Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Last Night in Soho & tick...tick...BOOM!

My dearest reader(s), Last weekend I had the opportunity to catch up with two hot titles: Last Night in Soho and tick...tick...BOOM!

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First up: Edgar Wright's psychedelic fever dream Last Night in Soho.

An aspiring fashion designer is transported nightly to the London of the 1960s, but it isn't always the wonderful time she'd imagined.

Full and fair disclosure: Edgar Wright is my favorite director, in my eyes, a person whose artistic vision is 20/20 at all times. I honestly hoped to see Last Night in Soho at the cinema, but circumstances didn't allow, so I rented it when it became available for streaming last week. I don't think this is a movie that suffered for my having seen it on my pretty-big TV instead of a really-big movie screen, but be armed with the knowledge when considering my opinion.

While the idea of someone accidentally landing in another era is hardly unique, Last Night in Soho skips the Life on Mars routine; our heroine is as much observer as participant on her nightly trips. When the misdeeds of decades previous start to haunt her present-day, the movie begins to feel more like a standard thriller. It's not particularly difficult to figure out it's heading, but Last Night in Soho is a good story, well told, and it doesn't waste time. Wright's typical expertise in use and placement of music is in full effect, and the makeup and costumes are gorgeous. The movie is violent at times, but most effects are creepy and sinister, rather than gory; overall, a victory for anyone who thinks horror should be more than a gross-out.

Last Night in Soho clocks in at 116 minutes and is rated R for "bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material, and brief graphic nudity."

Last Night in Soho is a stylish, well-paced thriller that's well worth the price of admission (or rental). Regular reader(s) will know that my rating scale is based on nine Weasleys, but I'm forced to give Last Night in Soho nine and a half: seven and a half for the movie, plus two bonus Weasleys for having two *actual* Weasleys (James and Oliver Phelps) in the cast. Fangirl Points for the twins, as well. Bonus points all 'round!

Last Night in Soho is still playing in cinemas worldwide, and is now available for rental via Amazon and other outlets.

Next on my weekend agenda was tick...tick...BOOM!, based on Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical musical of the same name.

A composer tackles life's ups and downs as he faces off with his impending 30th birthday.

Okay, more full and fair disclosure: No disrespect to Jonathan Larsen, but I barely tolerate Rent. I love theatre, and I respect Rent for all it is to so many people, but I like exactly one character (Collins) and two songs (Santa Fe and What You Own). It's basically a hipster's Wicked. Pretty much everything that irritates me about Rent is, predictably, prevalent in tick...tick...BOOM!, so it's fair to say I found it something of a slog.

Having said that, if you're looking for positives, there's Andrew Garfield, a magnificent performer who never fails to elevate any project lucky enough to have him. AGarf's tour de force performance is probably the only thing that kept me from turning off the movie before the halfway point. (He's the best Spider-Man as well. I shall hear no argument.) Also fun is a cool number that features so many Broadway legends (oh hai, Brian Stokes-Mitchell!) that you couldn't throw a rock without hitting one. (But please don't throw rocks at Broadway stars. Or at anyone.) Otherwise, tick...tick...BOOM! is a collection of mediocre songs sung by people being wayyyyyyy too dramatic about pretty much everything. If you love Rent, you'll probably love it. I do not and I did not.

tick...tick...BOOM! runs an almost insufferable 115 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some strong language, some suggestive material, and drug references."

tick...tick...BOOM! is worth watching, if only for another incredible performance by Andrew Garfield and a lively game of "Spot the Broadway Star." Of a possible nine Weasleys, tick...tick...BOOM! gets three.

tick...tick...BOOM! is now streaming on Netflix.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: LAST NIGHT IN SOHO

 

An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. However, the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast:  Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg, Margaret Nolan

Release Date: October 29, 2021

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material and brief graphic nudity

Runtime: 1h 56min

Review:

Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho is a retro horror thriller that uses his technical prowess to deliver a visual cinematic treat.  Wright, who co-wrote the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, draws inspiration from 60's horror thrillers and it's obvious from the onset it's a genre he loves as he recreates the era with incredible energy.  Those 60's set sequences are the life blood of the film as he uses era songs and a seemingly endless bag of technical tricks to make them stand out.  It's an impressive trick to watch him slyly move the atmosphere of these sequences from light and fun to something far more ominous and foreboding.  Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy hold the entire thing together with excellent engaging performances.  McKenzie who looks and sounds like a life sized pixie is immediately believable as a country mouse in the big city.  It's not the showiest of the two roles but she does get her moments to shine as the film takes on a more horror centric look and feel.  Anya Taylor-Joy looks like she was born to channel the era with great effect much like she did in The Queen's Gambit.  She's a blonde Barbie in pink with doll eyes filled with sadness.  Sadly, both character's are woefully underwritten with each relying on well worn tropes far too much.  The supporting cast makes it easier to ignore some of the scripts deficiencies with strong turns Matt Smith, Terence Stamp and the late Diana Rigg.  Smith does well playing swarmy while Stamp is just as strong playing ominous and mysterious.  Diana Rigg gets a fun cinematic send off as she blesses the screen with her signature style. Last Night in Soho falls just short of greatness mainly due to a script that only scratches the surface of its themes and characters even though its an incredibly fun ride. 

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Sparks Brothers

 

My dear reader(s) — assuming I have any left, given my lengthy absences — among the pandemic's ripple effects not noted by the CDC, a big one for me has been my "conscious uncoupling" from the cinema. Even in rare cases where a new release interests me, it doesn't interest me enough to get out and see it on the big screen. The few recent movies that might have gotten me out to the cinema haven't played on any big screens locally; thus, I come to my (so far) most anticipated release of 2021, Edgar Wright's The Sparks Brothers, via Amazon Prime.

The incredible true story of "your favorite band's favorite band."

I'm not sure you can actually spoil a documentary, but if you're concerned, best watch before reading.

Edgar Wright has become my favorite director, largely due to his uncanny feel for music. Nobody can put the right song in the right place in the right movie like Edgar Wright. When I heard he was doing a straight-up music documentary, my tiny heart soared. I am pleased to report The Sparks Brothers does not disappoint.

Wright mixes live and video footage of Sparks with terrific new interviews and clever animated sequences. In addition to "the Sparks Brothers" (Ron and Russell Mael), band members past and present and artists/fans across media and genres weigh in with anecdotes and opinions. There's a dry — but never cynical — sense of humor about the whole that is both expected and surprising for a band that is simultaneously hugely influential and a great mystery. It speaks volumes that former band members seem to carry no hard feelings (regardless of the circumstances of their dismissal) and that the Maels are not bitter about the many times their strange art has been less appreciated than they might have liked.

A documentary is a strange animal, seemingly a harder sell than a scripted movie for viewers who are not previously invested in the subject matter. The enthusiasm of The Sparks Brothers is contagious and more than up to the challenge of entertaining old fans and winning over new. This is a film crafted with the greatest affection, but for everyone, not just for those who already share that affection. There's also a generosity not often found in today's "gatekeeping" fandoms. These people love Sparks, and they want you to love Sparks too, even if you've only just heard of them or only know one song. If the story of Sparks sometimes seems too strange to be true, this telling is simply magical from start to finish.

The Sparks Brothers runs a delightful 140 minutes and is rated R for language.

The Sparks Brothers is now playing in cinemas (somewhere) and via streaming services worldwide.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Sparks Brothers gets all nine.

Fangirl points: Beatles, Beatles, Beatles! Duran Duran! The god Todd Rundgren! Nick Heyward!

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: BABY DRIVER

A partially deaf getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) gets caught up in a botched heist in this action comedy from writer/director Edgar Wright (Edgar Wright, Edgar Wright). Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, and Sky Ferreira co-star. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Jon Bernthal, Kevin Spacey, Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx

Release Date: Jun 28, 2017

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy

Review:

Edgar Wright’s latest film, Baby Driver, is another strong entry into his catalogue.  He delivers a musical infused crime thriller that’s innovative even though the basic plot is well worn.  The film has an impressive rhythm from the opening car chase.  The impressively choreographed stunt driving is some of the best I’ve seen in a years.  It’s a testament to practical stunts that you feel every collision and rumble during any of the sequences.  The car chases are far better than any of the CGI infused trickery in another large car franchise.  The characters themselves are fun and interesting even if they never feel like actual people.  Ansel Elgort makes a fine lead, supplying the character with a healthy amount of innocence and charm though he’s outshined by the supporting characters.  Kevin Spacey, John Hamm and Jamie Foxx all deliver fun performances.  Spacey is totally in his element as the boss and Hamm and Foxx make for great villains at different points in the film.  Foxx is at full level crazy as the most despicable member of the crew.  Hamm’s role is tailor suited to his talents of being charming while looking like he’s suffering from a lifelong hangover.  Lily James makes for a cute love interest but doesn’t really register when compared to the rest of the cast.  Still, Baby Driver is one of the most fun films you’ll watch this year.

A- 

Cindy Prascik's Review of Baby Driver

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for one of my most highly anticipated titles of 2017, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

To repay an old debt, a young man is forced to use his extraordinary skills in service of a criminal mastermind.

 

Dear reader(s), in the interest of full and fair disclosure, I'll confess my firm conviction that Edgar Wright makes perfect movies, all the time. As writer or director, and especially as writer and director, the guy is a visionary. I keep an open enough mind that pretty much anything can surprise me (pleasantly or unpleasantly), but honor demands I admit there was very little chance I wouldn't love Baby Driver. That's the Cliff's Notes. Now, onto the meat and potatoes...

 

Edgar Wright's love and respect for music lend his films unparalleled attention to detail where it is concerned. Each and every song is selected, each and every note perfectly placed, to underline, energize, advance, or complete its moment, event, or scene. While that's the case with all of Wright's efforts, Baby Driver willfully and overtly makes music its star, the sun around which all the other moving pieces revolve. If you love music, you will feel this film from the roots of your hair to the soles of your shoes. That's not to say the picture's "other" stars are lightweights. Decorated names such as Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, and Jamie Foxx have ample opportunity to shine brightly in Baby Driver's galaxy. "It" girl Lily James charms her way through the movie like an old pro, and Ansel Elgort is a delight in what's sure to be a star-making turn.

 

Baby Driver is an action film, filled with thrilling chase scenes and beautifully choreographed stunt driving. Baby Driver is a comedy, its humor blooming organically from genuine performances and crazy scenarios. Baby Driver is a drama, boasting sincere moments among layered, engaging characters. Baby Driver is extraordinary filmmaking from an extraordinary filmmaker, everything you could want from a movie and more.

 

Baby Driver clocks in at 113 minutes and is rated R for violence and language.

Baby Driver is a beautiful, clever, unique cinema experience that should shut up the "Hollywood is out of ideas" crowd for at least the weekend. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, I am pleased and unsurprised to give Baby Driver all nine.

 

Fangirl points: OHMYGOSH YOU GUYS THERE'S A DAMNED SONG IN THIS MOVIE!

 

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik’s Reviews of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones / The World's End

Dearest Blog, this weekend's cinema offerings were a hodge-podge of dread and great anticipation, respectively, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and The World's End.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First up was another in Hollywood's seemingly-endless stream of teen supernatural thrillers, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

When her mother goes missing, a young girl discovers she has the blood of a Shadowhunter, that is a secret league of demon-hunting warriors.

Oh, Aidan Turner, the things I do for you. Not the things I would do for you--which are many, varied, and profane--but the things I do do for you, such as paying good money to watch this.

It is my understanding that the Mortal Instruments series was initially based on Harry Potter fanfiction, as the inexplicably popular 50 Shades of Gray series is based on Twilight fanfic. Note to Hollywood: please stop making movies based on fanfiction. You're embarrassing yourself.

City of Bones is derivative and shallow, but the bigger problem is the same one that has plagued recent seasons of True Blood and Once Upon a Time, that is, it introduces such a jumble of characters that often the story it really wants to tell is nowhere in sight. These secret Shadowhunters and their demon enemies, while far from original, could have been interesting enough, but by the time you mix in vampires and werewolves and time travel and a little daddy-angst to boot, what you're left with is a pretty big mess. Much of the dialogue is cringe-worthy, and parts of the film were so awful I threw my hands over my face in dismay. The flip side of that is, other than being far too long, the movie honestly isn't boring, and there are some bits that are really pretty good. Most stabs at humor hit the mark, although there were also several times my cinema was cracking up over stuff that clearly was not meant to be funny.

Lily Collins and her mighty eyebrows do a passable job in the lead. Her male counterparts, Jamie Campbell Bower and Robert Sheehan, are the movie's highlights, both quite engaging. As is the norm these days, all my favorites are relegated to "somebody's mom"- and "somebody's dad"-type roles. The fetching Mr. Turner has less to do than I'd have liked, but more to do than I expected, so we'll call it a draw. Playing the otherworldly is old hat to Turner by now, so of course he does a fine job of it. It's nice to see Lena Heady, Jared Harris, Kevin Durand, and CCH Pounder in smaller roles, but the real scene-stealer is Jonathan Rhys Myers in his usual over-the-top fashion.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones runs 130 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of fantasy violence and action, and some suggestive content."

The good news is it's not as bad as I expected. The bad news is it's still pretty bad.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones gets four and a half.

Next up was the genius Edgar Wright's latest offering, The World's End.

A group of once-inseparable friends reunites to complete a legendary pub crawl. When they return to their hometown, they discover things are not quite as they remember.

Dear Blog, it is well known that I worship at the altar of Wright/Pegg/Frost. It would be fair to say, along with The Hobbit, The World's End is my most-anticipated film of the year. I am pleased to report my enthusiasm has been well placed.

This story of five friends, who have drifted apart in the two decades since they left school, is sincere and likely feels familiar to most adults on my side of 40. Sympathetic performances from Nick Frost and Eddie Marsan are the dramatic highlights, while Simon Pegg gets to be the funnyman this time around. Favorites Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman are also terrific. On the sci-fi side, the idea isn't necessarily anything new, but it's well executed with some pretty cool effects. Both sides of the plot--the situation among these five friends, and the fantastic happenings in their old hometown--are interesting from start to finish; the story never misses a step. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg deserve full marks for writing a film that goes in so many directions, yet never feels like it's lost its way. All the pieces fit perfectly.

The World's End clocks in at a perfectly-paced 109 minutes and is rated R for "pervasive language, including sexual references."

The World's End defies categorization. It's comedy, it's sci-fi, and it's genuinely moving drama, all at the same time.

It is also (*trumpet fanfare*) the first film of 2013 to earn a perfect nine of a possible nine Weasleys. And, damn, This Corrosion sounds fine in surround sound!!

Until next time...




Admit it, he could make you do worse things than sit through a lousy movie...

[Trailer] The World’s End

The trailer for The World’s End is out and I personally can’t wait to see the end of The Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy.

I personally love the first 2 films with a giddy abandon, not to mention Spaced created by the same team. Needless to say I’ve been looking forward to this trailer and while it doesn’t give away much it does give you a glimpse at what we’ll be in store for, synopsis below;

Five lifelong friends reunite to complete a historic pub crawl from their youth, and find that reaching the fabled World's End tavern will be no simple undertaking while they also fight for the future of all mankind. Twenty years ago, Gary King (Simon Pegg) and his pals embarked on the ultimate drinking marathon. But the beer got the best of them, and they failed to drink their final pint at The World's End pub. Now, as die-hard rebel Gary approaches middle age, he summons his old friends back to their hometown for another round. With each pint down, Gary and the gang take another step toward reconciling the past. Meanwhile, just when it starts to look like their goal is in sight, the stammering pals realizes that a much larger struggle is currently taking place, and that the future is looking particularly grim -- not only for them, but for the entire human race as well. Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, and Rosamund Pike co-star in the final chapter of Edgar Wright's "Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy," which began with 2004's Shaun of the Dead and continued in 2007's Hot Fuzz. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

TV SHOW REVIEW: SPACED THE COMPLETE SERIES [DVD]

Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner rent a flat pretending to be a couple. There, they meet Marsha, the alcoholic landlady; Brian, the disturbed and troubled painter downstairs; Mike, Tim's war-crazy best friend; Twist, a fashion designer and Daisy's best friend; and Colin the dog. What follows is the group's crazy and comical adventures.

Starring: Jessica Hynes, Simon Pegg, Julia Deakin, Nick Frost

Director: Edgar Wright

REVIEW:

Being a late a party can typically be a terrible thing but on occasions if you are late you still showed up and had a good time. Having heard of Spaced through reputation over the years had left me longing to see it but after they released it on DVD, I figured I’d wait for a high definition Blu-ray release. Sadly, that release never came and doesn’t seem to be on the horizons so I went ahead and picked up the DVD set. First off, I’m a huge fan of Pegg, Frost & Wright so this was required viewing, it was never a matter of if I’d like it but how much. So after finishing the series in short order recently I’m left kicking myself wondering why it took me so long. Any 30 something nerd slacker needs to watch this series. Besides its general comedic greatness it served as something so much more, a time capsule of me in my mid to late 20. So much of the show rings so true that it’s almost scary. That in of itself is enough for me to love the series as a whole. Add to that seeing the genesis of Wright, Pegg & Frost’s collaboration is just film nerd nirvana. Honestly, it’s almost scary at how good everything works from the start and its always fun to see the evolution continued over the 2 films they did together and what was sorely missing from Pegg & Frost’s Paul. The rest of the cast is all stellar with Jessica Hynes & Julia Deakin leaving the biggest impression on me. The series as a whole is short sweet and outside of a few references, Star Wars Episode 1 and a PS1, it’s kind of timeless as well. The minute the sadness washed off from having finished the last episode I had a need to watch it all again, ala Extras, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seinfeld & Arrested Development.

A
[DUH!]