Matilda the Musical

 

8/10

This adaptation of the stage musical and the second film adaptation of the book by Roald Dahl is about Matilda (played by Alisha Weir), a super smart, nice girl with lousy, awful parents (Stephen Graham and Oblivion's Andrea Riseborough), who gets sent to Crunchem Hall, where she ends up in conflict with the harsh and controlling headmistress Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson).

This was directed by Matthew Warchus, the stage director of the original musical. Though directors don't always make a successful transition to screen when adapting a musical (like with the Producers, it just seemed to utilize basic shots of the same choreography from the musical without much utilization of what the camera and editing could do), but I'm proud to say that Warchus is up there with the guys who did The Music Man and 1776 when it came to making a successful jump to screen; a really successful jump to screen, mind you. If you compare some modern musicals to those of the golden age, you may notice that the musical numbers often don't match the energy, choreography, or amount of detail put into the scene. This is not the case with Matilda. These have some of the best looking, shot and choreographed numbers in recent years. So much effort went into making these scenes feel engaging. This also has one of the most consistent catchiest song tracks in a musical in recent years. The songs by Tim Minchin are very catchy. Sure, there are weaker ones, but there isn't a single straight up bad one in the bunch. If you loved the stage version, be forewarned that from what I hear they had to cut several songs for time, including most for both the parents for time. So, sorry if you liked them. 

Understand that the musical adds a little bit to it that makes it darker than either the original book or the Nineties Danny Devito one. (If you're wondering how the musical compares to that one. They follow the same story points basically, but Devito focused more on the broad, dark comedy, whereas this focuses more on the darker and more British elements.) The parents and Trunchbull's abuse may be harsher than you'd expect. 

Excellent cast with a lot of great singers, especially the child cast. Alisha Weir gives a great performance, and I'm sorry Mara Wilson fans, but she just does a better job. Emma Thompson under a lotta makeup, plays an absolutely abhorrent but fascinating Trunchbull. I don't know if you can really compare her performance to Pam Ferris in the Devito version. They were both good in different ways. Whereas Ferris was a bulky and physically imposing schoolyard bully, Thompson is more psychologically imposing and even more authoritarian. She's also more unhinged, and for a kids film this does a surprisingly good job of establishing or at least hinting at a psychological profile for the woman.  

Highly recommended, the dark tone might be a bit much for very young children (my sister tried to explain to her niece why Matilda's parents were mean to her), and not everyone might be into the Dahl style of playing it dark and broad, but overall this is a very enjoyable and well made musical.

Darby and the Dead

6/10

In this film on Hulu, teen Darby Harper (played by Henry Danger's Riele Downs) had a near death experience as a child and can now see ghosts. She uses her ability to help them move on to the next world, but keeps herself distant from the living and is unsocial at school. Her rival, popular mean girl Capri (Auli'i Cravalho, best known for voicing Moana) dies, and she forces Darby into seeing that the big birthday party she had coming up still happens.

I can see why this went directly to streaming. The story had potential, but the whole thing feels like a basic Mean Girls formula story. It's not bad but sorta predictable. There isn't enough to really elevate the material. I'm definitely not the first to say this online, but it's got to be said, it can be kinda hard to sympathize with Capri and buy her growing friendship with Darby when she can be so mean and selfish at times. 

In the film's defense, there are some pretty funny lines sprinkled throughout, especially from Capri's trio of cheerleader friends. I also appreciate Capri's relationship with her boyfirend, aspiring singer/songwriter James (Shazam's Asher Angel). The writers refreshingly didn't go with him being either handsome, rich, the most popular guy in school, or a star player. Capri's, admittedly over-the-top, devotion to him feels genuine, which is a nice change of pace when compared to mean girls in other films.

I've got no complaints about the casting. Everyone does a solid job. Cravalho is pretty entertaining and energetic in her role. Supergirl's Nicole Maines, Kylie Lia Page, and Genneya Walton do a great and funny job as the cheerleaders. The movie also features a couple veteran actors who haven't had as much exposure as they used to. I won't spoil one, but the other is Who's the Boss' Tony Danza as Gary, a ghost friend of Darby's. He does a pretty good job.

A soft not recommended. Like I said, the film's so-so, but there's nothing awful about it. You don't need to see this, but it's not a bad time waster, and also like I said, there are some good lines.

Violent Night

 

7.5/10

Santa Claus (played by Stranger Things' David Harbor) delivers presents to wealthy Gertrude's house, which at the same time has been taken over by a heavily armed group of thieves. It's up to St. Nick to fight the robbers and save her family. So, yeah, this is exactly Santa Claus in a Die Hard.

Yeah, Violent Night was advertised as a tongue-in-cheek action film and it delivers. The majority of this is the writers trying to come up with inventive, Christmas-themed kills, and they pretty much nail it. (Bear in mind, if this is the sort of thing that bugs you, for a movie that's trying to have goofy fun, the civilian death count is higher than you'd expect.) 

The violence is pretty much why people will watch this, never mind the plot. The script itself is uneven, featuring some fun or clever parts and some that are just okay. Santa is well characterized and his interactions with the matriarch's granddaughter Trudy (Leah Brady), a true believer in Christmas, are well handled. However, the rest of the family are just kinda there, or in the case of Trudy's aunt's family, a little too cartoonish and one note even for this.

Harbor, who I noticed with his new found-fame often picks the let's-have-fun projects like Winter Soldier, Hellboy, and that Netflix special he did, knows exactly what's he's supposed to do in this, playing a jaded  and entertaining Santa, and he definitely nails the John McLaneesque hero-thrown-in-the-fire-pan role. Admittedly, a lot of the cast, played by people I've never seen before, are just alright. To be fair, the script isn't Shakespeare. The two actors who do make the dialogue work are the other two known actors in this, Beverly D'Angelo as the tough, no-nonsense Gertrude and John Leguizamo as the robbers' leader Scrooge (his codename, don't worry about it). Credit should especially given to Leguizamo. Lesser actors probably wouldn't have made the dialogue work. Though Scrooge has a good backstory, he's a basic Christmas villain who happens to have beef with the holiday. Leguizamo really manages to bring personality and conviction to him. Okay, still not the strongest antagonist ever, but it's a solid performance. 

Recommended. I mean, the movie earns its R rating, so if violence isn't your thing then it isn't your thing, but I think most people will have a good time. 

Avatar: The Way of Water

 

6.5/10

This sequel to the highest grossing movie of all time takes place many years after the original. On the planet Pandora,  Jake (played by Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) now have a family of four kids. Soon, they're under threat from the returning Earth military and end up seeking shelter with the water tribes.

Basically this is kinda like the first one. It looks AMAZING! It's fairly obvious by now that Cameron likes oceans, and it really shows. All the water work is top notch. I love the new worlbuilding for the marine side of Pandora. I also appreciate that the water tribes Na'vi look a little different from the land based ones and have a physiology that is more attuned to an aquatic lifestyle.

However, the plot again is just okay. To the movie's credit, it isn't quite as predictable as the "Dances with Wolves" formula of the first one. "Quite" I said. The "evil of colonization" tropes are still heavy-handed here. 

I liked the family dynamic in this and, again, the world building. I was pleasantly surprised with how they handled returning villain Quaritch (Stephen Lang). When I heard they were bringing him back, I wasn't enthused. After Pirates of the Caribbean and The Matrix, I'd grown weary of bringing back a villain who had a solid first run, but didn't really add much in subsequent appearances. Here, they do something interesting with Quaritch, and he has more to do personality-wise.

Movie probably didn't need to be three hours and twelve minutes. Again, plot's not bad but is predictable and not enticing enough to merit everyone's attention spans. (Though, this is a real experiences-will-vary situation. Personally, I never felt bored or found the length unbearable, but I never felt that time flew by either.) There is a lot of Na'vi being mad at/distrustful of humans and each other that gets old real fast. Some scenes just feel like they're setting up the next film without any payback in this. 

Also, the movie repeats the plot of the first one in that Jake must become accustomed to yet again another culture. (The reasoning why he goes to the water tribe feels really forced by the way.)

The acting is solid across the board, including the younger actors. 

Kinda recommended. Overall, if you were mainly into the visuals of Avatar regardless of plot, you get exactly what you're looking for. This looks great on the big screen. If you're not keen on having to sit through another just okay story for a long period of time, then this may not be for you.