The Forum

UA Little Rock's Student Newspaper

Movie Reviews

Raya and the Last Dragon

by Leave a Comment

It looks like Disney has done it once again. While in 2016, Moana shot off the charts with a powerful Polynesian woman as the leading character, the release of “Raya and the Last Dragon” has followed in its footsteps.

This Southeast Asian princess has joined many of the newer representations of race that we are frequently finding in our new animated shows. Disney broke out with Moana, transferred to Elena and now we have Raya. The movie was released on Disney+ with premiere access for an additional 30 dollars on Mar. 5, 2021.

This Disney movie has all kinds of imagery of traditional Asian culture. This story stems from mythology from several parts of Asia. This was thanks to the original screenplay writers Oui Nguyen and Adele Lim. This allowed many set and character artists to create a vivid world with both magic and truth.

The Disney team even created a Southeast Asia Story Trust, which created a coalition with visual anthropologists, linguists, botany, choreography, architecture and variously skilled members of the team.

Disney is picking up its game in recent years. While there is still an expanding system and animation system, they are getting more realistic in each movie. Being able to maintain the animation while blending in character beliefs is a feat in itself.

Other than Mulan, we haven’t seen too many Disney movies with such engaging action scenes. The fight scenes are a bit more explicit than many other creations they have made in the past. While Raya wields a sword, much like Mulan had, we actually get to see her use it!

Raya travels to find the last dragon in order to save Kumandra from a plague that is starting to take over all while her journey is challenged by choices and her nemesis Namaari.

The highlights I caught in “Raya and the Last Dragon” vary from person to person.

Her most important ones that I noticed were the development of trust, choice and teamwork amongst her small group of companions. While friendship is often important in many movies made by Disney, this one is encouraging and engaging.

The cast was phenomenal with Kelly Marie Tran voicing Raya and Awkwafina voicing Sisu. Gemma Chan voiced Namaari, and multiple other cast members are credited with bringing these characters to life.

The score was beautiful, and it allowed for many variations. The soft soundtracks for tender moments, and the intense scores for any battle or moment to remember. This is James Newton Howard’s fourth time producing music for an animated film from Disney, and he hasn’t failed us yet!

The graphics and art create an incredibly interactive environment. The story is engaging for children and adults alike. I found the movie endearing and rather risqué compared to Disney Animation Studio’s recent films.

The sight of blood was surprising to see, and not many of their animations convey such imagery. Yet, with such a strong story, I think it worked out well. You get to see things how they are, not the shielded cushy story many think Disney produces.

You really get to see Raya challenge herself and challenge members of her group to be better. “Raya and the Last Dragon” may have been one of the most popular Disney animations to rise up in years. I genuinely wonder what Disney will pull out of their sleeve next.

“Soul” Movie Review

by Leave a Comment

From the moment you press play on “Soul” the unique jazz influence begins and can be heard from the Disney logo before the film.

“Soul” is a children’s movie that targets complex ideas like the purpose of life and how we define ourselves. This intense discussion of philosophy is made palpable to children by focusing on an African-American man’s pursuit of his dreams, during his life and even beyond life.

“Soul,” directed by Pete Docter, was released on Christmas Day in 2020 on the streaming site Disney+. Docter is also known for his work on other Disney movies such as “Inside Out,” “Up,” “Monsters Inc.,” and “WALL-E.”

The movie is a fantasy comedy movie following Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) as he pursues his musical dreams. This movie features computer-animated characters and backgrounds as it shows the audience a day in the life of New York, especially the jazz scene in the city. He meets a soul not ready for Earth yet, named 22 (voiced by Tina Fey). 22 is a cynic and rejects the possibility of having a life, even after several influential historical figures are said to have mentored 22. After an unfortunate sequence of events, Joe must mentor 22 in order to take their Earth pass and return to his body. The duo runs around New York City interacting with a ton of lovable characters that will entertain children and adults alike.

A lot of effort was put into creating diverse characters, especially those in supporting roles. There are also many emotional and heart-warming moments with Joe’s mother, Libba (voiced by Phylicia Rashad).

To sum up the appearance of the film, it was stunning. The computer-animated scenes were detailed and beautiful. All of the characters were designed to stand out. The scenes covering the subway and the streets of the city were bustling and colorful. It really was a beautiful art form.

“Soul” is not the first Disney or Pixar animated film to feature a character of color in the starring role. But, “Soul” does have Pixar’s first African-American protagonist. I decided to watch this movie during Black History Month to celebrate the increasing diversity I was seeing from popular entertainment companies.

While I found that “Soul” was an entertaining comedy, I would agree with a lot of criticism the film received. Joe Gardner is an African-American man, but for most of the movie, he is portrayed as a cyan blob. This is meant to represent an individual’s soul. All souls are this cyan color and change facial characteristics once they live a life on Earth. Comparing this movie to Disney’s “Princess and the Frog,” the issue is very similar. The main character is a person of color, but they take on some other form during the majority of the movie. Tiana and Naveen turned into green frogs, Joe Gardner turned into a cyan blob. This makes me question if media is as progressive as we applaud it for being.

When Joe does get to return to his body, he is in the form of a therapy cat, Mr. Mittens, and 22 has landed inside his body. Even in the return, there is still a separation of the main character and an African-American body.

Despite the comedy and wholesome philosophy provided in the movie, I have an issue with the subliminal message that all souls look alike. They become unique eventually but having Joe be a cyan blob amidst all the other characters does not sit right with me. It provides an idea to children that, yes Disney could be trying to push the idea that we are all the same inside. This could be an attempt to create the idea of true equality on the screen, teaching children that everyone is the same on the inside and should be equal. However, it perpetuates the social issue of being colorblind and the negative impact that can have within our modern racial climate.

While “Soul” should be applauded for its beautiful art style and talented cast and director, along with an action-packed plot and introduction to philosophical thoughts, the movie still falls short on truly bringing well-done diversity to the television screen.

 

Zendaya may have given her best performance yet in ‘Malcolm & Marie’

by Leave a Comment

“Malcolm & Marie” is an emotional tirade written and directed by Sam Levinson (writer and director of “Euphoria”) starring John David Washington (“BlacKkKlansman”) as an upcoming film director and Zendaya Coleman (“Euphoria”) as a failed actress. The movie is a secret project filmed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and it is evident through only 2 onscreen actors and a single film location where they adhered to as many safety measures as possible.

This drama is set in a swanky Hollywood house isolated in the woods at 1 am in the morning after director Malcolm’s movie premiere. In the beginning monologue Malcolm ruminates over how his film is going to be politicized by reviewers because of him being a black man as well as his film actors being people of color. Marie is not entertained by his zeal for the night and is visibly upset while making them mac and cheese for dinner. Thus begins the many arguments that comprise the almost 2 hour long film.

Malcolm initially stands out as a narcissist infatuated with his own triumphs and Marie as the exploited younger partner. Later Malcolm is perceived as the forgiving partner and Marie as the backstabber. Both characters slowly unveil their feelings, fighting to be the one in the right. Marie is deglamorized along the course of the night enhancing the rawness of emotion, the bathtub scene especially garners sympathy for her. The movie is also cheeky in instances where Marie is close to naked and discussion turns to criticism of the male gaze. There are many occurrences of a critique on Hollywood being played out in the scene, which is just a little meta.

The camera shots are inventive and stylized in a grainy black and white. Certain camera angle choices, for example there was not a close up of either of the actors until after the dialogue began, create dramatic effect. They make full use of the outside and inside of the house that makes the film feel less constrained by the single location. The jazzy soundtrack is curated by Labrinth who also worked on “Euphoria” and emphasizes each character’s emotion through the music. My favorite instance of this is Marie playing “Get Rid of Him” by Dionne Warwick after an especially upsetting conversation. Zendaya and Washington’s chemistry is amazing and their acting brilliant as they convey each of their character’s hurt as raw and real. At times there are really sweet moments and in others it almost physically hurts to watch.

One issue I had with the film is with the writer and director Sam Levinson. With one of the film’s characters being a Hollywood director it is hard to tell when Malcolm’s rants are his character’s own or Levinson’s. It was obvious that Levinson was channeling himself through Malcolm which took away from him being a fully formed character. The discussions of black directors and how they are received in the film industry was a little off to me and that may have been because Levinson is a white man whose lived experience will never be the same as the characters.

This is a difficult to watch film and truthfully not satisfying by the end but I was never bored. The movie showcases the ups and downs of a relationship in a single night and there is a lot to relate to for anybody who has been in one. There is no happily ever after and the message to be taken is that love is not perfect or always romantic. The substance of the movie was not perfect but the acting was so incredibly captivating. I would recommend the movie to someone who wants to be immersed in the drama of someone else’s else for a night. Sit down with a bowl of mac and cheese be ready to be emotionally exhausted.

 

‘Last Jedi’ director crafts the PERFECT modern whodunnit with ‘Knives Out’ [NO SPOILERS]

by Leave a Comment

Photo: Lionsgate0

“Knives Out” is a modern whodunnit mystery-comedy written and directed by Rian Johnson (writer and director of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Looper”) and stars an insane ensemble of which includes the likes of Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Ana de Armas (“Blade Runner 2049′), Kathryn Langford (“13 Reasons Why”), Lakeith Stanfield (“Get Out”) and Jaeden Martell (“It (2017)”)… just to name a few. The film follows a dysfunctional, affluent family as they gather after the suicide of their renowned crime novelist father (Christopher Plummer), but when a detective (Daniel Craig, “James Bond”) finds out about the case, he suspects foul play.

Rian Johnson has made some great movies like “Looper,” “Brick” and “The Brothers Bloom,” but this might be my absolute favorite yet not to mention favorite of the entire year. His writing and directing is top-notch. The script is extremely tight and super clever, having every question answered by the end of the movie. He crafts the story in a way where you will think you know what’s going on, but trust me, your mind will be blown when the final reveal is told. It is definitely deserving of a possible Best Original Screenplay Oscar.

The cast is absolutely incredible. As you can see from the first paragraph, Johnson has brought together an incredibly talented group of actors and every single one gets a moment to shine here. Everyone is having an absolute blast playing each of their roles which are all written so distinctly. The family might all be rich jerks, but they’re all different in their own ways. Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas are the standouts. Craig, a native Brit, delivering an insane southern accent which fits his character to a tee and de Armas having an emotional role that stands out from the other characters. It’s also nice seeing Evans back in a jerk role after being basically typed cast as the sweetheart thanks to Captain America, his first jerk role since “Scott Pilgrim vs the World.”

The film is insanely funny. Multiple times me, along with the rest of my fellow theater goers, were rolling with laughter as each clever joke is delivered throughout. Craig, Collette and Evans are the funniest of the group, but everyone gets their chance to crack a joke that will send nothing but laughter throughout the theater.

There are some articles that state that this film is political, tapping into the current political climate of America. To an extent, that’s true, but I wouldn’t say the film itself is political but instead that the characters are political. The family is dysfunctional and all have different opposing viewpoints and get heated over discussing it, much like you would see at a Thanksgiving dinner. I love that the movie doesn’t take a certain side, allowing both the red and blue characters state their peace. It’s a modern take on the Whodunnit genre, something you never really see today, so Johnson is just trying to capture what Americans are like today, and he does it perfectly. The film isn’t trying to spread any political agenda, it’s only message really being that kindness, in the end, prevails.

“Knives Out” is perfect is every aspect and perfectly captures what an Agatha Christie novel would be like if it was written today. From the directing, writing and acting, even elements I didn’t even cover like the gorgeous set and costume designs and the genius editing, every aspect that Rian Johnson has brought onto the screen is incredible.

Does ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ bite the dust?

by Leave a Comment

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

If anything it was a champion.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a biopic over the hit 80s rock band Queen, primarily focusing on lead singer Freddie Mercury (played by ‘Mr. Robot”s Remi Malek) and following his life with the band, discovering his sexuality as well as his battle with AIDS. The movie shows nearly every aspect of Mercury’s life as well as every aspect of his over-the-top personality.

It’s nice seeing a behind the scenes look at the creative process of some of the band’s hit songs. We get to look at the different ways Queen came up with songs like “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and of course “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The creative and inventive ideas that Queen had while making those songs makes you appreciate the band even more, which I didn’t even think was possible.

We also get a closer look at Freddie Mercury’s personal life. We see his rocky relationship with his Middle Eastern family, particularly his complex relationship with his father, his friendship with the genuine love of his life Mary Austin (played by Lucy Boynton), and his struggle with coming to terms with his sexuality. All aspects are handled very well which allows the movie to humanize such a rock legend.

Remi Malek does an exceptional job as Mercury. Coming from the small screen in USA’s ‘Mr. Robot’, Malek makes his transition to his first major role on the big screen look easy. He portrays Mercury’s flamboyant tendencies perfectly, maybe even going a little too over-the-top at times, if that’s even possible. The other bands members, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor and Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon are all great for the roles, especially Lee who is a dead ringer for May.

There are quite a few bad parts about the movie, however. Some parts of the film just feel like a sequence of things happening with nothing really tying it together. There’s also some historical and timeline flaws about the movie. One such flaw being when Mercury finds out about him getting AIDs. The movie suggests it was before the iconic Live-Aid concert, when in reality it was two years after the fact.

Overall ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is an extremely powerful film, especially for the Live-Aid scene at the end which transports you to 1985 Wembley Stadium in London, making you feel like you are part of the live audience. It’s a movie that must be scene by any fans of Queen.

Skip to toolbar