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Reviews
The Color Purple (2023)
If you haven't seen the stage musical you'll probably love it.
I love this musical. I saw the original production on Broadway twice and the revival three times. In my eyes it is close to a perfect musical. It flows well, The music is fantastic, and the script is pretty strong. So I will be honest. I went into this movie pretty hesitant and would be hard to beat the stage productions for me.
That being said. My problem wasn't the cast or the direction. It was what they did to the original material. They cut 14 songs from the show and replaced them with songs to feature the smaller roles. They cut a pivotal scene before "I'm Here" that gives that song so much more depth and feeling. The struggle they cut from the stage version was missing a little.
Don't get my wrong. There was still struggle obviously. But the relationship between Shug and Celie was much deeper. Shug actually leaves Celie for the piano player. Leaving her devastated in the middle of her happy moment of having success with her shop and learning her family is alive. It seemed in this version she got everything she wanted in life. Which is nice, but not how life is. The whole point of the song is she is broken yet again, but still here. Instead she gets an apology from Mister.
The only story they started true to was Sophia. And that's why she's getting rave reviews and probably an Oscar nomination. They cut a duet of her and Harpo, but that song was a comedic filler. But otherwise the story kept the most rounded depth to the character.
It's a good movie. But as a fan of the source material (not the book or the original movie, but the stage musical), I left liking it, but I didn't love it. And the people who were with me didn't see the stage show and loved it. It just lacked something. I really wanted it to be one of those movie musicals I return to over and over, but once was enough. If it's playing on TV I might stop and watch. But it's not something I'm going to seek out to watch.
Eileen (2023)
It was alright.
The acting was great, how they filmed it was great, but there was something missing. I don't what it was. It just took so long to get to the suspense, and it only lasted what seemed like a span of ten minutes.
The story is very much the story of is Rebecca real or someone that Eileen is just making up in her head to release who she really is inside. To release the inner bad girl, and in the process she goes to far.
But I was entertained, it was just a really slow start that didn't seem to go anywhere. Even the finale focused on a character that was so minor. As I write this I figured out what was missing. The relationship between the boy and Eileen/Rebecca. If they would have shown his story more, you would of gotten why she did what she did.
But it's worth a watch if it's on a streaming service.
Wonka (2023)
As a Wonka fan I was impressed.
The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. The Johnny Depp version wasn't my favorite. But Wonka was so incredibly sweet and enchanting. The trio of chocolate shop owner villains were classic child movie villains. The inn keepers were also a great highlight. But neither over shadowed Wonka and Noodle who were fantastic. I'm a 43 year old man and I left the theater smiling. It's a feel good movie that brings out the inner child. It's nice to escape for a couple hours from a world that seems very broken. Leave your adulting at the door and just have a good time.
XO, Kitty (2023)
Way too much going on.
This person is in love with that person, who is in love with that person. But that person doesn't love that person because they are gay. But that person needs to hide that they are .gay so that person pretends to be in love with that person. But the person they love is in love with the other person who is in love with the gay person. Seriously this is the plot of this show. There is so many people in love with each other it's just all over the place. It's like pick a story line. The girl that plays Kitty is charming though. And if it gets picked up for a second season hopefully the writers will pick a plot line.
Along for the Ride (2022)
Oof. This was every sappy cliche in one teen movie
I love a cheesy teen movie. I think they are great, but this one is a little too much. Nothing original. New girl in town who wants a summer away from her brooding mom. So she lives with her over worked dad and fathers new younger blond wife. The step mom is stressed by a new baby, but knows where the hip places.
So new girl goes to this cool spot. Where she meets the wrong boy. New girl makes out with the boy and popular girl sees this and is pissed because they just broke up. So popular girl does not like new girl. But plot twist, new girl and popular girl end up working in the same place.
When all the girls go out after work they don't invite new girl. So she goes and sits on a pier where she nets a mysterious boy. Who has a sad past. But he distracts by taking her on "a quest" because new girl is uptight and doesn't try new things. Blah blah.
New girl ends up being friends with popular girl where she finds out mysterious boy's best friend died and stopped pursuing his dream. She confronts him, they fight. They make up and kiss at the first party mysterious boy has gone to since best friend died.
The next morning new girl sees dad out a motel. He has left young step mom. New girl says her dad never really cared about her family and now he's doing it again. She runs off ever mysterious boy finds her. He says she should learn to ride a bike (oh yeah. Her dad never taught her how to ride a bike like other dads). They fight. Where new girl reeks him he's too scared to follow his dream.
She goes home. Step mom is crying. So new girl calls her brooding mom. The woman she's been avoiding the whole movie. Step mom and brooding mom bond. Mom and dad make up. Step mom and over worked dad make up. Over worked dad becomes a good dad again. And new girl Ave mom have a heart to heart.
Mysterious boy starts going for his dream again at a competition. New girl goes when popular girl tells her about it. He wins he seeing her in the audience and smiles. They make up.
Mysterious boy takes her on a fake prom (she never got to go) at the beach. All the friends she made are there and they dance on the beach. Mysterious boy also owns a shop and because he couldn't come up with a name he names after his friend that died.
The final scene is a letter being read by mysterious boy to new girl. She's at college and he is writing from the place his best friend and him were going to go. When she is done reading the letter the popular girl (the one she wasn't friends with at the beginning says "You've read it five times. Can we go now?" They exit and when they close the door the two girls names are on the door room door. The end.
Seriously that's way too much plot.
Dear Evan Hansen (2021)
Yeah Ben Platt is too old, but still good.
I don't know if it's because I'm a child of 80's and 90's, but Ben Platt being too old didn't bother me that much. But, when I was growing up all the "teenagers" on TV were too old. So, I just got past it.
That being said, I really enjoyed the movie. The acting is great, the music is good, and it has an important message. I suffer from depression. I related a little more to Alana as I'm good at hiding it. But, thoughts of suicide and the way the family struggles are relatable.
I recommend watching. I was in tears by the end because it is heartbreaking. If you can get past the age of Ben Platt, it really is truly heartwarming/heart wrenching/and kind of messed up story. But Evan u just wanted to be loved and liked. And though he was getting the attention in a wrong way, you do feel for him.
The Bubble (2022)
The worst movie I've ever seen, and I sat through Cats
This is one of those movies where I ask myself why and how? The Bubble was just awful. I usually like Judd Apatow. I think he's funny. But this movie feels like he went on a 10 day coke bender and wrote this crap. I also like the cast, so I don't know what he had on these actors to get them to do this "film". If there is one movie you should not watch this year, it's this one. It's worse than Cats. Worse than CATS! That's all I can say.