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SCENE IT ALL BEFORE

The Empire Of Rian

12/22/2017

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The Last Jedi Reviewed

The buzz surrounding The Last Jedi has been an emotional roller coaster. Initially, the critics came out with rave reviews for the second movie in the current trilogy. Then fans of the franchise made it to theaters and everyone whose opinion I trust hated what they saw. Because of this, my expectations for the movie were lowered, and I think that may have helped my viewing. The Last Jedi builds upon the characters we met in The Force Awakens in a way that pays tribute to The Empire Strikes Back, which is probably the exact reason that fans will hate it. 

The Last Jedi finds The First Order in almost complete control of the Galaxy. They are now trying to stamp out the last of the Resistance led by General Leia Organa, who in turn is doing her best to keep her troops ahead of the enemy. Meanwhile, Rey is working to convince Luke Skywalker that the Resistance needs him, while simultaneously plying him to teach her the ways of the force. 

The Last Jedi is a quiet movie. At first, I thought this meant it was boring. And maybe it is. But how action-packed is The Empire Strikes Back? A lot of that movie is Luke sitting in a swamp moving rocks while Han and Leia are hiding on a ship or in a city of clouds. Put that way, Empire doesn't sound like a great movie, but it’s usually considered the best in the Star Wars universe. Why? Because it’s in The Empire Strikes Back that we really come to understand our favorite characters. I believe that’s what Rian Johnson was going for as he tried to make his own Empire. 
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The Last Jedi feels like a mix of Rogue One and Empire Strikes Back. I hated Rogue One, primarily because the first 2/3 of the movie was a slog while the last 1/3 was great. The Last Jedi has those same problems, but I was much more connected to these characters. Even the new characters who we only know from these two movies feel three-dimensional, and lot of that character development is a credit to Johnson's story and direction. 

That is not to say that the movie doesn't have problems. The most notable, (besides the almost slapstick humor inserted into the movie) is the handling of Luke and Leia. There is a particularly egregious moment involving Leia early on that I'm sure had fans throwing up their hands. I mean, I guess that moment could make sense—but it feels like a cheap ploy just to get a rise from the audience. I also dislike the reasons given for Luke’s isolation. But this movie isn't about Luke and Leia anymore, and what these characters do must be in service to the new ones. It’s also nice that Luke isn't as whiny as I remember him being. I disagree with the direction of the character but I understand the rationale of the decision. 

There are several ridiculous moments throughout the first half of The Last Jedi that don’t make sense to the universe as a whole, and focusing on them could ruin the movie for you. But for me, the sins of the first half are atoned for by the emotional efficacy of the second half. Rian Johnson slowly built a story that pays a loving tribute to the original sequel, one that will hopefully look and feel more complete once the final movie comes out in two years. B-
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That Other Movie That Comes Out This Weekend

12/16/2017

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Ferdinand Review

Earlier this year I posted about the five movies I was looking forward to for the second half of the year. I put Ferdinand on the list even though I knew Pixar's Coco would probably be better and Ferdinand was coming out the same day as Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Pitting it against a movie that big seemed like a death sentence, but I was still looking forward to this movie because I was such a fan of the book. In fact, the 1936 Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson book has been a known gift for friends’ babies. But would a full-length movie do justice to the short children's story?

Ferdinand tells the story of a bull that is being raised to fight, but all he wants to do is smell flowers. After an incident involving a bumble bee, Ferdinand (John Cena) gets mistaken for a dangerous animal and is torn from a family who loves him and is forced to fight the matador in Spain.

The important thing to remember here is that this is a kids’ movie. And because of that, there is a lot of juvenile humor. Don't mistake that as a bad thing. I like a good fart joke or dance battle as much as the next guy, but I can see that in any generic kids’ movie. Ferdinand is at its best when it does things that ring true to the character, like how Ferdinand reacts when someone might get hurt, or his concern when he finds himself around fine china. There are moments when you can see the writers trying to stretch the story and when the movie strains itself or adds too much (much of the middle section) the story suffers.
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One thing the movie gets right is the voice acting. It would have been nice to get a Spanish voice actor in the title role, but I liked John Cena here. Here is a guy who made a wrestling career out of always being the good guy, never giving up, and always being who you are despite the boos from half the audience. He speaks perfectly to who the character is. Many of the other secondary voice actors are Latino/a, including Gina Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias. Peyton Manning as the bull who always gets an upset stomach before a big moment was a bit of a weird casting choice, but since he had a long face like a steer I think it probably made sense.  

Likewise, there probably could have been a little more Spanish music in the soundtrack than one Juanes song and the Macarena. But since I was tapping my toe to the Nick Jonas song that played over the growing up montage should probably shut up. 

When it comes to kids movies there is a lot of garbage out there. The Penguins of Madagascar always jumps out in my mind when I think of bad kids’ movies. Ferdinand is better than that, a lot better. The thing is, Pixar is also out there and they have set the bar higher. Ferdinand is not that good, mostly due to the injection of too much story to increase the run-time. But with good animation, fun voice actors, and a heartfelt message about being true to yourself, there is enough in Ferdinand for everyone to enjoy. B-/C+
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Wonder Boy

12/9/2017

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Wonder Reviewed

As we await a slew of new Star Wars and Oscar-bait movies, there hasn't been a lot in the theaters in the past couple weeks. One movie that has benefited from this break is Wonder. This little $20 million movie is on track to break $100 million at the box office by the end of the weekend. Now I know why; Wonder is a heartwarming story with a terrific cast of actors and should be seen by people of all ages.

Wonder, based on the bestselling novel by R.J. Palicio, is about August Pullman, a boy born with facial deformities due to Treacher Collins Syndrome. Originally homeschooled, as Auggie is about to enter middle school his parents decide it is time for him to enroll in school and be with other kids.

One of the best things about this movie is the tremendous cast. It was great seeing Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts again. I feel like I haven't seen them in ages but in these roles, as Mom and Dad, I remembered why I liked them—they both play the right mix of concern and caring.
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For the most part, the child actors are good as well. It isn't until we get to some of the bully’s henchmen that you can actually see the kids thinking about what they should be doing, which is a fairly deep lineup of quality child actors—a credit to the casting director.

There were some complaints online that the movie cast Jacob Tremblay in the lead role instead of a kid who lives with Treacher Collins Syndrome. I agree it would have been nice to see the producers make an honest effort to cast this role more equitably (I have no doubt they did not try a real search), but I would also imagine the pool of 10-year-olds with Treacher Collins Syndrome who know how to act is very small. The actor playing Auggie needed to pull off a range of emotions throughout the story—a difficult job for any child actor—and Tremblay does a tremendous job in the lead role. If he hadn’t convinced the audience of Auggie’s joy, laughter, loneliness, sadness, and compassion, this movie would have fallen apart.
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There is one clunker of a moment near the end of the movie where Julia Robert's character calls Auggie a wonder, and it took all the restraint I had to not stand up in my seat and yell at the screen, "No Julia! No! You are an Academy award-winning actress and you should know better than that." But besides that, the movie skillfully navigates away from melodrama. I won't lie to you; I teared up on multiple occasions, including when Auggie makes his first friend, and I know I’m not the only one in the theater who shed a few tears.

Fans of the book will enjoy the movie. I haven’t read it, but my fiancée did, and she said the movie stays true to the source material. The story even shifts perspectives in the movie, similar to the rotating chapters in the book, which surprised her – in a nice way. Keeping that narrative device helps properly signify the importance of understanding other people’s perspective.

Wonder is a story worthy of as many eyeballs as possible. It has stayed in the top five of the box office due to strong word of mouth. Class trips, church outings, and Girl Scout troops have been lining up to go see this movie. I would advocate for more people to read the book, as the author no doubt expands on ideas and characters that the movie has to bypass. However, with a terrific cast, a lot of heart, and just the right amount of silliness, there is something for everyone in Wonder.
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Lady Bird Is The Word

12/3/2017

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Lady Bird Reviewed

I had no idea what Lady Bird was about when I first decided to see it. At first, I thought it was about a girl and her contentious relationship with faith while in Catholic school. My fiancé quickly corrected me, letting me know it was about a daughter’s relationship with her mother. In reality, it is both of those things (though more the latter) and so much more, as Greta Gerwig examines that wonderful/awful time that is adolescence.

The coming of age story is about Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), a senior at Sacramento Catholic High School in 2002. She wants to go to a college as far away from her hometown, and presumably her mother (Laurie Metcalf), as possible. But her family is struggling financially as her Dad (Tracy Letts) deals with job issues. The movie focuses on everything that happens to Lady Bird in that year as she tries to figure out college and who she is.

This is the most honest examination of what it’s like to be a young girl that I have ever seen, which is strange because it also feels like an incredibly personal story. The movie plays like a biography for writer-director Greta Gerwig. But in those moments of personal truths, Gerwig is sharing ideas with which anyone can identify. I saw this movie with my partner and she said someone must have been following her teenaged self around with a camera because some moments felt like they came out of her life. The more specific the moment that Gerwig creates, the more the audience identifies and empathizes.

Saoirse Ronan is fantastic in the titular role. She plays the right amount of teenage angst and makes it clear she is not trying to force anything to become an over-the-top moment. Everything in the portrayal seems genuine, which to me says she was able to derive this character from personal experience or had a great connection with Gerwig, most likely both. But for me, the best part of this movie is Laurie Metcalf as Lady Bird’s Mom. Both of these characters have trouble figuring out the other despite their obvious similarities. The entire cast is great but the interaction between mother and daughter is the tension that drives the story.
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Let me also take a moment to appreciate the insertion of the Dave Matthews Band. Not only did I love it because I happen to be a fan of DMB, but too often we see movie characters liking only “cool” music like Bowie and Queen. I think it speaks to the character that she didn’t have great music taste; she liked the most popular songs of 2002. Not every outsider movie protagonist can be chic and artsy. Plus Dave Matthews is the best.

Make no mistake, this isn't some dramatic Oscar movie built to win awards. In fact, throughout most of the story I found myself laughing out loud, even if at times I was the only one laughing. The uncomfortable humor is similar to moments as seen in Meet the Parents, The Office, or Superbad. The biggest difference between Lady Bird and the other movies is beneath the laughs the portrayals of characters feel authentic. Even better, those moments come from the female perspective, one that remains underrepresented on the big screen.  

As of this writing, Lady Bird has been reviewed by 185 critics and every one of those critics said it was a good movie. It is now the most reviewed film to maintain its 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, shattering Toy Story 2's previous record of 163 reviews. This is a good movie. In fact, along with Get Out and Dunkirk, this is one of the best movies I've seen this year. Lady Bird isn't just for women who felt like they’ve never seen their experience represented in a movie; it's for anyone who likes great movies. A
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