Young Woman and the Sea review

YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA: 

DAISY RIDLEY GOES FOR THE GOLD IN STELLAR BIOPIC! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

DISNEY

Daisy Ridley in Young Woman and the Sea

 

            Daisy Ridley (Star Wars franchise, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), The Marsh King’s Daughter) trades in her lightsaber for a swim cap and goggles in Young Woman and the Sea, the latest film from Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) and based on the true story of American swimmer, Trudy Ederle who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. 

            The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun 1 and 2, Armageddon, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) and released by Disney as another one of their inspirational sports biopics like Remember the Titans, The Rookie, and Miracle. It was also originally going to be a Disney+ release but due to positive test screenings it was put into theaters. 

             This is a rare Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Disney movie where not once did I see a trailer for it in theaters and my only acknowledgement of it coming out was seeing the poster in theater lobbies until finally watching the trailer online a couple days ago. So, Young Woman and the Sea could have easily flown under my radar and I’m grateful it didn’t because this movie is superb. 

            For a movie that I went into mostly blindly nor was I an expert on the subject matter, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Young Woman and the Sea and easily ranks it among Disney’s best sports biopics. A lot of that is because of Daisy Ridley’s performance as Trudy Ederle who pretty much carries the entire movie, but more on that later. 

            The film is set in 1920s New York City and follows Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle (Ridley), an American swim champion who first won a gold medal during the 1924 Olympic Games. Through the steadfast support of her older sister, Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey-52 Tuesdays, Hotel Mumbai, I Am Woman) and her trainers, Trudy overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society as she completes a staggering achievement of swimming a 21-mile trek from France to England across the English Channel thus becoming the first woman to do so. 

            The film also stars Christopher Eccleston (Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, Thor: The Dark World) as Trudy’s trainer Jabez Wolffe, Stephen Graham (Snatch, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and 5, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) as Bill Burgess, Kim Bodnia (Rosewater, Killing Eve, The Witcher) as Trudy’s father Henry Ederle, Jeanette Hain (The Reader, The Young Victoria, Never Look Away) as Trudy’s mother Gertrude Anna Ederle, Glenn Fleshler (All Good Things, A Most Violent Year, Joker) as James Sullivan, and Sian Clifford (Fleabag, See How They Run, Chevalier) as Trudy’s swimming coach Charlotte. 

            Overall, Young Woman and the Sea is a well-crafted and inspiring biopic without ever coming off as formulaic in its execution. Sure, a movie about a female swimmer doing the unthinkable by swimming a great length is nothing new after all Anette Bening did the same thing last year in Nyad, but this film does a superb job standing on its own as simply another movie about a swimmer with an insane goal and accomplishing it in the end. 

            Both this and Nyad are handled spectacularly well while also having quite a bit of differences to set them apart with the most obvious being Young Woman and the Sea’s time period. Since it’s set in patriarchal 1920s America when women didn’t have the same rights as men and the idea of a woman achieving this long swim was seen as absurd, this was a huge deal for Trudy to prove everyone wrong that a woman is just as capable of pulling it off as a man and proved them wrong she did thus it wasn’t just a win for herself but for women in general. 

            There is never a dull moment during this movie and you’re always on the edge of your seat as Trudy swims while fighting off patriarchy and jellyfish. Even the scenes involving Trudy’s family drama are interesting because of how stellar the actors’ performances are. 

            I’ve always enjoyed Daisy Ridley as an actress and will stand by that she was the best thing about Rey in the Star Wars movies, this might be the best I’ve ever seen from her. Ridley does an effective job being charming especially in a touching scene where she’s speaking to a young girl, but when she needs to bring the passion and determination she is 100% on in every scene she’s in, this is the kind of sports movie protagonist that makes me want to stand up and cheer. 

            Besides Ridley, Kim Bodnia whose work I’m not extremely familiar with as Trudy’s father I thought was an equally huge standout in the film. He starts off as this grumpy and stern curmudgeon whose beliefs are very old-fashioned, but as the film goes on and Trudy begins her English Channel swim, he goes through an arc and turns out to be the character that makes the biggest change by accepting and supporting his daughter’s dreams and goals in some truly heartfelt moments. 

            The swimming sequences are well-shot and at times exhilarating though unlike Nyad, these ones are dreary and bleak in terms of how they’re filmed. But like Nyad, probably the most suspenseful scene is when Trudy encounters a large group of jellyfish and has to swim through them in an adrenaline-pumped sequence that left me on the edge of my seat. 

            Young Woman and the Sea is an empowering, feel-good sports biopic without becoming overly shmaltzy or formulaic and a welcome return to classic Disney sports dramas. Thanks to its incredible cast, solid direction from Rønning, and affectionate handling of the subject matter, it’s sure to be an entertaining and uplifting trip to the movies regardless of your knowledge of the fact-based story. 

The Garfield Movie review

THE GARFIELD MOVIE: 

ANIMATED THEATRICAL ADAPTATION OF BELOVED CHILDREN’S CHARACTER FEELS LIKE MONDAYS! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Garfield and Friends (See what I did there?) in The Garfield Movie

 

            Garfield the Cat returns to the big screen in The Garfield Movie, a new CG animated adaptation of Jim Davis’ iconic comic strip of the same name. The character had already appeared on the big screen in live-action/CGI form with the 2004 Garfield movie featuring Bill Murray as the voice of the titular cat which also got a sequel in 2006, but let’s not get into that. 

            After the poor reception of the live-action films, I guess a new theatrical outing for the Garfield character was long overdue. Which brings us to Sony Pictures’ take on an animated Garfield movie (Surprisingly, not produced by their own animation studio) with Mark Dindal (Cats Don’t Dance, The Emperor’s New Groove, Chicken Little) as the director and the vocal talents of…Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)) as the…voice of…the…lazy…lasagna-addicted…cat. 

            Yeah, just like when he was cast as the voice of Mario in the recent Super Mario Bros. movie, the internet was scratching their heads in confusion when it was announced that he would voice Garfield in the new movie. As awful as the Bill Murray movies are, he was at least a perfect fit for the voice of Garfield (And no, I’m not making any Ghostbusters comparisons here!) because he captured the lazy, sarcastic, couch potato personality of the character while Pratt’s just doing his usual shtick. 

            Well, after much…confusion and constantly seeing ads and trailers for it every time I went to the movies, I can say The Garfield Movie is better than the Bill Murray movies, but that’s not really saying much. That’s like saying a safe and forgettable kids movie is better than a giant dumpster fire. 

This is a very run of the mill animated feature filled with zany slapstick (Because kids!), cheap jokes, and an overabundance of smartphone talk and product placement including the infamous Olive Garden (Though their product placement makes much more sense here than it did in Sonic the Hedgehog, but I digress!). There are occasionally some amusing moments and the 3D animation does capture Jim Davis’ art style well enough, but the film itself just doesn’t leave much of an impression afterwards. 

The film follows Garfield living the best life with his human owner Jon Arbuckle (voiced by Nicholas Hoult-X-Men franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Favourite) and beagle dog best friend Odie. But when his estranged biological father Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson-Pulp Fiction, The Incredibles 1 and 2, Marvel Cinematic Universe) comes back into his life, Garfield leaves his lasagna-filled home and embarks on an outdoor adventure to help Vic pull off a big milk heist for a psychotic Persian cat named Jinx (voiced by Hannah Waddingham-Game of Thrones, Sex Education, The Fall Guy) in order to repay Vic’s debt with some father-son bonding and bickering along the way. 

The film also features the voices of Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Mission: Impossible franchise, Lilo & Stitch) as Otto, Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters (2016), Leo) as Marge, Brett Goldstein (Derek, Ted Lasso, Thor: Love and Thunder) as Roland, Bowen Yang (The Lost City, Bros, Wicked) as Nolan, Janelle James (Tom of Your Life, Black Monday, Abbott Elementary) as Olivia, Snoop Dogg (Bones, Starsky & Hutch, The Addams Family 1 and 2) as Maurice, the late Angus Cloud (Euphoria, Freaky Tales, Abigail) as Snickers, and Dev Joshi as Jon’s veterinarian girlfriend Liz (Who is barely in the movie BTW). 

Overall, The Garfield Movie may serve as a passable diversion for young viewers, but for fans of the comic strip and character this is yet another botched cinematic outing that never quite captures what made Jim Davis’ work so brilliant. Truth be told, I’m no Garfield expert but I did have some of the comic strip compilations as a kid so I have at least some idea of what the comics and characters are like. 

Garfield can be cartoony and wacky, but it’s also very laidback and subtle with a lot of its humor. It’s just a mild-mannered guy living with a lazy cat and a dog and the shenanigans that ensue, plus deadpan commentary from the cat. 

Instead of that, we get a grand adventure with Garfield and his dad trying to pull off a heist for an evil cat that feels very out of place for Garfield. However, as crazy as the Garfield and Friends animated series from the 1980s got with its storylines, it still retained the most crucial key element of the source material, the characterization of Garfield. 

The characters (even Garfield) move like the Hotel Transylvania characters with constant movement and zany slapstick because kids are in the audience. I know this is a film for young children, but seeing Garfield move crazily and cartoony when something “funny” happens to him does not match the character Jim Davis created at all, even Garfield’s depictions in the cartoon shows had a lot more dignity than this. 

Chris Pratt is a terrible pick for the voice of Garfield as much as I enjoy the man in other things, he’s just doing his same old shtick that doesn’t match with a fat, grumpy cat. Even when he voiced Mario, he at least gave him a Brooklyn accent which worked fine enough for that movie, here it’s like Pratt and the studio were trying to make Chris Pratt voicing animated characters a meme minus any sort of novelty to it. 

Most of the humor consisted of cheap slapstick and recycled kids movie jokes, but there were a few times where I chuckled specifically a handful of visual gags, character animations, and occasionally a funny line said. There is one in particular involving Jon on the phone with a bot after realizing Garfield and Odie are missing that genuinely got a laugh out of me and the animation on the evil cat is amusing to watch (Makes sense since it’s the same director that gave us Cat Yzma). 

Aside from some nice animation, a handful of laughs, and even a few heartfelt moments, The Garfield Movie is another misguided attempt at bringing the lazy cat to the big screen. Instead of a painfully horrendous adaptation like the Bill Murray films, this is a product placement-heavy, horribly miscast, and just unremarkable imitation of a great character that is technically better than the previous attempts, but that’s no recommendation and it will take more than a hilarious jab in a Zombieland movie for Pratt to redeem himself for it. 

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA: 

WHAT A PREQUEL, WHAT A LOVELY PREQUEL! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

 

            George Miller (The Witches of Eastwick, Babe: Pig in the City, Three Thousand Years of Longing) returns to his post-apocalyptic world that he created all the way back in 1979 in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the latest installment of the Mad Max film series and prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. I love the Mad Max movies (Even Thunderdome despite its flaws has a lot of amazing things in it) especially Fury Road and consider it a landmark in action movie filmmaking with its adrenaline pumped action and stunts, incredible use of practical effects, a scene-stealing performance from Charlize Theron as Furiosa, and surprisingly compelling characters even with all the chaos going on in the film (Need I mention the Flamethrower Guitar Guy?). 

            Fury Road isn’t just my favorite Mad Max movie but one of my favorite films in general and I was eagerly awaiting the next chapter of Miller’s iconic franchise. That’s where Furiosa comes in set before the events of Fury Road with Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit, Last Night in Soho, The Menu) donning the prosthetic metal arm. 

            This was one of my most anticipated films of the year though I was mildly skeptical, Mad Max: Fury Road was a game-changing spectacle of a movie and with most audiences going in pretty much knowing what they’re in for, can George Miller recapture the same magic without rehashing the previous film? The answer, YES! 

            While I may have enjoyed Fury Road a little more because it was such a pleasant surprise when I saw it, this is an excellent origin story to the fan-favorite Mad Max character that retains much of the spectacle of Fury Road while also going back to the formula of the original Mad Max movie where it’s a simple revenge story. It is the kind of movie that gives exactly what you’re looking for, but still done extraordinarily well and very entertaining to watch. 

            The film is set 45 years after a global catastrophe and follows a young Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) who was taken from her family as a child by a ruthless warlord and leader of the Biker Horde known as Dementus (Chris Hemsworth-Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Cabin in the Woods, Rush) who also killed her mother. The movie chronicles her life from her kidnapping by Dementus, her struggle to survive as a slave, and eventually becoming a lieutenant of notorious cult leader Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme-The Matrix 2 and 3, Killer Elite, Three Thousand Years of Longing) until she can take revenge on Dementus. 

            The film also stars Tom Burke (Dragonheart: A New Beginning, Donkey Punch, Mank) as Praetorian Jack, Nathan Jones (Jackie Chan’s First Strike, Troy, Mortal Kombat (2021) reprising his role from Mad Max: Fury Road as Rictus Erectus, Josh Helman (Jack Reacher, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Thirteen Lives) who previously portrayed Slit in Mad Max: Fury Road as Scrotus, John Howard reprising his role from Mad Max: Fury Road as The People Eater, Angus Sampson (Insidious franchise, Fargo, Mortal Kombat (2021)) reprising his role from Mad Max: Fury Road as The Organic Mechanic, and Charlee Fraser (Anyone But You) as Mary Jo Bassa. 

            Overall, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga probably won’t be a cinematic game-changer like Mad Max: Fury Road, but it’s still an expertly crafted prequel filled with exhilarating action and strong character moments. This is also a movie that demands to be seen in theaters preferably on the largest screen possible with loud sound, if you wait to stream this movie instead of going out to the theater to watch it, I will fucking end you! 

            There is still plenty of Fury Road-style action and stunts, but unlike Fury Road where it tells its story and characters through one long chase sequence, this one definitely has more dialogue moments. While I may prefer the overblown aggressiveness and constant energy of Fury Road, I was still very invested in these characters and what they’re going through because the acting is so good and the world Miller creates for these movies is always fascinating to explore onscreen. 

As already mentioned, the film plays like a revenge movie similar to the original movie where it’s more about Furiosa getting revenge on the man who stole her and murdered her mother rather than surviving a world filled with insane people. In a way, Furiosa feels more personal and less explosive than something like Fury Road or The Road Warrior and is more about the character’s journey for vengeance which I was perfectly fine with. 

The film does a stellar job at making the audience get attached to Furiosa and wanting her to succeed in her goal. The movie spends a good chunk of the first half with Furiosa as a child and showing what happened to her and I was already invested in her story even before she became Anya Taylor-Joy, speaking of which. 

Anya Taylor-Joy is a great Furiosa and captures a lot of the mannerisms and expressions of Charlize Theron’s performance while still making the role her own. Much like Tom Hardy when he played Mad Max in Fury Road, he isn’t trying to imitate Mel Gibson from the earlier films, he is doing his own take on the character and that’s exactly what Taylor-Joy does here with Furiosa, I bought her completely as the young version of this character. 

            With all these insane vehicles, weapons, and stunts happening onscreen, Chris Hemsworth is the most over-the-top, cartoony thing in the entire film as Dementus. I’ve always enjoyed Hemsworth as an actor (Especially after seeing him play Thor), but this might be my new favorite performance of his because he is completely over-the-top, silly, and downright scary as Dementus and he is clearly having a blast going as crazy as he can get for our amusement, not to mention his hilariously cartoonish cockney accent. 

            The action and stunts are amazing and mostly done practically, but it is more of the same from Mad Max: Fury Road and I don’t mean that as a criticism. If you’ve seen the last movie you know what the action is going to be like and it’s all done extremely well and takes advantage of the large screens. 

            Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is among my favorite Mad Max movies and my favorite films of the year so far. Anya Taylor-Joy shines, Chris Hemsworth hams it up like crazy, the action sequences and practical effects are incredible, and George Miller once again is at the top of his game, it has everything I look for in a great summer blockbuster and just a great movie in general so strap in and enjoy the ride. 

I Saw the TV Glow review

I SAW THE TV GLOW: 

JUSTICE SMITH GLOWS IN BRILLIANT PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

A24

Justice Smith in I Saw the TV Glow

 

            Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) goes into his own personal Truman Show in the new psychological thriller-drama, I Saw the TV Glow. The film is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going to the World’s Fair) and is essentially another addition to the A24 WTF catalog of movies (And if you’ve seen a lot of A24 films you’ll know what I mean). 

            The movie looked interesting by the trailers and that it was being promoted heavily during my local film festival. There’s a very strong chance I’ll be watching the new A24 release that’s being hyped up like crazy regardless of what it is. 

            I can say with much enthusiasm that this pretty much exceeded my expectations in just about every way. This is one of the strangest and most bizarre films I’ve seen all year and I loved every minute of it. 

            The film follows a teenager named Owen (Smith) trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate, Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine-The Glass Castle, Bombshell, Bill & Ted Face the Music) introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV shown known as The Pink Opaque and his world changes forever. The show is actually a vision of a supernatural world beneath our own and on top of that, the series was abruptly canceled which results in Owen’s views of reality beginning to crack. 

            The film also stars Helena Howard (Madeline’s Madeline, The Wilds, Shoplifters of the World) as Isabel, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst (Revelations, Sorry, Haters, Play Dead) as Frank, Danielle Deadwyler (Jane and Emma, The Harder They Fall, Till) as Brenda, Lindsey Jordan/Snail Mail as Tara, Conner O’Malley (Joe Pera Talks with You, Palm Springs, Bodies Bodies Bodies) as Dave, and dancer/choreographer Emma Portner as Mr. Melancholy among other Pink Opaque characters. 

            Overall, I Saw the TV Glow is a surreal and engrossing experience that mixes bizarre storytelling and 90s nostalgia and explores how we perceive media both as a child and adult. Probably the closest things I can think of to compare the fictional Pink Opaque show with are Power Rangers and Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?which as a kid is like an epic spectacle with threatening monsters and villains and then when you revisit it at an older age, you start to acknowledge the campiness of what it really is or be like “This is terrible, what was I thinking when I was younger?”. 

            We’ve all had moments like that in our lives and while I can’t say it will resonate completely with everyone who grew up watching campy shows or movies, I’m certain you’ll be able to relate to something in this film whether it’s the in-universe show and how cheesy it is from an adult’s perspective or something to do with its characters. 

            The movie also captures the look and feel of a nostalgic memory with how scenes are shot, lit, edited, and its use of music and flashy visuals with this almost dreamlike and otherworldly environment. It really is as if you’re watching childhood memories told through the lens of a camera and that aspect deserves a lot of praise. 

            I also love how weird this movie gets often in terms of its visuals, editing, and scenes to the point where trying to explain them would be a huge disservice. I personally just recommend checking the movie out in order to see the WTF imagery featured in it. 

            Justice Smith is a very hit-or-miss actor to me; I found his character annoying as balls in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and his Detective Pikachu and Dungeons & Dragons characters…exist. Here, I thought he was great as Owen and this film really showcases his full capabilities as an actor from his humorous fourth wall-breaking narrations to the audience to his interactions with Brigette Lundy-Paine’s Maddy and the inevitable shift to madness as his perspective on reality starts to crumble, easily the best I’ve seen from him. 

            This is also a wildly unconventional movie that will lead to different interpretations and endless discussions amongst moviegoers. I’d strongly recommend bringing someone along with you to your viewing of it and listen how you interpret the film afterwards because if there’s any film out right now that perfectly sums up the magic of cinema, it’s this. 

            I Saw the TV Glow is a delightfully weird and chaotic celebration of childhood nostalgia without forcing nostalgic references down the audience’s throats. It’s a very personal and thought-provoking look at how people perceive things from their youth and how they change with age and just a damn entertaining ride, tune in and see for yourself. 

Anime Impulse Seattle 2024 Recap