Juror #2 review

JUROR #2: 

CLINT EASTWOOD LEGAL THRILLER IS ONE OF HIS BEST FILMS IN A WHILE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Nicholas Hoult in Juror #2

 

            Director Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino) returns to cinema with his new legal thriller, Juror #2. The film is speculated to be Eastwood’s last movie and received backlash after Warner Bros. planned to dump it on Max and give it only a limited theatrical release, Joker: Folie à Deux was far more important to show in every theater possible. 

            So, I ventured out to a theater that was showing it after hearing very positive word of mouth about it. Not to mention this may be the last time I get to review a Clint Eastwood movie with the last one I reviewed being 2021’s Cry Macho which was not so great, so seeing this was a given. 

            Juror #2 however, is freaking great and Eastwood’s best directed film since probably Richard Jewell in 2019. This is a damn good legal thriller that’s as exhilarating as it is intriguing and heightened by some stellar performances by the cast. 

            The film follows journalist and recovering alcoholic, Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult-X-Men franchise, The Favourite, The Menu) being called to serve as a juror on a high-profile murder trial. He soon finds himself struggling with a moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury and potentially convict or free accused killer, James Michael Sythe (Gabriel Basso-The Big C, The Kings of Summer, Hillbilly Elegy). 

            The film also stars Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Knives Out, Mickey 17) as District Attorney Faith Killebrew, Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some!!, Zombieland: Double Tap, The Outfit) as Kemp’s wife Ally, Chris Messina (The Mindy Project, Argo, Air) as public defender Eric Resnick, Kiefer Sutherland (Flatliners, Dark City, 24) as Kemp’s defense attorney Larry Lasker, J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man trilogy, Whiplash, Red One) as former homicide inspector Harold, Amy Aquino (Moonstruck, In Good Company, Bosch) as Judge Thelma Hollub, Leslie Bibb (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Iron Man, About My Father) as Denice Aldworth, Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911, The Boondocks, Unfrosted) as Marcus, and Adrienne C. Moore (Orange Is the New Black, Shaft (2019), Wonder Woman: Bloodlines) as Yolanda. 

            Overall, Juror #2 is a solid directing effort from Clint Eastwood and if this is to be his final film then he went out on a high note. I was enthralled and captivated throughout during my viewing of it especially for a movie I didn’t see a single trailer for until the day before going to see it. 

            What I really like about this movie is that it paints the judicial system as let’s be real, a very flawed system because much of the people conducting the trial didn’t witness the events themselves, but it’s also the closest thing we have to justice. It also helps that the people on jury duty don’t want to be there not even our main protagonist, Justin (Who the Hell actually gets excited for jury duty? Honestly!), but as the trial goes on he begins to piece together what actually happened as he starts to feel guilt over the fact he may have caused the person’s death. 

            But even with that and Justin trying to argue with the rest of the jury that the man on trial is actually innocent, it’s based on others’ interpretations and arguments surrounding the evidence at the crime scene which can lead to false imprisonments. The movie also shows the events leading up to the person’s murder told from different perspectives, all of which could be true but you start to question “Was this man actually an abusive prick or did he legitimately care about this person, but because of a drunken argument it led to her accidentally getting killed on her way home on a stormy night?”, there’s no clear answer to this which makes the trial consistently interesting as it plays out. 

            The acting is superb especially from Nicholas Hoult who I’ve been a fan of since 2011’s X-Men: First Class and even after seeing him in films like The Favourite and The Menu, I’ll go on record and say this is his best performance. It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to win an Oscar or anything here, but he is so believable and endearing as this jury member who slowly starts to feel guilt and remorse over something he may have done and right before becoming a father on top of that, he isn’t going big with his performance, but it feels natural and human thus more relatable than an eccentric, over-the-top performance. 

            Toni Collette is also great as the District Attorney who’s trying to prosecute James Sythe in her first collaboration with Hoult since 2002’s About a Boy though they don’t quite share as much screen-time together in this film. She actually has more chemistry with Chris Messina’s Eric who defends Sythe as innocent and also happens to be a friend of hers, a bit of a frenemy sort of thing going on but it was a joy seeing these two actors work off each other. 

            J.K. Simmons brings a lot of credibility to a performance that doesn’t really impact the plot that much, but the film itself is significantly enhanced by his involvement alone. Regardless of genre, J.K. Simmons makes everything better and I look forward to seeing him as Santa Claus in Red One in a couple weeks. 

            Juror #2 is a gripping and phenomenally acted legal thriller that keeps your interest all the way through and one of Clint Eastwood’s best films in recent years. If this is meant to be his final film I ain’t complaining because this is one Hell of a swan song for his career, but if this is not the end and he makes another movie after this I hope it is from a studio that treats its directors and their work with respect. 

            This is a film I strongly encourage you to go see in theaters even if you have to take a long drive to get to a theater that’s playing it. It deserves your money and attention with the only ones who should be guilty being Warner Bros. and David Zaslav for committing the heinous crime of not putting this out in more theaters. 

Here review

HERE: 

AN AMBITIOUS BUT MEANDERING PASSAGE OF TIME! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

TRISTAR PICTURES AND MIRAMAX

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in Here

 

            Tom Hanks (Apollo 13, Toy Story franchise, Sully), Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, Unbreakable, DC Extended Universe), and director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Cast Away) reunite for the first time since 1994’s Forrest Gump in the new drama, Here which chronicles a series of events set in one house over a passage of time. The film is based on a 2014 graphic novel of the same name by Richard McGuire which I didn’t realize until coming home from the theater. 

            It’s no surprise that in recent years, Zemeckis’ directing efforts haven’t been all that spectacular with the last film he directed that I absolutely loved being 2015’s The Walk. But much like Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard, he is capable of directing a wide variety of films with completely different tones and styles from each other from family-friendly adventures like Back to the Future and Roger Rabbit to emotional rollercoasters like the already mentioned, Forrest Gump and Cast Away; need we forget his motion-capture movies like The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol? 

            However, after The Walk Robert Zemeckis’ films started to decline in quality, but that’s not to say they were all bad, I thought 2016’s Allied was a decent war-drama about a romance between rival spies during World War II. But I was very disappointed by Welcome to Marwen despite an interesting premise, I didn’t even bother watching his remake of The Witches though from what I heard that was probably for the best, and I certainly didn’t like his remake of Disney’s Pinocchio which I reviewed a couple years ago. 

            Which brings us…well, Here which looked fascinating to me when I saw the trailer, a movie set entirely in one location (a living room in this film’s case) over long periods of time and revolving around the people and events that occurred inside said location. It had sort of a Boyhood meets Birdman vibe, but instead of one continuous shot it’s one location and one still shot throughout the film. 

            The movie is definitely ambitious and I won’t take that away from it, but the execution I thought was kind of sloppy. I don’t think it’s Zemeckis’ worst film (If you ask me Pinocchio is his worst), but it is easily one of his weaker outings. 

            The film covers the events of a single spot of land and its inhabitants, spanning from the past to well into the future. Most notably, the story of Richard Young (Hanks) and his wife, Margaret (Wright) who experience love, loss, and life within these four walls. 

            The film also stars Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Richard’s father Al Young, Kelly Reilly (Me and Orson Welles, Sherlock Holmes 1 and 2, Flight) as his wife Rose, Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey, The Gentlemen, Boy Kills World) as Mrs. Harter, Gwilyn Lee (Midsomer Murders, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Great) as her husband John, Ophelia Lovibond (Nowhere Boy, Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocketman) as Stella Beekman, David Fynn (Undateable, The Mauritanian) as Leo, Jonathan Aris (Good Omens, The Martian, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Earl Higgins, Lily Aspell (Wonder Woman, Extinction, Young Woman and the Sea) as Bethany, Nikki Amuka-Bird (The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Outfit, Knock at the Cabin) as Helen Harris, Mohammed George (EastEnders) as Winston, and Daniel Betts (Fury, Allied, Alien: Romulus) as William Franklin. 

            Overall, Here definitely is a unique entry in Robert Zemeckis’ filmography and the performances especially by Hanks, Wright, and Bettany are very strong, but its meandering and non-linear storytelling will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Unfortunately, I’m the latter in this case because I don’t think it’s executed very well. 

            There are some positives I have to say about the film, the movie is staged beautifully in a home’s living room that I personally wouldn’t mind spending time in regardless of when it takes place, it just looks so welcoming and cozy I just want to go into the movie and sit on the sofa or something. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright still have great chemistry after 30 years and I liked seeing some of their stories together unfold and the emotional moments in general are very genuine (Also, damn amazing de-aging effects on Hanks and Wright early on in the film). 

            Paul Bettany who I didn’t even realize who he was until later on in the movie is a huge standout as Hanks’ father and gives some of the best acting I’ve ever seen from him. Specifically, during a scene in the future, he gives a damn heartbreaking performance with an occasional comical moment that doesn’t feel out of place. 

            While I enjoyed certain bits of the film, it’s pretty cluttered altogether and a lot of that is because of how the movie is paced. The movie jumps around at various points in time so there’s no real flow to what’s happening and sometimes the sudden time shifts distract from its drama or emotion. 

            Sometimes it works like when they use this photograph effects on top of the current scene to showcase different time periods at once. But other times it just interrupts a strong character moment to go back to the past or forward to the future. 

            The one still shot of a living room I acknowledged was ambitious and respected the artistic intention, but even I wasn’t that impressed by it in the long run. There’s only so much room redecorating you can do to keep it consistently interesting and because the time and characters are constantly changing, it’s hard to be invested throughout and thus you’re just watching this thing meander until the end with a few sparks of intrigue and drama here and there. 

            Here, I feel is an experimental film from Robert Zemeckis that sometimes works and other times drags on. Hopefully someday, we’ll see another movie from him of the same caliber as Back to the Future, Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Flight, etc. because he is more than capable of putting out some incredible films (A director who puts out movies like those with that quality is certainly no slacker) and if Tim Burton can find some comfort with the new Beetlejuice sequel this year, anything is possible.

            I’ll be waiting “Here” for Zemeckis’ comeback masterpiece that I hope happens soon.  

Venom: The Last Dance review

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE: 

A VERY GENERIC “LAST DANCE” FOR SPIDER-MAN CHARACTER! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES AND MARVEL

Tom Hardy in Venom: The Last Dance

 

            Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Bikeriders) and the symbiote are back in Venom: The Last Dance, the latest installment of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, and third and final chapter of the Venom trilogy based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film is directed by Kelly Marcel, who penned the scripts for 2018’s Venom and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage in her directorial debut. 

            I did not like the first Venom when I initially saw it back in 2018 and felt it completely missed the point of the character and lacked the complex themes and depth of its comics counterpart, but in recent years I have grown to appreciate it and its sequel as “So Bad They’re Good” movies. Though I think even when I first saw it I at least praised Tom Hardy’s performance as charismatic journalist with an alien parasite, Eddie Brock. 

            The second film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage I thought was a slight improvement over the first and attempted to be a little darker that time. Unfortunately, it was bogged down by choppy editing that probably left a lot of crucial things on the cutting room floor. 

            Now we have the third film released after the disastrous Sony Spider-Man Universe entries, Morbius and Madame Web that are often considered some of the worst comic book movies in recent years. Given that I warmed up to the Venom movies and found them entertainingly bad, I was hopeful that this would be in the same symbiote-covered boat as those films and they’re technically the best movies to come out of Sony’s SMU. 

            Yes, this is infinitely better than Morbius and Madame Web…but in terms of capturing the stupid fun trash I enjoyed from the previous films, Venom: The Last Dance is a surprisingly dull sendoff for these characters. It did not join the Venom 1 and 2 club, but rather the Crow reboot and Joker 2 club as a comic book movie that left me feeling empty. 

            The film is set after the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage (and Spider-Man: No Way Home) and follows Eddie Brock/Venom (Hardy) hiding out in Mexico while on the run due to their recent battle with Carnage which resulted in the murder of police detective, Patrick Mulligan. When Eddie is named the prime suspect for Patrick’s death, he and Venom set off to New York City in an attempt to clear his name. 

However, Eddie and Venom are targeted by symbiote-hunting monsters from Venom’s home world sent by the creator of the symbiotes, Knull (Let There Be Carnage director, Andy Serkis-The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Planet of the Apes franchise, Marvel Cinematic Universe) to retrieve Eddie and Venom’s codex in order to free himself from his space prison. Not only that, but they’re also being hunted by a secret government organization located underneath the soon-to-be-decommissioned Area 51 that also houses various symbiotes from when the meteor crashed back in the first film under the command of Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor-12 Years a Slave, The Martian, Doctor Strange 1 and 2). 

Now, Eddie and Venom are forced to make a devastating decision in order to save their home and put an end to Knull’s wrath in a glorious last dance. 

The film also stars Juno Temple (Atonement, The Dark Knight Rises, Ted Lasso) as Dr. Teddy Payne, Rhys Ifans (The King’s Man, House of the Dragon, Nyad); who previously portrayed The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man as Martin Moon, Peggy Lu (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, Always Be My Maybe) reprising her role as convenience store owner Mrs. Chen, Clark Backo (Seven in Heaven, I Want You Back, The Changeling) as Sadie Christmas, and Alanna Ubach (Legally Blonde 1 and 2, Waiting…, Bombshell) as Nova Moon. 

Overall, Venom: The Last Dance isn’t without its moments of enjoyment and Tom Hardy still gives his all, but this is a bland, unremarkable third entry that lacks much of the cheesy fun and hilarious awfulness of its predecessors. I’m not even going to bother complaining about how the movie once again misses the point of the character, but as someone who was ready to have a good time and laugh at how stupid this movie is, it left me very disappointed. 

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a horribly edited and paced movie, but it felt there was some actual weight to what was going on there. Here, it’s just a whole lot of nothing with bleak cinematography, random side characters with barely any development, generic CGI action, much less Eddie and Venom chemistry, and a villain that feels very much like an afterthought.  

In terms of the film’s context when Eddie and Venom fully transform, they get detected by Knull’s monsters because of their codex that can only be destroyed if one of them dies. Because of that, there really isn’t much Eddie and Venom banter this time around and Venom in his full form isn’t onscreen for that long except for the beginning, climax, and pointless dance scene with Mrs. Chen. 

I know very little about Knull and despite having a damn fine actor playing him with Andy Serkis, the character is completely wasted and leaves no impression to the point where you often forget he’s even in the film. The Venommovies don’t exactly have amazing villains, but Riz Ahmed’s Riot and Woody Harrelson’s Carnage at least brought this charismatic energy to these characters to make them somewhat memorable, not the case with Knull sadly. 

The action isn’t all that spectacular, but there are times where the Venom symbiote is used in creative ways during some of them particularly a fight scene in the beginning of the movie involving a bunch of criminals running a dog fighting operation that’s pretty great. I wish I could say the same about the climax involving multiple symbiotes, but it was so dark and poorly lit that I couldn’t make many of them out. 

There are times where the film retains some of the goofiness from its predecessors like a scene at the beginning where Venom is mixing drinks in a bar set to Tequila and Tom Hardy’s physical performance when being controlled by Venom is still great. It’s a shame there isn’t much Eddie and Venom banter this time because their chemistry in the earlier films was very strong albeit comical at the same time and there are a few laughs to be had here. 

The bit where Eddie and Venom get picked up by a family of hippies is funny and even wholesome at times plus Rhys Ifans is a standout as the dad. But they also overstay their welcome and appear in the movie for far too long as it goes on. 

Aside from a few interesting ideas, Venom: The Last Dance is an empty finale for the Tom Hardy Venom trilogy that’s far from the worst film in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. But with its sluggish pacing and sloppy execution, it just makes you wish the symbiote would find its way to Tom Holland already. 

Smile 2 review

SMILE 2: 

HORROR SEQUEL PUT A HUGE SMILE ON MY FACE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Naomi Scott in Smile 2

 

            The smiling demonic entity is back and this time it’s stalking Naomi Scott (Power Rangers (2017), Aladdin (2019), Charlie’s Angels (2019)) in Smile 2, the sequel to the 2022 horror hit, Smile. The first movie surprised me when it came out because when I saw trailers and ads for it, I thought it looked dumb and similar to the 2018 Blumhouse bomb, Truth or Dare? which I’ve never seen but heard was awful, but it turned out to be a solid and quite frightening horror movie that takes a pretty absurd premise and makes it work. 

            A lot of people agreed as it was a critical and commercial success…which meant Smile was not going to be a self-contained movie and now we have a sequel with Parker Finn returning to direct. Much like when the first movie came out, I wasn’t expecting much out of a sequel to Smile since we already know what the monster looks like and what it’s all about; the novelty and suspense has faded now…or so I thought until actually watching it…HOLY FUCK! 

            Smile 2 completely exceeded my expectations, even more so than when I saw the first and I’ll even go on record and say I found this one more entertaining, better paced, and yes, scarier than its predecessor. Oh, and Naomi Scott at her best here…more on that in a moment! 

            Sometime after the events of the first movie, the film follows global pop sensation, Skye Riley (Scott) preparing for a world tour. But she starts experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events after coming in contact with the unseen smiling entity. 

            Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and pressures of fame, Skye is forced to confront her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control. 

            The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt (Cinderella Man, Rachel Getting Married, La La Land) as Skye’s mother and manager Elizabeth, Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Flower, Dream Scenario) as Skye’s estranged best friend Gemma, Peter Jacobson (House, Colony, Fly Me to the Moon) as a nurse who helps Skye in stopping the entity named Morris, Ray Nicholson (Promising Young Woman, Licorice Pizza, Out of the Blue) as Skye’s deceased boyfriend and actor Paul Hudson, Lukas Gage (The White Lotus, Euphoria, Road House (2024)) as drug dealer and acquaintance of Skye named Lewis, and Kyle Gallner (A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), Outsiders, Scream (2022)) reprising his role as police officer Joel. 

            Overall, Smile 2 is the unexpected horror sequel that surpasses its predecessor in just about every way. Not to put down the first Smile as I enjoyed that film immensely and thought it was a well-crafted horror movie surrounding the psychological effects of mental health but adding that on top of the intense pressures of superstardom here is fricking brilliant and takes the concept to the next level.

            With the first movie, it seemed like they were still trying to figure out what tone and style the film would be like whereas with this it felt like Parker Finn was given a blank check to do whatever he wanted, embraced the madness, and delivered a bonkers follow-up that acknowledges both the horror and comedic aspects of this premise.  

            Yes, Smile 2 can be funny at times, but not in a way where it’s distracting or feels out of place. A lot of the comedy comes from other people reacting to Naomi Scott overreacting to her hallucinations with her estranged friend delivering some great dry remarks and this completely insane scene involving an old lady at a charity event that’s simultaneously terrifying and hilarious. 

            Naomi Scott is pitch perfect in this movie and a lot of that comes from the fact she has a great scared shitless face for a horror movie like what a lot of other critics pointed out and yes, I agree while also just being incredibly captivating and likable when onscreen. Because this entity is affecting her mentally, Naomi goes hard with her performance here and you legitimately feel bad for this thing ruining her life in many ways, it’s easily up there with Demi Moore from The Substance as one of the best horror performances of the year. 

            I thought of The Substance a few times during this movie, particularly in its last act which I dare not give away. While I can’t say it has as big a staying power as the climax of The Substance, it still left a shocking impression once the credits started.  

            Like the first film, the music is exceptionally well-composed and enhances the creepiness to what’s happening. It doesn’t go super over-the-top during scares in favor of more subtle uses of music and droning sounds that add to the terror. 

            Where jump scares in the Conjuring films for example often get overused to the point of staleness, both Smile movies master the craftsmanship of good jump scares that are brilliantly executed and get genuine reactions out of the audience. Through strong buildup, sound design, and good payoffs, these are jump scares that feel integral to what the entity does and don’t feel like a cheap cop out. 

            The movie is also pretty fucking gory at times though I wouldn’t call it a full-on gore-fest like a lot of slasher movies. There are some grotesque and grisly death scenes and flashes of deformed victims with body parts and blood everywhere, but this is a more psychological threat rather than your average serial killer. 

            Smile 2 is a stellar sequel to a solid horror movie that surpasses its predecessor and delivers a truly frightening and entertaining night at the movies. The scares are even more effective, the comedy doesn’t feel out of place, the story is engaging, and Naomi Scott gives her best performance ever. 

It’s pretty obvious I came out of the film with a sick and disturbed smile on my face and I hope the same thing happens to you. With two Smile movies that completely surpassed my expectations, I will be onboard from the beginning for Smile 3 whenever that may be. 

Piece By Piece review

PIECE BY PIECE: 

A SOLID PHARRELL WILLIAMS BIOPIC TOLD WITH LEGOS THAT’S WELL-CONSTRUCTED! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

FOCUS FEATURES

Lego Pharrell Williams in Piece By Piece

 

            The story of beloved singer-songwriter, Pharrell Williams comes to the screen but told in Lego pieces in the animated biopic/documentary, Piece By Piece. In 2014, The Lego Movie was released and it was one of the most acclaimed and successful animated features of the year and one of the most innovative films of the genre. 

            Give it 10 years and you got a Pharrell Williams biopic Lego movie; you fill in the blanks. This also marks the first animated film from Focus Features without any involvement from Laika Studios since 2009’s 9. 

The film is more like a documentary that consists of live recorded interviews with Pharrell, other musicians, Pharrell’s family members, etc., but with Lego animation put on top of them. It’s an interesting experiment especially for the musician biopic and documentary genres. 

            I’m no Pharrell Williams expert though I have heard a handful of his songs at various points in my life, but the movie certainly caught my interest when it was announced. I didn’t know what to make of it when I saw the trailer but coming out of the movie, I have to admit this was a pleasant surprise. 

            I was impressed by how much I enjoyed this film and thought it was a creative, visually dazzling, and ingenious way of telling a biopic. Let’s get a biopic on the creation of the Transformers brand done entirely in Transformersfigures next. 

            The film chronicles the life and career of singer-songwriter, Pharrell Williams (voiced by himself), his fascination with music at a young age, and the big-name artists he collaborated with and assisted such as Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg, personal life and struggles, and the cultural impact of his music told through the lens of Legoanimation. The film also features the voices of the film’s director Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Mickey: The Story of a Mouse), Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and Missy Elliott as themselves and Tyler, the Creator as Pharrell’s teacher. 

            Overall, Piece By Piece is a brilliant, entertaining, and yes, informative take on a musician’s biopic and essentially a love letter to music in general. The movie effectively captures the power and emotions music has on us depicted beautifully through its visuals. 

            The scenes where Pharrell is listening to music are some of the most eye-catching and gorgeously animated sequences of the entire film. Flashes of lights and vibrant colors engulfing Pharrell that are almost psychedelic in how they’re shown while he becomes infatuated by music. 

It’s definitely smaller in scale compared to previous Lego movies, but the animators and artists fully took advantage of what they had and delivered some truly breathtaking visual depictions of the effects of music. It’s honestly some of the most creative and energetic animation set to music I’ve seen since probably Disney’s Fantasia. 

Like I said, I’m no Pharrell Williams expert aside from his songs being featured in Despicable Me and a song on The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s soundtrack, but I cannot deny the fact the man is talented. While the whole music biopic done in Lego animation is an odd choice, it strangely fits with the kind of person he is, Pharrell is pretty light-hearted and quirky in terms of his musical style so a movie about him with Legos doesn’t seem too out of place. 

Also, after hearing his songs in the movie and the stories behind them, I have a whole new appreciation for his work and might even purchase some of them on iTunes in the near future. To me, that’s what a great biopic, music documentary, or film about music in general is supposed to do, get me invested in the story and people involved and the admire their music. 

I will say, this is probably a Lego movie that’s geared a little more towards adults than kids (The film is rated PG though) with some heavy and topical current events regarding racial issues being addressed. It didn’t seem jarring to me when these topics were being discussed because it did feel like an important part of the story, but it was surreal seeing animated Lego figures wearing Black Lives Matter shirts and rioting against police brutality. 

Still, these are very important issues in our society that need to be taught and discussed even if it’s with a bunch of cartoony Lego characters here. When a movie that’s seemingly absurd is able to work in themes and subject matter like that effectively, it’s something to be admired and respected. 

Piece By Piece is a solid animated biopic on Pharrell Williams that not only celebrates his songs and legacy, but music as an art form. The animation is beautiful, the premise is both fun and informative, and the story is told in a unique and unconventional way that sets a new standard for how to tell a musician’s biopic. 

What more can I say, but this movie made me “Happy”? 

Saturday Night review

SATURDAY NIGHT: 

LIVE FROM NEW YORK, THIS IS ONE HELL OF A PRODUCTION! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels and his cast and crew in Saturday Night

 

            The hellish production of the very first broadcast of Saturday Night Live comes to the screen in Saturday Night, the new film from Jason Reitman (Juno, Young Adult, Ghostbusters: Afterlife). The film is a comedy-drama biopic focused on the 90 minutes before the airing of the first episode of SNL (Then called Saturday Night) and all the chaos that went down during those 90 minutes. 

            I actually watched the first SNL episode for the first time courtesy of the Season 1 DVD set the night before seeing the movie to better educate myself on the references and recreations of sketches that’ll likely be featured in the film. I’m glad I did though like The Disaster Artist, it’s probably not necessary to enjoy the movie, but it enhances the movie viewing experience. 

            I did not however know about the making of the first SNL episode which made this movie seem very fascinating to me when I first heard about it. Coming out of it…yeah, this was a blast! 

            I don’t think Saturday Night is a perfect movie, but I was entertained throughout and on edge of my seat seeing Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, American Gigolo, The Fabelmans) as SNL producer, Lorne Michaels try to get this show on the air while under pressure because of corporate executives, going over-budget, and things going horribly wrong. The fact they just made it to air is insane, but it would go on to become one of the most popular and game-changing television shows of all time. 

            The film is set on October 11, 1975, and follows Lorne Michaels as he races like a chicken with his head cut off to make Saturday Night Live to air in only 90 minutes. All the while clashing with NBC executives including David Tebet (Willem Dafoe-Spider-Man, The Lighthouse, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), cast and crew members, and a chaotic production that changed television forever. 

            The film also stars Rachel Sennott (Call Your Mother, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Bottoms) as Rosie Shuster, Cory Michael Smith (Gotham, Carol, May December) as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt (Cold Feet, Dickinson, Horizon: An American Saga) as Gilda Radner, Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner trilogy, Deepwater Horizon, Love and Monsters) as Dan Aykroyd, Emily Fairn (The Responder, Chuck Chuck Baby, House of Guinness) as Laraine Newman, Matt Wood as John Belushi, Lamorne Morris (Barbershop: The Next Cut, Game Night, Death of a Telemarketer) as Garrett Morris (No relation), Kim Matula (The Bold and the Beautiful, UnReal, Fighting with My Family) as Jane Curtin, Nicholas Braun (Sky High, Red State, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson, Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza, Wildcat, Old Guy) as Dick Ebersol, Tommy Dewey (17 Again, Casual, Book Club) as Michael O’Donoghue, Matthew Rhys (The Americans, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Cocaine Bear) as George Carlin, J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man trilogy, Whiplash, Red One) as Milton Berle, Jon Batiste as Billy Preston, Naomi McPherson as Janis Ian, Nicholas Podany as Billy Crystal, Taylor Gray (Walt Before Mickey, Star Wars: Rebels) as Al Franken, Robert Wuhl (Bull Durham, Batman, Arliss) as Dave Wilson, Tracy Letts (U.S. Marshals, The Big Short, Ford v. Ferrari) as Herb Sargent, Josh Brener (The Internship, The Front Runner, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Alan Zweibel, and Paul Rust (iSteve, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, Love) as Paul Schaffer. 

            Overall, Saturday Night is the biopic equivalent of watching a rushed production of a TV show as if it was filmed like an action movie. Seriously, this might be more an adrenaline rush than the majority of action films I’ve seen. 

            Lots of long shots of Lorne walking and talking fast through crowded sets, studio rooms, and offices filled with people rushing to make the deadline, lights falling from the ceiling and causing a fire, feuds and brawls between cast members, and the higher ups having very little faith in this show. It’s a rollercoaster to say the least that ends on a satisfying note. 

            If you’ve been a fan of SNL since the beginning or watched many of the episodes then you are to appreciate all the references, easter eggs, and reenactments of famous sketches from the show. They even make references to the iconic Dan Aykroyd Julia Child sketch which would eventually be featured in 2009’s Julia & Julia (Also, a Sony Pictures/Columbia movie). 

            I don’t know much about the crew behind the scenes of SNL, but I thought the performances were excellent all around with Gabriel LaBelle playing an exceptional Lorne Michaels who I found very endearing throughout. After the movie, I looked at some old interviews of Michaels and I have to say LaBelle really captures his voice and mannerisms in the film…I also now understand where Dr. Evil’s voice from Austin Powers came from. 

            Cory Michael Smith is incredible as Chevy Chase (Probably the biggest standout in the movie), like it is eerie how much he looks and sounds like him here. Smith nails the egotistical yet hilarious nature of…well, the real Chevy Chase and now we know who to case if National Lampoon’s Vacation ever gets rebooted and not like that middling Ed Helms movie from 2015. 

            Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd was a huge surprise to me because not once in the movie did I ever think he was the same kid from The Maze Runner and while he doesn’t exactly look like Aykroyd he has the vocal inflexions, voice, and mannerisms down to the point of being nearly unrecognizable. It might even be the best I’ve seen from him and I hope he and Smith get some awards attention for their roles here. 

            I also found it interesting that the majority of the movie happens in real time, the film is an hour and 49 minutes long and exactly at the 90 minute mark is the air time for the show. I am sure a lot of details that actually happened behind the scenes were probably glossed over in the movie, but since I don’t really know much about what truly went on in 1975 that night, I had little issue with that and it got me curious to read about the actual production of SNL. 

            It’s also pretty neat that the movie was shot on 16mm film to give it that grainy, low-budget 1970s feel to it. It really is a testament to bringing the time period to life not just in the production design but also shooting on equipment from that era as well to make it as authentic-looking as possible and if the movie is playing somewhere on 35mm or something like that it’s worth checking out. 

            Saturday Night is a chaotic, tension-filled, adrenaline rush look at the production of one of the most game-changing television shows of all time. SNL fans will surely appreciate all the references to the sketches and those looking for a fascinating and entertaining biopic should be very satisfied as well, see it preferably before Sunday. 

Look Back review

LOOK BACK: 

ANIME FILM VERSION OF WEB MANGA IS A BEAUTIFUL, MOVING, AND EMOTIONALLY POWERFUL LOVE LETTER TO DRAWING! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4 (Ten Stars if necessary!)

GKIDS AND MGM

Fujino and Kyomoto in Look Back

 

            You ever have that feeling where you hear about a movie that you’ve never seen any trailers or advertisements for yet positive word of mouth from your peers is enough for you to go see it and feel the urge to express your own thoughts on it after being moved and blown away by what you just saw? That’s pretty much what happened with me when I went to see Look Back, an anime film adaptation of the web manga by Chainsaw Man’s Tatsuki Fujimoto. 

            The film is directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama and aside from watching the trailer online right before going to see it, I knew very little about this movie. I never read the manga before and I didn’t even hear about it until a few days ago. 

            But because of all the unanimous praise the movie has been getting, I decided to check it out…and I am so grateful that I did because Look Back is about as perfect a film as you could get. As someone who drew a lot of cartoons in school as a kid, I could relate to quite a bit of this film, but even without that connection I was captivated and enthralled throughout, literally I was hooked just by its opening and I didn’t even care that it was Japanese language with English subtitles. 

            The film follows popular, ongoing Fujino who is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. But when her teacher asks her to share the space with a truant recluse named Kyomoto with a beautiful art style, it sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. 

            However, what begins as jealousy transforms into an unbreakable friendship between Fujino and Kyomoto after Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing. 

            Overall, Look Back is easily one of the best anime films I’ve ever seen, I’ll go on record and say it’s one of the best films I’ve seen as well. This is a beautiful and very personal film from its creators and you can feel the love and passion for those who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their art much like Fujino and Kyomoto here.

            The animation is gorgeous and visually striking, sometimes even taking different art forms that looks incredible on the big screen. Some of my favorite sequences are a perspective one-shot of a character running through a house and opening the front door and another where one of the characters is skipping in the rain, very simple moments but so beautifully animated and phenomenally put together. 

            This is also a movie I think would only work in animation because while a story like this probably can be told in live-action, it would be nowhere near as effective as it is here. Especially since a lot of the story is told through visuals whether it’s the drawings of the two characters or Fujino taking Kyomoto out into the unknown real world. 

            I think anyone who loves art regardless of the quality or form can take something away from this film and be emotionally attached to its story, themes, and characters. I think Fujino and Kyomoto are some of the best anime protagonists in recent years and I love how they’re essentially polar opposites from one another with Fujino having this dry, somewhat cynical personality while Kyomoto is this socially awkward, reclusive person and you 100% buy their friendship throughout. 

            One of the themes the movie explores is understanding why a person draws which I found incredibly fascinating because there’s no clear answer to it. Sometimes you draw just for fun and other times it’s to express yourself or how you’re feeling and this film understands that perfectly and the emotions both Fujino and Kyomoto have with their drawings are very genuine. 

            The movie gets pretty gut-wrenching and heavy in its third act with something happening to one of the girls that initially I was against because I loved their chemistry and seeing them together. But as it went on and I saw what it was building up to, it immediately won me over with a heartfelt and touching final note. 

            People, this could have easily been a movie that flies under my radar due to my attention being focused on much larger releases but Look Back managed to surpass my expectations and skyrocket all the way up to the best movie I’ve seen all year so far. It’s a beautiful, heavy, and inspiring love letter to drawing and artists and a captivating anime film that can even rival the works of Studio Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai, it’s a life-changing movie that I will gladly draw myself more viewings of in the future.