Tag: Film

PREVIEW: Cowboy Bebop

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

As part of the Michigan Theater’s Late Nights Series, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is playing tomorrow at 10pm. The film, alternatively known as Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, is set between two episodes of the 1998 anime series, though it was released in 2001 after the completion of the series. The film follows Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters as their spaceship, Bebop, land on Mars in 2071 chasing after an ex-military officer turned biological terrorist. 

Several staff members of the original series returned to work on the film, including director Shinichiro Watanabe, writer Keiko Nobumoto, character designer/animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto, composer Yoko Kanno, as well as the voice actors. The film received some mixed but generally positive reviews from critics when it premiered, with the most praise for the score. It is interesting to compare the reception to the film compared to the recent Netflix live-action series, which was helmed by different creators but did bring back Yoko Kanno. As someone who has not watched the original series, it seems that there is generally more encouragement to watch the film instead of the live-action series in order to watch a continuation of the original that actually preserves its spirit and quality. 

Tickets are on sale for Cowboy Bebop: The Movie on Friday, Jan. 7 at 10pm!

PREVIEW: Licorice Pizza

Himaja Leave a comment

 

The trailer for Licorice Pizza is one of the best movie trailers I’ve ever seen.

I make this sweeping claim because even after watching it five or more times during the previews of Spiderman: No Way Home in theaters, I couldn’t tell you much about the movie other than it’s a coming-of-age film with a messy love story and Bradley Cooper involved. I think that’s what a good trailer does: it gives you just enough details to get you curious, while providing visuals that set the tone and era of the film. Give it a watch and let me know what you think!

I’m excited for a good story packed with messy, drama-filled teen angst. The last movie I watched that fit that bill was probably Lady Bird and I loved it. Watching these coming-of-age films can sometimes be painful – they have their cringey moments that remind me of similar cringey moments in my past – but that’s the reason why I love the experience. Nothing compares to that feeling when you read a book or listen to a song or watch a movie and something happens that makes you think “I’ve been there.”

You can catch Licorice Pizza at the Michigan Theater at various showings over the next few weeks! Get tickets here: https://secure.michtheater.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?epguid=83683564-3500-4e9a-8221-b074c769a042&evtinfo=717535~c76be4f4-22b5-4bed-a89c-7def863b8c53

Stay tuned for my attempts to figure out the meaning of the movie’s title after I watch it. Until then, please let me know if you’ve personally tried pizza with licorice on it and if you would recommend.

REVIEW: Last Night in Soho

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

Eloise/Ellie/Elle is a student at the London College of Fashion with a penchant for having visions of the past. Ellie moves out of the college’s student housing and into the upstairs room of an elderly woman’s home. There, she begins to experience 1960s London when she sleeps, and is led toward a young aspiring singer named Sandie’s rise to fame. However, as Sandie discovers the journey to fame is not the glitzy, glamorous life she had expected, Sandie’s past begins to haunt Ellie in the present day. 

Last Night in Soho is Edgar Wright’s first psychological horror film, and this is evident. Though the film is populated with impressive visuals of beautiful and vibrant neon lighting and Sandie’s reflections being replaced by Ellie, Wright relies on a single technique to deliver all of his scares. Because of this, the climax of the film is not as effective since at that point, I had seen the same visual used over and over again in the previous scenes. 

That being said, the beginning of the film is particularly strong, and not just because it is better than the end by default. The audience is introduced to 1960s London as Sandie and Ellie do, and the late night club scene Sandie leads us through is dazzling and sinister all at the same time. However, I will say that the plot/writing of the film relies heavily on the visuals – it sometimes feels as if Wright had inventive ideas for stunning visuals and snappy editing techniques and fit the story to the imagery he had in mind. 

Though the film is so technically impressive, I question some of the writing in the film. For example, Ellie just kind of happens to be a fashion student. Yes, it is clear the film is about the dangers of romanticizing the past, however some of the logic behind the progression of the plot is questionable. It feels like Wright knew where he wanted to start and end the film, but he struggles at some points along the way. 

Aside from the visuals, a lot of credit must be given to the two lead actresses for carrying the film’s momentum. Thomasin McKenzie perfectly encapsulates Ellie’s naive, shy, and thoughtful nature, and Anya Taylor-Joy carries herself with grace as usual as Ellie’s more confident foil. Though the two actresses never share any dialogue despite being in many scenes together, McKenzie expertly portrays Ellie’s despair as she witnesses Sandie’s fall into the rabbit hole of show business. 

Overall, Last Night in Soho is more style over substance, but it is still a refreshing watch and the technical aspects are what make the film worth watching.

PREVIEW: LAST NIGHT IN SOHO

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

Last Night in Soho is the new film from director Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Baby Driver). The film stars The Queen’s Gambit actress Anya Taylor-Joy and Jojo Rabbit actress Thomasin McKenzie. McKenzie plays an aspiring fashion designer who is somehow able to shift between time periods, where she encounters Taylor-Joy’s character, an aspiring singer in the sixties. This is Wright’s first psychological horror film, as this ability to time travel is intertwined with something more sinister. 

I am looking forward to seeing how Wright will tackle this psychological horror genre. The trailers are populated by impressive visuals, with neon lighting and shots where the two actresses will switch spots midway through a sequence. I have seen some behind the scenes footage of McKenzie and Taylor-Joy running on and off camera to replace each other, and I’m excited to see all of these technical aspects be translated on screen. As for Wright’s past work, I very much preferred Scott Pilgrim over Baby Driver, but this can be attributed to the fact I prefer the comedy-based-on-graphic-novel genre over the straight action of Baby Driver. I think my preferences for Wright’s work depend largely on the genre he is tackling at the time because I did appreciate his style coming through in Baby Driver even though I did not love the story. I have reasonably high hopes for Last Night in Soho, but I’m most excited to see the two actresses and another example of Wright’s style. 

Last Night in Soho is now playing at the State Theater.

REVIEW: The French Dispatch

avameester Leave a comment

The French Dispatch is a display of director Wes Anderson’s uninhibited ambition, manifesting itself in a whirlwind of drama and colorful characters. The film does not stick to a single narrative but rather tells three stories in long segments. Each story is a vignette written by a journalist for The French Dispatch, an international outpost of an American newspaper that operates in a dreary French town by the name of Ennui-sur-Blasé. Everything is mundane— even the name of the fictional town translates to “boredom-on-apathy”— except for the dedicated journalists, the invigorating stories they release to the world, and the eccentric people involved in the stories. Thus the typical Anderson irony begins. This film is, at its core, a celebration of journalists and a love letter to all things literary and artistic. It is an Anderson classic: upbeat, artistic, and a bit pretentious, but its unfamiliar structure makes it feel fresh.

Each scene is rich with deadpan humor, rarely outright saying a joke but implying it in every corner of the frame. The juxtaposition of the still-faced, sharp-tongued characters and their chaotic predicaments against the colorful backdrop feels unnatural, as is the constant narration that overlays the stories, but they both add to the unique nostalgia of the film. Rather than experiencing the stories myself, I am being guided through them like a picture book. The visuals add to the book-like atmosphere— black-and-white scenes, entirely animated scenes, and experimental lighting exaggerate the easily-missed emotions. The world is symmetrical, well-color-coordinated, and moving in synchronicity, just as a storybook world should. Wes Anderson’s films stick with me for this reason— not because they are believable in the slightest but because they revive a childlike amusement. The unrealistic twists and turns in each segment are comical and effortlessly engaging. However, the sentimentality of his films is usually amplified by emotional depth. This is where The French Dispatch falters. The three-story structure and quick pace refuse to allow us to get attached to one character for too long or watch the slow development of relationships. I gravitated toward the recognizable faces and quirky personalities (such as the mustache-wearing and disheveled teenage rebel played by Timothée Chalamet) but the characters disappear shortly after they serve their purpose.

The French Dispatch manages to be a sensory feast on top of an exciting tangle of stories but the combination is nearly exhausting. From the hard-to-catch humor to the drastic time jumps, I attempted to absorb everything yet desperately needed to let my senses rest. It is also overwhelming in its organization, as the stories have no connection besides the journalists publishing them, so the film is difficult to process as a sum of all its parts. The French Dispatch is not a casual watch if you want to enjoy all its beauty; it requires patience, energy, and an attention span, and an estimated two or three watches.

As a sum of its visuals, script, and diverse storylines, each element of The French Dispatch is crafted in a way that maximizes Anderson’s quirky innocence and childlike fun. Anderson may have been trying to emphasize too much of his signature style in one film, resulting in entertainment so constant that it is almost nauseating. The French Dispatch is an exhilarating masterpiece but it is a masterpiece that needs to be prepared for.

REVIEW: DUNE

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

Dune has topped the box office for the second week in a row, and its success has greenlit a sequel. Dune (part 1) is based on the first half of Dune, the first novel in a series of the same name by Frank Herbert. The film has opened to positive reviews, with praise for the scale of the film, director Denis Villeneuve’s ambition, and the technical aspects such as cinematography and score. However, some reviews argue that the film is too slow, and therefore it fails to resonate with certain audiences. 

I read Dune in anticipation of the film, and I was a little let down by the source material. I went into the film with low expectations, but I really enjoyed it. However, a lot of the criticism I have of the novel has yet to be addressed – the film is a hundred percent a set-up for Part 2, and I think its success relies heavily on how Part 2 turns out. If Part 2 is underwhelming, then I think that looking back, both parts will not be as spectacular as Part 1 seems in the present moment. 

My reasoning is that I have never been particularly drawn to the protagonist, Paul (played by Timothée Chalamet). In the novel, I found that Paul’s character was defined by the fact that he was good at everything that he needed to do, but I would have liked to see more of his struggle. Paul was raised to be a killer, so he falls under the kind of gravely-serious-assassin vibe a lot of female characters in action films possess. It makes sense that Paul would not be the most humorous character – that is not my critique at all. I believe this kind of characterization should not make Paul immune to internal conflict when considering his place in his family, as a politician, etc. In the film, Paul and his father, Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) have a discussion about falling into power/it being forced upon him. This comes back to mind when considering where the position Paul ends up in at the end of the film. I am interested to see how his character is written in Part 2 as he juggles the new position, and where he is both physically and emotionally. There is a decent amount of development for several characters that needs to be furthered in Part 2, and I hope that we are able to see it come to fruition.

That being said, I am very much looking forward to Part 2 as I thought Villeneuve handled the adaptation process with an evident amount of care and grace. I am a huge fan of his work – I love Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and Prisoners – and it was very interesting to see how he would handle something that could potentially turn into a franchise. The film did feel much bigger than his previous work and I am unsure if I feel 100% positive about that at all times, and I prefer the more concise, intimate nature of his other films, but I think Villeneuve did a truly great job at adapting Dune. He was able to fit so much plot context and world building into 2.5 hours in a way that made sense to audiences that were new to the world (as I have heard from my peers who have not read Dune). I am apprehensive about the handling of the few female characters, as their minimal role in the novels are primarily tied to bearing children despite the many facets of their characters. But, I do have a lot of faith in Villeneuve, and I am excited to see his world of Dune expand in Part 2.