Month: April 2024

Challengers

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After being delayed a couple of times, Challengers has finally graced cinema screens around the globe. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy turned coach makes no excuses for the person she is on and off the court. Married to Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), a champion who has been on somewhat of a losing streak, she signs him up for a smaller scale competition in hopes it’ll bring him redemption. He just has to face off against his former best friend and Tashi’s former flame Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) first.

Tennis may play an important part in the film, but at the center of it all is a love triangle. Zendaya delivers her most mature and captivating performance yet. Tashi was a magnetic character who didn’t care about anybody but herself and the way she commanded those boys was intriguing to watch. Faist and O’Connor held their own against her as well as each other; their bromance was one for the books and if you ask me, I think they should have been together, not fighting over who got to be with Tashi! That being said, all three had crazy chemistry that I won’t be recovering from anytime soon.

Music helps amplify certain scenes and put you in the right frame of mind. The score that was used throughout was so unlike any that I have ever experienced before. It was loud and pulsating especially during the big tennis match. That mixed with the unique way in which it was shot was a palette not only for the ears but for the eyes too.

To help bridge the gap between the past and the present, there were multiple flashbacks. The first one really set the stage. After a while, it started skipping around a bit too much and was hard to keep track of. As a result, the big match almost seemed to take a backseat while simultaneously feeling like it lasted far too long.

My expectations for Challengers was pretty high and for the most part I feel like it delivered. Thanks to the stunning performance from our three leads and the direction of Luca Guadagnino, this is a film that tingled all of my senses while also staying true to such a beloved sport.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

The Greatest Hits

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Harriet (Lucy Boynton) has been dealing with the sudden loss of her boyfriend Max (David Corenswet). In order to help her grieve, she discovers that certain songs can transport her back into a particular time in which they spent together. As she tries to fit the pieces together in the past, her life in the present takes off when she meets David (Justin H. Min).

I really liked the concept of this movie. It blends so many different genres together from romance, comedy and drama to time travel. It’s so true that one particular song can really send you back to when you first heard it. The way in which this was incorporated throughout the film was really smart. The song choices were A+ too; there were some well known classics and others that I wasn’t familiar with, but they all fit perfectly.

Boynton should lead more films because she did a stellar job as our protagonist. She’s clearly been through a lot and she’s torn between her past and her future, but wouldn’t anybody be in her predicament? Max and David couldn’t be more different, but neither of them outshine the other. Boynton has pitch perfect chemistry with both Corenswet and Min that you can’t help rooting for both of them to end up with her. The addition of Harriet’s best friend Morris (Austin Crute) was a welcome one. You could tell he was her ride or die and I appreciated how supportive he was of her while also keeping her grounded.

As much as I enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story, I have to say that it did get a bit repetitive. I also wish we’d had a bit more background on Max. As the film was told in Harriet’s point of view we didn’t really get to know him outside of her thoughts and feelings.

The Greatest Hits is an emotionally charged romantic dramedy that only got better as it progressed. With fabulous performances and an even better soundtrack, this is a film I will be revisiting.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Back To Black

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Amy Winehouse was an icon. Gone too soon from this world, she is still sorely missed. Now, twelve years after her death, we have Back To Black, a biography about Amy’s life, her music and her legacy. Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director behind Fifty Shades of Grey, helmed this project and did what she could to bring Amy back into our lives.

There was some backlash when news broke that this film was being made. Some felt it was too soon after the singer’s untimely death while others had something to say about the casting of our star. Amy had a particular look and style, who could possibly even begin to try and portray her on screen? I’ll admit even I had my reservations, but I was pleasantly surprised by Marisa Abela’s interpretation. While she didn’t exactly look the part, she did sound it, especially while she was singing (yes that was actually her voice). Combined with the same hairstyles and fashion choices that Amy was spotted wearing, I thought Abela did a good job.

Other prominent players in Amy’s life included lover Blake Fielder-Civil who was played by Jack O’Connell. Not only did he provide us with some laughs, you could really see how tumultuous his relationship with Amy was and how that had such an influence in her music and her addiction to drugs and alcohol. Amy’s dad Mitch Winehouse, played by Eddie Marsan and her Nan Cynthia, played by Lesley Manville were also central to the plot.

As a casual listener of Amy’s music, there was a lot I didn’t know about her. By an entertainment point of view, I was intrigued by the events that unfolded in front of me. That being said, there was no way the film would be able to cover everything. For one, I thought there was too much focus on Amy’s love life. It would have been nice to see how she really got her start with song writing and where she got her inspiration from. I also would have liked the timeline to be a bit more fleshed out as we jumped ahead quite often. And of course there was a lot of sadness during Amy’s life that would just come and go in some scenes, but they would quickly be forgotten when the next moment came along. A bit more tightening up in these areas would have certainly made a difference.

To make a biopic of such an iconic person is no easy feat. I didn’t go in with high expectations and felt like while I learned a lot, there is still a big chunk of the story that I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that thanks to an endearing performance by Marisa Abel, Back To Black wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. It just could have been more.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Scoop

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In 2019, the world watched as journalist Emily Maitlis sat with Prince Andrew to discuss his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. So many people tuned in to the interview that eventually led to Andrew being stripped of his royal duties. Now Netflix has brought us a recounting of what happened.

I actually did not see the original interview, though I did hear about all of its ins and outs. This sequence in the film was certainly the highlight. Everything was building up to it and I thought that it was done very well; it seemed incredibly realistic. I wish that there had been more focus on the interview and the aftermath of it instead of so much build up. Some plot points didn’t seem necessary and were only there for dramatization purposes.

The cast choices were bang on. Gillian Anderson was a force as Maitlis. Her character took centre stage later on, but once she was at the forefront, she completely excelled. Rufus Sewell looked so much like Prince Andrew it was scary. He had the mannerisms down pat too. Keeley Hawes was ever so dedicated as Prince Andrew’s private secretary, not willing to believe he could be at fault for anything and Romola Garai helped bring it all together as fellow journalist Esme Wren. It was Billie Piper as Sam McAlister, however, who shined the brightest of all. Not only did she break the story, she the real life Sam wrote the book that the film is based on.

Adapting a real life news story like this is no easy feat. Similar projects like Bombshell and She Said paved the way for Scoop and I feel like it was mostly enjoyable. It’s natural to add some padding for entertainment’s sake, but I wish there’d been just that something more to completely hold my attention.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Musica

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Directed, written and starring Rudy Mancuso, this coming of age love story follows Rudy (Mansuco) who is an aspiring creator. He has synesthesia; every noise he hears he turns into a rhythm. This has proven to be quite difficult in his day to day life, especially in dealing with his mother Maria (Maria Mancuso) and his girlfriend Haley (Francesca Reale). But everything changes when he runs into Isabella (Camila Mendes) at the fish market. Suddenly the prospect of figuring out his future doesn’t seem so bad.

I have never seen a film like this, but I loved every moment of it. There were some scenes that seemed to be right out of Stomp. The way in which each rhythm, melody and dissonance were depicted was so unique – at times it was like an overload to the brain as well which I guess is just how Rudy felt on a daily basis. As these moments came on screen, I grew to enjoy them more and more. My favorite was when Rudy and Isabella were in the playground and he was trying to explain his situation to her.

The casting is spot on here, with Mancuso proving that he is a triple threat. Mendes shines as the girl of his dreams and it’s no surprise that the two fell for each other while making the film. You can’t help but feel for Reale’s Haley and laugh at J.B. Smoove’s Anwar, Rudy’s best friend. But it is Mancuso’s real life mom Maria who is the scene stealer. Not only is she absolutely hilarious, but she is everything you’d expect a Brazilian mother to be. I really liked seeing their authentic chemistry come to life on the screen.

New York City and Newark pose as the backdrop of the film. In some ways they could be additional characters. They are constantly brought up by the characters, particularly in Mancuso’s case, when he is trying to figure out what it is he wants to do with his life and I liked how they were never forgotten.

Musica was truly a delight. Mancuso has created a beautiful story that everyone can relate to. While his character didn’t always do the right thing, this was integral to the plot and it all came together nicely in the end. With great cast chemistry and stellar music performances, this isn’t a film I won’t soon forget.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️