Dumbo 2019 Preview

Disney is continuing its recent movie trend of live-action remakes of their animated classics with 2019's Dumbo.  This will be Disney's 11th live-action remake following hits like Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Jungle Book, and Christopher Robin, though Christopher Robin was actually a live-action continuance rather than a remake.  And they won't be slowing down any time soon with previews already leaked out for Aladdin, The Lion King and Little Mermaid.  And each one of these live-action movies gets more and more realistic and close to a perfectly imperceptible blend of CGI and actual actors and animals.

After a long string of weird, wonderful, fantastic and bizarrely beautifully haunting movies, Director Tim Burton has been somewhat quiet in the last several years.  He directed Big Eyes in 2014 and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in 2016 and produced Alice Through the Looking Glass in 2016, but this is the one Burton fans and Disney fans alike have been anticipating for years now since it was first announced he would be taking on the project.  

To add to the cornucopia of delicious movie making ingredients, Burton has reunited with stars Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito for the first time since he directed them both in Batman Returns in 1992.  

Dumbo is the story of an baby elephant born into the circus with comically large ears.  He is unwelcome by the other elephants.  During a parade in town, a group of boys tease Dumbo incessantly to the point that his mother must defend him.  For her protective instincts, she is locked away as a dangerous elephant.  Dumbo is alone save for his only friend Timothy Q. Mouse who is determined to look after the pachyderm.   Timothy is able to convince the circus ringmaster to let Dumbo be the top of the elephant pyramid, but he trips over his own ears causing harm to the other elephants.  

The next morning, Timothy and Dumbo wake up in a tree.  A group of crows convinces them that Dumbo flew up there.  Back at the circus, Dumbo's newest trick is to jump from a burning building to be caught by clown firemen as he plummets into a tub of water.  With the aide of a black crow feather and the encouraging words of Timothy, Dumbo flies through the circus instead of plunging into the water.  Dumbo becomes an overnight sensation and the star of the show.  He and his mother are reunited and given a private luxury car on the circus train with Timothy as his manager.

In the live-action preview, we get a peek at a character who looks to be Timothy Q. Mouse, but it's pretty clear from the peek that he will not be performing the same role he did in the original cartoon.  Instead, it is a pair of children who discover Dumbo in a pile of hay.  While there are allusions to similarities to the original film, it is also clear that this will be a very different version of Dumbo.  One thing is for sure, though: the scene that made everyone cry in the cartoon will be there in the live action as Dumbo and his mother share a tender moment outside of her prison cell.  The famous song from the cartoon is Baby Mine.  The preview has a hauntingly beautiful version playing as only Burton's best music buddy Danny Elfman could compose.  

In this version, Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) was a big circus star until he went off to fight in the war.  He did not return the same man.  Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists Holt's assistance in watching after Dumbo, the newborn elephant with giant ears who is the laughing stock of the struggling circus.  When Holt's children discover that Dumbo can fly, entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) and circus aerial acrobat Colette Marchant (Eva Green) show up to make the big-eared wonder a super star.

The animation looks nearly flawless.  Burton and Elfman are nearly flawless, especially when they work together.  And having Keaton and DeVito back together is just perfectly fantastic waiting to happen.  I've been excited to see this movie for a long time now and I'm giving an enthusiastic 4.5 Star Prediction to Dumbo.  I think it will be well worth the money in the theatre, one I'll want to see again and again and will definitely add to my collection as soon as I can.  So, am I right?  We shall see.  

Green Book Review

3.0 Stars

Green Book, winner of Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, is the story of an unlikely pair on tour in the deep South of the United States in 1962.  Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) was a nightclub bouncer from the Bronx.  Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) was an African-American classical pianist originally from Pensacola, Florida.  

Shirley, leaving the comfort of his deluxe suite above Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, was to embark on a tour with his Trio in the deep South.  The nightclub where Vallelonga worked as a bouncer was closing for renovations.  Vallelonga is tough, simple, loving, and street-smart though not book-smart, and he is extremely good at what he does.  Shirley is gentle, refined, educated, and acutely aware of the dangers his chosen tour path presents to he and his band members.  He is also exceptional at what he does.  After reluctance and negotiations, Vallelonga agrees to drive and look after Shirley on his tour of the South.

Before I go too much further into this review of Green Book, I feel compelled to remind you of my rating scale and what the stars mean.  I rate the movies I watch on three factors: the accuracy of the preview that lead you to watch the movie, the movie in and of itself, and (most importantly) the likelihood that I will watch the movie again and own the movie in my personal collection.  With that in mind, please continue reading my review.

The phrase Green Book refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide used by African Americans for safe travels through the deep south in the 1960s.  It had a list of roads, hotels and restaurants that were friendly and safe for African Americans in an otherwise hostile and unwelcoming part of the country.  Though Green Book is based on a true story, it felt very much like a John Hughes movie from the 80s, namely Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  While Shirley and Vallelonga fought against each other along the way, and endured violence and racist hatred, there were plenty of endearing and humorous moments as well.

Early in the film, Vallelonga stops at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kentucky.  In the car, he offers Shirley a piece of the fried chicken, which he disgustingly refuses.  Confused, Vallelonga comments that "you people love fried chicken".  Unmoved, Shirley responds, "You have a very narrow view of who I am."  Vallelonga takes is as a compliment to his sharp observational skills.  Moments later, Shirley has acquiesced and consumes the greasy delicious chicken. 

The acting performances by Ali and Mortensen were definitely Oscar-worthy.  They were honest and believable.  We got to see how both of their particular views matured and evolved by the others' influence throughout the course of the tour.   Shirley never gives up on refining and educating Vallelonga, while Tony continues to chip away at the overly prim and proper shield put up by Dr. Shirley.  At one point on the road, Vallelonga is penning a note to his wife.  Shirley reads the first line and puts it down critiquing it as pathetic.  He then takes on the role of Cyrano de Bergerac, giving him the eloquent poetic words that bring his wife to tears.  

Mortensen was nominated for his leading role as "Tony Lip".  Ali won his second Oscar for his role as Dr. Shirley, his first win was in 2017 for his performance in Moonlight.  Green Book also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  I commented in my preview that while the movie looked touching, gut-wrenching and smartly humorous, it wasn't a preview that I saw and immediately though of as an Oscar-contender.  Based on it's Oscar wins and recommendations from family and peers, I raised my expectations and gave Green Book an anticipatory 4 Star Prediction.  For me, I enjoyed it, though I thought it was slow at times.  I thought what Dr. Shirley endured was sad and embarrassing.  I thought it was humorous, almost too humorous at times that overshadowed just how serious the topic of racial prejudice was trying to be covered.  Again, it felt like if John Hughes made a movie today: it knocks you down with a healthy dose of reality, but picks you right back up with humor.  It draws you in with believable and well-acted characters who develop through the movie and have great relationships, and then ties it up with a pretty bow with a heart-warming feel-good ending.  

While it was a good story, based on real events, and Mortensen and Ali gave fantastic performances well worthy of their nomination and win, I don't quite agree with Green Book winning Best Picture of the Year.  For me, seeing it was enjoyable, but once was enough.  I probably wouldn't stop on it flipping through the channels, I wouldn't rent it, and I won't be owning it.  With that in mind, I'm lowing my rating to 3.0 Stars.  I wasn't exactly disappointed, just felt it didn't live up to the hype.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Green Book Preview

Green Book, winner of Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, is the story of an unlikely pair on tour in the deep South of the United States in 1962.  They say it's always darkest before the dawn and the 1960s were some of the darkest in the country's history for racial discrimination.  

While the nightclub where he works as a bouncer was closed for renovations, Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) reluctantly accepts a job offer to provide security for an African-American classical pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on his tour through the South.  Vallelonga is tough, ignorant and simple, but he's good at what he does.  Shirley is classy, sophisticated and intelligent, and he's exceptional at what he does.  It is clear from the beginning that these two men have nothing in common.  In the preview, Vallelonga offers Shirley a piece of fried chicken which he disgustingly declines.  Confused, Vallelonga comments that "you people love fried chicken."  Unmoved, Shirley responds, "You have a very narrow view of who I am."  Vallelonga takes it as a complement to his sharp observational skills.  

The phrase Green Book refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a sort of guide for safe travels for African Americans through the deep South.  Even with the guide, they both know they are in for trouble on their tour, but the full extent of how ugly people with hatred in their soul can be soon became a brutal reality.  In one scene in the preview, the two are pulled over by the police.  Vallelonga, trying to protect his client the way he knows to do, decks one of the officers and they end up in jail.  Shirley is heard giving sage advice: "You never win with violence.  You only win when you maintain your dignity."

It is a difficult topic, an embarrassing time in our history, and Green Book is based on a true story.  As uncomfortable as it is, the unique and beautiful characters in the story make it a fascinating, touching, warm, entertaining and heart-warming film.  At one point on the road, Vallelonga is penning a note to his wife.  Shirley reads the first line and puts it down critiquing it as pathetic.  He then takes on the role of Cyrano de Bergerac, giving him the eloquent poetic words that bring his wife to tears.  And through their journey, they are able to help each other to understand, to grow and to become more well-rounded people.

Mortensen was nominated for his role as Leading Actor.  Ali won his second Oscar, his first was in 2017 for his performance in Moonlight.  Green Book also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  While the movie looks touching, gut-wrenching and smartly humorous, it wasn't a preview I saw and immediately thought of as an Oscar-contender.  I thought it would be one I'd enjoy, but not necessarily rave about.  The recent wins at the Academy Awards and recommendations from my family and peers have made my expectations rise about this movie.  With that, I'm giving an anticipatory 4 Star Prediction.  I'm hoping it lives up to and exceeds the hype and turns out to be a movie I'd watch again and possible own in my collection.  Am I right?  Are the critics and peers right?  We shall see.

Bohemian Rhapsody Review

4.5 Stars

Bohemian Rhapsody is the movie based on the songs and story of the British rock band Queen that was formed in 1970.  Members Brian May and Roger Taylor were both members of a group known as Smile, of which Freddie Mercury was a fan.  Mercury encouraged the group to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques and eventually joined the group as their lead singer.  Mercury was also responsible for renaming the group Queen.

As their popularity grew, they gained the interest of a record label.  They were asked what makes Queen different than any other group.  Their response was that they are a group of misfits playing to the misfits who don't feel like they belong.  They released their first album in 1973 with songs like Keep Yourself Alive, Great King Rat and Doing All Right.  It was in 1975 for their album A Night at the Opera where arguably their most famous song was unleashed on the world.  In spite of their early success and critical acclaim, they wanted to branch out, experiment, give the world something they've never seen or heard before.  But the band struggled to convince Ray Foster (Mike Myers), an EMI record executive, that their new music would sell.   While Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) explained Bohemian Rhapsody, Foster commented about the song "going on forever. Six bloody minutes."  Mercury quips back, "I pity your wife if you think six minutes is forever."  As the song is conceptualized, recorded and played in the film, a barrage of critiques fly across the screen.  The fans, however, embraced it and Rhapsody spent nine weeks at the top of the UK Charts.

Malek got his start in film with the role of Pharaoh in the Night at the Museum Trilogy.  He is most currently known for his role in the USA TV series Mr. Robot.  After just seeing the film, I don't know that there is another possibility of someone playing the iconic role of Freddy Mercury.  

Bohemian Rhapsody covered their early days of Mercury going out to dive bars regularly to watch his favorite band Smile perform to Mercury's fortuitous timing in joining the band to their unique, cutting-edge, never heard before style of songs like We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody to the press's fascination with Mercury's personal relationship preferences off stage.  The film kept a good balance of tracking the band's progression and Mercury's personal life and how the two affected each other, both in positive and in negative ways.

If you've read any of my previous entries when dealing with a movie that is "based" on something historical, while not claiming to be an accurate documentary, I choose not to do any research ahead of time because I don't want to sit in the theatre and nit-pick every artistic choice the filmmakers made to produce the movie.  Instead, I just want to take it for what it is: entertainment based on fact.  And I find Queen to be one of the most entertaining musical groups in history.  One of my all-time favorite songs is Somebody to Love.  To my delight, the film opens with my favorite song.  

Like any fan of Queen, either of their entire story and repertoire or of just their few more well-known hits, I was excited to see Bohemian Rhapsody and just prayed they would do it justice.  But, as the preview promises, they far exceeded doing it justice and incredibly captured what no other band in history could even come close to duplicating.  I'm gave Bohemian Rhapsody a 4.5 Star Prediction and I'm going to stick with a 4.5 Star Rating.  It was entertaining, emotional, exciting, tragic and beautiful, just like their music.  Malek was genius in his portrayal of Mercury in a way that few are able to achieve.  Immediately, only a handful of actors come to mind who accomplished the feat: Tom Hanks' role of Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks and Daniel Day Lewis who brought President Abraham Lincoln to life in Lincoln.  These few talented actors were able to so convincingly embody their character that I did not see the actor on the screen, just the person they were playing.  

I only had a couple minor critiques of the film.  While Mercury is the most famous of the group, the film does a great job at showing how he alone is not Queen and he did not succeed on his own, nor could the band survive without him.  I would like to have seen a little more of the personal lives of bass player John "Deaky" Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and lead guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee).  I didn't care for the quotes of criticisms of Bohemian Rhapsody flying around the screen while the song was being performed.  I felt they could have addressed that in a better way.  And there was a musical number that had some weird 70's cheesy graphics that momentarily took me out of the film.

Other than that, Bohemian Rhapsody was absolutely brilliant and director Bryan Singer hit another masterpiece out of the park.  Most of the shots were so well done it was impossible to tell what was new footage to replicate the historical events, what was created by CGI and what was used from the archives and cleaned up to use in this film.  I got goose bumps about half a dozen times and welled up a few.  While Singer did a great job of moving the story along and not having any lagging moments, there were a few scenes I felt they could have spent some more time exploring when it came to the other members of the band, the creation of songs, the American tour.  It was hard to believe the movie was 2 hours and 14 minutes long as I could have easily sat through another 45 minutes and been completely entertained and more than satisfied.  In retrospect, Singer did a wonderful job cramming as much as he did in that time frame without making it feel too crammed.  

At the end of the movie, we see the actual band perform as the credits begin to scroll and it really takes you a minute to realize, this is the real band and not the actors we just saw for the last two plus hours.  The casting, the performances, the mannerisms, the locations, the props, everything was so completely on point, do not be surprised if Bohemian Rhapsody gets more than just a few nominations in a couple months when the Oscars are announced.  This is one I'll probably see again in the theatres and will certainly own in my personal collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Bohemian Rhapsody Preview

Bohemian Rhapsody is the movie based on the songs and story of the British rock band Queen that was formed in 1970.  Members Brian May and Roger Taylor were both members of a group known as Smile, of which Freddy Mercury was a fan.  Mercury encouraged the group to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques and eventually joined the group as their lead singer.  Mercury was also responsible for renaming the group Queen.

They released their first album in 1973 with songs like Keep Yourself Alive, Great King Rat and Doing All Right.  It was in 1975 for their album A Night at the Opera where arguably their most famous song was unleashed on the world.  We see in the preview that the band struggled to convince Ray Foster (Mike Myers), an EMI record executive, that their music would sell.   While Freddy Mercury (Rami Malek) explains Bohemian Rhapsody, Foster comments about the song "going on forever. Six bloody minutes."  Mercury quips back, "I pity your wife if you think six minutes is forever."  Rhapsody spent nine weeks at the top of the UK Charts.

Malek got his start in film with the role of Pharaoh in the Night at the Museum Trilogy.  He is most currently known for his role in the USA TV series Mr. Robot.  After just seeing the previews alone, I don't know that there is even another possibility of someone playing the iconic role of Freddy Mercury.  

We glean from the preview that the film covers their early days with Mercury just joining the band to their unique, cutting-edge, never heard before style of songs like We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody to the press's fascination with Mercury's personal relationship preferences off stage.  

If you've read any of my previous entries when dealing with a movie that is "based" on something historical, while not claiming to be an accurate documentary, I choose not to do any research ahead of time because I don't want to sit in the theatre and nit-pick every artistic choice the filmmakers made to produce the movie.  Instead, I just want to take it for what it is: entertainment based on fact.  And I find Queen to be one of the most entertaining musical groups in history.  One of my all-time favorite songs is Somebody to Love.  

Like any fan of Queen, either of their entire story and repertoire or of just their few more well-known hits, I am excited to see Bohemian Rhapsody and just pray they do it justice.  But, from the look of the preview, they far exceed doing it justice and incredibly capture what no other band in history could even come close to duplicating.  I'm giving Bohemian Rhapsody a 4.5 Star Prediction.  I think it will be entertaining, emotional, exciting, tragic and beautiful, just like their music.  It's one I'll probably want to see again in the theatres and will certainly own in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

A Quiet Place Review

4.5 Stars

 

For my 70th movie review, I am excited (although late) to provide my review for the critically acclaimed thriller A Quiet Place.  John Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim from the TV series The Office, helped to write the script that was first conceived in 2014.  Krasinski also directed A Quiet Place and stars as one of the few characters in this intense horror story that currently holds an unheard of Rotten Tomatoes "fresh" rating of 95%.

The year is 2020, and the film opens up 89 days after the invasion or event or whatever happened when the monsters came and wiped out much of the human race.  A Quiet Place opens with the sound of leaves rustling in the streets of what looks to be an empty town.  Inside a convenience store, we see the Abbott family scavenging for supplies and medicine for their oldest son Marcus (Noah Jupe), the middle of three children.  Mom Evelyn (Emily Blunt) finds the necessary medicine while their oldest child and only daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) walks carefully and quietly around the store barefoot with her youngest brother Beau.  They all communicate through sign language and we also see by the hearing aid she wears that Regan is hearing impaired.  The youngest is intrigued by a space shuttle toy and tries to remove it from a shelf that is too tall.  He drops the shuttle, but Regan is able to stop it from hitting the ground making what could prove to be a sound that could cost them all their lives.  Father Lee (John Krasinski) comes in the store to guide them home.  He sees Beau carrying the shuttle and takes it from him and carefully removes the batteries and explains that the sound is too loud and that the monsters will hear it.  Out of compassion for her brother, Regan sneaks him the shuttle to his delight.  What none of them sees is that Beau also swipes the batteries for the shuttle.  I won't give away everything, but that leads to our first glimpse of the monsters who are driven by ultra-sensitive hearing.  The tagline for the movie is, "If they hear you, they hunt you".

 

The movie advances about a year forward and Evelyn is now pregnant as we witness their daily and nightly routines in silence.  We see them all walking barefoot to avoid making noises, communicating in sign language, hand washing clothes, playing board games with pieces of cotton to remain as silent as possible.  Everywhere around their property and all the way through the woods and into town, they regularly lay down trails of sand to walk on to dull the sounds of their feet walking.  There are paint marks on the floor to mark where it is safe to walk without making noise.  

Lee takes Marcus out into the woods to a river to check on their fish traps for food.  Marcus doesn't want to go, but Lee knows it's important for him to learn to be a protector and provider.  It's also there that a roaring waterfall provides a wonderful moment between the two.  Marcus is terrified of the creatures but Lee teaches him that if there is a louder noise to distract the monsters, they can make noise themselves.  They take turns screaming into the waterfall and talking.  On the way home, they encounter an old man standing alone in the woods.  Lee signals to the man not to make a sound, but he lets out a scream that prompts one of the aliens to attack as Lee and his son run away.  

And that's where the already intense movie escalates to a full on heart-stopping thrill ride that won't let you catch your breath for a moment. The final half hour of the movie grabs you when you're already on edge and sucks the air right out of you taking you from one frightening moment to another.  There is no break or down time to ever catch your breath.  I've said it before, it's hard to make a good, smart scary movie anymore.  So much is gimmicks and sound effects and not real content that makes for a good story.  Get Out is the most recent one that comes to mind and that was a rare gem.  A Quiet Place is just as original and entertaining.  I'm gave it a 4 Star Prediction, but I'm raising it to 4.5 Stars, nearly perfect and a movie I can't wait to see again and definitely own for my personal collection.  

 

I really only had two reservations.  First, because the film is based on near total silence, I hoped sharp, sudden tones or sound effects wouldn't be the sole method of frightening the audience.  And really, it was only done once and who cares about a raccoon?  In fact, the score perfectly set the tone while not falsely creating moments in the movie.  A wonderfully effective technique of sound that was used in the movie was that every time the camera focused solely on Regan, the few sounds you could hear would stop completely, giving the audience a glimpse into her personal world.  

 

Second, because it's aliens, the creatures' realism played an integral part for audiences to fully buy into the film.  They are revealed bits at a time throughout the film, building in anticipation and terror leading to a truly horrible villainous monster.  

 

Finally, it needs to be noted that A Quiet Place isn't just a horror film.  Just as importantly, this is a family film.  No, it's not exactly family friendly, but it's about love, loyalty, roles, trust, sacrifice.  And the role of the family is not just a side note, it's just as important to this film as the monsters are.  In fact, another wonderful aspect of the film is how terrifying it is without very much blood or very many gruesome scenes at all.  Those details, director Krasinski left up to the viewer. The depth of this movie with so little dialogue set the bar to a new standard for the horror genre of the future.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see. 

A Quiet Place Preview

For my 70th movie review, I am excited (although late) to see the critically acclaimed thriller A Quiet Place.  John Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim from the TV series The Office, helped to write the script that was first conceived in 2014.  Krasinski also directed A Quiet Place and stars as one of the few characters in this intense horror story that currently holds an unheard of Rotten Tomatoes "fresh" rating of 95%.

The year is 2020, and some kind of monsters have all but eliminated the human race.  We don't know where they come from or even what they look like from the preview, but that's part of what draws you in.  What we do know is they have hypersensitive hearing, hence the tagline promoting the movie "If they hear you, they hunt you".

Lee Abbott (John Krasinski), wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt), and their two children are the family of survivors we get to know in A Quiet Place.  The preview shows them walking barefoot or in socks to avoid making noises, communicating in sign language, hand washing clothes, playing board games with pieces of cotton to remain as silent as possible as that's how the monsters outside are able to find you.  

In one of the previews, Lee is walking out with his son and they encounter an old man standing alone in the woods.  Lee signals to the man not to make a sound, but he lets out a scream that prompts one of the aliens to attack as Lee and his son run away.  

So, we don't know when the invasion or initial attacks by these aliens took place, we don't know what they look like, we don't know how many other survivors are out there.  We do know that the survivors have learned the aliens track them by sound and appear relatively safe, even out in public, so long as they are silent.  But that's all we know, and yet, I am completely drawn and intrigued by the preview.  I've said it before, it's hard to make a good, smart scary movie anymore.  So much is gimmicks and sound effects and not real content that makes for a good story.  Get Out is the most recent one that comes to mind and that was a rare gem.  A Quiet Place looks just as original.  I'm giving a 4 Star Prediction for this modern horror film.  I really only have two reservations.  First, because the film is based on near total silence, I hope sharp sudden tones or sound effects aren't the sole method of frightening the audience.  Second, because it's aliens, the creatures' realism is going to play an integral part for audiences to fully buy into the film.  But, I love John Krasinski and Emily Blunt and I love a good scary movie.  So I'm hoping this will not only be a truly unique and wonderfully terrifying film, but it is also one that I will be owning in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.