Is It Time For the Series To Face the Music

            Despite the theaters open, not every theater has opened back up enough to have every movie, but that is not stopping the studios from pumping out a new movie to try and keep things entertaining.  Tonight nostalgia tries to rears its head back to the modern world as a sequel of a “classic” series comes back in to try and get us to spend our hours watching them again.  Can 80s/90s hit of “absurd humor and plot” find its way into the modern days of drama, stoner comedies, and over the top stunts?  Let’s find out as I check out:  

Bill and Ted Face The Music (2020)

Director:

 Dean Parisot

Writers:

 Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon

Stars:

 Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Kristen Schaal

LIKES: 

Familiar tone

Nostalgia

Updated Visuals

Some Funny Moments

The New Actresses 

Decent Balance Between Stories

The Musical Numbers

DISLIKES: 

Plot is predictable 

Ridiculous Concept That Just Gets More Ridiculous

Humor is Very Forced, At times 

Running Jokes Become Very Stale

The Wives Needed More time and other new characters

End Credit Scene Not Worth it

No sense of urgency

Summary: 

            My fellow reviewers have called it that if you are a fan of the series you are going to find the familiar tone fun, entertaining, and right up your ally.  Part of the fun is of course the nostalgia, as tons of previous movie references and plots are littered through this interdimensional  trash can of jokes and psychedelic obscurities.  Bill and Ted’s antics from the first two films continue to carry over, and with updated visuals through technology, their adventure has never been more excellent in coming to life with updated sets and worlds to appreciate.  For this reviewer trying to avoid the bias of the fanbase, I found some funny moments hidden amidst the sea of humor in this film.  In particular a few lines from supporting characters had me laughing more so than the two protagonists themselves, especially seeing Schaal react the way she does to the stupidity of the plot (a nice clever poke at themselves)  Still those who just love the cult classic of the group will find plenty of humor if these movies stole your heart all those years ago.  As for the new additions to the group, surprisingly they felt very at home to the world of Bill and Ted.  For me, the daughters Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) were a fun addition, their small adventure loaded with some surprisingly deeper levels of plot and development than I had expected from my first introduction to the group. These two not only helped the plot, but their impressions are pretty good to take on the roles in case they ever decide to transition into a new series with these two.  The two plots are able to go hand in hand with each other, somehow being different and yet feeling well tied together as the two tales progressed through the 90 minute run time. Yet, the highlight for me was the musical components they bring in, from nods to the classic acts that we are familiar with, to some new combinations from a synthesizer that makes for an epic finale worth of the time traveling duo. 

            Yet the movie’s antics may run dry in the modern age due to the same attempts to get a laugh and hoot being a bit outdated for modern audiences.  It starts with the predictable plot, whose ingenuity is essentially lost to gimmicks with few plot twists thrown in.  The linear tale is all about testing how ridiculous the movie can go, as it layers on an already crazy premise of these two man-teens continue to search for their vague quest.  That ridiculousness comes out in very forced humor, the banter between the groups sometimes getting tedious as we go into the third or fourth bout of circular arguing and stupid grips of the truth.  Again some of these lines are a home run, but others did nothing for me other than hope for a scene transition to keep the story movie.  Running jokes that tried to run with the tale were okay, and again heavily fan based, but for me, Bill and Ted’s parts got stale when they continued to essentially do the same scene over and over again, only clipping the banter time to less and less, until the final mode gave me the development I wanted.  It’s essentially an example of modern cinema about giving us extremes and sort of foregoing balance, but given this series it seems to not be too surprising or out of place.  Even more disappointing were the wives and new character Kelly who held such promise and kind of got swept to the side. Heavy plot building and suspense at the start showed promise these characters were going to help the boys face the music.  Instead they merely were tools for more jokes and did a few things at the end to justify their inclusion at all.  Again, I might have enjoyed the third story with the wives and Kelly working to clean up the mess, instead of these quick glimpses to bait Bill and Ted into doing stupid things.  These plot devices and focus on humor did little to help the “adventure” side of the plot, the urgency of the matter sort of lost as 77 minutes were humorously spread throughout with little to no suspense or excitement.  Again, only the kind side of the adventurers and the music kept me hooked and swallowing the old hat tricks of the two protagonists and their like sounding daughters. As for the end credit scene… well it’s again a reach out to the fanbase with a classic gag, and though offers no premise of the future of the series, ends in a pointless scene meant to pull one last laugh out to me.  

The VERDICT

Bill and Ted are still the same goofballs we loved back before the turn of the millennia and it’s nice to see the nods to the past come out into modern style.  This blend of old and new works on many levels without dissing the fanbase too much and is sure to be a hit to those who love the original series and are not purists. With two stories running well together, a new cast to help spruce things up and totally bodacious music that accomplishes things on multiple fronts, these factors will be the components to come into and focus on.  However, the movie’s focus on nostalgia and reviving old gags goes a bit too far and becomes stale given the promise they post.  Character development, plot advancement, and even character balance are lost to the focus on Bill and Ted humor.  It’s a shame that the forced comedy got in the way of so much, but again these series are quite well known for taking this approach.  Given this, the finale to the trilogy lost some momentum to me, in the fact of too many things happening in one last movie, a call for either more time or one last film.  Still overall it was a fun home watch, and I appreciate the option to buy the film instead of just renting it for a major price tag. 

My scores for this movie are: 

Adventure/Comedy/Music:  7.0-7.5

Movie Overall:  6.5

Taking A Shot At Play To Streaming, Hamilton’s Fervor Will Get You Going This Weekend

            The world of the playwright is a fascinating one, where the dark aspects of the classical theater are still able to take stage without so much as batting an eye.  It’s created stories that have been unique, often making staple works of art that not only show for months to years, but often remain in the memories of many.  So given the state of COVID, as well as the limited runs with original cast and locations you can view it, I’ll admit I’ve not been much into this venue.  Disney + is trying to fix this by putting out the legendary Hamilton this weekend to let me check out.  So I have, and thus I’m getting another practice review out to determine if this craze is worth the hype, or just another entry into the continued world of entertainment.  Let’s get started

Movie/Play:  Hamilton (originally 2016 but 2020 release)

Cast:  

Director:

 Thomas Kail

Writers:

 Lin-Manuel Miranda (book), Ron Chernow (inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by) 

Stars:

 Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr. 

LIKES:

Makes History Entertaining

Clever

Powerful Messages

Some Extraordinarily Good Numbers

Fantastic Costumes

Talented Cast

A dynamic Stage for numbers 

The First Act Over The Second 

The ending Monologue Powerful 

DISLIKES: 

Underutilized characters for me

Constant Singing vs. Breaks with Dialog

Sound quality for Disney Plus not as Good 

I Felt Could use More Stage Changes

Dropped Story Elements

The Ending number

If You know History, You know The end

Does it Capture the Spirit Of The Theater?

SUMMARY:

            As I said above, the theater world allows so many stories to be told and in Hamilton, the lesser known founding father gets a nice entertaining twist and is certainly the fun experience you would think.  Miranda’s play has poise, charm, edge, and so many other factors that make the history of the revolution fun to watch/live in once again.  Much of it has to do with clever writing, jabbing at the faults of the traditional life of history, but managing to not rub its name in the mud.  The asides and breaking the fourth wall made me laugh the most, especially at how well most of it flows into the lyrics of the strong music that is heavy in this film.  Miranda shows how you can be political without getting too far away from the point, writing power messages into the dialogue naturally and having the performance speak as opposed to making everything about the message (see modern Hollywood/life today).  Hamilton takes all this cleverness and works it into its own style of poetry using the music style to emphasize so much I think he wanted and keeping the story moving through the decade or so of major historical moments and trying to develop the title character considerably.  And all of this power is brought about talented production values that help pull you back in time to the founding of our country.  A talented cast with names too extensive to include, brings up the various historical legends to new heights, attitudes and the spirit of revolution oozing out of their deliveries in the first act to inspire your own movement for change.  While a second act opens up more of the devious side in a spoof/magnification of the temptation political power brings.  All the costumes that reflect historical Colonial upbringing are there ready to help your eyes further accept the spectacle on stage so that you again put interest into the film.  

Let’s face it though it’s going to be the numbers that will show up on the walls of social media soon enough.  Hamilton’s numbers are all about that attitude and inspiration that the modern times love, and it’s those empowering performances that make up the meat of this play.  The emotional fervor of both acts is in almost every word of the dialogue and it does not hesitate to show the attitude that the cast wanted to bring in this time period.  Using the stage’s confinement to the advantage, alongside the costumes, the dance numbers have a choreographed splendor that feels organic as movements turn back into characters just going back to normal movements.  It works so well in seeing the fluid transitions from duels to dance and back again, and seeing a unique approach to the performance execution.  The first act in particular does this well for me, and was the better act because of the energy, fervor, and coordination the revolutionary war got in the confined 1-hour time limit.  Though the second act does accomplish a similar feel and certainly has less dancing, more coordination and the likes, I particularly think the first act is Miranda’s shining achievement.  However, that ending monologue is powerful, with words that struck home and broke the mold of the rest of the play’s fervor, a nice sendoff that leave one thinking. 

Now here is the tricky part of talking about the dislikes, partly because I don’t see many plays, part because of the hybrid movie/play, and partly due to the limitations of stage shows being streamed.  Doing my best to be fair though, I can say that one of the big disappointments were some of the underutilized characters for me.  Hamilton does a nice job working so many pieces through the set up, but there are several characters that held potential and showed promise that got dropped into the winds of a few songs before being lost to book footnotes.  I had hoped for a little more integration and references, but understanding time constraints it’s only a marginal dislike for me.  What hit harder for me was more so dropping some of the plots they were working on, or perhaps rushing through them and keeping them merely one to two lines in the story.  The development of Hamilton’s child, the third sister, heck even some of the soldiers are all lost in quick tidbits through this rush through history.  While it works in the rhyme scheme, I’m about stating if you are going to build up deliver on the end and I felt some of this was lost to the political prowess of the play.  I guess if you know history well enough, you know the ending, and Miranda might have taken that into consideration when he wrote the book, focusing again on a Spark Notes version of Hamilton’s life and accomplishments.  This is why Hamilton has the focus, so you can try to get into his mind, while also driving the audience to do the changes that our forefathers did long ago before technology took over.  

In regards to execution of the numbers well you’ve read I enjoyed much of the numbers.  However, something this play failed to do for me was take breaks from the music and go back into dialogue to sort of give the actors time to flesh out the characters more.  While good, I got tired of everything in a musical/poetry lyric, again missing key moments of tension and character building so that we can get more emotional music instead.  Again, I’m unsure how other musicals work, something I have to study, but the plays I have seen have far more breaks between their performances instead of nearly just one giant musical delivery.  Throw that in with if you are watching it on Disney+, the sound quality is kind of lacking thanks to the compressed file format the server uses.  I found myself having to turn my speakers up more for the quiet phrases than I wanted to, only for having to turn it down again when the more energetic numbers came.  Convenient as it is, I have to say that other streaming sites have got it down a little better in terms of sound balance, so I’ll mention in hopes that Disney will improve upon their sound quality.  Something else I as well would have liked, as I see in many musical numbers, is a more diverse soundtrack.  Wicked, Avenue Q, Book Of Mormons are great examples where a genre can be seen in the musical styles, but there are slight changes and performance tweaks to make the numbers stand out.  Not the case for on Hamilton.  Outside of when Eliza’s numbers came on, and a few moments where Hamilton’s darker thoughts hit the scene, much of the numbers is the same sort of rap beat with a slight change in tempo to boot.  Again, I get this was the focus of the play to have a rap play presentation, but doing it that way takes away from the originality of each track.  Fortunately, King George’s interventions stood out to me as comedic, a change in style to the show tune that stands aside from the rap.  If your style of music choice is the rap, then this will not be an issue, because it’s the perfect genre to get the emotions out and thanks to its ability to take poetry and spin it in new pieces.  For me though, many of the numbers feel every much the same, and without bigger dance numbers or the usual grandiose manner I’ve seen in the few shows I’ve watched.  In addition not changing up the backdrops, and relying on the one stage prop alone was again a dynamic I did not intend to watch.  Lighting guys get the props for making the stage versatile, but again, Hamilton’s journey through colonial times should have had more settings, but the reliance on a tiered stage means you use your imagination more than I had hoped.  Finally, the ending number may have an amazing message to convey and does so well for mopping up the remains of the story, but it pales in comparison to the final numbers you usually see.  Blasphemy I know, but after all the poetic majesty, after all the dynamic interactions, the last number I felt should have had pulled all the stops out to finish it strong.  

The VERDICT: 

            I’ve rambled long enough so let’s wrap this up for those looking for a quick summary.  Hamilton is certainly an impressive display of creativity, wit, and entertainment that proves that you can find some great balance if you do your research and work.  All the numbers hold such heart and fire, that the rap genre is perfect for helping maximize the wonderful messages I think Hamilton’s life makes for.  Amazing displays of acting, dancing, and singing blend beautifully to make engaging characters, that though are not fully developed have the engaging qualities you will certainly enjoy.  The wit and use of the limited stage fully is enjoyable, and rest of the play magic is super to bring out the masterpiece that Hamilton is known to be.  However, despite the epic, politically charged, poetry it is, I won’t lie that I wanted more variety for the masterpiece it was.  Some breaks from the music, a little change in the tone, some focus and inclusion of other characters, and set changes could have gone a long way.  It’s not perfect, but Disney+ has helped bridge the gap in play at home experience, but I don’t think it captures the full spectacle of the theater that streaming claims it can.  Still, I’d give it a shot if you like plays, more important like political jabbing rap, where the talent shines.  However, if you need a little more magic, a little more entertainment, and some less dense material, you need to hold out on this and pick another play to enjoy given the nearly 3 hour run time.  Overall, my scores are still going to be from a movie aspect, so here we go.  

Scores:  

Musical/Drama/Historical/Comedy:   8.5

Movie Overall:  7.0

Not Hitting All The High Notes

            Another pandemic weekend, another chance to release a movie on to streaming services to try and keep some normalcy alive.  This weekend, a movie that snuck up on me until about the beginning of May arrives to your rental pleasure.  It’s a film with potential drama, comedy, and music, as a potential gaze through the window of stardom tries to make itself relevant in the modern day.  Robbie K here to assess the quality of the latest movie to home release as we look over: 

Movie:  The High Note (2020)

Director:

 Nisha Ganatra

Writer:

 Flora Greeson

Stars:

 Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr. 

LIKES:  

Portrayal of the Music Industry

Some Comedic Moments 

Kelvin Harrison Jr’s moments

The Ending 

The Music 

DISLIKES:

Disjointed Opening

Much Different Atmosphere of the Movie

Glorifying Shallow Behavior 

Predictable For Much Of the Film

Bad Pacing Of The film

Throw Away Characters

The Lack Of Direction Leading to Missed potential. 

SUMMARY:

            When it comes to portraying Hollywood, movies sometimes go too much magic and not enough reality leading to extreme views of the entertainment business.  I’d say from my studies and talking with friends who have professionally sang, this movie has it’s fingers on the pulse of the difficulties of the music world.  The High Note shows all the red tape, connections, and fickle shifts that can happen in building and maintaining one’s career.  In essence, this is the underlying tale to connect much of the early part of the movie and was the factor keeping me engaged into the film despite all the drama at hand.  To help break up the monotony there are some romantic parts, but the comedy was the more engaging part to liven up the movie with Ice Cube’s part being the main chuckle fest in his delivery and timing, though his scenes did get a little old after some time.  Instead the actor who really saved much of this movie for me was Harrison Jr’s role, the young man bringing a combination of acting and singing that will be those flash in the pan moments that will renew your attention and potentially inspire you to care about one of the characters.  Harrison’s scenes often held the most dynamic moments in all of the film, again expanding on rather shallow characters and adding the pizazz to the music industry movie.  He especially comes to life about half way and near the end of the film, which helps me transition into the next like of how the ending manages to tie stuff together with a little bit of surprise to help add some band, which given the start of this movie is definitely needed.  The ending finally starts making sense of the direction the film is going, and hits with those final emotional punches and gimmicks that left me satisfied and somewhat impressed given most of the movie I watched.  However, the biggest clap for me is the portrayal of music and the brilliant pokes this film does at the trends created over the decades.  The High Note is an homage, and almost a study, of the power of music, helping poetically dissect impact of songs, show the motivational power of the tracks, and even how tastes very for the sake of safety and commercialism.  Covers and plays of the original tracks await the ears of the viewers, but for me the original work holds a lot more heart and emotion to potentially lead to soundtrack sales in the near future.  

            Now those were the likes that I had to stretch out, but this movie definitely has a lot of shortcomings that I personally did not enjoy.  For starts much of the movie is disjoined, nearly the first 45 minutes a finger-painting mess of plots and genres that turn grey instead of a fabulous spectrum of colors.  Curiosity kept me going, but one again directors and writers seemed to try to cater to too many gimmicks to make a cohesive opening.  From viewing the trailers I expected this film to be a drama of pressures of assistant/music life that developed into a buddy movie, but that was only a sliver of the complicated weavings this group chose.  The change in atmosphere was not to my liking mostly because the atmosphere was not smooth, the chaos again just not working given my expectations I walked in with.  Of course, the shallow behaviors of greed, cheap laughs, and elaborate fashions await this film too, and while it works so well for painting the celebrity/high roller life, it at times also becomes too much the focus of the film.  Lost in this setting, dialogue suffers, character development becomes lazier, and the forced insertion of a track gets a bit stale, especially when the diva/bad behavior gets in the way of the messages and power the film I think was aiming for.  While the political aspects  are fortunately kept on a short leash, when they rear their head it’s bit in your face, not so much annoying, but again derailing the fluidity of the scene before me for what would be foreshadowing for an already predictable plot.  I think most of these errors could have had more slack by me, but they are magnified by the very slow pace this movie takes.  Yes, I know I like faster paced genres, but this film’s dragging out, bloated run time with no direction was an uphill battle I waded through, only finding it’s pace nearly 50% of the way into the film where that monotony started going away.  Yet even the second half cannot correct the throw away characters this film holds, which outside maybe four of them, plague this film’s writing.  Rival stars, self-centered best friends, loyal roommates, and even agents are secondary messes that play their part and nothing more, with many reduced to simple one-liners.  Little character development and integration makes this cast feel sort of mashed together, potential plot elements and feeling heavy anchors dropped to sink into the shallow dismay of a mention and nothing more.  Hopefully this review highlights that the film did have a lot of nifty ideas and potential paths for developing a struggling woman in a very chaotic field, but to repeat once more that lack of direction tears much of it to shreds with only the last 30 minutes present to tie it altogether and end with the things I sought out in this movie. 

THE VERDICT: 

            The modern age of movie writing seems to have a lot of agendas, changes, and catering pushed in favor of cohesive plots.  High Note hints at the potential it could have brought with the realistic dives into the entertainment world, the talent of some of its actors, and the awesome music that brings the biggest punches in this drama/music special.  Sadly, it is the lack of direction mixed with too many aspects that really destroys this film for much of the 2-hour run time.  With throw away character, shoddy plot development, and bad pacing with an already unfocused story, you will not get the full bang for the twenty-dollar rental in this reviewers eyes.  As such, this is a big wait for watching at home via streaming, and one should instead find the soundtrack and enjoy the numbers this group brought to play.  Overall, the movie gets the scores of: 

Drama/Music/Romance:  6.0

Movie Overall:  4.0 

I Still Believe In Balanced Religion Movies

 

Religion is a touchy subject to many out there in the world, especially given politics of today and the verbal sharing of the world.  Yet, there is something inspirational in the stories that are told and the miracles they can bring in their messages .  Tonight is another one of those movies that hopes to bring the word of the Lord to life, in a format that’s slightly more modern than the bible they are based on.  Yet, the movie sometimes loses its focus when it gets too preachy, and only those are major devotion will enjoy those moments to the max.  Will this latest romance/drama follow suit, or will we be treated to a fun surprise.  Well sit down and enjoy the ride as we hit up:

 

Movie: I Still Believe (2020)

 

Directors:

Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin

Writers:

Jon Erwin, Jon Gunn

Stars:

Britt Robertson, K.J. Apa, Melissa Roxburgh

 

 

LIKES:

• Cute
• Moves At A Decent Pace
• Passionate Scenes
• Cool Display of Miracles
• Some Of The dialogue
• The Musical Performances… when they happened

 

DISLIKES:

• Not Much Story With The Family Or Other Supporting Characters
• Not many Songs or Length Of Songs
• Almost Feels Incomplete
• The Acting at Times Is Very Forced
• Diluted The Impact Of The Story With limited writing
• Preachy

 

SUMMARY:

A movie with young romance is often very cute in a movie like this, to which this film succeeds at achieving. The relationship may start at awkward, but eventually evolves into something that is adorable to see unfold, especially at the energy it brings to what can potentially be a depressing movie.  Unlike some other movies, the film manages to keep a good pace, always keeping the romance moving towards what will surely be an intense lesson and minimizing how many tangents these films can sometimes take.  Eventually, the movie crosses a barrier though, and drops into a passionate story that shows you just how much these two people love each other.  From all the acts the guy and girl do for each other, this true story is inspiring to see that there just may be hope for the world at times.  The miracles that come out of the woodwork in this film are also pretty cool as well, displays that no one can expect (unless you read about them) again helping drive you to the faith and salvation that comes with it.  Messages like these are only further emphasized by some amazing writing, which could have been adapted from the live letters the couple donated, that are poetic, heartfelt, and even brings tears to much of the audience.  Finally, the musical moments that show off not only praising, but the talented voices of our actors, helped add a little variety to the mix, my favorite being the beach scene that seemed to culminate the power of music. 

 

However, the movie happens to fail on some other things for me that took away from me from this film.  First, despite this being a movie about coming together in the name of the Lord, the family’s involvement was actually a little limiting. Their impact has its moments, but I felt very disconnected with most of the other members, as the two protagonists danced around their relationship, which I guess is what most go into looking forward.  Now maybe the songs make up for it, after all there are plenty of these films where the music comes in to save the day with a stunning performance.  This movie has one moment to have you lift your arms, but outside of a few numbers, the songs are mostly sound bites and quickened performances that get lost to dialogue.  My friend and I both really could have enjoyed the musical spectacles, but alas they did not put stock in it.  As such, the film feels very incomplete in terms of involvement and integration, a shame given the potential of the film from the trailers.  In terms of acting, they are okay, nothing that blew my mind, but was believable in the moments that counted.  However, the movie feels very forced at times, the dialogue in particular coming off a bit cheesy as the actors try to make the words come to life as the chemistry is developing.  Humorous at times, whether meaning to or not, I was hoping that some better writing or adaptations to the lines could have really stood out (which got better as the movie neared its finish).  It’s not that it’s bad, please don’t take it that way, but compared to other movies… the writing did not really amplify this tale like I expected.  Finally, you know it’s coming, but the movie dives into the realm of being preachy again.  If you are a devoted worshipper, this will not impact you one bit, and though faithful to the word I have to put my bias aside.  There are times where the dialogue is very forced to the written word, going to the preachy side that will make people roll their eyes and potentially turn away from the message at hand.  I’m warning you again to go in expecting this, and if you can filter the… cheesy moments out, the message can still get to you.

 

The VERDICT:

            I Still Believe has the intended audience built into the title as a passionate, religious focused movie that will either make you raise your hands up or roll your eyes at the antics.  A cute relationship with inspiring moments, the movie manages to move at a fast-enough pace to be entertaining, yet focus on those key moments to nail you with the religious prowess that they wanted.  However, the movie sort of leaves out the other characters, primarily their families that I would have thought would have been front and center in the relationship at hand.  In addition, the acting feels forced, the impact of the scenes dwindled down by incomplete storytelling, forced dialogue, and preachy moments that needed a little more magic.  Throw in that for a song singer there are not many songs to get into… and well you may be disappointed by the full-on presentation.  The key demographic is those of heavy faith, for the majesty of God’s words will fill these audience members with renewed energy.  However, this is not my favorite of the worshipping films and I think others are better at delivering the message at hand.  I think this film is best suited for home viewing, unless you can get a church group to go.  My scores for this film are:

 

Drama/Music/Romance:   6.5

Movie Overall: 6.0

Blinded By Balanced Stories, Inspirational Moments, And A Killer SoundTrack

 

Music icons are those that seem timeless, maybe not in the way of new hits, but in the impact they leave behind.  Musical works speak to us on so many levels, potentially why we are able to play them as often as we do without getting sick of the tracks.  Yet, do we really understand how music impacts people?  Do we think about how music can motivate, inspire, and even more so revolutionize the changes that they incite on many people?  That is the theme of the final movie I review this week, a film that is all about the impact that movies have and what they can motivate to do.  So let us take a look as I dive into:

 

Movie: Blinded By The Light (2019)

 

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha  | 2 more credits »

Stars:

Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra

 

LIKES:

 

Good Pace

Delightfully Funny

Nice Look At Culture and Music

Great Use of Music

Emotionally Deep

Decent Balance Of Most Stories

Relevant

 

DISLIKES

 

A Bit Preachy

Perhaps A Little More Investment In Two Other Stories

Hollywood vs. Reality

Cliched stands out

 

SUMMARY:

 

With movies like this that go to make a statement you sometimes wonder if the movie will move or potentially fall to the pace of being artistic.  In this case, the Boss’ journey movie seems to movie at a good enough pace to remain entertaining but yet still accomplish the statements it wants to make.  It’s charm comes in the form of the heartwarming tale, that manages to be funny without even trying and yet deliver the messages of inspiration and art that it wants to do.  The movie is a nice look at how music influences the world around us and can inspire those brave few who can be fueled to use their gifts for the greater good.  In addition, the cultural lifestyle is certainly a major part of this film’s energy, somehow managing to capture some components of a culture or two and yet paint in a way that is super relevant to many.  The tale of the main character holds a lot of heart behind it and seeing that journey unfold feels like a realistic heroes journey that many dream to accomplish.  But defying a culture is not the only tale, for Blinded By The Light manages to accurately represent the facets of life from the concept of love and friendship, to the aspiration of trying to live your dreams.  It’s emotionally deep and will speak to many members as the relevant tales begin to come to life and perhaps allow you to sort of walk alongside the characters as they face the fears.  Yet, my favorite aspect is the nice integration of the Boss’ music into the film, for like a musical the legendary tunes are solidly integrated into the sequences to deliver the emotional kick of the scene or perhaps just make a fun little cover in a bold attempt to please a character.

 

Despite all the fun I had in this movie though there are of course areas that acted as a somewhat limitation to the film.  Motivational as this movie is, it can come off a bit preachy at times too, a little too forced in the inspirational tale and focus and perhaps steering away from the balance I was enjoying.  In addition, the movie sometimes gets a little more reality vs Hollywood for me at the inconsistencies that real life deals vs. the magic of things working out in the Hollywood atmosphere.  Not the biggest dislikes mind you, but something that does not quite fit in the same light as some of the other parts of the movie.  I guess my biggest limitations come in the form of some of the story imbalances and cliché moments that start to take precedent the farther the movie goes in.  In regards to the stories, there are a few plots that I’ll admit could have taken a little more focus to help bring all aspects to full circle.  One has to do with the love story and integration, yes a surprise given my previous reviews, and the other with the racial tension that was in this movie.  I understand it’s not the main focus, but it might have allowed for other Springsteen songs to get integrated in about these issues and maybe add a little more suspension and challenge to the movie.  That’s the other component that would have been nice to see is breaking up the cliché moments and adding a little more challenge to the mix.  Blinded by the Light is a little too easily pushed through, and perhaps in adding the obstacles and suspense, the full emotional passion could have burst out in full strength and break up the predictability/monotony of it.

 

The VERDICT:

 

As you can see, the movie has more likes than dislikes for me, with many of the limitations pickiness to help give that movie the final push.  Blinded by the Light turned out to be better than I anticipated, with a nice steady pace filled with a plethora of components that includes well aligned story arcs, emotionally deep lessons, inspirational sequences, and of course the timeless music of Bruce Springsteen.  Yes, it’s preachy and cliché and some stories could have been tuned up and given greater preference to really maximize everything.  However, I applaud the balance and entertainment of this film and state that though it lacks the usual mechanisms for the theater (special effects, a big adventure, or a concert experience, I still suggest a trip to the theater for this one.  If you can’t get in to hear the Boss through the big speakers, then definitely set your sights on this one for a home viewing.

 

My scores are:

 

Comedy/Drama/Music: 9.0

Movie Overall:  8.0

One Day Meets Beatles: Music and Love Story Overpower Interesting Concept

 

We all know music and many of us love it without so much a whim so long as we get the tracks we love.  The artists who work to make music often are recognized more for their abuse of money and fame, rather than the motivation behind their music. So what would happen if you could be that artist you admire so much?  What if you could take credit for their work and nobody had a clue they even existed?  Well that’s where tonight’s movie comes in, and yours truly is here to cover the film to let you know whether or not the film is worth a check out.  Let’s get started as tonight we look at:

 

Movie: Yesterday (2019)

 

Director:

Danny Boyle

Writers:

Jack Barth (story by), Richard Curtis (screenplay)

Stars:

Himesh Patel, Lily James, Sophia Di Martino

 

LIKES:

 

• Charming
• Fun
• Good Covers
• Decent Comedic Relief
• The “cameo”
• The Artistic Messages
• The Love Story
• The Acting

 

DISLiKES:

• Trailers spoiled Much
• Kate McKinnon’s Extreme Character
• Other Secondary Characters Lost
• A Little Preachy
• Not Quite The Revelation/Tension I thought

 

SUMMARY:

 

Much like Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle’s work once again manages to capture a charming tale that holds so much in the simplistic story telling. Yesterday was able to bring a lot of fun into the tale, taking the idea of living life as a rock star and using the covers, which are of a good quality, to maximize much of the Beatle’s legacy without the masters themselves being present.  Despite the seriousness of the movie, Yesterday is funny, selecting a drier, English wit that is occasionally spritzed with some American antics including several cameos that are fun to see.  However, Boyle’s accomplishment also is finding a way to incorporate the true film art style by sampling some artistic messages into the love story at hand. Yesterday’s alternate reality is awe inspiring in terms of pulling the blinds of fandom down to reveal the moral testing sacrifices that the music celebrity world requires, managing to test the boundaries of love without diving too far in Hallmark territory.  And it’s actually thanks to the acting that I was able to become entranced by the magic of this film.  There are plenty of actors to talk about, but in reality it’s Patel and James that take center stage, each presenting balanced performances that work in tandem and craft the tale that many will enjoy, again making a believable romance story. 

 

Yet there are a few limitations for me that I have to say I was surprised to see, at least for some of them.  One thing that is not quite a shocker is how much the trailers have given away in the mass franchising, with many key parts and comedy hits revealed in the television spots.  Amidst the predictability, Yesterday starts to lose some of its balance in terms of several decisions they made with the characters.  One thing is Kate McKinnon, the comedic queen holds the same personality quirks that people loved, but for me her style of comedy was forced and a little too extreme for the tone this movie set.  It’s SNL like presentation worked sometimes, but like a few Sheeran moments felt out of place from the components I liked.  And much like many films, Yesterday’s secondary characters we are introduced to sort of feel lost to the layered storytelling, dropped in the background for more comedic one liners.  Sure a bit realistic, but again I’m about utilizing the characters as much as you can.  Oh well, I guess that decisions goes with the themes of the movie about fame vs everything else, which although artistically presented sometimes got a bit too after school special for me.  However, the biggest “let down” so to speak was the lack of mind-blowing, or even suspenseful, revelations that the trailers suggest lied in the wings of this mystery.  Yesterday’s concept is interesting, so you were hoping for some secret to be revealed that would not sweep the film off of the beautiful presentation he put together. Not the case, for the concept sort of fizzles out in favor of pursuing the character arc stories that were built in the 2 hours.

 

      Overall, Yesterday worked for me and was fun to watch.  A beautiful balance of love, music, and charming artistic quality, Boyle proves to still have the eye for alternative storytelling.  It’s an entertaining film with a lot of heart that many should enjoy and I feel the acting performances and direction give you the characters you want to invest your time in.  There are some forced moments into the movie, primarily in altering the comedy to add a little more moisture to the drier comedy, but it’s really the lack of that giant revelation punch at the mystery that really stood out for me in terms of areas to improve.  Still, the charming tale is one that can be enjoyed in theater, but the fact it doesn’t have enough flash bang boom components means that a home viewing is most likely in your future. 

 

My scores are:

 

Comedy/Fantasy/Music:  8.0

Movie Overall: 7.0

 

That’s The Spirit

 

With all the big events coming up, it’s sometimes not surprising to have some other films sneak beneath the radar.  Without advertising, these films go unnoticed, a weird title standing out in a smaller theater, dwarfed by the juggernauts of the cinema world.  Today, I ended my review run with a look at one of these movies, hoping to get some fun and surprises in store.  Checking out a movie with little knowledge, this is another Robbie K’s movie reviews as we check out:

 

Teen Spirit (2019)

 

Director:

Max Minghella

Writer:

Max Minghella

Stars:

Elle Fanning, Agnieszka Grochowska, Archie Madekwe

 

 

LIKES:

• The Pace
• The Character Portrayal
• The Journey
• The Chemistry
• The Story Structure
• The Performances, Especially the end one
• The Music

 

SUMMARY:  Coming out of the gate, movies that are a little more than independent often come out a bit slower for my taste, but in this movie the spirit keeps things going.  Not too fast, but not too slow, Teen spirit finds a nice balance to cram enough stuff in and keep the entertainment factor going.  It works well with keeping things moving and getting to the climactic moments without skipping too much stuff.  What helps keep this pace going starts with the character portrayal, a teenage like Cinderella story that shows the hardships and begins to expand up on the complex character that Violet is.  The journey to which tests her is familiar, but holds the components necessary to grow and lash on to the relevant character that she is.  Elle Fanning’s acting, I thought, was well selected, utilizing her demeanor from several other movies and molding it into a familiar character with a slight twist.  The director I believed utilized the modern Cinderella portrayal and integrated it well with actors/actresses who meshed well to again fashion a believable relationship.  It’s this chemistry and inclusion of so many characters that I believe grounds some of the extreme moments of the character.

Yet the character/acting is only one part of the mix, and the story structure itself helps to revive the excitement of performing. In a presentation that feels part Black Swan (without the sexual aggressiveness) meeting a teenage singing spectacle, Teen Spirit takes a familiar tale and keeps it focused on its goal of blending the two worlds. Many elements are touched upon Violet’s life and many secondary characters help her explore those different aspects and integrated this into the tale.  Being a movie about performing, you are hoping for a little pep in the step right? Well, Spirit has you covered as there are some emotionally rich performances that should speak to a number of members.  Emotional ballads, saucy diva songs, and a few covers should help get some toes tapping, while also emphasizing the mind of the lead character.  Again, the use of music and performance to add to the struggle and impasses of the film, helps grant some originality to this familiar plot. Finally, the music is the key to my enjoyment in this film.  A fantastic selection of songs, Teen spirit has found a nice blend of original songs, fun covers, and use of some energetic tracks that are not only fun, but again fit well to the scenes.  I believe this may have been the component to turn me into the movie more, and hope you like it too.

 

DISLIKES:

 

• Mostly predictable
• Touch and Go on some story elements
• More Performances, especially with the other guys
• The Credit scenes

 

SUMMARY: As much fun as I had with the movie, there were still some things that needed some rehearsal to help get it perfect.  First, the tale was predictable, only a few moments hanging in the balance to whether or not they would surprise me. Yet, working with the timing, and seeing the clues, it was not hard to decipher the grand finale.  Fortunately, the other aspects of the film were enough to distract from this, but they also open up the door to another limitation.  Violet’s life has some rather shocking trials and some openings to further expand her character.  The problem is, with all the components they wanted to place in this film it resulted in these problems being touch and go.  Secondary arcs and potential for character growth were dropped very quickly, sometimes solved in the blink of an eye and other times left to fade into bare memories.  Others are open ended leading to a possible sequel, but I would have loved some extra time into the movie to further explore these components or perhaps drop a few impasses to allow for others to get development. This was especially true for the coach she meets early on in the film, the most engaging relationship of the bunch and the one that had much pushed to the side.

It’s a bit frustrating for me, but again the entertainment factor helps hide it, though again this brings up another limitation.  For a movie about competition, Teen Spirit does a poor job of engaging in the rivalry aspect and actually showing that competition.  After a semi-flash introduction, and the potential to bring about more acts, this film surprisingly left little in the development of their rivals.  Many of these acts are looks alone, a mere placeholder to remind you this is a competition.  Sadly, outside of one act and a few montage shots, these groups are forgotten characters that serve little purpose other than stir the drama plot ever so slightly.  I would have liked a little more expansion to these moments and some better competition build up to add to the suspense of the moment, despite the cost of character development.  It would have added a little more flash, offered some openings for story told through song, the aspect I really liked.  Finally, the end credit scenes were a nice tie up to the ambiguous ending, but it also paved the way for some unnecessary shots and the potential for a sequel I don’t think I would fit in this world.  Still, only time will tell the relevance of this scene, for alone it is merely extra fluff to offset some of the work this film did.

 

The VERDICT:

 

Teen Spirit has a lot packed in its run time, and the entertainment factor is the key to why this film works as well as it does.  Storytelling, acting, and character development are all functional and simplistic enough they making a guiding framework, though their predictability is a little lackluster.  No, for me the entertaining relationships, the engaging pace, and the fun of the numbers and music will be the aspect that remains strong in my mind, especially in its use of storytelling and the energy it puts out.  It’s true that Teen Spirit is not the original story, but it’s reality based and movie magic will be a combination I feel will hit many.  Still, it needs to work on balancing plot and more importantly choosing which components to focus on to help provide sustenance and suspense.

 

 

My scores are:

Drama/Music:  8.0

Movie Overall: 7.0

Queen Will, Queen Will, ROCK YOU! Bohemian Rhapsody Review

 

The musical legend that took the world by storm.  A man’s whose voice is immortal and rings through the halls, rooms, and cars of today.  The legendary band of Europe with music for the people has been waiting for a movie to represent their majesty, and everything they brought to the world. Tonight, after months of advertising and media promotion, the wait is over and the movie is upon us.  With it, yours truly is back to give a later review, in hopes of helping bring justice and some help in determining your movie viewing pleasure.  So get your concert boots on, your voices warmed up, and your hearts open for Robbie K’s review on:

 

Movie: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

 

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers:

Anthony McCarten (story by), Peter Morgan (story by)

Stars:

Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee

 

 

LIKES:

 

The Acting: You’ve got a legendary character, you need to be ready to step up to the plate, and the casting call nailed the pick with Rami Malek.  The Mr. Robot star continues to shine in his acting, apparently doing his homework to resurrect the legend for the modern age.  Watching clips in preparation for the interview, Singer’s direction with Malek’s skills are incredible to watch.  His mannerisms, his flair, his passion, and his approach match the various resources I picked up, and is the strong, central pillar to lift this movie to new heights.  Malek’s portrayal brings so many emotions to the screen to get you embedded into the movie and the actor’s life.  In addition, the rest of the cast is amazing, each contributing member of Mercury’s life given incredible screen time and involvement to craft the family that got him through so much. The incredible involvement of everyone in this production really crafted the perfect cast to bring you into the full experience at hand.

 

The Direction: Musical biographies are always a challenge for me to review, because I go for the concert experience and a little for the life.  Sadly, the balance often shifts in the second half to the life, leading to usually a slower, depressing story.  Bohemian Rhapsody though, manages to break this mold and keep the energy of the movie going from start to finish.  Singer managed to find the perfect entanglement of personal story, band drama, creative process, and concert experience, leading to an energetic, cinematic experience that make syou feel like part of a VH-1 behind the scenes experience.  It crafts something for everyone and should be entertaining from start to finish for whatever type of story you want in this genre.

 

The Costumes/Setting/Craft:  You’ve got the director and the acting, but now you need the look and this is where Rhapsody’s crew excels at once more.  While not the most complex makeup at times, this film’s has managed to take us back in time to the 70s and 80s in setting, fashion, and look of the actors.  My friends and I agreed that they brought the band back in exact replica detail, from the hairstyles, to the looks that evolved over time in aging and appearance.  Transformation of the setting and decades keeps you immersed into the character’s evolution and further invest your interest to the story and movie at hand.  Of course Mercury’s recreation gets the top honors over all, but nevertheless, it’s a sensational piece of makeup, costumes, and detail worthy of an award or five.

 

The Concert Experience/Art/Music:  The biggest delight of this movie, outside of the balance of story to music, is the music itself. Bohemian Rhapsody highlights the music creating process, showing the struggles and inspiration of their work as they crafted what they considered the perfect tracks.  As the music comes to completion, the film jumps right into the performance, bringing the legendary vocals and music back to full, theater stomping delight, and unleashing it to the brim.  Rhapsody hits almost all of the classic songs without overplaying the work, and making sure to give you the concert experience you’ve been dreaming of.  This is especially true with the final scene, where the legendary 20-minute performance is recreated, almost every detail painstakingly recreated to pay honor to the legend. I hope many appreciate the hard work in this movie and more importantly the epic fire of Queen’s music.

 

The Class: When it comes to Queen’s and the band’s interesting history, one should expect a lot of topics and scenes that can make on uncomfortable.  A nod to the direction again, because in this film all these very sensitive topics are portrayed in a very dignified manner.  Rather than sexually aggressive, dirty, gritty portrayals and over the top dialogue, Bohemian Rhapsody manages to portray the darker moments in a dignified light to explain the history without detracting from the experience at hand. Even the comedy is magically crafted into the scene, not forcing itself upon the audience for a laugh, but instead flowing naturally with the personality of Queen and the scenes at hand.  It’s movies like these that make this reviewer smile wide and realize that Hollywood has not been completely lost yet.

 

DISLIKES:

The length: Hard to find fault in this movie, but I can say that the movie was a little long at point, a few scenes that could have probably been left out to minimize the run time to just about 2 hours.  A small dislike indeed, but I’m grasping at straws here.

 

A Little Less Of The Dark/Slower Moments:  The scenes to be removed would have been some involving Paul, who’s manipulation of the system crafted a good antagonist, but sometimes was a little long winded.  If I could have substituted these scenes with more of Mary and his family components I would have, because it may have shed a little more light on that aspect and kept in the positive energy of the movie.  I don’t want the darker moments erased completely, after all they made the band shine at times, but still a little less loss of momentum was my preference.

 

 

 

The VERDICT:

 

Surprised that I don’t have more dislikes?  Well utilize that to note how much I loved this movie and how well put together it was. Queen’s epic legacy is captured beautifully in this movie, though how much is dramatized and real is something I don’t know.  Note however, that this is the musical biography that currently holds the throne in this reviewer’s eyes.  A balance of story and drama with music is the key, with direction to keep the momentum of the film going and the energy alive.  Fantastic acting and costumes further the experience, bringing you into the throngs of Queen’s struggles and drama, while paying homage to the craftmanship of their work.  Bohemian Rhapsody is the concert movie I’ve always wanted and with it, yours truly hopes to see it win big in the awards to come, not only for the movie itself, but for the legacy of Queen.  I strongly encourage everyone to see it in theaters, this weekend if possible, to get the most out of your experience with this film.  So please check it out asap. 

 

My scores are:

 

Biography/Drama/Music:  9.5-10

 

Movie Overall:  8.5-9.0

A Remake Is Born: Music and A New Face Are Very Appealing

            Robbie K with the latest review on another holiday remake, this one hoping to bring the emotional punch that drama lovers well… love. Tonight two acting/singing icons are ready to lead the way, with plenty of reviews already praising the two in making this movie come to life.  Is it worth the hype, or have we been tricked by another Hollywood stunt?  Robbie K here to help guide your viewing pleasures, so let’s get started on my review of:

 

Movie: A Star Is Born (2018)

 

Director:

Bradley Cooper

Writers:

Eric Roth (screenplay by), Bradley Cooper (screenplay by)

Stars:

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott

 

 

 

LIKES:

 

The Acting:  Hands down, the two leading characters have amazing chemistry together.  Gaga’s mature optimism but realistic grounding craft a strong character ready to brave the storm of drama to come.  She brings the joy and energy to the film to help you get through the dark components of this film.  Bradley Cooper on the other reprises his role of the sultry, depressed like, hero, who is easy on the eyes of the females in my audience and brings a sort of romanticism charm as well.  Together, the duo tango in an amazing, dynamic dance of emotion that so many will grip on to. 

 

Decent Pace:  Another prime example of a drama being heartfelt, but also not crawling like so many of these movies do.  The first hour was over in an instant, and the second act, while not as fast, managed to keep a good run as they maneuvered through all the quirks. It led to my interest being kept for the movie and able to handle the predictable plot.

 

The Story:  The tale from the original is mostly there in a modernized form, reskinning the tale to have much more sex appeal than the original. Although not quite the same setting, the story still comes out strong, crammed to bursting with plenty of life aspects and lessons to hopefully resonate with the audience’s journey.  It’s got a realistic pulse to it, which should charm many of the intended group, and keeps you enraptured as you live their lives through the screen.

 

The Music: By far, the biggest and best component of this film for me was the music.  Like all my fellow reviewers, the magic of this motion picture score is the heart and soul of the characters’ feelings.  These poetic displays of artistry fill much of the screen time, some in the concert fashion, others as the fuel for a montage, it brings the full-on bite and drives home the emotion of this film.  As an additional bonus, you’ll get a mixture of styles though it is limited to country or pop, but still a little variety is better than none right?

 

DISLIKES:

 

Same Country Song: While not too overplayed, Cooper’s contributions to the music fest were not the most dynamic, choosing to play the same song four times and adding little with each replay.  True, I’m not a big fan of country, but in regards to soundtracks, I might try to pull a mamma mia and sample the music to boost soundtrack sales.

 

A Few Slow Parts: Scraping the bottom of the barrel for dislikes, there are a few slow parts that made me tired just watching. These moments were often prelude to another montage to buy some time, certainly a good trick to get you prepped, but maybe not the best in terms of pacing.

 

The Few Unnecessary Shots:  While much of the movie is spot on and necessary for the story, there are those moments that are merely for show to get things hot.  A Star Is Born had a few scenes that were meant to add to the story, but were grazed by as sort of a footnote to not be forgotten.  Sure it works with the new paint job this modernized version brought, and it had a few people hot under the collar, but for this guy, it just added fluff I didn’t need for the story.

 

Predictable:  There are a few surprises to be thrown in, but for the most part this movie isn’t too surprising or twist filled like I like to see. Not much I can say here, but don’t expect too much deviation from the tale.

 

The Okayish Character Development:  I’m not saying that this is weak by any means, but I’m saying compared to the original, I feel the story/character component is not quite as strong as the classic.  The new face of this story is all about the sex appeal and the music and while they did this fantastically, I feel that there was more potential to dive into these characters.  Key tensions are there, and you have enough of the background story to get the gist, but I still think the art of storytelling holds the strongest in the ways of old.

 

 

The VERDICT:

 

            Did a Star is Born live up to the hype that reviewers and commercials built up?  The answer is yes for the most part.  The acting and music are perfect representations of this dynamic love story, capable of wooing you TGIT drama lovers and modern-day romanticists. Still, I think I like the original from what I remember and feel that the cool new look will appeal to the modern-day audiences more than anything else.  Still, I had a good time with this movie and was very pleased at how much I liked the movie given my doubts from the trailers.  So I would say this is the film for this weekend to check out, and have fun with the soundtrack if you so decide to do it.

 

My scores are:

 

Drama/Music/Romance: 8.5

Movie Overall:  8.0

 

Here We Go Again! Fun, Dancing, Emotion, but Sloppy Transitions

            Musicals are often best left in the world of plays, where imagination and the acoustics maximize the song and dance number.  Yet, Hollywood just loves a good run at recreating the world in their high stakes glory, leading to some renditions that are fantastic and others not so much.  So, a sequel to an already obscure Mamma Mia, glorifying the incredible group Abba, seems like a bit of a stretch for a blockbuster movie.  Oh well, Here We Go Again as yours truly does his second movie review of the week on:

 

Movie: Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2018)

 

Director:

Ol Parker

Writers:

Ol Parker (screenplay by),  Richard Curtis (story by)

Stars:

Lily James,  Amanda Seyfried,  Meryl Streep

 

 

LIKES:

 

Toe Tapping Numbers:  For a musical you need, well you need music, and fortunately the film is loaded with a number of tracks to leave you dancing in your seat.  From upbeat, dance filled sequences to the more emotional, slower tracks there is a tempo for everyone in this film.  As the tracks play, the choreography is just as vibrant, packed with a fun energy that fits the tracks well, and brings you into the party.  If you liked the performances in the first movie than you are in luck my friends for this one.

 

Cute:  The movie may not be a big animated smash hit, or something crafted by Disney, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t cute all the same.  Mamma Mia 2 is super friendly to many ages, and brings an easy tale of love and friendship all wrapped in a sunny bright wrapping paper.  Those fans who are really looking for an easy to handle movie where nothing intense happens are again the target demographic for this one.

 

Surprisingly Emotional:  If you’re this far in the review, you surely know that this movie is a fun ride, but there is a little more emotion to the film than I expected.  As the tale goes, there are more than a number of fun avenues and soap opera theatrics to catch your attention.  However, the movie manages to strike into deeper waters, resulting in some performances that had my audience tearing up/sniffing.  The fact the film did this emotional part well surprised me despite how extreme the film is, but trust me in saying that these moments are not quite as grandiose as they could have been.

 

Two Stories Are Integrated: You saw from the trailers that there were going to be two stories to balance.  Surprisingly, they did this, though not in a traditional sense for me. Mamma Mia 2 gives you about fifty percent in each story department, helping give each set of characters ample time to explore the uncharted waters of Donna’s adventurous life.  They manage to cover all their promised avenues and still keep the music infused into each aspect, thereby expanding the range of performances.

 

Lily James:  I’m a huge fan of this star, not only due to her charming beauty, but her talent of bringing characters to life.  Once again I was super impressed with her acting, happy to see her take classic Donna and put a more youthful energy to the mix. Her fellow divas captured their characters to the T, and the young squad really was my favorite part of the movie as they were the more interesting, and utilized.  Ms. James did a fantastic job carrying the weight of the movie, and I only hope for more leading roles for her to wow me in.

 

 

DISLIKES:

 

Not Every Character Utilized Well:  It’s a large cast, we know people are going to be short sighted, but sometimes it’s a little too much.  Much of the cast has really fallen back to the wings with only a few having adequate time to hold up the movie.  So much potential to relive the fun of the first movie gone because of too many cooks in the kitchen. As for some of the more publicized names, they don’t have quite the involvement you wanted, while others get a little more billing than you might expect.

 

The Story:  The story is cute and gives you all the pertinent information, but it doesn’t present it in the best light for me.  There are gaps in the plots, skipped over to allow you to fill in the details.  Relationships develop quickly, the pace rushed and glossed over so that more songs could be jammed in.  It’s a complete, yet incomplete set of stories, with sloppy transition between the two (at parts at least), with the random transitions jumping wildly with little organization at times. True, they did time some transitions perfectly, but for the most part not the best organization.

 

False Advertising:  The movie does deliver its promise on the fun, but some of the plot elements are very minor despite them being central in the trailers.  In fact, these plot elements feel rather limited and underdeveloped, so can’t state I was the most impressed with these parts.

 

Too Many Songs: The killing blow for a story of a musical is when the songs become the primary focus. Mamma Mia 2 really tried to pack as many numbers into the 2-hour running time as possible, sometime without regard to if the song was appropriately fitting in the story.  As a result, the story components suffered, the characters got catalogued into singing (or autotuned ability), giving it an erratic presentation that only semi impressed me. If you are just looking for musical numbers, your wish is granted, but for guys like me, I missed the complete picture.

 

The VERDICT:

 

         Mamma Mia 2 has expanded its emotional diving compared to the first, but manages to maintain the fun energy, charming cuteness, and beauty that was the first movie.  The song and dance numbers are the central focus, so those that love this glorification of Abba’s hits will be buying a ticket to musical gold.  However, the components I miss is the integration of all the characters into the mix and the linear story to tie everything together. The sequel gets points for balancing two stories, but needs to work on directing better transitions and details than what it did.  Still, this is definitely the upbeat movie of the month, and once I’m sure will please many audiences.  Recommended theater goers should be the midlife to elderly, girls trip out, and of course the musical lovers. Otherwise just skip and wait for something bigger to come.

 

My scores:

 

Comedy/Musical:  7.5

Movie Overall: 6.0