[Review] Coco

Pixar's latest gem Coco is a vividly-tuned celebration of music and passion, as well as a magnificent look into the tradition behind Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) -- an annual Mexican holiday in which people pay elaborate tributes to their loved ones that have passed on.

Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) is the story's main character. He's a young dreamer and aspiring musician. The only problem is -- music is banned in his household, due to a sour note in their family tree. Through a curse, Miguel winds up in the Land of the Dead -- a vast and intricately designed realm where he meets his late family members in all their face-painted, rattling skeletal glory. From there, he embarks on a quest to find his elusive great-great grandfather, whom he believes has the power to send him home with blessings to pursue music.

We get some pretty spectacular views of this world. The film's impressive animation is a feast of sugar skulls for the eyes. The visuals burst with vibrant colors and dazzle with an effervescent glow. The voicework is stellar too, lending an enthusiastic authenticity to the tale with pitch-perfect performances from the likes of Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor, and Jaime Camil (the hilarious Rogelio from "Jane the Virgin"). And while the Wizard of Oz-like narrative covers ground similar to 2014's The Book of Life, it still possesses some wonderful storytelling in its own right. The plot is stacked twists and turns and amusing characters. There's a funny bone here, but it becomes quite apparent that everything is connected by the film's dramatic and emotional spine.

There's also a heart-tugging musical sequence that features the film's sweet and catchy headlining song "Remember Me", and it certainly will be remembered. Oh, and that ending. It's a tearjerker -- the kind where it seems like someone is slicing onions right in the movie theater.

Coco is so rich with themes of family, legacy, memories, and yes -- death. But for a film that does approach the subject of death so often, it's incredibly full of life.

* 9/10 *

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[Review] Mudbound

Netflix's Mudbound is a sweeping and richly-detailed 1940s period piece that trudges into the deeply rooted conflicts and racial tensions under the cloud of a troubling Jim Crow shadow.

Directed by Dee Rees, this particular southern saga digs into a dispute between a black family and a white family who are pitted against each other over neighboring land stretched across the Mississippi delta. The film has quite a literary feel to it, as it pages through chapters and changes perspectives with the guide of multi-character narration.

Of those perspectives are the McAllens (played Carey Mulligan and Jason Clarke) and the Jacksons (Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan). Each family has a member returning from war -- Garrett Hedlund as Jamie McAllan, and Jason Mitchell as Ronsel Jackson. It's these two that happen to form a forbidden friendship, and their bond is devastatingly tested amid the lingering effects of shameful history, slavery, and the hatred that still runs throughout town. And then there's Jamie's extremely despicable and racist father (played by Jonathan Banks, "Breaking Bad"). Let me just say: No one would blame you for wanting to punch this guy in the face.

It's a painful, maddening, and moving portrait of an ugly time. Like 12 Years a Slave and The Birth of a Nation before it, this is often a difficult and harrowing watch. How tragic to see a black soldier return from war only to be persecuted by townsfolk, and to see his closest, most confiding friend suffer similar punishments just for associating with him. A lot of the heft here comes from the powerful performances. The cast is more than solid all-around, but it's Hedlund and Mitchell that emerge as standouts, especially as the story shifts most of its focus toward them. I was also very impressed with Mary J. Blige -- she's almost unrecognizable in this heavily dramatic role.

Even though Mudbound takes place nearly 80 years ago, it holds themes that still echo today, reminding us that we've come far -- but not far enough.

( 8/10 )

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[Review] Lady Bird

The great Greta Gerwig makes her directorial debut with the comedy-drama Lady Bird. It stars Saoirse Ronan, who's coming off of her Oscar-nominated performance in Brooklyn. And let me just say: everything about this film is brilliant.

Meet Christine (Ronan), or, excuse me -- "Lady Bird" (that's what she demands to be called). She's a Catholic high school student with a streak of defiance (and I'm not just talking about the pinkish hair dye), aspiring to leave her hometown of Sacramento to attend college somewhere on the East Coast, despite her parents' wishes. The story follows Lady Bird though her senior year and all the complications, uncertainties, and revelations that come with it.

This gem is spunked with a consistently delightful energy, and it's immensely well-written -- the characters are wildly memorable and the dialogue is clever and chuckle-worthy. It's the little details too -- like the Christian homecoming dance scene where you can hear "Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony in the background. And speaking of crossroads, the narrative tackles plenty of familiar coming-of-age conundrums. It actually reminded me a lot of last year's The Edge of Seventeen and even 2013's Enough Said, and that's definitely a compliment. This is a love letter to home, family, friendship, first loves (or so one thinks), and the things we take for granted. The film is especially affecting when it explores Lady Bird's crackling and complex relationship with her mother, who's terrifically played by Laurie Metcalf. The ever-consistent Tracy Letts plays Lady Bird's father, while Lucas Hedges (Oscar nominee from last year's tearjerker Manchester By the Sea) plays her theater boyfriend.

And then of course there's Saoirse Ronan, who's sensational again here, displaying her magnetic versatility. This character is so vibrant, and so chalked with bold personality and dimension. There's that almost intangible element, where she constantly reveals layers and experiences transformation -- but still retains exactly what makes her who she is. That's Christine, er, I mean Lady Bird. Or is it both?

* 9/10 *

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[Review] The Florida Project

After making waves with the iPhone-shot indie Tangerine, buzzing director Sean Baker returns with The Florida Project, a spirited and empathetic juxtaposition of childhood wonderment against the backdrop of working-poor struggles within the fractured cracks of America.

The story revolves around the exuberant Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her mischievous young friends Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto) as they spend their summer break (with minimal parental guidance) splitting time between two rundown motels -- ironically named The Magic Kingdom and Futureland. The film follows their adventures in mundanity -- spitting on cars, spying on guests, sharing ice cream cones, exploring 'Do Not Enter' rooms, making fart noises...

It's all winsomely captured with an observant, almost documentary-like eye -- the garish pastel colors pop through the Kissimmee humidity and the characters beam with realism, personality, energy, nuance, and life amid their very much lived-in environment. The kids are absolutely terrific here (especially Prince, who becomes the main focus). In fact, their performances are so natural that it doesn't seem like you're watching actors (maybe they aren't, at times). Willem Dafoe is at his very best as the property's cantankerous manager with a tough-loving, caring heart of gold beneath his raspy exterior. Also impressive is Bria Vinaite, who plays Moonee's messy and temperamental mother who just can't quite get it together. Her character isn't meant to be the most likable, and she definitely frustrates at times, but she feels so real -- like someone you might know.

Naturally, this transient film isn't built on structured plot. It constantly meanders, drifts, and shifts attention -- just like the kids at the center, but it remains thoroughly absorbing. It's as enchanting as it is harsh, and it takes a couple of deeply affectionate and heart-wrenching dives in the latter half. The last 10 minutes, in particular, breathtakingly set off fireworks of swirling emotion.

By the end of our stay at The Florida Project, it feels like we know the place pretty well.

* 9/10 *

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[Review] Justice League

You know when a bunch of popular musicians come together to form a band or a project, and the results are almost always disappointing? Uninspired. That's basically what happens in the much-hyped Justice League film. The Justice League unites Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). But despite the fresh collaboration of versatile all-stars, this supergroup ultimately underwhelms as a whole.

It isn't until over halfway through the film when the heros eventually (and reluctantly) team up to save the world from an invading army of extraterrestrial flutterbugs (they kinda look like vampire mothmen), led by the story's heavy and horned main villain Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds).

For a while, it feels like you're watching chunks from several different movies spliced together. Director Zack Snyder stages the action sequences with a murky backdrop and a jarring overload of CGI -- so much so that the picture seriously looks like cutscenes from a video game. And if things weren't already overstuffed enough, we still have to deal with a few humdrum scenes of Amy Adams wasting away in the nothing-to-do role as Lois Lane, while we wait for the inevitable resurrection of Superman (Henry Cavill), which is handled in a tremendously clumsy manner, by the way.

As for the good, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman carries over the awesomeness and optimistic humanity from this year's earlier, fantastic Wonder Woman movie. Jason Momoa's Aquaman lends a general badassness and cool seafaring aesthetic to the crew. And Ezra Miller (who's been great in everything I've seen him in) as Flash is the film's electric source of comic relief, delivering the script's best lines and zapping a spark of levity and wide-eyed enthusiasm into the brooding tone of the film. Unfortunately, the neglected newcomer Cyborg is as one-dimensional and robotic as his armor.

And given the way these characters are thrusted into battle together, there's never a sense of camaraderie or chemistry between them. It doesn't help that their mission is plagued with clunky pacing. For a film brimming with so many dynamic powers, it's glaringly void of any true momentum. Then there's the bad villain. And I don't mean "bad" in the evil way -- he's just bad. Faceless. Personality-less. Generic. Stock. He might as well have been a walking statue with a temper-tantrum. In turn, when the climactic showdown arrives, it isn't as exhilarating as it should be, and it feels incredibly low on stakes. At least BvS had a maniacal and memorable Jesse Eisenberg calling the shots.

Justice League does possess some redeemable elements and displays glimmers of hope for future DCEU films. But while it might be a step in the right direction, it definitely isn't a leap.

( 5.5/10 )

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