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| Courtesy of Disney |
(Rated PG for some action/peril.)
The cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari and Nasim Pedrad.
What it’s about: This live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated classic revisits the tale of charming street rat Aladdin (Massoud), who falls in love with the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine (Scott). Perhaps an eager-to-please Genie (Smith) can get these two impossibly beautiful people together?
The good: I don’t think anyone is going to argue that a new version of Aladdin was necessary, except for Disney shareholders. However, it mostly acquits itself thanks to some solid performances, a couple of hilarious party sequences and outstanding choreography.
First, the question on everyone’s minds: although he’s more charismatic on screen than he’s been in years, Smith was never going to match Robin Williams’ iconic performance as the motormouthed Genie. Fortunately, one of the best decisions director Guy Ritchie makes is to let the actor put his own spin on the character rather than try to be a copy of Williams. Granted, “Friend Like Me” is a substandard remix of the original, but once Genie and Aladdin get out of the Cave of Wonders, Smith’s performance improves drastically.
Scott is the other big standout, putting a modern spin on Princess Jasmine that gives the character more agency. She’s a terrific actress who looks almost exactly like her animated counterpart, and she’s got an amazing singing voice (which feels wasted considering her new songs are so bland and forgettable). Pedrad, as her friend and handmaiden, is also fantastic – her budding relationship with Genie is one of the most entertaining additions to the story.
The not-so-good: The remake adds almost 40 minutes of new material, most of it unnecessary. Some of it strengthens the relationship between Aladdin and Genie, but it’s mostly wasted on characters like Jafar. He remains a one-note villain despite the screenplay’s efforts to explain his desire for power.
Perhaps it’s in the casting: Kenzari is a bland presence who never really gets a handle on the character. He alternates between a flat, monotonous delivery and screaming his lines, a bizarre approach that frequently kills the movie’s momentum.
I was also baffled by the lifeless set design considering the film’s massive budget. There were moments, especially during the marketplace scenes, where it felt like I was watching a Disney Channel movie rather than a summer blockbuster.
Grade: B-
Booksmart
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| Courtesy of Annapurna |
(Rated R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking – all involving teens.)
The cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Billie Lourd, Skyler Gisondo, Jessica Williams and Jason Sudeikis.
What it’s about: The day before their high school graduation, genius best friends Amy (Dever) and Molly (Feldstein) learn that the classmates they looked down on for partying too much also got accepted to great colleges. Realizing they could’ve worked less and played more, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
The good: Booksmart is the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde and it establishes her as a funny, compelling filmmaker with a distinct point-of-view. She throws everything she’s got into kicking off a familiar story in a fresh way, grabbing viewers’ attention and striving to keep them glued to the screen for the next 90 minutes.
Wilde immediately silences any hecklers who might suggest this is a stereotypical “what I really want to do is direct” vanity project. She makes killer stylistic choices (there’s a gorgeous underwater sequence that made me audibly gasp) and it’s evident that her experience as an actress helps the screenplay’s stylized dialogue and slightly heightened reality (courtesy of writers Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Katie Silberman) come across as natural.
Despite surface similarities, writing off Booksmart as “Superbad with girls” would be a huge mistake. Sure, they’re both raunchy teen movies with heart and the insanely talented Feldstein happens to be Jonah Hill’s sister. But Wilde’s film rises above its predecessors by simultaneously honoring the elements that viewers love about the genre while also addressing some of its more problematic tropes.
Booksmart initially presents its characters as stereotypes (nerds, jocks, mean girls, stoners, etc.) but then forces the audience to actually look at the people underneath easy labels. While most of the characters make bad decisions, by the end it’s clear nobody is a full-blown villain. It’s a refreshing change of pace that made me love the film even more.
It helps that Wilde has assembled an astonishingly great cast. I’ve been a fan of Dever since her work in the FX drama Justified and she continues her streak of phenomenal performances. Feldstein, so warm and kind in 2017’s Lady Bird, proves her work there was no fluke.
Williams, Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte are also fantastic as the grown-ups in the girls’ lives, but I think most people will leave the theater raving about Lourd (who bears a striking resemblance to her mom, the late Carrie Fisher) as a manic party girl. She made me laugh so hard my chest hurt.
The not-so-good: Honestly, nothing – Booksmart is darn near perfect. We’re almost halfway into 2019 and it’s my favorite movie of the year so far. Granted, it needs time to marinate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Wilde’s coming of age narrative is eventually mentioned in the same breath as The Breakfast Club, Dazed and Confused, and Clueless.
Grade: A
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
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| Courtesy of Lionsgate |
(Rated R for pervasive strong violence, and some language.)
The cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon and Angelica Huston.
What it’s about: Picking up immediately after the events of the previous installment, skilled assassin John Wick (Reeves) is running for his life with a $14 million price tag on his head and every killer on the planet looking to cash in. Because he killed a high-ranking member of the shadowy High Table, Wick is excommunicado, meaning he’s cut off from even trusted sources (including McShane, Reddick and Fishburne).
The good: Fortunately, Parabellum continues the unexpected franchise’s welcome tradition of practical stunts, creative fight choreography and skilled direction that focuses on the actors’ movements rather than muddling them. Even better, this chapter highlights some truly outstanding hand-to-hand combat. Reeves continues to revel in this new stage of his career as a man would rather shoot people in the head than talk.
It’s also great to see his co-stars enjoy a bigger piece of the spotlight. McShane and Reddick get a lot more to do this time. However, the best part of the flick is easily an extended sequence in which Wick fights alongside Berry’s character and her canine companions. The movie is never dull, but that segment supercharges it even more. I certainly wouldn’t mind a Berry-centric spinoff.
The not-so-good: The movie’s a blast, but the filmmakers’ obsession with cliffhangers and convoluted mythology is getting a bit out of hand. This installment’s tease for a fourth movie (which was announced a few days ago) offers a chance to end the franchise in a cool way before it runs out of steam, but considering Parabellum made more money in its opening weekend than the original made in its entire theatrical run, I’m not holding my breath.
Grade: B
The cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon and Angelica Huston.
What it’s about: Picking up immediately after the events of the previous installment, skilled assassin John Wick (Reeves) is running for his life with a $14 million price tag on his head and every killer on the planet looking to cash in. Because he killed a high-ranking member of the shadowy High Table, Wick is excommunicado, meaning he’s cut off from even trusted sources (including McShane, Reddick and Fishburne).
The good: Fortunately, Parabellum continues the unexpected franchise’s welcome tradition of practical stunts, creative fight choreography and skilled direction that focuses on the actors’ movements rather than muddling them. Even better, this chapter highlights some truly outstanding hand-to-hand combat. Reeves continues to revel in this new stage of his career as a man would rather shoot people in the head than talk.
It’s also great to see his co-stars enjoy a bigger piece of the spotlight. McShane and Reddick get a lot more to do this time. However, the best part of the flick is easily an extended sequence in which Wick fights alongside Berry’s character and her canine companions. The movie is never dull, but that segment supercharges it even more. I certainly wouldn’t mind a Berry-centric spinoff.
The not-so-good: The movie’s a blast, but the filmmakers’ obsession with cliffhangers and convoluted mythology is getting a bit out of hand. This installment’s tease for a fourth movie (which was announced a few days ago) offers a chance to end the franchise in a cool way before it runs out of steam, but considering Parabellum made more money in its opening weekend than the original made in its entire theatrical run, I’m not holding my breath.
Grade: B
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