The very first I’ve heard about this movie was on SinCast (my review for this great podcast can be found here) where they had the co-director and author of the graphic novel this movie is based on, Scott Christian Sava as a guest in 2017 (for anybody interested, the episode number is 130). Scott really painted a picture of a strange, strange production hell this movie was stuck in and ever since then, I’d occasionally think about it and wonder how is he getting on and whether we would ever see this movie.

So you can imagine my excitement when I’ve heard the first time, that it will be available on Netflix, and right after that, Scott even came back for another SinCast episode to discuss yet another part of what it took for this to happen (the episode number is 239) so I knew I just had to see this. After everything this movie has been through, I wanted to like it so bad, and I was worried, what if it isn’t any good? I went to this with some worries, as Scott came across like a such genuinely nice guy, that I was almost worried about not liking this movie as much.

Luckily, I can say I did enjoy this movie. Animal Crackers has a really interesting premise, that is utilised perfectly and feels fresh. My main thing with animated movies (and Pixar aside, as they “play” in a league of their own, for the most part) is most of the new ones feel a bit stale, and this movie didn’t. I am not saying something groundbreaking is happening in this movie, not really, but I am saying that the main idea is utilised very well and it works.

The voice cast is simply brilliant. From Danny DeVito, Sir Ian McKellen to Raven-Symoné, Patrick Warburton and Gilbert Gottfried (whose character Zucchini stole the movie for me, not only because of his voice, but also how he always refuses to acknowledge his boss isn’t his henchmen) they all put in a brilliant and fun performance and you’ll have a blast listening to them.

I do need to admit, this movie isn’t perfect, as the beginning feels a bit over the place, which even the director admits. But Animal Crackers is one of those movies, where longer you watch them, the better they get. Once they fully embrace the circus, the transforming into animals, that’s where the fun starts and that’s where the movie catches your attention. But for me there was something else, that truly persuaded me into liking this as much as I have. The family angle.

I feel like any other “studio” movie, would’ve lost its way in all those circus shenanigans, where the moment you are supposed to feel something, you don’t and the movie doesn’t work. What I truly appreciated in this movie, there was no “cheap” moment of tension, where the family would break apart (the movie has a scene where I thought that moment was coming, just to pull the rug from underneath me) and then reconcile 5 minutes later, nothing like that. The story, and the conflict, felt like a natural and logical progression.

I also liked the fact both parents are sensible people. What I mean by that – plenty of movies (and not just the animated ones) have this “template” of family, where one parent is the smart/responsible one, and the other is the “simpleton” with a heart of gold. Usually the mom is the smart one, the dad is the goofy one. I never once felt like this movie tried to do that, as both parents have the child-like side to them, where you are convinced that is why they work together so well. And the relationship with their little daughter was also portrayed in such a loving, caring way, you could tell this it was written by a dad, who wanted his child to have something nice.

Is Animal Crackers worth seeing? I would say so. Does it have flaws, mainly the beginning that drags a bit too long and feels a bit over the place? Absolutely. But will you care, at the very end? Not really, at least I didn’t, as the movie managed to convince me to just sit down, and enjoy this (literal) circus. And that’s coming from me, who’s never been keen on circus and I have visited some during my childhood years.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Oh, Eurovision… If you are not familiar with this competition, know this – it used to be a pretty decent platform for bands from all around Europe to have some spotlight shine upon them, but lately, it turned into a bit of a strange show, where the more weirder your act is, the better…? At least that’s the impression I’ve gotten from couple of clips I’ve seen.

From that angle, it was only matter of time before somebody takes the concept, that within itself, is fairly bizarre and turns it into a comedy. The question was, will that comedy be actually funny without being mean? And this film actually does that, so yes, it could be done. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a movie, that doesn’t mock the competition or the people who compete in it, it makes fun of everything else… and Americans.

We all know Will Ferrell is a funny man, who can make almost anything watchable, but some times he doesn’t work as well when comes to the actual story, if you can’t “ground” him. Luckily, this movie not only did that, but they hired somebody perfect to be his partner (and potentially sister, but probably not) Rachel McAdams. She’s the scene stealing queen of this movie, where her (always) positive attitude, combined with her believing in elves (who might or might not be real) just wins the entire movie for me. And this hasn’t happened for the first time, by the way.

Rachel McAdams has been sneaky great for much longer than you realise – she’s managed to be Oscar nominated actress for Spotlight (2015), was the highlight of another, even better comedy, Game Night (2018) and overall proven she can do pretty much anything. Just a side mini rant, but I really hope she will act a bit more, in leading roles, because she’s got what it takes to be funny/dramatic and have a movie made around her.

Back to Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – even though I did enjoy the movie overall, I did feel like it would work better if it was slightly shorter. The movie is just over 2 hours long, which isn’t an issue if you have a story to tell, but for a comedy about a Eurovision, there seemed to have been moments, that were dragging on a bit too much. If they’ve managed to condense it into 100 minutes or so, I think the movie wouldn’t loose its magic and if anything, it would’ve improved on the flow of it, making it snappier.

I also need to mention the music, as this movie really understands what Eurovision is and what kind of music you could expect to hear on the stage, where at first, you think to yourself “typical Euro music”, but there is something about them, that makes them stuck in your head and you end up listening to those songs for a few more days. In here, it’d definitely be these two songs below:

What I like about these two songs is they both sum up what Eurovision is about – most of the time, you would find songs like the “Double Trouble”, but sometimes, you do find a surprisingly nice song like “My Home Town”, that gets stuck in your head in a different way, and you actually like that song without feeling “guilty” about it.

Overall, I have enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. Could it be 20 minutes shorter? Definitely. Have I laughed a lot? Yes. Do I wish more comedies had Rachel McAdams? 100%! Do I believe in elves now? Maybe…

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

If there was one movie in 2019 festival going people wouldn’t shut up about, it was definitely this one. Portrait of a Lady on Fire was all I heard about from certain people I trust, so I was really looking forward to it.

And the result… I don’t want to say it was underwhelming, because that just wouldn’t be fair, as this is cinema in its purest form. Let’s just say, it took me a while to get used to this quiet (except couple of parts, there is no soundtrack, no background music, nothing at all) and slow burning (get it? Because she’s on fire…) drama. I’m having a hard time writing about this movie without getting into some details of a plot or possible spoilers, so without further ado…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

The “issue” is, I’ve seen a trailer and I heard what the movie is actually about – two women falling for each other, in a time where that thing wasn’t really easy to do. And the trailer was cut exactly as modern trailers are – to sell you the movie, to get you to see it by ANY MEANS NECESSARY. So it made this movie look like something, it wasn’t really…? I know this is not a movie’s fault and I mean, don’t get me wrong, this movie is definitely about a painter, who’s tasked to paint a wedding picture of a woman in secrecy. But soon, the truth comes out, and they start getting closer, until they fall for each other. So far so good, right? Yes, except if you go into this expecting a “juicy” drama, you’ve come to the wrong show.

When I said “slow burning”, I meant slow burning, as we don’t actually see them admit their feelings for each other until there’s “only” 40 minutes left. Most of the movie is basically a setup for us to fully understand both of these characters. Which is a ballsy choice, to make a movie in this day and age, where attention spans are getting shorter, and we are so used to scenes, that have 156 cuts in a minute and on top of that have dramatic music in the background, to tell us how to feel about it. This film doesn’t do that, it lets each of us decide how we want to feel and the absence of any music was a brilliant choice. So brilliant, I need to talk about it a bit more.

Plenty of filmmakers nowadays rely on soundtrack/music, as it can make, or sometimes, break a scene. And there is nothing wrong with that, after all, we all are suckers for a great soundtrack, me included. And Portrait of a Lady on Fire could’ve had some sort of ethereal, piano, maybe a few violins kind of soundtrack, really easily, that would’ve underlined some scenes, where it would’ve worked so well and I would’ve probably loved it even more. And yet, I am so glad it didn’t. As when you remove these “clutches” (and I need to repeat this again, I am in no way, shape or form disrespecting any sound people, musicians etc., as I admire what they do and I could never do what they do) you almost strip the movie of clothing, that protects it and reveal everything, bones, bruises, skin. You make your film more vulnerable. And that is why it worked so well for this particular film, in order for us to fully feel, what these women are feeling for each other, we needed to have the protective layer stripped, so it can standout even more. Céline Sciamma, I admire and applaud you.

That is what makes Portrait of a Lady on Fire unique – what could’ve been yet another, run of the mill kind of historical drama (but hey, this time with lesbians!) we’ve seen so many times before, was elevated to a higher level, because somebody in charge had the balls to not only do something risky, but also was smart enough to know, how to convey the lesbian love story. What I mean by that, Céline Sciamma is not only a woman director, but also lesbian. And we desperately need more people like her directing stories through her eyes, as she knows more about this than your average dude. You can tell this wasn’t shot in salacious way, where bunch of guys wanted to see (naked) girls make out. That’s yet another aspect that worked about this movie – everything was portrayed with such a raw honesty, it genuinely sneaks up on you, where once you see the final 5 minutes, you do get a bit emotional, because you’ve been on this journey with them.

The only slight knock I have against this film, there are scenes that could’ve been trimmed, just a tiny bit – maybe 10/15 minutes or so. I am all for building up atmosphere, slow burning dramas, but maybe, just maybe, if couple of scenes here and there stayed on the cutting room floor, this would have flown slightly better for me.

But who knows? Maybe, once I see it a second time, I won’t mind it at all and my rating will change, who knows. What I know for sure is, I will follow Céline Sciamma more closely now and I’m secretly hoping I’m not the only one (people in Hollywood, give her a call, a decent amount of money, don’t talk into her process and just let her work, are we clear?) as she deserves to be a household name. I can’t wait what she’s got in store for us next.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

His Girl Friday is yet another classic, that’s been escaping me for quite some time, but finally, I’ve managed to catch it, watch it and digest it and establish why I like it.

Just the sheer amount of movies that “borrowed” something from this film, or that copied one or more characters, would probably ended up being a longer list than all the intellectual properties Disney now owns (the thing is, nobody really knows, as we, as a society, just stopped counting at this point. My strategy is, if it exists, it either is owned by Disney, or it will be in about 5/10 years), so that’s impressive as it is. But on top of it, His Girl Friday is actually entertaining and funny movie… well at least after 20/30 minutes.

I don’t know why, but I had hard time “getting” into this movie. I am not sure whether it was the quality I’ve seen (there was a version on Amazon Prime, that wasn’t remastered or touched in any way, not that would need that, but it might influence the way you feel about a movie or a TV show if the quality is not that great) or something else, but it took me a while to get used these characters and the surprisingly swift (and I don’t mean Taylor) tempo of this movie. But once I got in, then I started to understand why this movie is classic, but somehow sneaky classic…?

Don’t get me wrong, I know movie fans who would mention this movie every once in a while, but it’s not really in the same discussion as Casablanca (1942) or Gone with the Wind (1939), where this film not only broke some barriers (I would imagine there were not that many movies from 1940 or prior about a woman, who’s clearly better in everything than the men around her) but also established that you can actually have actors talk the way people do in the real life, over each other and really, really fast. And not only to see, but embrace the chaos, that comes with that. It’s easy not being impressed today by this movie (as much) anymore, but His Girl Friday did everything we are used to now, and did it back in 1940, 80 years ago, and counting! That is why I believe it should be part of the conversation, about movies, that transcended the medium by influencing thousands that came after it.

His Girl Friday is that kind of a film, that even though it doesn’t get the “full” marks today, I fully admit I probably need to re-watch it at some point, and to be honest, it doesn’t bother me at all. Actually, I am looking forward to it. And here’s why. My idea of what’s good, bad, or in between changes as everyone’s, as we see more, grow, learn new things on daily basis. I might have not fully appreciated this movie a few days ago when I’ve seen it for the very time, but there was something about it, that forces me to write, that I’m not done with it. And in a couple of years, when I know more, I will re-watch it and I’m almost positive I’ll like it even better, and I (probably) will even like the first 20/30 minutes of this, which is the only reason my rating is slightly lower today.

As more and more movies are being released almost daily now, I tend not to re-watch plenty of things, as I tend to feel guilty for not discovering new, great movies, that I have in all my watch-lists over several of streaming services. But I have couple of movies I’ve already watched on a special “list”. That list is for films, I need to give another chance to, as I might have watched them in a weird period of my life, or I was in a bad mood, or if I just felt like the person I am today, can’t fully appreciate them, for whatever reason. This movie definitely goes to that list.

That’s all for today! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Late Night is definitely product of our time, where more and more we are getting comedies, that address harsh reality and injustice of today. This movie (or more precisely, its main star and screenwriter, Mindy Kaling) focused on late night setting (which is understandable, as she used to be an intern for Conan O’Brien, so she knows this environment really well) and the representation (or lack thereof) of women, and people of colour and how hard it is to get a gig like this (still?).

The movie definitely let’s you know that straightaway and isn’t shy about it, and I reckon that’s why this movie is rated fairly low on IMDb (currently sitting on 6.5/10 with 23.500+ votes) as just a mere mention of things like that irks some people the wrong way. I think this movie could’ve easily been a preachy, way to “woke” of a movie to be enjoyable, but, because of all the talent involved and the clever screenplay by Mindy, it’s not that at all. It’s actually the very opposite of that.

Late Night is a smart movie about a few real issues (the movie mainly touches on topics such as race, sex, age, you know, the to-go topics for the most awkward dinner conversation with your elderly relatives, you will ever have) but it never goes overboard with it, meaning we still are watching a comedy, where the one and only Emma Thompson proves that she’s still a force to be reckon with. Her relationship with Mindy felt real, and the two of them had a really good chemistry together. Mindy herself was great, I thought she did really well, especially playing “against” an icon such as Emma, but she held her own.

My main and practically only issue with this movie was (surprisingly) with the script, where event though it was clever, I felt it wasn’t clever enough. Let me explain…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

The first thing about Late Night is that it’s about Mindy’s character mainly, and we are supposed to be rooting for her, as she’s fighting everybody and works her way up, BUT… it’s not as much because of her own skills/abilities, but because the choices are either made for her (like her being hired had nothing to do with her skills at all) and she’s dealing with that, or she’s bad at her job, until her co-worker points her to the right direction, tells her what she should try, so she does it and of course she succeeds. There is a point, almost one hour into the movie, where she makes a decision to attend the charity stand-up thing, she’s been talking about for most of the movie, even though Emma Thompson’s character tells her she’ll be fired, if she goes. And at that moment, I’ve realised that might be her first actual decision without anybody else giving her direction, or where some sort of coincidence happened. All I am trying to say is Mindy Kaling is clever, likeable and adorable, so of course we all want her to succeed in this movie, but it shouldn’t take her (especially if she’s the main character) almost an hour before she takes her destiny into her own hands.

The only other thing I’d say about the script is, I honestly wished it would’ve followed some nontraditional ways, as you can safely predict what happens next. For a normal, “switch your brain off” comedy, that’s not a problem, but for a comedy that’s a smart, bitty (that’s 100% a word!) and wants to address several (important) issues, you’d think they would didn’t feel the need for the fairy tale happy ending, or they would at least threw something into this mix, that wasn’t so predictable. I expected bit more, story wise, to be perfectly honest.

But other than those two points, I had a blast and Late Night is a delightful, smart comedy, that’s definitely worth seeing. I don’t think you will have a bad time with these two amazing actresses.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

First of all, I hope you’ll forgive me for that bad pun, but it was there, so I had to take it. Second of all, there is a reason behind that pun, as The Lovebirds works in a unison, where Kumail Nanjiani makes the movie funny, but Issa Rae is the main star, who makes this the surprise comedy of this year (so far) for me, and elevates it.

The Lovebirds starts as almost a drama about a couple, who we see fall in love, just to watch them couple of minutes later breaking up. I, as almost always, had no idea what this movie was about, so when the movie turned into a murder mystery, I was perplexed and slightly annoyed I have to say, as I was interested in their relationship and wouldn’t be opposed exploring it in a proper, heavy drama.

That obviously didn’t happen, as this movie is mainly a comedy, but along the way we do get to explore them and their relationship carefully and see, what’s happened between them, so my mild annoyance turned into me actually enjoying the ride. Plenty of jokes landed, the story might have been slightly over the top at times, sure, but I have found myself really entertained. I need to admit, until now, I wasn’t really familiar with Issa Rae at all. But after this, I definitely need to look into her filmography, as she’s the one who (at least for me) is the main star of the movie, and that’s difficult, as Kumail is great in this too! Not only he’s funny, but you understand his character really well and in some more dramatic scenes I thought he’s doing something, we don’t see from him as much. If he’s the heart of the movie, Issa would definitely be the soul of it, as if her character didn’t work, the movie would’ve turned into paint-by-numbers comedy, that wouldn’t stand out at all.

I honestly believe it’s mainly because of Issa, and the mix of charm, comedic talent and charisma she brings into this, the movie works and is memorable, as she’s a breath of a fresh air, something we don’t get to see (at least in a mainstream movie) every day. I do hope this will be her “coming out” party, as I understand she’s already famous, but I wish this movie will break her through to the mainstream audience, so the next time they will see her, they would know her name. I for one will remember that name, as I will be actively looking for it.

If you want to give this movie a chance, do it, but try to accept the movie on its own terms. The reason I am saying that is this movie currently sits on IMDb with 6.0/10, which is incredibly low. Either my standards are going down (which is totally possible) or people go into this expecting something else and have a problem with what’s actually on the screen. That’s something I’ll never understand, especially when comes to this movie, as it knows, what it is and it doesn’t pretend to be something else. It’s just a slightly crazy comedy, with some truths about relationships and one really insane night. Nothing more, nothing less. And that’s what I love about this film, it never feels out of place. On future viewings, my rating will probably be going even higher, as I have really enjoyed myself. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

As most people, I came in pretty late to the “Breaking Bad is actually a great TV show you should watch ASAP” party (I have started a month before the second half of season five aired and actually managed to finish it before it premiered) and as most people, I loved the show, and I thought they absolute nailed the ending in the most satisfactory way.

That’s why I was so torn, when this movie was announced. On one hand, I wanted to go back to that world, and it was with the original cast + Vince Gilligan, who has already pulled it off once with Better Call Saul (my review here) so, why not? But on the other hand, do we want to open something that was once (not that long ago) closed with such a precision, and risking undermining that pretty much perfect ending? Plus, if you think a movie about what happened to Jesse right after the finale of Breaking Bad will be full of happiness and rainbows, you haven’t been paying attention to the TV show and his character, mainly last couple of episodes of the final season (not going to spoil anything just yet, but the scene with the wood… just thinking about it brings back painful memories).

I have decided that I’d watch it, as I the curiosity got the better of me and I do trust Vince a lot, so…

Beware, SPOILERS (for this film and Breaking Bad) are COMING!

I liked it. But I didn’t love it. Here’s the thing – you can’t improve on perfection, and Vince knew that, that’s why we are truly focused on events AFTER the devastating finale, rather than referencing it in any major way. And yet again, Vince has some sort of third eye for camera shots, as he knows how to stage those angles/views that most of them standout (the highlight for me was Jesse in the apartment, looking for the money).

El Camino is great when comes to tension, camera work, performances, (shout out to Robert Forster, as this was one of his last acting gigs before he passed away), name anything technical, and this movie has got it. But halfway through the film, I felt like something is missing. And I’m not as interested in this movie as I should be. Then it hit me. I can’t knock this movie, as it’s not a bad movie by any means. But it’s the very definition of “what’s the point”?

Let me explain – by showing us what happens to Jesse right after, you might satisfy some fans by giving them definitive answer to that question, but you do undermine the ending of the show just a bit, as that means we, as audience, can’t feel what we felt for Jesse’s character next time we are re-watching the show. Jesse’s final scene, where he’s driving away from the place he’d been captured for some time, cry laughing, first with happiness and then with pain, was so haunting, because you as a viewer could feel what he’s feeling, then make up your own story about what happens to this character. And let’s face it, if you are a realist, it won’t be pretty, as he’s a broken man and it will take some time for him to heal. Or maybe he never will… I didn’t need to see him arriving to Alaska, still kind of a broken man, with no actual “resolution”. Nothing is truly behind him, on the opposite, running (which you could argue was the “simplest” thing) is over and he needs to face to his worst demons now and start healing.

El Camino is also story of two halves, where the first one is pure brilliance, and the second is where the fan service truly kicks in (showing scenes with Krysten Ritter and Bryan Cranston) where mainly the one with Bryan felt a bit forced, where it seemed like Vince was almost bullied into having Walt in somehow, as “WE NEED TO PLEASE THE FANS, VINCE, LISTEN!”

But then again, that’s my only criticism of the movie – it only “fails”, because the TV show was as brilliant as it was. To me, that’s an achievement on its own. And let’s face it, in a different timeline, in some sort of bizarre parallel universe, this movie would’ve been much, much worse. And we can’t forget that. If you think about it, this movie shouldn’t have worked as much as it works and yet, somehow it does. Vince is playing 5D chess with everyone and I honestly can’t wait for what he does next.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I understand that some people thought the newest A Star Is Born (2018) was a remake of the version with Barbra Streisand from 1976, but that’s not actually true, as that version was a remake of another remake from 1954 and, as far as I know, this (1937 version) is the true original version. So yes, this movie is truly immortal, as (almost) every generation has had their own A Star Is Born remake.

The reason for that is fairly obvious – nothing ever changes, so this story is as relevant today as it was back in 1976, 1954 and even in 1937. Yes, technology improves, the way actors perform on camera has improved massively too, but this is as universal of a story as you will ever see. Come to think of it, this hasn’t been done “just” 4 times, as there are countless more movies about more or less the same premise – somebody young, full of hopes, dreams and short on cash, comes to Hollywood, where they want to make it big. Only thing that changes is how much they struggle on their way to the top, and whether they fall down, once they reach that top and how that affects them and people around them.

I found this movie to be still relevant, even after 80+ years now, as in Hollywood, nothing ever truly changes. You are only as good as your last movie, where it doesn’t matter how many fans letters you receive (or rather in this day and age, how many followers you’ve got across various platforms) but what truly matters is how many of those fans/followers show up to watch you on the big screen (and today, even the smaller, home TV screen counts). Where nobody is truly your friend, they are just there for you, until they aren’t.

I was really surprised with performances in this film, as I thought both Janet Gaynor and Fredric March have done really well, especially for 1937. Don’t forget, we can’t judge actors by today’s lens, as even the most mediocre actors of today have much more knowledge about the craft, know how to act, what works and what doesn’t. But I honestly felt like these two performances were not bad at all – I have trusted both actors almost everything, especially Fredric portrayed his role of a somebody, who used to be a big name actor, just for him to shift to a new “role” of “husband to a great actress”, really convincing. I know some won’t agree with what I am about to write, but I’ve found his character much more convincing than Bradley Cooper‘s in the latest remake of this film and here’s why – we can see the glimpses of this guys greatness, whereas in the newest remake, Bradley’s character is pretty much done for from the start, because of his alcoholism.

As I am a completionist, I will try and watch the other two remakes from 1954 and 1976, just to compare them and see not even which movie has the “upper hand”, but how each director and cast dealt with the same story, how many differences there are and how close they are to each other. Because I tell you what – so far, I’ve seen this version and the 2018 one, and I preferred this one. One day, I might write about why I didn’t care that much about the new one. So that leaves me wondering, how much will I like the other two remakes and how they deal with this story in two completely different eras.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke