Rapid Reviews || Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar || F9: The Fast Saga || tick, tick...BOOM! || VOIR
There are an overwhelming amount of movies released every year. With an
average of over 700 movies released every year, the wealth of entertainment
available is practically endless. This isn't even mentioning the plethora of
series and shows released every single year, most of which are just as
prestigious as the big, noteworthy Hollywood releases. With such a wide
selection of content to dig into and only a finite amount of time to do so,
what is one critic do?
It is from that question that Rapid Reviews was born. The idea is for this to be a semi-regular feature that will collect smaller, one or two paragraph reviews for a wide range of movies and shows that might not be otherwise discussed due to time constraints. And make no mistake - some of these shows and movies need to be talked about!
Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar || Hulu
Directed by: Josh Greenbaum
Written by: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Starring:
Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr.
Score by:
Christopher Lennertz, Dara Taylor || Cinematography by: Toby Oliver
If you've missed the loosely structured, "anything-goes" comedies brought to you from Saturday Night Live in the 90s and 00s - you're in luck! Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is that same style of comedy - one that isn't released too often anymore and one that you might find to be quite goofier than expected. Barb & Star plays much closer in tone, narrative structuring (loosely strung together series of SNL skits with a constant lead), and aesthetic to the Austin Powers movies. I mean, Barb & Star feels like an Austin Powers movie right down to Kristen Wiig's double-duty as not just one of the film's two leads with Star, but also as the movie's central antagonist, Sharon Gordon Fisherman - a befittingly silly name for the character and, honestly, the movie as a whole.
If you've missed the loosely structured, "anything-goes" comedies brought to you from Saturday Night Live in the 90s and 00s - you're in luck! Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is that same style of comedy - one that isn't released too often anymore and one that you might find to be quite goofier than expected. Barb & Star plays much closer in tone, narrative structuring (loosely strung together series of SNL skits with a constant lead), and aesthetic to the Austin Powers movies. I mean, Barb & Star feels like an Austin Powers movie right down to Kristen Wiig's double-duty as not just one of the film's two leads with Star, but also as the movie's central antagonist, Sharon Gordon Fisherman - a befittingly silly name for the character and, honestly, the movie as a whole.
Speaking of the movie's leading pair, Barb and Star - and Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig respectively - share this amazing chemistry with each other that makes the two immediately likable and watchable. While not every skit Barb and Star find themselves in is as razor sharp or insightful as some other comedies, there is a underlying humor to be had in the naivety and innocence of the titular pair. Most of the comedy is mined from just how mismatched Barb and Star are for the troubles they get wrapped up in during their vacation in Vista Del Mar. The subtle sweetness added to Barb and Star's characterizations is the film's biggest strength, subsequently imbuing the rest of the film with an earnestness not found in most comedies released now. Barb & Star succeeds thanks to a genuinely feel-good vibe that emanates from every inch of its colorful and campy production. Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a solid, empathy-forward comedy that feels fresh and nostalgic all at once.
Film-FTW Rating || 7 Stars out of 10 "Very Good / Compelling"
F9: The Fast Saga || On Demand
Directed by: Justin Lin
Screenplay by: Daniel Casey, Justin Lin || Story by: Justin Lin, Alfredo Botello, Daniel Casey
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris"
Bridges, John Cena, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordanan Brewster,
Michael Rooker, Charlize Theron
Score by: Brian Tyler || Cinematography by: Stephen F. Windon
The Fast and the Furious franchise has had longer legs than many would've anticipated, with F9: The Fast Saga, being it's tenth entry - don't forget 2019's spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw. What started out as a simple street-racing movie starring some relatively small actors, has now transformed into this bombastic and unapologetically, self-aware series that has continually cranked out some gloriously stupid (and inventive) set pieces that have been as impressive as anything else Hollywood has been offering. Ever since Fast Five, the filmmakers seemed to have figured out the secret to the series and understood what audiences were clicking with. As movie studios were leaning into more darker and grittier action fare, Fast Five's only real focus was on one thing - fun. Wisely, keeping the series light and fun has been a principal tenant of the Fast franchise going forward, and it's worked out very well for them - it's currently one of the most financially successful franchises Hollywood still has going.
The Fast and the Furious franchise has had longer legs than many would've anticipated, with F9: The Fast Saga, being it's tenth entry - don't forget 2019's spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw. What started out as a simple street-racing movie starring some relatively small actors, has now transformed into this bombastic and unapologetically, self-aware series that has continually cranked out some gloriously stupid (and inventive) set pieces that have been as impressive as anything else Hollywood has been offering. Ever since Fast Five, the filmmakers seemed to have figured out the secret to the series and understood what audiences were clicking with. As movie studios were leaning into more darker and grittier action fare, Fast Five's only real focus was on one thing - fun. Wisely, keeping the series light and fun has been a principal tenant of the Fast franchise going forward, and it's worked out very well for them - it's currently one of the most financially successful franchises Hollywood still has going.
Which is why I was surprised with just how little fun I had during the bulk of F9: The Fast Saga. That's not to say there is no fun to be had here...only that it's fleeting at best. The highlights this time around are a couple of the more grounded action set-pieces, like Tyrese and Ludacris fighting goons in the back of a moving truck bed. Throw in an overpowered magnet to create further chaos, as guns and weapons are positioned back-and-forth between the heroes and the villains. It's clever action beats like this that end up saving F9: The Fast Saga from being borderline unbearable and worst of all - boring. Even when the action is on-point, there's honestly nothing in F9 that is as inventive or as interesting as most of the set-pieces we've already seen in previous movies.
In addition to the weaker action moments, the narrative in F9 struggles to balance the overwhelming amount of characters that have been incorporated into the series up to this point, and that's not even factoring the primary antagonist in Dom's (Vin Diesel) brother, Jakob (John Cena) - with a majority of the film's already lengthy runtime being devoted to their melodramatic and trite backstory. Cena's inclusion in F9 is one of the biggest disappointments of the year, with the filmmakers seemingly refusing to let Cena bring any of his trademarked charisma to the role of Jakob. Instead Jakob is played as a brooding, one-note brute seemingly designed that way to be a dark mirror to Diesel's stilted and emotionless performance as Dom Toretto. All this does is add needless melodrama to what is essentially a Saturday morning cartoon writ-large. With F9: The Fast Saga, the series finds itself at its lowest point since 2009's Fast & Furious, in what I can only describe as the movie equivalent of someone telling "Chuck Norris" jokes a decade after they were funny or relevant. I think it might be time to let this franchise take that same turn that Paul Walker took in Furious 7 and ride off into the sunset.
Film-FTW Rating || 5 Stars out of 10 "Mediocre / Mixed
Feelings"
tick, tick...BOOM! || Netflix
Directed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Screenplay by: Steven Levenson || Based on: Tick, Tick...Boom! by Jonathan Larson
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry,
Vanessa Hudgens
Score by: Jonathan Larson || Cinematography by: Alice Brooks
Outside of the infamous 2019 box office bomb that was Cats, the movie musical has been slowly rising in both popularity and quality thanks to some strong, recent entries. Entries such as the Elton John biopic Rocketman, Steven Spielberg's recent retelling of the beloved West Side Story, and of course, there is Lin-Manuel Miranda and his highly praised offerings. More than any other singular artist, Miranda might single-handedly be responsible for this recent upwards trend in musicals, thanks in large part to Hamilton - written solely by Miranda - and its record-breaking run on Broadway. With Hamilton's release on streaming last year during the pandemic, in addition to this year's In The Heights, Miranda has quickly become synonymous within Hollywood for creating reliably "good" and accessible musicals - musicals that can appeal to everyone, regardless of your experience with the genre or the culture surrounding Broadway.
Outside of the infamous 2019 box office bomb that was Cats, the movie musical has been slowly rising in both popularity and quality thanks to some strong, recent entries. Entries such as the Elton John biopic Rocketman, Steven Spielberg's recent retelling of the beloved West Side Story, and of course, there is Lin-Manuel Miranda and his highly praised offerings. More than any other singular artist, Miranda might single-handedly be responsible for this recent upwards trend in musicals, thanks in large part to Hamilton - written solely by Miranda - and its record-breaking run on Broadway. With Hamilton's release on streaming last year during the pandemic, in addition to this year's In The Heights, Miranda has quickly become synonymous within Hollywood for creating reliably "good" and accessible musicals - musicals that can appeal to everyone, regardless of your experience with the genre or the culture surrounding Broadway.
With the recently released tick, tick...BOOM!, Lin-Manuel Miranda finds himself in the director's chair for the first time, and unsurprisingly, he's just as capable as a director as he is a composer and playwright. With tick, tick...BOOM!, Miranda effortlessly tells the smaller, more intimate story of real life playwright, Jonathan Larson - best known for the Broadway hit RENT - and his struggles in trying to get his passion project, Superbia, workshopped and produced. At the center of this heartfelt and personal story is a masterfully devastating performance from Andrew Garfield - who easily gets lost in his transformation in becoming Larson. It's a buzzworthy performance and Garfield absolutely elevates tick, tick...BOOM! with his presence.
The storytelling within tick, tick...BOOM! uses a simple jumping-off point - the admittedly cliched struggles of an artist who just wants to make his art even though the universe constantly pushes back. This gives way to themes of the difficulties of creating in art in general, in addition to the challenges of balancing one's personal life with the unescapable drive of honing one's craft. Being based around Larson's real life, it was only natural that the film leaned into the issues plaguing its real world setting of New York in the early 90s - the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Miranda diligently and gracefully handles all of these heavier themes with well-deserved time and consideration. The situations and conflicts between the characters never feel artificially built-up for needless melodrama - something many experienced filmmakers still struggle with. Instead, tick, tick...BOOM! moves with this distinctive purpose, almost mirroring Larson himself. Though I might not have enjoyed it as much as Hamilton or In the Heights, tick, tick...BOOM! is a fantastic directorial debut for Lin-Manuel Miranda and a bright spotlight on the talent and often overlooked Andrew Garfield!
Film-FTW Rating || 8 Stars out of 10 "Great / Memorable"
VOIR || Netflix
Directed by: David Prior, Taylor Ramos, Tony Zhou, Keith Clark, Julie Ng
Produced by:
David Fincher, Walter Chaw, David Prior
Starring:
Drew McWeeny, Eva Wild, Sasha Stone
Cinematography by: Martim Vian, Alfonso Chin
VOIR is a series of six short video essays centering around the power of cinema, specifically focusing on a variety of subjects such as the likability of protagonists, interracial buddy movies and the deeper conversation about race in film, and the ethics of revenge. VOIR's first six episodes are essentially Netflix's response to YouTube video essays (an episode here is even written and directed by Tony Zhou, an online video essayists responsible for the popular and insightful Every Frame a Painting series) - and it's a solid response. Each episode of VOIR is focused and tightly constructed, drilling down on one of a handful of various movie topics. Each episode is brought to life with high production value and quality editing, offering voices and opinions from different members within the online film critics community. Being produced by David Fincher, VOIR's high production value and exemplary quality make perfect sense.
VOIR is a series of six short video essays centering around the power of cinema, specifically focusing on a variety of subjects such as the likability of protagonists, interracial buddy movies and the deeper conversation about race in film, and the ethics of revenge. VOIR's first six episodes are essentially Netflix's response to YouTube video essays (an episode here is even written and directed by Tony Zhou, an online video essayists responsible for the popular and insightful Every Frame a Painting series) - and it's a solid response. Each episode of VOIR is focused and tightly constructed, drilling down on one of a handful of various movie topics. Each episode is brought to life with high production value and quality editing, offering voices and opinions from different members within the online film critics community. Being produced by David Fincher, VOIR's high production value and exemplary quality make perfect sense.
Not every episode is a winner, though. VOIR could be thought of as an anthology, of sorts, and as with any anthology, there are stronger segments and weaker segments. Luckily, the majority of VOIR's episodes are fantastic. That said, I personally found VOIR to start on a noticeably bad note, with "Summer of the Shark" - an essay centering around film critic Sasha Stone's childhood association with watching Jaws in theaters and how it subsequently affected her view on modern cinema. Without spoiling anything, her views are mostly negative and cynical. It's an off-putting and pessimistic segment that does a disservice to every episode that follows.
After "Summer of the Shark", VOIR ends up finding a great rhythm with its choices of themes and topics. It's clear in these remaining episodes that the creators had a passion and love for the themes and movies they examined. And unlike The Movies That Made Us (another Netflix series focused on movies), VOIR opts to discuss decidedly less mainstream movies, such as Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, 48 Hours, and Lawrence of Arabia - something I thoroughly appreciated. Movie-lovers will absolutely find something to enjoy in VOIR's first batch of episodes and is a great starting point for any one interested in thinking more deeply on movies.
Film-FTW Rating || 8 Stars out of 10 "Great / Memorable"