Jim Brown is widely known as the best player in the NFL. Coming off of a major victory, Clay decides to celebrate by joining Brown, Cooke and X at Malcolm’s hotel. As I mentioned, the meet-up between these four icons never actually happened, but it’s incredible to imagine what they would have talked about together. Almost stuck in this one hotel room, the men discuss the responsibilities of being a black man during the civil rights movement.

Getting onto the stuff I liked about this film, there are many things to talk about. First of all, I thought the exchanges between the four men were some of the best scenes in 2020, and the chemistry between the actors was simply simmering. I’ll talk more about the actual performances later, but here I want to get a little deeper into the script. Written by Kemp Powers, who also wrote the play of which this is based on, is truly a brilliant man. Sam Cooke and Malcolm X have extraordinary fights and conversations that asks a few incredibly poignant questions. Are all white people the same? Will they ever be won over or respect black people? As a famous African American at the time, do you have the responsibility to use your fame as a platform to promote civil rights? Although readers may be thinking that these types of questions only apply to situations in the 60s, and when racism was at large, think about what’s been going on recently. Racism hasn’t simply disappeared, it has just taken a more modern form that we are commonly oblivious to. If we really think deeply about recent years and all the chaos towards black people, it seems pretty similar to how it was six decades ago. Overall, I found the script to be the highlight of this film, and if Powers, who is also credited as the screenwriter for Pixar’s gorgeous Soul, doesn’t get nominated, I will be very surprised.

Second of all, these performances were all fantastic. Every single one of them. What stood out for me was the choice to make them the entire cast. What do I mean by that? There weren’t really any supporting characters. All the people you focused on were these black icons, and although it would have been interesting to see more of the world around them, it also never distracted from what was important. The absolute best performance for me was Leslie Odom Jr.’s Sam Cooke, who with both Hamilton earlier this year and now this, is destined to get a nod from the Academy. Him and Kingsley Ben-Adir (who portrayed Malcolm) had some really extraordinary scenes together that asked the questions that I elaborated on earlier. Odom Jr. was especially perfect when his character realized that he has been taking his fame for granted, which was a rare thing for a black man at the time. He wasn’t using his massive following to promote racial equality, and Ben-Adir is also brilliant when he points that out. On the other hand, when we start to see some of the cracks in Malcolm’s arguments, the dynamic of power switches. It’s incredible to witness. Both Aldis Hodge and Eli Goree were both charismatic and perfectly casted, although I would have enjoyed to see them get the spotlight a little more.

In terms of actual negatives, there really isn’t anything that I really disliked about the movie, only things that I thought could be improved. To start it off, it would have to be the directing. Yes, as I wrote, I do understand that this is quite impressive for a first-time movie, but I found the direction from King to be generally mediocre and generic. There weren’t any cool stylistic choices or certain vibes that something like Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series had. Especially through most of the first act, I felt it was really cookie-cutter, despite not being nearly as unbearable as Aaron Sorkin’s direction in The Trial of the Chicago 7. Kemp Powers’ script is something that truly carried the behind-the-camera work because it’s so revolutionary in the questions that it asks. Otherwise, this is more or less connected to the style, but the cinematography from Tami Reiker wasn’t necessarily bad, it just lacked creativity. It was mostly forgettable, and in such a vibrant setting, I thought they really could have used the location to their advantage. Give us some interesting camera angles, lively lighting…Anything to make the experience more memorable. Again, nothing about this film deserves legitimate hate, and I am still more than excited to see what King does next to improve on her still very promising start.

The final opinion is: A few aspects could use some attention, but One Night in Miami largely benefits from its important screenwriting and exceptional performances from its incredible cast…$PLURGE IT

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Rating: R (for some language)

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes

Directed By: Regina King

"Soul" sure has style, but also a whole lot of classic Pixar substance

“Soul” Film Review

90/100 “sweet”

By Quinn Marcus

After writing my quality in-depth rant on Wonder Woman 1984, I was sued for 501 million dollars by Patty Jenkins herself! So, I was thrown into the big house only hours later with nothing but my laptop. I’m dying in this cell, I have no one to help me, all I have left to do is this Soul review I guess. Curse you Warner Bros! Curse you! Anywho, whether this happened or not, that’s up to your imagination, maybe we are all in metaphorical prisons, wouldn’t that be something. Sorry, getting a little off-topic here, but then again, maybe I’m not. Soul has plenty of philosophy packed deeply into it’s brilliantly handled message. Pixar is all about answering life’s greatest questions, questions that we didn’t think about asking. The tagline for this movie says it all “is all this living really worth dying for?” That my friends is the big picture, the main topic that Soul covers. However, you probably didn’t click on this link just to hear me attempt to break down the meaning of life or whatever, you came to hear my review.

Don’t you worry my good fellow, I shall deliver triumphantly! (hopefully) It’s weird seeing a Pixar movie again, the last one I saw was Onward in March, and it was relatively good. Packed with colorful animation, entertaining voice-work, and plenty of tears, Onward was another welcome addition to the Pixar universe, but not quite a perfect one. You see, Pixar’s latest movies (Inside Out, Onward, etc.) have all been great, but they each share a problem, they all went too big. Onward is probably the best example of this, going from a fast-paced lighthearted fantasy, all the way to battling a building that turns into a dragon. It was because of these bombastic moments that their prominent messages were silenced a tad for the sake of keeping the attention of children. While not a massive issue, Pixar hasn’t been as focused as it once was, but I am pleased to say that Soul has brought back my faith in Pixar.

Soul kicks off with Joe, a man who’s passion for music has depleted due to the lack of support from those around him. However, one day changes everything when Joe lands a gig with a huge jazz musician, Dorthea Williams. There’s only one problem, he falls down a well, and his soul is transported from his body to “The Great Before.” There, he must figure out a way to get back to Earth with the help of an annoying infant named 22 who is only just beginning to learn about herself and the world.

Not a very common plot for an animated film, you’re probably thinking. Well, that’s because this is a rare creation, a shining example of how the animated genre should be handled. This is my second favorite Pixar movie, behind Wall-E of course. Before we get into the positives, did I have any issues whatsoever? The first 10-20 minutes had me worried, the ideas presented started to become a little wacky, and the story was moving too quickly. I could tell my papa had the same problem…because he fell asleep. However, things really started to pick up when Joe and 22 were paired together. Both characters were so fun to watch on screen, and while not every one of their jokes landed, they brewed up some fantastic comedy. Where the movie truly shines is it’s marvelously crafted third act. There’s a masterfully done scene involving Joe realizing the beauty of his time with 22, and discovering what he truly wants on the inside. If you didn’t already guess, that’s where the waterworks come in, I teared up pretty well.

My favorite aspect of Soul was easily the animation, I can’t believe how damn good the animation was. The tech used improves slightly with every passing Pixar film, but the city, the subway, every single background was detailed and forged to perfection here. It seemed as though we were viewing animated characters strolling through New York in real life, but the characters look amazing as well, so it’s not distracting. Jamie Foxx (Joe) and Tina Fey (22) were astounding together, the casting was on point, and it was some of the best voice-work I’ve seen in a long time. Together, they provide some hilarious scenes, while also taking time to build character through intense, deep, beautifully poignant moments throughout the film. The final “battle” towards the finish isn’t crazy at all, in fact, it’s quite powerful to watch, I won’t get into any spoilers, but you get the picture. Pete Docter, director of Monsters Inc. Up and Inside Out took the helm once again, and his climax, his whole film felt like classic Pixar movies such as Toy Story. It wasn’t too rushed, it let it’s message ease-out, and made me cry happy tears. The writing is also very clever, the trailers clearly didn’t hand us all the info about the film because there is a solid twist that leads to some of the best humor of the film. Did Soul make me think? That is just about the most important question to ask when you see a Pixar film, and for me, it’s a yes!

The final verdict is: Soul is a visual feast for the eyes that uses Pixar’s signature formula to conjure up another thought-provoking animated feature that’s entertaining as well as intellectual…$PLURGE IT!

(2020)

Genre: Animation/Adventure

(PG)

"Wonder Woman 1984" a (totally) sophisticated rant on the most hilarious movie since "Transformers 76" or something

“Wonder Woman 1984” Film Review (If you can call it a film)

30/100 “sour”

By Quinn Marcus

So I woke up to what I believed to be the most exciting lineup of movies all year. Tonight I was going to watch Pixar’s Soul, and DC’s Wonder Woman 1984, nothing could possibly go wrong with my day. Then my whole family broke out into song because it was in fact Christmas, but we don’t need to talk about that. The truth is, today was actually pretty damn perfect, up until a CERTAIN MOVIE of course. DC was on a roll, they gave us Birds of Prey, Aquaman, Shazam, the first Wonder Woman; it was a new beginning for DC, they were just starting to find their footing in the superhero genre. Incorporating comedy with the dark themes their films had to offer, but then Patty Jenkins stepped in and went to hell with it, I’ll ruin this universe with my own garbage film. Well done, oh destroyer of dreams, you’ve done exactly that. I thought DC’s future was bright, and this film would be another step to the heights that studios such as MARVEL have hit. God, was I wrong. You see, when the first trailer came out, it looked fun, lighthearted, an escape from the doom and gloom of 2020…too bad it was set in the 80s. My mama actually pointed out that she was worried about the film’s choice of setting, and truth be told, I was a little nervous too, but I pushed my doubts aside and walked in feeling hopeful. Who knew that you could laugh so hard at a film that isn’t meant to be a comedy. I had a good time in all the wrong ways, and if it’s not already clear: I. Hated. This. Movie. Why though? Can a superhero film really be that bad? The short answer is a yes, but if you stick around and hear my five trillion hour rant, you might find some helpful info before you press play on HBO Max.

There’s a difference between giving fans a sucker-punch to the stomach and actually making quality entertainment. All I wanted was to enjoy this movie, and I had the time of my life. Breaking down this movie is going to take all the brainpower I can muster, even more than I had to do for Tenet, and if you don’t like spoilers, then skip to the next part, because I’m going to be heading deep into that territory. Wonder Woman 1984 kicks off with little kid Diana who is beating people in a race that look’s like child endangerment at its finest. In case you didn’t already remember, Diana is a goddess, and the film takes 10 minutes just to remind you of how much of a Mary Sue she actually is. But then oh no, she falls off a horse and decides to win honorably by cheating, now that’s how you get what you want, excellent message Ms. Jenkins! Then she’s given a pep talk with the good old general lady whose name keeps escaping me, and we cut to her life as an adult. Wow, epic opening, am I right? Too bad it literally has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. So Diana works at a museum in 1984 with a cliché nerd lady, Barbara Minerva. They find a magical rock thing that grants people literally any wish without any laws or regulations; wow, that must be fun. I wish everybody else on Earth died including the main characters, oh whoops, it worked. Anyway, there’s a cliché businessman in this movie as well, and his name is Maxwell Lord, pretty rad name if you ask me. So his thing is that he’s looking for the magic rock while also keeping his oil company afloat, while also protecting his son who looks nothing like him, damn, this guy must be a multitasking pro.

So Diana wishes for Steve Trevor to come back, and oh wow, look at that, it worked, sort of. Steve’s mind is now in another man’s body, and Diana spends half the movie not caring about that at all. Also, what happened to that man, did he have a family, a job, a lover that he has been ripped away from?! It just makes no sense. So they make love, and what the hell? We’re already halfway through the movie! Anyway, Barbara wishes to be strong, loved, and popular, pretty much Wonder Woman, which is weird because there are a lot of other ways to do that besides the magic rock. Was the point of this scene that in order to be a strong, capable woman, you need to be Wonder Woman? I was bewildered as to what the message was in this movie, there’s something about lying, something about greed, and before you know it, there are riots everywhere, and nukes are being launched. WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Oh wait, but what happens in the middle, welp, there’s some cheesy, horribly directed action, and exposition dumps about the magic rock and something called the monkey’s paw, hey, I didn’t write the script, an ape did. So the movie ends with Barbara looking like a cosplayer wearing a Cats outfit, fighting Diana in one of the worst superhero fights I have ever witnessed. Oh, I almost forgot, Diana can fly like Superman now. Where is Chris Pine you may ask, well, the screenplay makes him vanish metaphorically. Diana then confronts Mr. Lord and gives a BS speech about how wishes suck, and how everybody should be happy, yay! Then it finally, actually ends. Right after potentially setting up a sequel with a 30-second post-credit scene that might be my favorite scene of this horrendous movie.

If you don’t like spoilers, skip to here:

Wow, that was a workout, I was more entertained making fun of this movie than the movie itself, how rare is that? Let’s get our positives out of the way, if there are any, of course. The first 5-10 minutes were cute, the island stuff was fun, and the race was creative, all of which was uplifted by Hans Zimmer’s stimulating score, the best thing about the film. If there was any commitment put into this movie, it was all Mr. Zimmer. There are minuscule flashes of what could have been a decent film, too bad it was bogged down by the acting, the directing, the writing, the plot, the editing, I could go on for hours. That’s all I liked about Wonder Woman 1984, there you have it folks, a master-work in superhero filmmaking.

Let’s start with the story. I haven’t seen anything so convoluted, so boring, so pointless since Sharkboy and Lavagirl, and that is a very low-point to hit. When I wasn’t laughing hysterically about how ridiculous the movie actually was, I was practically asleep. The first movie had suspense, powerful storytelling, characters that kept the movie going with solid humor and heart. 30 minutes into this, I personally felt like I was watching a cataclysmic failure collapsing in on itself, revealing nothing but a hollow, terrible message. All this is thanks to the script written by Patty Jenkins. With every line spoken, I cringed, I could also tell that the actors were physically, maybe even mentally in pain while speaking these lines. Pedro Pascal (Maxwell Lord) looked like he was taking a giant sh-t with every shot he was in, maybe this was intentional, who knows? Meanwhile, the once entertaining chemistry between Diana and Steve was ripped to shreds with abysmal performances by Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. It was like everyone in the cast forgot how to act and do scenes with meaning. Gal Gadot was wonderful in the first movie, and so was Chris Pine, in this, it seemed like they had no clue what they were doing, and resorted to going with the flow in the worst way possible. Kristen Wiig was fine as Barbara/Cheetah, but again, the script ruined any chance at a good character, leading to another letdown of a performance.

Oh but Quinn, this movie was meant to be cheesy, to have that 80s feel, you're just hating on something you don’t understand. You could say that, but I’d argue that the 80s feel was too over-the-top, and when it comes to this movie, over-the-top is an understatement; nothing felt intentional, everything felt like an accident. Jesus Christ, every aspect of this movie was overdone, the action, the visuals. Technically, this film was also a mess. Nearly all of the practical effects didn’t land, and there were times when it looked like Diana was floating while running. Particularly a huge chase scene involving a bunch of trucks, and men, portrayed as incompetent fools getting destroyed by Wonder Woman. I want to take a second to discuss the character of Maxwell Lord, who obviously was inspired by a certain President (Donald cough Trump cough). They could have subtly done this, but it ended up being too on the nose to have any impact whatsoever. There’s another insane subplot about knockoff Ronald Raegan or whatever, and his nuclear conquest or something. People are rioting in the streets, and nukes are being launched everywhere, it all just fell apart. I honestly don’t understand what went wrong, was it the choice of setting? The director? The writing? This movie in almost every way was a failure, and I am truly in awe by how bad this ended up being. If, and only if a third movie is made, I expect something better than whatever the hell this was.

The final verdict is: Wonder Woman 1984 was one big mishap in pretty much every conceivable way imaginable, a lesser second film that will surely disappoint fans, and won’t apologize for it…$KIP IT!

(2020)

Genre: Action/Adventure

(PG-13)

"Wonder Woman 1984" is Something No One Should Have to Suffer Through

“Wonder Woman 1984” Film review

30/100 “sour”

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By: Keaton Marcus

I’m sorry but this will come out as more of an informal, downright disrespectful rant because I literally cannot contain my anger about this movie. WHAT. THE. F!_!CK. HAPPENED. This is coming from someone who genuinely thinks the first Wonder Woman film is the best the DCEU had to offer. After watching 1984, Jesus has wept, and this could be the worst in the franchise. From the nonsensical, convoluted plotting, the subpar performances pretty much all around, and the cheap action sequences, this film legitimately has little to no positives to it. Oh, I forgot. Hans Zimmer’s score does deliver in many places, and if you’re willing to close your eyes and listen to the godlike soundtrack, it should be a mildly enjoyable experience. At least that’s what I believe. Patty Jenkins proved herself to be a perfectly capable director, but a WRITER??!! NO. NO. NO. Her screenwriting is easily the worst of 2020, and perhaps the decade. Yeah, I’d rather f(-)cking re-watch Transformers: The Last Knight over this GARBAGE. Also, the running time is unbearably long, clocking in at around 2 hours and 30 minutes, even longer than its already overlong predecessor. If you think the final act of the first film was mediocre, get ready for the most hamfisted, bullshit, chaotic, CGI-filled disaster that the last 30 minutes of this film are. Alright, let’s get on to business.

I literally cannot comprehend the plot so it’ll be quite difficult to explain it to readers now considering I have a hangover from how F’ING BAD IT WAS. So Diana is still mourning over the death of pretty-boy Steve Trevor after DECADES of whining about it, and she really really wants him back so they can have sex again. Yeah, it’s a pretty horny film, I’m not going to lie. At her company or whatever, Diana meets this other chick called Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig, what the hell are you doing in this film?), a nerdy, unpopular gemologist (I forgot, ok?!) after stopping a mall heist. Wow. Way to up those stakes, eh, Ms. Jenkins? Despite getting some serious vibes whenever the two meet up, the romantic relationship never happens. And I’m telling you, it would have been far more entertaining if the two just started making out mid-battle. So Barbara is basically bullied by all the mean men every day and harassed by drunk men on the streets to the point of mental collapse. Yeah, one of the film’s messages is that all men are stupid, drunken, disgusting assholes. I’ll get into that later, however. At work, she is suddenly (and quite randomly) approached by Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal really trying to act), a cliched businessman (literally Trump) looking for some stone. This stone of unknown origin is able to grant anyone’s wishes, and it’s just sitting in a lab without any sort of security or protection. Smart one, Jenkins. Lord is trying to use it so that he is able to control the world with it, but when Barbara discovers it, she wishes to be more like Diana. You know, cool, attractive, popular, all the good stuff. Diana, on the other hand, wishes for Steve to return. Oh for God’s sake, imagine if this was the explanation for Chris Pine’s return. Oh F(-)CK, it is.

Alright folks, time to write about the performances. Gal Gadot was perfectly solid in the first film, but that was because she only had to shine in the action sequences, and was mostly blocked from real acting moments. In the sequel, Patty Jenkins ludicrously decided that she could really act, and gave her more dialogue than stunts. Just because someone can look convincing in action doesn’t mean they can be the next Natalie Portman. The movie itself (its predecessor) was at least interesting as well and gave Diana some interesting things to interact with despite Gadot not being a great actress herself. She tries really hard once again, and I appreciate that, but it ends completely flat. Chris Pine also returns as Steve Trevor, which was nice to see, but his role in the movie felt really out-of-place, random, and the explanation for his reprisal is absolutely horrible, as I explained previously. He isn’t terrible, and there are some genuinely decent moments, like when he tries on different clothing styles from the 80s, but his chemistry with Gadot felt extremely lacking. There was something charming and adorable about the two of them together in the 2017 movie, and now it’s all gone. Pedro Pascal, known from The Mandalorian and Narcos, hasn’t proved himself to be an actor with much range, and Jenkins’ script needed too much from him. His role required the actor to be a grand, big personality with large ambitions that he will enact at any cost. Basically, he was required to be a fictional Donald Trump, and for the most part, his performance was unintentionally hilarious. However, it was also the performance that had the most effort put into it, and for that, I respect Pascal. Probably my favorite performance out of all of them was Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah. She at least attempted to be a menacing and convincing villain, but the poor CGI and problematic character choices blocked her from being likable or even relatable. Her acting was mediocre at best, and despite a few comic moments that she nailed, Wiig was floored in the serious ones.

The movie itself was likely the worst aspect of everything. Let’s start off with the direction. Patty Jenkins did us DC fans proud in the first film. It was filled with a good mix of humor and darker tones while complete with thrilling, dazzling action sequences despite being undercut by an underwhelming finale. This film is like if that huge Transformers battle at the end of the first movie spanned the entire running time. Literally, every action sequence is a poorly-directed, cheap-looking, and terribly lit scene that looks like a TV series with a criminally small budget. Jenkins had 200 million dollars to make this film at least look cool. That’s 50 million more than its predecessor, and it looks so much worse. Everything is so ugly, and it’s unfortunate considering how badass the original was. In the final battle, Diana finally gets to fight Cheetah, and it seems as if she’s battling against one of those god-awful CG felines from last year’s Cats. Wiig looks terrifying, and it’s truly the stuff of nightmares. Getting on to the plot, it’s even more of a mess than the visual effects. Every major twist or turning point in the film is so poorly hinged on the believability of a WISHING STONE. Seriously, is this an animated film for the kiddies, or a DC comic-book movie? The first movie was a dark, sometimes even brutal story about heroism in World War I, and it is shocking to imagine that this was made by the same people. Unlike many people, I generally liked Zack Snyder’s installments to this universe. Batman v Superman was messy for sure, but it at least had a cool political thriller-type approach and awesome action scenes. Man of Steel was visually incredible and beautifully composed. Both of these movies took a darker approach to the origin stories of these iconic characters, and I prefer that. However, those two also have plenty of flaws, and the best DCEU installments happened to be Aquaman, Birds of Prey, and the first Wonder Woman, which all have a nice mix of R-rated violence or brooding, dark moments with lighthearted comedy. You’ve got to find that perfect balance, and this wasn’t it. There are positives to the film, however, to make it slightly less unbearable. The score from Hans Zimmer was almost magnificent and even better than his outing in the 2017 film. However, the film surrounding it is less than stellar, shall we say, and very undeserving of such a composer.

Just to top things off, two things really angered me and I want to talk about them. I loved Zimmer’s score in it, but the fact that this awful movie used “Beautiful Lie”, Batman’s best theme, in an unintentionally hilarious moment towards the end of the film baffled me. This was a gorgeous piece of music used in the opening sequence of Batman v Superman, which is still my favorite scene in the DCEU, and was then wasted in a crappy scene of a very, very bad film. Zimmer wanted to do an emotional callback, and that just didn’t work for such a terrible scene. Secondly, this film is so obviously man-hating. I am a serious defender of Rey and the sequel trilogy of Star Wars, and female-led films are usually awesome, but I couldn’t take this one. Literally every man it in is either an incompetent fool or a disgusting animal trying to harass a woman. Maybe one situation of a man being a jerk isn’t terrible, but like four? In the same film? Steve Trevor wasn’t the main character, but he at least did some badass things in the first movie. Here, he’s stranded to an occasional sissy fight while Wonder Woman twirls her lasso a lot and flies like Superman (what was up with that?). I hate when people call legitimately cool female heroes Mary Sues, but Diana has officially become one. Hopefully, they can change that in future movies. Ok, I’m done ranting.

The final opinion is: Although Hans Zimmer’s score and a couple of funny moments deliver, Wonder Woman 1984 is an overloaded, dumb, convoluted, poorly-acted, and directed sequel that no one should have to pay for in the cinemas…$KIP IT

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Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of violence)

Genre: Action/Adventure

Runtime: 2 hours 31 minutes

Directed By: Patty Jenkins

"Soul" is as Thematically Rich as It is Visually While Matching Pixar's Classics

“Soul” Film Review

87/100 “sweet”

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By: Keaton Marcus

I have two reviews to write today. One for Pixar’s Soul, and another for DC’s Wonder Woman 1984. Let’s start the day off by writing on a more positive note. Anyway, this is one of the best films of 2020, complete with visually stunning animation, seamless voice acting, and beautifully contemplative themes that propel it forward as another grand Pixar achievement. Surprisingly, unlike literally all of the family films released this year, it caters to both the kids and the adults. Although one could argue that it aims too high thematically for younger audiences, the little ones will find much to like with the exuberant performances, colorful animation, and perhaps grasp some deeper stuff too. With the older ones, this is a gorgeous tale of life and passion that gets both metaphysical and musical. Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey are a goldmine of brilliance together, and each moment they share gives such a sense of beauty that something like Onward lacked. Sure, it has all the quintessential Pixar tear-jerking moments, but it has its own merits as well, and a lot of them. We’ve got all the basic humor, but somehow director Pete Docter continues to break genre boundaries in terms of visual splendor and storytelling even after witnessing something as emotionally wrecking as Toy Story 4 last year. I guarantee you this man was high on something good while pitching this thing, and despite the basic gist of the film is downright insane, everything paid off in the endgame.

Ok. So we follow Joe Gardner (Foxx), a middle school band teacher who is looking to get some sort of a successful job in the music industry to end his repetitive life teaching students that for the most part, simply don’t care. But then his friend Curly (Questlove) calls and tells him that he may have just scored a concert with famous musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) if he can nail an audition with her. At the audition, Joe easily gets into his jazzy groove and Dorothea is immediately impressed, so he gets the job. One issue, he dies (I think so) by falling down a storm drain. His soul is basically transported to an otherworldly passage to a place called the Great Beyond, which we can assume is Pete Docter’s vision of heaven. As any normal person would do, he begins to freak out and falls off this bridge into another place called The Great Before. Here, he is told to become something called a Mentor by a presence called Jerry (or is it Terry?) and is assigned to Soul 22 (Tina Fey) to attempt to find her purpose in life so she can return to Earth. Obviously, Joe formulates a plan to steal Soul 22’s Earth badge, ditch her, and have a successful concert, but it doesn’t end up that simple. I won’t spoil anything else, but what follows is a messy, flawed, but ultimately incredible animated fever-dream that has to be the craziest thing we have seen from Pixar to-date.

I love the cast and all, but I do want to take more time to actually talk about the film for the most part. However, let us devote a little part of this paragraph to the film’s two leads. Tina Fey and Jamie Foxx, as I mentioned, were magical together, nailing both the comedic and dramatic scenes. The entertainment value was as grand as we come to expect for every Pixar film, but the two dig a little deeper, and I will admit that Foxx gives one of the best performances of 2020. If you can believe it, the performances actually weren’t my favorite aspect in the movie despite how magnificent they were. I was expecting something more or less similar to Inside Out, and for the majority of the first act, I got what I previously predicted. However, Docter, out of literally nowhere, decides to surprise us once again with refreshingly unique storytelling. The sequences when Joe’s soul enters a cat and Tina Fey’s soul enters Joe’s body are laugh-out-loud hilarious, but also completely new. The thrilling, visually sumptuous action with Moonwind’s (a hippy that Joe encounters in the Great Before) colorful pirate ship contrasting with the dark sands filled with lost souls are so goddamn fulfilling. Every shot is a visual feast, the deeper moments are thematically rich, and the movie is ultimately a spiritual experience that rarely fails to touch the heart. In terms of issues I had with it, there were practically none except for the occasionally messy and unfocused storytelling. Overall, there are so many standout moments filled with fantastic music, the greatest animation that the studio has given us, and genius direction.

The final opinion is: Pete Docter and Pixar have once again knocked it out of the park with Soul, a thematically and emotionally contemplative feast for the eyes that feature two standout performances from its well-matched leads.

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Rated: PG (for some peril)

Genre: Family/Comedy

Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes

Directed By: Pete Docter

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" Overcomes Mediocre Plotting with One Last Powerhouse Performance from Chadwick Boseman

“Ma rainey’s black bottom” film review

80/100 “sweet”

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By: Keaton Marcus

Chadwick Boseman’s career ended too early. From 42 to Get on Up and even Marvel’s Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, he was a total star on the rise. It’s only fair that we got to see him in not one, but two roles this year. Earlier, Spike Lee handed him a supporting role in Da Five Bloods, and his last role happened to be George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which started streaming on Netflix yesterday. Although not his all-time best outing, this is more than a respectful send-off to the terrific talent who’s life was cut short. The film itself is also very, very good and scratches the top ten list of 2020. The performances are all raw and real, the cinematography is top-notch and its imposing message at the end is too powerful to be missed. It is flawed like almost all cinema we see today, suffering a little from its poorly constructed plot and ho-hum storytelling but otherwise this is well worth watching, especially because it’s Boseman’s last performance. This man needs to be nominated for an Oscar, and if it doesn’t happen the Academy should be considered a disgrace. Ok, maybe that’s a little far, but I’d be absolutely pissed.

The movie takes place in 1920s Chicago, when Black people didn’t necessarily have it as bad as slavery, but were still generally discriminated against in the US. We follow Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), a stubborn and uncompromising singer who has recently risen to fame. Basically the entire film takes place in one day at a recording studio without any distractions from the outside world, for better or for worse. She, Levee (Boseman) and their band are attempting to record an album destined to be a massive hit with the help of Irvin (Jeremy Shamos) and Sturdyvant (Jonathon Coyne), two white studio executives with hidden desires to profit off of Black people’s work. During an exhausting and problematic day, the band must rush to finish the music with the two executives counting on them to make it incredible. Yeah, it’s a pretty thin plot, and although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the storytelling had to be my least favorite part of the film.

Down here the performances were actually the standout, which is perfectly ok since the lead actor just passed. Speaking of him, Chadwick Boseman does definitely give one of his best performances of his career, almost up there with Black Panther despite not quite reaching that type of height. His role of Levee has a tragic and emotionally resonant character arc that simply sings to the viewer flawlessly. Boseman brings his normal charisma and charms, and scores with the ladies of course. So overall, although I wouldn’t put it at number one, this will live on as his most special performance for future generations of movie lovers. A seemingly unrecognizable Viola Davis portrays Ma Rainey absolutely brilliantly, and her appearance should definitely make for a worthy contender for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category at the Academy. Not only that, but I would go as far as to nominate her for Best Supporting Actress, as she completely kills it. From the prosthetic breasts and butt, the make-up, to her iconic golden teeth, she absolutely becomes this character and gives a performance that I will remember.

George C. Wolfe is clearly a fan of both theater and August Wilson’s play of this considering the structure. Both an interesting aspect and ultimately a weaker one for me, I was disappointed by the amount of real character moments or development. It seemed like it was just situation after situation, and until that magnificent last scene, I felt close to nothing. Nothing really happened to any of our heroes, and while I do appreciate the different, unique approach, this is cinema, not the theater. Yeah, I understand that I sound like a pretentious and disrespectful critic with no love for bold approaches, but the faithful transition didn’t work for me. Overall, the direction is pretty solid putting it on a platter, and the pacing was nice and fast disregarding my issues. To be honest, besides those flaws, this was an entertaining, interesting and very well-performed biopic and adaptation that plays as an affectionate tribute to a blues legend. It’s streaming on Netflix now and it is an essential watch in these times.

The final opinion is: Although it occasionally suffers from a lack of true cinematic storytelling, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is an enjoyable, well-acted movie in its own right, and gives the late Chadwick Boseman one last terrific hurrah…$PLURGE IT

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Rated: R (for language, mild sex and violence)

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Directed By: George C. Wolfe

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" makes up for it's weak plotting with stellar performances, and sharp dialogue

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Film Review

80/100 “sweet”

By Quinn Marcus

A few months ago, another tragedy befell us in the year 2020, Chadwick Boseman’s death. Although devastating, we soon found out that he still had one final performance in store for fans like me. Well, I just witnessed what will sadly be Boseman’s crowning achievement. I’m going to try to stay off of the topic of his death, and try to focus on the review even though it may be hard to write about. This film satisfied me on almost every level, and surprisingly, Boseman’s death didn’t overshadow the movie, there’s just too much to like about it. Of course, there were certain scenes that I’ll talk about later that hit different after his death, but overall, I felt generally fine watching it. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom saved the mostly embarrassing final half of 2020, one of my least favorite years in terms of movies. Seriously, in 2019 we got Parasite, 1917, Avengers: Endgame, WHAT HAPPENED?! A sizable portion of my top 100 films came from 2019, and 2020 was one big disappointment, mainly due to COVID of course. I don’t know how 2021 is going to go, but I hope it’s better than this steaming pile of poop. 2020 has made quality films rare, that’s pretty damn sad, but thanks to Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series, and now this, I have hope again. To be fair, this is not a perfect movie, there were plenty of flaws, but for 2020, a semi-flawed film is a god.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom tells the story of renowned blues singer of the 1920s, Ma Rainey, and her teaming up with her band to record her album. However, as the temperatures rise in this tightly cramped studio, so do tensions between Ma Rainey and her trumpet player, Levee.

It’s not a very complex plot as you could probably tell from the summary, and most of the flaws that I had with the film came from the story. So, what were these particular flaws, you may ask. Unfortunately, at times, the movie really does feel like a play, the set designs, even some of the dialogue felt like something out of Broadway. It’s only when we’re given occasional shots of the city or the skyline when we’re taken out of that staged feel. There are many scenes that seem like they could be presented on stage, the film doesn’t go anywhere, for some, that could be claustrophobic, for others, different. I personally found it weird, but not exactly in a good way. I know this film was based on the famous play, but it could have done better to separate itself from that world. Another issue I had was the beat-by-beat execution of the plot. I saw the story more as a series of events thinly strung together by immaculate performances and smart dialogue. Once again, there are going to be some people who enjoy that, I just wasn’t really one of them.

Despite the mistakes made in the making, there are still plenty of positives to be found with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Firstly, let’s talk about that script written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. This guy wrote some of the best scenes I’ve seen in the past few years. An example being when Chadwick Boseman’s character yells at god, shouting about how god turned his back on him. While extremely hard to watch, the screenplay provides so many fantastic moments to help elevate these marvelously crafted characters. Each character was so specific and entertaining to watch, and the band has so many hilarious conversations together, at least in the beginning. Another thing the script did right was building the tone. The film takes its time to grow its characters, and doesn’t shift its tone too quickly, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom slowly descends into darkness, making for a dramatic, harrowing conclusion. The directing by George C. Wolfe, most known for his work as a Tony-winning playwright was really solid. He set up his shots well, and the film unexpectedly looks pretty damn good.

My favorite aspect of this film was the cast. The standouts easily being Boseman and Viola Davis. Chadwick Boseman is award-worthy as Levee, this performance only proves that he was getting closer to the peak of stardom, until his untimely death. However, his charisma still shines through, and partially thanks to the writing, he has some incredible scenes to act. He has a whole monologue where he talks about a gang of white men who came to his house to hurt his mom, and the emotional intensity present in those few minutes was astounding. This is truly one of, if not, the best performance of his short career. Meanwhile, Viola Davis, playing Ma Rainey, is just awesome from start to finish. She owns her role with passion, and despite not exactly being the main character as the title suggests, she pulls off the character almost effortlessly. This was an ensemble filled to the brim with talent, fabulous performances all around that could end up being my favorites of the year.

The final verdict is: Although boasting lesser storytelling, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the perfect sendoff to an acting legend, and serves as a well-written, nicely directed film that is entertaining as well as intense…$PLURGE IT!

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(2020)

Genre: Drama/Biopic

(PG-13)

"Happiest Season" is a Delightful, Hilarious, and Uncommonly Bold LGBTQ Romantic Comedy

“Happiest Season” Film Review

80/100 “sweet”

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By: Keaton Marcus

Is it just me or has Clea DuVall’s romantic comedy Happiest Season saved 2020? Streaming on Hulu now, this is definitely in my top 15 films of the year. It’s a charming, hilarious, uplifting and diverse comedy that uses its bland cliches to the movie’s ultimate benefit. Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis have superb chemistry in the two leading roles, and Dan Levy steals the show as always. Although perhaps forgettable, the supporting cast had surprising depth, and I was especially entertained by Mary Holland, who gave a laugh-out-loud performance with vibrant energy. The film does an excellent job of showing the ups and downs of a growing relationship with a natural romance consisting of characters that don’t feel forced or contrived. What’s truly original about this is the fact that it isn’t just a throwaway flick that will be off minds in 24 hours, it sticks with you and it’s re-watchability factor is seemingly infinite. Sure, it will get you through another day in the countdown to Christmas with spirit that will bring joy into hearts, but it is also quite meaningful emotionally. Remember, I hate rom coms, so this was something rare in my film-watching career.

It’s almost Christmas time and we are introduced to Harper (Davis) and Abby (Stewart), a couple with no plans for the holidays. However, when Harper attempts to convince Abby to go to her parents’ house, she reluctantly agrees after Harper assures her that she has come out to her parents about their gay relationship. Abby, who enjoys watching people’s pets when they go off to travel during break more than celebrating Christmas, gets her friend John (Dan Levy) to watch the animals she was assigned to. Don’t forget about those fish, John! He does anyway. During their car ride there at the literal last minute, Harper confesses that she actually hasn’t told her parents about her relationship, and they still think she’s straight. She has told her mom and dad that Abby is a former roommate living with her, however. Real bold, Harper, real bold. This not only completely upends Abby’s plans to propose to Harper on Christmas morning, but it also means that the two will have to hide their love for each other the entire holiday. Considering what Harper’s sister Sloane (Alison Brie) is like, that will not be a simple task.

Despite the situation not being all too enjoyable for our main characters, it does make us audiences real entertained to watch it play out. Anyway, moving on to the cast. All of the actors do a phenomenal job. I didn’t have one complaint about the performances. Kristen Stewart has had a similar career to Robert Pattinson. They both started off in the garbage Twilight franchise, and since then, the two have been slowly climbing up the ranks in quality films. Let me be the first person to say this, but Stewart is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood at the moment. She’s critic-sized for being too unemotional and stern, but her chemistry with every single one of her fellow cast members seems fluid and three dimensional. Also, her occasional dry humor and blank facial expressions sometimes even work towards the film’s benefit, and particularly towards the end, I felt for Abby as a character. Unlike, say, Julia in The Wedding Singer, I have an authentic reason to care about what happens to Abby that isn’t just finding true love with Adam Sandler. It’s both heartfelt and funny as hell to see both her and Harper attempt to pretend not to be together.

Mackenzie Davis, who starred in Terminator: Dark Fate last year, is also slowly but surely working up towards her breakout performance. She wasn’t given the spotlight as much as Stewart, but when she was, the actress was both hilarious and emotionally effective at the right moments. In terms of standouts, I would really give props to the supporting cast, prominently Dan Levy and Mary Holland. As mentioned, Levy portrays Abby’s best friend who’s obsessed with tracking people on his iPhone, and is generally depicted as a childish cynic who hates the concept of marriage. He actually goes through a decent arc, though, and by the conclusion, he is a far more mature, caring friend. Holland is Harper’s other sister, Jane, is known for fixing the internet connection and being the odd one out in her family. Her family basically bullies her to their heart’s content, and she’s ruled as an immature third wheel of sorts before she finally breaks out at the end. This, combined with Holland’s energetic, vibrant performance truly brought it home for me. Otherwise, Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen were also quite solid as Ted and Tipper, the parents.

I didn’t only have a terrific time with this movie, but it also looks surprisingly good. The costume design is absolutely spot-on for all of the leading cast of characters, and the soundtrack is full of great Christmas songs. Our ears had the treat of listening to Candy Cane Lane, Christmas Morning, Jingle Bells, O Holy Night and more that accentuated the feel of the film. Clea DuVall has also proved herself to be a capable romantic comedy filmmaker, rivaling, and even accomplishing a superior work to other leaders in the genre such as Notting Hill, Moonstruck and When Harry Met Sally. Yeah, Rob Reiner, you’ve been beaten. And no, don’t get me started about Four Weddings and a Funeral, the plot-less, amateurish, boring and unfunny follow-up to Notting Hill. Why does this beat the classics? It’s because Happiest Season is not only a fast-paced, enjoyable ride, but a thoughtful, emotionally resonant and thematically rich one too. You can have plenty of fun with it, but audiences cannot deny that this is a bold, diverse and relevant movie as well, which is unfortunately a rarity in a genre full of films content with settling for mediocrity.

The final opinion is: Happiest Season works as an uplifting romantic comedy to get your spirits up for Christmas, but is also a surprisingly bold, well-acted and smart movie full of charming, sometimes complex characters bolstered by a talented cast…$PLURGE IT

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Rating: PG-13 (for sexual references and language)

Genre: Romance/Comedy

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

Directed By: Clea DuVall

"Happiest Season" is a true christmas treat stocked with laughs, heart, clichés and a pretty bold story

“Happiest Season” Film Review

80/100 “sweet”

By Quinn Marcus

2020 is a handful, I think we can all agree on that. I’m slightly annoyed at the people who say 2021 is going to be better with giddy optimism when chances are, it’s going to be very similar. We’ll all remember this year, I can tell you that, and in these dark times there is one film that came to fill our hearts with joy, and that is Happiest Season. I was not having a very good Sunday evening; I wasn’t even having a solid weekend. Turns out, staying inside is really damn boring. Normally, I’d be geeking out about the latest film I saw at the cinema, but no! Instead I’m at home, doing what exactly? Yeah, pretty much nothing, well, at least nothing particularly interesting. The point is, I needed this movie, I required a joyous, heartwarming rom-com that didn’t remind me of all the bad in the world, and I got just what I wanted. Romantic Comedies have never been my favorite genre, until now, my highest rated was Notting Hill, only at an 83/100. Happiest Season came so close to becoming the next rom-com king but didn’t quite make it. What I hope to accomplish in this review is to make you see this movie, which I’m just realizing is the point of most reviews, but still. 

Happiest Season kicks off with our lead protagonists, Harper and Abby, who decide to go to Harper’s family home for Christmas. The only problem is, Harper hasn’t told her parents that she’s gay, and hasn’t come out about her relationship with Abby, out of pure trust, they go, acting as roommates instead of lovers. Another problem, Harper’s family is pretty weird, which causes Abby and Harper to grow apart in a cataclysmic series of events involving theft, awkward dinner’s and the fear to express one’s true self. 

I view Christmas films, especially Christmas rom-coms as an escape from all things negative in my life. What better time to do that than in 2020, am I right? (Sadness, just sadness) Happiest Season is the perfect, brief dose of joy that we desperately need right now. However, it isn’t by any means a remarkable film. Let’s start with the flaws, shall we? The film isn’t unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s a very formulaic movie that somewhat relies on old genre clichés to satisfy the audience. It draws a lot of inspiration from films such as Meet the Parents, so much so that my mom 20 minutes in asked “why is this so much like Meet the Parents?” The only thing that separates it from films like this is its slightly twisted story that benefits greatly from Abby and Harper’s character situation. Anyway, back to the clichés, the main characters will conveniently meet on the street so big scenes can happen, and it doesn’t do it very subtly. Instead of gently easing the characters into the quality scenes it has, it kind of gives them a harsh push into scenes that end up feeling pretty familiar. Not all of the comedy always lands, sadly leading to some unintentionally awkward and cringeworthy moments. This is not a laugh-out-loud film, so don’t expect to see one, expect to be entertained and amused. 

Alright, now we get to my favorite part, the positives, say it with me: “THE POSITIVES,” ah, that feels good…Oh, you actually want to hear them, okay then. This is Clea DuVall’s second directed feature film, and she seems to have found her footing in the comedy genre rather quickly. She really got the mood just right, this felt like a classic Christmas film, and despite being rife with clichés, DuVall retained a unique spirit. Her writing was fantastic as well, while not always hilarious, her supporting characters were legendary, which was good because the two leads are pretty stoic and serious throughout. She also managed to get the tonal shifts perfectly right, it didn’t force you into feeling sentimental, it didn’t force you to be happy, it was just pleasant. She also took a pretty big risk with her concept, and I have to give her kudos for handling it amazingly well.

The cinematography wasn’t special, but it was sweet and simple, the color scheme is extremely Christmasy, for obvious reasons. Everything including the set pieces felt like it was set up, which may or may not be a problem for some people. A lot of people are going to say ‘oh, this was totally staged, and didn’t feel real,’ and style-wise, I don’t disagree. However, at its core Happiest Season has so many wonderful, tender moments that enhanced its overall tone. There’s a scene where John (Daniel Levy), and Abby (Kristen Stewart) are ready to leave Harper’s family's Christmas party, and the film takes a couple of minutes to pause so both characters can share a heartfelt conversation. It was these small pieces of Happiest Season that made me love it even more. There’s also a message of acceptance, and being true to yourself that really ties in quite well. There’s a whole lot of great comedy, but also a substantial amount of authenticity. 

Kristen Stewart leads this fabulous ensemble as Abby, she and Mackenzie Davis (Harper) carried the emotional weight of the film. And I have to say, both pull it off so well, and have extraordinary chemistry with one another. What’s funny about each of the performances, especially the family, was that they feel like real people, people you would meet in real life. This may be due to the awesome script, or it may be because of the cast, either way, everything just clicked. Daniel Levy was easily the standout for me. He is the most hysterical person in the film and hauled around the best jokes. There’s this whole thing about his character tracking everybody, and it’s a joke you would think to get old pretty fast, but it’s just too good. The rest of the cast including Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie, and Mary Holland all did a phenomenal job portraying their jubilant roles.

The final verdict is: Happiest Season will swiftly take you out of the doom and gloom of 2020, providing a generally funny, heartwarming rom-com that despite it’s flaws, will give you a jolly good time…$PLURGE IT!

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(2020)

Genre: Romantic/Comedy

(PG-13)

Sandler and Co. Let's Adam Sandler Be Himself in "Hubie Halloween"

Film Review: “Hubie Halloween”

60/100 “sweet/sour”

Audiences may have forgotten Adam Sandler from the earlier days of his career. Remember his early portrayals of simpleminded, kindhearted roles in Big Daddy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and more? Well, his new Halloween-themed comedy, Hubie Halloween, recalls his comic roles of the 90s. Streaming on Netflix now, this lighthearted and perfectly innocent 90 minutes is perfect for a combo night of spooky and enjoyable. Sure, Hereditary is always a winner this October, but if you’re tired of schoolwork, and terrified of some R-rated jumps, this is the watch for you. Despite the outdated feel, and lack of feasible character development, Sandler and his crew are clearly having a blast in the best Happy Madison production I’ve seen ever. That may not be a high bar to hit, considering the clumsy Paul Blart movies, but it sure is an improvement. Fans of Sandler’s performances in Uncut Gems or Punch Drunk Love, however, may see this as a regress in his career.

As mentioned earlier, Hubie is a complete callback to the simpletons he played decades ago. He’s the loser of a town called Salem, and the self-appointed monitor of it during spooky season. Of course, the kids bully him to death, and he can’t seem to stand up for himself. Feels familiar, huh? Almost everyone looks down and pities him, but Violet Valentine, the most popular girl in high school 30 something years ago is fond of his kind personality. On the scariest night of the year, however, Hubie’s expertise in detective-work will come in handy following a meet-up with his strange new neighbor, Mr. Lambert. News then spreads around that Richie Hartman has escaped from his mental institution. Cough, Michael Myers, cough. After a series of kidnappings and strange noises coming from Lambert’s home, Hubie must find the culprit, while keeping Violet’s kids from harm.

If audiences are ready to dismiss the plot and turn their brains completely off, Hubie Halloween is basically a masterpiece in comedy. The gags are constantly hilarious, and the slew of glorified celebrity cameos make for a breezily enjoyable time. We get appearances from Maya Rudolph, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, and even Ben Stiller for just a minute, and it’s glorious. With everything people are going through in 2020, what’s stopping us from watching a free Sandler movie? Family-friendly, and taut, this is the ultimate break from Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers, from Leatherface and Paemon, and it exceeds in doing so. I laughed at nearly all the pratfalls, especially a few stand-out moments where Hubie is told the word boner means mistake by his clueless mother, and lectures a bunch of teens on the many “boners” he made back in the day. Oh, Mr. Sandler, how you make us laugh.

Otherwise, you can nitpick this thing to the grave by critic-sizing its thin script, lack of truly compelling characters, or occasional cheap laughs. Or, you can choose to get completely wasted on candy corn, and spend 1 hour, 30 minutes of your life watching all the glory in witnessing Sandler’s nostalgic performance. Kids’ll absolutely love it, and adults will be charmed by its blatant silliness, proudly dated feel, and be reminded of their childhood watching Billy Madison redo grade school as a young man. It’s completely your choice, but a smart warning would be to not go into this as a critic, but go into it as a movie fan. As an audience member, if you’re tired of Sandler and his familiarity, this won’t work, but otherwise, just ignore the stupidity and soak in the entertainment value.

The final opinion is: Hubie Halloween can be teared piece by piece for its intentional dumbness, but Sandler and Co. prove to his large fanbase that he still knows how to make people laugh…$TREAM IT

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Rated: PG-13 (Brief Teen Partying|Language|Crude and Suggestive Content)

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes

Directed By: Steven Brill

“Enola Holmes” Review: A flawed yet charming reawakening of a franchise needy of new life.

By Quinn Marcus

(2020)

Genre: Adventure, Mystery

Age: 12+

73/100: Sweet/Sour

“There are two paths you can take Enola, yours, or the path others choose for you.” Enola Holmes was written by Jack Thorne and was directed by Harry Bradbeer. It is also based upon the novel by Nancy Springer. Young Enola Holmes spends her carefree days living alone with her mother, doing whatever they like. From tennis in the living room to jiu-jitsu in the garden. However, this all changes when Enola wakes up one morning to find that her mother is missing. Luckily, she happens to be related to the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Both her brothers arrive to investigate their mother’s disappearance. Enola takes matters into her own hands when she discovers that her other brother Mycroft intends to send her to finishing school. Thus, she travels to London, in hopes of unfolding the mystery that is her mother. Ah, mystery, what thrilling tales you have brought us. From Knives Out to Murder on the Orient Express (the original, of course). It seems that you can (almost) never disappoint. Enola Holmes is another shining example of how the mystery genre should be handled, and yet not all is perfect on Baker Street. Picture this: you’re waiting for a new type of cheese to come out. It promises to be the most excellent, the most scrumptious cheese anyone in the world has ever tasted. You quite nearly kick down the restaurant’s door in anticipation. Seated at a nearby table, someone has been given the cheese and is enjoying it immensely. Before your waiter leaves, you give him a snazzy one-liner, ‘I’ll have what he’s having.’ Ten painful minutes later, you jump up and down with joy as you are being served the very dish you have been waiting days, weeks, months, years for! You take a nibble, wishing to enjoy every bite. Your eyes go wide, ‘It’s just plain cheese’ you exclaim in anger. The staff makes their best attempts to calm you down, but before you know it, you’re on the run for a serious case of arson. Of course, this has never happened to me ‘cough cough,’ anyways, time to continue. You’re probably wondering why I chose this specific analogy. To be honest, I’m not so sure either. The point I was trying to make was that Enola Holmes is nothing special. However, it just may be the breath of fresh air Sherlock fans have been searching for. The arson part is a story for another time, and by another time I mean, never. What were my flaws?

The plot’s predictability. Despite it’s enjoyable, exhilarating atmosphere, Enola Holmes suffers from a disappointing lack of true mystery. Very few twists and turns were provided ultimately leading up to a convenient conclusion. In the process of filtering out the gritty bite of previous adaptations (for obvious reasons), it accidentally managed to wipe out some of what made the classic books so engaging. After all, Holmes spelled backward is ‘mystery’ so... when you have the name, you’ve got to use it properly. I will admit, the story is a significant upgrade over the disastrous A Game of Shadows, I gagged just typing out that name. Let’s go back to the grit point that I made. Although many recent adaptations have proven to be insufficient to my mystery needs, they at least had darkness. Enola Holmes is lighthearted and happy to the point of punishment. There’s absolutely no tension or spirit battling against the powerful light of the film. It’s shoving cotton candy into your mouth without the savory dish to balance things out.

I wanted to love this film, and it ended up not quite how I pictured, but I do have a set of positives keeping it afloat. The cinematography. Surprisingly, the camerawork stood out for me, it was colorful, relaxing, and showcased Giles Nuttgens’ clear eye for art. The musical score. Another big hit in my positives section, the soundtrack was acceptably upbeat, hopeful, and exciting. Clearly reflecting on the film’s awesome characters, Daniel Pemberton crafted a unique musical addition to the Holmes playlist. Harry Bradbeer’s fantastic directing will not be snubbed aside on my account. Although not completely flawless, Bradbeer has swept up the ashes of a nearly hopeless franchise. From that, he has built a potentially groundbreaking new start, so close to taking flight. What about the screenplay? Occasionally quite funny, and at times even inspiring, I found the script to do what many fail to do nowadays, stand out in the crowd. With an abundant set of well-done characters, many of which exhibiting solid development throughout, it seems this beloved story has a new Holmes, and her name is Alone… I mean Enola. 

Everybody populating the cast seemed to bring their A-game and some awesome fighting choreography to the table. Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) has brought her talent and charisma to her first lead role, the result is what anyone would expect and more. Carrying out some hysterical breaking the fourth wall dialogue as well as great chemistry with the rest of the cast. Bobby Brown has proven to be more than up to the challenge of portraying our generation’s next great detective. Louis Partridge (Paddington 2) has officially had his breakout role, playing the kind and slightly pathetic Tewkesbury (try saying that 10 times fast). Partridge was expertly paired with Millie Bobby Brown, providing a romance for tweens and teens to root for all they want, as well as giving himself a bright future as a young star. Superman, and now Sherlock Holmes, what can’t Henry Cavill pull off? (Besides the infamous ‘Josstice League’) Unexpectedly bringing a satisfyingly refreshing take on the complicated role, Cavill shows off a distinct new vision for a small yet intriguing spin on one of my favorite characters. Petition for a spinoff series, please?

There is some action including explosions, hand-to-hand combat, Enola is almost drowned, stabbed, shot, geez, how much can a person take. Not much language, occasional uses of ‘hell’, and ‘dear god.’ There are some profound feminist messages in the film. Enola can look out for herself, but also learns to care for others. At the time the film is set, Enola proves that women can be as intelligent and crafty as men, as well as being able to set her own course in life. Her character is a brilliant role model for young girls who wish to have a life of independence and freedom to aspire to be whatever they want. Enola Holmes is a must-watch for adventure lovers everywhere who can expect to find a film that’s easy to like and feel for. 

$KIP IT, $TREAM IT OR $PLURGE IT?

I SAY… $PLURGE IT!

"Enola Holmes" Breathes Fresh Air Into a Tired Franchise, and Gives us a Refreshing New Lead

“Enola Holmes” film review

80/100 “sweet”

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By: Keaton Marcus

Harry Bradbeer has come t0 save the Sherlock Holmes universe with a massive breath of fresh air. Enola Holmes is a spin-off about Sherlock’s rebellious teen sister Enola, who’s portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown with ferocious energy and spirit, making her mark in the cinematic franchise. Brown is joined with quite the talented cast, including Henry Cavill as the great detective, Sam Claflin as his cantankerous brother, and Helena Bonham Carter as their mother. Despite the odd casting choice for the hulking Cavill to play such a character, he turns up the charm and never brings it back down. He’s perhaps my favorite portrayal, at least better than whatever Will Ferrell was trying to do with it. The entire cast is so involved with the project, so committed that you really feel you’re in the world. Nothing feels off, or even fake, the costume design is top-notch, and they’ve actually hired a real British cast. Sorry, Robert Downey Jr. Above all, this is a film we all needed, an uplifting, heartwarming and charming picture that breezes through a couple fun action sequences, and plenty of humor.

Enola also breaks the fourth wall constantly, which was Bradbeer’s signature move in his acclaimed series Fleabag. This is how we’re told about her childhood, well, some of it. She explains that her mother, Eudoria, named her Enola because backwards it spells “alone”. Nice name, eh? The two have been inseparable her whole life, doing with Mycroft’s mansion as they please. That means playing tennis, wrestling, and breaking objects to all contempt. So why’d she name her such a way? It’s because Brown’s new character has always got along well on her own, the issue is, she’s never been accustomed to the real world, kept with her mother till her teen years. This is when she wakes up on her sixteenth birthday only to find that Eudoria’s gone mysteriously missing, and it’s Enola on the case. There is one problem, though. Mycroft won’t have it, he’s determined into forcing the girl into a school that’ll teach her to be a “lady”.

As she tries to outsmart her brothers, Enola becomes quite the detective as she saves Lord Tewkesberry from falling off a train. It turns out that she suspects that his uncle is sending an assassin after him. The duo join together to solve everything. Bradbeer is such a talented director…He’s helmed Killing Eve, the aforementioned Fleabag, and a few more big hits on television. His spin-off goes straight to Netflix perfectly, as it’s a movie not big enough to be worth it to see in theaters, and rather fits perfectly on the streaming platform. It may be a tad long, running over two hours, but for the most part, you’ve never seen time go by so fast. It’s a fantastic adventure for kids, and gives a surprisingly nice, feministic message to young girls without being to preachy. Fortunately, Brown’s character isn’t a Mary Sue, an issue with many strong females we see in the cinemas today. In fact, she’s an ordinary girl, and I loved to watch her solve cases, and kick butt.

Who ever thought Millie Bobby Brown could do fight choreography? I knew she was a fantastic actress from Stranger Things, but in the few action sequences in this thing, I’d love to see her in more of this stuff. She was sadly sidelined in her first feature role Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and this is her first true leading part in a film, and God does she pull it off. With seemingly boundless excitement, she in injects new life into the universe almost flawlessly in a movie with very few problems. Her chemistry with Louis Partridge, who portrays Tewkesberry, makes for a great new teen romance for fans to ship all they want. She’s got everything we needed from such a hero, and this rising actress is truly starting to take over the world. With around 35 million followers on Instagram at 16 years old, she’s grown an empire of die-hard fans from her stunning debut in the Duffer Brothers’ hit series.

There are the few issues I have with the movie as well. For example, it could have been told with greater depth in terms of character. I found the more intimate scenes fantastic, but the people themselves seemed a bit one-dimensional. Additionally, the fourth-wall breaking doesn’t always land, and the ones that don’t really made me cringe….Otherwise, I found them adorable. That is literally it, the rest of the movie was a perfectly innocent, enjoyable British adventure with plenty of entertainment value to truly hit it home despite its running time. I’m not sure if Enola Holmes will be popular enough to drive in a sequel, as it currently holds number two on Netflix’s top 10, behind their mediocre Ratched. Anyway, if the another movie does happen, I’ll be the first to watch.

The final opinion is: Despite a lack of grit, Enola Holmes is a family-friendly adventure with energetic, effervescent performances, fun action and tons of humor to make for a movie we never knew we needed….$PLURGE IT

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IN THIS ARTICLE:

Rated: PG-13 (for some action)

Genre: Action/Adventure

Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes

Directed By: Harry Bradbeer

"Mulan" Review: A visually dazzling illusion masking a mostly heartless attempt to remake the classic original.

By Quinn Marcus

(2020)

Genre: Action/Adventure

Age: 10+

55/100: Sour

Mulan was written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek, and was directed by Niki Caro. Based upon the legendary myth, Mulan tells the story of young protagonist Mulan, who disguises herself as a man in order to join the army in her father’s stead, as her father is unfit for war. Meanwhile, the Huns begin their purge through China, burning villages, killing any one who gets in their way, just to get to the emperor. Ever heard of the word “disappointed?” Ya, it’s a word I discovered after watching this very average Disney remake. I was in high spirits waiting for the day I would get to see Mulan on Disney+ for…30 bucks! That’s right, we bought this movie, and at first, I was okay with it, after finishing, I wanted the money back. Let me explain. Back in the good old days of my childhood (not too long ago actually) I was a wee little boy. I was having a jolly good day, playing with my favorite stuffed animal in my hometown of Gluffenshtein (Weston, Connecticut). Stupidly, I decided to toss my toy far, far away. It landed in a paper shredder, and my favorite thing to play with was torn to pieces. Whether this actually happened or not, that’s for you to guess. Anyways, the original Mulan is that stuffed animal, and the paper shredder is whoever wrote that script, in case you haven’t figured that out yet. This film was like seeing my favorite animated Disney film being destroyed right in front of me. However, not all is bad, there were some salvaged bits and pieces here and there of what once was a great kids film. So, let’s get started with my flaws, shall we?

The heartfelt messages. Wait, what are those again? Didn’t Disney films used to have profound, sentimental messages that people actually cared about? Maybe I’m just crazy, or maybe Mulan just had none. This is a movie I didn’t care about, the characters, the story, the feeling of the whole film was just so dull that I had no emotions while watching. They were obviously going for the same themes as the original, but it just didn’t work this time around. The editing. A lot of the editing in this movie was extremely choppy and didn’t always flow with previous shots. There were some cool scenes that I will talk about later, but many scenes, especially the action sequences, had questionable editing. Mulan gets a makeover? That’s right, throughout the entire time she’s disguised as a boy, she looks super dirty, when she reveals that she’s a woman in an epic battle, her face is perfect, and her hair is not messed up at all. It was very obvious when she rode onto screen. I guess this was a big “me too” moment, but it seemed so artificial and forced.

The dialogue. The script was basically people just saying things on camera. Not to mention, there were some very disturbing scenes such as when Mulan bathes in the water and the soldier boy gets naked, walks in, talks for about ten seconds and then walks out. Whoever wrote that scene had something on their mind, and it wasn’t to make a good scene, if you know what I mean. They tried to go for some form of comedy, but every other character seemed like a pawn compared to her. I literally faked laughing while watching whatever the hell those comedic scenes were. Let me pull up an example. “I like my woman buxom, with strong wide hips. Ha…ha…ha” This is true comedic inspiration, take this incredible scene to note, young writers. I miss Mushu guys, I really miss Murphy and his hysterical voice acting. If only he was there to save the day. The romance in the film existed? I actually couldn’t tell whether or not they wanted a compelling romantic subplot in this movie, she obviously likes this one soldier, but they have like two scenes together. Another thing that bothered me was the soundtrack. If you’re going to go in with no songs in a remake of Mulan, you at least need the heart pounding score. Nope, instead what we got was a generic, underused soundtrack that didn’t matter to me in the least. 

Alright, writing those negatives was a workout, what about the positives? The film is absolutely gorgeous. The cinematography by Mandy Walker was spellbinding to watch. The landscapes were amazing, the uses of green, blue, orange and gold, outstanding, and some of the camerawork required a lot of skill. The directing was pretty solid. Niki Caro knows how to direct a good action scene, all of the battles actually looked pretty cool despite the editing. I didn’t really mind the fact that she had powers, I loved scenes like when she runs up the side of the wall and kicks some ass. Sure it made her feel a little less human, but it was powerful to watch. The choreography was incredible. Whoever trained the cast to perform those sword skills and kung fu moves really put in the work to make it seem authentic. I was (mostly) entertained the whole way through. The film had just enough entertaining fight scenes to keep me a little bit interested, the final battle was fun. Overall, it's a decent popcorn flick, but I wouldn’t recommend it to fans of the original. A dull, unfaithful, beautiful, entertaining new entry from the likes of Disney, this is what I saw in Mulan. 

The cast of Mulan had some standouts, but was overall not too good. Yifei Liu played Mulan like a blank slate, she was very athletic in the film, but her emotion was super bland. Mulan is a character that we, the audience should care about and root for. However, her performance screamed, “I’m capable, but have the likability of a block of wood.” Donnie Yen was a total badass in this film, loved him in Rogue One, loved him in this. In fact the whole training part I actually enjoyed. He was probably the most committed to his role, it may not have been a huge part, but when he was on screen, I almost clapped. 

Mulan is more mature than the original film. It has its fill of action, stabbing, sword fights, explosions. Some off screen nudity, but not much romance. No language whatsoever, just a lot of shouting. The villain is a little scary, I guess. Mulan’s character is strong and very independent, a great role model. The message is be brave and...um, loyal, and don’t listen to the matchmaker. If she finds an “auspicious” match, you’re in trouble.

$KIP IT, $TREAM IT OR $PLURGE IT?

I SAY…$KIP IT!

Badass, Action-Packed and Epic...These are the Qualities We See in "Mulan"

“Mulan” Film Review

75/100 “sweet”

Disney wants to keep milking money and sucking that beautiful soul of their animated movies library, and turn them into live-action remakes with a distinct lack of heart. Thankfully, their newest update, this time for Mulan, is a visually stirring reboot with entertaining action and an appropriately grandiose scale. Like most of the studio’s new spins on their classic stories, everything is taken too seriously, especially in this one, which is going for an edgier, more battle-packed tale. That’s what you’d expect when you take a look at that PG-13 rating. The thing is, director Nicky Caro doesn’t go far enough to make this truly realistic, nobody speaks mandarin, and there’s even a magical aspect involved in it. No, the movie’s strong suit is when we really get into the action sequences, set in beautiful locations and peppered with impressive editing. Too bad we’ve lost most of what made the original so fantastic.

Mulan herself enters the film on her feet, swiftly chasing a protesting chicken, jumping from roof-to-roof with grace. She’s just a little kid, and you already know that Disney’s new movie has some special abilities in store for the once ordinary girl. Just like the original, this rebellious, butt-kicking young woman will soon be forced to marry a man she has never met, but don’t worry, feminism will prevail. If you’ve seen the classic 1998 version, everything I’m explaining will be for nought, though I will still do it. Remember how her father has some kind of a disabled leg, too old to fight in the war? Well, the Hua family must fight in an on-going war against the Huns, and he doesn’t have any sons to head off to battle. Because her father is clearly unfit, Mulan suits up as a man, donning badass armor, her daddy’s sword, and rides to the training camp instead.

Sadly, there isn’t any cricket for good luck, or Eddie Murphy’s Mushu to cheer you up, although we do get some well-choreographed training sequences, and a glimpse of Yifei Liu in action. Let me tell you, Liu may not have the emotional heft to truly carry a powerful performance, in the action, I couldn’t imagine anyone better. The actress makes this character a true warrior, and I do like that aspect, which occasionally makes up for her lack of soul. The men in the camp, of course, are clumsy, stupid and a bit inappropriate I may add. A couple can’t even keep their hands to themselves during the night, unaware, I hope. We also lose that touching romance in between Mulan, and her general Li Shang due to the #MeToo movement, nevertheless considering some of the themes of the two movies, it was a bit necessary.

Instead, we have the uber-talented Donnie Yen of the IP franchise, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Yen, as the general in the film, may not have enough acton, but it’s still cool to see him show off some moves The cast overall is a mostly positive factor, with a few exceptions. I’ve already talked about our heroine, but she isn’t it. Yen is impressive, and famed martial artist Jet Li even takes on the role of The Emperor, a movie decently fit for the guy. Gong Li, who you may know from 2006’s Miami Vice, is very good as the main villain, a shape-shifting witch of sorts named Xian Lang. The classic villain, however, is disappointingly sidelined, this time played by Jason Scott Lee, who’s looking for revenge. Overall, I enjoyed the performances, but there wasn’t really a standout to praise.

The most powerful moment in this entire movie, arguably, is when Mulan decides to show her feminine side herself. They don’t do that in the original movie, and it was a big loss for them. The scene is where she’s fed-up with deceiving everybody of her true gender, and let’s her hair go in the middle of a battle. It’s already captivating to watch this actress in the action, but what an addition. Props to Nicky Caro for tweaking this aspect, as she handles gender, intimacy…and the violence with a sure-hand. Of course, what violence we get is decidedly bloodless and antiseptic, and while it would be incredibly bold to see an R-rated Mulan, we’ll have to take this as a step in the right direction for Disney reboots, because it’s there best one yet. Forget all the scenery and visuals galore, I consider this a smarter approach to one of their more mature animated movies.

The final opinion is: Notwithstanding the disappointing lack of soul and joy, this Mulan adaptation is a beautifully shot, action-packed update with a capable lead actress…$PLURGE IT

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IN THIS ARTICLE:

Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of violence)

Genre: Action/Adventure

Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

Directed By: Nicki Caro

Don't Worry, You Can Still Party On with "Bill & Ted Face the Music"

“Bill & Ted Face the music” Film Review

75/100 “sweet”

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By: Keaton Marcus

Director Dean Parisot (Fun with Dick and Jane) has taken the reigns of this most bodacious franchise, helming Bill & Ted Face the Music, a surprisingly heartfelt, charming adventure with the help of its two amiable leads. However, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter aren’t the only charmers, as their two daughters step into the picture, played by Samara Weaving and Bridgette Lundy-Paine with complete ease, largely due to the excellent casting choices. What this movie would benefit from is more straightforward storytelling, the plot is all over the place, but besides succumbing to a chaotic feel, the third installment is entertaining, funny, and perfect for a family movie night during the pandemic. You and your buds, siblings, or parents will all have the same reaction: Whoa, Keanu!

The second movie in the earlier Bill & Ted movies, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, ended on a high-note of rock ‘n’ roll. Bill and Ted’s band, the Wyld Stallyns (pronounced wild stallions) united the universe with their most excellent concert 25 years ago. Now, somehow, their brave attempt eventually fizzled out, and now they’ve got cosmic issues…And personal ones. It’s up to the duo to unite everything once again with song, but your two favorite SoCal rockers have some other problems to deal with.

Their marriages. Remember when Bill and Ted met two princesses from 1400s England in the original movie? Well, now they’re married to them. Their wives, Joanna (Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes) seek out couples therapy, to which the clueless guys attend. This makes for a hilarious, and uncomfortable scene that leads to utter disaster. Their band has also hit rock bottom, and with this challenge ahead of them, the two must get their act together and make the world party on with a most excellent song. They just have to find a year in the future where they wrote this thing, and well, steal it from themselves! At least they’ve got some totally tubular help.

Bill and Ted also have a couple of daughters now, Billie (Bridgette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), who also set out on a time-travelling journey to find the greatest musicians the world has ever seen. Audiences get blessed with Jimmie Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, Mozart, and many more to help their determined dads. So while their immaturity might frustrate the two princesses, it just endears the daughters. Lundy-Paine and Weaving are both stand-outs, and the latter is a star on the rise after her breakout role in Ready or Not. But will these two young millennials be able to save reality as we know it?

Parisot is clearly a massive fan of this franchise, injecting the movie with easter eggs and nostalgia. He also clearly cares about making this thing as good as it can get. The issues lie with the convoluted storytelling, and occasional lack of hilarity, which did plague the originals as well. However, in terms of curing pandemic blues, you can’t find a better option in theaters or on streaming services at the moment. I’ll go as far to even say it is even better than the classic movie, and it wraps up this now beloved trilogy with a satisfying and gleefully silly end.

The final opinion is: Nostalgic, yet totally focused on the future, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a flashy, silly, fun time-travelling adventure that will satisfy, despite its otherwise overly-complicated story…$PLURGE IT

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IN THIS ARTICLE:

Rated: PG-13 (for some language)

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

Directed By: Dean Parisot

Black Is King

By Quinn Marcus

Black Is King

(2020)

Age: 10+

90/100: Sweet

Black Is King was directed and written by Beyoncé Knowles and two others. It is a visual album by Beyoncé inspired by The Lion King. I have a confession to make. I barely have listened to Beyoncé’s music until now. In fact, the only times I have listened to her music was when one of her songs would occasionally pop up on the radio. Well, Black Is King sure made me listen to her wisdom and energetic songs. This is the album we need right now. 

So, what were my flaws? I only have one, I wasn’t a fan of a few of the songs. Or at least, I didn’t think they were as good as my favs from the album like “Spirit” and “Brown Skinned Girl”. But, it’s clear that the team that brought her album to thrilling life were committed and knew what they were doing. Which brings me to my stand out positives. 1. The cinematography, costume and set designs are gorgeous. I have not seen such color infused with expertly made sets and costumes. It was truly electrifying to see these aspects combined with the epic dance numbers. The time and effort that must have gone into making each detail perfect in practically every way was just spellbinding to watch. 2. The choreography… holy sh-t. The dancers in this were outstanding, it feels like each person in it got their own time to shine. Each song had a unique, energized dance number backed up by the powerful voice of Beyoncé and the other incredible singers. 3. What about the inspiration from The Lion King. To be honest, I quite enjoyed the speeches and themes used from The Lion King. In a way, it gave the album more of a story. At times, I thought it didn’t exactly correspond with the song playing, but overall, I thought what Beyoncé did with it was cool. 4. How relevant/timely is it? Given the current situation, if you’re going to watch anything, it’s this. In the year of 2020, of all of the movies that have come out, this is at the top of my recommendation list. 

Overall, Beyoncé has sure done the job of crafting a stylish, unique, well-made, relevant visual album that will please fans of her own music and newcomers to it like me. 

This film is perfect for older kids and adults. There are some darker themes and creepy imagery probably keeping it out of reach of younger children. However, the profound messages that this film has to offer are too important to pass by. If you have Disney+ or are able to get it, get your parents over to your tv and get watching. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.

"Black is King" is a Stylish and Beautiful Tribute to African Heritage

Film Review: “Black is King”

85/100 “sweet”

By: Keaton Marcus

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Beyonce's third visual album, following 2013's Beyonce and 2016's Lemonade, has finally arrived on Disney+, now streaming for free with a subscription. The 85-minute film by Queen Bey herself is a companion piece of sorts to 2019's The Gift, the handcrafted, all-star soundtrack to the photorealistic remake of The Lion King. Black is King marks one of the most visually elaborate, stunning films I've ever seen, and it's not even a movie. Well, technically, you can consider it a musical, but the real definition of this thing is a visual album with a soul and story inside of it. This is a total celebration of black people, and it serves as a compelling Pan-African collage with an empowering message at its core. The album references the basic plot of The Lion King many times, although in its second half is when it truly begins to take off, carving its path of storytelling.

Black is King was made over one full year with a small army of collaborators with Beyonce. From high-profile African and American musicians, top fashion designers, and video directors, and even members of her immediate family, including her daughter Blue Ivy, who has a prominent supporting role…this was a passion project. While it may seem like a bit much to hire so many, it certainly payed off in the end. These talented folks have made an epic dedication to African ancestry accompanied by beautiful imagery and touching, if chaotic storytelling. Black pride is something we all need right now, it’s never become more relevant with the many people of color that have to face a biased court, cops and an inhuman amount of racism. But this isn’t just about black empowerment, one of the film’s core messages is explaining that we’re all under one sky, we all live on the same planet, no matter what color, gender or creed. It unites humanity under one piece of entertainment without being overly preachy or self-important.

The musical draws great inspiration from a multitude of traditional and contemporary African subcultures, blending new, old, and ancient traditions together, ultimately creating a celebration of all three. From Nigerian afro-fusion to dancehall to the tribal body, and hair-painting practices of the Himba people. To enhance the stunning cinematography, Beyonce shot this in some excellent filming locations, including western and South Africa, giving proof that she films on location. In addition to that, several languages which include Zulu and Xhosa are featured in the film’s monologues and interludes. When Black is King was announced last year, Beyonce drew criticism for potentially promoting African stereotypes, but wow did she prove them wrong.

This doesn’t in any way, shape, or form promote stereotypes of the African people, it respects their heritage. Much like Lemonade took inspiration from the Gullah culture of Georgia and South Carolina, Black is King feels like its representing Africa as more of an ideal, both paying respects to the continent’s very real inhabitants and cultures while providing a North Star of sorts to the many Black people to come. “Our ancestors guide us through our own reflections - light refracted”, Bey says in a voiceover before giving out this warning: “To live without reflection for so long might make you wonder: do you truly exist?” That’s one bold question to ask alright, but she’s right. Well, how can Beyonce herself be wrong? The warning gives a bit of a wake-up call to the “main character” of this storyline.

This “lead” of sorts is obviously a reference to Simba of The Lion King. Both the child and Simba start out living in royalty before getting swept away by an antagonist..but this time it’s a snake-wearing villain, not Scar. He grows up to be a young man with little to no direction in his life, and he needs to come back home and take the proverbial crown. But that only lasts for the first 50 minutes or so, the last half-an-hour is completely different. The whole Simba-like arc of the movie finishes with a satisfying close before Beyonce shows the perspective of black men, women, and the challenges they have to face as they grow up, and how “being a king” can be achieved through something as simple as engaging with others.

While this last portion is awfully messy, and has little connection with the earlier bits, it’s important to see. It includes various interviews and audio snippets on these types of everyday pressures to become the greatest. There’s not a song in the entire soundtrack that I have an issue with, to be honest…a few have less meaning than others, but my absolute favorite would have to be the My Power sequence. This series of dances focuses more on the female side of black people, and sends an affectionate celebration of strength, and not allowing anyone to get in your head. My other two stand-outs of the soundtrack would be Spirit, which is taken directly from 2019’s The Lion King, a beautiful song in my opinion..and finally, Brown Skinned Girl, which serves as a universal premise for brown skinned girls everywhere, and features cameos from Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyong’o and Naomi Campbell. It is an emotional and visually stunning tribute to the gender.

The weaker music in the film usually comes from songs that focus too much on visual appeal than actual meaning. These include Nile, which has a gorgeous white-grey color palette, but it’s not quite the party-starter that fans were expecting. There’s a surrealistic effect with the visual splendor, but all this song provides is style, with a lack of substance. The other would be Scar, which is another visually stunning, moody, atmospheric tone-setter with a Thriller-esque feel to it. I didn’t dislike it per-say, but in terms of memorable things in this film, this is another passing moment that isn’t worth watching. But otherwise, I quite enjoyed this empowering and exciting soundtrack, which mostly succeeds at blending stylish, vibrant color with true meaning. The entire film itself is a success, with few flaws and nitpicks, and it tried its best to be entertaining all the way through. Beyonce, you’re my savior.

The final opinion is: Though not everything works out, Black is King is a memorable celebration of African heritage that blends excellent color-palette’s with dazzling cinematography, filming locations, and a touching message at its core. In other words, Bey’s dropped a masterpiece…$PLURGE IT

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IN THIS ARTICLE:

Rated: NR

Genre: Musical

Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes

Directed By: Beyoncé Knowles

"Greyhound" Isn't Anything Special, but It's a Reasonably Diverting WW2 Thriller

65/100 “sweet/sour”

By: Keaton Marcus

Tom Hanks is here to help you through the pandemic with his new WW2 destroyer thriller about some unremarkable men rising to incredible challenges. In this incredibly bland, but visually stunning film, there's a lot of ups and downs. The characters aren't nearly as robust as its action sequences, and it consists of a very cartoonish plot that only stretched to about 90 minutes. But this should float your boat if you want some good old patriotism. The performances are all-around decent, and Hanks is back and better than ever as a Captain. Although this isn't nearly as good as Captain Phillips, it's always a dream seeing this 64-year-old actor hit the screen. I won't highly recommend it, but if you want something both new and free, why not?

The movie takes place during the Battle of the Atlantic. That battle was real as hell, but this actual story where a convoy of American, British, and Canadian ships were not under air cover for 50 whole hours was dreamt up by C.S Forester for his 1955 novel The Good Shepard. In the movie, Hanks' Captain Krause leads the group of Allies with his destroyer Greyhound, and they face the dangers of the enemy. This has to be one of Hanks' most perfunctory movies he's ever starred in or took part in making. And that isn't exactly a negative thing, considering the subject matter, but I'm a little disappointed. However, the pretty CGI and the lead performance do tend to save it.

Tom Hanks has had a good run recently. Lately, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his truly incredible performance as Fred Rodgers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. He also starred once last time as Woody in the grand Toy Story 4. This may not be an excellent film or even performance, but he sure gets the job done. The screenplay doesn't help a lot, and it constantly drags down the actors. But Mr. Hanks experienced enough to not succumb to such a thing. Elisabeth Shue plays Krause's wife, Evelyn, but is sadly completely wasted. The director gave little or even no time to explore her character enough.

The director, Aaron Schneider, has helmed one movie before this, a Certified Fresh movie called Get Low. While his fast-paced direction in Greyhound is sincerely appreciated, the running time of just 1 hour 22 minutes (that's without credits) never gives time to have enough character expansion. Hanks' Krause is minimally developed at best and is mostly just a brave Captain with a bunch of stoic facial expressions. It is just too brief to make the movie truly above average. The action, though, is done marvelously, with expertly executed cinematography. The tension is appropriately high too. It's frustrating that you won't get to see a war film of high-standard, but it'll do the job.

The final opinion is: Though populated with cardboard characters, this fast-paced thriller will likely give audiences goosebumps with high tension, robust action sequences and a solid lead performance...$TREAM IT

Rated: PG-13 (for war-related action/violence and brief strong language)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Thriller

Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

Directed By: Aaron Schneider

"Eurovision Song Contest" has Will Ferrell as an Icelandic Songwriter, for Better or for Worse

65/100 “sweet/sour”

By: Keaton Marcus

You may be thinking: "oh no...Another Will Ferrell film?" However, David Dobkin's new Netflix comedy Eurovision Song Contest: Story of Fire Saga has some truly inspired and laugh-out-loud worthy moments, despite never taking full advantage of its premise. Ferrell is fantastic with his co-star, Rachel McAdams, and there's a lot of things to enjoy here. Perhaps enough to forgive the overlong running time of just over two hours. Some sequences drag on far too long, and the movie doesn't score enough laughs in several moments, but overall, you'll have a fun time with it. It's also some of Ferrell's best work in a good while, and that's truly something. I haven't laughed so much in one of his movies for a long time, so I give Dobkin credit for that at least. That is not to say that this is up with the greats of the genre. But for a light flick easy to watch for free, you could do a lot worse.

The movie is about aspiring singer Lars (Will Ferrell). And his partner Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) who both dreams to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Iceland. When by chance they claim a place to go to the auditions for the contest, their performance is disastrous. However, when a mysterious explosion occurs and kills all of the contestants, they are put into the contest. Now in Ireland for Eurovision, the two must compete against the best artists in the world. The plot, of course, is gloriously dumb. And just what it needs to be to make this film so darn entertaining. Don't look for anything remotely smart, however.

As mentioned, A-lister Will Ferrell leads the cast, and his performance is nothing less than marvelous. Who knew Mr. Ferrell over here had an excellent singing voice? The person who played the hell out of President Business in The Lego Movie can actually strum up a tune? Well, this guy certainly can, and even if he single-handedly ruined the Sherlock Holmes universe...I forgive him. This is also a worthy comeback for the actor, who was floundering after his last three movies: Daddy's Home 2, Holmes & Watson and Downhill, actually has a decent flick! Rachel McAdams also has a surprisingly beautiful voice, and as we all know, is a hilarious actress when she's given the right script. The cast is the best part of the movie, and that's alright for me.

Director David Dobkin has been a mixed bag his whole career, and he got famous because of his 2005 sleeper-hit Wedding Crashers. However, he's rarely been a great director, with his other big films being Shanghai Knights, Fred Claus, The Change-Up, and RIPD. My point is that while he isn't great, he knows how to make a funny movie, some of the time. Eurovision Song Contest is most obviously a hilarious film that is undermined by bloated run time. But there are enough flashy singing sequences to make you dance more than Mamma Mia! or High School Musical, so that should be enough. And who doesn't want to see Ferrell do an Icelandic accent?

The final opinion is: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is undermined by its overlong running time, but Will Ferrell's lead performance and an abundance of laughs keep it afloat...$TREAM IT

Rated: PG-13 (for crude sexual material including full nude sculptures, some comic violent images, and language)

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute

Directed By: David Dobkin

"Emma" is a Gorgeous New Adaptation With Fine Performances and Stunning Visuals

By: Keaton Marcus

81/100 “sweet”

Handsome, clever, rich. Autumn de Wilde's take on Jane Austen's "Emma" may not be as narratively intact as it is beautiful, but its group of fine performances, luscious costume design, and exceptional cinematography make it well worth a watch. Taking up about two hours of your time, it takes a while for this adaptation to find it's footing, but the second half is a flawless example of how good a pages-to-screen film can be. Comparatively, Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" had a tad more soul tailored to it last year, but that doesn't leave "Emma" without its own merits. Anya Taylor-Joy leads the cast as the iconic character with deep satisfaction and delivers some devilish humor as well. The supporting cast is considerably sharp, but they aren't the standout in the movie. The sets, and vibrant colors that are so abundant in the picture really capture audiences' attention. Additionally, this happens to be de Wilde's directorial debut, which shows how impressive a rookie in the film industry can be.

If you don't know the story, the film centers around Emma Woodhouse (Taylor-Joy), who is a well-meaning, yet selfish young woman who frequently meddles in other people's relationships. The movie begins with Emma, who is searching for a new companion after her governess Miss Taylor (Gemma Whelan) marries. Much to her horror, Mr. Robert Martin (Connor Swindells) proposes to her orphaned protege, Harriet (Mia Goth), she meddles and convinces Harriet to reject his proposal. She is attracted to the immense wealth of Frank Churchill (Callum Turner), but jealousy reaches a high when her rival, Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson) is also attempting to win his heart. Determined to have victory over Jane, she also finds love with George Knightley (Johnny Flynn) and must decide who is the right choice.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who you know portrays the title character, is another young actor on the rise with another solid performance. Joy has been in several major productions already, such as M. Night Shyamalan's "Split" and "Glass", as well as A24's horror flick "The Witch". Joy captures the spirit of the character wonderfully, and despite falling a tad flat in the first half-hour or so, as the film gets better, her performance does. The actress brings enough doses of satirical humor and a good injection of emotion to the role. What's most terrific is the chemistry between her, and Bill Nighy, who plays Mr. Woodhouse. Nighy may not have one of the leading parts, but his expressions are enough. The remainder of the supporting cast, especially Mia Goth's Harriet and Josh O'Connor's hilarious Mr. Elton shine as well.

What will have most viewers forgive the lack of clean storytelling are the truly incredible visuals. The cinematography, done by Christopher Blauvelt with exceptional attention to detail, deserves an easy Academy Award. Forget any computer-generated schmuck, when you lay eyes on a few of the landscapes, and set pieces, you won't be missing anything. Sure, we've seen this before in several period pieces, but "Emma" does justice to reminding us of the beauty of the natural world. That, combined with the crisp direction from de Wilde, is more than enough worth the price of admission. The screenplay, written by Eleanor Catton, brings a deft blend of little laughs, emotion and romantic tension that a lot of movies have trouble finding. On the whole, the abrupt changes in the plot may have audiences confused, but this slow-moving adaptation is a gorgeously filmed, smartly written piece of work.

The final opinion is: Autumn de Wilde's "Emma" adaptation is perhaps a bit uneven but is still an elegant production that benefits from stellar performances, fine direction, and artistic cinematography...$PLURGE IT

Rent for $19.99 in HD on Prime Video

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening: $234,482 (limited)

Domestic Total: 10M

Worldwide Total: 25.1M