Review: ‘Creed 3’ is a Rocky-less Movie Made Masterfully

Rocky Balboa, possibly the most famous film sportsman ever, his story of will, earning your place, and being the underdog has never failed to amuse the world (maybe not Rocky V, but you get the point). After three decades of films, the franchise went cold after Rocky Balboa. Until the sequel franchise in 2015, a spin-off of the original story. Creed, a sequel series about Apollo Creed’s youngest child, and only one out of wedlock, a stain on the legacy of a great man, a mistake trying to prove himself without the name of his dad, and yet claiming it as his own. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) was in this follow up series for the first two films, where he played the trainer and mentor of title character, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), but due to some creative differences following the tone of this new installment, Stallone bowed out of film production early, and it was left in the hands of Michael B. Jordan, who took it upon himself to direct this new installment of the franchise.

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Review: ‘Lady and the Tramp’ is an Inoffensive Take on the Original Film

Lady and the Tramp is the latest Disney live action reboot, based on the original 1955 animated film and directed by Charlie Bean. It stars Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux as the classic characters of Lady, an American cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a street-smart, stray schnauzer, as they embark on an adventure together. Interestingly enough, while it is now regarded as a classic, the original Lady and the Tramp wasn’t initially well received by critics.

Firstly, Lady and the Tramp is an excellent choice to remake and debut as a part of the Disney+ launch. It is a beautiful film that manages to look high budget while also looking like a mix between a TV film and a theatrical release. It’s perfect for the family couch viewing experience and the small scale adventure does not warrant a big screen adaptation. However it’s still basically the exact same story, with very few deviations from the original, but you can also say that about 90% of Disney’s live action slate. Thompson and Theroux were well cast and really work to maintain their characters’ charm and classic feel, just like in the original. Sam Elliot was also the perfect casting for Trusty, an elder Bloodhound. One new thing Tessa Thompson’s portrayal of Lady adds to to film is a small amount of spunkiness to Lady’s character, which was not present in the original. This particular change was both believable and easy to embrace.

While the filmmakers did use real dogs combined with a little CGI on their faces when they talked, every time they spoke, it just seemed too weird. During every dialogue sequence, every dog looks at whoever they’re interacting with, then away from the camera, and then back again. It is unnatural and repetitive, and gets to a point where you don’t want to see these dogs on camera anymore, let alone their awkward mouth movements whenever they speak. It would’ve been better if Disney had used CGI to capture the animals’ full body movements, especially when speaking, to avoid the unnatural and repetitive nature of the dialogue sequences. The main human protagonists of the film (Kiersey Clemons and Thomas Mann) were fine portraying Darling and Jim Dear, but they also were ultimately unimportant due to their short screen times, which makes them seem like a talking shadow that the audience only sees for a little bit before immediately forgetting.

The story is very familiar and though it’s not great when they attempt to add new styles to shake it up, it’s a good first viewing with Disney+. It doesn’t add much in the way of new and doesn’t boast anything that makes it a worthwhile watch, but if you want to take a few hours out of your day to watch some cheap entertainment, it couldn’t hurt. Being the first Disney live action not to have a theatrical release, and besides the pacing issues, animal voice-overs, and the human appearances, this film was cute, fun, and a completely inoffensive take on the original film.

2.5/5 STARS

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Review: The Crazy Social Comedy That Is Sorry to Bother You

This film was screened at the 44th Seattle International Film Festival. The film is now in wide release in Seattle.

As our society seemingly becomes crazier and crazier, it takes an even crazier film to encapsulate it all. Stepping up to the plate to do just that is Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You. Hailing from the music industry, Riley is making his feature debut with a comedy that wants to put a mirror up to the society we live in and make us question if the world on screen is that different from our own. The result is broad social commentary piece that wants to commentate on many social issues, and while it doesn’t reach the clarity it wants to, it does make for a wild ride.

Taking place in a distant dystopian version of Oakland, the film follows Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), a down on his luck, late twenty year old who is struggling to find a job and pay rent. When he lands a job at a call center, he continues to struggle until he taps into his ‘white voice’ and rises through the ranks to becomes a power caller. As he ascends, Cassius finds himself questioning  his own morals as he chooses between standing by his principles to help those at the bottom or joining the elite for self-benefit.

Joining Stanfield is a commendable all star cast that help play both sides of the fence in Cassius’ moral dilemma. On one side you have Detriot and Squeeze. The former played by Tessa Thompson who is Cassius’ girlfriend and main moral objector while the latter is Cassius’ former co-worker leading a union protest played by Steven Yeun. On the other side you have Steve Lift, a drug fueled billionaire played by Armie Hammer who is enticing Cassius’ with riches to bring his power caller talents on a new venture. To the film’s benefit, the supporting cast plays a major role in depicting the nuances and motivations in Cassius’ actions and help develop the moral compass and messages within the film.

Sorry to Bother You covers a spectrum of social ailments, but never dives deep on any particular issue. Instead, the film paints a broad picture of society where anything and everything is heightened, hyperbolized, and exaggerated to reflect society as it currently stands. When you see absurd television shows that ask you to kick the ‘shit’ out of people, a ‘worry-free’ job that locks you into a life time of service, or a power callers profiting off of weapon sales, you’ll get a sense of how out of hand society feels. The film likes to offer a variety of individual statements that provide brief commentary on any given issue ranging from race relations and labor practices to capitalism and colonialism, but in doing so it can feel unfocused in the name of being all encompassing. It has a lot to say and no concise way of saying it, and that can be problematic.

But the film is nothing short of unique. Everything has a sense of style from the wide and varied characters to the visual techniques at play. The aforementioned capitalism run amuck is often critiqued using a variety of stylized choices such as Cassius dropping into the real life homes of clients when he calls them, the close ups of Detroit’s interchangeable earrings that have punchy subtext, and an ending that is so crazy you’ll be doing double takes. And that’s what makes Sorry to Bother You so memorable: how outlandish it can be. For all the inconsistencies it may have with its message, it makes up for with how holistically committed it is to its style. While it does stumble, it continues to shine a light on society with humor, satire, and swagger that is commendable to say the least.

Sorry to Bother You tackles an array of social issues such race, labor, colonialism, capitalism, and inequality in a science fiction comedy package. The result is a very clever film that often spreads itself too thin, but paints a hyperbolized version of society as a whole that underscores the injustice in our own. The film’s broad strokes can leave it feeling unfocused and mirky especially by the end when the film gets progressively weirder and weirder, but I can say I enjoyed the social reflection of it all.

Score: 3.75/5 Stars