La La Land Review: Old Fashion Song and Dance

I’m not big into musicals, especially not the musicals of yore. There’s a sentimentality to them a sentimentality that my cold, cold heart does not have in abundance. There is a sense of camp ingrained in the genre and that clashes with my enjoyment. I’m not a music man.

That being said, La La Land charmed the hell out of me.

La La Land is a throwback to the kind of musicals that dominated the 1950s. The music is grand and bold, the colors vivid but above all else it is an earnest film. There’s a real heart on display here, and it infects every element from the ground up. From the acting to the cinematography there isn’t a false note in this piece.

The pun train keeps coming

La La Land is certainly less of a terror than Damien Chazelle’s previous film Whiplash but the two share a focus on music. The film follows two people, aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and struggling jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) as they try to make their dreams come true in Los Angles. The plot is self is generic, but it’s not really what we’re here for. We’re here for the music, and man does La La Land deliver on that front. The score is phenomenal, and the choreography accentuates it perfectly. Stone and Gosling deliver fantastic vocal performances and their on-screen chemistry really elevates what would otherwise be a somewhat pedestrian love story. The writing is corny at times, but never overbearing. You lose yourself in the charm of the movie and you come away with a warm smile on your face.

Visually the film is stunning. Shots take full advantage of the colors available, and the night scenes are especially breathtaking. Lighting is one of the elements in film that’s often overlooked, but there are some beautifully lit scenes throughout the film if that’s your bag.

La La Land is a true throwback, and that’s it’s strength. You can clearly tell Chazelle has a love and respect for the classics, and it translates to a modern day musical full of charm and heart, beautiful music and cinematography. If you love the golden age of musicals(or even if you don’t) it’s well worth your time.

Late Reviews: Magnificent 7.5 out of 10

 

S’alright.

There’s not much else to say about it. The remake of Magnificent Seven (or the second one if you’re a pretentious film student like myself) is fine. The story has been told multiple times over, and this version is pretty straightforward. Bad men are harassing ye old western town, one of the townsfolk goes and gets a lawmen who in turn rustles up a hearty band of misfits to save the day. Gunfights ensue, the day is won and they ride of into the sunset. Standard western affair.

There is an inherit hatred for remakes in the movie landscape. We decry them for having the gall to touch our beloved classics, and Magnificent Seven suffered the same fate. “How dare they touch such a beloved classic!” the people cried. “Doesn’t Hollywood have any new ideas?!” they screamed as they waited in line for Captain America:Civil War. But that’s a different argument for a different day. Point is, people believe that because a movie is old it is a classic and because it’s a classic it can’t be touched. A remake can never compare to the original, right? Eh I’m not so sure.

Gonna rustle some feathers with this one.

As Westerns go, the original Magnificent Seven was somewhat generic. It was certainly no Butch Cassidy or Good, the bad and the Ugly. It itself was a watered down version of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. Both movies are more or less carried by the charisma of their lead, the 60s version has Yul Brynner and the 2016 version has Denzel. The remake does a good job of giving character to the rest of the seven, leading the viewer to feel a little somber when they start getting picked off(Spoiler). The moments of levity dispersed throughout the film give it a sense of charm that elevates it from purely generic action fare, and Atonine Fuqua is old hat at directing good action scenes. It feels like an authentic throwback to the westerns of yore, a genre we don’t see much these days. It’s a damn shame too, the genre makes a great template for an action thriller.

2016’s Magnificent Seven is not a great Shakespearean masterpiece but neither was it’s predecessor, if we’re being honest. It’s a good ride from start to finish, with a good cast and good action. Chris Pratt plays a good charming rogue, Vincent D’Onofrio does a solid wild man and Ethan Hawke plays the most likeable Confederate Solider I’ve ever seen on film. Haley Bennett plays a good tough western madam, able to fire a gun like the best of ’em. The villain is one dimensional, but that goes with the territory. At the end of the day, the Magnificent Seven is harmless. It does not destroy the sanctity of the original. I wanted a good western and I got a good western. There’s really not much else to discuss. It’s by no means worth getting up in arms about, there were certainly worse movies this summer. Looking at you, Suicide Squad. If you truly despise this offering, the Yul Brynner version is still available for your viewing pleasure. Everyone’s happy.

Besides, we all know A Bugs Life is the best remake anyway.

Rogue One Review

When Disney acquired the franchise rights to Star Wars part of their initial announcement was in addition to main numbered films (your episodes 7,8, and 9) we would get standalone movies that would…

Source: Rogue One Review

Rogue One Review

When Disney acquired the franchise rights to Star Wars part of their initial announcement was in addition to main numbered films (your episodes 7,8, and 9) we would get standalone movies that would, in theory, expand the universe as a whole. My first reaction was one of elation. I am, how you say, a fan of the Star Wars. The prospect of a Star Wars movie every year through 2020 was basically Christmas to me. But then I thought, is this a good idea? It’s clearly a cash grab, it’s Star Wars but does that mean the quality of the films will suffer? With that I followed the news of the first spinoff, Rogue One, to see what kind of movie we’d get and now with its release we have our answer.

Spoiler alert: I liked it.

We’re almost exactly year post the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and I think that is just long enough for me to be objective. I still like Force Awakens. It has its flaws, certainly but it did its job. It reestablished the universe, introduced our new cast of characters and washed the prequel stink of the franchise. Its greatest sin is its lack of originality, what with it being a re-skin of A New Hope. That didn’t bother me as much but it does sum up the main complaint with Awakens: It’s safe. It’s something we’ve seen before.

Rogue One is not something we’ve seen in a galaxy far, far away.

Rogue One is bold. It’s certainly the most morally ambiguous of the Star Wars movie. This is not the nice clean rebels vs. the dastardly empire, it’s a band of shady guerrilla fighters fighting a juggernaut. The rebels presented here are dirty. They’re desperate. They’re disorganized. This characterization makes the rebels into actual people, not just the bland heroes of the original movies. It’s war. Full scale conflict presented in a way that has no movie before it.

The central focus of Rogue One is the team that tracks down the plans to the Death Star. They’re lead by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) the daughter of the man behind the project, her father Galen Erso(Mads Mikkelsen). The crew is ragged but they have to come together in order to save the galaxy.

The being to Rouge One is a littler rushed, but once everyone is established the movie flies. The core crew is fine. Diego Luna is solid in his role as Jyn’s Rebel escort, Donnie Yen ad Wen Jiang provide an interesting expansion into the force as sort of force monks, following our hero because “It is the will of the force.” The real standout is Alan Tudyk as the reconfigured K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid. Tudyk steals every scene he’s in, providing the brief moments of levity throughout the film. Mads Mikkelsen is solid as the reluctant scientist, providing a strong emotion catalyst for Jyn that truly propels the film forward.

Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic is well done as well, being a good mix of conniving and ambitious. The use of motion capture to bring back Peter Cushing’s Governor Tarkin was also well done. But Tarkin isn’t the only original trilogy villain making a return, Darth Vader appears complete with James Earl Jones voice. Vader is used sparingly, but when he does its incredibly effective.

Rogue One is a film that does not pull its punches. By the time the third act starts people are getting laid out left right and center. The film’s conclusion is emotionally satisfying and the X-wing fight during the climax is one of the best the series has ever offered. This goes beyond being a good Star Wars movie, this is just a damn good movie period. Rogue one is a triumph and if the spinoffs maintain this kind of quality storytelling we’re in for a good time.