Category Archives: Musical

04.18.24
by

Back to Black

Back to Black chronicles the life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

It may feel like a step up from recent music biopics like Elvis and I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and may be on par with something like Respect and not quite at the glory of Rocketman. Marisa Abela is great as Winehouse, bringing the young music-loving girl to the screen in the start and the mess of an unstable addict she becomes later in life. But what’s most unbelievable is Abela’s singing which completely captures the one-of-a-kind grandeur of Amy’s voice. There are times when Abela completely disappears and you simply feel the singer alive in front of you. Eddie Marsan gives one of his most memorable performances to date as Amy’s father, while Lesley Manville also brings a lot to the movie as her grandmother. When Jack O’Connell comes in, however, as Amy’s love interest and eventual husband, the film falls into messy melodrama that sinks the runtime and falls into the same traps that many of these biopics suffer from when channeling the artist’s pain and troubles. Winehouse’s journey through love and addiction is filled with cliches, but is empathetic enough for us to forgive her shortcomings. The film also does a great job of incorporating her songs into the film, and best of all, it manages to have its audience actually interact with the subject as a tangible person, rather than just a larger-than-life legend. The more minimalistic approach to the musical biopic gives Back to Black a strong start, but you’ll also have a few too many instances of deja vu, though we’ve certainly seen it done worse. It’s watchable enough for non-fans of the late singer, but for some, it might not stand out among similar films with similar beats that have come out far too recently.

01.21.24
by

Mean Girls (2024)

In this musical reimagining of the beloved high school comedy, Cady Heron moves back to the United States from Kenya, where she finds herself a part of the most toxic and destructive high school clique, the Plastics, led by the manipulative and egomaniacal Regina George.

Beloved films being adapted into stage musicals and the musical being in turn adapted into another film is nothing new — we’ve seen it happen with The Producers, Matilda, and most recently, The Color Purple. With the exception of the former, however, the trend still fails to justify the existence of a second film. The energetic songs probably make for a phenomenal stage musical experience in this case, but watching it as a film, it doesn’t have much new to offer if you’ve already seen the 2004 version. Angourie Rice is solid as Cady, and Renee Rapp does an incredible job singing in the role of Regina George, but it doesn’t feel like they do much to escape the shadow of what Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams gave those roles — though that isn’t their fault as actors at all, rather that of the first film’s cultural legacy. Auli’i Cravalho is the film’s most glaring strength and she expands on what the role of Janice has to offer. Every time Cravalho has to sing or deliver a line, she steals the entire film with her charm and talent and she’s the greatest improvement on the original movie. Some songs are more amusing than others, and they’re filmed very well with occasional extended takes, but they aren’t enough to add a whole new layer to the experience, because it still overall feels like watching the exact same movie again. You may feel like the film’s racing through iconic quotes and familiar set pieces that shouldn’t be changed because they worked so well, not to mention almost entirely the same dialogue. That 2004 film already felt really modern and continues to find new audiences that enjoy it today, so despite us having the age of social media to deal with twenty years later, this “even more modern” approach has nothing new to offer, and the themes feel executed in a weaker way here. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows even reprise their roles because so much of what already worked in the previous film comes with an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” disclaimer. If anything, it’ll make you want to seek this musical out on the stage because I’m sure it’s an absolute blast, but the cinematic element doesn’t justify another Mean Girls movie that looks, sounds, and feels so similar, or perhaps it was just too soon for this remake.

12.24.23
by

The Color Purple (2023)

The Color Purple is the second film adaptation of Alice Walker’s beloved novel, this one based on the Broadway musical adaptation as well, about a young woman named Celie who faces many hardships living in the South in the 1900s, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Though everyone in this new cinematic rendition The Color Purple is one of the best at what they do, the idea of making this a musical doesn’t always fit with the tone of all the rough things going on in the characters’ world, and the very clean cinematography removes the grit that Steven Spielberg’s version had that showed you the weight of the hardships and abuse Celie endured. Here, the most earned moments for Celie’s character aren’t necessarily her musical numbers but rather moments where Fantasia Barrino gets to shine just based on her interactions with other actors or set pieces that inform Celie’s character. Barrino is very strong in the role, but Taraji P. Henson runs away with the movie every time she shares a scene with her, or anyone for that matter. Henson portrays blues singer and “loose woman” Shug Avery with a power to her that commands every other character in both a loving and wise way, not to mention her show-stopping musical number in a tavern. Danielle Brooks is the other highlight as Sofia, whose characters shamelessness and courage shine through in both her songs and her incredible physical acting. Colman Domingo is simply incredible as Mister, inhabiting the character in not an inch less of meanness and disgust as Danny Glover did so brilliantly in the 1985 film, but also giving the abusive man a quietly human edge to him that Domingo finds even when the audience doesn’t want to see it. Corey Hawkins, Halle Bailey, and H.E.R. also give strong turns due to their potent screen presences and musical talents, and even Louis Gossett Jr. shows up for an excellent short appearance.

There’s no denying how amazing their singing and dancing is. However, it’s the songs themselves that don’t blend in with the material this story is telling. Save for a song or two, the lyrics aren’t quite memorable, either. This imagination of the story clearly works much better as a stage musical, where the audience can interact with the actors in real space as they sing and dance. For a film that gets cruelly serious at times, though the more uplifting song breaks don’t compliment the more hard-hitting scenes as much as the film would like to think, even though the actresses are always killing it. And although the costume design is award-worthy, the digital cinematography may have given it more of a music video edge that director Blitz Bazawule is used to, that could’ve benefitted from longer shots and a more period-like look. In short, come for the spectacular cast and a timeless story, but there’s no promising audiences won’t prefer the rougher and more dramatically coherent film that Spielberg led back in 1985 with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.

12.17.23
by

Wonka

Ever wondered about the origins of Roald Dahl’s iconic chocolate factory owner that’s been famously portrayed by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp? Well, neither did I, but Timothee Chalamet absolutely gives a performance that lives up to those standards in an unnecessary yet whimsical family film. Though the story is as frustratingly familiar as it is cute, Paul King’s direction and a few musical numbers are the saving grace here. King brings the charm that made Paddington resonate with viewers and brings a wondrous British comedy element to the film, along with an optimistic and adventurous tone. Though only a few songs demand revisits, the musical numbers give the film a lively energy that would’ve felt contrived without them. Chalamet throws himself into the physical comedy of the character and also sings very well, and Calah Lane is a great breakout as a young orphan named Noodle who Wonka befriends. Olivia Colman is also delightfully wicked, and Jim Carter and Natasha Rothwell stand out as Wonka’s outcast friends. Keegan-Michael Key’s performance may not reach the heights of his more streamline comedic turns, and Hugh Grant’s turn as an Oompa Loompa is ruined by distracting CGI — the role was obviously there for the studio just to gloat about having the iconic race of mini-people in the film.

The film’s corrupt, mustache-twirling trio of businessmen villains are also entertaining and so unapologetically cheeky that one of them even vomits at the sound of the word “poor”, but for all its funny and charming moments and the outstanding costumes and production design, there’s also some unconvincing computer-generated set pieces and some overblown humor that may only be aimed for younger audiences. There’s also some plot elements that may feel too much like other kids’ films, even Paddington or another recent origin story Cruella bear lots of similarities in the story. As a film that’s right for the entire family and may even be good for rewatches for children in the holiday season, Wonka delivers, but it may be too silly for older audiences despite its endearing appeal and cast.

12.01.23
by

Wish

In the Kingdom of Rosas, King Magnifico safeguards the people’s wishes with the promise to grant them one day. But when young Asha wishes upon a star for her community to have better, what she didn’t expect was for the star to answer back.

Disney experiments with the 2D coloring of 3D characters that films like the Spider-Verse have popularized, which can’t seem to make up for the film’s derivative story. Though the animation is vivid in colorful in the scenes that are night-set or creatively lit, most of the scenes set during the day feel like they lack lighting or any sort of flare besides the gimmick. Ariana DeBose’s performance is full of joy and her singing is spectacular, though that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The character of Asha has nothing to really distinguish herself from other Disney heroines like Rapunzel and Mirabel, and the concept of her wishes and motives feel rather underdeveloped. Chris Pine does great as well, but his villain’s descent from charismatic leader to power-hungry wizard feels unearned. None of the supporting characters are quite memorable, and a few of the songs do stand out, including “This Wish”, “At All Costs”, and “This is the Thanks I Get”. But both the middle and end portions, particularly the talking animals and forgettable action, greatly suffer from this lack of an interesting ensemble and heart that made the characters in Frozen, Moana or Encanto resonate. It’s certainly enough to keep the children entertained and singing along, but is also too generic to earn a place among the ranks of other films from the studio that have solidified themselves in Disney’s legacy.

12.30.22
by

I Wanna Dance with Somebody

Naomi Ackie stuns in this biopic about Whitney Houston, and the movie makes a strong case for why she was the greatest singing voice of her generation. It highlights Whitney’s accomplishments, shortcomings, and struggles with glamour, empathy and care, but the editing seems to occasionally bring Ackie’s performance down and while the characters and performances are strong, the script is so cliche it almost feels like it’s checking off boxes as it goes. The music biopic tropes are almost all there, whether it be the way the movie portrays the sudden rise to fame, abusive marriage, addiction, controlling father — it’s the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect but with a different soundtrack. The way the movie goes through these cliches feels almost like the way the parodical Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story would’ve been written, and the editing often glosses past important story points and doesn’t let the beautiful musical sequences breathe and play out without frequent montage-like editing during the songs. Cinematograper Barry Ackroyd of the Bourne movies, The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips, and Bombshell isn’t enjoying using a tripod too much and often shifts between handheld and still shots mid-scene which occasionally distracts.

In addition to Ackie’s breathtaking work, changing Houston’s mannerisms as she takes us from her teen years to the end of her life, Stanley Tucci is excellent as her manager Clive Davis, who in a nice change of pace from most biopics, isn’t the greedy asshole who takes advantage of the star, but a kind counselor and a devoted friend to Whitney. Ashton Sanders does a strong job as her husband Bobby Brown, as well as Tamara Tunie and Clarke Peters as her parents. Seeing Whitney’s process in creating her songs is also very satisfying, as well as her struggles with drugs and her music being called “not black enough” by critics of her music. Though it’s easier to follow than this year’s Elvis and has fun sequences for fans of Whitney’s music, with a star-making work from Naomi Ackie, but the script in the latter half could’ve been much stronger, as well as the runtime which drags later on and could’ve trimmed 10-20 minutes.

06.28.22
by

Elvis

Elvis provides a look into the life and career of the King of Rock and Roll and his relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Austin Butler’s immersive performance stuns as he brings the singer back to life with so much energy and character, that you’d believe it was really him in every shot he’s in. The costume design is accurate to Elvis’ real wardrobe and overall gives the film a spectacular visual side to it. The musical sequences are by far the most entertaining, impressive, and even emotional aspects of the film. If that’s enough for you, this movie is worth a watch, but this movie is brought down by Baz Luhrmann’s pretentious style (director of Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby). The editing is very flashy and fast in an attempt to immerse you into the vivid world of Elvis’ music and journey, but as a result, any sort of intimacy or room to breathe feels gone. Butler’s performance is terrific but the only times we get to interact with Elvis as a real person (and not just as the musical legend he was) are when the movie uses incredibly cliche beats we’ve seen in plenty of other music biopics like Walk the Line, Rocketman, Respect, Straight Outta Compton, and so on. Moments such as Elvis getting his love for music, dealing with loss, rising to stardom and creating his greatest hits feel lost in the prestige Baz feels so insistent on — it’s a tiring assault on the senses with some questionable decisions, like including music by Doja Cat in a scene that’s set in 1950s Memphis? Some of the CGI and green-screen also feel unrealistic and break the illusion of an old-fashioned look.

Tom Hanks is still my favorite movie actor, but his character in this movie is such an odd, one-note character and showing lots of the film from his perspective just makes us feel farther from Elvis’ humanity. The movie is also very long and gets too boring before it makes a real emotional point. What’s really interesting to see from a story perspective is how Elvis brought black music to white audiences and forced the system to reckon with the integration of cultures. Though this aspect is really eye-opening, it’s a shame that it isn’t focused on for the latter parts of the movie as well. The film decides to simply throw everything at you that you don’t get enough to appreciate the moments that are beautiful, or feel that you’re with Elvis for enough time because of the film’s montage-like editing fashion.

Though Austin Butler is a powerhouse and perfectly captures the stage presence and livelihood of Presley, and the musical sequences are exciting and breathtakingly brought to life, Elvis is brought down by its surface-level character writing as well as its poor and overwhelming editing. Luhrmann cares very much about making his movies a spectacle, but how much is too much? If you’re an Elvis fan, watch it at home, but if I ever end up watching Elvis again, you’ll probably find me skipping right away to the music scenes and that’s it.

12.12.21
by

West Side Story (2021)

In Steven Spielberg’s update to a classic, Tony and Maria fall in love despite being associated with rival gangs in New York, the Sharks and the Jets. It seemed like a daunting task to remake West Side Story, considering the status of the 1961 film as one of the greatest musicals — and films – of all time. However, Spielberg invigorates the movie with wonder and talent that makes this one of the rare remakes that rivals the quality of the original. The films are very similar yet this welcome reimagining hits all the right notes and assembles an amazing team in front of and behind the camera, filling the movie with passion and excitement. Ansel Elgort is great as Tony, and his standout moment is when he sings “Maria” — who is played beautifully by Rachel Zegler. Her film debut proves she’s a superstar and she embodies Maria perfectly, perhaps an even better singer and fit for the role than Natalie Wood in the original. Ariana DeBose is also lovely as Anita, and in a wonderful tribute, Rita Morena plays Valentina, a role with so much emotion and Moreno does substantial acting and singing even at 90! Mike Faist is also a great Riff here and has great screen time alongside Elgort. It seems like the key to making this movie work is Spielberg’s direction. You can tell someone who loves this story and material is taking charge here. The way he shoots on film, focuses on certain details and props for symbolism and foreshadowing, and the effort put into the costumes and production design are all simply dazzling. Leonard Bernstein’s booming legendary score gives the movie an old feel but the homage never brings the film down. Even as someone who has seen and loved the 1961 film, the story still made me emotional and watching scenes play out had me in awe. The numbers from “America” and “I Feel Pretty” to the powerful “Tonight” and the irreverent and fun “Gee Officer Krupke” are not just delightful to rediscover — but the production and singing are awe-inspiring and recapture what makes West Side Story resonate. The movie also casts Latinos as the Sharks and other Puerto Rican characters — believe it or not, Rita Moreno was the only Latina in a prominent role in the original film. The movie also highlights gentrification, racial tensions, the American dream, poverty, and other themes in a way that isn’t necessarily subtle or new — some themes are also even reflected in this year’s In the Heights — but still reflects what we see and must address now. The 156-minute runtime flies by and it didn’t feel nearly as long as it really is. For those of you who love the original, go rediscover a story with your loved ones with one of the greatest remakes I’ve ever seen and one of Spielberg’s best of his later career — and for those of you discovering West Side Story for the first time, be in for the greatest cinematic treat of 2021 so far.

West Side Story 2021 Official Poster.jpg
12.05.21
by

Encanto

Maribel Madrigal, a member of the magical Madrigal family in Colombia, is the only Madrigal without powers, but soon discovers she’s the family’s only hope of saving their magic.

Encanto once again shows off the unlimited abilities of Disney’s animation team, already having a great year with Raya and the Last Dragon and Luca, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda who has been everywhere this year, including In the Heights and Tick, Tick… Boom! One of the stars from the former, Stephanie Beatriz, delivers the (voice) performance of a lifetime as Mirabel, a role that feels written for her and she fits it beautifully. Her singing range is also wonderful and Mirabel is incredibly heartfelt as a protagonist. There’s one song in particular called “Waiting on a Miracle” in which her vocals, character arc and the emotion of the entire film especially hit hard. But the catchiness doesn’t stop there — although “The Family Madrigal” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” won’t reach the heights of other recent hits like “You’re Welcome” (Moana) or “Remember Me” (Coco), they’re still fun and the musical themes bring so much to the film. With that though, there are a few songs that aren’t as memorable. The animation is Disney’s most colorful yet, and it’s surreal to see them outdo themselves more than once this year but the shots of the Colombian scenery as well as the magic created in their home, an “Encanto”, is so beautiful it’ll invoke emotion just journeying through it. The story revolves around Maribel trying to fit in and find herself when the family’s dynamic is built on each one’s abilities and how they can contribute physically — but each of them is more than that under the surface. With this we also get a number of interesting examinations of Maribel’s connections with her parents, sisters, and Abuela. There are occasions, however, where the pace drags and you wonder where the story is going, but once you get there, it gets fun once again. The movie also continues Disney’s recent trend of ditching traditional villains for complex characters whose decisions conflict but are more complicated than that. While I wouldn’t put this in the same discussion as Coco, Moana or Zootopia, it’s a heartwarming and vibrant family film with strong cultural representation and themes and a lovely protagonist and animation style.

Encanto poster.jpg
12.05.19
by

Frozen 2

Elsa sets out to discover the origin of her powers and save Arendelle, with the help of her sister Anna, as well as Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven.

The first Frozen was a phenomenon when it was released six years ago; audiences loved it because of the inspirational and empowering story about sisterhood, family, and independence. Unfortunately, I can’t quite tell you what the second film is really about, even days after I’ve seen it. Frozen 2 has no stakes, resonant themes, memorable songs, or character changes throughout the story. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel are still impressive and the connection between Anna and Elsa is strong, but although they take up the most screen-time, the film in its core isn’t really about them — more so about their deceased parents and some ancient war they took part in. The forest storyline also gets very complicated and uninteresting with a completely wasted performance from Sterling K. Brown. At least Evan Rachel Wood’s voice is a standout in the opening scene. The animation also isn’t as resonant as it was in the first film or Zootopia, Moana, and all of Disney’s most recent animated works. The plot feels very inconsequential and most the characters barely have an arc, so there aren’t any inspiring messages that shine through. There’s also a plot twist that anyone who has seen a single Disney film can see coming. I normally go to animated films in the theaters because I want a film that appeals equally to all generations. Yet unfortunately, this has none of the depth or intelligence the first film had, and is strictly for the pleasure of youngsters. I didn’t even laugh more than once.

Frozen 2 could’ve been a meaningful sequel, but rather it feels more like the unnecessary direct-to-DVD sequels like Aladdin: The Return of Jafar and Mulan II, films I like to pretend never existed because of their disposable and impossible-to-remember-plots. Good cast and animation can’t make up for a muddled story without much reward for the 6-year wait.

Frozen 2 poster.jpg