Disenchanted (dir. Adam Shankman) is the sequel to Enchanted (dir. Kevin Lima) that we never knew we needed. The film starts after a time jump from the first move, where Giselle (Amy Adams) and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) have gotten married and had a child together. Disenchanted shows what happens in the real world after “happily ever after”–and how not everything will always work perfectly.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Disenchanted’ is Bringing Back the Magic”
Here on the internet, we all love discourse, and what produces discourse better than a film adaptation of an infamously controversial stage musical?
Dear Evan Hansen premiered just a few weeks ago, but the memes and critiques have been going strong for months, if not years. Based on the Justin Paul, Benj Pasek, and Steven Levenson musical that took Broadway by storm—and changed the shape of theater kid beef for generations to come—the film is a pretty average teenage drama. Socially anxious and virtually friendless, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) accidentally inserts himself into the middle of a family tragedy when his therapy exercise is mistaken for the suicide note of his peer, Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan). Spinning a web of lies and fake emails, Evan attempts to offer what he believes to be hope to the grieving family, all while becoming closer and closer to Connor’s sister Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever), his long-time crush. When Evan’s house of cards inevitably begins to collapse, he is forced to ask himself what it means to help others, and what it means to help yourself.
Continue reading “Review: At Least ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Isn’t As Bad As It Could Have Been”
Ms. Amy Adams, you are our underdog. Nominated for six Academy Awards, most followers of film agree that she is long overdue an Oscar. She is endlessly charming, and morphs into wildly different roles, from the quiet power of Peggy in The Master to the comfortable relatability of the titular Julie in Julie & Julia. To quote the kids, she has the range! It is frustrating that her most recent releases are films like Hillbilly Elegy and now The Woman in the Window. The Woman in the Window follows an agoraphobic child psychologist living in New York City who spies on her neighbors, Rear Window-style. Continue reading “Review: Amy Adams Deserves Better in ‘The Woman in the Window’”
“Well, the cornerstone of civilization isn’t language, it’s podcasting.” Join us this week on the pod as we discuss Denis Villeneuve’s break out hit: ARRIVAL. Staring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, this science fiction film follows a linguistics professor trying to understand an alien race and learn the purpose of their arrival before global tensions boil over. Selected by Cynthia Li, we talk about this film’s success in the science fiction genre, the newfound appreciation upon on rewatch, and the underlying social & political message that roots itself in today’s landscape. See how many times we get off topic in Episode 16 of the UW Film Club Podcast!
On this week’s episode: Cynthia Li, Louie Ghalib, and Greg Arietta.
You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!
At first, Vice predicates itself on an intriguing concept: create a funny and darkly satirical biopic based on one of the world’s nastiest and most powerful men. It begs the question: “How does one make Dick Cheney — one of the most humorless men in America — actually humorous?” Director and screenwriter Adam McKay, who has tackled difficult subjects with a satirical tone before, seemed perfect for the job. However, instead of the biting script, perfectly timed comedic moments, and clear tone we have come to expect from McKay in the wake of The Big Short, Vice is merely a glorified, surface-level Wikipedia page.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Vice’ is a Glorified Wikipedia Page”