Tag: MamoudouAthie

The Drama

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) cannot wait to get married. As they finalize all the small details from flower arrangements to perfecting their first dance, it all seems to be coming together. While at a menu tasting with their best friends Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim), they come up with the great idea to tell one another the worst thing they have ever done. But when Emma’s revelation takes an unexpected turn, the week leading up to the wedding spins off the rails.

Writer and director Kristoffer Borgli has concocted an unsettling and awkward story unlike any other. If you are looking for a happy go lucky romcom, this is not that type of film. Going into it with as little to no information is the best because, trust me, no matter how much prep you get you haven’t seen anything like it.

Zendaya and Pattinson are two of the most popular working actors around right now. To have them team up for a film of this calibre was sure to garner a lot of attention and rightfully so. Zendaya always smashes it no matter what she does so it came as no surprise that she would do the same here. Pattinson was in top form too. The audience gets to experience everything from his perspective and he truly sells everything he’s feeling. Their chemistry is electric – it sizzles off the scene no matter what is happening. It’s like a train wreck that you know you should look away from, but no matter what you just can’t. Athie and Haim are excellent as Mike and Rachel. Athie’s Mike tries to be the voice of reason while Haim’s Rachel can’t get over what she’s learned about someone she thought she knew so much about. Haim actually impressed me with the shift in her character.

I honestly did not expect the film to go where it did thematically. I’m sure it will certainly divide audiences as a result. That being said, it will also open up some conversations which is important. I believe that the way in which they did deal with it was well done. While it made for some truly uncomfortable moments, they were balanced with some dark humor that doesn’t seem like it should work, but it did. I found myself laughing out loud at so many moments and then right away I’d be cringing at the next. The level of absurdity was on a whole other level, it felt like a fever dream.

The Drama ticked all the right boxes for me. It wasn’t afraid of pushing limits and it did so in a way that was endearing to watch. Combining top tier performances by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as well as a plot that takes you on a proper rollercoaster, I enjoyed watching it in a packed theatre. the collective reasons alone heightened the overall experience. This is one that will stick with me for a while.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️.5

Kinds of Kindness

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In Kinds of Kindness, three different stories are played out on screen. The first features a man who tries to make his own choices after having his whole life mapped out for him, the second follows a cop who can’t help but wonder if that is really his wife who has returned after being lost at sea and the third is about a woman who is in search of someone with a special ability.

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his strange and unusual movies. After watching and loving Poor Things earlier this year, I was looking forward to seeing what he was going to do next. Unfortunately his newest venture didn’t quite hit the same marks that his predecessor did. One day later I’m still scratching my head over what it was that I watched.

What I did like was seeing some familiar faces in the film. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemmons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Hunter Schafer, Mamoudou Athie and Joe Alwyn are the key players here. They each take on a different character throughout the three stories. I thought the performances were well done which is unsurprising with a cast of this calibre. That didn’t mean that any of them were particularly likeable, nor did I want to see any of them succeed.

That’s about where the enjoyment ended for me. As time ticked by (and it did so slowly), I became more confused. There was no correlation between the fables that I could detect and I couldn’t help but wonder what the point was. I think I would have appreciated it more otherwise. Also, it was as if each story just got more strange and convoluted. I like to think I’m open minded, but some of the scenes that unfolded before me have been etched into my mind and not in a good way! It’s like Lanthimos just did it for shock value and not because it added anything to the plot.

Overall, Kinds of Kindness is one of those films that will certainly divide audiences. I wanted to like it so much, but I think it just went way over my head. At least the cast were great and the cinematography worked so there were some silver linings.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

Elemental

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Welcome to Element City where Earth, Wind, Water and Fire live together in harmony. Well, not really Fire who were always feared by everyone else. That doesn’t bother Ember (Leah Lewis) though. Her whole life has been planned out for her – take over her family’s shop The Fireplace. But everything changes when she meets Wade (Mamoudou Athie). Suddenly her perfect path may not be so perfect anymore.

Let’s start with the outstanding visuals. The different element characters are created in such a unique way. I love the little details, like how Ember’s flames would be constantly moving and how Wade’s body was constantly ebbing and flowing. I wish we’d had more time with Earth and Wind because it would have been cool to see their characteristics too. Similarly the location itself was stunning and so incredibly different than anything I have seen before. It made me want to pack up my bags and go live there too.

The voice cast were good enough boasting big name talents such as Catherine O’Hara as Wade’s mom Brook and Wendi McLendon-Covey as big boss in charge Gale. Joined by Lewis and Athie as our two leads, I wasn’t aware of them previously but thought that they fit in well.

I understand why the turn out for Elemental hasn’t been as great as some other projects in the past. Since the pandemic, Disney and Pixar started putting their films directly on streaming, a move that made these titles more accessible to families. Now that these films are trying to make a comeback on the big screen, I can imagine that people aren’t exactly ready to change what they’ve gotten used to.

As for the subject matter itself, while there may have been some overlapping themes that we have seen before, it was done in a fresh, new way that kept it interesting. The love story was adorable and I really enjoyed the importance of family. There were so many scenes that hit me right in the feels, I had to stop myself from bursting into tears.

Overall, Elemental may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I truly think it’s one of the better films that Pixar has done in awhile. I only wish more people would go out and see for themselves the beauty of this story.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️