Musical

Sing 2

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Sing 2
  • IMDb: link

The sequel to 2016’s fun, but largely forgettable, animated musical returns the core cast (Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Saunders, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, and Nick Kroll) to follow their dreams again, this time to the big city where the execs (Bobby Cannavale and Chelsea Peretti) are only interested in them if they can get legendary rock star Clay Calloway (Bono), who no one has seen in 15 years since the loss of his wife, as part of the show. Joining them this time around are street-dancing lynx (Letitia Wright) who teaches Johnny, an elephant ice-cream vendor (Pharrell Williams) who catches the eye of Meena, and a self-centered yak (Eric André).

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Elvis

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Elvis
  • IMDb: link

No one can be told what Elvis is. You must see it for yourself. Now, to be clear, I cannot recommend Elvis to anyone. That said, I selfishly want people to see one of the most bizarre movie experiences I have ever had in a theater, if only so I can discuss what I still can’t quite put into words. What I witnessed, nearly three hours worth, simply defies description. It’s a mesmerizing train wreck of a film that makes psychotic choices in character, tone, and plot with disastrous results. And, yet, I couldn’t look away.

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Josie and the Pussycats

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Josie and the Pussycats
  • IMDb: link

“Du Jour means seat belts.”

I’m still waiting for a Du Jour spinoff. Even 20 years after its release, 2001’s adaptation of the Archie Comics series and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon is simply a delight. A satirical take on pop culture and consumerism underneath a tale of a band’s meteoric rise to the top of the pop charts, Josie and the Pussycats was well before its time carving out a cult status in the years since its lukewarm reception in theaters.

Following the plane crash of the delightful boy band Du Jour (Donald Faison, Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, and Alexander Martin), who discover something unexpected when listening to their latest mix tracks, their manipulative promoter (Alan Cumming) seeks another band to hide subliminal messages within their music and so we meet the Pussycats: Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), Melody (Tara Reid), and Val (Rosario Dawson).

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West Side Story

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: West Side Story (2021)
  • IMDb: link

It’s been 60 years since Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise gave us their award-winning adaptation of Robbins’ stage musical West Side Story. That’s a long time to wait for a remake. Enter Steven Spielberg to create a new version which may last for the next 60 years in a throwback musical that should delight both old and new fans.

Choosing to keep to the play’s original timeline, the opening feels a bit dated, but that is quickly excused for the vibrant spectacle Spielberg offers complete with large-scale song and dance numbers. The director also gives us a talented cast that avoids the whitewashing of Maria from 60s film by casting Rachel Zegler in the role who, along with Ariana DeBose as Anita, are the movie’s real stand-outs. The only casting I question is Ansel Elgort in the role of Tony who looks like a lumbering catalog model completely out of place compared to the rougher characters making up the competing gangs of the Sharks and the Jets.

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Encanto

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Encanto
  • IMDb: link

Encanto introduces us to the magical Family Madrigal, living together in a magical house in a small town in a hidden valley from the dangers of the outside world. When reaching the appropriate age, each child of the family is gifted with a special power. That is, each member of the family except our main character Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). 

More notable for its cultural perspective and its eclectic characters than its plot, Encanto struggles a bit early finding its rhythm before picking up momentum, both in story and in the strength of the songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, as Mirabel attempts to save the family from a threat no one else sees. It’s a solid film, whose final act outshines the rest of the movie and (in typical Disney fashion) offers a nice moral for kids who are obviously the target audience for the film.

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