Swan Song

By: Andrew Wing

Swan Song is a 2021 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Benjamin Cleary (best known for his short-film Stutterer) and produced by Mahershala Ali (first time producing), Rebecca Bourke and Jonathan King.

The film is set in the near future and in it, Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) portrays a husband and father who is diagnosed with a terminal illness but is given a new solution: to replace himself with a clone. The film also stars Naomie Harris (Moonlight, 28 Days Later, James Bond films), Awkwafina (The Farewell, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, 101 Dalmatians, Hillbilly Elegy) and Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers, Windtalkers) in supporting roles. 

It was released by and on Apple TV+ on December 17, 2021.

THE GOOD

There is no denying that this film has gone under the radar. For one, it is an Apple TV+ film, and two, it also didn’t premiere at any film festivals. I first heard of it just a month or two ago, but once I saw that Mahershala Ali was starring in it, that was all I needed to be hooked. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past five years, you should know that Ali has emerged as one of the best actors working today after his Academy Award-winning roles in Moonlight and Green Book, but also impressive performances in series such as True Detective and Ramy. Despite his immeasurable success though, was his performance in this enough to carry the film? Well you will just have to keep reading to find out!

The answer to the previous question: Yes. It was. Ali was just awesome in Swan Song. He is definitely worth the price of admission as he portrays the character Cameron Turner, a husband and father who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. But what is better than having Mahershala Ali in a film? Having TWO of him! Yes, that is right, Ali also portrays Cameron Turner’s clone who goes by the name Jack in this film. It was just such a treat getting to watch Ali portray two very different characters despite having the same genetic makeup and memories. His performance was truly gut-wrenching as we see his main character struggle with a very difficult decision that makes not only himself ask tough moral and ethical questions, but also the audience. In a normal year of film, I would say he has a pretty good chance at garnering a Best Actor nomination, and although his performance is great, it really is starting to get crowded in that category. So with that said, I unfortunately think he won’t make the final cut, but he made it known with this performance that his time is coming.

I also want to shout out the writer and director of Swan Song, Benjamin Cleary, who did a fantastic job in what I believe was his feature-film debut (I believe he has only directed shorts, but I could be wrong though). I was really impressed with his script here, and I just really am a sucker for stories that make you ask yourself questions about what you would do if you were in these situations, and this film does exactly that. His direction was also very nice and you could tell that he paid attention to every little detail, and I would go out on a limb and guess he executed his vision with this. Overall just really impressed with Cleary, and I look forward to seeing what he does next!

A few more things worth highlighting when it comes to Swan Song, the first being the overall look of the film. It is set in the near future, and I just absolutely loved all the technological advancements they showed off in this from the A.I. 's delivering food/drink to the holographic facetime/video calls. The cinematography was also really good and there were some beautiful shots of nature too. Simply put, the movie looks pretty damn good. Lastly, I really enjoyed the performances of both Naomie Harris and Awkwafina. Naomie Harris is an extremely talented actress, and it was good to see her get back to form after what I thought was one of her worst performances in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (see Ted’s full review here). As for Awkwafina, I just love her. She doesn’t get a ton of screen time in this one, but just makes her presence felt in a positive way, just like she did in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (see our full review here).

THE BAD

I won’t spend too much time nitpicking this one as I really enjoyed it from start to finish and was just impressed with how they brought this story to life. What I will say though is that I really felt like this film could have been great. It has one of the most interesting plots a movie can have, and they could have gone anywhere with it, but they just took the easy way out in my opinion. That said, I liked the ending and I was fine with how it wrapped up, but if you look at some of the best science fiction films of the past ten years, most of them have these wild crazy endings that you won’t see coming. With Swan Song though, you will see it coming from a mile away. Maybe that’s because it is also a drama film, but I just felt the film could’ve gone deeper with its very intriguing premise.

THE VERDICT

Despite me just wanting more from this film as I felt it could’ve gone deeper with its premise of what is a very interesting concept, Swan Song is still a thought provoking sci-fi drama film from director Benjamin Cleary that will garner both sympathy and tears from audiences. It will make you ask tough moral and ethical questions about what you would do if you were in this situation, and it also features an astoundingly gut-wrenching performance from Mahershala Ali in a dual role where he plays both human and clone in his first leading role.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.6/10

Swan Song is now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Check out the latest trailer below.

Nightmare Alley

By: Andrew Wing

Nightmare Alley is a 2021 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) from a screenplay by del Toro and Kim Morgan, based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. The film features an ensemble cast including Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born, Silver Linings Playbook), Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Blue Jasmine), Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine, Hereditary), Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project, The Lighthouse), Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers, The Visitor), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Carol, A Ghost Story), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy), Mary Steenburgen (Step Brothers, Happiest Season), and David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck, Nomadland).

It is the second feature film adaptation of Gresham’s novel, following the 1947 version. The film focuses on Stan Carlisle (Cooper), an ambitious carny who hooks up with corrupt psychiatrist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Blanchett), who proves to be as dangerous as he is.

Del Toro serves as a producer on the film, alongside J. Miles Dale (produced The Shape of Water) and Bradley Cooper (produced, wrote, directed, and starred in A Star Is Born). Del Toro first announced development of the project in December 2017, and this is first film since The Shape of Water (2017). Frequent collaborator Dan Laustsen serves as the film’s cinematographer, while Nathan Johnson (Looper, Knives Out) replaces Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water) as the film’s composer. Principal photography began in January 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, but was shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in September 2020 and concluded that December.

Nightmare Alley had its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on December 1, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 17, 2021, by Searchlight Pictures. It was named one of the top ten films of 2021 by the National Board of Review and American Film Institute. It also received eight nominations at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Del Toro. Despite the accolades, it was a box-office disappointment in its opening weekend and has grossed a total of $5.6 million worldwide (against a $60 million production budget which is the highest for any Searchlight release), likely resulting in a financial loss.

THE GOOD

To my readers, you have no idea how excited I have been for this movie. Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors and this is his first film since his Best Picture-winning film, The Shape of Water, which I absolutely loved. Also, it has Bradley Cooper in the lead role and I challenge you to find me somebody who doesn’t love Bradley Cooper. I’ll wait. Aside from that, the trailer for this movie was just perfect and it was just oozing those neo-noir vibes that I just wanted to eat up. So yes, as you can tell my expectations were through the roof for this one, so now it is time to find out if it met those expectations!

There are so many things that I loved about this film and I will address all of them, but let’s address the elephant in the room. The elephant in the room being this all-star cast. I mean you got Bradley Cooper, but you also got three of the biggest actresses in the business today in Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Toni Collette. It also features supporting performances from great actors such as David Strathairn, Willem Dafoe, and one of my favorites, Richard Jenkins, just to name a few. Every performance was great if you ask me, but no surprise here, Bradley Cooper stole the show. I thought it was undeniably one of his best performances of his career, and I was just so dialed into his performance.

The best scenes of his were the ones when his character really starts to fully embody this psychic persona. I found his character, the protagonist, to be very enigmatic and I was always trying to figure out what his character was really like on the inside. It was all the more impressive because Cooper’s performance shifts throughout the film. At first he is just this very blank slate kind of guy, and then he even begins to change his accent (which was a 10/10) as he shifts into the role of the psychic. His character's last shift comes at the very end of the film, and I won’t spoil it, but this movie has a phenomenal ending that features a remarkable moment of acting from Cooper that shows us why he is one of the best in the industry. It was just an incredible performance from Cooper and it is easily one of the year's best. I would love for him to get a nomination for Best Actor, but it is starting to get pretty crowded so who knows.

The next best performance belonged to Cate Blanchett who plays Dr. Lilith Ritter, the corrupt psychiatrist who is very dangerous. There is just something that I love about Cate Blanchett and I don’t know what it is. All her scenes in this are so entertaining. It was such a treat getting to watch Blanchett and Cooper go blow-for-blow with each other as it felt like we were watching a sort of power-play between the two characters as they were trying to dominate each other psychologically. Other performances worth mentioning are Willem Dafoe, who is really only in the film for the first act, but he just had a couple of scenes where he completely utilizes his strengths as an actor. Also, I can’t forget to talk about my guy, Richard Jenkins, whose performance was very surprising as it was unlike anything we have seen from him as an actor. His character became more vulnerable then most in this film, and he really made his presence felt.

Photo Credit, Vanity Fair

As for the man in charge here, Guillermo del Toro continues to deliver. A year ago today, the only films of his that I had seen were both Hellboy films he did, but now, there are only a couple films of his that I have not seen. I just love everything about him as a director. He also just makes some of the best looking movies you will ever see in your life, but I will address that a little later in the review. His craftsmanship here was impeccable if you ask me. The film just felt like his ode to the neo-noir genre that he clearly loves and is obsessed with. It is crazy though when you realize this is one of his only films ever to not include monsters, but with the way paints the picture that is Nightmare Alley, you begin to think that the humans are monsters. In conclusion, I just love everything about him as a director, and I won’t be mad if he collects another nomination for Best Director.

Speaking of del Toro, as I said earlier, every film of his is stunning to look at, and Nightmare Alley was just that. For this, we got del Toro teaming up with the same cinematographer that he did The Shape of Water with, Dan Laustsen. That fact there impresses me all the more because that film was a fantasy film, and this is not, but yet its visual style still feels otherworldly. It has a very expressive look to it which is very similar to older noir films. We got the constantly floating camera and a lot of visual motifs that just gave the film a different visual language. I know it may seem small, but the focus in this film is superb because in every scene, there is never a moment where the person you are focusing on is not absolutely sharp. I just don’t know how they do it. I rest my case, but this better get nominated for Best Cinematography.

Continuing with the look of this picture, the production design was off the charts. I could tell right from the jump that the production design was very entangled with the cinematography from the way that the carnival was set up. Yeah, that’s right I said carnival. They literally built an entire carnival full of crazy stuff for the movie set and that was just for the first part of the film. Every set of every scene is just so detail-oriented and simply put, there is no denying there was a ton of thought put into the production value here. It was just extremely beautiful and meaningfully done and it is very deserving of a nomination for Best Production Design.

Lastly, Nathan Johnson’s score was very good, especially in the very beginning of the film. His musical score just stood out a lot in those key moments which made for an even better experience. The costume design was exquisite, and I also really loved the story we get with this film. I already have the book in my house and I will be reading it very soon. I decided against reading it before seeing the film because with it being a neo-noir, I didn’t want to know what happened and I think I made the right decision. However, with it being a book adaptation that is also a very big awards contender, you might as well go ahead and lock in an Adapted Screenplay nomination for it. I also went ahead and watched the first feature film adaptation of Nightmare Alley that was released in 1947, and I did find del Toro’s version to be the better of the two. Don’t get me wrong, both films are very good, but this 2021 version is just on another level with the performances and the visual style of the film.

You got your answer, this film exceeded my expectations and I ate it all up. I loved everything about it, and I think I loved it even more because we really don’t get films like this that much anymore. It has a star-studded cast, but it is still a mid-budget film. Also, despite being labeled a psychological drama, it really isn’t playing into any genres that are trendy or popular if that makes sense. With that said, that is probably why the film has underperformed at the box office because this movie doesn’t really have a target audience, aside from just the lovers of cinema like myself which is unfortunate. I just wish these movies could get the respect they deserve financially, but people just don’t seem to be attracted to these new and intriguing original stories (although not technically original because it's based on a book, but you know what I mean).

THE BAD

I won’t lie, the film is a long one with its 150 minute runtime, and the fact that it is a slow-burn doesn’t do it any favors. It was actually hard, especially in the first act to see where this film is going and what it’s trying to do, and I definitely think some may get lost in the first half of it. No need to fear, but it does become a lot more clear where things are going throughout the course of the film. For me though, I was just starstruck watching this with how long I’ve been waiting for it, so to me it never felt like the film was wasting any time. Trust me when I say that you will dive right into the story once it gets going, and it will fly by.

Also, if you are going into this film thinking it will be similar to del Toro’s best works such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, you are sadly mistaken. I’m not saying this movie is bad or far inferior to those, but this film just gives you a far more colder experience which makes this film a harder movie to love than those two. I would honestly say that is why critics aren’t connecting with it as much as his previous films, but I still found this movie exceptional and fully engrossing.

Lastly, I would have liked a little bit more from both Toni Collette and Rooney Mara. Now I liked both of their performances and I thought they were good, but these are GREAT actresses and I don’t think we got enough from them. Neither of their characters were really compelling to be honest, but at the end of the day that falls on the writers, not the actors. I really think that this film could have been masterful if it fleshed out their characters a little bit more, but the film was already 2 1/2 hours, so at the end of the day, it is what it is.

THE VERDICT

Nightmare Alley is a slow-burn, psychological neo-noir thriller that comes to us from one of the greatest directors working today in Guillermo del Toro. His craftsmanship here in this picture was simply flawless and awe-inspiring. The film was really a full-course meal as we got remarkable cinematography, a haunting score, and some of the best production design I have ever seen!

The performance we got here from Bradley Cooper was just jaw-dropping and it was definitely one of the best of his illustrious career. His final moments in the film are utterly terrifying as we get the film’s best moment in the final shot. Cate Blanchett also shines as when her character enters the story in the second half, the heat begins to crank up considerably.

This movie deserves all of its flowers as it is easily one of the year's best, and I can’t wait to give it a second watch. I found it to be an improvement over the 1947 version and now it is time to dive into William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel that the film is based on and I couldn’t be more excited to become more engrossed in the world that is Nightmare Alley!

TED TAKES RATING - 9.3/10

Nightmare Alley is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

American Underdog

American Underdog is a 2021 biographical sports drama, originally marketed as American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, who previously directed I Still Believe (2020) and I Can Only Imagine (2018). Based on the book All Things Possible, from authors Kurt Warner and Michael Silver, and a screenplay from David Aaron Cohen, Jon Gunn, and Jon Erwin. The film tells the story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming arguably the greatest undrafted player in NFL history.

The cast includes Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner, Beau Hart as Young Kurt Warner, Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner, Dennis Quaid as Dick Vermeil, Chance Kelly as Mike Martz, Cindy Hogan as Sue Warner, Ser'Darius Blain as Mike Hudnutt, Adam Baldwin as Terry Allen, Bruce McGill as Jim Foster, Danny Vinson as Larry, Hayden Zaller as Zack Warner, Cora Kate Wilkerson as Jesse Jo Warner, OJ Keith Simpson as Marshall Faulk, and Nic Harris as Ray Lewis.

American Underdog released exclusively in theaters on December 25th, courtesy of Lionsgate.

THE GOOD

I should probably start this review by pointing out the fact that I am a huge football guy, and have been since I was a kid. I grew up idolizing Deion Sanders, but I was always drawn to the polarizing excitement of the NFL. My father and uncles invested countless hours watching NFL football, so naturally I needed to immerse myself into it as well. I remember recording the 1997 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Green Pay Packers on VHS, and I watched it over and over again. I swear I could see Desmond Howard’s kickoff return for a touchdown in my sleep. I didn’t have any real vested interest in this particular Super Bowl as I was still pretty deep in my Deion Sanders obsession, who was a Dallas Cowboy at the time, but it just made me feel part of something watching it. To this day its hard to explain, but I knew football would forever be a part of my life.

When I first watched the trailer for American Underdog, I honestly thought it looked like something that would land on the Hallmark Network. It just looked corny and forced, and didn’t grab my attention aside from my interest in the subject matter. Lucky for me, and anyone else who decides to make it to the theater, this is one of those situations where the trailer severely undersells a movie. American Underdog is extremely entertaining, heartfelt, well acted, genuinely moving, and more than anything else just a damn good re-telling of one heck of a cool story. NFL MVP / Super Bowl Champion / Hall of Famer Kurt Warner is widely considered the greatest undrafted player in NFL history for good reason.

His road to superstardom was long and grueling, but sometimes it is the struggle that makes the end result worth it. I was in 8th grade when Kurt Warner got his big shot, and I still remember all of the chatter centering around the fact that he went from stocking shelves in a grocery store to leading one of the most prolific offenses in NFL History, aptly known as the “Greatest Show on Turf”. This element of his story turns out to be 100% true, along with the majority of the film as they seemingly relied less on the tendency to spice things up for Hollywood. I won’t focus too much on the other elements as I want people to experience the story for themselves, but it is pretty crazy I will say that. I’ll never look at #13 the same again.

I mean what can I really say about this movie, I left the theater with a big smile on my face and an even bigger appreciation for a guy who I already knew was more than deserving of his Hall of Fame status. American Underdog is a story of tough love, and the support of the people that stick with you in the good times, and the tough times. Even though this is a sports drama based solely on the story of a rising NFL star, it is really more of a family drama and the importance of love and why we need someone special by our side. The relationships formed throughout the film are so powerful that I can easily say in many ways they overshadow the football element.

Now don’t get nervous on me, in no way is that a knock on the film itself, but it is surely a credit to the writing and how convincing the characters are during the telling of such an incredible story. I was completely immersed in the chemistry between Zachary Levi and Hayden Zaller, who plays love interest Brenda Meoni’s legally blind son, Zach. I mean, what a special kid in so many ways, and it was heartwarming to see Zaller, who is legally blind himself, become so immersed in such a pivotal role in the story. This kid will win you over. One specific scene at the end will surely have the tears flowing so be sure to bring tissues.

As far as the acting is concerned, I was extremely impressed by Zachary Levi’s portrayal of Kurt Warner. First of all, of you Google a photo of these two men side by side, the resemblance is uncanny. Because I am such a nice guy, I went ahead and added a photo of the two above. I mean look at that, crazy right?! I mean sure, the resemblance is more to a young Kurt Warner, but he has aged pretty well if I do say so myself. Add in Dennis Quaid as head coach Dick Vermeil, and Chance Kelly as offensive coordinator Mike Martz, and you have quite the crew of doppelgangers. I also thought Bruce McGill was great as Warner’s Arena Football Coach Jim Foster.

Admittedly, True Blood star Anna Paquin wasn’t my first choice to play the love interest and soon-to-be Mrs. Kurt Warner, but I’ll be damned if the two don’t look damn near identical. Could this be the most accurately casted movie in recent memory? Perhaps. Pictured above is Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda at the films premiere. I will also be the first to admit that I was dead wrong as Paquin is fantastic in her role, and the chemistry she develops with Zachary Levi is a big part of why this film works so well. I enjoyed the supporting cast as well right down to Warner’s old high school coach, and really can’t think of any issues I had with the acting.

THE BAD

My issues with this film are few and far between. The argument can be made that American Underdog follows the all too familiar path of feel good sports movies, and it would be difficult to dispute that. But what makes this different is the story itself. I mean, first of all it is entirely based on a true story with much less of the usual Hollywood flare we have come to expect which is impressive if you ask me. I will also point out the primary criticisms of the sports world, which were that Zachary Levi clearly never threw a football in his life before this movie.

Okay well first and foremost, the majority of people who make it big in acting don’t come from an athletic background, barring a few expectations of course, so this is an unfair criticism. Plus, have you seen the Tim Tebow and Kyler Murray commercial? Absolutely BRUTAL as far as acting goes. I mean sure, Tebow can’t really throw a football in the traditional sense either, but you get my point. Bottom line, it is ridiculous to expect a quality actor like Levi to also possess natural QB skills, plus is hardly takes away from the overall impact of the film anyway.

THE VERDICT

An incredible true story of perseverance and relentless determination, American Underdog perfectly encapsulates quarterback Kurt Warner’s improbable journey to Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame inductee. I won’t even sugar coat it, I was in tears by the end of this movie. This is a powerful story that extends well beyond football in such a way that you won’t be able to avoid an emotional attachment. This is a story of struggle, love, support, friendship, and above all else staying true to yourself. Kurt Warner knew what he wanted in his life, and even though he realized there was more to life than football, he still did what it took to achieve his dream.

American Underdog is a story we can all draw some inspiration from, and I hope you will take the time out to see it in theaters sooner than later. Highly recommended.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.4/10

American Underdog is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

The King's Man

The King's Man is a 2021 action thriller directed by Matthew Vaughn, from a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek, and a story by Vaughn. The third installment in the Kingsman film series, which is based on the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, the film serves as a prequel to 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service and 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Vaughn, who previously directed the first two films in the franchise as well as 2010’s Kick-Ass and 2011’s X-Men: First Class, has proven himself a formidable force behind the camera.

In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.

The cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.

The King's Man released in theaters on December 22nd, courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

THE GOOD

I’m a big fan of The Kingsman franchise, and I remember being blown away by the debut film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, which released in 2014. To be honest I wasn’t quite sure which to expect when I originally watched the trailer for the first film, but it checked off every box for me as far as what I want in a movie theater experience. I was also very pleased with the sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which released in 2017 and introduced a few new faces. Fast forward a long four years and we finally have the third installment, The King's Man, which is a prequel to the first film. I have been waiting to scratch that Kingsman itch so I knew I had to see this the first day it hit theaters. So, was it worth the wait? Find out below!

I’ll be the first to admit, I had my reservations after sitting down in my seat at the theater for a few reasons. First off the early reactions were very hot and cold, but I tend to take those with a grain of salt for obvious reasons preferring to form my own opinions, and also it can be extremely difficult to make a high quality prequel for such a polarizing franchise. With all of that being said I’ll stop beating around the bush, I absolutely loved this movie. Talented director Matthew Vaughn is back in the drivers seat yet again which is huge for this franchise. Simply put, this is how you do a prequel. The King's Man delivers fans of the franchise everything they were hoping for, and then some.

This franchise is built on stylish and well-executed fight scenes and over-the-top violence, which you can rest assured is aplenty here. This may also be the most vulgar film in the franchise as far as the dialogue, as it is well-deserving of the R-rating. For that reason, The King’s Man is not for the faint of heart, but neither were the first two films if I’m being honest. Because the film is originally based on a comic, scenes often shed the barrier of realism which is part of why it is so much fun to experience. It blurs the line of reality and imagination in such a unique and interesting way. I was also pumped with the satisfying conclusion and the post-credits scene, which has me beyond excited for the next film in the franchise.

The King’s Man is a film that hits hard, and a few scenes in particular left me on the edge of my seat with my mouth wide open thinking “did that really just happen?!”. I attribute this to the fact that viewer investment is top-notch by the time you are roughly half way through the film. The primary storyline itself which takes place in the early 1900’s is heavy as it is rooted in some great historic moments in world history. Ralph Fiennes, who plays the Duke of Oxford, Orlando Oxford, creates a secret spy organization with the intention of protecting the United Kingdom and the British Empire from the surely devastating effects of World War I, also known as the Great War. Orlando is at the mercy of trying to find a way to convince President Woodrow Wilson to join the war, as a way to fuel his efforts which drives the primary storyline.

Because of his fathers allegiances, Dickinson’s character wants nothing more than to join the military to fight for his country, which brings me to my favorite scene in the film without question which felt like it was cut directly from the 2019 war drama 1917 (preview and trailer here) mixed with a little bit of Hacksaw Ridge. I realize that is high praise, but you will see what I mean once you watch The King’s Man. I can’t wait to see this movie again just to watch that incredible scene one more time. I really liked how well they were able to tell the origin story of The Kingsman, a secret organization built on trust and integrity that just happens to be based out of a tailor shop.

Another staple of The Kingsman films is the acting, as the tone was set with 2014’s debut film Kingsman: The Secret Service, headlined by Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, and Mark Strong. That cast is a difficult group to follow when putting together a prequel set well before the original, but they did a damn nice job if you ask me. Firth is a tough act to follow, but who better to step into that role than the talented Ralph Fiennes, who is nothing short of fantastic. Aside from Fiennes the other primary role is given to Harris Dickinson, who is a bit of a up-and-coming talent. This is by far his biggest role, previously playing a role in the 2017 indie drama Beach Rats and the 2018 FX drama series Trust, based on the story of John Paul Getty III. He may be far from a recognizable actor, but I was impressed with his performance and more importantly his chemistry with Fiennes, who plays his overbearing father. Dickinson looks the part and definitely won me over. I hope this kid gets more opportunities going forward.

Veteran actor Djimon Hounsou is amazing as usual, and his relationship with Fiennes was a big reason why The King’s Man works so well. He has been in a ton of blockbuster films including Guardians of the Galaxy, The Legend of Tarzan, and Captain Marvel, and even though he always plays supporting roles, his presence is always felt. I really enjoyed Rhys Ifans in his unrecognizable role as the despicable Grigori Rasputin. He is the perfect villain that you will simply love to hate. Fun fact, he is also Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man as well as the recently released Spider-Man: No Way Home (full review here). Actress Gemma Arterton is fantastic as usual, and Daniel Brühl literally plays his trademark role of Baron Zemo from the MCU, and that is perfectly fine with me. The rest of the supporting cast was great as well with no real issues to speak of.

The technical side of things is where The King’s Man really shines. I mentioned it a bit already, but the fight scenes are glorious throughout the film. They do take advantage of CGI when needed, but the stunts feel as raw and violent as they look which was huge for me. As a fan of the franchise I was sucked in by the signature style of the films as it relates to the action sequences and that element is alive and well for the prequel. I really enjoyed the creative use of slow-motion during certain pivotal scenes which helped maximize their effectiveness. I also have to give praise to the cinematography for The King’s Man, it is simply fantastic and maybe my favorite element of the film, aside from the over-the-top violence and vulgar language of course. Cinematographer Ben Davis may not be a household name for average movie fans, but he should be. A native of London, England, just like director Matthew Vaughn, he received several nominations for his work on the 2017 dark comedy drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (full review and trailer here) . He has worked on several standout films including Kick-Ass, Seven Psychopaths, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and most recently Marvel’s Eternals (full review here), just to name a few. Bottom line, this guy is a true talent and if his name is attached to a film, it is worth a look. The opening of pretty much every scene is is just so beautiful and immerses in the audience in such a way that is hard to describe. I was also thrilled with the soundtrack and score from Jason Ballantine and Robert Hall, yet another trademark of The Kingsman films.

THE BAD

The King’s Man is not without its drawbacks, but in my opinion they are much less severe than the majority of critics would lead you to believe. it starts off a bit slow and doesn’t really have that true “Kingsman” feel for at least the first half or so of the film, but by the end I felt like this made sense as it is a prequel after all. You have to remain patient and the payoff is absolutely worth it. The writing also feels a bit forced at times which may be the cause of a few decisions in the editing room, which has an impact on the overall character development, but again it is far from detrimental. People often disagree with me on this, but as a lover of movies across all genres, I have the ability to watch a film and understand the overall intention and unique style which has a lasting impact with a film like this. I mean if you can’t handle extreme violence and vulgar dialogue, you will hate The King’s Man. Just like if you don’t like animated films, you should probably avoid Sing 2 . Simple as that. I mean, is this notion really all that complicated?

THE VERDICT

Visually stimulating from start to finish and as violent as ever, The King’s Man is a hard-hitting prequel that will surely satisfy fans as well as newcomers looking for an exciting and immersive theater experience. This franchise is unique in so many ways, and I have been a big fan from day one. It offers a heavy dose of what I look for in a movie, from the riveting action sequences, to the creative and fearless dialogue. I had a ton of fun with this movie, and in many ways it felt like a really cool history lesson. If they had movies like The King’s Man during history class during my high school years, I would’ve taken less naps and probably learned a lot more.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but after watching this movie and sticking around for the post-credits scene, I cannot wait for the inevitable sequel. Long live The Kingsman! Bottom line, don’t let these pessimistic critics deter you from seeing The King’s Man in theaters, you’ll thank me later.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.3/10

The King’s Man is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

By: Ted Trafton & Andrew Wing

From director Jon Watts and writers Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This film marks the first MCU trilogy to be directed by the same director; Jon Watts. All previous film franchises such as Iron Man, Avengers, & Captain America had only two consistent directors throughout their respective trilogies.

For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Starring Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Willem Dafoe, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Favreau.

Spider-Man: No Way Home released in theaters and IMAX on December 17th.

THE GOOD

From Ted’s perspective…

Alright listen, when it comes to comic book movies the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an overachiever. They just get it, it’s as simple as that. Now this starts with making the right decisions behind the scenes, and that starts with casting. Let’s take a quick look at that track record, you grab one of the greatest actors of our generation in Robert Downey Jr. as Stark/Iron Man. Huge move. Arguably more impressive you grab Chris Evans as Mr. USA himself, Captain America. You pull in the incredibly talented yet admittedly off his rocker in real-life Mark Ruffalo as David Banner/The Hulk (we leave politics etc out of it around here, I’m not trying to have a drink with the guy I just want him to deliver on-screen). Ruffalo is AMAZING in the HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True (full review and trailer here) if you haven’t seen it already. This brings me to one of the more recent rolls of the dice in the 2015 casting of the newest Peter Parker/Spider-Man, English actor Tom Holland. I mean, it would be an understatement to say this kid was born to play this role. Whether you are focusing on his mannerisms, facial expressions, or just overall on-screen presence, it really couldn’t be better. Whoever made the decision to get Holland, please buy them a Lamborghini and put their kids through college, and their kids through college.

Fast forward 6 years and several huge films later, and we have Spider-Man: No Way Home, and boy oh boy do we have something special with this one. I’m trying really hard not to overstate or oversell this movie, but I’ve come to realize that its pretty much impossible. It is just THAT good. I mean you really can’t gauge what it feels like to be sitting in a sold out theater on opening day with sky high expectations, only to still be blown away. Like really?! How is this even possible.

Let me also apologize for the delayed review as I wanted to see the movie twice, and the difference between the first viewing which was on opening day and the 2nd was truly night and day. Opening day the crowd was alive, reacting to every scene and every line during the entirety of the film. The 2nd viewing things felt a bit stale if I’m being honest, and my reasoning behind this is you basically have the hardcore fanbase vs casual moviegoers who decided to see that movie “everyone is talking about. Bottom line, I absolutely preferred the electric environment of that first viewing, no question. This was the first real cinematic experience that will make you forget March 2020 and on ever existed, and that is quite an accomplishment. Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up right where 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home just as Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio reveals his true identity to the entire world. The domino effect turns Peter’s world upside down, sending him to see Doctor Strange for a solution only to make things much, much worse.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is just a blast to experience. I laughed like an idiot during the majority of the film, I cheered for things to go the way I hoped they would, and full disclosure I had tears in my eyes during the more emotional moments. The writing was so good that everything felt natural, adding weight to the characters and the sequence of events throughout the film. The nostalgia that is present in Spider-Man: No Way Home will hit you like Thor’s hammer, and the surprises never stop coming. One of the reasons why the Avengers films are always so successful is star power, which is part of why the unique approach this film takes is so impressive. This is quite simply the Taj Mahal of Spider-Man films, and fans will be digging through their closets for their red spandex as soon as they see it. Plus the impact of this film depends on avoiding spoilers, so those of you waiting to see it, you are flirting with disaster. I love the underlying message of the film which is that of importance of love between family and your closest friends, and the idea of doing the right thing for all involved, not just the right thing for you.

The foundation for success that marvel has constructed as of late is fairly simple; it starts with incredible casting, amazing action sequences, and just the right amount of emotion to tug at the heartstrings and get viewers invested beyond the spectacle of it all. They have done this with a crazy amount of success time and time again, most recently referring back to Avengers: Infinity War followed of course by Avengers: Endgame. Both massively successful films that hit audiences hard and stayed with them long after the credits roll. Spider-Man: No Way Home not only directly follows in the footsteps of those films, it finds a way to capture its own version of raw emotion. We get some very intense and pivotal scenes that in many ways reshape the landscape for the Spider-Man character, and I am excited to see where things go from here.

Do I even need to mention the acting in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Tom Holland is exceptional as expected, and once again proves his range as an actor. The trailer for the upcoming film Uncharted (preview and trailer here) played before the start of the film, reminding me of the fact that Holland is continuing to build on his impressive career. I don’t care what you put him in, this kid has talent. Benedict Cumberbatch is once again a force as Doctor Strange, and I love the on-screen dynamic he shares with Holland. One of the hardest things about losing Robert Downey’s Iron Man was the connection he had with Holland, and I feel like Cumberbatch has been able to retain some of that. I have enjoyed Zendaya in these movies, and this is probably her best performance in my opinion as she has a much bigger role as Spider-man’s love interest M.J. Jon Favreau is great as usual in his supporting role as Happy, along with the always enjoyable Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. Jacob Batalon is as lovable as usual as Peter’s best friend and “guy in the chair” Ned.

From a technical standpoint Spider-Man: No Way Home is exceptional as expected. The action sequences and CGI are glorious from start to finish, blending seamlessly with the hard-hitting soundtrack and score. The cinematography and camera work jump off the screen as well, especially during the CGI-heavy scenes involving Doctor Strange. Spider-Man: No Way Home always maintains a unique and effective balance of heart and humor, and at times things get very intense. In my personal opinion the ability to avoid coming across as corny is a win in itself considering the subject matter, and the 2 1/2 hour runtime just flies by.

I could honestly go on forever with this review because I honestly enjoy this movie that much but the more I write the more I risk spoiling some thing and I just cannot bring myself to do that. Plus the fact that portions of the film that would be considered spoilers are exactly what I would love to rave about. For that reason my goal was to keep this short and sweet and hopefully give you that little nudge to get out there and see Spider-Man: No Way Home sooner than later.

From Andrew’s perspective…

My first words coming out of the theater after seeing No Way Home were wow! Just wow! This movie has been on everyone's radar for the past 18 months or so ever since Marvel announced their movies for Phase Four of the MCU, and boy was it worth the wait! Simply put, this movie was amazing. This movie was fan service to a tee. It went beyond anything I could have imagined and hoped that this movie would be and I can say without hesitation that it was one of the best movie theater experiences of my life as the crowd engagement was unreal. My emotions ran wild from beginning to end and they were honestly all over the place which is one of the things I love most about movies. For me, when a movie can break me down and beat me up emotionally, that just shows you how good the movie is.

A big reason for my emotions being all over the place in this one is the performance we get from Tom Holland. In this movie, not only did Holland solidify in my opinion that he is THE BEST Peter Parker / Spider-Man that we have ever had, he showed us that his name needs to be in the conversation for one of the best young actors working today. His range of emotion is off the charts in this and he is a great actor. Without spoiling anything, the journey he goes on in No Way Home absolutely beats him down. He gets beat to a point of no return, and yet, we see him still get up and keep fighting which really is what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man. That trait and Holland's representation of that, not only makes Spider-Man one of my favorite superheroes but one of everybody's favorites.

Lastly, I have seen on social media this movie being regarded already as one of the best movies ever made with the likes of The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption, and while I would not go that far with it as the movie is not perfect and not without its flaws. But with what this movie was able to do to me, and my emotions as not only a fan of the MCU but just a fan of film in general, I am blown away by this movie and what Marvel was able to craft here. It is incredible and it really has everything you could ask for. It has emotion, it has humor, the screenplay is fantastic and the score is one of Marvel's best, and some shots we get will make you lose your mind. To me, it is EASILY a Top-5 MCU movie and it is certainly the best Spider-Man film we have gotten in the MCU.

In conclusion, I am just really happy with what this movie is and I cannot wait to see it again probably in the next day or two.

THE BAD

(SECTION LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY)

THE VERDICT

An extremely satisfying culmination of everything we have grown to love about the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. Is that high praise? Yes, yes it is. But this movie is the pre-pandemic blockbuster we have all been waiting for, and Tom Holland and company are just the saviors we needed. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best Spider-Man movie to date with two great post-credit scenes that will get fans even more excited for what’s to come. Spider-Man: No Way Home is packed chock full of Easter Eggs as well, so fans will want to enjoy a repeat viewing as soon as possible. Do yourself a favor and head over to the theater sooner than later before the spoilers are impossible to avoid.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.6/10

Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters and IMAX. Check out the latest trailer below.

West Side Story

West Side Story is a 2021 American musical film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner (also collaborated with Spielberg on the films Munich and Lincoln). It is the second feature-length film adaptation of the 1957 stage musical of the same name. It stars Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars, Baby Driver) and Rachel Zegler (in her feature film debut) in the lead roles with Ariana DeBose (Hamilton, The Prom), David Alvarez (Billy Elliot the Musical), Mike Faist (Panic), and Rita Moreno (who starred in the 1961 film adaptation, and also served as an executive producer alongside Kushner) in supporting roles.

The film entered development in 2014 at 20th Century Fox and Kushner began writing the screenplay in 2017. In January 2018, Spielberg was hired and casting began that September. Justin Peck (Tony Award winner for Best Choreography) choreographed the dance sequences, the music was composed by the late great Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim who is also no longer with us after passing just weeks ago. Filming began in July 2019 and wrapped up two months later, while principal photography occurred in New York and New Jersey. Also, the film is dedicated to Spielberg’s father, Arnold Spielberg.

West Side Story had its world premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater in New York City on November 29, 2021, and was theatrically distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the 20th Century Studios label in the United States on December 10, 2021, after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film has so far been a box-office disappointment after a tough opening weekend and has grossed a total of $27.1 million worldwide against a $100 million budget, likely resulting in a financial loss for Disney.

Despite its lack of box-office success, the film has received acclaim from critics, with some deeming it superior to the 1961 film. It was named one of the top ten films of 2021 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute and received four nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture - Musical/Comedy and tied with Belfast for a leading eleven nominations at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards, including Best Picture.

THE GOOD

This just might have been one of the easiest films to get excited for that I have ever seen. For starters, it is directed by Steven Spielberg. The Steven Spielberg who is arguably the greatest director ever. The man behind countless classics such as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan just to name a few. Second, it is a remake of one of greatest films ever made. So yeah, those two things got me pretty pumped to check this out. Also, it is getting a large amount of Oscar buzz which is something you can come to expect with any movie from Spielberg. However, this one has got a legit shot at winning Best Picture if you ask me, so now you just need to keep reading to find out why I feel that way.

Where to start? I might as well start with the man in charge, the legend himself, Steven Spielberg. Some are saying that Spielberg’s direction isn’t very visible when watching, and also that he should not be getting lauded as the best director with this being a remake, but if you compare this to the original, there are so many things that stick out. One, Spielberg made a ton of creative decisions that differ from the original. For example, when it comes to the big bombastic musical numbers, he changed the locations for where they take place in this film and while that may seem small, I think it went a long way. Two, there is a lot more movement in this film, especially with the camera work. Within the first five minutes of the film, I promise you will be in awe at the true magic of cinema you will be witnessing on the big screen. His direction was just great here, and he checked every box. His direction was so good that he made the film capture both the joy of the old Hollywood musical while still feeling very much like an updated take. It was just some of the most unbelievable filmmaking of the year and you can lock in Spielberg for his umpteenth Best Director nomination.

Speaking of nominations, I would bet a lot of money on at least one performance getting nominated, when really every performance is worthy of a nomination. The ensemble cast was just spectacular and I thought every performance was very authentic. The two that stole the show for me however were the women, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose. For Zegler, it is remarkable to me that this is her first feature film. She made it big on YouTube and now she is starring in a Spielberg film, and after watching her in this, I quickly realized this is only the beginning for what will probably be a pretty great acting career for her. Also, her voice is flat out amazing and she might have a future in not only acting, but also singing.

As for DeBose, she absolutely killed it here. Every second that she is on screen, she just has a magnetic presence. It might be her beauty, but she was just outstanding in this film. She really put all her emotions on display and she just had this indefinable quality that drew me to her and made her such a memorable character. I really think she is this year’s Best Supporting Actress and I would love for her to take home the trophy. Fun fact here, Rita Moreno won the Best Supporting Actress award in 1961 for her portrayal of the same character DeBose plays in the original, and she is back again in this remake as a different character. Despite the different character, she still makes her presence felt nonetheless. She really fits her character in this and she also has a scene that might make you shed a tear, just a heads up!

As for the actors, I loved the big three of Ansel Elgort, Mike Faist, and David Alvarez. I am biased when it comes to Elgort as I just fell in love with him as an actor in middle school when I watched The Fault in Our Stars for the first time, but also again years later in high school when he was the star of Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver. This wasn’t a career best performance from him, but I thought he played his character flawlessly and he was just very good in this if you ask me.

As for Faist, he was definitely a stand out in the film. They really fleshed out his character a ton here, more so than they did in the original, and I loved that. Faist did an excellent job at showing the vulnerability of his character and also his underlying insecurities. Alvarez was also really strong in his role as Maria’s extremely prideful and overprotective brother Bernardo. Alvarez did an excellent job at really expressing his character’s pride for his nationality in a way that was very authentic and true, but not over the top like we see with other movies sometimes. Both Faist and Alvarez are very worthy of nominations for Best Supporting Actor and I would be fine with either as they both bring so much to this picture.

No spoiler here, but this is a musical, and wow oh wow if you think I’m kidding when I say that every song in this is a banger, I am not! Seriously though, there isn’t a single song in this that misses for me. This is all the more impressive considering we are getting the exact same lyrics, the exact same songs and compositions from the original (it really is only the dialogue in between those scenes that is different). I don’t have kids yet, but I’m going to compare asking me to pick a favorite song in this film to asking a parent to pick their favorite child. I JUST CAN’T! I absolutely love both “Maria” and “Tonight”, but my girlfriend would kill me if I didn’t mention her favorite and probably the audience's favorite, “America”. All in all, you won’t be disappointed with the music in this and I have already added the soundtrack to my playlist.

The look of this film is incredible so we might as well next discuss the cinematography that was done by Janusz Kamiński. Every scene is gorgeous, but there were a few scenes that were just absolutely stunning. The scene in the gymnasium when the main characters meet each other for the first time under the bleachers was just a chef’s kiss. The lighting was breathtaking and the shot itself was just pitch perfect. Other scenes that stuck out were both the big fight scene and the “America” song and dance number. Both were exquisitely well done and truly beautiful. You will be blown away by the look of this film from start to finish. The film is just what I would call dazzling. The lighting choices and the colors are so vibrant, and it is more than deserving of a Best Cinematography nomination at the Academy Awards.

Continuing with the look of West Side Story, let’s discuss its production design. The production design in this is just stupid. Stupid in a good way. The set pieces in all of the song and dance numbers are superb. It is a lock for a nomination for Best Production Design. Last but not least, the choreography we got from Justin Peck was just top notch and he showed his expertise in every musical number. Very impressed.

THE BAD

Overall, there is no denying that I loved this film. I’ve said it a hundred times, but I am a sucker for musicals. However, the thing that keeps this from being a perfect 10/10 on my end is just the screenplay. There is a lot about this story that might have passed in the 1961 version that I think could use an update. Now don’t get me wrong, the story is charming, but there is no denying the story feels a little silly for today’s standards. I mean the two characters fall head over heels in love with each other as soon as they lock eyes and the story just expects you to subscribe to that notion. It didn’t take anything away from me as a viewer, but it certainly will be hard for some people to subscribe and connect with that romance at all as it is just so far-fetched.

Continuing on with the screenplay, there are just some things with the story that make you scratch your head. For example, there is a pivotal moment in the film where somebody does something unforgivable, but the other character quickly forgives them and it just is not believable in any way, shape, or form. Also, the end of this story just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I understand why Spielberg didn’t change it because it could have changed the entire film in the worst way, but it just isn’t the resolution I wanted. All in all, the film is still very enjoyable and easily one of the year's best.

THE VERDICT

West Side Story is a wonderfully extravagant musical film from the legend himself, Steven Spielberg, that is, dare I say, better than the original. I think it is Spielberg’s best film since Saving Private Ryan (1998) as he really directs this film in a new updated way, but yet still pushes the ever so important love-over-hate message that is still very relevant today.

I just loved this movie so much as it has everything you could ever ask for. The performances from the ensemble cast are all astounding, but nobody shines brighter than Ariana DeBose who just has the undeniable magnetic presence that will likely win her Best Supporting Actress. Also, it is one of the most dazzling movies I have ever seen with its exquisite cinematography, out-of-this-world production design, and some remarkable choreography. The 1961 version collected plenty of Oscar nominations, and I think the 2021 version will do just the same and it deserves every one coming its way.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.5/10

West Side Story is now playing in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

The Power of the Dog

By: Andrew Wing

The Power of the Dog is a 2021 Western drama film written and directed by Jane Campion, based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, The Imitation Game, Sherlock), Kirsten Dunst (Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Melancholia, Fargo), Jesse Plemons (Jungle Cruise, Breaking Bad, Fargo), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, Slow West).

The film was shot mostly across rural Otago (region of New Zealand) by cinematographer Ari Wegner, and the film is an international co-production between New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

The Power of the Dog had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2021, where Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film had a limited theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand on November 11, 2021, and in the United States and the United Kingdom on November 17, before it was officially released to stream worldwide on Netflix on December 1.

The film has received widespread acclaim from critics, and has also been named one of the best films of 2021 by the American Film Institute. It also received seven nominations (tied for most with Belfast) at the 79th Golden Globe Awards (scheduled for January 9, 2022), including Best Motion Picture - Drama, as well as ten nominations at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards (also taking place on January 9th of next year), including Best Picture.

THE GOOD

I can’t tell you how excited I have been for this movie. It had one of those awesome yet subtle trailers that just left you on the edge of your seat eager to know more. Also, this is the newest film from Jane Campion, who hasn’t made a film since 2009, which shows she is clearly very careful about which projects she does and that only got me more excited. Campion is someone I’m sure most casuals don’t know. Her magnum opus is definitely The Piano, the 1993 period drama film that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It also won three Academy Awards out of eight total nominations at the 66th Academy Awards in March of 1994. My last reason for why I have been so hyped for this is because it is easily one of the biggest Oscar contenders of the year. So without further ado, let’s find out if it is as true a contender as people are making it out to be, or if it’s just a pretender.

I won’t waste any time, it is definitely not a pretender, it is a legitimate contender. One award it will be contending for is Best Director, and Campion has as good a shot as anyone to win this award. I know I said The Piano is widely regarded as Campion’s best, but I’ve seen that, and I think this is way better. There is no denying this film is way more cinematic as Campion expertly crafted every inch of this film. Her direction is really all over this film, and I just loved her portrait of the west and how she didn’t shy away from shining the light on the brutal systems that we associate with the American west. Systems such as masculinity and class hierarchy. What I admired the most was just how locked in Campion is with her characters and how interested she is in what is going on between them. She just gave this film its own atmosphere that was so enticing and I would love nothing more than to see her win Best Director for what I think is her masterpiece.

Direction is obviously huge when it comes to the success of a film, but no film is successful without some incredible performances and this film has their fair share of them. However, none pack a bigger punch than that of Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch is simply unbelievable in this film. It was so weird to see him playing an unlikeable character as he is usually the good guy, but I still loved every second of it. He was brilliant at shifting through different subtle expressions in each shot that conveyed different bits of information we needed to digest. I was also impressed by how he conveyed his character’s underlying insecurity which added another layer to an already masterful performance. This might be the best performance of his career, and if you were still questioning whether or not he is one of the best actors of this generation, well you now have your answer. As for his chances at Best Actor, I still think it is Will Smith’s to lose for his performance in King Richard (see my full review here), but if anybody can steal it from him, it has got to be Cumberbatch.

The second best performance undeniably belonged to Kodi Smit-McPhee. Similar to Campion, he is certainly not a household name as he is just 25 years old, but in my opinion, he will be a household name very soon. He is just excellent and he plays a huge part in this film, especially in the second half, and he just knocks it out of the park. Throughout the film, you come to find that his character really has his cards against his chest, and you can see his character start becoming more pivotal to the overall story, and that just made his performance all the more impressive to me. I would say that it’s a lock that he gets nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and although I would love to see Troy Kotsur win for his performance in CODA (see my full review here), I won’t be mad to see Smit-McPhee win because he is ridiculously good in this.

Two more performances that need to be brought up belong to the married couple that is Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst. Plemons is one of my favorites and he has already had himself quite a busy 2021 with Antlers and Jungle Cruise, but this is definitely his best performance of the year. Plemons is great at never overplaying his characters, so I unfortunately don’t see him getting nominated, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he played his role of the softer and more non-confrontational brother to Benedict Cumberbatch exceptionally well. As for Dunst, she on the other hand is very likely to be getting nominated. I loved what she was doing with her character as she was extremely passive at times, and I just thought she did a great job at expressing how much weight and pain her character is carrying with her throughout the film. She was just super believable and it was extremely easy to tell how uncomfortable her character felt at times with how well she portrayed her.

If there was one award that I had the most faith in The Power of the Dog winning, it would have to be Best Cinematography. The cinematography here is absolutely beautiful. It was shot by cinematographer Ari Wegner, and his depiction of the west is remarkable and it actually reminded me a lot of another drama film that takes place in the west that is a perfect film in my eyes, and that would be Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood. The cinematography in every scene was extremely calculated and I loved how all of the shots they chose played a role in conveying the power dynamic between all the four major players. That, and every other decision made when it came to the look of this film went a long way in making things taking place in the film feel more intense. Every choice made from behind the camera was brilliant yet subtle, and it just fit Campion’s style. I would love for this to win Best Cinematography as it is unquestionably one of the most beautiful films of the year.

I kid you not, what was just as good, if not better than the cinematography was the score that was composed by Jonny Greenwood. The film’s score throughout the entire film just carried a haunting tone that makes you feel uneasy from start to finish. Its score just has everything from the ominous sounds of plucky guitars, to the piano, to even whistling, and it is easily one of the best scores of the year. It will undoubtedly get nominated for Best Original Score. Greenwood also scored Spencer (see my full review here), which I predicted will also get nominated, so Greenwood will likely be getting double nominated for his incredible work on both projects.

I did watch this film twice as it is just one of those movies that warrants a second viewing, and it got better on the rewatch. I wasn’t sure what the core of the film was on the first viewing, but for the second watch I was just more on the wavelength and I was absorbing details that I didn’t notice before. It was definitely clear that this is from a more dense novel, but Campion’s screenplay did the book justice in my eyes. You can lock in a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for Campion along with her directing nomination, because she really brought the book to life in the most impressive way. This movie just really connected with me. I gained more of an appreciation for it on the second watch and I think I could even like it more on a third watch. In conclusion, I would absolutely love to see this film win Best Picture. It won’t be easy, but it definitely has a very good chance as it checks every box in not only my eyes, but clearly others’ as it is collecting tons of nominations from other awards outlets.

THE BAD

I won’t lie, I loved this film. I watched it twice and there is no glaring flaw I feel I need to mention. What I will say though is that this movie fits the description of a “slow burn” perfectly. The film has a ton of symbolism being conveyed throughout which might have people struggling with upon their first watch. It definitely is a challenge to try and cram in a lot of this symbolism and subtext into just a 2 hour movie, but it paid off on my end and Campion did a really good job.

Also, the demographic this film is going for is true lovers of cinema. I just say that because if you are going into this expecting to get your typical Western drama film filled with cool action scenes with everybody slinging guns while riding horses, you will be sorely mistaken.

THE VERDICT

Jane Campion is back with The Power of the Dog, her first film since 2009, and let me just say, she came back with a bang as I think this just might be her masterpiece. Her direction in this film is magnificent and her adapted screenplay she wrote is also superb. It is aided by Benedict Cumberbatch’s imposing performance that will surely earn him a Best Actor nomination as he both frightens and stuns you. It also features three impressive supporting performances that are all Oscar-worthy from Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who I actually thought was the best of the bunch. More than that, its cinematography is on another level and Greenwood’s score is just so damn good.

There is no questioning why this is the huge awards contender that it is as it is a brilliant and powerful deconstruction of the American West, but I don’t doubt that this film will challenge audiences as it is deeply complex. As much as I think it might challenge viewers, I also think it will enthrall viewers as it did me, and I strongly believe time will be on this film’s side.

All in all, I would love nothing more than to see The Power of the Dog be crowned the next Best Picture winner and I really think it is going to happen.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.6/10

The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

Don't Look Up

Don’t Look Up is a 2021 science fiction comedy drama written and directed by Adam McKay, from a story by David Sirota. An extremely talented writer/director, McKay’s debut feature film was the 2008 hit Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, followed by The Other Guys (2010). The original plan was to make the film for Paramount Pictures, but Netflix acquired the rights in April of 2020, just as the pandemic was rearing its head.

Astronomy student Kate Dibiasky discovers the existence of an unidentified comet. Her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy, calculates that the trajectory of the asteroid crosses that of the Earth and that an impact will take place in about six months, killing everyone on Earth in the process.

The star-studded cast includes five, yes five, Oscar winners, in Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and Mark Rylance. Oscar-nominees include Jonah Hill and Timothée Chalamet. The remaining supporting cast is rounded out by Tyler Perry, Rob Morgan, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Michael Chiklis, Melanie Lynskey, Himesh Patel, Tomer Sisley, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert Joy, and Kid Cudi.

Don’t Look Up arrived in select theaters December 10th, and will debut on Netflix December 24th.

THE GOOD

First and foremost, I LOVE me some Jennifer Lawrence. I’ve been a massive fan since she crushed her performance in the 2010 drama The Winter’s Bone which was a breakout film for her in my opinion. I’d also argue that her best performance was David O. Russel’s 2013 crime drama, American Hustle. Team her up with one of the greatest actors ever in Leonardo DiCaprio and the talented Adam McKay at the helm, and you have something to work with. When I watched the first trailer for Don’t Look Up, I couldn’t wait for it to release which is why I made the trek to the theater in 20 degree weather prior to the Netflix release date. So, was it worth it?

Yes, it absolutely was. Initial reactions have been quite mixed so I was hesitant going in figuring McKay bit off more than he could chew, but that was not the case at all. Don’t Look Up is uniquely entertaining, very relevant, and just downright hilarious for the majority of the time. Sure much of the comedy is dry humor which is fine by me especially when you have such a talented cast. The film includes a ridiculous amount of great one-liners, and it takes jab after jab at our obsession with pop culture, social media, and the missteps of our government. If we can’t laugh at our own stupidity, what are we doing with our lives?! Don’t Look Up is one of those movies that will weed out the people that fall into the “if you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” category. Now trust me I am not on my high horse and I am guilty of plenty that the film rips on, but at least I can admit it. Full disclosure, I can’t stand politics and that certainly helped me enjoy Don’t Look Up.

It’s like the classic Ron Burgundy line, but instead of saying “everybody come and see how good I look!” it’s “everybody come and see how stupid WE look”. But in all seriousness, this film is supposed to be a self-reflection, a reminder that as a society our collective IQ is plummeting. We bury our faces in our phones and let social media run our lives. If the Wi-Fi goes out for an hour we go into a panic, it’s pathetic if you really think about it. The negative reviews for Don’t Look Up are telling in the sense that they expose the politically driven critics, those so out of touch with their own inadequacies they lash out at the Adam McKay’s of the world. I’ll bottom line it for you, whether you want to focus on the issue with climate change, our disgusting reliance on technology, or the fact that our government is often a real-life SNL skit, this movie is an accurate albeit slightly exaggerated portrayal of the current state of affairs. To be honest, I applaud McKay for keeping it light while getting his point across. What should scare us is just how close to reality this film really is.

I thought the writing for Don’t Look Up was fantastic. It is one of those movies that includes so many little things that you will have to see it two or three times to fully appreciate the finer details. A great example is something that happens involving snacks at the White House early in the movie, and it ends up becoming something that Jennifer Lawrence’s character can’t seem to let go for the entire movie. It seemed like something simple on the surface, but with this movie everything has a deeper meaning. Adam McKay and David Sirota find a way to intertwine humor and impending doom, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Okay so the meat and potatoes of Don’t Look Up is the cast, and boy is it stacked. I touched on my girl Jennifer Lawrence early on in the review and she did not disappoint. Her chemistry with Leonardo DiCaprio was just awesome, and I really enjoyed the screen-time these two shared. Lawrence is always entertaining as the outspoken and rough around the edges Astronomy student Kate Dibiasky. DiCaprio is one of the most versatile actors working today, and his transformation into this character Dr. Randall Mindy was fun to watch. He is such a wholesome and likable guy who proves that we all sometimes fall victim to our desires especially when fame comes into play. I am a big Jonah Hill fan as far as his abilities as an actor (he seems a bit odd in real-life), and I loved his character. His troubling relationship with Meryl Streep is just hilarious, and you will love disliking them during this movie. The tension between Hill and Lawrence is hilarious as they both fight like brother and sister for most of the film.

Mark Rylance was the dark horse for me as he took on what felt like a role crafted after Elon Musk. His delivery and mannerisms are very unique, and he is definitely a character that stands out. Who doesn’t love Timothée Chalamet?! The chisel jawed actor who crushed his role in the blockbuster film Dune, which Andrew reviewed recently (full review here), is quickly becoming one of the top actors working today. I was hoping he had more than just a cameo type role in Don’t Look Up, and was very pleased with how he fit into the storyline. Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett are fantastic as the egotistical talk show hosts who love to keep things light, even when their segment involved an asteroid that will surely destroy all life on Earth.

I have to recognize pop superstar Ariana Grande because I really liked her performance as she played a fictional version of herself. She and Kid Cudi add a nice wrinkle to the film, and she had one specific interaction with DiCaprio that completely caught me by surprise and had me laughing hysterically. She also has a chance to bless us with her amazing voice, which is always appreciated. Ron Perlman was offensive and hilarious in his extremely politically incorrect Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino sort of role, as his character embodies the saying “it was a different generation”, which is repeated several times following a scene with his character.

From a technical standpoint Don’t Look Up is extremely well done in my opinion. Whether it be the cinematography, the score/soundtrack, or the various clips that play throughout the film, the creativity is next level. I was constantly impressed with what at times felt like a documentary style as the pieces fell into place, and we are also treated with a fair amount of quality CGI as well. The soundtrack has some great moments thanks to Ariana Grande’s involvement in the film. This is Adam McKay’s 4th collaboration with composer Nicholas Britell, and I think the two have built a great working relationship and have similar styles. They previously worked together on The Big Short, Vice, and Succession. A film like Don’t Look Up benefits greatly when the score and soundtrack can match up with the overall feel of the film, and that was definitely the case here.

THE BAD

I really enjoyed Don’t Look Up, and my immediate reaction was that it is getting unfairly criticized. I mean sure, it can be slow at times particularly towards the middle of the film, and some of the jokes don’t quite land, but discrediting what Adam McKay did with this film is just ignorant in my opinion. With that being said, the issue here is pretty obvious. You cannot release a film that takes as many shots at the political landscape and the social media generation without ruffling a few feathers. I thought McKay and David Sirota crafted a unique and relevant story, and these sensitive so-called critics are feeling a little offended so they decided to criticize the film as retaliation. It’s fine though, I can laugh at our stupidity, but clearly those who are part of the problem struggle with that.

THE VERDICT

A well-crafted satirical comedy packed with plenty of laugh out loud moments and a bit more heart than expected, Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up is an entertaining yet fairly harsh reminder of the running joke that is our current state of affairs. Sure, this is one of those “lets laugh at how stupid we are” movies, but that is honestly part of why it works so well. As a country in the past year and a half or so, we have been serving up an endless amount of bulletin board material for people to criticize us. To say that it has been bad would be a severe understatement. It has gone from people wanting to be like us, to them closing their borders to us. I mean, I’d love to visit New Zealand one of these days so I am really hoping we can avoid a lifetime ban. More than anything else, Don’t Look Up is an opportunity to lighten up and all laugh together, but it will leave you with the realization that we need to do better. I hate to say it but if you’re offended by Don’t Look Up, you might want to take a long look in the mirror and begin the journey to self-reflection. Just sayin’.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.2/10

Don’t Look Up is now playing in select theaters, and will debut on Netflix December 24th. Check out the latest trailer below.

House of Gucci

House of Gucci is a 2021 biographical crime drama directed by Ridley Scott, based on the 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden. It tells the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion House of Gucci. Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control.

Ridley Scott is an extremely talented director who has helmed some real gems over the years, ranging from the original Alien way back in 1979, to Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and American Gangster, just to name a few during his impressive run in the early 2000’s. More often than not the trademark of his films are the big names they include. In October his latest larger-than-life film, The Last Duel (full review and trailer here) starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck, released in theaters and received abysmal box office numbers. Scott was vocal about his disappointment, and I don’t blame him. This was a fantastic movie which is now available On-Demand, so be sure to check out our review and give it a watch, you won’t regret it. We need more original films like this.

The cast includes Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, Camille Cottin, Jack Huston, Jeremy Irons, Mãdãlina Ghenea, Reeve Carney, and Youssef Kerkour.

House of Gucci released in theaters on November 24th, courtesy of MGM Studios.

THE GOOD

Just to preface this review, I am a huge fan of Adam Driver, and of course Ridley Scott as I touched on a bit in the intro. I had very high expectations because of Scott and the cast and couldn’t wait to check out House of Gucci after the first full-length trailer dropped. So, what did I think?

As someone who admittedly wasn’t very in the loop as far as the true story the film is based on, I enjoyed House of Gucci. A story of the rise and fall of a tremendously rich family will always have an intriguing factor, but this story is unique in many ways. The Gucci family was careful to protect their wealth early on, but once things started to go bad the train was not returning to the station. The story includes all of the great elements a film like this needs all centered around a love story that proves to be a ticking time bomb. And more than anything else, on some level us regular folk get enjoyment out of watching wealthy people throw it all away. I hope to at some point read Sara Gay Forden’s book that the film is based on to make sure I get all of the juicy details.

Anything Ridley Scott touches has a certain level of flair or “sex appeal”, and that is surely the case with House of Gucci. The film has a certain look and feel that lets audiences know that they better pay attention because things are going to get interesting sooner than later. As with any Scott film, the score and cinematography prove to be a big focus. I especially enjoyed the films soundtrack which helped to achieve the overall feel they were going for. The filming locations offered a ton of opportunity for eye-popping cinematography, and I felt like they took full advantage of it. The majority of filming took place in the Italian Alps, and the mansion that is featured in the film is nothing short of incredible. The stunning 16th-century mansion on Lake Como was once the home of Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini in the 1700s. It is famously known for hosting members of high society, as well as high ranking members of the Catholic Church. What I would give just to stand in the front yard and take in the unbelievable view. I did enjoy the great costume design as well which was of course a given considering this film is based on a fashion empire. I learned a great deal about the Gucci brand as well, which remains on the forefront today as a luxury line.

I have to touch on the cast because the names alone will bring in an audience. The bulk of the screen-time is split between Adam Driver and Lady Gaga, with Jared Leto playing what is arguably my favorite character as the quirky Paolo Gucci. Driver is the cream of the crop right now as far as A-list actors are concerned, and it seems he is building a bit of a professional bromance with Ridley Scott. It will be fun watching that relationship develop. Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons assume the parts of the senior Gucci men, and you really couldn’t have found a better duo to take on their roles reminding us why they are some of the best to ever do it. The supporting cast is somewhat limited as the films primary focus is on the main cast, but I did really enjoy Jack Huston in his role as Domenico De Sole. Huston may not be considered a household name necessarily, but I will always remember him for his incredible performance in the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire. He is a very intense actor.

THE BAD

Just a reminder I had very high expectations so this part of the review might seem like I hated this movie, but I promise you I didn’t, I just expected more. House of Gucci is very much a mixed bag, and I’ll try to dive into the primary issues I had with the film which I think held it back from being great. First of all, a huge draw for people is the cast for obvious reasons. Adam Driver is proving himself to be an A-list talent, Al Pacino is, well, Al Pacino. Jared Leto is an absolute chameleon of an actor, often unrecognizable in his roles. And musical artist Lady Gaga is proving herself to have a place in the movies after her performance in the Bradley Cooper film, A Star is Born. 

So why am I bringing up this stellar cast in the BAD section? I’m glad you asked. I am a huge Driver fan, and this is probably one of my least favorite films of his, as of late anyway. He does maintain a certain presence for the majority of the film, but he never really sells me on the goods like he usually does and the accent takes some getting used to. Pacino was really good as expected, and Leto was actually one of my favorite characters as there was never a dull moment when he was on-screen. Unfortunately for Gaga and her budding film career, this was a very uninspired performance from her in my opinion. I felt like she started out great overall, but when she transitioned to this “hardened member of the Gucci empire”, I just wasn’t buying it. Her scenes with Selma Hayek were all pretty weird in my opinion. I also felt her chemistry with Driver was shaky at times, which hurt the film. It’s just too bad because a project like this with Ridley Scott at the helm was a great opportunity for her. 

My primary issue with The House of Gucci is the writing and what I felt was wasted potential. The characters didn’t have a chance to develop any sort of substance, all remaining pretty much one-dimensional. The film is built on a pretty crazy story with a ton to work with as far as this rich family turning on each other. Plus a great cast to bring it all together, but it fell flat more often than not. I felt like the characters would go from loving each other to hating each other without much of an explanation or at least some sort of buildup. For a 2 1/2 hour movie I felt like everything was rushed, and they could have cut out a few pointless sequences to really bring the story together. I do think the writing is a big reason why the cast was hung out to dry a bit because they have all proven they can get it done. I think the movie was much better suited as a limited series to really tell the story. It’s all unfortunate because the story of the Gucci family is bananas. 

THE VERDICT

With a talented cast and the great Ridley Scott at the helm, House of Gucci takes full advantage of the breathtaking setting in the Italian Alps while offering audiences a unique glimpse at this absolutely insane true story of power and greed. I talked quite a bit about my issues with the writing, and I honestly think that if we could’ve had someone like Adam McKay involved to make House of Gucci feel more like The Big Short, it might be getting award consideration instead of criticism. But I will reiterate, this isn’t a bad movie and I did really enjoy it, it just could have and should have been so much better. Sometimes high expectations can muddy the waters a bit, especially when a film features some of your favorite actors. I am certain I will enjoy it that much more the 2nd viewing. I do personally believe they should have gone with a limited series instead, and maybe that is still an option at some point.

Please let me know if you agree or disagree with this review in the comments, feedback is always appreciated. Oh and just another reminder to read our review for The Last Duel and rent it On-Demand sooner than later to make sure we get more great original films like this in the near future.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.2/10

House of Gucci is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Encanto

By: Andrew Wing

Encanto is a 2021 American computer-animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the 60th film produced by the studio, and it was directed by Jared Bush (co-directed and co-wrote Zootopia, and also wrote the film Moana) and Byron Howard (directed Bolt, Tangled, Zootopia), co-directed by writer Charise Castro Smith (The Haunting of Hill House), and produced by Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer (producer for Lilo & Stitch and Wreck-It Ralph), with original songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights).

The film stars the voices of Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Short Term 12), María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo (Ice Age film series, Bloodline), Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda (The Seed of Silence), Carolina Gaitán (Narcos, The Greatest Showman), Diane Guerrero (Jane the Virgin, Doom Patrol), and Wilmer Valderrama (That ‘70s Show). The film follows an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live in a magical house in a charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encano has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift except one, Mirabel (voiced by Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her family’s last hope.

The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 3, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 24.

THE GOOD

It is truly remarkable that this is the 60th motion picture Walt Disney Animation Studios have delivered to us, and there is no doubt in my mind that I have seen at least 50 of them. What’s arguably more impressive is how they are still able to bring us as an audience new and enticing stories that still revolve around what’s most important, family. Upon seeing the trailer for Encanto, I was instantly hooked. A magical house that gives everyone special abilities, what’s not like about that? And oh yeah, it’s a musical film that had its original songs written by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda (just reviewed his directorial debut film, tick, tick… BOOM!), so they were in pretty good hands from the start. But where does it rank compared to some of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ other masterpieces? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

Encanto had some talented filmmakers for this one with Jared Bush and Byron Howard who have put out their fair share of successful Disney films (Tangled, Zootopia). I think what impressed me and stuck out to me the most with their direction for this film were the messages they were trying to convey. First, I really loved how the film’s main character does not have powers, while everyone in her family does and most Disney films’ protagonists have. For most of the movie, the main character Mirabel feels like she isn’t special and she feels like she does not belong because everyone else was given a purpose (their powers).

However in the end (without giving too much away) we see that she does belong. I just found this to be a very big step forward for Disney because regular people deserve to have the light shined on them too, it doesn’t always need to be superheroes or magical princesses even though I enjoy those too. Also, the film has a very clever way of subverting expectations when it comes to a couple characters in the movie. These characters are presented as one thing (beautiful, strong, confident, etc.) and then we see that that's not how it always is for the character. In this movie, even people with superpowers can struggle with self-esteem and other related issues, and I just loved how the film included that because everybody in today’s world deals with those things.

The movie is a musical, and when the movie's songs are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, it’s just a fact that they are going to be a good time, and that was just the case here. So far this year Miranda has had In the Heights that he produced and wrote songs for and also tick, tick… BOOM! which was his directorial debut, but his songs in Encanto are in my opinion the best. Literally every song is marvelous, but the best one of the bunch would have to be “Dos Oruguitas” which is very likely getting nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Original Song. If you end up taking my recommendation and go see this, I challenge you to not have the biggest smile on your face during the musical numbers because you just can’t help it, they are so fun!

As for this movie’s animation, and I know it might get redundant after a while, but Disney just continues to outdo their past work when it comes to animation. This movie is one of the most colorfully vibrant films Disney has ever put out. The amount of color on display is dazzling at times. There is so much depth to every image and it was just an overall beautiful film. I just don’t know where they go from here with their animation, like how can it get any better than this?

All the voice performances in this were amazing as you might have guessed. Stephanie Beatriz shines in the lead role as she voices Mirabel, and she did a wonderful job at bringing that character to life by expressing all of her emotions just through her voice. I also really enjoyed John Leguizamo as Bruno Madrigal, Mirabel’s uncle, as he was responsible for a number of laughs. Speaking of laughs, my favorite character was by far Luisa Madrigal (voiced by Jessica Darrow) who has superhuman strength and the biggest biceps in Disney history. Luisa’s big musical number “Surface Pressure” was one of the better songs and it had me smiling throughout its entirety with how funny Luisa’s character is.

Encanto was just a blast. I really loved the film’s message and I just think this film will resonate with a lot of young kids. It’s important to have a film like this out there that shines a light on just a regular person that kids can look up to rather than a larger-than-life fictional superhero. It is also the perfect time for a story like this with how rough the past couple years have been. Also, like most other Disney films, I did get a little emotional towards the end with its beautiful story coming to a close. In conclusion, Encanto is a great addition to Disney’s catalog and I would love for this to win Best Animated Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards and I predict that it will!

THE BAD

When you clicked on this review, if you thought that I was going to bash the newest Disney film Encanto, well you were sorely mistaken. Once again, I just have such a hard time finding something to critique about this film. The only minor thing that came to mind was that, and it might have just been for me, there were a lot of moving parts in the first third of the film as we get introduced to the characters, the Encanto, all of the character’s powers, and just why the Encanto’s magic is dying. Like I said, it might have just been that way for me, but definitely come prepared to pay attention.

All in all, once the movie settles in and you know everything you need to know, you’ll get sucked right into the wonderfully moving story, and I can’t see anybody not enjoying this.

THE VERDICT

From the minds that brought us past successful Disney films like Zootopia and Moana, comes the likely winner for Best Animated Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, Encanto. It is just a blast from start to finish with its vibrant animation, lovely characters, wildly entertaining musical numbers, and also its great messages it conveys to the audience. This really is the perfect family movie and I would suggest checking it out in theaters as soon as possible! If you can’t make it to the theaters, don’t worry because it will be streaming on Disney+ on December 24.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.9/10

Encanto is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

C'mon C'mon

By: Andrew Wing

C’mon C’mon is a 2021 American black-and-white drama film written and directed by Mike Mills (also directed Beginners and 20th Century Women). It stars Joaquin Phoenix (The Master, Joker), Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent, Girls), Scoot McNairy (12 Years a Slave, Gone Girl), Molly Webster, Jaboukie Young-White (Rough Night), and Woody Norman.

The film follows Johnny (played by Phoenix), who takes care of his nephew (Norman) while his family is going through some challenging times. The film had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021, and was released in limited theatres on November 19, 2021, by A24.

THE GOOD

I was very pumped for this film for two reasons. First, it’s an A24 film and I literally just can’t get enough of their movies as I love pretty much everything they put out. Second, this is Joaquin Phoenix’s first feature film since winning Best Actor for his performance as Arthur Fleck / Joker in the 2019 psychological thriller Joker.

I won’t waste any time so let’s get right into it, Joaquin Phoenix does a brilliant job in this. It is easily one of my favorite performances of his as he completely blends himself into the film and his character to the point where you don’t even see him anymore as an actor, you just see the character. He just is what the movie needs him to be and it was remarkable to say the least. It’s wild that this is his first film since Joker and also that his role in this could not be any more different from his role in Joker. And while I don’t think he will win Best Actor again for this, I strongly think he is worthy of a nomination and I would love to see him nominated for this performance.

I was also extremely impressed with the performance of Gaby Hoffmann, who plays Johnny’s sister and also Jesse’s mother Viv. Apparently she was in Sleepless in Seattle way back in the 90s, but this was the first I’ve ever seen of her as an adult actress and I was pleasantly surprised. She is really good in this and she brought a lot of personality and humor to her character. She gave a really honest portrayal of what a mother is that is deeply central to the film as a whole and I just connected with her performance very much.

There is no denying that Joaquin was the star of the show, but Woody Norman might’ve stolen the show. He plays the child, Jesse, in this film and he is truly incredible. So many times we get performances from child actors that just don’t feel real or authentic, but that is absolutely not the case here. I can really say that Woody Norman was just as good as Joaquin Phoenix in this which is very high praise for a child. He is just a wonder to watch on screen and his performance just made me lock into the film. Also, I will riot if he doesn’t get nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Just saying.

Director Mike Mills did a great job with this. I have yet to check out his earlier film Beginners (2010), but I really enjoyed 20th Century Women (2016). With that said, this has got to be his best film to date. Mills just has a knack for making tender, honest, and very funny films and to be honest, this film has a very New York, dialogue-heavy, naturalistic style that is similar to other great directors like Woody Allen and Noah Baumbach, so I would say he is destined for greatness. His direction was so evident in this, and it was clear that Mills trusted Phoenix as he gave us maybe his most emotional performance since Her (2013).

Not only did Mills direct this, but he also wrote this film. The writing was just fantastic, but what impressed me the most was just how intelligently all the characters were written, especially Jesse. This film just really touched me as I was able to understand the film so deeply thanks to Mills’ writing. You could tell that Mills wanted every character to have intention in every scene. With his screenplay, he made it clear to the audience that the essence of this film is the relationship between these two characters and it is just so heartwarming, charming, and funny. Mills just checked every box when it came to this screenplay and I have a hard time seeing him not get nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.

Also worth mentioning, Joaquin Phoenix’s character Johnny is a radio journalist traveling the country with his producing partners, interviewing children about their lives and their thoughts on the future. The children they interview are not actors, and throughout the film we get to listen in on some of the interviews and get some very insightful and moving answers from the younger generation. I just thought this was a very nice touch to the film that Mills decided to add to show us his loving perspective of the world. It gave me a very clear take away from the film, and that is that no matter how messy life can get sometimes, we just have to keep moving forward and rely on those around us which I really admired.

Lastly, the score for this film that was done by Bryce and Aaron Dessner is very good and I found it to be ethereal as it features a lot of unique sounds and arrangements that just felt very soft and nice. Also the cinematography was fabulous and I’m just a sucker for some great black-and-white cinematography.

THE BAD

Walking out of the theater, I was trying to think of things I didn’t like about it and I couldn’t come up with any. Now, having had a couple of days to let this film digest, I still have nothing bad to say. I loved every part of this movie and it will undoubtedly be on my year-end top 10. I just found this to be such an easy movie to sink into and connect with, and I think you will too.

One thing I will put out there as just a warning/heads up to anyone considering checking this out. The entire film is in black-and-white, so just be prepared. If you’re one of those people who needs color in their movies, this might not be the movie for you…but you should still try it out because it’s that good.

THE VERDICT

From director Mike Mills, C’mon C’mon is a beautiful and tender drama film that will just make you appreciate life. The film features yet another masterful performance from Joaquin Phoenix, this being his first since Joker, and he quickly reminds us why he is one of the very best. We also get Woody Norman, the 11 year-old kid who goes toe-to-toe with Phoenix as he gives one of the most spectacular performances I’ve seen for his age group.

Everything in this film from the dialogue, the ethereal score, the stunning black-and-white cinematography, to the characters and the performances was so expertly crafted and makes this hands-down one of my favorites of the year (currently #3 behind Dune and King Richard)!

TED TAKES RATING - 9.5/10

C’mon C’mon is now playing in select theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a 2021 survival horror film written and directed by Johannes Roberts, the man who brought us 47 Meters Down, and The Other Side of the Door. Adapted from the stories of the first and second games by Capcom, it serves as a reboot of the Resident Evil film series and will be the seventh film overall, which was loosely based on the video game series of the same name.

Once the booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City is now a dying Midwestern town. The company's exodus left the city a wasteland... with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, the townspeople are forever... changed... and a small group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night.

The film stars Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, and Neal McDonough.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City released in theaters on November 24th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

I grew up playing the video games, so Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is more than just a movie to me. During my formidable years way back in 1996, Capcom released the first game on the original PlayStation, and it was glorious. This was true survival horror, and seemed to jumpstart our fascination with anything and everything zombies. It scared the crap out of me at every turn, and I loved every minute of it. Soon my younger brother would share my appreciation for the franchise as he would sit and watch me play the original game for hours. I was 12 years old, and he was just 5 at the time. I still remember the look on his face during that pivotal scene in the original game where you encounter a zombie going to town on some flesh. He was equally horrified and amazed. Needless to say, parental supervision was a loose term in our household. I have been anxiously awaiting this movie for months, so did it live up to my expectations?

First and foremost, I genuinely enjoyed Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. With that being said, I do feel like a disclaimer is necessary. This movie is fan service from start to finish, and I am more than okay with that. This is just under two-hours of zombie survival horror, complete with some great CGI and special effects to ensure that everything stays fast paced and never boring. Die-hard fans of the games, like my brother who I did see it with, will find the urge to whisper to each other each time you see something cool that you remember from the games. Go ahead and check out the very thorough trailer breakdown he did prior to seeing the movie on his YouTube channel here. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you will appreciate his dedication to the small details.

They also packed the film with little Easter eggs that have me wanting to watch it again sooner than later. It wasn’t easy combining the events of the first two games and they definitely had to get creative with that at times, but overall you can watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and easily follow along as it related to the events that took place in the games. Admittedly I have enjoyed the other Resident Evil movies from Paul W.S. Anderson, who is credited here as an executive producer, but they were much more action-packed and less horror. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City gets us back to the roots of the franchise, offering up some solid jump scares and much more of a horror movie feel.

As I talked about briefly, the film is structured as a sort of reboot that combines the first two original games in the franchise, and we are treated to most of the pivotal defining moments that fans of the game will never forget. Whether it be the zombie scene I referenced earlier, the truck or helicopter crash, or just the overall look of the Raccoon City Police Department or the Spencer Mansion, everything came together to create the world that is Resident Evil. The abandoned city felt claustrophobic as it should, and the feel of dread was present throughout. You are made to feel a bit uneasy and confused at times, just like you did in the games, and everything is pretty creepy for a good majority of the film. It also provides plenty of blood and gore as well, but never seems to push the envelope too much. You also have an opportunity to try and get to know the characters, and I felt like they all shared decent chemistry.

As far as the acting is concerned, I don’t think they will be rolling out the red carpet at this years Academy Awards, but thats okay. What the fans cared most about was making sure they put the right people in the right roles as it relates to the games, and I thought they did a pretty good job with that. Kaya Scodelario, who some will recognize from the Maze Runner movies or the recent horror thriller crawl, did a great job in the role of Claire Redfield. She had that intimidating no BS presence to her just like the character in the games. Her counterpart, brother Chris Redfield, is played by Upload and The DUFF actor Robbie Amell, and I thought he did a nice job as well. The two of them felt like siblings which was crucial to the story. Tom Hopper was impressive as the brooding and difficult to trust Wesker, and helps to give some fans a bit more insight into this important character. Hannah John-Kamen handles her duties as the shoot first and ask questions later Jill Valentine. I really liked the decision to cast veteran actor Neal McDonough as William Berkin, as he played the role perfectly. Avan Jogia was great as Leon S. Kennedy, the poor sap who gets thrown into a zombie apocalypse after just a few days on the job. We’ve all been there. Another veteran actor, Donal Logue, is solid as the scandalous Chief Brian Irons.

On the technical side of things I was impressed with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in terms of what they were able to accomplish. The CGI and special effects felt true to the games, and to be honest they were better than I expected. The CGI element is much more prevalent towards the end of the film as the characters engage in the iconic “boss battle”, which involves a rocket launcher as yet another nod to the videogames. The cinematography was actually pretty good as well, offering some cool scenic views of Raccoon City. I really enjoyed the soundtrack which was a nice trek back to the 90’s. I mean, if you aren’t jamming out to the hit 1998 tune Crush by Jennifer Paige during Leon’s slacking at the front desk scene, what are you even doing with your life?! Go ahead and have Alexa put it on for you, you can thank me later. The score also helped to ensure some of the creepier scenes hit hard, and helped to keep the tension going as well.

THE BAD

If you go ahead and critique Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City like you would any other movie, you can easily pick it apart until the sun comes up. I mean where do I start; the corny acting and cheesy one-liners that rears its head more often than you would like, the writing that might make viewers feel like idiots, or just the over-the-top and sometimes ridiculous storyline and special effects. I get why critics are shredding this movie, but they also lack the ability to judge a film based on its overall identity. I mean listen, this is a videogame adaptation that cares about one thing, and one thing only, and that is satisfying its fanbase. And as part of the aforementioned fanbase, they accomplish that goal, and then some.

The ultimate goal here is to generate enough excitement and box office revenue to reboot this franchise, and I can’t blame them for doing everything in their power to make that happen. If you focus on turning this into a great movie, you risk alienating fans. Am I saying this isn’t a “great movie?”, no I’m not. Its about expectations, and knowing your audience. I mean, how good do you think the writing and voice acting was for a zombie horror videogame that came out in 1996? We get the characters we know and love, the memorable cut-scenes in beautiful cinematic form on the big screen, and enough nostalgia to last us weeks. That’s more than enough for me.

THE VERDICT

Bringing to life the characters we know and love while treating fans to some of the most memorable scenes from the earlier games, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is unapologetic fan service from start to finish. As a longtime fan of the videogames I may be a biased, but for my money Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City reboots an iconic franchise while giving fans plenty to get excited about. The film is certainly not without its flaws as is the case with most videogame adaptations, but it creates an identity and sticks with it. If you enjoyed the games you will have a ton of fun with this movie, and more than likely as soon as you get home from the theater, you will be itching to start playing the games again. Be sure to stick around for the great post-credit scene as well.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.3/10

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

The Humans

By: Andrew Wing

The Humans is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Stephen Karam in his directorial debut, and based on his one-act play of the same name that opened on Broadway in 2016 where it was very successful (was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play). A24, IAC, Scott Rudin (produced many award-winning films including No Country for Old Men, Uncut Gems, Lady Bird, The Social Network, and The Truman Show) and Eli Bush (has produced many A24 films including Ex Machina, Eighth Grade, and Mid90s) made a deal in March of 2019 with Stephen Karam to adapt his play into a feature-length film and principal photography began just six months after in September 2019 in New York City. In April 2021, Scott Rudin was removed as a producer on the film following allegations of abuse

The film stars Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers, The Shape of Water), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck, I Feel Pretty), Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, Booksmart), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Minari), June Squibb (Meet Joe Black, Nebraska), and Jayne Houdyshell (Downsizing, Little Women) who actually reprises her role from the Broadway production in the film. The film follows a family getting together for Thanksgiving as their daughter is moving into her new apartment, and during their day together we see family tensions reach a boiling point.

The Humans had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021. The film was released by A24 on November 24, 2021, both in theaters and on Showtime.

THE GOOD

Whenever you get a film adaptation of a Tony-award winning play, that obviously gets you going, at least for me it does. But when I saw the all-star cast they put together for this, that only added to my already very high level of excitement for this. I mean we got two of my favorite actors in Richard Jenkins and Steven Yeun (go check out my review on Minari for which he got a Best Actor nomination for), but also two great young actresses with Amy Schumer and Beanie Feldstein. This movie has been getting a lot of awards hype, so keep reading to find out if I think it lived up to the hype.

First things first, Stephen Karam absolutely killed it in his directorial debut. With him doing the one-act play, he obviously knew what he wanted for the film and it was so evident while watching that Karam clearly knew exactly how he wanted to shoot every scene. A lot of the shots we get are very long and from one angle, and that just made for a much more immersive experience. The direction for this film was just excellent. He seized the opportunity to use the powers of filmmaking to tell his story in a brand new way and in doing so he announces himself as someone to be taken very seriously which is all the more impressive considering this is his first film.

The reason I was so excited for this film was without a doubt it’s all-star cast and they did not disappoint. It is so hard to pick a standout in this film as literally all six of the players involved make their presence felt in big ways, but if I had to choose, it would be a tie between Richard Jenkins and Jayne Houdyshell. Richard Jenkins was just perfect. It’s a role that he is very well equipped to play just based on how he might be typecast. He is especially great in the second half of the film as his performance deepens towards the end and I would love to see him get his third Oscar nomination (Best Actor for The Visitor, and Best Supporting Actor for The Shape of Water) for his performance here. As I said in the introduction, Houdyshell reprises her role from the Broadway production which she won a Tony for and it didn’t take long to see why. She had a couple scenes where there is a lot of pain going on around her and the way she expresses it in very subtle ways is quite impressive. She does also get some of the film's most coveted scenes and she does not disappoint to say the least.

I honestly enjoyed every cast member, but I just need to address the performance we got out of Amy Schumer real quick. Amy Schumer is one of my Mom’s favorite actresses because she is hilarious, but in this film we really get to see just how good of an actress she is. She fit perfectly into this role and I was very impressed with her performance that was easily the most dramatic one we have ever seen from her. All in all, with how great the acting was, all the family interactions felt very authentic and the dialogue just felt so natural and conversational and that took the film from being good to great. Not for one second did it feel like the actors were reading lines off a script and it just proves that this is one of the best ensemble casts of any film that has come out this year.

The sound design was also ridiculously good and very interesting as there’s this whole bump-in-the-night thing going on throughout the film. We got sounds from the radiators, we got creaking floors and doors, and we also have the neighbors upstairs making these bump noises that frighten the characters. The sounds made me feel like I was just waiting for a horror movie to break out at the seams of whatever is going on here in this apartment. While it isn’t a horror film in the traditional sense, the sound design is so good that it brings the existential horror to life as it reveals the anxieties of the characters in a way that was very impactful.

The production design for this film was very impressive too. The cast of players are in the apartment for the entire movie and they just did an amazing job making this look like a real NYC apartment with the bubbles in the wall, the external radiators, and many other small details. The way they lighted the apartment was very well done too as there was very little natural light coming through the few windows in the apartment. They just paid attention to every little detail and they honestly made the apartment itself feel like a character in its own right.

Lastly, the ending to this film is very bizarre and very cool at the same time and I really liked how it ended. I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil it, but it will throw you off in the best possible way.

THE BAD

If you can’t tell yet, I really enjoyed this film. There is nothing I didn’t like about it, but I just want to address some things I’ve seen getting pointed out. First, it is an A24 film and it’s label fits pretty well here as it is very strange and unlike any other movie you’ve seen.

Also worth noting is that the film has a very unconventional filming style that will probably throw a lot of people off. Speaking of unconventional, it is also unconventional when it comes to the story as there aren’t any character arcs. The story itself just might have people feeling cold after finishing this one. I say that because unlike the last film I reviewed in King Richard (see full review here) which was a feel-good crowd pleaser, this film is the complete opposite as it feels very cynical, and also quite down and depressing at times. The film definitely contains some great family moments (some are very funny) as the family is trying to connect and striving to unconditionally love each other, but at the end of the day the film is about (1) existential horror and (2) how regular Americans are in a state of anxiety at all times over their finances, health, relationships, and pretty much any major anxiety you can think of which is a very sad truth.

THE VERDICT

With outstanding performances from the entire cast, The Humans is one of the best movies of the year as it is an extremely unique and layered portrait of family and unrest in an age of immense anxiety. Stephen Karam had himself one of the best directorial debuts we have seen in a while as he brought his one-act play from the stage to the screen. His direction was superb, but his writing was even more impressive as he gives us a very deep script full of dialogue that is brilliantly written.

Not only is it one of the best films of the year, The Humans is also one of my personal favorite movies of the year and is yet another home run from the entertainment distribution company A24.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.1/10

The Humans is now playing in select theaters and streaming on Showtime. Check out the latest trailer below.

King Richard

By: Andrew Wing

King Richard is a 2021 American biographical drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (also directed Monsters and Men and Joe Bell) and written by Zach Baylin, and follows the legendary life of Richard Williams, the father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, who also serve as executive producers of the film.

The film stars Will Smith (Independence Day, Men in Black) in the title role as Richard Williams, while Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us, Lovecraft Country) plays their mother Oracene “Brandy” Price, Saniyya Sidney (Hidden Figures, Fences) plays Venus Williams, and Demi Singleton plays Serena Williams. Tony Goldwyn (Ghost, Scandal) and Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Wind River) also star in supporting roles as tennis coaches Paul Cohen and Rick Macci respectively. 

King Richard had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021, and was theatrically released on November 19, 2021, by Warner Bros. Pictures and on the HBO Max streaming service on the same.

THE GOOD

Before we get into this, I just need to inform the readers that I am a huge tennis fan. I played in high school and I follow it pretty regularly. With that said, when I heard there was going to be a major motion picture following the life of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard Williams, I was ecstatic to say the least. Going in, it was a no-brainer that I was going to enjoy this movie, but it definitely exceeded my expectations 100%. Let’s find out why!

I won’t waste any time, so let’s get right into it. Will Smith just won himself his first Oscar ladies and gentlemen. It’s happening. Will Smith is the star of all movie stars, but this just might be his crowning achievement of his acting career. Will Smith seemed to have a deep appreciation and understanding of the man that is Richard Williams, and it was evident right from the get go that he totally transformed himself for this role. After watching, I really got a sense of who Richard Williams was at his core and why he was fighting for what he was fighting for and also just where his values came from. You see how he views what he is doing as a means of survival and Will Smith just really allows us as viewers to really see every layer of this man. You completely believe who he is and I was totally sold on every single choice Smith made for this character from the voice and the accent, to the way he walks and to the way he interacts with his daughters. I just felt like I was not watching Will Smith, but rather watching Richard Williams and I don’t know if there is a better compliment than that to give an actor, and I look forward to watching him receive the Academy Award for Best Actor for this performance very soon.

The script for this movie comes from Zach Baylin and it was just brilliant. The movie is really a character study of Richard Williams and what kept me watching was just discovering more about this fascinating character. It’s clear that Will Smith himself and also the writer were really interested in Richard Williams as they painted a very multi-layered portrait of him and also gave him some strong choices to make. The movie presents him with all his glory and all his flaws. We see how charming and likeable he can be, but at the same time we grow frustrated with him throughout the movie. By the end of this film, I felt like I knew very well who Richard Williams was and that’s the entire purpose of a character study so they knocked it out of the park there. What’s special about this movie and what made it go beyond being just another biopic was how we were able to completely understand where Richard Williams is coming from and why he is the way he is. They did this without using explicit flashbacks throughout which we’ve seen over and over again with past biopics and that is a huge testament to how this movie was just expertly crafted.

Outside of all the tennis practices and tennis match scenes that I absorbed every second of being the huge tennis fan that I am, I’d have to say my favorite scenes in the movie were the ones focused on the family as a whole. The movie is certainly centered around Richard and his relationship with Venus and Serena, but the scenes where we see the other family members being fleshed out were really important if you ask me. The reason they felt so important and why I enjoyed them so much are completely thanks to the performances of the supporting cast. The best performance from the supporting cast without a doubt comes from Aunjanue Ellis who plays Venus and Serena’s mother, Oracene “Brandy” Price. She was phenomenal in this role and she will most definitely be getting nominated for Best Supporting Actress and she has a damn good chance of winning. If you need any convincing, go watch the scene in this where she absolutely goes off on Richard because it was unquestionably her “Oscar scene” and might have even been the most powerful moment in the entire film.

Demi Singleton was great as a younger Serena Williams, but Saniyya Sidney definitely stole the show as Venus. They gave a lot of moments to her in the second half where we get a little deeper into what she’s going through emotionally and she was just amazing. I also really liked Jon Bernthal in this as he plays the famous tennis coach Rick Macci. He’s very good and he gives a very funny performance which was great to see considering we don’t get to see that side of him too much as he usually plays the badass character in his films who do a lot of beating people up. It’s just crazy to see how far he has come since being Shane in The Walking Dead, and I can’t wait to see what he does next because he is a very talented actor.

Lastly, I did think the film was very well put together and I was very impressed with the direction we got from Reinaldo Marcus Green. The film had a nice warm glow to it and the camera movement was always really smooth which sometimes isn’t the case with movies dealing with fast-paced sports. The editing, sound mixing, and score were also very good and Beyoncé’s original song “Be Alive” that plays over the credits is beautiful and will most likely win the Oscar for Best Original Song as Beyoncé has somehow yet to win as Oscar. All in all, King Richard is a great movie and it will certainly be one of the ten Best Picture nominees and I could really see this winning Best Picture a few months from now.

THE BAD

There have been a lot of films that I’ve reviewed in the past that I didn’t have much to criticize about when it comes to “The Bad” portion of a review. With King Richard though, I honestly have nothing bad to say about it. Sure the film is long with its 145 minute runtime and it also has some of the inspirational and motivational quips we often get with sports movies, but if they get the job done and inspire and motivate you like this film did for me, I am not going to critique that whatsoever.

Also, and this is just my selfish self talking, but if I had to have any nitpicks, I would say that I wanted more scenes of Serena. The main part of the story deals with Venus coming up through the different levels of being a professional tennis player with her being the first to do it with her being the older sister. But I mean Serena is the freaking GOAT of women’s tennis, so it just would have been awesome to get more scenes of her, but hey you never know maybe we will get a sequel (probably not though).

THE VERDICT

With an Oscar-winning performance from the legendary Will Smith, King Richard is one of the best movies of the year. It is one of those feel-good crowd pleasers that don’t come around too often as it tells the amazing story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. 

The film also features great supporting performances from Aunjanue Ellis and Jon Bernthal that are worthy of supporting actress and actor nominations respectively, but no performance outshines that of Will Smith. His performance is transformative and it will just have you so deeply invested into the character that is Richard Williams.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.6/10

King Richard is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Check out the latest trailer below.

tick, tick...BOOM!

By: Andrew Wing

Tick, Tick… Boom! (styled as tick, tick… BOOM!) is a 2021 American biographical musical drama film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (best known for creating and starring in the Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton) in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Steven Levenson (won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Dear Evan Hansen, see Ted’s review on the 2021 film adaptation), based on the stage musical of the same name by Jonathan Larson. The film stars Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man, Hacksaw Ridge) in the lead role as Jonathan Larson, and also features Robin de Jesús (The Boys in the Band), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men franchise, Love, Simon), Joshua Henry (The Scottsboro Boys, Violet), with Judith Light (Before You Know It), and Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical film series) in supporting roles.

Tick, Tick… Boom! had its world premiere at AFI Fest on November 10, 2021, and began limited theatrical release on November 12, 2021, before streaming on Netflix on November 19, 2021.

THE GOOD

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an extremely talented individual, but when it comes to musicals, he is just on another level. It was bizarre to learn that this was his directorial debut after seeing his prior projects like In the Heights, but I’ll say just to get the ball rolling on this review, Miranda had himself quite the directorial debut. It’s also fitting that his directorial debut is a passion project of his as he views Jonathan Larson as an idol and role model of his. Miranda apparently pushed to be the one to helm this film because he actually played Larson in 2014 during one of the play's runs. Also, Miranda obviously has a similar career to Larson as he himself was once a struggling playwright in NYC trying to make it big. Let me just say, I think Lin-Manuel Miranda did an outstanding job at making a film for musical theater fans. The camera movement and the outlandish musical numbers that have Lin-Manuel’s direction written all over them makes it a very fun and breezy film which is even more impressive because the film deals with a person going through a looming existential crisis.

I was also very pleased with the screenplay from Steven Levenson. For the most part, this film was a window into the life of a struggling artist and I liked that most of this film was very grounded and easy to relate with. A lot of the songs were very diverting and fun and even though the artist himself seems like he might be very pretentious, this play featured songs that were about parts of his life and just his everyday problems and that pulled us into his world as it was extremely relatable. I mean we all know the feeling that the clock is ticking and that time is running out and like you’re operating based on the fear of the ticking clock and the film itself is just an examination of that mindset that was done very nicely thanks to Levenson’s screenplay.

The main thing that got me to check this movie out was Andrew Garfield. I really love him as an actor and I still get annoyed everyday that he didn’t even get an Oscar nomination back at the 83rd Academy Awards for his supporting performance in David Fincher’s 2010 film, The Social Network. It’s also annoying because a lot of people have written him off ever since his portrayal of Spider-Man in the Amazing Spider-Man movies that get criticized a lot. With that said, with his performance in this, I think he might have finally shut the critics up when it comes to him as an actor. His performance in this is very jittery and it feels like he is on cocaine for the entire movie to put it bluntly. He’s playing a very outgoing and charismatic person in Larson that I knew nothing about going into this, but Garfield’s performance told me everything about him that I needed to know. That is extremely impressive considering we’ve never seen Garfield play this kind of character in his past. He nails every second of this movie and he made me really buy into this character. I think he has a very good chance of earning what would be his second nomination (first being Hacksaw Ridge) for Best Actor. Also, his singing was pretty darn good if you ask me.

The supporting cast in this movie was great and they all did a wonderful job of playing their roles perfectly and giving us an idea of what Jonathan’s friends were like during this time in his life. Speaking of the supporting cast, I really have to shout out Robin de Jesus and his performance in this movie. He’s truly phenomenal in this and his character steals a couple scenes as his character holds a lot of weight in the last half of the film after he tests positive for HIV in 1990. I think he is more than deserving of getting nominated for Best Supporting Actor and I think he could do it as that field is still very wide open. Vanessa Hudgens was also really good despite not having much of a character, but it was just great getting to hear her sing because it definitely brought me back to those High School Musical days.

This movie is certainly a musical, so it’s only right that I touch on the music in this film. There were some songs that stood out a lot including the opening number that really hooks you right in. There is also a song in the middle of the film that I won’t spoil the name of that is just awesome as it features some wild facial choreography that is really enjoyable and will put a smile on your face for sure. Also, the editing in all the musical numbers was very well done as it adds to the energetic nature of the film which I liked overall. The movie is also really funny and after digesting it, I could even see it being considered a comedy.

I was not surprised by how amazing the musical sequences were because well, it’s Lin-Manuel Miranda we are dealing with here. But what I didn’t see coming was just how moving this film was. The movie was just a great ode to the life of Jonathan Larson and just the kind of lifestyle that he lived as a struggling musical theater artist. What makes this film stand out apart from other musical films is just the film’s absolute intoxicating energy as it goes over the top to try and please the musical theater crowd and I just loved it. So to anybody who views themselves as someone who’s a fan of musical theater, you are going to freaking love this movie.

THE BAD

First things first, I am a fan of the musical genre of film. I mean 2 of my all-time favorite movies are Singin’ in the Rain and La La Land. With that said, if you aren’t a fan of musicals, there is no point to watching this movie because it is absolutely flooded with musical numbers. And yes, I did enjoy the majority of the musical numbers, but there were a couple numbers that I wasn’t a fan of because I didn’t feel anything for them as they didn’t resonate with me sometimes. As I said earlier, I know absolutely nothing about musical theater, but apparently there were some pretty big cameos of theater legends in this film and I didn’t know that at all which definitely changed my viewing experience compared to those who know more about musical theater, so that bummed me out.

Despite me loving the over the top nature of the film as it is really directed towards pleasing the NYC musical theater crowd, I can totally see why it might annoy some mainstream viewers like myself. I know absolutely nothing about theater and I’d say most people who will check this out are in the same boat, so it might be kind of annoying or off-putting at times just seeing how energetic and smiley the actors are at points during the movie. The movie just lacks subtlety at times, especially in certain songs that I felt would’ve just been better served as plain old dialogue rather than this grandiose musical number.

Lastly, with me being a huge fan of the Oscars, I was really expecting Alexandra Shipp to get some supporting actress buzz from this but that was just not the case. The blame for that could just ultimately fall on the writers not giving her enough screen time, but she just didn’t have enough presence in this film to get nominated which was disappointing as I see her as one of the best up and coming young actresses today.

THE VERDICT

With an outstanding performance from Andrew Garfield as the famous playwright Jonathan Larson that will likely earn him a Best Actor nomination, Tick, Tick… Boom! is an extremely enjoyable film that features some of the most fun and energetic musical numbers you’ll ever see thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda in his directorial debut. 

The movie was emotionally captivating and it had a message that I thought really resonated, but I must say, proceed with caution because if you are not a fan of musicals, this movie is definitely not for you.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.7/10

Tick, Tick… Boom! is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a 2021 supernatural comedy directed by Jason Reitman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan. It is the sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and the fourth film overall in the Ghostbusters franchise. Jason is the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two films. Like father like son.

The screenplay for the original film came from Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who is also one of the stars. After the second film released in 1989, a follow-up film was in development but kept getting delayed because one of the stars of the films, Bill Murray, refused to commit to the project. Aykroyd and Reitman tried for years to get Murray on board, but according to Murray himself he wasn’t happy with the scripts and said they wouldn’t come close to the quality of the first film, which was a huge hit with critics and viewers. It seems likely that the lesser success of the sequel had something to do with his reluctance.

Set thirty years after the events of the second film, a single mother and her two children move to a small town in Oklahoma, where they discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and their grandfather's secret legacy.

The film stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, while Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts reprise their roles from the original films.

After a number of delays related to the pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife finally hit theaters on November 19th, 2021 (3D and IMAX in select theaters).

THE GOOD

Ghostbusters is a storied franchise, that fact is simply undeniable. The original hit theaters way back in 1984, with a stacked cast consisting of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver. As I touched on above, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is touted as a direct sequel to the first two films, which had me excited from the start. I grew up with this iconic franchise, and I honestly believe that the Ghostbusters logo is one of the most recognizable logos in the last 35+ years. That is impressive if you ask me. Every kid dressed up as a Ghostbuster for Halloween, and most adults have at least one Ghostbusters shirt hanging in their closet. Because of the popularity they have tried repeatedly to reboot this franchise, with mixed results. Will this be the time they finally hit a home run? Keep reading to find out!

Alright I know the suspense is killing you so I will get right to it, I really enjoyed this movie! The immersive “Ghostbusters universe” sucked me in right away, and I could tell from the first few minutes this was going to be a great movie. We have seen a ton of spinoff films over the years, but nothing comes close to living up to the original. And rightfully so, the 1984 film was groundbreaking and honestly ahead of its time. Ghostbusters: Afterlife recreates that slapstick feel without coming across as corny, which is a difficult balance. The film has a ton of quality humor, and a really good balance of interesting characters. I felt like having a strong cast with genuine chemistry would make or break this film, and they pulled it off and then some. I really liked how the story came together and connected to the first two films, and let me just say the ending is incredible. If you are a fan of this franchise, the way they end this movie will have you giddy in your seat I guarantee it. Bottom line, they hit the nail on the head and more than likely lit a brand new fire underneath this franchise.

Paul Rudd is nothing short of fantastic in this movie, as he takes on the the role of Gary Grooberson, a laid back summer school teacher who is smarter than he looks. I mean seriously, who doesn’t love Paul Rudd? As of late he has really taken off as Marvel’s Ant-Man, but you can go all the way back to his supporting role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, or what I consider to be a fantastic yet underrated performance in the feel good comedy drama, Our Idiot Brother. I mean, the 52 year-old actor who doesn’t look a day over 40 has 127 acting credits on his resume, that is bananas. He was recently voted Sexiest Man Alive for a reason, and its not weird that I am pointing that out. Not to take anything away from the rest of the cast, but his on-screen presence made the movie for me. He has that quirky and infectious humor element he is known for in full swing for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I just hope he sticks around if the franchise gets the re-boot that it deserves. Perhaps he is the next Bill Murray?! High bar sure, but one can dream.

Okay, so enough praising of The Sexiest Man Alive, lets talk about the rest of the cast for a bit. In true Ghostbusters fashion, the cast is a big strength of the film. Actress Carrie Coon plays the mother of Trevor, a teenager trying to find his way played by Stranger Things star Finn Woldhard, and Phoebe, a way-too-smart and slightly socially awkward middle school student (think Young Sheldon) played by 15-year-old actress Mckenna Grace, who is building quite an impressive career for herself. Coon is great as the no nonsense single mom who is struggling to make ends meet, and Wolfhard and Grace share great chemistry with her. Most importantly they are believable as a family, and the two kids are very different which helps the dynamic as well. As a family they tend to “tell it like it is”, which is refreshing. I enjoyed Logan Kim as Phoebe’s friend Podcast, as well as Celeste O’Connor as Trevor’s love interest, Lucky. As you may have expected, Ghostbusters: Afterlife treats viewers to some powerhouse cameo appearances. The original Ghostbusters make an appearance, hopefully that’s not a spoiler, and it is GLORIOUS. Everything about that final scene made me so happy and so sad at the same time. We get a few other awesome cameos which I will let you discover for yourself, but we are also treated to brief supporting roles from J.K. Simmons, and Bokeem Woodbine.

The writing for Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a big reason why the movie works so well. Original writers Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis are credited, but the primary screenplay duties for the film are split between Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman. I loved how they made this feel like a direct sequel to the original 1984 and 1989 films, and I also felt like the connection they made between the two had an authentic feel that fans should appreciate. The story roars to life, and their ability to create this “lived in world” feel as we are returned to the Ghostbusters universe, is just perfection. This is as much a homage to the original film as it is a re-boot for the franchise, and I truly hope they continue things from here and see where the next generation of Ghostbusters can take us.

On the technical side of things, Ghostbusters: Afterlife left me satisfied and then some. The CGI felt like a Ghostbusters movie, which needless to say was very important. A few of the ghosts are pretty creepy, but for the most part they are more on the goofy side. The soundtrack is high energy and very much compliments the more exciting sequences. I also really enjoyed the cinematography as it brought the small town of Summerville to life. I thought the location was fitting for the story to effectively unfold as well. Filming took place in Canada, primarily in Calgary and Alberta. The farmhouse, located in a rural area of Calgary, was actually built specifically for the film.

Touching on the CGI again, the unsung heroes of this movie are without a doubt the little marshmallow men, or more accurately the “Mini Pufts”. One of the most iconic characters from the 1984 film is The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, so bringing back some mini versions of him is the kind of genius that makes for a great film. I don’t want to give anything away, but they bring a sort of Minions type vibe, and the scene with Paul Rudd where they are introduced is just too good. You may feel a bit conflicted as they are doing some extremely questionable things to each other while looking just too damn cute, but I was grinning ear to ear the entire time. Just give these guys their own movie.

THE BAD

I genuinely enjoyed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and for that reason I really don’t have many issues to talk about here. They do put extra effort into unraveling the history of the Ghostbusters which might make things feel a little slow for some viewers at times, but if you have a love for this franchise like I do you will enjoy every second of it.

I will say that as a sequel of a franchise with such a gigantic following, some of the more hardcore fans are sure to disagree with the direction of the film. And I get it, you waited essentially 30+ years for the third movie which is obviously way too long, and for that reason you wanted it to be perfect. Now no movie is perfect and as I’ve said I thought the screenplay was everything I hoped it would be, but I think some people may have been hoping for more direct tie ins to the first two films. For me the strength of the Ghostbusters films has always been the idea that something more must be going on, and you get that with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

THE VERDICT

Paving the way for a new generation of Ghostbusters while serving up a hefty dose of nostalgia for longtime fans, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a hilarious and immensely satisfying theater experience for the entire family. You will feel all of the emotions as this incredible story comes to life right before your eyes, especially when it comes to the ending. As I touched on in the review, I grew up watching these movies and I am just ecstatic to see such a legendary franchise on the forefront yet again. Do yourself a favor and see Ghostbusters: Afterlife in theaters sooner than later, because it deserves the big-screen treatment.

Just a side note, the film does feature a mid-credits scene, as well as an after the credits scene, so be sure to stick around for both.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.7/10

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now playing in theaters and IMAX. Check out the latest trailer below.

Spencer

By: Andrew Wing

Spencer is a 2021 biographical psychological drama film directed by Pablo Larraín (director of the Academy Award-nominated films No and Jackie) and written by Steven Knight (directed and wrote the films Locke and Hummingbird). The film stars Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga film series, Happiest Season) as Diana, Princess of Wales (née Spencer), and is a fictionalised account of Diana’s decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles and leave the British royal family. Jack Farthing (Poldark, Love Wedding Repeat) plays Prince Charles, while Timothy Spall (Harry Potter film series, The King’s Speech), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible - Fallout, The Green Knight - see my full review here), and Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine, The Shape of Water) also star.

Spencer had its world premiere in-competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2021. It was theatrically released in the United Kingdom and the United States on November 5, 2021.

THE GOOD

First things first, Spencer has easily been one of the movies I’ve been most excited for. This past year, I wanted to become more knowledgeable of the British royal family, so like most young adults my age looking to know more about that, I watched The Crown on Netflix. Watching that amazing show, I instantly became fascinated with Diana and just her presence and who she was beneath the surface. As soon as I saw the trailer for this, I was immediately blown away and I just couldn’t wait to watch and see if it would live up to the hype surrounding both Pablo Larraín’s direction and obviously Kristen Stewart’s performance as Princess Diana.

Well it lived up to the hype for both, but first with Larraín’s direction. Pablo Larraín just killed it with this film. He is definitely looking to get his first Best Director nomination as he brings us such a well-crafted film that takes a lot of risks with its story. With that being said, I loved the story. Larraín and writer Steven Knight definitely take a lot of creative liberties to dive into Diana’s psyche in ways that are probably not the most accurate. Yet still, they had a magnificent original screenplay that is worthy of an Oscar nomination. The story and the entire movie itself is just different from other biopics we’ve seen in the past. One thing it did differently that I liked was how the film just picked up right where they wanted to rather than wasting time going through different decades of her life and watching her take her first steps for example. It just cut right to the chase and showed the viewer what it was going for.

As for it’s chances at Best Picture, it might unfortunately be on the outside looking in just due to how strong a year it is for movies. Also, as I have said, it is by no means your conventional Oscar-bait biopic like we have seen in the past with Bohemian Rhapsody and The Post for example. There will be 10 nominees for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards and I strongly think Spencer is more than worthy of being one of those ten. It is around a subject that is of great interest to many people and it is very clear what it’s going for. The core of the film and where its heart is is very clear and the ending honestly made me choked up. The Academy definitely has a soft spot for moving films like this that make you feel good so I think that makes me really confident that it can get nominated. If you can’t tell yet, I really want it to get nominated but if it doesn’t, it will still go down as being one of the most intimate biopics I’ve ever seen. This movie really puts you right in the shoes of Diana, and we are meant to feel the same anxieties and pressures that she feels. Anxieties and pressures such as what she’s going to eat, going to wear, and where she is going to be at any point of the day, and the reason we feel that is simply because of Kristen Stewart’s performance.

Kristen Stewart was absolutely perfect and it was obvious from the first scene featuring her as Diana that she had immersed herself in this role unlike anything I’ve seen before. From the way that she carried herself to the way she moved and spoke, you could just feel every emotion she was feeling with everything that she did. She just did a perfect job at conveying Diana’s reservations and the feeling of just crawling in her skin and ultimately wanting to escape. You can go ahead and lock Stewart in for a Best Actress nomination, and I will certainly be pulling for her to win. There are still other contenders out there such as Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye and also Lady Gaga in House of Gucci that I’m sure will both be great, but there is no denying that Kristen Stewart will be a very deserving winner if she does end up taking the cake.

The best scenes of the film were hands down the ones where Diana was spending time with her two boys, William (played by Jack Nielen) and Harry (played by Freddie Spry). These scenes were just so effective, moving, and magnificent, and I love how they made it a priority to keep this at the core of the film. It adds on to why I loved the screenplay so much, but to my surprise, this film does paint a picture of a happier Diana and those were the best parts of the film for me just seeing her happy with her kids. The dialogue was also really great in this movie which I didn’t see coming. There were a lot of fascinating exchanges between Diana and the other servants around the house. Every conversation was so deep and a lot of credit goes to the supporting actors for that. I thought Sally Hawkins and Timothy Spall were great in their respective supporting roles and both are worthy of consideration when it comes to Oscar nominations in those respective categories. Also, Sean Harris really impressed me as he played more of a dramatic character than we have seen from him in the past and it just shows how talented of an actor he is.

Now, when it comes to the other elements of this film, I’ve got to mention the score that was done by Jonny Greenwood (also scored PTA films There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread). Greenwood’s score was fantastic and right now I have it right up there with Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune (see my full review here) as being the best of the year. It was so good that I have already gone ahead and added the soundtrack to my playlist on Apple Music. There is a theme in his score we get over and over again on the piano that is marvelous, and also the jazz compositions have their own quality to them that adds to the overall versatility of the score. He is easily getting nominated for Best Original Score and like I said, it’s between him and Zimmer for who will win. Greenwood also has another score likely to get nominated for the upcoming Netflix western drama film The Power of the Dog, so I’d say he is having himself quite a year.

Lastly, the look of this film was phenomenal. The cinematography from Claire Mathon was absolutely beautiful and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a period film that looks and feels as good as this did. I loved the hazy and foggy look you got and I found it to be a genius look for the film as it has a very dreamy quality to it. She should definitely be getting an Oscar nomination for cinematography this year and it would be a travesty if she were to get snubbed. Continuing on with other visuals, the costume design is superb and will obviously get nominated because the dresses Kristen Stewart wears throughout the film are very expressive and they symbolically play a role in her internal state of mind. Also, the dresses are just accurate to the ones that Diana wore in real life as she was very well known for her wardrobe. Production design is also a lock for a nomination as is makeup & hairstyling as they were both done extremely well. Let’s just say, this film will be collecting a lot of nominations come award season.

THE BAD

To be quite honest, I didn’t find anything bad about Spencer. The only thing I guess you could say is that it was a little bit obvious when it came to where this movie was going to end up, but hey I loved where it ended up and I’m not going to critique that. Also, and this isn’t a bad thing, but the screenplay completely cuts around all the important details that we know about Diana’s life, and it almost expects you to understand a little bit of context around them and takes no time to explain her life to you. So with that said, it would definitely help going in to know just a little bit about her life.

I also wanted to discuss the differences between how Spencer is done compared to other movies/shows dealing with Diana and the British royal family. Spencer is very different from other adaptations such as the 2006 film The Queen and the Netflix series The Crown. The reason being because Spencer is really not interested in the Royal family as it is much more interested in the impact it has on Diana as an individual inside that system. It just doesn’t feel obligated to tell the story that people are familiar with, so if that’s what you’re going for, you might have to realign your expectations.

THE VERDICT

Without a doubt in my mind, Spencer is one of the best films of the year and I was totally blown away by it. It features a stunning, transformative lead performance from Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. More than that though, we also get Greenwood's score and Mathon's cinematography which were both equally beautiful. The direction from Pablo Larraín combined with the story from Steven Knight gave us what I felt to be an amazing tribute to Diana. A tribute that will move you in more ways than one as it is a focused, distressing portrayal of someone who was not just a member of the royal family, but rather somebody who stood on her own who gets the ending in this film that we all feel she deserved.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.3/10

Spencer is now playing only in select theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Red Notice

Red Notice is a 2021 action comedy written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. Thurber may not be a household name, but his feature-film directorial debut Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, has reached cult classic status. If you haven’t seen that movie, you either live under a rock or hate movies, perhaps both. He also directed the 2013 comedy We’re the Millers, as well as the action comedy Central Intelligence (2016), starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, and the action thriller Skyscraper (2018), also starring Dwayne Johnson.

When an Interpol-issued Red Notice, the highest level warrant to hunt and capture the world's most wanted goes out, the FBI's top profiler John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is on the case. His global pursuit finds him smack dab in the middle of a daring heist where he's forced to partner with the world's greatest art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds) in order to catch the world's most wanted art thief, "The Bishop" (Gal Gadot).

The full cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Ritu Arya, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Ivan Mbakop.

Red Notice was originally set to release exclusively in theaters by Universal Pictures, but Netflix acquired the distribution rights on July 8th, 2019, with the film set to hit theaters November 5th before makings its debut on the streaming service November 12th.

THE GOOD

I was admittedly concerned going into see this movie because of all the negative feedback that it received, more or less expecting a lazy cash grab with big names for that reason. I made sure to see it in theaters so that I would get the full affect, and I have to say I had a blast with this movie. I don’t know if critics are just upset about the conspiracy that is daylight savings time, or maybe they are just angry about gas prices, which in that case I get it. But between Eternals (full review here), and Red Notice, movies are getting unfairly bashed, and in turn limiting how many people are making their way out to the theaters, which really is too bad. I was entertained from start to finish, I laughed out loud several times, and more than anything else I had a ton of fun with this movie.

The story was intriguing and kept me on my toes, always wanting to see what was going to happen next. By the end I felt like I was on a wild ride, and the finale which is the perfect setup for a sequel actually felt satisfying instead of making me feel like this movie was just a springboard for the next. I mean sure, I didn’t walk out of the theater blown away by a crazy storyline or a performance I knew would take home an Oscar, but I walked out fully satisfied and pleased that I ignored the negative reviews and gave this movie a chance. This is an action comedy that does a really nice job blending all of the necessary elements making for a very well-rounded and extremely entertaining experience. Most of all I really enjoyed the relationship and non-stop banter between Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, two of my favorite actors working today.

On the technical side of things Red Notice does a really nice job and keeps things in the positive column. I thought the cinematography was great for this type of movie, the camera work was creative and helped to keep that stylish vibe they were going for, and the action sequences were a blast and often hilarious. Rawson Marshall Thurber did a nice job behind the camera, and maintained what seemed to be an enjoyable working environment throughout production judging by the interviews I have watched. I especially enjoyed a fight scene between Reynolds, Johnson, and Gadot, which had me smiling ear to ear. I really liked the high energy soundtrack, and thought composer Steve Jablonsky did a great job. The soundtrack, which closes out the film with Notorious B.I.G. which is definitely a statement move, also includes music from Ed Sheeran (who also has a funny cameo, sorry in advance if you consider that a spoiler), Beastie Boys, and Tony Hatch’s timeless classic song, Downtown.

The cast is without question the primary driving force for this movie, and that tends to be the case when you have three big name actors like this. By no means are we treated with any career defining performances, but everyone holds their own and brings enough to the movie to warrant their involvement. I also thought the overall chemistry was fantastic, and it was obvious they had a great time working on this movie. Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson get the majority of the screen-time, and I could honestly watch these two all day. That’s not weird, by the way. Reynolds is the comic relief, with the majority of his jokes coming at the expense of Johnson’s character. You will often find yourself concerned about Reynolds and his well being, because well, Johnson is a very, very big man. Gal Gadot is as beautiful and talented as ever, and she does a great job staying one step ahead of Reynolds and Johnson. I was always curious how you properly pronounce her last name, and according to the internet it is pronounced “Guh-dot”, meaning the T is in fact NOT silent which surprised me. You learn something new everyday. I really enjoyed Ritu Arya’s role as the relentless Interpol agent. Most people will recognize her as Lila Pitts in The Umbrella Academy.

Even though Red Notice is now streaming on Netflix, people are still taking advantage of the theater experience which truly warms my heart. A group of people walked out of the theater ahead of me and started talking about how much they enjoyed the movie, and it just brought me back to the pre-pandemic days which is a good feeling. I was a little late seeing it so I was in the theater the day it made its debut on Netflix, and I was impressed with how many people were in the theater. All kidding aside, a movie like this will be best in theaters as far as the action sequences, but whether you watch it in theaters or at home, I think you’ll genuinely enjoy it. Red Notice is a popcorn flick through and through, and I really don’t see how that is a bad thing.

THE BAD

As you’ve likely gleaned from the review so far, yeah I used the word gleaned, this movie is a blast but it is not without its issues. Most glaring in my opinion is the issues with the writing. With a cast like this, the sky is the limit. At the same time, you live and die by how well you utilize such a talented cast. For the most part things come together pretty well, but opportunities were squandered as it relates to the chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds as their relationship developed throughout the film. At times it seemed forced, and I felt like they struggled to effectively develop the complex relationship between the two as far as their respective upbringings and how they became who they are, which was an important element of the story arch between the two leads. I will also point out that the plot twists may have played a part in this, so if I am unfairly criticizing my guy RMT (Rawson Marshall Thurber, of course), I apologize in advance.

Also the storyline itself is not without its flaws if you really try and pick it apart. Some of the plot twists feel a bit forced, although they did catch me off guard each time. Perhaps I am slipping in my old age, but that is a conversation for another day. But with that being said, Red Notice is an action comedy first, and heist flick second. And in my humble opinion, that’s more than okay. You can enjoy the cool twists and turns while still maintaining that popcorn entertainment element that allows you the opportunity to just sit back, relax, and take it all in. Sometimes with a movie, what more could you ask for?

THE VERDICT

An infectious action comedy packed full of plot twists and great one-liners, Red Notice takes full advantage of a star-studded cast and is absolutely deserving of a sequel. I genuinely enjoyed this movie, and I’m having a hard time understanding why most critics had such an issue with it. Was the bar set too high because of the cast? Were they expecting another Ocean’s Eleven? I really don’t get it. I mean sure, Thurber isn’t exactly Scorsese, but I think as a director he does pretty damn well for himself, and clearly he’s fun to work with considering this is the 3rd time Dwayne Johnson has collaborated with him. Bottom line, I’m looking forward to repeat viewings so I can continue to appreciate all the humor and just the pure fun that is Red Notice. I personally saw the movie in theaters, which is of course the best way to see it in my opinion, but if you prefer to watch from the comfort of your couch, no judgment here. Just enjoy and you can thank me later.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.8/10

Red Notice is now playing in theaters and streaming on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

The French Dispatch

By: Andrew Wing

The French Dispatch is a 2021 anthology film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola (son of the director of The Godfather trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola), Hugo Guinness (worked with Anderson on the story for The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Jason Schwartzman (has starred in seven Anderson films including this one). The film stars an ensemble cast, featuring Benicio del Toro (Traffic, Sicario), Adrien Brody (The Pianist, King Kong), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading), Léa Seydoux (Inglourious Basterds, No Time to Die), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Nomadland), Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name, Dune), Lyna Khoudri (Papicha, Gagarine), Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games films, Westworld), Mathieu Amalric (Munich, Quantum of Solace), Stephen Park (Do the Right Thing, Fargo), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters, Lost in Translation), and Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, Midnight in Paris).

Its plot follows three different storylines as the French foreign bureau of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper creates its final issue. Additional cast members in The French Dispatch include Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ray Donovan), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Florida Project), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, Little Women), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Invisible Man), Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, Marie Antoinette), Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained), and Anjelica Huston (The Witches, The Addams Family).

The project was first mentioned in August 2018 as an untitled musical set after World War II. That December, the film was officially announced, with Anderson calling it a “love letter to journalists.” Filming took place between November 2018 and March 2019, with cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman (Bridesmaids, The Grand Budapest Hotel), in the city of Angoulême, France. During post-production, editing was completed by Andrew Weisblum (The Wrestler, Black Swan) and the musical score was composed by Alexandre Desplat (won the Academy Award for Best Original Score on the films The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water).

Following a delay from 2020, The French Dispatch had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on October 22, 2021.

THE GOOD

When it comes to film for the year 2021, The French Dispatch was easily one of the most anticipated films of the year with it coming from one of the most successful directors working today, Wes Anderson. For me personally, it was right up there with Dune (see my full review here) in terms of my level of excitement, so it was only fitting that they had the same U.S. release date. Add in the larger than life cast consisting of the who’s who of Hollywood right now, and I was chomping at the bit to see if Wes Anderson could do the unthinkable. The unthinkable being if he could possibly make an even better film than his last live-action film, The Grand Budapest Hotel that collected 9 nominations at the 87th Academy Awards, and won three. So now you’ll just have to read and find out to see if he did!

The main attraction with The French Dispatch outside of Wes Anderson, is undoubtedly the ensemble cast. Anderson is used to having these crazy star-studded casts, but with this film, he went another route in terms of how he was going to portray them all. That different route being an anthology film featuring three different stories. I have to say, I really liked how the film was broken down into three different parts because it gave all of the big names in this movie their time to shine. Now this unique format for Anderson wasn’t perfect, and I’ll touch on that later in the review, but it was still very effective. Obviously, some of the all-stars in this cast don’t get as much screen time and rather serve just as cameos, but nonetheless it was still great to see stars like Saoirse Ronan and Christoph Waltz even if it was just a cameo.

The way the film was structured was just awesome, and just to give you reading this some food for thought, the film begins with some introduction to the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper, before diving into the three stories. The first story deals with an artist who has been sentenced to life imprisonment and features Benicio del Toro, Léa Seydoux, Adrien Brody, and Tilda Swinton. The second story deals with student riots and its main players are Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, and Lyna Khoudri. And lastly, the third story follows a kidnapping that gets resolved by a chef and that features Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, and Stephen Park.

The first story was easily my favorite as we saw Benicio del Toro really stand out from the rest of the cast as he played the artist serving life imprisonment. Continuing with the first story, I also really enjoyed both Adrien Brody and Tilda Swinton a lot as they were both downright hilarious at times. My favorite duo though came in the second story with two of my favorite actors period in Frances McDormand and Timothée Chalamet as I loved their chemistry. I would love for this not to be the last time the two of them share the screen together because it was just a blast to watch.

All three stories, and the movie as a whole was very funny and it obviously features a good amount of that classic witty Wes Anderson dialogue that we have come to expect in all of his films. Lastly, despite Bill Murray not being featured in any of the stories, he is still the most prominent figure in the non-story scenes with his character being the editor of the paper, and let me just say that I never get tired of him. He is one of the funniest actors we have ever seen and his comedic delivery just goes hand-in-hand with Wes Anderson’s writing.

When it comes to the best part of The French Dispatch, it has got to be the production design. The production design is simply off the charts. The amount of effort and detail that Wes Anderson and his team put in for just one single shot that lasts for maybe three or four seconds is unfathomable. It will easily get a nomination for Best Production Design at the 94th Academy Awards, and I would put my money on it to win because it is that good. Along with that, the visuals don’t end there as both the costumes are really good and the cinematography is gorgeous. The film is sort of told half in color and half in black and white, and both looks were excellent. The film is just so incredibly well done from its blocking, to the movement, to the positioning of the actors within the frame in every scene, and is just an absolute treat with its delicious aesthetics. It's easily one of the most meticulous films I’ve ever seen as every inch of every shot is just so satisfying to look at.

Not only does the film look amazing, but it also sounds really good as well with the score done by Alexandre Desplat. Desplat is just great and all of his scores he has done in the past in Wes Anderson films have been among his best and that is the case here as he will be looking to attain yet another nomination for Best Original Score. He just knows how to make a very fun and enjoyable score and it’s no surprise that he is considered one of the best composers in the industry today.

THE BAD

Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this film as Wes Anderson just flexes his muscles with every aspect of it. To be honest though, the movie was sometimes kind of overwhelming just with so much going on visually as well as the fast-paced dialogue and also the storylines that were a little overcomplicated. I was fine with the visual overstimulation as I just love me some sick visuals, but when it came to the convoluted plot especially in the third story, it was frustrating and definitely took away some points.

My biggest issue with the film has got to be just its anthology structure. I liked it because we got to see all of the big names attached, but it was definitely a head-scratching decision from Wes Anderson to do it that way because he has never done an anthology before. He usually sticks with the comedy-drama genre for his films, and I don’t know why he went away from that because with the anthology structure and the three different stories, we don’t get a central arch that goes through one character. With no central story arch, we really don’t get any strong climactic moments that all great movies have. Because of that, it was just tough to truly care about any of these characters as nobody really makes a lasting impression, and that’s not what you want with these big ensemble casts.

Lastly, the first story was my favorite, the second story was my second favorite, and the third and final story was my least favorite. I think that descending order is probably not the best order to present this movie in and I think it hurts the viewing experience as a whole.

THE VERDICT

Despite it not being Wes Anderson’s best as he goes off the beaten path with an anthology film that features a convoluted plot with no true climax, The French Dispatch is still a really fun movie you will have a consistently good time with. There is not a single scene to be bored by as we get in my opinion, Wes Anderon’s most visually stunning and eye-popping film yet.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.7/10

The French Dispatch is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Eternals

By: Ted Trafton & Andrew Wing

Eternals is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), preceded by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (see our full review here). The film was directed by Chloé Zhao (director of the Best Picture winning film Nomadland, that we also reviewed), who wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo. It stars an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians, Captain Marvel) as Sersi, Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Stuber) as Kingo, Lia McHugh (Totem, The Lodge) as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Godzilla vs. Kong) as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff (The Walking Dead, Sound of Metal) as Makkari, Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, American Animals) as Druig, Don Lee (Train to Busan) as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Changeling) as Thena, Salma Hayek (Frida, Grown Ups), as Ajak, Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) as Dane Whitman, and Harish Patel as Karun, Kingo’s human valet. In the film, the Eternals, an immortal alien race, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their ancient counterparts, the Deviants.

In April 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that a film based on the Eternals had begun development, with Ryan and Kaz Firpo hired to write the script in May. Zhao was set to direct the film by late September, and was given significant creative freedom with the film, which resulted in filming on location more than previous MCU films. Zhao re-wrote the screenplay, which Burleigh was later reported to have also contributed to. Principal photography took place from July 2019 to February 2020, at Pinewood Studios as well as on location in London and Oxford, England, and in the Canary Islands.

Eternals premiered at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on October 18, 2021, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 5, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.

THE GOOD

From Andrew’s perspective…

Similar to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, I was skeptical about Eternals at first once I heard they were going to be making a feature film on these characters. Obviously not every Marvel movie can be focused on the main Avengers, but I just didn’t get that same level of excitement due to me not knowing much or anything about these characters. However, after seeing Nomadland, the 2020 neo-Western drama film directed by Chloé Zhao that won her Best Director and also Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards, how could I not be excited about the fact that Zhao’s next project was going to be a Marvel film. That is just such a big get for Kevin Feige and Marvel to have Zhao’s expertise and level of filmmaking skills a part of this universe, and she did not disappoint with her MCU debut. Zhao’s vision definitely came through in this film, as you can see it with her tenderness and attention to detail. It was unlike any other Marvel movie I have ever seen with its different approach to themes and its next-level cinematography and all visuals in general. 

The film truly looked amazing. Did it look as good as Nomadland? Maybe not. But was it one of Marvel’s best movies visually? I would say 100% yes! I knew after seeing the trailer for Eternals that we were going to get some stunning visuals, but watching it up close and personal on the big screen was still breathtaking. Even the visual effects on the Celestials and the Deviants looked awesome and were even pretty scary if I’m being completely honest. Also, the action scenes were very well filmed which is no surprise when you are dealing with a Marvel movie.

Continuing on with things I loved about Eternals, the next on the list has got to be the world building we get with this. World building is so vital when you are dealing with new entries into the MCU, especially when the audience does not know much about the players involved, but Zhao and her team of writers I thought did a fabulous job developing all ten of the Eternals and giving each one of them their own relationship with humanity. I was just completely immersed in the story, and we will touch on this later in the review, but I honestly liked that it was a little complicated at times because it kept my mind sharp. The worst thing that can happen when you’re watching a movie is when you just check out mentally, and that was not the case with Eternals.

As I mentioned earlier, I was very pleased with Zhao’s approach to numerous themes that was unlike anything we have seen in an MCU movie before. With every MCU movie prior to this, the main objective has been to defeat the bad guy and preserve life on Earth. With this, you still get that for the most part, but it comes at a greater cost for the Eternals themselves as they must go against their beliefs that the Celestials have instilled in them. I just really liked how Zhao showed us how each character’s struggle was slightly different from the others and just how the movie offered the audience some deeper questions about life. Questions such as: What is the purpose of humanity? Why are we here, and do we deserve to be?

Last but not least, when it comes to things I enjoyed about Eternals, we have got to talk about the performances. I honestly enjoyed everyone’s performances in this. I felt like Gemma Chan and Richard Madden were both a bit stiff at times, but they very well just could’ve been playing their Eternal-selves, so I’m not going to critique them too much there. I probably had a three-way tie for my favorite performance, so I might as well just hit on all of them real quick. First with Barry Keoghan as Druig. His character Druig is isolated from the rest of the Eternals as he has a difference in thinking when it comes to using his powers on humans, but I thought Keoghan did a superb job at showing us with his performance why his character is the way he is. Secondly, Kumail Nanjiani was awesome as the comedic relief in this film as he is responsible for most of the laughs I had. Well him and his human valet Karun who is a fan-favorite for sure. Kumail is another great addition to the MCU with him being undoubtedly one of the funniest actors working today. Lastly, I loved Lauren Ridloff’s performance as Makkari. Ridloff herself is deaf, as is her character in this making Makkari the first deaf superhero in the MCU. I was just so impressed with how well she can act and express her emotions without any words involved.

From Ted’s perspective…

Just to provide a bit of context, before the initial announcement of Eternals and the release of the first trailer I had very little understanding of who these Marvel superheroes were. I’m not a comic book guy, so I usually get roped in once a movie or series is made. I actually first heard about the movie when I read an article about how actor Kumail Nanjiani, who I knew from the HBO series Silicon Valley, was getting shredded for his role in the film. Eternals is finally here, and early feedback has been mixed to say the least which admittedly had me a little concerned heading in to the theater. So, was it a dud or a future addition to my slowly expanding Ultra 4K Blu-ray collection? Keep reading and find out.

I know the suspense is killing you at this point so I will cut to the chase, I really enjoyed Eternals. It had a very balanced cast ranging from A-list actors to some up-and-coming talent, incredible visuals, beautiful cinematography, top-notch CGI and special effects, and one heck of an exhilarating final sequence. The fact that I had very little knowledge of who the Eternals actually were allowed me the opportunity to immerse myself in the overall backstory, and it was a very satisfying ride. The humanistic element of the characters was an extremely captivating element of the film in my personal opinion, making it feel surprisingly grounded in reality considering they are superheroes who have been around for thousands of years. The cinematography was on another level with so many really cool locations throughout the film. More than a few times I just wanted to jump through the screen and experience it for myself, especially Babylon, which I learned is a historical ancient city in Mesopotamia, located in present-day Iraq. The Iraq part is less enticing, but it looked truly amazing in the film.

The writing felt authentic, allowing each character the opportunity to develop and by the end of the film I felt an attachment to each character in varying degrees. I feel like that can be a difficult accomplishment especially with so many “main” characters. The two and a half hour plus run-time felt well paced without any a wasted sequences. I enjoyed the entire movie from start to finish, but my favorite story arch was that of the previously mentioned Nanjiani, who plays the character Kingo. He provides the majority of the comic relief as expected, and I thought he was hilarious along with his valet Karun, played by Harish Patel. If the two of them were on-screen together, odds were good that I was laughing, or at the very least had a big smile on my face. They were easily my favorite characters, just such a fun dynamic. As far as the film itself and how things came together, the finale was absolutely next level and just so much fun to experience. I was on the edge of my seat right up until the mid credits and post credit scene. Bottom line, director Chloé Zhao deserves a ton of credit for what she was able to accomplish. She is the real deal.

Acting is definitely a big strength for Eternals, and its not so much that it was always perfect, but more so that the cast is so well balanced and everyone played their characters very well. I already talked about Nanjiani and Patel, who were fantastic, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest name in the film is easily Angelina Jolie, who plays Thena. I thought she was fantastic, and within 30 minutes she was no longer the larger than life actress and just became her character, which was huge. Another big name is the versatile actress Salma Hayek in the role of Ajak. I thought she did a great job as well and had a big impact on the film and the story.

My guy Brian Tyree Henry was crucial as far as the dynamic of the characters in his role of Phastos. He sort of took on that Iron Man role where he ended up having a little more to live for, and I thought that added a ton to the story. I first became a fan of Henry in the FX series Atlanta, and he has proven himself to be a very talented actor. I also really liked American Animals actor Barry Keoghan, who played a very complex character and did a really nice job with it. Gemma Chan and Richard Madden were fantastic, and had great on-screen chemistry. Ma Dong-seok was hilarious, Lia McHugh made her presence known as usual, Kit Harington was great, Bill Skarsgård was awesome as usual, Lauren Ridloff was a very pleasant surprise as she really took charge toward the end of the film, and we are also treated to a great cameo in the mid-credits scene but I will let you experience that for yourself.

THE BAD

From Andrew’s perspective…

To my surprise, and I’m sure many other MCU fans, Eternals has been, for lack of a better word, bashed by critics more than any MCU film in recent years. The main things I’ve seen being criticized are its exposition, pacing, runtime, and lack of character development. While I’m not as mad about these things as other critics, I find it only right to discuss why I understand these critiques, but ultimately why I was okay with it for the most part.

The reason for the critiques being centered around exposition, pacing, and runtime are simply because the film is extremely ambitious, some calling it overambitious. I mean we have ten new characters that need to be introduced and that they are trying to get the audience to feel emotionally attached to, so to do that you need exposition on the existential stuff that moviegoers don’t know much about. The heavy exposition definitely takes away from the action that most MCU fans want and need, but I liked the amount of exposition we got because we NEEDED it with all these new faces. And despite the film’s lack of action, I thought both the middle battle scene that takes place in the woods and obviously the finale made up for it as they were amazing to say the least.

I don’t understand the complaint about the 157 minute runtime for Eternals, because Avengers: Endgame was 181 minutes long and I didn’t see anybody having a problem with that when it came out. As for the lack of character development complaints, I totally agree with that. As I said earlier, I do think that they did a good job giving us the basics about them, but there is no denying that we could and should have gotten more. Yes, it might have added to its already long runtime, but I wouldn’t have minded one bit. The films lack of character development makes it really hard for me to disagree with the notion that this project might have been better suited as a Disney+ series, just so the characters could have gotten flushed out more, but at the end of the day, this needed to be a feature film and I still had a blast with it.

Lastly, and this is one thing that I haven’t seen a lot of from other critics, but is just my personal opinion after watching this, and that is that Marvel needs to improve on their film scores. I know we obviously have the great Avengers theme that we get every time the opening credits roll, but after watching a film like Dune (see my full review) where the movie was almost carried by its score, I just felt that Marvel needs their movies to have something like that. We know they can afford it, but I strongly believe that a score done by a great composer could have helped this movie tremendously and I really want to see Kevin Feige and Marvel try to improve and take advantage of that for the remainder of Phase Four and so on.

From Ted’s perspective…

I agree with Andrew 100%. The bar is high for anything with Marvel attached to it which is understandable, but to be completely honest, I had very few serious issues with this movie. Surely part of the reason for that is the simple fact that the majority of the initial feedback for the film was disheartening to say the least which did lower my expectations, but as someone who considers himself to be a sort of anti-critic, I always relish the opportunity to prove the Rotten Tomatoes crowd wrong. It may feel a little different compared to most Marvel films as it takes a much more humanistic approach, and it may feel a bit slow at points to some because it is in fact an origin story, but the bottom line is that Eternals is a very good movie. Andrew is also correct as he referenced the lack of deeper character development, but I expect we may get more of that in the next movie. I would happily see this in theaters a second time even if just for the experience alone, and will definitely be picking up the 4K Blu-ray when it releases.

THE VERDICT

From Andrew’s perspective…

While I definitely see why some people had problems with Eternals as it bites off maybe a little bit more than it can chew as it is very ambitious, I feel it should rather be getting a lot of credit for that.

The 26th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes from the brilliant mind of the award-winning Chloé Zhao and she gives us a genuinely ambitious Marvel film unlike any other we have seen before with its unmatched visuals, themes revolving around humanity that will entice all viewers, and numerous terrific performances from its star studded ensemble cast.

Oh and one more thing, the credit scenes are wild in the best way possible and teach us that whenever you think the MCU can’t get any better, it can!

From Ted’s perspective…

A rare genuinely intimate superhero experience thanks to the talented Chloé Zhao, complete with her trademark incredible cinematography as well as the top-notch action sequences we have come to expect from Marvel, Eternals was the theater experience I was hoping for and then some. Do yourself a favor and ignore the out of touch critics who wouldn’t know a good movie if it bit them in the rear end, and see Eternals in theaters sooner than later. If they don’t let Zhao direct the sequel, get your signs ready and put your protesting shoes on!!

TED TAKES RATING - 8.4/10

Eternals is now playing in theaters and IMAX. Check out the latest trailer below.