Spirited (2022) - Review

In the grand tradition of classic song and dance musicals and the endless machine of holiday themed films, Apple TV+ and co-writer/director Sean Anders (“Instant Family,” “Daddy’s Home”) have brought us “Spirited”, a new musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” with more than a few twists on the classic tale.

The film mainly follows The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Will Ferrell (“Anchorman,” “Step Brothers”), as he works with the Ghost of Christmas Past, played by Sunita Mani (“GLOW,” “Save Yourself!”) and the Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come, voiced by Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock,” “The Last O.G.”), in changing a despicable person into a good one every Christmas eve, lead by Jacob Marley, played by Patrick Page (“In The Heights (2021),” “The Gilded Age”). One year though, Present sets his sights on changing Clint Briggs, played by Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool,” “Free Guy”), a sleazy PR consultant who’s considered by Marley to be unredeemable. Octavia Spencer (“Fruitvale Station,” “Hidden Figures”) also stars as Briggs’s longtime assistant and reluctant friend Kimberly.

It's an interesting twist to be certain and showcasing the work that goes into each yearly haunt is fun idea. It doesn’t get nearly as much screentime as it initially seems, and the film itself actually sticks fairly close to the plot of a typical “Christmas Carol”-type of tale. Some of the best things that Anders and co-writer John Morris (“Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Instant Family”) end up adding are actually the discussions of right and wrong. At multiple moments the futility of focusing on just one person one night a year is brought up, as well as who that person should be. It’s an interesting wrinkle to discuss, at it at the very least shows that Anders and Morris are thinking about the modern-day implications of these tales.

Ferrell does a great job as Present, bringing a surprising amount of drama to the comedy. His role isn’t nearly as annoying or high energy as one might initially expect from him, and it’s better for it. Reynolds likewise also tones down his typically smary persona, turning in a role that’s exactly as sleazy and aware as it needs to be without overplaying things too much. Morgan is silly exactly when needed, and Mani steals every scene she’s in. Page is perfectly fine as the grumbly kind of role required for Marley, and Spencer is great, although not doing anything particularly new. No one is bad, and Ferrell and Reynolds in particular have an old school showman styling to their roles, but no roles really jump out as anything particularly exceptional.

The musical aspect though does. It feels like any live-action musical released nowadays is either ashamed it’s a musical, has little-to-no choreography, or only has three songs. “Spirited” spits in the face of those lesser musicals and pulls out all the stops. From large scales sets with fantastical lighting and camerawork to choreography that feels lively, it’s a big budget Hollywood musical that they just don’t make anymore. It even manages to balance the high energy, highly decorated numbers with a few simpler ones, including one lit entirely with on set flashlights. There are even moments where a song isn’t happening, but dancing is. A handful of montages have people tap dancing feverishly sprinkled throughout, simply because it looks cool, and it adds to the idea that this is a movie refreshingly proud to be a musical.

It's a fantastically stylistic musical, if nothing else, and the songs are fairly great as well. While the slowest and most reprised one for Spencer is a bit forgettable, the new numbers from songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land,” “Dear Evan Hansen”) are just a toe-tapping good time. From Reynolds’s tongue-in-cheek “evil” song “Bringin’ Back Christmas” to Ferrell’s emotional ballad “Unredeemable,” each song legitimately earns its place within the film.

It's easy to see a movie like this, a new twist on a classic Christmas story and be worried that it will simply come across as too sleazy or cynical. But that’s the other amazing thing, Anders injects the film with a surprising amount of sincerity. The emotional arcs not only work, they feel legitimately earned, and the movie overall has a great since of holiday wonder to it all. In an age where it feels like any genuine sincerity is shot down before it gets to earnest, “Spirited” is a movie that embraces it.

While the performances might not be groundbreaking and it might not take full advantage of it’s “new” premise, “Spirited” is a wholly enjoyable big song and dance number of a movie. Christmas musicals aren’t anything new, but the clear enthusiasm for the genre and the energy of it all go a long way towards reinvigorating the idea of the showmanship needed for this kind of big budget Hollywood musical. It’s a toe-tapping good time that’ll put a smile on your face if nothing else. 4/5

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Review

 

When “Knives Out” burst onto the scene in 2019, it had received critical praise, but audience reception was still up in the air. Then it virtually doubled its projected five-day weekend gross over Thanksgiving and went on to have some of the best box office legs of the year. For an original film to gross over $300 million worldwide and receive acclaim and best of the year awards in this cinematic climate was an achievement. This success led Netflix to bid an outrageous $460 million for just two sequels from writer/director Rian Johnson (“Looper,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), the first of which has finally graced us in the form of “Glass Onion.”

Once again starring Daniel Craig (“No Time to Die,” “Logan Lucky”) as the eponymous detective Benoit Blanc, the film follows a weekend getaway hosted by tech genius billionaire Miles Bron, played by Edward Norton (“Birdman,” “Primal Fear”). He’s invited some of his closest friends for the weekend: Andi Brand, Miles’s ex-business partner, played by Janelle Monáe (“Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures”), Connecticut governor Claire Debella, played by Kathryn Hahn (“WandaVision,” “Mrs. Fletcher”), head scientist of Miles’s own company Lionel Toussaint, played by Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton,” “One Night in Miami…”), former supermodel and fashion designer Birdie Jay, played by Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous,” “You, Me and Dupree”), and her assistant Peg, played by Jessica Henwick (“The Matrix Resurrections,” “Iron Fist”), and streamer and men’s rights activist Duke Cody, played by Dave Bautista (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Blade Runner 2049”), and his girlfriend Whiskey, played by Madelyn Cline (“Boy Erased,” “Outer Banks”). However, a mystery crops up and its of course up to Benoit Blanc to solve the case.

This review will be as spoiler free as possible because, for anyone who’s seen “Knives Out”, twists and turns are clearly Johnson’s favorite part of the genre. However, the two major distinctions about “Glass Onion” are the fact that you don’t have to have seen “Knives Out” to enjoy this new mystery and that the twists feel legitimately earned and well plotted. It’s the kind of movie that has just enough surprises to keep you guessing, while sprinkling enough clues throughout to make you think you’re piecing it all together. It also works in the sense that a second viewing will show you just where everything actually really did fit into place. Johnson’s script and plotting is so remarkably done that yes, they really did do everything they say they did, not just gaslighting you into thinking they did.

Although, as good as the mystery is, a film like this is an ensemble piece through and through, and Johnson has once again assembled a team of actors who are all having the time of their lives. It’s such a blast to see people like this play off each other, both for the film’s many hysterically funny moments and also for the drama. Because when it comes time for it, Johnson expertly balances the hysterical satirical comedy and the legitimate drama and stakes. There’s a point to be made, absolutely, but he never lets that point overpower the film’s legitimately enjoyable atmosphere and likewise never lets the idea of making an end-all-be-all fun movie temper those themes.

Craig is just as excellent as he was in the first film and manages to flesh Blanc out more this time around. He feels like a legitimate character, not just a justice system stand-in for each new adventure. Likewise, Monáe is doing some equally fantastic work. She’s been excellent before, but there’s an angle, a spark to her work here that sets it apart from everything else she’s ever done. The rest of the cast all manage to carve out their own memorable spots in the film without ever overshadowing each other. Hahn is a hysterical scene-stealer as much as she’s always been. Bautista is doing a great job skewering the kind of alpha male dudes he resembles in physique only. Hudson is just immaculately funny, and Henwick gets plenty of her own time to shine playing opposite her. Cline is great, balancing her previously established scene stealing delivery with the drama required for a tale like this. Odom Jr. is a great straight man to the unending chaos and ridiculousness of the weekend without being a spoil sport.

To watch Norton play a role that is clearly skewering a vast number of rich people that he’s likely encountered in his life is nothing short of incredible, and he delivers what is absolutely his best performance in years. His role is a perfect example of something Johnson does so incredibly well. It’s been evident in his previous films and especially is here: he is an actor’s director and is able to work so well with his cast to coax truly great performances out of them, regardless of the material. His touch is what sets a film like this apart; it makes it something where clear acting effort has happened as opposed to being a film that simple coasts along on the strength of its names alone.

What sets this film apart, and what makes it clear that if we are to get more annualized sequels that they’ll be great, is that despite the larger scaled sets, the lush locals, and the higher profile of the release, Johnson doesn’t let that distract from the craft. Its bigger, bolder, and funnier, but it still feels like the kind of movie he could have made before the previous one. Not just in terms of its easy ability to jump in without having seen the first, but in terms of its tight focus. It’s not the kind of movie that’s gotten away from its director because of money, but one that’s made better because of it. It lets him take bigger swings, play with bigger themes, and gives his creative team, like composer Nathan Johnson (“Knives Out,” “Looper”), more freedom with their craft as well. Speaking of, the new score here is an absolute delight, playing like some kind of twisted operatic orchestra that goes big with its strings when the moments need them the most.

It's hard to guess just how much money Netflix could have made if it had let “Glass Onion” play in more theatres for longer than just one week, but if the rabid audience attendance is anything to go by, they have another bona fide modern classic on their hands. And they’re right; “Glass Onion” is just as entertaining as the first, sprinkling in even lusher locations and bigger swings with the rest of Johnson’s now trademark twists and turns. If this begins a trend of one new “Knives Out” mystery during the holidays every two years, it’ll be a tradition well worth the wait. 5/5

Strange World - Review

 

With the release of any new Disney animated movie there comes plenty of expectations and “Strange World” is no different. Inspired by pulp novels from the early 20^th century and films like “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and the original “King Kong,” director Don Hall (“Big Hero 6,” “Moana”) and writer Qui Nguyen (“Raya and the Last Dragon,” “She Kills Monsters”) deliver a fun and gorgeous adventure flick that’s held back by its routine messaging.

The film follows Searcher Clade, voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal (“Donnie Darko,” “Nightcrawler”), son of legendary adventurer Jaeger Clade, voiced by Dennis Quaid (“The Right Stuff,” “Far From Heaven”), who’s recruited by Jaeger’s former team member and president of Avalonia Callisto Mal, voiced by Lucy Liu (“Charlie’s Angels (2000),” “Set It Up”) to venture underground to find the source of the problem with Avalonia’s energy source, accompanied by Searcher’s wife, crack pilot Meridian, voiced by Gabrielle Union (“Bring It On,” “Love & Basketball”), and their son Ethan, voiced by Jaboukie Young-White (“Someone Great,” “C’mon C’mon”).

Disney films of this caliber tend to have exceptional voice casts, but “Strange World” has a particularly strong one. Each actor brings their characters to life flawlessly, and it’s a truly lively film because of it. There’s some real energy behind each performance, successfully overcoming the “lazy celebrity voices” cliché that plagues most Hollywood animated films. It might just be the strongest voice cast of a Disney film in quite some time.

The art style is also particularly noteworthy. While it’s highly detailed and gorgeous because of the sheer amount of money thrown in, it’s also shines in the ways it deviates slightly from Disney’s previously established style. The characters are more cartoonish and exaggerated in their facial expressions and actions, giving everything a kind of squishiness that helps bring the adventure to life. Likewise, the heavy use of color schemes in the strange world and the city of Avalonia also helps to craft two distinct locations.

There are plenty of additional adventure movie trappings, from the general structure of the plot to the musical score, composed by Henry Jackman (“Kingsman: The Secret Service,” “Pokémon Detective Pikachu”). Neither of these are a detriment to the film at all: it’s been so long since we’ve gotten this kind of an adventure movie that it’s a welcome move even with some of the repetitive structure, and the musical score as well is lively and boisterous.

Rather, the largest detriment to the film’s quality is a different kind of repeated element. There’s so much creativity on display in the design of this new world, above and below ground. So much so that it feels particularly disappointing that the film’s emotional arcs and central conflict feel so routine.

It’s the kind of tale that Disney has done many times before, and in an age where it seemed like their animated films were getting more emotionally intelligent, it’s a shame that this one is fairly basic by comparison. It’s still a well made and well told story to be clear, but it lacks the same energy and creativity put into almost every other aspect of the film. It leaves you with more of a satisfying but not exciting film when things end, since you’ve spent almost two hours on a creative looking adventure that’s telling its story in a fairly generic way.

That being said, “Strange World” is still an overall well crafted and fun adventure, with a completely excellent voice cast and a gorgeous looking world to explore. Sure, it might not be the most creatively told story Disney has ever made, but it’s the kind of adventure that does a really good job of distracting you while you’re actively watching it. It’s an easy one to recommend, even if it doesn’t blow you away. 4/5

She Said - Review

 

In the long history of movie making, there’s been plenty of journalism movies. There have been fictional tales certainly, but the ones that remembered the fondest are the true stories. “Spotlight,” “All the President’s Men,” and now “She Said” is here to tell another true story, one very close to the home of the Hollywood people behind the production.

Starring Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman,” “An Education”) and Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks,” “The Plot Against America”) as New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, respectively, the film follows their investigations into the sexual assault perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein and the cover up attempts from himself, his lawyers, and the board of Miramax. It also stars Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects,” “The Station Agent”) as New York Times editor Rebecca Corbett, Andre Braugher (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Homicide: Life on the Street”) as New York Times editor Dean Baquet, and Ashley Judd (“Dolphin Tale,” “Missing (2012)”) playing herself in a cathartic minor role.

Nowadays, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t know who Weinstein is or what he did given the past few years of media fervor and court cases. Smartly, director Maria Schrader (“Unorthodox,” “I’m Your Man”) and writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz (“Small Axe,” “Disobedience”) don’t try to recount who he is or what his accomplishments are. In a rather brilliant move, the film virtually ignores who he is for most of the film. It’s not important, and not nearly as much as the women whose lives he’s impacted, and so that’s where the focus lies.

Kazan is wonderful, a delightful firecracker of a reporter who manages to effectively showcase the skill and intelligence on display while also balancing the deep emotion at the center of this issue. However, Gyllenhaal absolutely delivers a towering performance. She’s just excellent, delivering a performance that’s easily one of the finest, if not the best, of her career. Clarkson and Braugher are also excellent, providing a kind of elder wisdom to Twohey and Kantor as they run up against roadblocks and frustrations with the case. It’s so cathartic to see Braugher’s Baquet so unimpressed with Weinstein’s tactics and to so quickly shut him down on every phone call.

But arguably the film’s most cathartic element, and one that speaks to the true genius at the core of it, is Ashely Judd’s role. Yes, Judd’s role in the real-life investigation was necessary for the film to be made but having her play herself was not. This results in a role for an actress whose career had been essentially blocked after speaking out against Weinstein, and to have it be in a film directly about his horrible acts is, to reiterate, cathartic.

There’s an overall plainness to the film’s visuals and musical score, although this shouldn’t be taken as a negative by any means. The editing and overall pacing keeps everything tight and tense despite the flat look to it all. It might seem cheesy to say, but given how much of the film is just about typing stories and reporting, it might contain some of the tensest moments of the year, and is without a doubt the tensest clicking of a button on a webpage of this year.

Rather, the plainer visual style is a choice that clearly sets the focus of the film on the women who’ve suffered because of Weinstein’s actions. At multiple times throughout the film, Schrader and Lenkiewicz make you subtly think “If he hadn’t done this, what could these women be doing?” Seeing how their lives have continued since and how some have stalled is an emotional tour de force. When one simply responds to the knock at her front door from the Times by saying “I’ve been waiting for this for twenty-five years”, it sets everything into perspective.

It might not have the visual flair of works like “Spotlight” or “All the President’s Men” but “She Said” still has a fantastic script and phenomenal actors leading a story that feels cathartic to say the least. It might not be so good as to overcome the tropes of the genre, but this is a film that deserves to be remembered alongside the great journalism tales, and if nothing else is an excellent telling of an important story. 4.5/5

The Fabelmans - Review

 

You might wonder to yourself why someone like Steven Spielberg (“Jaws,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”), a director who’s virtually entire career has consisted of telling stories about families and familial bonds, would bother making a movie about his own life. It could easily seem like overkill, as you can glean as much about his upbringing from his entire filmography as you could one autobiography.

That really is the biggest hurdle against the film: on paper, there are plenty of similarities to not only Spielberg’s past films, but also other autobiographical films from other directors. But what the film has in practice is far more than just melodrama, because it still has Spielberg’s direction, a script by Tony Kushner (“Angels in America,” “West Side Story (2021)”), cinematography by Janusz Kamiński (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Amistad”), music by John Williams (“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Star Wars”), and an entire cast of excellent actors bringing the drama to life.

The film follows the life of Sammy Fabelman, played as a young kid by Mateo Zoryon and a teenager by Gabriel LaBelle (“American Gigolo (2022),” “Brand New Cherry Flavor”), as he begins to develop his love of movies and filmmaking while growing up amidst his parent’s crumbling marriage and multiple moves across the country. Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Blue Valentine”) plays his mother Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman, Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Prisoners”) plays his father Burt Fabelman, and Seth Rogen (“Pineapple Express,” “Steve Jobs”) played family friend Bennie Loewy, with borderline cameo performances from Judd Hirsch (“Ordinary People,” “Independence Day”) and David Lynch (“Twin Peaks,” “Eraserhead”).

When you have a screenwriter with a pedigree like Kushner, there’s a certain level of quality to expect, and the script co-written with Spielberg is some really great melodrama. The dialogue has a naturalistic touch without feeling plain or boring. The film is also perfectly paced, never feeling rushed or slowing to a crawl. There are plenty of little touches that border on easter eggs for Spielberg’s later work as well, but more than anything, the spirit of the love of the movies is intact from the very first moments to the (literal) very end.

With material as rich as this, the cast has plenty of excellent material to work with and they’re all exceptional. Dano does a great job towing the line between stern cold leadership and also the warmth a father can have. Rogen is great as the family’s surrogate-uncle, easily channeling his comedic sensibilities into the role. However, Williams is absolutely stellar, delivering a terrific and complicated performance as the matriarch of the Fabelman household. She’s heartbreaking and exceptionally good. Zoryon is also great, but LaBelle completely steals the film from him as the older Sammy. There’s a wide-eyed earnestness to LaBelle’s performance that, set against the heartbreaking nature of some of the film’s events, delivers a remarkably sincere and emotional role.

The film’s warm color palette is easily comparable to the kind of summertime glow that often populates houseware catalogs and much of Spielberg’s 80s-era output. Kamiński’s cinematography isn’t particularly flashy, but it does a great deal to help bolster the film’s events. Instead of simple shot-reverse shot sequences, he does a lot simply by tilting and moving the camera to follow movements and gazes, which, coupled with Williams’s score, allows the film to blossom into a rose-colored glasses viewpoint of a child realizing his parents are people and the growing up that it requires him to do.

Only time will tell how “The Fabelmans” stacks up to the rest of Spielberg’s illustrious catalog. Given the wide gamut of films he’s made, it could easily land anywhere for any person. If nothing else, it manages to be an exceptionally well-executed display of family melodrama that, at its best, is a perfect showcase of how a love for the movie can infect someone at a young age and truly shape how they view the world growing up. Bolstered by some fantastic performances and generally wonderful filmmaking craft on all fronts, it’s a movie anyone’s mother would be proud of 4.5/5

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Review

It’s impossible to talk about this film without bringing up Chadwick Boseman. One could argue that no film in recent memory has had extenuating circumstance surrounding it quite like this one, at least emotionally. After Chadwick’s shocking passing in 2020, all eyes were on this film and how writer/director Ryan Coogler (“Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”) would be able to craft something without his friend and collaborator.

So, there’s a lot of pressure on this film; not only does it need to fill the check marks typically expected by both audiences and executives of a Marvel film, but it also needs to serve as a sendoff for an actor who poured so much of himself into these projects. Yes, there are others who are just as closely associated with their characters as Chadwick was. But with him, it felt different.

The film opens with the death of T’Challa. Racked with grief, the country of Wakanda, led by Queen Ramonda, played by Angela Bassett (“9-1-1,” “Mission Impossible: Fallout”), must deal with Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta (“Blue Demon,” “The Forever Purge”) after he seeks their help in dealing with a Vibranium detecting machine built by young MIT student Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”), being using by the United States to find Vibranium underwater, threatening his underwater nation of Talokan.

Whereas the first film was centered around T’Challa, Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole (“The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” “Black Panther”) have made the smart decision here to build the film as more of an ensemble piece. Bassett is frankly just incredible, as is Huerta as a leader who’s just as easy to empathize with as Ramonda. Letita Wright (“Small Axe,” “The Silent Twins”), Winston Duke (“Us,” “Nine Days”), Lupita Nyong'o (“Us,” “”Star Wars: The Force Awakens”), and Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead,” “All Eyez on Me”) all return from the first film, and all take advantage of the heavier emotional weight at play with their performances. Wright is positively incredible, displaying a downward spiral for Shuri’s character in an engrossing, dramatic way. Nyong’o is just as good as before, delivering plenty of great character work opposite the rest of her cast.

But it’s Duke and Gurira who arguably are the biggest standouts compared to their roles in the first film. Duke is fantastic, effortlessly charismatic and powerful, forming M’baku into a big gruff teddy bear type character who becomes an instant standout here. Gurira meanwhile gets far more emotional material to play with and becomes an absolute scene stealer, with one moment in particular opposite Bassett arguably being the best in the entire film. Newcomer to the series Thorne holds her own well against the cast, although Riri does feel more like a background character than the others, introduced here to have her own arc later. She’s still a great addition though, playing extremely well with Wright in particular.

The same goes for Martin Freeman’s (“Sherlock,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”) Everett K. Ross; while he reprises his role from the first film, he’s less of a central role here. He pops up until the film forgets about him, seeming more like future set up than an integral part of the movie. As fun and great as it is to see the Dora Milaje expanded as well with the addition of Michaela Coel (“Chewing Gum,” “I May Destroy You”) as Aneka, the character feels more like an additional background character rather than an integral part of the main cast.

It feels almost unfair to talk about the production design, costuming, and music here. They’re all fantastic here, just as good as the first film’s and it stands out in particular against other recent Marvel films due to the high level of physical sets. The CGI backdrops of films like “Multiverse of Madness” and “Love & Thunder” simply don’t hold a candle to the tangible world built here. It was an absolute marvel to see in 2018 and it still holds true now, standing alongside the first film as one of the best-looking films in its genre. The visual effects are also improved, and while they still aren’t the most incredible in the industry, they’re definitely an upgrade from the “PS2 cutscene” level effects on display at the end of the first film.

The writing here feels like a particular standout for numerous reasons, even against the first film. It’s clear that Coogler and Cole wanted to craft a story that was emotionally sound and deliver something both fun and also cathartic on a dramatic level. They’ve resoundingly succeeded in that goal and crafted what might be the single most emotional and engaging standalone film in the MCU. The emotional arcs of each character feel connected in smart ways, and it all overlaps to create a tale where the dramatic elements are far more engaging than the superhero elements.

That being said, the ensemble nature of it all leads things to feel less focused than the first film’s. It doesn’t weaken the emotional impact or arcs by any means, but by the very nature of a film with a larger main cast, its going to feel like a less tightly knit narrative. Likewise, given the heavy emphasis on the dialogue scenes and the film’s overall emotional weight, it leads the typical third-act superhero fight to feel like its there more out of obligation than anything else.

“Wakanda Forever” does overall have that kind of messy emotionality to it that comes from when a director or a cast are so closely tied to the core of the film they’re making. It’s impossible to separate in this case, and while it makes for a slightly messier movie when compared to the first, it also makes for an extremely engaging adventure, one where you’re legitimately attached to the characters involved.

In some ways, reviewing this film is unfair. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is on a completely different level compared to other recent Marvel projects in terms of excitement and also somberness. This is a movie that’s not afraid to engage with its emotional side and is arguably at its best when it focuses on those elements. It’s a messier experience because of its larger main cast and that emotional focus, but it’s a richer and more captivating film that it overwise could have been if it hadn’t. Lead by a commanding cast and a deep sense of dramatic weight, its easily the best Marvel has been in a long time. 4/5

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio - Review

 

Most filmmakers nowadays have not only fairly extensive resumes but varied ones as well. There are television shows, miniseries and otherwise, animated films, live action films, some even write plays or musicals. But the good ones don’t do that just to pad their filmographies, they do it because they love each medium they work in. Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water,” “Pan’s Labyrinth) is clearly one of those people, and if that wasn’t already obvious, his new “Pinocchio” makes it so.

Directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by del Toro, Patrick McHale (“Over the Garden Wall,” “Adventure Time”), and Matthew Robbins (“The Sugarland Express,” “Crimson Peak”), the film follows Pinocchio, voiced by Gregory Mann (“Victoria”), a wooden puppet boy carved by Geppetto, voiced by David Bradley (“Game of Thrones,” “The Strain”), accompanied by Sebastian J Cricket, voiced by Ewan McGregor (“Moulin Rouge!,” “Christopher Robin”), both of whom try to help Pinocchio as he gets himself into various mischiefs, such as working with circus ringleader Count Volpe, voiced by Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained,” “Spectre”) or joining the Italian army lead by the fascist Podestà, voiced by Ron Perlman (“Hellboy (2004),” “Sons of Anarchy”).

First and foremost, the animation is absolutely incredible. del Toro has always had a love of stop motion, but the atmosphere and world he and ShadowMachine (the studio behind works like Moral Orel, Hell and Back, and the early seasons of Robot Chicken) have managed to create is nothing short of breathtaking. It appropriately all feels hand crafted, but also wonderous in its detail. Each new scene and location feels painstakingly realized and brought to life by people who not only love this story, but this medium.

Mann is a delight, bringing a wonderful childish glee to Pinocchio without ever teetering too far into annoyance. His chemistry with Bradley and McGregor is a constant delight, and his songs are also positively wonderous. Bradley as well is great, delivering a painful and warm performance as the heartbroken wood carver. McGregor is easily at the top of his game, doing tons of fantastic work with his warm dulcet tones and sense of humor. He’s just a wonder. Waltz and Perlman are also great, delivering some fantastic villainous performances that never downplay their evil, often times playing their clichéd evilness up to the film’s benefit.

Musically, the film’s score is phenomenal. Composer Alexandre Desplat (“Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Little Women (2019)”) creates a fairy tales sound scape that feels so natural to the events on screen that it practically feels as though its just the sounds of this world. Each piece of music is so wonderfully evocative of the fairy tale feelings that are on display, it’s a wonder there are any moments in the film without music. Likewise, the films handful of songs are also a sheer delight. When McGregor gets to sing his little cricket heart out with “Better Tomorrows”, it’s a moment of warmth and fun. When Bradley gets to croon with “My Son”, its pure heartbreaking music. And when Mann sings his tale of love with “Ciao Papa”, everything else just melts away.

But there’s one tiny little thing that holds it all back from true greatness. The film’s atmosphere is so perfected, its alterations to the tale so wonderous and genius, that the handful of moments where it delves into childish humor feel out of place. This isn’t an indictment of all uses of this humor in otherwise dramatic or serious films, but the moments when its used here just feel so random and immersion breaking. It shows just how good and well realized the rest of the film and its world is that these few moments are so distracting from an otherwise phenomenal project. The pacing can also be erratic at times; it’s not a short film, clocking in at around two hours, but it often feels like its speeding through material to cover everything in time.

Because as a work that’s been in development for so long, and for so many times and reasons almost didn’t happen, the correctly titled “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” is quite simply a phenomenal project. It’s gorgeous inside and out, in both its writing and animation. It would be a fantastic fairy tale any time of year, but to come out after the other “Pinocchio” film released this year, why it shows just how much artistry is on display here. 4.5/5

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - Review

 

There’s plenty that’s weird about the career of “Weird” Al Yankovic, but is any of that weird enough for a movie about himself? First time feature director Eric Appel and Yankovic himself have teamed up to answer that question in the only way a “Weird” Al biopic could be done: by not having a shred of truth in it.

The film follows “Weird” Al Yankovic, played by Daniel Radcliffe (“Swiss Army Man,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”), as he catapults through the music industry with unprecedented fame and success, led by his childhood radio host hero Doctor Demento, played by Rainn Wilson (“The Office,” “Super”). Along the way he runs into the likes of Pablo Escobar, played by Arturo Castro (“Broad City,” “Narcos”), Oprah Winfrey, played by Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), and his torrid love affair with Madonna, played by Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld,” “The Wrestler”), all while becoming the greatest musical artist of all time.

So that’s obviously not true. Al never dated Madonna and its also extremely likely he never was involved with Escobar in any way, but its all in the spirit of the film’s silliness. There’s virtually zero real life information here, instead taking the approach of something like “Walk Hard” or “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” Everything is cranked to the eleventh degree, and the sheer number of coincidences and eye rolling moments are plentiful. But it’s all a part of the film’s sense of humor, and as a parody of the music biopic genre, it plays everything straight even when things become their most absurd.

However, the times when things are at their most absurd is far too little. While there are some truly genius gags, one involving “Eat It” that’s the film’s best, so much of the film’s comedy is just from playing the typical biopic clichés straight. These moments are funny and delivered well, but the film feels just remarkably tame for a movie about “Weird” Al. At no point do things get as weird as they did in Al’s other theatrical film “UHF” and that film came out 1989.

Despite that though, one of the film’s best aspects is Radcliffe. His post-Harry Potter career move continues to get better and better, and he’s delightful here. Each scene lets him get wackier and wackier, whether that’s by upping the machismo of this fictionalized version of Yankovic, overexaggerating the musical performances, or just by playing the material straight. Likewise, Wood is also perfect as a twisted version of Madonna. She has her sights set on fame and the sexiness of “Weird” Al and Wood’s performance is the perfect kind of committed silliness you’d want from a role like this.

Beyond the performances and the humor though, “Weird” is one of those movies that has this air of lightness and fun to it behind the scenes as well. Given the sheer number of comedians and cameos involved, not to mention the beloved status of Al in real life, this feels like the sort of project that everyone had fun making and most agreed to just to do it. It has an air of freshness to it all, giving the impression that these aren’t actors showing up to a job, but rather hanging out to make some jokes and pay tribute to one of their friends.

At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Because even if it could be weirder by “Weird” Al standards, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is still plenty of fun and lighthearted slice of 100 minutes. It might not be biting, and it might not change the industry, but its sweet and silly and kooky, everything a “Weird” Al parody work should be. 3.5/5