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

 

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

 

 

Pride&Prejudice and a lot of flaws

 

Hollywood recognizes no boundaries when it comes to making movies of literary “classics.” This weekend they have dived back into the infinite pool of plots and bring their magic to the silver screen. Today’s review is on Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, a spoof on the revered novel by Jane Austen. As ridiculous as it sounds, this tale of zombies invading 19^th century England is an enjoyable tale that is clever, fun, and quite thrilling with a little imagination. But can the movie match the majesty of the novel, or does it fall flat on it’s undead face? Here are my thoughts on the film.

 

The story is very similar to the book, maintaining the clever integration of zombies with society and giving it that ridiculous twist. Our team managed to hit the high-points of the film and portrayed all of the major events that enthralled us in the novel. However they took some major creative liberties to spice the film up, effectively weaving a new story altogether. Fortunately all of the elements are designed around poking fun at the Victorian regality, all maintaining the underlying theme of Pride and Prejudice. The movie is funny at many points, and the ridiculous twist to the literary classic were very enjoyable.  Yet though they hit the key points, the editing of this film was rather poor in my opinion. Many scenes felt rushed, quickly stung together in a series that was logical but seemed to skip some details as they sloppily transitioned into another sequence. To me it seemed the editors had forgotten scenes and quickly pasted them somewhere that was deemed appropriate. Not the greatest move guys.

 

Fortunately there was great cast that portrayed our characters and looked the part of royalty. Lily James (my favorite) dropped the glass slippers for boots and weapons as she brought a feistiness to the film. Her character was a nice balance of honor, pride, and skill as she brought a whole new definition of girl power to life. Sam Riley plays Mr. Darcy, and certainly has the roguish nature down pat, including a dazzling display of stage combat that would fit well in fantasy movies. However, he displays very flat emotion and was a bit boring for a main character. Jack Huston on the other hand captured the part of the villain perfectly, capturing all the shadiness, deceit, and ire necessary for a good antagonist to have. Other characters, including the zombie extras played their parts well, but many of them were underutilized and underdeveloped, which which was disappointing to see. 

 

Despite the limitations to their cast though, the design, costume, and makeup teams were on point in this movie. The setting itself was beautiful, the movie filled with rich, elaborate manors littered with English history. Various shots of the countryside and fields of the estate only further brought me into the world, making me feel as if I had stepped back in time to this…alternate reality. Costumes further brought the mood to life with elaborate dresses that were fitting of the times, but laced with a cool edge that many heroes are associated with. And for those who appreciate the more physical qualities, many costumes showed off our characters’ figures quite well and that’s all I’m saying. And of course props to the makeup department for once more proving Hollywood have the art of making people undead to a science. Grotesque visages superimposed with natural skin never ceases to amaze me, and this film continues to show just how important makeup artists are to bringing the horror of zombies to life.

 

All of this aside though, the thing that truly roped me into seeing this film was the potential for action. Unfortunately I was disappointed once more. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has little of the adrenaline pumping moments I had expected. A few fights are impressive, but were short lived to mere seconds before abruptly ending. Despite the foreshadowing and story buildup, many of the action sequences are reduced to quick bouts of a character violently stabbing and stomping the victim into a squish, pulpy form (much of which is censored). And to be honest, I was quite bored in this movie, reduced to eating popcorn to stay awake at the many dull moments. So I warn those looking for a thrill to avoid this movie, unless your definition of thrill is rich Victorian dialogue geared at love.

 

Although Lily James leads the cast in this comical twist to literary classics, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies fell short for me. The story was dull, and the editing robbed much of the suspense and quality I had expected from the trailers. Throw in the lackluster action and well there isn’t much I can say to recommend it for the theater. Therefore skip this film and wait for Netflix unless you are just “dying” to see it.

 

Cheesy puns aside my scores for this movie are:

 

Action/Horror/Romance: 6.0

Movie Overall: 5.0

Like Ants Go Marching To The Theater

            Marvel has entered its third wave and the intended schedule shows a lot of “origin” stories in the works. When it comes to these starter films, Marvel has been hit or miss, in my opininon, and sometimes can leave you a bit disappointed. This weekend we got Ant-Man in the works, a tale I didn’t have much hope for in terms of quality Marvel movies. However, could there be surprises in store that will make this enjoyable, you never know. Hi I’m Robbie K and this is another Robbie Review.

When you hear the name Ant-Man you might just laugh at the lame title he holds. I mean how can someone like that be a real threat? Well don’t count him out yet, as those of the lore know that big things do indeed come in small packages. Ant-Man surprisingly has quite an array of powers, the classic one being shrinking to the size of an ant to infiltrate whatever fortress he is assigned. Yet by reaching this size he obtains heightened speed, strength, and agility that when combined with a training montage led by Evangeline Lilly leads to a top notch weapon. The pint sized hero also gains the technology to communicate with ants, and use their versatile nature in his assignments, which again might sound like a wimpy power but holds incredible potential. This leads me to my favorite part of this movie: the action.

            Director Peyton Reed has coordinated his team to make an exciting film that has plenty of fast paced, punch throwing moments that will have you wheeling in delight. Ant-man’s action starts with a comedic training sequence to warm you up, but then cascades into some big stunts filled with numerous shots of Paul Rudd disappearing and reappearing in front of his opponent. Sure this gets stale, but fortunately they mix things up as the camera dives into artificial scenes of war, which are often simple areas like carpeted floors and grass but from an ant’s perspective. And speaking of ants, the team brought a great dynamic with the ants, establish a foot soldier motif with them and having them coordinate strikes. I felt like I was back in Star Wars again as flying ants led ground troops into the heart of danger, often with accompanying laser sounds to add more galactic atmosphere to it. All of the graphics involved with this are impressive, solid movement, good definition, and some bright special effects as well. Overall the action is decent.

The big factor that most are going to enjoy I feel is the comedy. Ant-Man does a great job of relieving the stress with multiple comedic moments that range from situational slapstick to well timed quips. Paul Rudd leads the comedy with his acting, managing to bring his typical self into the part and leave you chuckling. The writing is clever and delivered with just the right intensity to sell the line and maximize the laughs. Michael Douglas also brings a set of laughs to the mix and his blunt mannerisms are welcomed as he zings the characters with witty dialogue. Michael Pena helps with the simpler comedy, using his talents to please the audience members who love the more ridiculous and exaggerated moments. His voice was probably the funniest aspect of his moments and the director limiting the number of jokes with him was also a smart move. Outside of the actors, Ant-Man has some other fun trinkets, including turning a toy train set into a “death” arena, anthropomorphic qualities in ants, and a few comic surprises that cap everything. This film is certainly one of Marvel’s most humorous projects, and did a nice job balancing the laughs with the action.

But alas there were a few things that fell off the scale and could have used some tweaking. At the beginning the plot is very rushed, with little hindrance and in depth character development. His initiation is practically dull, his training almost devoid of any real struggle, and even the magnitude of the crime he committed was blown over. Another weakness was Hank and Hope’s relationship, the tension and drama are there, but the details remain hidden and suddenly are dropped in at once. Then the second half of the movie happens and that is when the entertaining and intriguing moments happen. There is also a lot of predictability in this tale as well, lacking any real twist or surprise, but that is only a minor thing. This is when connections to the other movies happen and the plot development and tension occur. Outside of the plot, the action does get a little repetitive with the whole shrinking and expanding moment, and I could have been happier with more ant moments.

I got to say that Ant-Man is a well done intro film that has a little something for everyone. The action is fitting, the comedy clever and balanced, and the movie overall fun and entertaining. The story needs some tweaking, and it definitely has some other areas that weren’t the jaw dropping experience we’ve had in the past. Yet I feel it is a good and fun blockbuster for the summer. I encourage many to go have fun with this movie, but avoid the 3-D aspect because I don’t see it adding much to the film for the extra cost.

My scores are:

Action/Sci-Fi: 8.0

Movie Overall: 8.0

Movie, Makeup, and Acting Bring Magic To This Film

            Disney is at it again this weekend, remaking a classic movie with a modern twist. This time they continue the real life princess momentum with Cinderella, a tale that is close to my heart. Numerous advertisements and television specials have painted what looked to be a promising movie, and seemed to leave nothing to the imagination. With little mystery left of this movie, I had doubts as to whether this movie would impress me. So taking a trip back to the old style, let’s get down to business.

The thing about Cinderella I always remembered was how cute the whole tale was. In this modern version that cuteness remains with through the fun little quirks the team has designed. First off the budding romance between the prince and the princess, which you know is coming, is very sweet, holding all the qualities that true love SHOULD be. Cinderella focuses on the important qualities love and curbs the movie glamour to emphasize inner beauty despite the gorgeous outer beauty. Second factor is Cinderella herself. She has a bubbly personality, coupled with kindness that brings that heartwarming effect that these movies need to bring more often.   And for once it didn’t cross into the cheesy love that also is common in these stories. Yet the cutest factor for me was the integration of mice back into Cinderella’s life. Yes you heard me; the loveable GusGus is back, though this time without the digitally mastered voice. Along with a feminized Jacque, now Jacqueline, the small family of rodents provides some comedic relief in the form of slapstick comedy. While not the remotely close to funny, the mice are definitely adorable in all their squeaks and big eyed antics that only the heartless, or those with an aversion to mice, can hate.

Yet cuteness alone does not make a good movie, it requires a strong cast to bring the characters to life. Fortunately the casting director did their job as the Cinderella’s teams of performers are well grouped. The star of course is Lily James, the lovely woman whose physical and inner beauty shines throughout the entire movie. She captures the inner strength and kindness that Cinderella is famous for, bringing a positive energy that radiates from the screen into you. I couldn’t help but smile and feel the hope she promised with the good-natured soul she had, her smile in particular mirroring those values. However, she wasn’t some high on life hippy, as Cinderella’s suffering was the stronger of the two emotions. Making me empathize with her. Enough about the star though, let’s get to the charming prince of the tale. Richard Madden makes a good prince, handsome, wholesome, and actually representative of the characteristic he is supposed to have. He carries the pride of a prince, but also remains humble and has the good inner qualities that are truly noble. I can’t say if girls will be attracted to him, but this reviewer liked the realistic nobility that defied the stereotypical tools we usually get. Cate Blanchett’s poise and deceptive demeanor rings strong in this movie. That haunting tone she makes famous returns, with a little cruel humor thrown in to mix things up and tickle some funny bones. And of course we can’t forget the talented Helena Bonham Carter can we. The multifaced actress again blows the roof off an iconic role, bringing a refreshing taste back to a tried and true part. Her time as the Godmother brings the humor all ages will love, her klutzy demeanor and honest to a fault lines perfect to uplift the “depressing” scene she appears in.

However the biggest strengths of this movie are the special effects, costumes, and makeup of the movie. Cinderella is filled to the brim with fireworks, scenery, and magical spells of light that will make you feel you are in Disney world. I was pulled into the setting with the colorful creations the effects team made, and how well integrated they were into the movie. While the effects pulled me in, the costumes and makeup were what kept me impressed in the movie. The beautiful gowns and dresses were crafted to match the personalities of our characters in both color and flare factor, as I like to call it. My favorite dress in particular, definitely goes to the classic blue gown of Ella’s, the modern upgrade to the sapphire blue a very beautiful choice that I agree with. And as for the makeup, well the artists get another round of applause from me. From the subtle touchups to make our cast sparkle to Carter’s hag makeup, there were plenty of touchup that impressed this reviewer. The goose and lizard makeup in particular were my favorites as they blended both animal and human qualities together in a way that reminded me of a Face Off challenge.

I had low expectations going into this movie, but Cinderella did entertain and impress me. Yes it is predictable, and doesn’t quite capture the fun the animated film did. However, the cast and crew have recreated the world and added a few twists to revive the drab Disney tale. It lacks a lot of driving factors, especially the danger and darkness to help keep up the suspense, and it also could have favored from some wittier comedy to bridge the audience gap. Family’s will enjoy this tale though, and if you are like me, will feel as if they were living in a Disney World dream. Is it worth a trip to theater? I have to say yes, especially a movie that little ones will enjoy, but please gage your child’s attention spans before making the trek.

My scores for this charming film are:

Adventure/Drama/Family: 8.0

Movie Overall: 7.5