Film: Phantom Thread

GENRE: Drama, Romance

RATING: R for language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 10 minutes

STARRING: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood, Lincoln)

Vicky Krieps (Hanna), Lesley Manville (Topsy-Turvy)

DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, The Master)

WRITER: Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love)

PLOT: A renowned dressmaker falls for his muse who disrupts his life.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I just wanted to watch all the Oscar nominees

STORY STUFF: There is some fun stuff, specifically Day-Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock’s fastidious lifestyle and how that affects those around him. Other than that? Snooze-ville. The pace is really slow and meticulous and not very captivating.

ACTING STUFF: I guess Daniel Day-Lewis wanted to play a big jerk as his final role. He is very childish, rude and passionate. He does a fantastic job and is really the only reason to watch the film. The two ladies, his muse and sister, also hold their own against him.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Like most Anderson films, it is beautifully shot. But there’s not much else to say.

VERDICT: One and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You need to watch all the Oscar nominees

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Oscar Predictions

Film: The Greatest Showman

GENRE: Musical, Drama

RATING: PG for thematic elements
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 14 minutes

STARRING: Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables, Logan, X-Men)

Zac Efron (High School Musical), Zendaya (Spiderman: Homecoming)

DIRECTOR: Michael Gracey (newcomer)

WRITERS: Jenny Bicks (Rio 2) & Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls)

PLOT: PT Barnum tries to rise above his station by creating a spectacle that becomes the modern circus.

FULL DISCLOSURE: My expectations were low, surprisingly.

STORY STUFF: I blame Rotten Tomatoes for lowering my expectations. On paper, the movie sounded great but it only got a 55%. But it seems the critics were more annoyed with the fact that the story didn’t stick to the real-life story of PT Barnum. But I think they’re forgetting that this is a musical and not a strict biography. Suspend the disbelief, have some fun. I thought the story was well told and well-paced for the most part.

ACTING STUFF: Jackman is fantastic. Of course, whenever he’s sad, I’m thinking about Jean Valjean but still. He is electric, as is Efron. The two kids are simply adorable. The only person who seems completely out of place is Michelle Williams (Dawson’s Creek, Manchester by the Sea) as Barnum’s wife. While the character is supportive, I just don’t think Williams is really selling it. I also doubt that it’s her singing. A lot of other actresses could have rocked that role.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The spectacle, costumes and art direction are outstanding. But, of course, the real draw is the songs and choreography. The barroom choreo during the Jackman and Efron duet “The Other Side” is a treat. I want to watch that again, especially for the quick bartender. I don’t know why I didn’t think the songs would be catchy. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul not only did La La Land (which I know is not for everyone) but they also did the songs for my current musical obsession: Dear Evan Hansen. Almost every song in this musical is beautifully written with a perfect mix of foot stomping and sweet harmony. I still have the “Rewrite the Stars” song in my head. Think I’ll have to buy the soundtrack.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You love musicals (or the circus)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Phantom Thread

Film: Black Panther

GENRE: Action Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for action violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 14 minutes

STARRING: Chadwick Boseman (42, Get On Up, Civil War)

Michael B Jordan (Creed, FNL), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)

DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed)

WRITERS: Joe Robert Cole (newcomer) & Ryan Coogler (Creed)

PLOT: The new king of Wakanda deals with how to use their resources and defending his throne against a potential threat.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Did not know anything about Black Panther.

STORY STUFF: For the most part, Black Panther is a pretty engaging story. Didn’t know what was going to happen, all I knew is that he wasn’t going to die because he’s in the upcoming Avengers trailer. The fight scenes are sharp, especially with Danai Gurira from The Walking Dead. There’s also some humour and sadness. There was just something missing but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe the run-time was a bit long.

ACTING STUFF: Great performances all around. My favourite was Letitia Wright (Black Mirror) who was very fun as T’Challa’s sister and tech person. I also always enjoy the talents of Michael B Jordan. It was interesting to see Sterling K Brown in this film, it is very hard to separate him from his role in This Is Us.

ARTISTIC STUFF: I almost never notice costume design, but I was blown away by the creativity and colour of the costumes this time around. That and the art direction/set design was top notch. This film has a great stylish look.

VERDICT: Three and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You love Marvel movies

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Phantom Thread, Game Night? 

Superbowl Commercials 2018

Not much to report on this year. The ads were pretty lackluster. Amazingly enough, Tide was the big winner. And not a moment too soon with all that Tide Pod stuff in the news. David Harbour from Stranger Things must have had a lot of fun. I’m just going to give you three this year. The Avocados from Mexico was okay this year and I really enjoyed finally seeing a Solo teaser (with the Memorial Day release still intact – I assumed they would shift to Christmas). The truck ads were awful. And too many ads were trying to be inspiration but fell way short. Still, it’s better than watching CTV commercials. Here are my top three.

TOP THREE COMMERCIALS

1. Tide: It’s All the Tide

Just a fun spoof of the typical Superbowl ads

2. Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice

Fun lip-synching and production value.

3. M & M’s: Human

Like DeVito getting hit by a truck. Don’t ask me why.

That’s all I got this year. Which ones did you enjoy?

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Black Panther