MOVIE REVIEW: MUFASA: THE LION KING

 

Lost and alone, orphaned cub Mufasa meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destinies.

Director: Barry Jenkins

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Blue Ivy Carter, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

Release Date: December 20, 2024

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical

Rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements.

Runtime: 1h 58m

Review:

Mufasa: The Lion King manages to improve on the 2019 remake on multiple levels, but its uneven pacing and overlong runtime keep it from being truly special.  Academy Award winning director Barry Jenkins delivers a visually impressive film across the board with the technical aspects of the photo realistic imaginary providing a venerable feast for the eyes.  Action set pieces are well constructed and do a strong job of putting the audience in the middle of the chaotic action to great effect.  Through all the technical wizardry Jenkins uses his talent to give his characters a real sense of emotion and depth something that was missing in the hollow 2019 remake.  Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. deliver strong work as the pair of accidental brothers at the center of the story by giving each character a real sense of brotherly connection throughout.  Pierre's deep tenor fits well as the younger version of James Earl Jones Mufasa to reflect his innate nobility and courage paired with youthful naiveite.  Kelvin Harrison Jr. turn as the future Scar, Taka, is measured with an air of undeserved entitlement and cowardness but very little conniving until the later portion of the film as the story reveals the cause of their fractured relationship.  The story stumbles a bit with that reveal since there's plenty of room to play with the concepts of entitlement vs earning your position but instead it falls back on a simple conflict over unrequited love which is underwhelming.  Mads Mikkelsen's provides the voice of Kiros who serves as the menacing villain pursuing the group.  Mikkelsen clearly relishes the villainous role with impressive glee that's highlighted by the song Bye Bye a rather chipper song about murdering another group of lions.  Lin Manuel-Miranda's song are catchy as usual and work well for the most part with Kelvin Harrison Jr. final song, Brother Betrayed, proving to be a highlight.  Unfortunately, there are handful of stumbles along the way with the most egregious being the framing device ramming in unnecessary silly sequences from Seth Rogen's Pumbaa and Billy Eichner's Timon which breaks up the film's flow on multiple occasions.  Those moments could have been excised entirely and it would have made the overlong film a more effective and emotionally impactful experience.  As is, Mufasa: The Lion King brings enough to the table to make it a worthwhile exercise just not quite a special one.  

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Elvis

 

My dear reader(s), this weekend I finally had the opportunity to catch up with Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (2022).

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

The very stylized life and times of the King of Rock n' Roll.

So...I didn't set out to compare Elvis to my beloved Rocketman, but almost instantly the comparisons started making themselves. I'm reasonably certain the comparison isn't why I wasn't head over heels for Elvis, but...full and fair disclosure and all.

Elvis plays like a fantasy, even though it seems largely true to life. That probably can be chalked up to Luhrmann's flashy style and the King's bigger-than-life persona, but it immediately gives the film a brassy feel that was a bit jarring sometimes.

Austin Butler aces the dramatic scenes and proves an able Elvis impersonator during musical sequences, even if he's missing the spark that makes the King the King. The always reliable Tom Hanks is rightly unsympathetic as Col. Tom Parker to Butler's Elvis. While the story is told from Parker's point of view, he's never painted its hero. Costumes, hair, and makeup are beautifully done, but the story never quite earns its bloated runtime.

Orson Welles once said, "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." While Rocketman had the benefit of wrapping up its fantastical tale with Sir Elton enjoying personal and professional success, perhaps it was always going to work against Elvis that we know the story doesn't have a happy ending. Perhaps my expectations for the movie were just too high. Or perhaps no telling could have done this magical human justice. Whatever the reason, this movie definitely fell flatter for me than it seemed to for most.

Elvis clocks in at 159 minutes and is rated PG13 for "substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material, and smoking."

While Elvis the movie never quite matches the glory of Elvis the legend, it's an entertaining enough film featuring some great performances and magnificent costumes.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Elvis gets seven.

Elvis is now streaming on HBO Max.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: ELVIS

 

From his rise to fame to his unprecedented superstardom, rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley maintains a complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, over the course of 20 years. Central to Presley's journey and happiness is one of the most influential people in his life -- Priscilla.

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, and Kodi Smit-McPhee

Release Date: June 24, 2022

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Rated PG-13 for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material and smoking

Runtime: 2h 39m

Review:

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is a frenetic carnival ride of a biopic that shakes up the formula enough to make the genre feel fresh.  Luhrmann's garish style is perfectly suited for Elvis, something that shines through during the film's energetic and meticulously crafted stage sequences.  These moments pulsate with an engaging sense of verve that's hard to resist.  The opening introduction is masterfully played as Luhrmann slowly reveals the fresh faced star in the form of an electric Austin Butler.  Butler simply dissolves into the role, capturing the soulfulness and playfulness of his real life counter part.  Its a fascinating turn for multiple reasons especially since Elvis' persona has been parodied and mimicked excessively by now but he manages to play him with a tangible sense of humanity in the film's quieter moments.  The film uses Colonel Tom Parker deathbed memories as the film’s framing device but it keeps the audience at arm’s length from Elvis’ state of mind especially in his later days which seems like a missed opportunity.  Tom Hanks, under heavy make up, plays Parker like a carnival conman opportunist who latches onto Elvis.  Its a solid performance but you get the sense that Hanks is limited by the prosthetics and cartoonish accent leaving the character as more of a caricature than a fully formed person.  That being said, Hanks and Butler do share some strong sequences together where the script lays bare how the conman kept his grips on the star.  Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner penned the script and its less interested with factual accuracy than it is in capturing those singular moments in his life.  It smartly engages on the issues of musical appropriation never shying away from pointing out where Elvis' inspiration came from.  It would have been easy to gloss over that and focus solely on the spectacle which Luhrmann still does in spades.  There is a sense that Baz cares deeply about his central subject even though he still can't help himself and over indulge in his showmanship, particularly in the final act where attrition starts to dull the effect, but he still manages to deliver a Elvis biopic that will leave plenty of people happy.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HIGH NOTE

Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis, a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie is Grace's overworked personal assistant who's stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace's manager presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bill Pullman

Release Date: May 29, 2020

Drama, Music, Romance

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and suggestive references

Runtime: 1h 53m

Review:

The High Note is a romantic comedy that doesn’t aspire to any great heights but as a serviceable low rent version of The Devil Wears Prada it works.  Nisha Ganatra delivers a glossy looking film that looks slightly like a Nancy Meyers film set in the music industry.  Still, it’s decently paced with a nice sweet tone throughout even if it only brushes on bigger subjects but never engages them.  Instead it’s content with the basic rom-com plot points.  As is, the film works well enough to keep it entertaining mainly due to the film keeping a light easy going feel for the length of the film.  Dakota Johnson is fine in the lead even though she’s about as vanilla as they come and her character is written to take advantage of her blandness.  She’s never annoying or really all that interesting but she keeps the film moving.  Thankfully Johnson and Kelvin Harrison Jr share some solid screen chemistry which makes their love story thread better than it should be.  The film does perk up noticeably when Tracee Ellis Ross is on screen, she’s tailor suited to playing a legendary songstress and she’s got the pipes to back it up.  Her character deserved more nuance and depth than the film gives her which is a shame since it would have made the whole thing more impactful.  Ice Cube has a smaller supporting role and it’s good to see him play a different type of character here.  The High Note isn’t a perfect film and could have used a bit of trimming here and there but still an enjoyable watch even if doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

B