Hey, folks, it’s time for the first Rhode Island Movie Corner post of 2017. Right now, I’m currently working on my annual ‘Top 12 Films of the Year’ posts detailing my favorite films from 2016. That four-part series will be published sometime in the next few days but until then, it’s time for something that I usually do during this time; a quick post detailing some of the recent films that I’ve seen during the final stretch of the year. Every year after Christmas, I go on a double feature run with my good friend Matthew Goudreau, a writer for The Young Folks and The Nerd Stash. We’ve been doing it since 2012 and every year, we always end up seeing two of that year’s biggest award contenders. The first year we did it, it was Les Miserables and Django Unchained. In 2013, it was The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle. In 2014, it was Into the Woods and The Imitation Game. And last year, it was The Hateful Eight and The Big Short. So, when it comes to doing reviews of these films, I always do a ‘short review double feature’ post instead of doing full reviews for both, mainly due to me not really having the time to do so because of the ‘Top 12 of the Year’ lists. But, it should be noted that in the case of our 2015 ‘double feature run’, it didn’t occur until New Year’s Day 2016 due to our busy schedules. Thus, I ended up seeing three films in two days. The third film was the annual film that I see on New Year’s Eve with my family (in this case, that film was Joy). Thus, that ‘double feature’ post ended up being a ‘triple feature’ post. And this year, it’s the same situation. I saw one film with my family on New Year’s Eve and then I did my ‘Double Feature’ run with Matt the following day; January 1st, 2017. Another one of my pals, Alex Corey (who just started his own film review blog at alexcoreyfilm.blogspot.com and is also my co-host on our podcast Sabers, Phasers, and Lasers, Oh My!), even joined us this time around. Thus, it’s time for the second annual post-Christmas ‘Short Review Triple Feature’ post, in which I discuss the last three films that I’ve seen in theaters.
To kick things off, we have the film that I saw on New Year’s Eve. It was the last 2016 release that I saw in the year 2016.
SING
Sing is the latest film from Illumination Entertainment and their second of 2016 after their smash summer hit The Secret Life of Pets. It centers on a group of ‘misfit’ animals who enter a singing competition held by a koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), the owner of an old theater who hopes that it’ll give him the profit he needs to save his property. What follows is a charming animated film full of performances of new and classic songs, including ‘Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing’ by Stevie Wonder and ‘I’m Still Standing’ by Elton John. After all, this film is called Sing and the best part about it is the musical performances, all of which are performed very well by a solid voice cast that includes the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane, and Taron Egerton. For the most part, this does make up for the fact that the story is a straight-forward affair. This ‘save the theater’ storyline is quite predictable in both plot-points and in terms of its characterizations (e.g. an overworked mother, the son of a gang leader who looks to get out of the family business, a shy teenager looking to overcome stage fright, etc.). Still, despite this, I will give the film credit as there were some emotional moments that were quite effective, mainly in regards to Buster and his connection to the theater. Plus, most of, though not all, of the main characters are likable. In short, Sing is by no means a particularly groundbreaking entry in the animated film genre. Still, despite its standard plot, it does deliver when it comes to the one thing that it’s named for; singing performances. That at least makes it an enjoyable family flick.
Rating: 3.5/5
And now, onto the double-feature run that I did with Matt and Alex.
FENCES
Fences is the third directorial effort from A-list superstar Denzel Washington, following 2002’s Antwone Fisher and 2007’s The Great Debaters. The film is based off the award-winning (Pulitzer Prize-winning, to be specific) play of the same name by playwright August Wilson and is part of his series of Pittsburgh-based plays known as The Pittsburgh Cycle that encompasses all decades of the 20th century. This one, set in the 50’s, shares a few similarities with another famous play, Death of a Salesman, in that it centers on an aging family man who struggles to provide for his family. Washington stars in the lead role of Troy Maxson, former Negro league baseball player turned garbage man, while Viola Davis stars as his long-suffering wife Rose. Both Washington and Davis starred in the 2010 Broadway production of the play and here they give terrific, emotionally-charged, and all-around Oscar-worthy performances in what is very much an actors’ showcase. And these strong performances do, for the most part, make up for some of the film’s flaws. Now, don’t get me wrong, the film is very well-directed by Denzel. But, at the same time, admittedly there are times where you do feel the length of the film’s hefty 139-minute runtime. Also, sometimes it does have a ‘stage’-like quality to it, namely because it all takes place within one primary location, the Maxson household, for most of the film. But, like I said before, it’s a solid emotional drama telling the tale of a dying American Dream. It may be hard to sit through (in fact, a lot of it is quite uncomfortable to watch) but it is worth it for the strong direction by Denzel Washington and the excellent performances from him and Viola Davis. And while I can’t go as far as to call this a ‘front-runner’ for Best Picture, it’s still a well-made film regardless.
Rating: 4/5
LA LA LAND
Finally, we have director Damien Chazelle’s highly anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2014 effort, Whiplash. La La Land, an original musical, is an affectionate love letter to old Hollywood and stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as an aspiring actress and jazz musician, respectively, who meet and fall in love all while they both aspire to achieve their dreams in the City of Angels. What follows is an excellent and charming love story set against the great backdrop of Hollywood. Yes, folks, all the positive reviews that this film has gotten are accurate; this truly is one of the best films of the year. For one thing, it’s a technical marvel, thanks primarily to the constant use of long takes. The musical numbers are great from top to bottom and Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are both excellent in their respective roles. This is the third film in which they’ve starred as a couple after 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love and 2013’s Gangster Squad and all three films showcase the strong chemistry between them. And finally, there’s the ending. Without giving anything away, it’s easily one of the best parts of the film. Simply put, it gives you a happy ending but then does something new with the idea that quite frankly ends up making the whole film. And because of all this, to reference the comments that were made by an older couple sitting behind me once it ended, I do believe that this film will become a classic down the road. It’s a charming original story that results in one of the best musical films to date while also showcasing the talents of everyone involved, particularly its director.
Rating: 5/5!
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