'Late Night' Review

Synopsis: A late-night talk show host's world is turned upside down when she hires her first and only female staff writer. Originally intended to smooth over diversity concerns, her decision brings about unexpected consequences as the two women who are separated by culture and generation become united by their love of a biting punchline.

Runtime: 102 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout and some sexual references)

Who should see it? Teenage and adult fans of comedies.

Mindy Kaling's been a rising star in Hollywood since her days on The Office, but Late Night is her first feature-length screenplay despite her numerous credits as an actress, writer, and producer. Aside from writing Late Night, Kaling co-starred and produced Amazon Studios' latest comedy which tackles diversity in the workplace and cancel culture among other relevant topics. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, Late Night is plenty topical. Though some may perceive it as "too woke," Ganatra and Kaling tastefully navigate the subject matter, and it was refreshing to glimpse these issues from the perspective of women of color. Obviously, I am neither of those things, so credit to Ganatra and Kaling for successfully immersing me in this story so that I'd be more sympathetic to their outlook. Kaling doesn't omit other viewpoints though. Some of the other late-night show writers push back against her character Molly, but not always in an antagonistic manner. Kaling doesn't reduce these nuanced conversations to black-and-white discrepancies.

The story itself is relatively simple and lighthearted but handled with such sincerity that you can't help but be swept up by it all. There's an authenticity to the situations Molly encounters as she tries to navigate an unfamiliar, merciless work environment, and the dialogue feels genuine rather than an implementation of forced humor for the sake of cracking a joke. Despite its classification as a comedy, Late Night includes some hard-hitting emotional beats and doesn't stray away from the reality of these situations though. Kaling's script is honest and profound, which is why I deemed the superficial epilogue a tad disappointing. The last few minutes simply provided an unrealistic, optimistic outcome.

As Katherine Newbury, Emma Thompson presents a convincing and layered portrayal of a late-night television personality. Thompson demonstrates an exuberance whenever Newbury's in the public eye, a fierce tenacity in the workplace, and tender vulnerability in her time alone. Playing Newbury's husband diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, John Lithgow turns in an excellent supporting turn, and his scenes shared with Thompson are wonderfully sincere.

Opposite Thompson, Mindy Kaling's Molly is a warm, endearing presence. Kaling strikes an ideal balance between a timid new hire and persistent, hard-working individual. Viewers see her respond to harsh surroundings with both apprehension and an emboldened spirit, but Kaling's depiction of these seemingly contradictory traits feels true to the character and situations she finds herself in. Meanwhile, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Denis O'Hare, Max Casella, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ike Barinholtz each are charming additions to the cast as a series of secondary characters.

Late Night casts its spotlight on a marginalized perspective to tell a tale full of laughs, social commentary, and sincerity. In an unexpected turn of events, Late Night is one of the year's most delightful films. I'd advise staying up and tuning in!

Film Assessment: A-

'Ocean's Eight' Review

After being released from a five year prison sentence, Debbie Ocean sets out to recruit an all-female crew and pull off the heist of a lifetime by stealing a $150 million necklace during New York City's annual Met Gala.

Ocean's Eight functions as an extension of sorts to the pre-existing Ocean's Trilogy, and this is made abundantly clear in the film's opening where it's confirmed that Debbie is Danny Ocean's sister (this is in the trailers). Since I had absolutely no attachment to the Ocean's Trilogy on behalf of never having seen the films prior to a few days ago, I wasn't perturbed when this all-female reboot was announced. In fact, I was somewhat intrigued by the A-list talent assembled for the project and thought the reboot had huge potential. However, I was very surprised not to see a similar backlash which befell 2016's Ghostbusters, since that film was also a gender-swapped reboot. I suppose this is simply because the 1984 Ghostbusters is much more beloved than any Ocean's installment, plus the blowback was lessened by the fact Ocean's Eleven (2001) was already a remake and this spin-off happens in the same universe. 

The lady-led soft reboot was spearheaded by Gary Ross who took up directorial duties, wrote the story treatment solo, and penned the screenplay alongside Olivia Milch. Unfortunately, these are the areas in which I found Ocean's Eight to be the most lacking. While certainly a competently made film, Ocean's Eight lacks its own voice in the ever-growing heist genre and this is largely because Ross seems reluctant to put his own stamp on the film. Where Steven Soderbergh has made an effort to put his own spin on heist films with Logan Lucky and his Ocean's Trilogy, Ross simply retreads old ground with the same franchise blueprints. It's almost as though Warner Bros. saw the toxic fanboy reaction to Ghostbusters (2016) and decided it would be best to play things as safe as possible with a familiar story and nothing new aside from an almost entirely female ensemble. As a result, there's very little to differentiate Ocean's Eight from any of the other installments in the Ocean's franchise or any other heist film for that matter. 

It just felt as though Ocean's Eight was going through the motions of the conventional heist formula. One thing that was particularly bothersome was that **very minor spoiler warning, I guess?**  the heist went off without a hitch. All of the obstacles felt like they were easily overcome in a matter of seconds, so this heist which is supposed to be ridiculously difficult didn't feel like it was much of a challenge for these ladies. Therefore, the heist was devoid of tension and I was never concerned for the characters or their wellbeing (which is another issue altogether). In spite of this, the heist was actually my favorite portion of the film and the section I found to be the most entertaining. There are some decent twists at the end, even though a few were fairly predictable, but the remaining runtime was overinflated with standard setup and an additional twenty-thirty minutes after the heist. Not to mention the wasted time from two scenes that were practically advertisements for Subway and Tinder. They weren't as egregious as the product placement in Power Rangers (2017) or Transformers, but it was enough for me to roll my eyes in the theater. 

Otherwise, the script was lackluster and the characters were underdeveloped and fairly uninteresting. Much of the screen-time is dedicated towards recruiting a crew for the heist, explaining the heist, preparing for the heist, and then executing the heist. Ocean's Eight doesn't dedicate much time towards developing the characters or establishing much camaraderie between the crew so I ultimately didn't care about them. You could also tell that some of the lines that were supposed to be scene-ending zingers didn't really land, and it was really awkward whenever a joke fell flat.

Even though it may seem as if I'm simply ranting about mediocrity, there were elements I appreciated including a couple Ocean's Trilogy cameos, cool transitions effects, the elegant costumes, a funky, upbeat Ocean's-inspired score from Daniel Pemberton, and most importantly, the cast. The film largely works because of the talent it has at its disposal. These actresses elevate their thinly drawn characters and pepper in a little extra personality, but they were mostly typecast to play exaggerated versions of themselves or female versions of their male counterparts from the Ocean's Trilogy. The performances across the board were fine, but there was hardly a standout aside from Anne Hathaway playing a vain actress. When you hear the names Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, and Rihanna, there's a degree of star power associated with those names, and I was mostly disappointed to see so many of these actresses blend into the background.

While not nearly the worst of the Ocean’s franchise, I still felt Ocean's Eight conned me out of two hours. A sequel seems likely based on Ocean's Eight scoring the franchise's highest weekend debut, and I'm actually all in for that regardless of my issues. With a solid ensemble and the potential to easily top this entry, I just hope Warner Bros. lets Ross venture outside the box next time or at least hires someone willing to get their hands dirty and take some risks.

Film Assessment: C+

'A Wrinkle in Time' (2018) Review

A Wrinkle in Time unfolds itself alongside a young, intelligent Meg Murry and her little brother Charles Wallace four years after the mysterious disappearance of their father. Meg, Charles, and her classmate Calvin are then transported through space by three peculiar and powerful beings in order to embark on a daring quest to find Mr. Murry. 

This incarnation of A Wrinkle in Time stands as the second attempt to translate Madeleine L'Engle's novel that's been long described as "unfilmable." I, myself, am quite familiar with the book as I had to read it eight years ago in my seventh grade English class, and I'll be upfront to admit that I absolutely hated it. However, I wasn't going to simply let my distaste for the source material or my preconceived notions automatically color my review as negative because I believe every film should be seen before I form and share an opinion . With that being said, my expectations weren't very high for A Wrinkle in Time and I still wound up disappointed when it was all over.

The 2018 adaptation is directed by the acclaimed African American female filmmaker Ava DuVernay and features a script written by Jeff Stockwell and Jennifer Lee, which was based on Madeleine L'Engle's publication. DuVernay previously had helmed smaller-scale films such as Selma and 13th to great success, but this was her first big-budget venture and I can't imagine how embarrassing this must be for her. I've often heard film fans throw her name into the ring to helm a Star Wars flick, but I couldn't be happier to hear she's not interested in the gig after seeing how she handled this big-budget bonanza. She's clearly talented but I don't think blockbusters fit her style of filmmaking.

I'd say A Wrinkle in Time's biggest issue is that it was well-intentioned but not well executed. DuVernay definitely embraced the awkwardness of the source material in an effort to remain faithful as possible I guess? As a result, the plot's immensely incoherent, the dialogue's dreadful, the acting is atrocious, the characters are uninteresting, and the film wasn’t entertaining in the least. That's not even mentioning the inharmonious edits, jarring camera movement, or terrible song choices including various generic pop-style songs I'd never heard before but am sure were created purely for the film's soundtrack. On that note, Ramin Djawadi is a composer who I greatly admire due to his work on Game of Thrones... but his score rarely fit the mood of the scene it accompanied... The sole strengths of A Wrinkle in Time are really just its visuals and Chris Pine's performance, but neither of those elements can carry the movie... Even the bright, colorful imagery doesn't look natural due to lackluster vfx work from time-to-time, as can be evidenced above.

So you may be wondering, "How is that DuVernay's fault?" Well, a director oversees the entire project and should reign things in if they aren't working. They provide guidance for the cast and crew, and it's their responsibility to ensure their vision makes it to the big screen the way they intended. Otherwise, they didn't exactly fulfill their obligation. Perhaps, these shortcomings can be attributed to the studio, as Disney's had a spree of at least one flop-a-year (whether it be critical, financial, or both in certain cases). However, this film is far too ambitious for it to simply be a studio-made product. There's evident artistic intent put into this so it's not like nobody tried. Genuine effort was put forth.

One of A Wrinkle in Time's most glaring issues though was an immense emotional disconnect. I could have cared less about the characters, and the filmmakers didn't give me any incentive to invest in them whatsoever. Every character functions as either an expositional device or a stilted, stale personality. Seriously, the lines these actors were provided with would suffice as some of the worst dialogue I've heard uttered all year. And if there's one thing we take for granted these days, it's quality performances. ESPECIALLY those from young actors since we've been blessed with watching a talented pool of performers these last few years. Unfortunately, Storm Reid, Levi Miller, and Deric McCabe aren't up to the task of elevating the material provided. In the role of Meg, Reid provides a performance leagues beyond her other young costars as she's at least able to occasionally display emotional depth. Her scenes with Pine are easily her best, and are a testament to her potential if she continues to fine-tune her acting abilities. However, Reid's mostly left waking around almost as expressionless as possible, and the film suffers a great deal from it.

I don't say this to rip on the child actors as I understand they're trying their best, but I get the vibe they were miscast and DuVernay's lack of experience directing young talent didn't help things. Poor Levi Miller is offered nothing of substance or pertinence to work with whatsoever. His introductory dialogue is along the lines of "I don't know why I'm here. I just suddenly felt the urge to here and so I'm here." At that point, I started laughing because his lines were so awkward and unnatural. Beyond that though, his character has little-to-no development and it feels like he was only incorporated to motivate Meg and because he was in the book. Then there's Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace... Sadly, his line delivery was one-note so he just sounded like a kid reading a script written by other kids... The script wasn't written by children by the way... Having read the book, I know what Duvernay and McCabe were going for... They just didn't hit their mark, and the role would have been far better suited to a young actor like Jacob Tremblay or Jackson Robert Scott (the kid who played Georgie in last year's adaptation of It).

In regards to the experienced adult actors, it's just as bad...The three entities Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who are portrayed by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling respectively, and they're each awful... They're around to guide Meg and occasionally impart words of wisdom, yet they're rarely around and feel rather pointless as a result (I know it's like that in the novel as well). Oprah must be running low on interview money to stoop to this... Anyways, Oprah stands around to speak inspirational, empowering quotes you'd probably find on a poster without a care in the world, Reese Witherspoon is ditsy as can be as Mrs. Whatsit, and Mindy Kaling's Mrs. Who is stuck only able to utter quotes spoken by others unless the script demands otherwise... I couldn't take any of them seriously at all though because they each look ridiculous in the eccentric, over-the-top costumes.

I'm including this gif to point out how silly she looked running in that costume. I couldn't help but chuckle, and I hope you get a good laugh from it as well! If A Wrinkle in Time has any saving grace, its that you can at least laugh at it from time-to-time for all the wrong reasons. It should also be noted that Zach Galifianakis, David Oyelowo, and Michael Peña are in this, but good luck remembering that when it's over because their screen-time is SCARCE. Oyelowo's just a disembodied voice so you probably won't even know he was ever involved. Good for him I suppose!

The only actor in entire ensemble who I felt delivered an all-around quality performance was Chris Pine. Pine provides a performance rich with nuance and subtle expressions of emotion that enhance the awful things around him. Gugu Mbatha-Raw does the best she can with her depiction of Mrs. Murry, but is ultimately caged in by limited screen-time and an awful script. Thankfully, she has some scenes with Pine though because their chemistry really worked.

On the bright side, A Wrinkle in Time sends a positive message to young audience members. It's just a shame they've probably heard it already and that the delivery was so clunky in comparison to every other film that ever sought to inspire or empower its audience to be themselves. The children at my screening were not interested in the events onscreen at all, getting up on numerous occasions to walk around or simply divert their focus elsewhere.

In case it wasn't already apparent, I don't think A Wrinkle in Time is deserving of your crisp cash. If you hope to levy your hard-earned dollars towards supporting diverse blockbusters or you're simply going to the theater for the sake of enjoyment, you'd be better off supporting Annihilation, Black Panther, or Game Night. Otherwise, you may as well stay at home since A Wrinkle in Time is a colossal waste of time. I was already envious of those whose Wrinkle in Time screening was interrupted by an entourage of celebrities during the Oscars, but I'm even more jealous now that I've seen the film. Their prayers for it to stop must have been answered at least... 

Film Assessment: D-

'Inside Out' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay.
Won: Best Animated Feature.

Yesterday I was able to see Inside Out after returning from a trip to Los Angeles and I must start off the review saying that this is one of Pixar's greatest original ideas yet! This is the best original (non-sequel) Pixar film since Up, which is personally one of my favorites from the studio. The plot of the film is quite intriguing. The film is about emotions inside of a 12 year old girl who is experiencing many unsettling changes in her life because of moving to a new house. 

The main voice cast for the emotions consists of Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Lewis Black as Anger, and Bill Hader as Fear. Each character is able to provide many laughs by being a gimmick of their own emotion (Anger is a hothead, etc.). 

The cast is quite enjoyable but the two characters with the most depth are definitely Joy and Sadness who are able to convey a wide variety of emotions despite being one emotion. Amy Poehler is hilarious as Joy and energizes the lead role  with jokes and charisma but despite her name she has has her own range of emotions in her character. Phyllis Smith brings a great depth to Sadness who is the butt of several puns and jokes but actually is very important to the film's most impactful scenes. 

Oh and if I haven't said it already, you will cry while watching this film which is something expected from Pixar and means that Pixar can make a film with such deep intellectual themes that really connect to the average Joe and can really convey heartfelt scenes quite well. My entire family that saw this film at least shed one tear at the film's impactful moment, including one of my sisters who never cries during movies. 

Overall, Inside Out is a great comeback for Pixar and hopefully they can continue producing more original films along with sequels to their other beloved films (ie. Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4).  It's great for both kids and adults as there are many deep messages about life, psychology, etc. and many jokes for adults as well as some humor all ages can appreciate. I highly recommend watching Inside Out if you have grown up with Disney or Pixar or even if you haven't.