What I've Seen
Rocketman
The comparisons to "Bohemian Rhapsody" were put out there as soon as the trailer dropped, but this musical biopic is more in line with Michael Schultz's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" (and there were a few times watching this where I felt I'd rather Taymor was behind the lens).
For a biopic about an unconventional artist, the film needed to be unconventional so this is not a straight forward biopic where they hit timelines in John's career. As a matter of fact there isn't really a time frame given which lends to the fantastical feel of the film. Like the titular song, it seems we're to feel that Elton John's career zoomed through the stratosphere so quickly that there's not enough time to even deal with the topic of...well, time.
Opening with a orange spandexed, feather bedecked John (Taron Egerton) entering rehab for his addictions (alcholism, sex, cocaine, bulimia and shopping; which we only get to see two of). Through sharing with the support counselor we are transported back to John's boyhood as a son of an emotionally and physically absent father (Steven Macintosh, Luther), a disinterested mother (Bryce Dallas Howard with a great Middlesex accent). John gets his loving and support from his grandmother who encourages her piano playing prodigy of a grandson and to the fateful moment when record producers Dick James (Stephen Graham, Gentleman Jack) and Ray Williams (Charlie Rowe, Salvation) gave him the lyrics of Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).
With Taupin words and his music, John's career takes off and brings him to heights he never imagined and introducing him to people who don't always have their best interest out for him such as the roguish John Reid (Richard Madden).
The film blows through his highs and lows with musical flourishes (John Reid's wooing of him is highlighted by a song and dance sequence set to "Honky Cat" and John's pharmaceutical and sexual excesses are exemplified by a steamy "All That Jazz" inspired rendition of "Bennie and the Jets") and while you may walk away with a renewed appreciation for the songs of John and Taupin, that's pretty much all you'll walk away with.
At the very beginning of his career Reginald Dwight shed his name and became Elton Hercules John, so it's no surprised we get to know very little about Dwight, but we get even less about John. Yes, this films shows how he can be a petulant baby but for a man who has a reputation for being an absolute bastion of bitchery, the unprovoked nasty side of him isn't explored. I would think someone as blunt as John is would be able to take a warts and all approach to his life but instead much of his ways are chalked up his parental issues or John Reid's verbal abuse.
I have minor complaints such as the musical rearrangements of classic songs or how they gave my favorite recent history Elton John songs "I Want Love" to the other cast members and not Taron Egerton (my biggest complaint!!!) but overall I enjoyed the film and seeing it second time proved that it is more cohesive and engaging than I felt on my initial viewing. Egerton gave 1000%. There are still more than a few people who complain about how he doesn't look or sound like Elton John but he fits the bill closer than Tom Hardy (who was attached to the film; and Justin Timberlake before him) ever could.
There's been a lot of digital ink spilled over how "Rocketman" features the first gay sex scene in a major studio release between Egerton and Madden (and wow, how funny is it to have a seen where Madden's Reid tells John he has to stay closeted and he'd procure him a girlfriend as Madden, who was in a long-term relationship with Jenna Coleman and most recently dated Ellie Bamber, is reportedly dating his "roommate" Brandon Flynn), but the real love story in the film is between John and Taupin. The scene where John sings "Your Song" for the first time is played out almost like two people stumbling unto a dawning realization the love they have for each other. It's a shame that Jamie Bell - who is really the heart of this film IMO - doesn't get the attention that Madden has.
Late Night
A mishmosh of "The Larry Sanders Show", "The Ellen Show" and the Tom Hanks/Sally Fields film "Punchline" but not the best parts of those things, just the average parts of those things.
A well-meaning and definitely passable comedy starring Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson with Kaling as Molly Patel, a chemical plant worker/ late night comedy fan girl who jumps at the opportunity to write for the writers room for late night chat show host Katherine Newbury (Thompson).
Newbury, a prickly former stand-up comedian turned late night host who dresses like Ellen DeGeneres and acts awful like DeGeneres does in her personal life (allegedly), has terrible ratings that matches her terrible reputation in-house. To save both, Newbury has her producer Brad (Denis O'Hare) hire Molly in hopes to infuse a fresh voice in the writers' room but to also stop people from dubbing her a misogynist.
Molly's presence unnerves the dude bros in the writers' room: head monologue writer Tom (Reid Scott, Veep, Venom), chick magnet/stand-up comedian Charlie (a miscast Hugh Dancy),
the veteran Burditt (Max Casella, Vinyl), sycophantic Mean Boy Reynolds (John Early, Search Party) and dullard Mancuso (John Walter Hauser, Cobra Kai, I Tonya).
Once on-staff Molly has to fight on the fronts: to be accepted by the guys, prove herself to Katherine and show herself that she has what it takes to have a career in comedy.
A half-hearted middle of the road comedy that is more suited for Freeform than the cinemas. I'm sure Kaling is trying to say something about a woman's place in comedy - something she knows much about as writer/creator of "The Mindy Project" but it felt like she spent too much time at the trope generator than in the writing and characterization. And as a film that tackles the need for diversity in the workplace, she doesn't make a strong argument for it as her character, with zero practical experience, gets hired because she's a woman and she succeeds in the room, not because she's good at writing comedy, but because she can coax out what used to be great in Katherine. So for all the other character's jibes against Molly as being a "diversity hire" (used in the pejorative), Kaling's writing seem to be, "I"m not just a diversity hire, I'm also a Magical POC who helps white people realize their greatness."
The film also stars John Lithgow as Katherine's husband Walter; Megalyn Echikunwoke (Arrow), as Newbury's PR manager and Ike Barinholtz as on-fire comedian Daniel Tennant who his nipping at Katherine's heels.
Aladdin
No complaints from me as I've never seen the original animated film. Surprisingly, a magical film from Guy Ritchie who cowrote the script with frequent Tim Burton collaborator John August (The Corpse Bride, Dark Shadows, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). If you've seen the animated film or just know about it, there's really nothing new under the sun, but while it can't be cartoonish or as animated as the original, it is a spirited retelling with a great cast.
When "Street Rat" Aladdin (Meena Massoud, Jack Ryan) run afouls of the head of the king's security, Jafar ( Marwan Kenzari, The Mummy) he is given the opportunity to not only go free but to become rich if he takes up Jafar's offer of going into the ominous Cave of Wonders and retrieving a lamp.
Jafar inevitably betrays Aladdin after securing the lamp, leaving Aladdin and his put monkey Abu to a sure death, but thanks to their sleight of hand ways, Abu and Aladdin secures the lamp and its inhabitant - a Genie (Will Smith).
With three wishes at his disposal, Aladdin wants nothing more to be reunited with the woman he met nights before : Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott, Power Rangers). But a power hungery Jafar threatens their happiness.
What follows fine comedic moments from Smith, excellent singing by Scott and Massoud, and impressive action sequences directed by a surprisingly restrained Guy Ritchie (my only complaint is that he speeds up the dancing sequences I believe in order to give it a cartoon-y feel, but sticking the step in dancing is an important part of the choreography. Jamal Sims (Hairspray, Step Up 2) didn't do all of that work to make his dancing look like it was done by camera trickery).
Other than that, the film hits all the right marks (You want to hear "Friend Like Me" and "A Whole New World", well it's in there).
Even an end-credits version by fione! Zayn Malik and Zhavia (and no, they aren't the Wonder Twins
Click to viewThe film also stars Navid Negahban (Legion) as The Sultan, SNL vet Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Jasmine's handmaiden, Billy Mgnussen as the Scandi prince who attempts to woo Jasmine and the voicework of Alan Tudyk as Iago, Jafar's trust macaw.
Booksmart
Was hesitant going in on this because I thought it was going to delve into Jonah Hill/Seth Rogan territory (and not because one of the leads, Beanie Feldstein, is Jonah Hill's little sister)
Proud big bro
and just be a mindless film whose humor lies in how many f-bombs it could drop. Instead it's a teen film that holds on to many tropes of the genre while upending others and wrapping that with a true tale of female friendship that rings more authentic than most films with female leads.
The script that that was on The Blacklist for many years was adapted by several writers (original screenwriting team of Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins ,TROPHY WIFE; Susanna Fogel, THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME) before director Olivia Wilde came aboard and hired Katie Silberman, ISN'T IT ROMANTIC and it is this winning team that carried it across the finishing line to make it one of Annapurna Pictures best reviewed films.
Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird) and Kaitlyn Dever (Beautiful Boy) star as best friends Amy (Dever) and Molly (Feldstein), two top students who made it their duty to graduate school with the best grades so that they could have a bright future unlike their wild partying fellow students. But on the final day of school Amy and Molly realize that the very students they looked down upon are their academic equals, gaining acceptance to top universities.
Realizing that they like their peers they could have had a school life and a social life, Molly convinces Amy to attend the blow out final party of star football player Nick (Mason Gooding (son of Cuba) "Ballers"). The problem is that since Amy and Molly alienated themselves from their classmates, they have no clue where the party is being held which leads the two on a wild adventure before their final wild adventure as high schoolers.
Feldstein and Dever are a great pair and Wilde said their immediate connection informed many of their scenes. While Wilde's camerawork isn't impressive, she definitely knows how to set the tone for the film. I attended a Q&A of hers and she doesn't take directing lightly. I love the point of view she brings which is to be collaborative and treat the actors as a collective. She also knows how to capitalize on a great performance. Noah Galvin (The Real O'Neals) plays the tyrannical theater kid George and Wilde says Galvin would improvise and she'd just let him go to the extent that other costars would mention how much she's focusing on him. To me what she got out of him was gold and didn't intrude on the other performances. I wish the director of "Poms" knew how to recognize the potential in supporting characters as there were so many interesting female actors in that film who were wasted.
Anywho, it's being killed at the box office which is a shame. I hope audiences discover it on cable and streaming.
The film also stars Skyler Gisondo (The Santa Clarita Diet) as Jared, the nerdy tryhard who unwisely plans his party on the same night as Nicks; Billie Lourd (American Horror Story) as Jared's pill-head bestie Gigi, Diana Silvers (Ma), Eduardo Franco and Nico Hiraga as the trio of washouts" Amy and Molly frown upon, and Victoria Ruesga as Ryan, Amy's crush
Ma
BANANAS in the best possible way!!
Another Blumhouse gem starring Octavia Spencer as Sue-Anne a veterinarian assistant who gets a chance to leave the teenage social life she never had the chance to experience when she befriends a group a kids who needs an adult to buy their booze.
The more time Sue Anne (dubbed Ma by the group) spends with them the more her past teenaged trauma comes to the fore making her a threat to her newfound "friends" and those who wronged her in the past.