MOANA REVIEW

Disney has done it again! Since the late ‘80s, the majority of Disney’s animated films have been musicals, and they’ve been quite successful. With Oscar-winning ventures from 1989’s The Little Mermaid to the more recent Frozen, they have been leading the industry in revitalizing musicals for the big screen. And their latest film is no exception.  

Moana stars the voices of Auli'l Cravalho and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and it’s a Pacific Island paradise of a film. I have to admit, when I first saw the trailer I was intrigued, but unsure. Could Dwayne Johnson hold his own in an animated musical? I mean, has anyone heard The Rock sing? How would he do? It turns out I was happily surprised and thrilled with it all.

Moana is a girl from the island of Motunui in the Pacific. From the time she is a toddler, tentatively walking barefoot on the sand, she feels the sea calling to her. Yet she spends her childhood and early adolescence doing her best to suppress the urge to explore places beyond her home island. As the daughter of the chief, and the next chief in line, (How cool is that?) Moana knows that her island, which has been experiencing problems, needs her. Her grandmother tells her that the island’s problems stem from a magic stone stolen from an island goddess. She urges Moana to find the demigod named Maui who stole it, and convince him to return the stone. Can she find Maui and heal her island? Will Maui be willing to help her? It is absolutely worth seeing Moana and and finding out!

I loved this movie. It’s a solid production, bolstered by music written by Opetaia Foa'i and Hamilton's Lin Manuel Miranda. Its gorgeous animation brilliantly depicts the ocean’s sights, from the intricate shell on a giant coconut crab, down to the finest grains of sand. I especially appreciated how the story concentrates on Moana being the next chief, and doesn't go down the path of assuming she can't because she is a girl. That's what I think indeed made it special: It is always asserted that Moana is inherently capable, and will make a great chief to her people one day. I had only one complaint, in that I felt like the beginning was a little slow. But the music and the animation moved things along, and was well worth it in the end.

THE VERDICT

Moana may be slow to start, but with its fantastic performances, songs, and animation, it keeps you entertained. I give it an A-.

BLEED FOR THIS REVIEW

Bleed For This stars Miles Teller, and Aaron Eckhart and its a film I was overall very curious about. I wasn't super excited but I did want to see it, because I love boxing movies and I love movies about not giving up and to keep on fighting and having hope. So is bleed for this good? Story here. 

Bleed for this is about how boxer Vinny Pazienza gets in such a severe car crash that is unkown if heal ever walk again.. Not only does he walk again he makes on of the sports history best comebacks. I really liked bleed for this a lot. It has great peformances all around, has a great score, and a decent story and decent editing. My problem with Bleed for this is that it took to long to where it needed to be but overall its a very good movie that I think people should see. 

                                                                     THE VERDICT

Bleed for this may be slow at times, but with its great performances and a great message about never giving up, it keeps you entertained until the end. I give bleed For this an A-. 

LOVING REVIEW

What makes a family?How do we define Marriage? Its amazing that we have been asking those questions for years. And it all started with the story of Richard and Mildred Loving way back in the late 1950's. And its highlighted in a brand new film. "Loving," stars Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Nick Kroll, Marton Csokas, and Michael Shannon. It is directed and written  by Jeff Nichols who directed and wrote critically claimed movies like " Mud and Midnight Special." I was not super excited for "Loving," but very curious. Here's the story. 

"Loving," tells the journey Richard and Mildred go on just a few weeks after they drive to Washington D.C. (Where they could marry and live safely,) and marry, only to return to their native Virginia and get arrested. The next decade are basically spent sneaking into the state because they were told in order to avoid jail, they would need to leave Virginia for 25 years. Rather than continue to hide, they chose to fight. And it lead to the landmark Supreme Court case LOVING VERSES VIRGINIA.

 I really enjoyed "Loving," a lot. From its great performances to it cinematography, score, it is beautifully done. And it overall has a story that needed to be told. I only have one big complaint.  In some parts it feels like a TV movie. In some moments, the melodrama takes over, and it messes with the pacing a bit. But I came to realize, it was probably a lot worse for them in many ways. And so, in the end, I was all right with it. Both Edgerton and Negga really emphasize the pain and humiliation that two people suffered for just wanting to be together and start a family. Edgerton carries Richards guilt and fear in his face and shoulders. This man lived for years in fear his family could be imprisoned or killed.

This court case changed history. No longer would interracial couples have to hide, no matter where they were from. And while this pacing issue is real, its an important story to expose people too, and should be shown to governments students. It puts a human face on civil liberties. Makes you really see what was at stake. 

               

THE VERDICT

Overall, its a really good film with some spectacular performances, especially Joel Edgerton. its pacing problems exist, but all in all its a solid B+ film. 

AN INTERIVEW WITH ACTOR VINCENT D'ONOFRIO

I was fortunate to interview actor Vincent D'Onofrio, who has been in such films " Full Metal Jacket," "The Player," "Jurassic World," and the brand new western hit "Magnificent Seven." He has also been in great shows like Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Daredevil. This is our full interview and I hope you enjoy it. 

First sir, let me thank you again. I am a huge fan of your work. #1 You play a tracker in the Magnificent 7. What did you learn about the men who were the trackers for the civil war? He certainly came off to me as a man who carried many wounds from that war. Was that intentional?

 Horne had some Demons from his past. When I play a character. All the interior is based on my life. Unless it's talked about in the story. I always use real pains & sorrows. Always use regrets & memories I can bring up in my minds eye. The same type of stuff you and the rest of us have in life. Joy as well. That's my favorite. I bring these types of thing up inside me and as I'm connecting to the other actors I speak the authors words. That's how I Carry my characters life around with me. It translates onto film and helps tell the story correctly.


#2 What Westerns do you love that you could see getting remade?

The question of what should be remade has always been A big one. I don't know really. I guess it comes down to an individual wanting to remake a certain cinematic story.
I think if someone is passionate about remaking something then they should try. The great films can't be remade. Different versions of an original can be of course .Only a great film stands alone. Forever.


#3 My uncle was influenced to join the Marines after seeing "Sand of Iwo Jima." which he told me was nothing like the Korean war he later fought in. I just saw "Hacksaw Ridge" and was very impressed with it, and what it says about war. Since you have been in one of arguably the best war films made, what responsibility do you think we have as film makers to not sugar coat war? Is it ok to take the viewer on that violent trip? or should we limit it for stories sake? Just so we don't think violence is all it is?

Don't think you can make a war film without violence of some kind. Whether it's an internal violence being experience by the soldiers or family of the soldiers at home. It is emotionally as violent as physically I believe. A war film by nature is violent in its title. WAR. The politics of war can also be so terrible and horrific I think it matches actual physical violence as well.
That of course all depends on the storytellers point of view. Personally to me it's obvious that there aren't a lot of war comedies because it's just not funny.
MASH & Catch 22 . Vonnegut's - Slaughter house 5. All very dark comedies. Hardly comic . But the irony of war can not be left out of the story. Those 3 films I just mentioned handle the irony and the emotional depth of War . They also all have very violent scenes here and there.


#4 Your Altman experience happened when you were much younger. Do you think that film making has changed that much or do you think its as political as it was in "The Player?"


 You mention THE PLAYER in your question. You have to understand that when THE PLAYER was made it was not the typical film experience .
Altman was on of the last film mavericks out there. Oliver stone ,Maybe Tarsem Danwhar is a the only Maverick left we'll see. Tarsem shoots like the old mavericks shot . So if it quacks like a duck. It's a duck. Mavericks are great to work for. It takes them forever to get a film made not because of the material or because they suck. In fact it's because they are so good but they do not give in to financial pressures. They are the boss. The buck stops with them. Literally sometimes.
It's debatable whether every filmmaker should be this way. I say that because of worked with great directors whom use a studio or a financier as part of the team. They make the film with them, include them. They also can be great filmmakers. I don't think the business really changes as far the actual productions go. Things get more expensive . Trends happen. New types of venues happen such as streaming . The biggest change is the modern studio is not a production house . The modern studio is a collector of content. They stack rights to everything they can. And farm them out. And that's when the fun starts us filmmakers and actors go to work

#5 As a HUGE fan of Daredevil, I think you were fantastic as "KingPin." Would you relish working with your friend Robert Downey Jr. in a couple of side episodes? Would you make an appearance on Luke Cage if asked?




 As far as working with Downey . I'd love to do whatever with him. He's always involved in cool stuff so it's pretty much a no brained. I don't ever think about me being with him in the context of a marvel show or film.
Marvel is a very smart company with a lot of decision makers and you just never know what's coming next. Yes if they ask me to do Luke cage I would. If I was free. I love that show.


#6 Do you think really good story telling is going to be more about huge arcs that you can have in something like a netflix show? I'm very impressed with the scope of what something like that can do. As an actor.. you are in, do your work, and get out for 6 months. IS that kind of work appealing to you?



 I think good storytelling is good no matter what the form. If its compelling and it is deep &/or entertaining in some way it's good. As n actor I prefer film. The writing has gotten great for tv but the productions are mostly still a little rough around the edges . They still don't spend enough money most of the time on the actual productions . After the first season or two they immediately try to start shaving the budgets. Us actors we get what we get and that doesn't get cut. They start cutting other stuff and it effects the production value that they end up delivering to the audience. A lot easier to budget most films.
One knows going in what the production value will be most of the time and that rarely changes. Film is as you know a collaboration of many arts. All of them need a budget. If you want to make a good production it costs. Of course there are exceptions for small intimate films . But most of the stuff that's on tv these days is hardly intimate . But still great.


#7 Seems to me that Westerns are making a bit of a comeback. Why did attracted you to accepting the part, and would do more? Do you like a good western?



 I love westerns . Yes I'd do more if asked . I will direct one this summer.
I can't really talk about yet but it's gonna be super cool. I wrote the story and will direct. Mag 7 was brought to me by Fuqua . I first heard about it through Hawke then Antione called me .i mean with that cast and Antione shooting I couldn't say no. The script was rough but Antione knows what he's doing so I put my trust in him. He let us build our characters ourselves and make them fit in the story. Antione had a lot of talented dudes on that film .


#8 Was it nice to get a repeat in working with Chris Pratt again?


Last but not least question 8. 
Chris Pratt is one of the kindest men I've ever met. His wife Anna is also super sweet. There Son is amazing. I'm sure Chris and I will work together again. Not sure what but I just feel like we will. He is so awesome to work with . He's a very responsible actor . Works super hard . Never complains and is just funny as hell I consider him a friend . So to actually have a friend like him or Hawke on set with me is just glorious There is no judgment no competition it's just about the work. And of course the friendship is at all times present so we take care of each other. So fricking cool. I'm very lucky.
I guess that's it. Thanks for the questions Jake. Glad I could do it for ya kiddo.
V.


Thanks sir! I hope to be a director and writer and producer when I graduate . When i do i hope to be as cool and awesome as your are!


U got it kiddo. Good luck to you!


:) 

AN INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR JAMES D'ARCY

I was fortunate to interview actor James D'Arcy of TV's "AGENT CARTER," and such films as "Master and Commander," and "Cloud Atlas." Presently he is working with Christopher Nolan on the WWI drama "Dunkirk." He is also a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, which happens to be my mothers Alma Mater. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Question 1: On Agent Carter, You played the character Jarvis ( Which you did a fantastic job.As a fan, and since you were a character that up until then had been a voice,  He really felt like a real person. (You and Haley Atwell had great chemistry) If you hadn't done Agent Carter, what would be another Marvel Or DC character you would have liked to play as? Are you surprised that Marvel dropped it? (My mom and I are, as we were huge fans of the show, and think it really was a great show for young women especially.)

I’m probably not as familiar with the Marvel or DC world so that I could give a good answer to that question. I love to play a variety of roles, so something quite different from Jarvis I guess! That being said, I really loved the show, and it’s a great shame that they didn’t pick it up for a 3rd season. I thought there was more story to tell, especially around the creation of SHIELD.

Question 2: You recently were cast in Christopher Nolan's WW2 Dunkirk movie with Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy. As an actor that has to be a huge moment for you. The time where you were in Drama School was when Rylance and Branagh we exploding on the scene. Does it feel strange when actors you saw as a student are suddenly working with you? Besides the Wachowskis and Nolan, what are some other directors you'd like to work with?

I only worked with Kenneth Branagh, and he was delightful. And yes, working with Nolan is a dream… There are so many directors I admire, but I guess near the top of my wishlist are PT Anderson, Denis Villeneuve, Ang Lee and Spielberg.

Question 3: Master and Commander is one of my favorite films of all time. You did a great job in your role. I was wondering is there any book you'd like to see get made into a movie and would you like to star in it? ( Ps. still hoping for a Master and Commander sequel) And my mom says you were quite the sword fighter in college. do you enjoy films that have that aspect in them like M&C?

Love doing stuff that involves a degree of physicality, especially if it’s something new to me… They’ve actually just made a book I wanted to see as a movie, it’s called Billy Lynn. Don’t really think there was a role for me in that one though…. 

Question 4:  After doing Hitchcock,  If I were to do a biopic on you, who would you cast as yourself and what would it be about?

Am I still young enough to play myself??? I mean, I guess it would be about my life if it were a biopic!

Question 5: What is the easiest part of being an actor on a set and what is the hardest part? Since you got your start in theater, would you rather be doing theater, film, or TV?

Being an actor is a dream come true, I don’t find being on a set hard at all. I love it. If you’ve been unemployed for a while and you don’t have money, well I think that can be tough for actors. 

I’m crazy about the medium of film. Always have been. And I don’t really feel like I got a start in theatre… My first professional job was in TV. It’s just a bit misleading at drama school bc they focus very heavily on stage work…

Hope that helps Jake. Good luck!

My thanks to Mr. D'Arcy. Can't wait to see DUNKIRK. Going to be EPIC!!!!

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN REVIEW

 

                                     
                                             

"The Legend Of Tarzan," is a film I was really pumped to see.  Whats not to like? A terrific cast, an exotic location, and a great story, make up one incredible evening at the movies. But does it live up to the hype? Heres the story.

  

In the decade after the original Tarzan took place, we find Tarzan, now called John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, living in England and acting like a civilized human being with wife Jane. And while he gets along in the world, its quite clear, when he see's Jane teaching children about Africa, that he misses it deeply. Jane too. He finds her high up in a tree dreaming of going back and you know, he wants it too. When an opportunity comes up to travel back as a representative for the British government, he is hesitant, and we get a glimpse why. Before leaving, Tarzan was involved in a fight that had catastrophic consequences. He knows going back could put a price on his head.  This is where Christoph Waltz does his best to make sure Tarzan pays for that act. What Tarzan doesn't realize at first, is Waltz is acting for foregin powers. One that want to destroy Africa and everything that Jane and Tarzan love about it.  And Waltz will do anything.. including harm Jane to make it happen. 

I liked this film a lot. Skarsgard is perfect as Tarzan, and Margot Robbie looks and acts the part of the defiant heroine. Samuel L Jackson, plays George Washington Williams, a real life American historian of the African people, and good comedy in the company of Tarzan. For every exhausting run that Tarzan has, comes the panting but determined face of Williams, ready to offer Tarzan whatever back up he needs. Waltz is a good villian, but I fear he is pigeon holing himself into roles of "vaguely eastern european baddies" who have secret agendas. That being said, he plays that part very very well.  I was a little shocked by the big names they have in the film that do very little, such as Jim Broadbent, Ben Chaplin and Djimon Hounsou who together make up less than 15 minutes of film. Which leads me to believe their parts were most likely bigger and ended up on the cutting room floor. Which makes me want to read the original script by Craig Brewer and Adam Cozad. I have a feeling there was more to it. What is clear is that they were trying to go beyong the Tarzan story we all know and talk abbout the very real problems that plagued Africa during this time. I wish we'd gotten a little more of that. 

 The CGI is sometimes good, and sometimes it isn't, with some of it looking unrealistic. But the action is incredible. And your interested in the story from begining to end. I also really liked Skarsguard and Jackson's chemistry. They bring a good fun and lightness to the film. Its a fun film to take the kids to. I overall enjoyed it very much. 

THE VERDICT

The Legend Of Tarzan , despite some over used CGI, has a good story with great actors that keeps you entertained.  I give it a B+. 

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE REVIEW

"X-men: Apocalypse," Is finally here! I have been looking forward to another journey into the younger lives of the X-men, and after the first two, I have to admit, I had high expectations. Did the movie live up to the hype? Well.... for the most part.... Yes.

X-Men: Apocalypse takes place  in the 1980s and it is about how the very first mutant in the world comes back to life and  wants to destroy the world. So the X-Men have to stop him.  I like this movie but don't love it. The problems are : the movie is very slow in the beginning. Its 2 and half hours and it easily not only could have 20 min cut but  Some actors are wasted or over the top. Also Apocalypse as a character not Oscar Issacs performance but the way the  character is written is bad to me. Theres also a plot hole from the ending to the last movie that they don't address in this movie. And Rose Byrne really has no point to be in this movie. Lana Corder who plays the character of Jubilee easily could've taken her place. Jubilee was a good character and I would have loved to see more.   Jennifer Lawrence is just okay. She acts in some scenes, then talks bored in some. Now here are my pros. The cast that plays the young X-Men are all great! From Tye Sheridan to Sophie Turner to the rest of them. The action is very incredible and the story is interesting overall. Most of the original cast are all good as well. The new quicksilver scene is awesome, even better than the last one. Theres a cameo that I don't want to ruin thats so cool . Also the most stand out performance is Michael Fassbender, who plays the character of Magneto. He is conflicted and he shows it so greatly. Other than that

                                                                   THE VERDICT
X-MEN: Apocalypse might be the weakest out of the First Class trilogy, but its performances, and action keep you entertained. I give it a B.