Jeffrey Wright. © 2023/2024 Amazon MGM Studios, Orion Pictures, MRC Film, T-Street Productions, Almost Infinite, 3 Arts Entertainment.
Directed by Cord Jefferson. VFA Nominee - 4 VFAs Including "Best Motion Picture"
For Your Consideration (FYC) Screener
Create The Message By Being The Message Itself People praise a generational piece that not only speaks to them personally but it has a meaningful impact that will be looked upon for generations. Well, Monk has a problem with that. The problem is that those generational pieces are being converted into stereotypes with no meaningful message behind them. It is just absurdity, lazy, and potentially offensive. However, it is not all about that. In Cord Jefferson's directorial debut film, he explores how the media has changed the interpretation of black culture but also criticizes the modern entertainment today that the general public is consuming. It is a mix of comedy and drama that not only gets its point across but opens it up for interpretation. Let's follow Monk's literary adventure of the hypocrisy of Black entertainment. Story: Monk is a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment that profits from Black entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish Black book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. One of the few films this year including American Fiction has not only critiqued the media system and made fun of it, but also gives possible answers to fix those issues. Whether it is politics, culture, or race, there is a solution to every problem but you will need to find the root of the problem in order to fix it and critique it to arrive at that solution. Jefferson does that by letting the audience be in the shoes of Monk (Jeffrey Wright) and see how today's media has shifted towards stereotypical issues that we see portrayed in the media instead of smart and thoughtful media literature in film, books, news, music, and more. By making his themes work through the eyes of Monk, Jefferson uses comedy and satire to critique the modern media while using family drama as the possible solution to his point. The mixture of those elements in its screenplay and direction works very well alongside its cast. The satirical comedy of the stereotypes being used was hilarious and smartly written. The dark comedy in certain scenes with drama was placed intentionally to get the point across but the scene still allows that heavy drama to be at the main forefront. For the comedic scenes alone, they were funny and well-executed. There were a lot of memorable scenes from this film and I laughed constantly throughout this film which made me appreciate the comedy being used with the issues that the film is tackling. There are interesting ambitious sequences that take the comedy in a whole new direction and it works for this type of story. Especially for the protagonist who is a book writer. With Jefferson's screenplay, he balances out the drama and comedy by giving depth to his characters while still keeping the story engaging and funny. While the tone may be inconsistent, the screenplay manages to bring new ideas that can elevate the comedy and lay out the drama in a smart way. Monk's situation with his new book and his family issues raises the stakes and it allows Monk to make difficult decisions for his career and his family. Monk has an interesting relationship with his family and friends which creates more problems with Monk. Jefferson allows some breather between the comedy with the family drama that Monk is dealing with while creating his new book. Plus, the screenplay makes Monk's journey a bit more difficult when he finds a new relationship which can halt his book development. The characters from Monk's family and friends are hilarious and they add to the satire and family drama that Jefferson is aiming for. Every person in Monk's personal family adds more stress to his work but it allows Monk's character to find that spark for his main book that he's creating. Yet, the subplot with his family gets more complex by the third act and it changes the behavior of Monk. From the supporting cast of characters, Cliff, played by Sterling K. Brown, gives a hilarious and human performance which gives more depth to the subplot of the family drama. The chemistry between Monk and Cliff is wonderful and there are flaws within their sibling relationship that add weight to the drama and comedy as well. Even though Issa Rae's character Sintara is barely in the film, her character symbolizes modern young artists in a good and bad way which helps Jefferson's social commentary of the film. Yet, her character allows her to criticize Monk's first thought of her work which later reveals to be a completely different book than he expected. The film not only allows Monk to re-evaluate if his new book is worthy or not but also criticizes his own work and looks at the outer bubble. It brings many questions to the table but Monk still needs to finish his initial journey that he started with his new book. After all, he wants to prove that today's audience doesn't want to read complex stories anymore. They just want to read easy books that have stereotypes that prevent real critical thinking. By the end of the film, I started to realize that this film is a bit of a wake-up call to this new "media" we are consuming and how this type of media is being slipped into the air without any second looks. That is where the main social commentary of the film comes into play.
Through the social commentary of American Fiction, it is ultimately a critique of the modern "media" that audiences have been consuming for the past two decades or so. Hollywood is turning to ideas that they think are relatable to the world and the people they are targeting. Plus, the representation they are aiming at is not clicking there yet for audiences. Jefferson clearly criticizes and satirizes the book and film companies for marketing stereotypical "black" books and films. We get to see this through Sintara's book called "We's Lives In Da Ghetto" which from the title, uses stereotypes of black American culture. We get to see this multiple times in how Jefferson thinks that today's media is portraying the Black community with racial stereotypes through books and thinking it is smart and authentic. In reality, it is not in certain degrees. Even by the ultimate climax of the film which has a weird ending that makes his social commentary come all together. From the portrayal of the media, to how not just Black Americans are being portrayed, but also other ethnicities and races are being portrayed now in the media is just a satirization for Jefferson to point out. Even with the satire being a major part, it is also another way to point out the issues in America and how Americans are thinking differently about politics and the media today. Jefferson wants to point out that there are not many complex, academic, or smart books and films out there that criticize or bring light to important subjects. By explaining this issue, he uses his film by not just satirizing it and making it easier to understand, but add complexity and depth to the satirization itself. There is so much to explain about the social commentary and satire of this film but to wrap this section off, Jefferson's satire of the publishing industry is, unfortunately, a reality where executives think audiences want this or that. But the creators really want their audiences to delve into authentic stories and start real conversations about the many ongoing issues in people's personal lives, in America, or the world.
On the technical side of the film, it is a well-produced film based on the cast, locations, and filmmaking behind it. The cinematography is solid, the production design is good, and the music is surprisingly relaxing for the most part. Nothing too crazy in terms of production scale until the final ten minutes of the film which was the most shocking part of the film. Plus, those ten minutes sell on the satire that Jefferson was commentating on throughout this story. Even with its brilliant satire and smart script, the film falls short on certain subplots within the family drama and the pacing of the film itself. While I love the family drama that helps bring depth to Monk's character, the structure and pacing of that subplot were a bit messy. There were certain beats that didn't quite work in the right moments and with the editing of the film, it makes the subplot a bit harder to grasp emotionally. A certain writing decision that happened in the first thirty minutes of the film did not work for me and it should have been waited right in the second act. It felt melodramatic sometimes within certain scenes of the family drama and there were more subplots in the film where it barely had any development or it was too quick. The editing could have been tighter while still having those slow and thoughtful moments that Jefferson is communicating. There were not any weird editing decisions but the pacing overall felt off in certain bits which ruined the overall flow of the film. Finally, the ending can be a bit divisive for some audiences but it worked for me in what Jefferson was communicating with its satire. Yet, by the end of the film, I was still profound about the complexity of the story and depth of Jefferson's film with its characters and drama that Monk faced throughout his literary journey. Cord Jefferson made a film that not only speaks to today's media representation and how publishers are aiming for the wrong message, but also gives us a deeper look into the author's journey and the blockade of issues that many authors are facing within each media field from books to films. Even beyond its satire, it is a personal journey on how we face our many issues while we create art for others. It is a smart and bold screenplay with fantastic performances including Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown. Honestly, one of the smartest films of this year and it should be analyzed more in what it is critiquing while looking for the answers that Jefferson is providing us through his film. It is a fantastic directorial debut from Cord Jefferson.
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Vizeit Score: "A-"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. © 2023 MGM, Orion Pictures, and Brownstone Productions.
Directed by Emma Seligman.
For Your Consideration (FYC) Screener
Creating a Fight Club Can Help You Get To Your Crush. Fight Club but for lesbians? Well, that is a twist for sure and it does its job well. Director Emma Seligman is back with her sophomore feature Bottoms, after directing and collaborating with Rachel Sennott on her debut film Shiva Baby. A film that not only has laughs, blood, and fighting, but a film that has heart and a sense of awkwardness and love that aren't present in recent high school films. It is a film that caters to Gen Z audiences but it hits the right moments, story elements, and even some nostalgia factor that works in total as a high school film. Yet, it also embraces queer cinema with many risks that pulled off in the end. Let's take a look at the Rockbridge Falls High School yearbook and read about this so-called, "fight club", that everyone is talking about. Wait, I can't talk about Fight Club. Story: Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defense. I had no expectations going into this film and I was surprised with the amount of edgy humor and heart from this film. It is totally bonkers with the comedy and direction Seligman was aiming for. Some of the more recent high school movies don't hit that well-rounded comedy edge or even the aggressiveness that this generation usually finds funny. In my personal experience, the comedy that I grew up on was mostly dark humor throughout high school and there was a lot of mature humor instead of safe humor. Seligman figures it out right from the first scene and keeps the jokes fresh and hilarious throughout while still giving it a meaningful context that makes the joke impactful. Even with some of the unintentional humor, it still naturally works. The amount of references from Fight Club and other high school films like Mean Girls really worked within each scene context and punch-line. From the queer humor to the absurdity of high school drama, the film makes fun of our high school experience and the typical tropes and clichés we see in real-life high school and high school films as well. Even with the bombastic comedy, the story and characters are the strongest core elements that make the comedy funny and even natural.
It is a breeze of a film but the story is engaging throughout with a lot of interesting aspects that keep the story flowing while keeping the energy as high as possible. The friendship between PJ and Josie was strong and their conflicts of the club made their friendship feel like a sinking ship in a good way. Josie being the introverted yet the real leader of the club made me appreciate her character. There were points where I cared more about her rather than PJ. However, I still cared about PJ's journey on her crush but there was more of a focus with Josie in this story. Yet, there is a balance between these characters and everyone has a happy ending by the third act. I was surprised that Rachel Sennott's character PJ, was more of a douchebag and their troubling friendship started to crack in the second act. I thought that relationship was necessary and it worked well with their personal goals they had. Even though PJ was a jerk in the film, her character arc redemption was good and Sennott's performance was hilarious. Of the supporting characters, Hazel (Ruby Cruz) was the most hilarious character from the club group. Her personality is through the roof and she makes the comedy funnier but her dramatic scenes are effective to her character flaws. The smartly written screenplay makes these characters feel real with personal and story stakes that keep the energy of the story still high. Some unexpected moments made the comedy even more funnier and it doesn't waste its time with the awkwardness of certain situations. It is fast and it allows the story to focus on the troubling goals and friendship of PJ and Josie. Even if the story is short, it doesn't waste its time and gets right into the comedy tone and conflicts that create this high energy that Seligman is aiming for and it worked very well. With this film being a much bigger budget compared to her last film, there are a lot of interesting technical elements that she pulled off well.
With this film carrying an 11.3 million dollar budget, it looks more higher with some of its bigger sequences, especially the final act. The cinematography is solid with a lot of well-shot sequences and the coloring is vibrant with its story tone. The production design of the high school and its home game design is nostalgic and the music choices are not that bad. There is some VFX in the film and it looks very clean which I am surprised. Overall, it is a solid well-made film with the budget being used to the max. With all the positives I encountered, I also encountered the flaws that I noticed throughout. There are certain characters that needed to be more developed and some could have been more interesting. Brittany (Kaia Gerber) was the typical popular high school girl that some people didn't like. Her character didn't work for me in the end but I liked her performance. Some of the other characters were okay but PJ's goal to hook up with Brittany wasn't as strong as Josie's journey. It felt like Josie was more of the main character which made PJ's journey a bit underwhelming but it picked up more during the final act. As for the comedy, some jokes didn't land or were a bit cringe. Luckily, it wasn't a lot. Some of the plot elements didn't click for certain scenes like the football team scenes. Those scenes were not good and I didn't care for them by the end. Even with those critiques, Seligman's direction of this story was fresh and fun from beginning to end. From the humor to the typical high school romance, Bottoms takes its spin on the high school sub-genre and makes it hilarious and fun. The comedy hits well, the characters are well-written, and the absurdity of the high school environment is well thought out. It's a simple high school comedy film but Seligman's direction of the story makes this film more engaging and fun. Definitely a surprise film and I can't wait to see what Seligman would do next.
Now Streaming on MGM+ and on VOD!
Vizeit Score: "A-"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
© 2024 Chicago Indie Critics.
Special Blog Announcement
Yesterday on January 7th, the Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) announced their official nominations for this year's Windie Awards! As a member of CIC, we completed our ballots for this year's awards and the nominations are out in the wild! Films from Anatomy of a Fall to Oppenheimer, are nominated in certain categories including Best Independent Film and Best Studio Film. The winners will be announced on January 20th at Chicago Filmmakers. Overall, 37 films were represented across all categories. The most nominated film being Barbie, carrying 13 nominations. Stay tuned for the announcements of the winners through the CIC social channels.
For the full nominations list, scroll down to check out the full list of nominees for this year's Windie Awards.
Full Nominations List:
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM
All of Us Strangers Anatomy of a Fall The Iron Claw Past Lives The Zone of Interest BEST STUDIO FILM Barbie The Holdovers Oppenheimer Poor Things Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse BEST FOREIGN FILM Anatomy of a Fall The Boy and the Heron Godzilla Minus One When Evil Lurks The Zone of Interest BEST DOCUMENTARY American Symphony The Disappearance of Shere Hite Silver Dollar Road Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie 20 Days in Mariupol BEST ANIMATED FILM The Boy and the Heron Elemental Nimona Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem BEST DIRECTOR Greta Gerwig - Barbie Alexander Payne - The Holdovers Bradley Cooper - Maestro Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer Celine Song - Past Lives BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari Barbie – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach The Holdovers – David Hemingson The Iron Claw – Sean Durkin Past Lives – Celine Song BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY American Fiction – Cord Jefferson Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. – Kelly Fremon Craig Killers of the Flower Moon – Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan Poor Things – Tony McNamara BEST ACTOR Jeffrey Wright - American Fiction Paul Giamatti - The Holdovers Bradley Cooper - Maestro Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer Teo Yoo - Past Lives BEST ACTRESS Sandra Hüller - Anatomy of a Fall Lily Gladstone - Killers of the Flower Moon Carey Mulligan - Maestro Greta Lee - Past Lives Emma Stone - Poor Things BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Ryan Gosling - Barbie Glenn Howerton - BlackBerry Dominic Sessa - The Holdovers Charles Melton - May December Robert Downey Jr. - Oppenheimer BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Emily Blunt - Oppenheimer America Ferrera - Barbie Rachel McAdams - Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Julianne Moore - May December Da’Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers BEST ENSEMBLE American Fiction Asteroid City The Holdovers Oppenheimer Poor Things
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barbie – Rodrigo Prieto Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Prieto Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoytema Poor Things – Robbie Ryan The Zone of Interest – Łukasz Żal BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Barbie – Susan Greenwood and Katie Spencer The Color Purple – Paul Denham Austerberry and Larry Dias Killers of the Flower Moon – Jack Fisk Oppenheimer – Ruth De Jong Poor Things – Shona Heath and James Price BEST COSTUMES Barbie – Jacqueline Durran The Color Purple – Francine Jamison-Tanchuck Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West Poor Things – Holly Waddington Priscilla – Stacey Battat Wonka – Lindy Hemming BEST MAKEUP Barbie – Ivana Primorac The Iron Claw – Natalie Shea Rose and Elle Favorule Maestro – Kazu Hiro, Sian Grigg, Kay Georgiou, Lori McCoy-Bell Poor Things – Nadia Stacey, Mark Couler, and Josh Weston Priscilla – Jo-Ann MacNeil and Cliona Furey BEST EDITING The Holdovers – Kevin Tent The Iron Claw – Matthew Hannam Oppenheimer – Jennifer Lame Poor Things – Yorgos Mavropsaridis Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Michael Andrews BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Barbie – Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt The Boy and the Heron – Joe Hisaishi Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton BEST ORIGINAL SONG “I’m Just Ken” – Barbie “What Was I Made For?” – Barbie “Keep It Movin’” – The Color Purple “Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie “A World of Your Own” – Wonka BEST VISUAL EFFECTS The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, and Neil Corbould Godzilla Minus One – Kiyoko Shibuya and Takashi Yamazaki Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, and Dan Sudick Oppenheimer – Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott Fisher, and Dave Drzewiecki Poor Things – Simon Hughes BEST STUNTS The Iron Claw – Hiro Koda and Chavo Guerrero Jr. John Wick: Chapter 4 – Stephen Dunleavy, Scott Rogers, and Jeremy Marinas Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Wade Eastwood and Rudolf Vrba Polite Society – Crispin Layfield and Rob Lock Sisu – Oula Kitti BREAKOUT ARTIST Charles Melton Dominic Sessa Cailee Spaeny Celine Song Sophie Wilde SIGHT UNSEEN PERFORMANCE Helen Mirren - Barbie Bradley Cooper - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Oscar Isaac - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Hailee Steinfeld - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Jack Black - The Super Mario Bros. Movie IMPACT AWARD Local award given to individuals who have made a positive impact on Chicago cinema Rebecca Fons – Gene Siskel Film Center Dann Gire and Raymond Benson – “Dan and Raymond Movie Club” Morgan Harris – Acacia Media Group Katie Rife, Will Morris, and Ryan Oestreich – Music Box Theatre programming Dennis Scott – Music Box Theatre organist
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Blog Post Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
Xolo Maridueña. © 2023 Warner Bros Pictures, DC Studios, and The Safran Company.
Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.
Watched it in IMAX @ AMC Theaters
A New Superhero Rises, In The New DC Universe A new DC universe is now set and the foundation begins with Blue Beetle. The first Latino lead superhero film is finally here and watching this film was an emotional rollercoaster. As a first-generation Latino, this film not only really hits with its representation but also its family themes and the direction of this film. This is easily the most underrated superhero film of the year and I'll tell you why this film should deserve more recognition. Let's visit Palmera City and enjoy the breeze of fresh air until Kord Industries takes over the city. Story: When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Blue Beetle. Jaime's journey throughout this film is full of emotions, action, and excitement because of the struggles that he battles way through. Not just as a superhero, but as a young kid who is trying to make it out alive with his family. Jamie keeps getting in dangerous situations where he thinks he may die or doesn't have the capacity to become the superhero he was promised. This is the center of his story. His personal and superhero struggles. We see that a lot in superhero origin films but this feels like a breath of fresh air with the Latino representation and his character being a young adult, trying to live life. We haven't seen this being portrayed up until Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and we get to see it again but for a DC superhero flick. What makes this one even more special is his family's relationship battling it out with his new superhero life. The family dynamic is strong and authentic with the cast's performances. The chemistry between each character works very well and it adds emotional stakes between one another. Alberto Reyes, the father of Jaime, played by Damián Alcázar, is the strongest and most compelling character in the film. I really loved his chemistry between father and son with Jaime and his important scene with Jamie got me in emotional tears. In other films, it would have been weak if it wasn't the prime focus within the dynamic but the script allows both the father and son's relationship to be at the forefront of Jaime's personal journey. Plus, Alcázar 's performance rose the emotional stakes in the film which made me care about their relationship even more. That is the strongest component within the storytelling and while it feels familiar, with Ángel Manuel Soto's directing, it makes it strongly compelling. As for the other characters in the family, their dynamic with Jamie is also very solid but the father always steals the scene and it helps strengthen the core emotional stake for Jaime's journey. As for the other characters outside of Jamie's family, they are good with their performances but Bruna Marquezine's character, Jenny Kord is easily another great stand-out.
Her character and performance were very solid and her love relationship with Jaime felt natural instead of being forced. I'm surprised that they get enough screen time for their relationship to grow and it helps the emotional stake for Jaime's love interest and his family. I like the balance of those relationships and it didn't ruin the overall pacing of the film. The overall story is also solid and while the actual origin story of this character isn't different from other comic-book films with their origin story, the directing made the story unique. The plot can be predictable and straightforward, but I was still engaged with some of the unexpected twists, especially in the final act. The pacing of the story was surprisingly fast. Even though the film was two hours long, it felt like ninety minutes and it didn't waste its time. Plus, with the action in the film, it felt like a breeze and it was fun. There were a lot of action sequences which surprised me for a superhero origin story but it felt well-balanced. Well-choreographed, creative, and grounded which is somewhat of a rarity in comic book films now these days. Through Soto's direction, I liked his creative vision for the character and he delivered a lot of emotional stakes throughout the film. You can clearly see that his style is present and there is a level of creativeness throughout, unlike Marvel who are gatekeeping their directors. Soto delivered a solid origin story that is packed with good old superhero fun. Through its technical elements, with a somewhat mid-budget for a superhero film, it looks very solid on the big screen.
Originally, this film was going to debut on HBO Max (now Max) but later on, it was given a theatrical release, and production kept going as usual. With this being an original streaming movie that has been released in theaters, the film will look a bit different on the big screen. Yet, it still looks good with some clear VFX changes, color grading, sound design, and more. In terms of elements being captured on-screen, the costume design of Blue Beetle is fantastic. Probably one of the best comic book suits in film. With its blend of practical and visual effects, it looks very smooth and it does not look completely CGI compared to the Spider-Man suit in the MCU. In terms of CGI and VFX, it looks good for its budget. It is a well-shot film with interesting camera shots and coloring. Surprisingly, there is a lot of film grain but it didn't ruin the visual quality that much. The production design inside Jaime's home is very lived in with lots of unique and authentic props, art design, and homage to Latino culture, especially Mexican culture. Outside of that, there isn't much to praise except that Blue Beetle spaceship which looks pretty dope. From what the film offered originally through its technical production, it looks well-made with care behind the scenes. However, like every other comic book film, there will be flaws and this film has some of those common flaws. One of the biggest flaws that is common within some comic book films is the villain. The villain Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) was weak and unfortunately, uncompelling. I didn't like her character and while her performance was good, I wasn't digging her character that much. As for the other villain character, OMAC (Raoul Trujillo) wasn't that strong until the very end. He was just a one-side-off villain character until the last minute. I'll give credit for that but if that didn't happen, I wouldn't care what would happen to him in the end. This film unfortunately falls flat on its villains but it also falls flat on playing it safe. The film outside of its Latino representation, doesn't add much to the story. It's the typical origin story that you have seen multiple times. Nothing new, nothing crazy. It falls into some of the cliches and tropes that have been stretched out like it's nothing which numbs the film. One more flaw that not a lot of people haven't noticed is the visual clarity of the film and the VFX. It is clear by some of the night visuals and VFX visuals, it makes out that it was a streaming movie in the first place. Even with the film grain as I mentioned earlier, it makes the film look low res in some shots. I saw this in IMAX and it looks clear, night and day on screen. Even with those technical and story flaws, I still enjoyed Blue Beetle with its unique direction and Xolo Maridueña's wonderful performance of this iconic DC character. Blue Beetle is a simple superhero origin film that takes its own spin on the character and makes it as fresh as possible. It has charm, excitement, and emotional stakes that strengthen the story. Maridueña's portrayal of the character is excellent with the father-son relationship being the strongest element. Even though the villains are weak with the story being the same old origin superhero film, it still has that creative flare that makes this film unique and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope we get more adventures and stronger stories from this character and the director as well!
Now Streaming on Max and on VOD!
Vizeit Score: "A-"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
© 2023 Toho/Toho Studios and Robot Communications. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
Watched it at AMC Theaters (First Film Review of 2024!)
From The Nuclear Ashes, A Monster Is Born The Godzilla franchise keeps growing every few years with each installment from Japan and the US but this time, it has revolutionized. The Toho team including director Takashi Yamazaki, has created an emotional film that not only enhances the action and suspense that makes these films exciting and entertaining but greatly improves its human characters which makes this new film entry so powerful and thrilling. Finally, this is the Godzilla film I have been waiting for since the 2014 US version. Let's go back to the 1940s and witness Godzilla's first steps into Japan. Story: Post-war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. Trauma, violence, and heroism are some of the biggest thematic elements within the storytelling of Godzilla Minus One. There are more elements that I could mention but these were the biggest standouts because trauma is the biggest element that has been utilized throughout the franchise. Trauma being displayed here is refreshing because even though there is a big monster that represents the atomic destruction caused by the USA, but I think trauma is being used more based on second chances. The trauma of loss, second chances, and ultimately love. The protagonist, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), faces many traumas throughout the first hour of the film which makes his motivations and goals even more impactful throughout the film. The loss of his family and the destruction of Tokyo led to an unexpected path where he helped Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and a missing child after the war. We get to see him processing and moving on from his trauma by taking care of the woman and child and later, they develop to become one family. The storyline of this family is captured as a way to comfort Shikishima's family loss by developing a new family during post-WWII. The storyline gets more juicer in the later half of the film but it is done well within its execution. This leads to the second trauma sub-element which is second chances. Shikishima is given a second chance with his new family and we get to see many scenes trying to process and fight his trauma and PTSD of Godzilla and his family's death. The writing of these scenes is sharp and emotionally complex due to not just the amount of trauma the protagonist is facing, but the lost sense of love. The trauma of love within Shikishima's life and journey is a big challenge throughout the film. He didn't want to be accompanied by anyone else until he was forced to help out Noriko and the kid. His love is unbalanced but through each act, his love improves and it is a huge motivation throughout the final act in order to save Japan and ultimately, his family. These three sub-elements strive for the emotionality and direction of this film which keeps the story fresh and engaging. The complexity is far greater here than in any other Godzilla film to date and even if you take the trauma out of these characters, they still have their unique personalities and flaw traits that make the characters in this film likable and most importantly, actually caring for them. In past Godzilla films, the majority of the human characters are written as one-note or uninteresting with no complexity or flaws behind their character. Since the 2014 version of Godzilla from Legendary, there hasn't been a single character that stood out that I remember fondly. The only ones would be Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe's characters. I would also include Aaron Taylor-Johnson but those were the standouts for a long time until this film. This would be a huge hot take but the cast here are way better than the previous casts from Godzilla Vs. Kong and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Each character in the film is memorable and has standout traits and moments that help the emotional climax and resolution. It is honestly refreshing to see a cast of characters who helped in some way to defeat Godzilla but they have actual relatable personalities, emotions, and even complexity. Each character gets a shining moment and it made me care about these characters. Also, the characters here were not written dumb or comically which was a problem with the majority of the characters in the American films. Thank god, these characters here were smart, relatable, and likable. Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) was my favorite side character from the cast due to the likable personality of his character and Yoshioka's acting, but also his purpose to defeat Godzilla by trying to get everyone on the same page. He cares for everyone and wants Shikishima to complete his initial goal. To kill Godzilla and save his family. The chemistry between each actor is strong and radiant which helps create golden moments that made me appreciate their performances and the arcs they have. Also, finally, this film has good character arcs which the other films lacked on. Takashi Yamazaki wrote a well-written script that not only made these characters complex but also had emotionality behind them to care for them when they fought back against Godzilla. Speaking of fighting Godzilla, the action here is amusing and breathtaking which makes Godzilla look more deadlier than ever.
The action in this new entry of the Godzilla franchise is more grounded and real than any other Godzilla film. No sci-fi blasters or weird modern technology to kill the monster. It is pure chaos with no help from the government and you only see people running away from this monster. Even Godzilla himself looks more realistic with a dirtier and crisp look. The way these actions sequences were directed were almost viewed from the perspectives of the humans. There were not as many close-ups or epic solo shots as I thought the film would typically have. However, the action is tighter in its direction and it feels like there are actual stakes in the situation these characters are in. There were emotional stakes in the mix of the action and it made me care about the characters' fate, especially in the final act. I was legit worried that some of these characters were about to die and I was on the edge of my seat. That is how you deliver intense action sequences and Yamazaki cooked it to the max while still focusing on the characters. I was surprised by the beautiful dark look of these sequences because when I saw that the film's budget was around fifteen million dollars, I was astonished by the work behind this project.
From the visual effects to the CGI, I was so mesmerized by the design of Godzilla and the destruction in the action sequences. For a supposed fifteen million dollar film, this looks fantastic and it looks way more expensive than I thought it was. The VFX and CGI are unreal. Even though the VFX seems to appear more clearly within the destruction of Ginza, it still looks very good with a blend of practical and visual effects. The cinematography is slick and smooth with its unique color pattern in each major sequence. Some memorable shots truly show the epicenes and real threat of Godzilla. The score is heart-pounding and energetic with Godzilla appearing in a scene. With the music, it allows a sense of true fear and intensity. Combined with the sound design, it makes the whole experience exciting and thrilling! Overall, the technical elements are fantastic and well put together in a low-budget blockbuster film that looks better than the majority of big CGI films. However, there are some flaws that I want to point out that are still plaguing the franchise. Throughout the franchise, some characters will be underdeveloped or forgotten which is a continuing problem in the series. In this entry, Noriko Ōishi, the partner of the protagonist, was a bit underutilized in the film. She was introduced as an important character and she only had a small amount of screen time presence. She had her moment but I feel like there was so much left out from her character which makes the relationship feel unstable. There were some typical cliches within the story's actions, especially in the final act but I was still engaged with some unexpected twists and turns. Thrilling, emotional, and epic, this is what the Godzilla franchise needed and this film succeeds in it. I was captivated every second from the destruction created by Godzilla to the well-written characters that I actually cared about. This is a breath of fresh air for the franchise and it was a cool experience in theaters. I hope this franchise continues in this direction. I also hope Legendary learns from this film and go back to the old direction from the 2014 version. Either way, I cannot wait for the next film.
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Vizeit Score: "A"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC]) |
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