Daveed Diggs – We Are Movie Geeks

THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023) – Review

As I mentioned last week, nostalgia appears to be playing a big role in this just-started cinema Summer season. The remake of that 1990s buddy comedy may just be the tip of the iceberg (a fixture of the, umm, sea). For this holiday weekend’s big, really big as Ed Sullivan would say, movie release, go back just two or three more years to 1989. That year may be best known for the BATMAN box office blockbuster, but it’s also a watershed (oops, sorry) moment for feature Animation, particularly at the “Mouse House”. Disney feature animation was just beginning to snap out of a creative stupor as the modest successes of THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE and OLIVER & COMPANY began to offset the losses of the fantasy debacle THE BLACK CAULDRON. This is all covered in the superb documentary feature WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY. And then two Broadway “whiz-kids,” thought that the company should return to classic fairy tales with a Tony-worthy musical score. To say it made a big (sorry, again) splash would be an understatement. And since Disney began remaking their classic cartoon epics, it was just a matter of time before we dove under the waves for a new spin on THE LITTLE MERMAID. Grab your noseplugs and jump in…

The first image we see is of the ocean along with a quote from the tale’s creator, Hans Christian Anderson. From there the camera pans up to the trading vessel captained by the dashing Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). While he deals with rough waves we are sent far below the commotion to witness a meeting of “merpeople”, the royal daughters and their father King Triton (Javier Bardem). They’re preparing for the Coral Moon” celebration, but one member of the family is missing. Ariel (Halie Bailey) and her fish friend Flounder (voice of Jacob Tremblay) are exploring a sunken ship and evading a hungry shark. Meanwhile, Triton sends his royal aide, a crab named Sebastian (voice of Daveed Diggs) to retrieve her. Naturally, their reunion erupts into a familiar squabble about the “surface people”. Afterward, during a rousing musical number, Flounder tells her of Eric’s ship, which encounters a storm. The prince is knocked out and falls into the depths only to be rescued by Ariel. She brings him to the shore and swims away just as he starts to awaken (her image is fuzzy to him). Later Sebsatian accidentally spills the beans and a furious Triton lambasts Ariels and destroys her cove full of “gadgets and gizmos a’ plenty”, those prized “found” human trinkets. The heartbroken Ariel is accosted by two moray eels, Flotsam and Jetsom, who take her to their mistress, the sea witch, and Triton’s envious sister, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy). She hatches a scheme to exact revenge on big brother by offering Ariel a chance to be human for three days in order to be with Eric and receive “true love’s kiss”. Ah, but she must be mute. Can this earn her a fairy tale happy ending or does the tentacled sorceress have a few tricks (new and old) to torpedo the burgeoning romance?

After the whirlpool (sorry again) surrounding her casting and the first released in-character images, I’m happy to agree that Bailey is a delightfully engaging Ariel. She literally hits all the right notes, aside from her superb vocal renditions of the beloved score, as she balances a child-like innocence and curiosity with a yearning, a true longing to expand her horizons and to act on her first sparks of romance. Under the sea or on the shore, she’s splendid. Bailey even Holds the screen alongside the powerhouse work of McCarthy, funny, ferocious, and, well, Divine (wink, nudge) as the slithering enchantress. Somehow she’s snooty, sneering, and vain, particularly in the “laugh-out-loud” moment when she’s called a witch…to her face! As her brother, Bardem is brusk and imposing, though we see that Ariel is his “special spawn”, who can make him regret his intimating bluster and bellowing. The object of Ariel’s feverish desires, Hauer-King as Prince Eric is a swashbuckling “dream guy”, who is slowly charmed by his mute mystery woman. On the vocal front, Diggs delivers the tunes with a bouncing, subtle island lilt, Tremblay conveys all the anxieties and humor of a pre-teen fish, and Awkwafina is a hoarse-throated hoot as the confidently clueless Scuttle. Back in live-action roles, Noma Dumezweni is regally warm and nurturing as the Queen, Art Malik is stuffy and befuddled, though understanding as her advisor Grimsby, and Jessica Alexander is the sultry and sinister Vanessa, who’s a big “roadblock” in the road to “happily ever after”.

Back in the director’s chair, after a five-year-hiatus (rather than a remake he made the follow-up to another Disney classic, MARY POPPINS RETURNS) is the man from CHICAGO, Rob Marshall. He keeps the pace zipping along, though the runtime is nearly an hour longer than the 1989 original. And there’s the big controversy about this as with the glut of recent “live revamps’ of the Disney “treasures”. It’s pointless to go on a tirade against these “marketing masterplans”. Yes, they’re all unneeded and the effort would be better spent on original ideas and concepts, but the titles have “name recognition’ and execs hope this could lead to another “cinematic universe”, like Marvel. So, case closed, they exist and the discussion should be about their quality and merits. Going from the excellent retelling of CINDERELLA and THE JUNGLE BOOK (though Favreau fumbled with THE LION KING) to the tepid DUMBO (there’s a true miss-match with Tim Burton) and PETER PAN AND WENDY, this would rest comfortably in the upper third. The locales and backdrops (that ocean is dazzling blue) are eye-catching, the CGI is seamless, though the more realistic renditions of Sebastian and Flounder take away some of the tales’s charm, and the songs are still superb (the other doc to watch is HOWARD all about the original much-missed lyricist). I was dismayed that two tunes were cut in order to bring a couple of songs (so they can nab a Best Song Oscar nom) that teamed Allan Menken with Lin-Manuel Miranda, as the prince gets his own “I want” ballad and Scuttle gets a riskay rap, really. Dave Magee’s new script adaptation tries to address some of the “concerns” of the original (Ariel now can’t remember that she needs a kiss from Eric), but some of the plot shufflings seem awkward. So though the tinkering can be frustrating for the long-time admirers, little ones new to the fable should be engaged (but that attacking shark may be a bit much for some), since those marvelous melodies and compelling performances prove that with this take on THE LITTLE MERMAID, “what more is you lookin’ for”?

3 Out of 4

THE LITTLE MERMAID is now playing in theatres everywhere

Check Out the New Trailer for and Poster For Disney and Pixar’s SOUL

Check out the new trailer from Disney and Pixar’s all-new original feature film “Soul,” which opens in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2020:

Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.

Featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Daveed Diggs, “Soul” is directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Inside Out,” “Up”), co-directed by Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami”) and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short “Lou”). Globally renowned musician Jon Batiste will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar®-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds.

Plus, there’s a new poster:

BLINDSPOTTING Arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand November 20th

The Wildly Entertaining Film BLINDSPOTTING Comes to Digital November 6 and Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on November 20 from Lionsgate

Witness the film that had everyone buzzing at the 2018 SXSW and Sundance Film Festivals when Blindspotting arrives on Digital November 6 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand November 20 from Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate company. An incredibly relevant film for the current climate that has received phenomenal reactions and reviews, Blindspotting provides a raw glimpse into three days in the life of a parolee and the struggles of race, class, and police brutality in Oakland, California. The film stars Daveed Diggs (Wonder, Ferdinand, TV’s “Black-ish,” Broadway’s Hamilton), Rafael Casal (TV’s “HBO’s Def Poetry Jam”), Janina Gavankar (TV’s “The League,” “True Blood,” “The L Word,” “Sleepy Hollow”), and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Monsters and Men, Broadway’s Hamilton).

Collin (Diggs), a parolee facing his final three days of probation, needs to stay clear of trouble. Miles, (Casal), Collin’s hot-tempered best friend, can’t stay out of it. When Collin witnesses a police shooting, the two men’s friendship is tested, sending Collin and Miles on a collision course with each other in this bold and thought-provoking film that bursts with energy, style, and humor.

Take home Blindspotting and dive deep into the making of this uniquely personal film with an abundance of special features including two making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, and two feature-length commentaries. The Blu-ray release also features Dolby Atmos audio mixed specifically for the home, to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. The Blindspotting Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.

BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

Deleted Scenes
“Straight from the Town: Making Blindspotting” Featurette
“Carlos López Estrada: A Director’s Featurette
Audio Commentary with Director Carlos López Estrada
Audio Commentary with Writers/Actors Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal

BLINDSPOTTING – Review

When is it okay to forgive someone for the sins of their past? More importantly, if they served their time and took the time to make changes in their ways, is it okay to turn a blind eye to their past mistakes? This idea of redemption and how society may not forgive or forget is something that we’re currently seeing played out publicly right now with James Gunn and his past twitter comments (which he previously acknowledged were wrong), but it’s something that men and women who have previously been convicted of a crime have to deal with every day. When they apply for a job… when they apply for housing… “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” How one action can trigger a chain of events that will affect your entire life is what’s at the center of Daveed Diggs (of Hamilton fame) and Rafael Casal’s relevant and searing drama. BLINDSPOTTING shows a number of events or decisions that are made in the moment that have long-suffering consequences.

Besides writing the screenplay, the two star as the leads in this one-part buddy-comedy, one-part love letter to Oakland, and one-part examination of the inherent fear and bias that’s embedded in our country. Collin (Diggs) is merely days away from his probation ending. As he races home one night to make curfew after dropping his best friend Miles off (Casal), he witnesses a black man running away from a white police officer before he is shot dead in the street. Collin heads home with the image of the man’s body burned in the back of his head. As Collin contemplates his own life in Oakland, he’s forced to look at Miles and the rest of the people in his life and determine how he can be true to his upbringing while finding redemption for his past mistakes.

BLINDSPOTTING isn’t afraid to tackle a milieu of issues going on right now. Its in-your-face messages are frequently ambitious but only occasionally emotional due to the constant high intensity. It feels like slam-poetry as it bounces from topics of gentrification one minute to police bias and brutality all in the same rhyme. The ideas, for the most part, all work relatively together, but the flow seems slightly off at first as the film struggles to find that right balance of drama, comedy, and even the occasional surreal/nightmarish imagery that makes the TV series ATLANTA so successful.

The script really excels when it’s hitting the dramatic beats in large part due to Diggs and Casal’s performances. Their chemistry is instantly felt, but more importantly, they feel natural playing these characters since the film is based on their own neighborhood. There are several hard-hitting conversations throughout. The two show their chops at handling the intensity and weight of the moment, but the one that shows their talent the most, as well as the power of the fiery script, is where they have to face each other after a house party gets out of control. Collin and Miles are forced to address changes in themselves in order to move on, and yet the scene isn’t even necessarily about that. It runs the gamut of how a black man is not looked at in the same way as a white man walking down the street while also pointing out how Miles, living as a minority in an urban area, has to acclimate in order to feel accepted. Yet, the biggest takeaway from the scene is that this landscape is a complicated one to maneuver, especially with our heightened sense of fear of the “other” in 2018.

As much as the film is about just these three days up until Collin’s freedom, it’s also very interested in pointing out the cyclical element of how these situations stemming from bias and fear can consistently be misinterpreted and how there’s not going to be a resolution to these issues if we don’t stop and fully look at the whole picture. Yet, as the film approaches the finish line, it also feels the need to tighten up all of these story threads before the credits roll. I guess there’s something satisfying about seeing these hanging stories come to a conclusion, but it also feels a little too convenient and forced in the end while ignoring the theme that there are no easy answers to these complicated questions.

BLINDSPOTTING is a film that you see, smell, and hear. Its portrayal of Oakland is so sincere and earnest that it practically explodes off the screen. It’s a film very much of its time and makes its presence known, even if it’s not always felt. It’s important to have films like BLINDSPOTTING ignite these conversations that need to be had so that we can avoid the mistakes of the past. However, with the focus on the intensity of the emotions and a presentation fueled by passion, it results in a film with messages coming from all over and a fire that feels a little unstructured.

Overall score: 3.5 out of 5

BLINDSPOTTING is now playing in theaters everywhere

New Trailer And Poster For Carlos Saldanha’s FERDINAND Has A Lot Of Heart

Built to fight. Born to love.

20th Century Fox has released a new trailer and poster for FERDINAND.

The film from director Carlos Saldanha comes out in December and we can’t wait!!

Inspired by the beloved book “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, FERDINAND tells the story of a giant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure.

Watch the adorable trailer now!

HOW CUTE IS THAT! This will be a huge hit! I love the cast too – John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias, Bobby Cannavale, David Tennant, Anthony Anderson, Flula Borg, Sally Phillips, Boris Kodjoe, Jerrod Carmichael, Raúl Esparza, Karla Martínez, Miguel Ángel Silvestre.

From Blue Sky Studios and Carlos Saldanha, the director of RIO and inspired by the beloved book “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, FERDINAND is a heartwarming animated comedy adventure and one that academy voting members will embrace this awards season.

FERDINAND hits theaters everywhere on December 15, 2017!

Check out the official site: http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/ferdinand

Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay Star In Sweet Trailer For WONDER

AUGGIE (Jacob Tremblay) and JACK WILL (Noah Jupe) in WONDER. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment.

Lionsgate has released the first trailer for WONDER starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay and Mandy Patinkin.

Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

Definitely look for this film come awards season.

Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman.

Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade.

As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to find their compassion and acceptance, Auggie’s extraordinary journey will unite them all and prove you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

WONDER is directed by Stephen Chbosky who is best known for writing The New York Times bestselling coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), as well as for screenwriting and directing the film version of the same book, starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 film RENT, and Disney’s 2017 live-action adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST alongside with Evan Spiliotopoulos and was co-creator, executive producer, and writer of the CBS television series “Jericho”.

Look for WONDER in cinemas November 17, 2017.

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Daveed Diggs as “Mr.Browne” in WONDER. Photo by Dale Robinette.

Gabriel Iglesias, John Cena, David Tennant Star In First FERDINAND Trailer

Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox have debuted the first trailer for FERDINAND directed by Carlos Saldanha (RIO) and starring the voice of John Cena.

Check out the new poster and trailer now before the film hits theaters on December 15.

FERDINAND tells the story of a giant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Set in Spain, Ferdinand proves you can’t judge a bull by its cover.

From Blue Sky Studios and Carlos Saldanha, the director of “Rio” and inspired by the beloved book “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, “Ferdinand” is a heartwarming animated comedy adventure with an all-star cast that includes John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson and many more.

Meet the rest of the cast.