Throwback Thursday Review: 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

Sorry for the delay on this review as it was originally supposed to be uploaded last Fall and was then set to be published last Thursday... Anyways, the initial intention of reviewing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was to review all of Edgar Wright's films. My planned reviews for the rest of the month include Throwback Thursday Reviews of Blade and the 1990 It miniseries and reviews of recent/upcoming releases Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Early Man, Black Panther, Mute, and Annihilation. Some 2017 films I missed out on that I'll be reviewing in the near future are Colossal, The Boss Baby, The Lost City of Z, Wonder, and The Florida Project.

'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' Review

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott Pilgrim is a shy, awkward Canadian bass guitarist who plays with his friends in their rock band called Sex Bob-Omb. His current girlfriend is a seventeen year old Chinese Catholic School student named Knives Chau, and the two don't do much together aside from riding the bus, browsing CDs in a music store, and playing Ninja Ninja Revolution at the local arcade. Needless to say, Pilgrim's not content with his lackluster love life. It's then no surprise that he falls head-over-heels for the mysterious and alluring new girl on the block, Ramona Flowers, only to discover that he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to win her heart. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, directed by Edgar Wright. Wright was also responsible for co-writing the screenplay alongside Michael Bacall, and the eccentric nature of the source material resonates throughout the film thanks to their contribution. Everything from awkward character interactions to the delightful dialogue feels in keeping with something you'd find in a graphic novel or a video game, which is something that's only further accentuated by the film's unconventional aesthetic. 

Visually, the film draws a lot of inspiration from video games and comic books with digitized sound effects and illustrated onomatopoeia accompanying every punch. This hyper-stylized approach lends itself well to the well-choreographed, energetic action, as it enables the fight sequences to stand apart from everything audiences are accustomed to. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World moves at a breakneck pace so the action sequences are quick and quirky, and this in large part to the frenetic editing from Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss. While I consider the lightning fast pacing to be a detriment to the story, I can't deny that it enhanced the action sequences. 

Where Scott Pilgrim vs. the World falls short of Wright's other work is that it moves by so quickly that the characters don't feel fully realized. Therefore, I've always found it difficult to completely invest myself in them because you hardly get to know them. For the most part, they're portrayed as one-dimensional individuals due to the constraints of the source material, and so you're more likely to be enraptured by the personalities than anything else. 

Front and center, Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim to be an incredibly awkward protagonist, and it works perfectly because it's the Michael Cera schtick. The role was tailor-made for an actor as intrinsically uneasy as Cera, so naturally he knocks it out of the park. Opposite Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead imbues Ramona with a tough attitude and enough intrigue to justify Scott's initial infatuation. However, when it's all over, she's still a closed book and you're left wondering exactly why Scott would think she was worth risking his life. I understand he's fascinated by her and the two have fostered a physical connection, but in reality, it seems like they hardly know one another. Ramona feels far more removed and less interested in the relationship than Scott is, and it really puts a damper on their chemistry. Meanwhile, Ellen Wong does an excellent job depicting Knives Chau as an obsessive, over-protective girlfriend. 

When it's all said-and-done, Kieran Culkin is the stand-out, as he probably steals every scene he's in with his sensational sarcasm. It's impossible not to laugh anytime he's putting down Scott. Scattered among the remaining ensemble are an interesting mixture of recognizable faces and actors I'm otherwise unfamiliar with including Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, and Johnny Simmons. 

Ramona's seven evil exes, also referred to as the League of Evil Exes, are composed of Matthew Patel, Lucas Lee, Roxy Richter, Todd Ingram, Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, and Gideon Graves who are portrayed by Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh, Keita Saitou, Shôta Saitô, and Jason Schwartzman respectively. Each ex has their time to shine, but Evans and Routh are easily the most memorable of the bunch. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is undoubtedly Wright's wackiest and wildest film to date, but I can't help but consider it to be one of his weakest films as well... I'm well aware that most cherish it as their favorite Edgar Wright film, but I've never quite latched onto it like others have. Either way, it's still an absurdly entertaining arcade-esque experience.

Film Assessment: B+

'Molly's Game' Review

Nominated For: Best Adapted Screenplay.

Molly's Game goes all in to tell the true story of Molly Bloom, a former Olympic class skier who ran the most exclusive high stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested by the FBI. Now, with only her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey at her side, Bloom must fight off a federal court indictment.

Renowned screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, breaks in to adapt Bloom's book and he hits the jackpot with his directorial debut. Sorkin has had a straight flush of solid screenplays in the past, and Molly's Game is no seven-deuce. Sorkin shows his hand quite quickly, exuding style to spare in explaining the logistics of skiing and running high stakes poker games in the vein of recent films like I, Tonya, The Big Short, and The Wolf Of Wall Street. Sorkin's dialogue is sharp, snarky, and straight to the point. Just the way I like it... Sorkin's ace in the hole though is having accomplished actors such as Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Michael Cera engage in the consummate conversation.

As much as I love Sorkin's dialogue, some scenes hedged their bets and overstayed their welcome. I think this was largely due to Sorkin's inexperience as a director though, because an experienced director recognizes when a scene starts to run a little long and identify what can be taken out without jeopardizing the rest of the film. However, I'm not sure Sorkin was too interested in cutting any of his own material to condense the running time. And it's not that my issue is that two hours and twenty minutes is too long of a running time, because I'd happily watch three hours of anything so long as the story is focused and maintains my interest. In this case, two hours and twenty minutes was too long for this story because I really felt length of the film's running time towards the end.

Thanks to a powerhouse lead like Jessica Chastain, Sorkin's blunders ultimately don't handicap the film too much though. Chastain simply has a such a commanding screen presence that you can't help but respect Molly Bloom for building such a powerful Poker empire. Chastain projects substantial strength, confidence, and determination in her performance, so you totally buy into the fact Molly was able to rise among a male-dominated arena. 

Having a strong supporting player like Idris Elba around doesn't hurt either, as Elba's Jaffey matches Chastain's Bloom word-for-word thanks to their dynamite dynamic. Michael Cera receives a rather interesting role as "Player X," one of the A-list celebrities Bloom rubbed elbows with in her escapades (assumed to be Tobey Maguire by many), and Cera plays his hand well by leaving a sizable impression with limited screen-time. Kevin Costner also lends his expertise as Bloom's father, Larry, and makes the most of every opportunity to chastise Chastain.

If there's one thing I ought to say about Molly's Game though, it would be that Sorkin went all in for his directorial debut. While he may not have laid down a royal flush, Sorkin certainly had no need to bluff about bringing a few aces to the table in the form of an expert ensemble and a superlative script.

Film Assessment: B

'The LEGO Batman Movie' Review

I find it fitting that this review wasn't published till the film's release date that happens to fall on the third anniversary of my blog, and the exactly three years since I reviewed The LEGO Movie.

'The LEGO Batman Movie' Review

The LEGO Batman Movie revolves around everyone's favorite brick built bat LEGO Batman as he not only fights Gotham's criminal element but deals with the pressures of adopting a son. Somewhere along the way, LEGO Batman must learn the importance of teamwork if he's going to succeed in catching the villains set upon Gotham by the Joker.

The LEGO Batman Movie is the first of what looks to be a long line of LEGO spinoffs, in what I presume will be known as the LEGO Cinematic Universe, and it's only fair that the Batman gets the first considering his standout stint in The LEGO Movie and the simple fact *because he's Batman* (read in Batman voice). It's crazy to think we're getting another this fall with The LEGO Ninjago Movie, but at the same time it's not surprising Warner Bros. and LEGO want to proceed with as many of these movies they can possibly make considering the insane success of The LEGO Movie, a movie I was incredibly surprised by considering I was expecting a lazy feature length LEGO ad rather than a quality animated film with a huge heart.

Director Chris McKay's vision and imagination has no bounds as the film's plot plays out like an epic adventure only a child could imagine, appropriate considering the big twist of The LEGO Movie. One of the things that still astounds me is how animators utilized the plentiful plastic bricks at their disposal to construct animation that has the guise of a professionally-made stop-motion film using actual LEGOs. The animation is absolutely remarkable when you take into account that animators had to ensure each character and plastic piece onscreen exhibited the mannerisms and movement of a LEGO brick or mini-fig. So bravo to the group of animators and visual effects artists, your work was not forgotten. 

The LEGO Batman Movie brilliantly satirizes every aspect of the Caped Crusaders' legacy, both on and off-film, from the campy 1960s Adam West incarnation to the present brooding Ben Affleck take. The entire film is essentially a meta-commentary on DC Comics, and don't worry if you weren't a fan of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Suicide Squad there's some jabs in there for you. The screenwriting team of Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern, and John Whittington responsible for the Dark Knight's zingers and commentary on the Caped Crusader. 

The screenwriters scope of Batman shows he's just a regular Joe; he misses his parents, swims in the Bat-cave's lagoon, and he heats up his leftovers in a microwave (a gag that plays out exceptionally well despite being in the trailers akin to the DMV bit in Zootopia). They're able to paint a plastic figure as what may just be the most human take on the character. 

An interesting component I'd like to touch on is the angle the story team viewed the Batman-Joker dynamic. The two need each other. It's not romantic, in fact it's the complete opposite, but when Batman can't tell Joker the three words "I hate you" or "You're not my greatest enemy" Joker is left an emotional wreck as though the two went through a bad breakup. Trust me, it's absolutely hysterical and plucks the heartstrings a little more than one would expect as you actually start to feel bad for the constructed clown prince of crime. 

My only issues are that sometimes the entire film felt like joke after joke after joke veering to be a little too kid friendly at times and that certain characters felt a little underdeveloped and cast off to the side in favor of serving the narrative theme. One thing many may be looking for is the next "Everything is Awesome" and while there's not an original song quite like that, there is in fact a heavy metal rendition of a Bat-rap about how awesome Batman is called "Who's the (Bat)Man" that's a hoot to listen to. Also, plenty of 80's hits can be found including "One" and "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" scattered throughout played to great comedic effect. 

The voice cast behind The LEGO Batman Movie is an immensely talented ensemble composed of A-list talent you would never expect to see behind a LEGO movie but I'll take it. Will Arnett's gravelly Batman voice remains an excellent play itself on the dark, gritty nature of recent incarnations of the character while he delivers one-liners and comedic bits with absolute ease and maintains an emotional, human aspect to his take on the Dark Knight. Michael Cera's giddy fanboy Robin, Ralph Fiennes' dry-cut Alfred, and Rosario Dawson's straight woman Barbara Gordon each provide excellent sources of comedy and pair well with Arnett's Batman. Zach Galifianakis' Joker is undeniably insane, not the best-nor worst take on Gotham's clown but easily the more multifaceted and somewhat sympathetic portrayal to date (as I briefly touched upon earlier).

All of Batman's rogues gallery are featured in the film to some capacity but I won't disclose the voices behind these iconic villains because that in and of itself can certainly be considered an entertaining trip to IMDB afterwards. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return for the buddy Superman-Green Lantern schtick along with fellow Justice League members for some brief cameo appearances. Oh and I can't forget that Siri makes her feature film debut as the Bat-computer or 'Puter for short.

In a strange turn of events The LEGO Batman Movie is the best love letter to Batman possible. While I don't think The LEGO Batman Movie was quite as good as The LEGO Movie, I can say it's a humorous and heartfelt family-friendly affair worth seeing in theaters.

Film Assessment: B+

'Sausage Party' Review

I walked out of Sausage Party wondering what in the world I had just watched, and that's coming from someone who had a general idea what he was in for. Essentially it's about marketplace food discovering what actually happens to food when it's purchased and the insane shenanigans that follow.

At it's core, Sausage Party clearly mocks many tropes of Disney/Pixar style animation opening with an outrageously humorous song composed by Alan Menken, known for scoring Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin, and Hercules, and borrowing the central idea of living inanimate objects and their lives from Toy Story but trust me, they are distinctly different in terms of appropriateness and quality.

Sausage Party is a raunchy animated comedy, and I feel that's something that's important and should be expressed if you plan on watching it, because this film doesn't hold back on it's jokes and crosses the line fairly quickly with no plans to tread backwards. If you are easily offended by racial stereotypes or inappropriate humor, this is not the comedy for you. Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon's direction lends itself perfectly to the filthy comedy as every creative choice is certainly a bold one.

The animation is sub-par and never near the heights of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, or even Illumination Entertainment but that's no surprise considering Sausage Party had a budget of $19 M and the Sausage Party's aesthetic isn't the film's primary focus. It's purpose is to make you laugh and Sausage Party's biggest hurdle for me was that it's rarely as it funny as makes itself out to be.

The screenplay from writers Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogan, and Evan Goldberg offers up some gags that had me laughing hysterically but not every joke landed. There are some sequences that offer up plenty of shock and awe as things unfold that are absolutely bananas, so I can give them props for daring to go that far, but at the same time I was very weirded out by it all. Surprisingly the screenplay does offer up some fairly smart social, political, and religious commentary, but once again not as high brow as it'd like to be since it juxtaposes these messages with some grungy jokes and racial stereotypes for cheap laughs.

However with that all being said, Sausage Party boasts a massive ensemble of comedic talent including Seth Rogan, Kirsten Wiig, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, and Nick Kroll along with many, many more brilliant comedians. Some voices are instantly recognizable while others had me on the ropes and part of the fun of seeing the film is trying to figure out which celebrity talent is associated with which character so I won't discuss their performances individually.

Overall, Sausage Party is definitely not for everyone, but if you love raunchy comedy this will scratch your itch. Oh and please DON'T bring your children to see Sausage Party as it may appear to be a cute animation, it's nothing of the sort. I also didn't find the experience to be heightened by seeing it in a theater so if you're iffy on Sausage Party, wait for the home media release and check it out then. In conclusion, Sausage Party is a brilliant parody, but only a passable comedy. It offers up enough unique humor for at least one viewing, but honestly I don't feel as though I would ever watch Sausage Party again.

Film Assessment: C-