Devotion

 

Devotion is a war drama bio-pic based on the 2015 novel Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos. It is a true story of an unlikely friendship amongst U.S. Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. It stars Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell and Christina Jackson.

The plot was slow moving and a bit convoluted in the beginning. I was worried I wasn’t going to feel any connection to the characters or the story but thankfully, as the film went on that sentiment grew. Where they missed the boat, however, was in not going deep enough on the true atrocities of racism during the 1950s. Being that the movie was only PG director was probably limited on how much could be said or shared. I would have preferred a stronger rating to truly give an honest picture of what it would have been for the first Black man to integrate the Navy as a fighter pilot vs the soft, kid friendly version that was portrayed.

Where it lacked in storytelling authenticity, it did make up for in the sets, the outfits and the aircrafts which helped to put you in the 1950s.

There was decent character development. It was stronger for Jonathan Majors’ character Jesse Brown than the rest of the cast. While the story lines didn’t go as deep for Glen Powell’s character Tom Hudner or Christina Jackson’s character Daisy Brown, there were still bits and pieces that they reveled in the script that made them all likeable. The chemistry amongst the cast was also good, but the majority of the co-stars were not memorable given the limited amount of character depth.

Even with some of the missteps, Devotion tugs at the heart strings and brings up great themes around doing whatever it takes to follow your dreams, serving a cause bigger than yourself, and devotion to family and friendships against all odds.

Somebody I Used To Know

 

Somebody I Used To Know is a romantic comedy starring Alison Brie as Ally, a workaholic who has to take an unexpected leave from her job. With the time off she returns to her hometown where she runs into her ex Sean, played by Jay Ellis. The reunion causes her to question if she made the right decisions in her career.

What appeared to be a typical rom-com plot, ended up being so much better than originally anticipated. The writing was clever and there were great themes around not being afraid to be your true self, finding and holding on to what you are passionate about and knowing when to let go.

The character development was strong and the acting from the entire cast was impressive. I also appreciated the diversity in casting. I’ve become a big fan of Franco’s wife Alison Brie, who was also a co-writer, of this film. She played a similar character to her role in the TV show GLOW. A complicated person, who even with her faults was still likeable and someone you wanted to root for. I thought she had a good amount of range and had great chemistry with Jay Ellis and Kiersey Clemons. It was nice seeing Kiersey stretch a bit more outside of the TV show Easy. She was youthful, confident, free spirited and independent. Overall, I liked how the women were able to take center stage in this movie.

I wasn’t sure how a Dave Franco co-written and directed film would turn out but I came away rather impressed. Somebody I Used To Know had just the right amount of comedic timing, while not being too raunchy. It was also full of heartfelt moments and plot twists to keep you on your toes throughout.

Shotgun Wedding

 

Shotgun Wedding is an action, romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. The story follows Tom and Darcy, played by Duhamel and Lopez, respectively, as they deal with the stress of hosting their families during their destination wedding on a private island in the Philippines. The day of their wedding their guests are taken hostage by pirates. The bride and groom must do everything they can to save their loved ones and in doing so also learn some things about each other that may make or break their relationship.

I enjoyed the diverse casting and thought that the character development was pretty good as well. Jennifer Lopez is right in her wheelhouse with this type of film. She has mastered the art of the romantic comedy and also did well in the action sequences. In her role as Darcy she was funny, smart, independent and resourceful. Josh Duhamel was likeable, protective and caring as Tom and had great chemistry with Lopez. I enjoyed Jennifer Coolidge as the typecast quirky, funny mom. I also liked seeing Cheech Martin from the famed Cheech & Chong in this film as Darcy's dad. I was surprised by Lenny Kravitz’s role. I liked that he took the risk to portray a character unlike any he had done before. He also gave an impressive amount of range. 

Shotgun Wedding was a fun movie that kept me on the edge of my seat and had some great plot twists. The movie had strong themes around the realities of marriage, how perfection is overrated and the importance of communication. This is definitely a film I’d recommend checking out and one I’d watch again.

The Banshees of Inisherin

 

The Banshees of Inisherin is a black comedy drama co-produced, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, best known for In Bruges (2008), bringing back Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Set in the 1920s during the tail end of the Irish Civil war, on the fictional small island of Inisherin, two lifelong friends come to a stalemate when one abruptly ends their friendship, causing a tailspin of disturbing aftermaths.

The storytelling was heart wrenching. The themes around loneliness, mental health and trauma from the male perspective was palpable. Seeing a friendship crumble and how it impacted Colin Farrell’s character Pádraic Súilleabháin was tragic. Farrell did really well as the dull, nice guy who just wanted a simple life. Colin Farrell is so deserving of the accolades he is receiving. This is one of his best performances to date. Brendan Gleeson played his friend Colm Doherty a man who wanted to be remembered even if it meant ruining the lives of others. He and Farrell had great chemistry together and even when they fought you could still see some love there.  Regarding the rest of the casting, I would have liked to see some more diversity but I understand why there might not have been as the town depicted was small with a minimal population off the beaten path.

I thought that the hair, makeup, costumes and sets were appropriate for the era. It really helped in taking you back to simpler time.

In the end I found the script to be more sad than funny. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the strange turn the script took midway through. I think the story would have been better off without all of the shock and awe. And because of that, I appreciated its attempt, but wouldn’t watch this movie again.

The Gentlemen

 

The Gentlemen is an action crime comedy starring, Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery and Colin Farrell. When Michael Pearson, an American living in London, tries to sell off his technologically advanced and unique marijuana empire his rivals circle in an attempt to steal his livelihood without his knowledge.

This movie felt like a classic Guy Ritchie film. It gave me Snatch/ RocknRolla vibes with the fast talking cockney slang gangsters and the convoluted language. At the beginning I had to push through to figure out what was going on, as Ritchie is known for putting out disjointed narratives in his scripts, but once I got about 30 minutes in, things started to kick in. There are a lot of moving pieces so you have to hang on to figure out how they all connect together.

The costume designer, Michael Wilkinson, did a great job with the looks for each character. They were distinctive and fit well with the personalities of each member.

The cinematography was fast-paced and full of lively, cheeky action sequences with creative fight choreography.

I thought that the acting from the entire cast was superb. I particularly enjoyed Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of Michael Pearson. He had a clean cut, put together look. He was smart and creative and could also surprise you with his ruthlessness. Coming from a few romantic comedies it was nice to see a different look to Henry Golding’s range in a more hard-nosed role as Dry Eye. I thought Colin Farrell was hilarious but also resourceful and clever as Coach, a boxing trainer who unwittingly gets involved in Michael Pearson business. I was also really impressed with Hugh Grant’s cockney accent. Overall I appreciated the ethnic diversity in the cast but where the ball was dropped for me was in gender diversity. The two women cast were pretty one dimensional and were not the focus of the storytelling.

In the end, The Gentlemen was an entertaining watch that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It had its funny parts and some great twists toward the end. For those who enjoy an authentic Guy Ritchie film, you will really like his return to his roots in this one.

Elvis

Elvis is a Baz Luhrmann directed and Austin Butler starring biographical drama of Elvis Presley’s life. With the guidance of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks, you witness Elvis' evolution from a child living in poverty, to becoming the biggest rock star of the 1950s .

My opinions of Elvis tended to skew more negatively until I saw this movie. The story was able to humanize Elvis. You could see he definitely had an appreciation for gospel and blues from an early age. This movie did a good job of highlighting his influences like Big Mama Thornton and Little Richard. The respect he had for BB King was also palpable. His version of allyship for the Black community, though not overtly in your face, did come through in how he made an effort where he could. He made distinct choices in who he employed in his bands and the protest songs he wrote. The film also shows the downsides of his life from being manipulated, overworked and taken advantage of from an early age until his death.

The editing was very similar to Baz Luhrmann's other projects like Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby. I wasn’t really feeling that direction for this project. There was too much erratic fast motion camera work, too much split screen and too much voiceover.

The hair, makeup & costumes were pretty good for the majority of the cast in how they covered the span of three decades from the 1950s until the 1970s. One of the only issues I had was with the makeup they used for Tom Hanks’ character Colonel Tom Parker. The prosthetics didn’t look authentic and at times were a distraction.

Regarding casting, I have mixed feelings about Austin Butler’s Elvis portrayal. He had the resemblance, the confidence and the stamina required for the role but he was missing some of the other key factors in being Elvis. The most important was the iconic Elvis accent. His version, though not terrible, was a little too deep and sounded forced at times. He had descent acting range but I wasn’t fully engaged. I definitely wouldn’t have called his performance Golden Globe worthy. Additionally, I am a huge fan of Tom Hanks, but was I was disappointed in his performance as well. He had good chemistry with Butler but my issues come from a combination of the accent he choose to use, which sounded strange, and just the overall portrayal of this character, which came off like a cartoon villain at times. What really hurt both of these actors, though, wasn’t entirely their fault. The script was poorly written and corny. The soundtrack didn't help much either. The composers did a terrible job of infusing new songs with the classics. The instrumental sounds were also oddly placed and never fit with the mood of the scene.

In the end, I valued the new things I learned about Elvis as it helped changed my thoughts of him as a cultural appropriator to more of an appreciator. Unfortunately though the directorial choices really ruined the integrity of this film. It wouldn’t be one that I would watch again nor encourage others to watch.

My Policeman

 

My Policeman is a romantic drama set over the course of 40 years. Starting in 1950s Brighton, England during a time when homosexuality was illegal, the story follows three young people as they navigate their lives. Tom, a closeted policeman, falls in love with Marion Taylor, a schoolteacher while simultaneously having a same-sex affair with Patrick Hazlewood, a museum curator. The film stars Harry Styles and Linus Roache as young and old Tom Burgess; Emma Corrin and Gina McKee as young and old Marion Taylor; David Dawson and Rupert Everett as young and old Patrick Hazlewood, all respectively.

I liked the approach in storytelling, it kind of reminded me of The Notebook. The story moved well and there were some great themes around acceptance, forgiveness and love. It would have been nice to see the story go a bit deeper though. It felt very high level.

The costumes and set design were appropriate for the times, which I appreciated. It helped to transport you to the era.

Regarding casting Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson worked well together. Harry and Emma had an innocence that was palpable. I like seeing Harry stretch more and play something completely different than anything he had played before. Emma also gave me range, you could see the love her character had for Tom and see the jealousy and fear she had. David played his role similarly to The Last Kingdom, he was more even keel. Gina McKee, Rupert Everett, and Linus Roache did well playing off of one another as well, as the older versions of themselves. They were all similar enough to their predecessors while also showing a bit of how their lives have evolved over time. There was, however, a lack in character development so I wasn’t deeply connected to any of the people. I also had an issue with the lack of diversity. There was no reflection of any people of color in this film which I thought was a missed opportunity. You cannot tell me that there were only White people in 1950s England.

 

In the beginning I wanted to see this movie because of all of the award season buzz around it. Now, after seeing it, I wasn't particularly impressed.