'Aladdin' A Review

Aladdin is a family musical fantasy movie, a live-action adaptation of the 1992 Disney animated film. The story opens on a man telling his children the story of the Aladdin and the Lamp and serves as a narrator throughout. Aladdin(Mena Massoud) a thief in Agrabah chances on the Sultan's daughter Jasmine(Naomi Scott) in disguise as her own handmaiden and Aladdin helps her escape some trouble at the market. The two connect and sparks begin to kindle. When he infiltrates the palace to return a piece of jewelry the two flirt some more but Aladdin is captured on the way out by corrupt Grand Vizier Jafar(Marwan Kenzari) and forced into the Cave of Wonders to retrieve a lamp. He retrieves the lamp but the cave collapses, he rubs the lap and out pops Genie(Will Smith) who frees them from the cave-in and attempts to help Aladdin woe Jasmine posing as a prince.

Massoud and Scott are both decent but some charm is lost in translation, they both attempt to tow the line between emotional broadness and presentionalism and as a result they both land somewhere in the middle. They both clearly put forth considerable effort but the script, the direction, and the seeming fealty to the cartoon serve to make mediocrity almost inevitable. Kenzari is also serviceable but the character ultimately doesn't have much clarity, there is no fun mustache twirling but nor is there enough depth to turn the villain into a real character. Smith's performance suffers from the same confusion, much of it feels like a Robin Williams impression which is simply odd, when Smith allows his perspective and style to come through it works. Although a refreshingly and wonderfully diverse cast there are no real stand outs because the movie is caught inbetween with too much service being given to a 25 year old film and not enough to originality and personality.

Visually the movie is impressive, elaborate sets and sparkling CGI draw the eye but a lot of the spectacle is rendered meaningless by the meandering swampy narrative. It is nice to hear the Aladdin soundtrack again but the choice to autotune virtually every performance is bizarre, distracting, and renders any emotional impact close to nil.

Much like many of these virtually shot-for-shot live action remakes the prevailing feeling is simply to revisit the original cartoon.

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Boundaries

I have no time for echoes
no interest in veneers
no debt to the fellows
who stayed silent years

Energy and effort
both given and received
without a balance sever
lest we are left aggrieved

'Booksmart' A Review

Booksmart is a coming-of-age comedy about two best friends Amy(Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly( Beanie Feldstein), seniors in high school on the eve of graduation, who decide after years of study and academic rigor they need a night to let loose.

Dever and Feldstein have great chemistry and each are given substantial independent arcs, along with their journey as friends, which allow them to soar and show their dynamism both as comedians and actors. Feldstein gives the bigger, bolder performance which compliments the more internal Dever. Both are given equal opportunity at slapstick as well as catharsis. The supporting cast is stacked with talent particularly Billie Lourd as the rich seemingly vapid but almost oracular Gigi and Mike O'Brien as Pat the Pizza Guy in an excellent cameo. Some of Amy and Molly's classmates are played broadly to the brink of stereotype but they are effective and are contrasted with more down-to-earth portrayals that surround them.

A killer soundtrack, decent cinematography with a couple inspired sequences, a funny and inspiring narrative with a message, Olivia Wilde's directorial debut is not only a success in and of itself but shows substantial promise. The only real drawback to the film is it's relative tone-deafness when it comes to class. The clear and present economic privilege of virtually every member of the high school as well as the somewhat murky and bizarre fact they all seem to be going to premier universities ostensibly on straight merit is unexplored and unexplained. Booksmart is an exciting fast-paced hard R comedy, the fact they don't grapple with socio-economic inequality is forgivable.

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'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum' A Review

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is an action thriller, the third in the John Wick series, that picks up almost immediately following John Wick: Chapter 2 with the titular assassin in a one hour grace period before his excommunicado status which will unleash a $15 million bounty and hordes of killers on his trail. He runs all over New York City, escapes to Casablanca, then returns to NYC for the climatic conclusion.

Reeves, always a pleasing, wry, meditative presence on screen, gives increasingly impressive physical performances over the series with this installment particularly so however the emotional journey of the character started strong but has diminished to non-existence. The character motivation and dimension are what made the original unique and unfortunately that part of the story has been lost in the increasingly elaborate action sequences and borderline absurd world building. This installment introduces some interesting supporting characters- Mark Dacascos who plays at deliciously broad as Zero a killer and Wick superfan, Asia Kate Dillon as the reserved, polite, single-minded Adjudicator, Halle Berry as Sofia a former assassin friend of Wick's who has her own striking fight sequence accompanied by two attack dogs- among others. But no real time is spent with any of them, aside from John Wick trying to stay alive there is no real plot, no real weight to any of the action especially as the fight scenes get increasingly involved and graphic.

The production elements are impeccable- propulsive score, beautiful and inspired set design, elaborate and at times elegant and thrilling choreography- but there is no narrative to speak of. It could be summed up as John Wick fights and flees but gets no where. Character development is sacrificed for building out the underground-assassin world with debt markers, gold coins, high tables, and a camel-riding desert-bound monarch but those elements are sped through so quickly and are so underdeveloped they don't hold any particular weight. And the increasing stack of shells and bodies Wick leaves in his wake creates an increasing numbness rather than a thrill.

There is something intriguing and magnetic about Reeves as John Wick but the franchise seems to have misunderstood what that is. It's not the blood and the bullets, it's the grief and the rage.

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Let Them Eat Cake

My dad tells this story
about visiting his grandma
Bertha
on the family farm
when he was seven or eight
and she asked him
what he wanted for breakfast
and he blurted "chocolate cake"
and the next morning there it was
from scratch
and oh how he feasted.

Grandma Bertha made it for him
on every subsequent visit
through adolescence into adulthood
until she went into the home,
he always ate it
not out of desire
as it quickly became a chore
but duty.

I always wondered
was it good hearted grandmotherly-spoiling
holding on to the youth of her grandson
as he aged-out of cake-for-breakfast
or
was it a years long lesson
about thinking before you speak
and reaping what you sow.

'Pokémon Detective Pikachu' A Review

Pokémon Detective Pikachu is an urban fantasy mystery movie set in the "Pokémon universe" ie a world where Pokémon co-exist with humans. The story opens on an ominous lab with a Pokémon being experimented on who escapes and appears to attack a car on its way out of town. Tim Goodman(Justice Smith)is a young insurance salesman who is called to Ryme City after the mysterious death(presumably in the previously mentioned attack) of his estranged father. There he connects with the titular Detective Pikachu(voiced by Ryan Reynolds) who was the partner of his father. The two investigate the crime and what they discover is corruption in Ryme City!

Smith as the lead gives a valiant effort but is simply overcome by not acting opposite of an actual human and a poor, meaninglessly convoluted script. He has talent, there's no question, but the ask is to big for him to overcome. Reynolds voice work is fine enough but taking his actual body the equation hamstrings one of his biggest assets as an actor- his affable contagious charm. Although the animation is excellent the Pikachu performance just comes across as underwhelming. The supporting cast has two real bright spots- Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe- but neither are given more screen time or much to do when in the scenes they have.

The production design is sharp, exciting, and meticulously rendered by the story falls short it the visual pleasure of the movie is rendered almost meaningless. The script is the real culprit. In an attempt to name check a long list of Pokémon, provide a viable father-son arc, and a complicated twisting who-done-it the story ultimately becomes a boring confused mess. Too much is attempted and nearly none of it is achieved.

Fans, families, and the regular movie goer alike will find it difficult to find much enjoyable in this first attempt at a mainstream Pokémon flick.

Don't See It.

Yoga

Standing outside the studio
I wouldn't say I was terrified
but afraid certainly
a distinction perhaps
important only to me.

Fear not of physical activity
but of the unknown
having done yoga only once
13 years ago when drunk,
not a soothing point of reference.

I felt the tension, sat with it
but was not overcome,
did not flee like once I would
but entered with a friend
and participated, content, happy even.

A small victory perhaps,
but victory none the less.

'Ask Dr. Ruth' A Review

Ask Dr. Ruth is a documentary about the life of sex therapist Ruth Westheimer. The film follows Dr. Ruth as she fulfills her myriad of obligations and connects with friends and family cut with present-day interviews as well as archival footage and animated sequences that delve into her childhood in Europe around WWII, post-war time in Israel, and her move to the US and the development of her career.

Anyone aware of Dr. Ruth knows about her infectious positivity and boundless energy but this portrait delves deeper into her tragic and challenging background and into her sexual and social progressiveness. Much like last years Won't You Be My Neighbor? this is a sincere and honest film about a cultural icon who made a point of doing good and helping others and has succeeded, and in this case continues to. Amongst the many aspects of her life and work that are impressive so is her stamina and ability at 90, still busy and seemingly fully scheduled.

An inspiring, moving, bio-doc celebrating a cultural figure for their courage, openness and foresight with sexual health and politics. Advocating not for polarization but for self-love and understanding.

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'Meeting Gorbachev' A Review

Meeting Gorbachev is a documentary by Werner Herzog, a series of conversations between Herzog and final president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev cut with archival footage of his life and political career.

Although not particularly flashy cinematically and without the typical roiling existential insights of Herzog's documentaries the film still delivers something unique and refreshingly open-minded. It is a relatively straightforward and positive portrait of one of the most prominent leaders of the late 20th century that has mostly been sidelined, demonized, and/or diminished by the industrial West.

Herzog brings the same openess and curiosity he brings to all his subjects and Gorbachev is amiably game to share his prospective of and vision for the Soviet Union as a nation and within the geo-political community. And the result is fascinating and certainly offers a balm, blue print, and implicit warning regarding our current international political situation.

Not a rousing piece of cinema but an engaging one and perhaps required viewing given our current political situation.

See It.

Ever-Shifting Success

At 13 my highest achievement
was scoring a goal in soccer

At 15 it was surreptitiously
borrowing my parents car

At 17 landing the lead
in the school play

At 20 the rare occasion
of getting laid

At 24 ascending
the vaulted improv comedy ladder

At 26 avoiding the mounting legal
and personal troubles begat by unchecked addiction

At 30 sobriety

At 34 friends, family,
simple pleasures, and responsibilities fulfilled

'Long Shot' A Review

Long Shot is a romantic comedy about Secretary of State Charlotte Fields(Charlize Theron) who after being told by President Chambers(Bob Odenkirk) that he will not seek reelection and endorse her candidacy embarks on an international environmental treaty tour that she plans to culminate in her resignation and candidacy announcement. At the same time Brooklyn journalist Fred Flarsky(Seth Rogen) quits his job at a local newspaper after it is bought by corrupt media mogul Parker Wembly. His best, significantly more successful, friend Frank(O'Shea Jackson Jr.) takes on him on a conciliatory night out and the two, who knew each other as teens, reconnect at a charity event. Charlotte hires Frank as a speech writer and the two reconnect and a romance kindles.

Theron brings her customary charm, magnetism, and breadth of emotion and her typically underutilized comedic chops which are substantial. Rogen plays a version of the affable-fast-talking-stoner archetype which he helped create and it works as it almost always does to a degree. He is, as always funny, but with his age he's able to bring some maturity and dimension to this character which we have mostly seen before. The big surprise is the chemistry the two have, easy and disarmingly heartfelt, and the real issues that the story has the burgeoning couple contend with. There is some actual catharsis and romance in there between some pretty over the top hilarious scenes, traded between both Theron and Rogen at their center, arguably the best scene is an extended party sequence with the two which culminates with Theron, high on moly, in a hostage negotiation. The supporting cast are all exceptionally solid with some real fun pops of character, most notably Jackson as Rogen's exuberant, infectiously positive best friend and June Diane Raphael as Theron's delightfully dry and skeptical chief of staff.

Like many comedies the cinematography doesn't appear to be a top priority however there are a number of sequences that really stun- a montage at the beginning showing Charlotte's overwhelming schedule, the club sequence, and an insurgent attack, among others. That coupled with an absolutely incredible soundtrack with some juicy nostalgia tracks and some current hits all weave together seamlessly to create something captivatingly modern.

The narrative also includes some political satire and gender commentary which feel somewhat understated but because of that feel particularly effective. There are some critisisms that, once again, we have a beautiful women and a scruffy man as romantic partners however at the very least some typical tropes have been swapped. Theron's character is older and successful, Rogen's character is the defacto manic-pixie-dream-girl. This plays more like a funnier and more ambitious gender swapped The American President rather than something regressive.

Startlingly funny, stylish, with impeccable leads.

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'Wild Nights With Emily' A Review

Wild Nights With Emily is biographical comedy about the life but more so the love of poet Emily Dickinson and her sister-in-law Susan Dickinson. The film uses a lecture by Mable Todd(Amy Seimetz), editor of Emily's work posthumously, as a framing device to cut back to Emily's life as a teen and how her and Susan fell in love with the bulk of the story showing Emily(Molly Shannon) and Susan(Susan Ziegler) as adults.

This film in general is an interesting companion piece to the substantially more reserved and straightforward A Quiet Passion, but it is even more intriguing to put Shannon's driven yet playful, opinionated yet approachable version of Emily up against Cynthia Nixon's more tragic and austere portrayal. They functions as sides of the same coin, as do the two films in conjunction, framing the life of the famous poet in different ways: one a yearning isolated woman-out-of-time and the other a mostly happy independent lesbian woman semi-closeted by the time in which she lived. Shannon gives an incredible amount of heart, wit, and grace to the role conveying the writing of and obsession with poetry very effectively given how difficult and vague that can be, giving one of the best performances of the year and the latest in her late career renaissance. Ziegler also gives a steady and grounding sense of reality to this woman and to the relationship which she's in. Seimetz as the other sizable role is fun, funny and manipulative, and justly, isn't given as much dimension as the couple at the center of the narrative.

The real triumph of the film though is it's multifaceted and melodic tone- moments of hilarious absurdity and abstract artistry are perfectly balanced with an overall grounded reality that is engaging and believable and never steers into the typical period piece trap of distant formality. Clearly on a small budget the cinematography is mostly serviceable but there are a couple moments of awkward framing and editing but overall the film has such vitality that is easily are overlooked. There are also a number of clearly fake props but this is mostly played for symbolic and comedic effect, at times it is unclear what is intentional, and this far from being distracting plays into the delightful chameleonic personality of the film.

Many of the Dickinson's poems are shown as text on screen, recited between characters, or in a few sequences conceptually performed. It's an inspiring celebration of poetry and one of it's greatest practitioners as well as an elegant portrait of a 19th century feminist icon.

Don't Miss It.