Film reviews

The Uprising Review

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Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, he dives with realism into the medieval era. Greengrass  directed the films in The Bourne series as well as films based on actual events ranging from United 93 to Captain Phillips. His writing is strong and surreal as it builds momentum as it delves into peril and corruption while oozing with vengeance. The Uprising brings the audience to England in the year of 1381, a time when there are unfair wages and taxes so living is not up to par. One peasant stops at nothing to find the light. Andrew Garfield plays the hero, Ploughman. He is the king of a rebellion who stands up against a young King with a disgusting ego.

The young King is King Richard II, played by Woody Norman. He is cynical and full of arrogance. Norman thrives in the role of the pompous King well and dazzles with the wrath of vengeance. Garfield’s Ploughman wants justice for the people in the rebellion. His friends John Ball (Jamie Dornan), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) stand with him. They travel through political tides and try to work out plans to get King Richard II to offer a form of freedom, but there are many hurdles and lots of lies. There is war waiting regardless of the outcome. Greengrass knows how to write about preparing for an attack and how to create the anticipation for his audience to know a battle is coming. 

The momentum for anarchy spiraled in a similar fashion to United 93. Both films have signs that there are elements which are not right, and that fighting must be taken into consideration. In United 93, it involves the passengers versus the ones who have taken over the aircraft. In The Uprising, it is the peasants fighting for peace and a better life. The Uprising is about an unforgettable alliance. Once a war begins, there is no going back.

What fuels the film is Norman’s two-faced performance. He plays a King who wants to appear benevolent while refusing to suppress the power-hungry demons within him. He also feels a need to impress the lady by his side, Countess (Katherine Waterston). As Ploughman continues down the path to help his people talk the King into better resources, Greengrass’s writing reminds viewers that there is the chance of blindsiding to come. Just when it seems like positivity might abound, there is ravaging violence. Betrayal has a wicked aftermath leading to a climax with a spellbinding redemption.

What makes The Uprising so dazzling is not only how the conflict is written, but the amount of counsel that surrounds the King. His team fills his mind with anticipation. He finds moments to try to convince the peasants he is destined to change lives, but his team reminds him otherwise. Greengrass is the master of spiraling personalities.. I found The Uprising to be one of the best medieval-era films of the year. Four out of four stars.

Film reviews

Practical Magic 2 Review

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A sequel twenty-eight years later in which the magic goes up a couple of notches. There is more meaning and seriousness related to the powers and curses. Also, the lives of witches expand. Normalcy enters their lives, but there is still a curse. Directed By Susanne Bier, Practical Magic 2 is here. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as Sally and Gillian Owens. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing are back as Jet and Franny. The lives of the witches do not change much. There are still morals, ethics, and respectful matters. However, it does not stop karma from happening and the exhilarating level of honor lingers in Practical Magic 2.

The twist in Practical Magic 2 is that now Sally is a mom. Her daughters are Kylie and Antonia (Joey King and Maisie Williams). Sally tries to protect her daughters from magical spells.  However, Kylie is in love with a boy named Gideon, played by Xolo Mariduena. Gideon suffers an injury that could impact his life. This is Kylie’s first love and she realizes she is cursed like her mother and aunt were. Someone she loves is facing death and she is under an inevitable spell. Therefore, Kylie goes to London to solve the mystery of the spells. 

It is not long before Sally and Gillian open their doors to the witch world again. They follow Kylie to London and hope their powers can help make a difference. They find the assistance of another mentor of magic named Ian Wright, played by Lee Pace. Soon more magic comes along, and there may be a chance for Kylie to save the man she loves. However, given all the  disagreements related to the sisterhood dynamic—the shield keeps appearing and the performances of Bullock and Kidman take over the central conflict. While this works, it sometimes felt like it dominated the writing. The film still has scenes where there are enchanting themes but then there are times where the themes cross into sad territory.

The film has momentary flaws, again involving magic. Despite the nonsense, it is still an enjoyable sequel that is slightly better than the first film. More modern subject matter was woven into Practical Magic 2. Not too much, but enough to be worthy including spells cast in many different directions. Bullock, Kidman, and King are the witches representing three modes of awesomeness. They spice everything up and play up the sisterhood vibe until it boils with magic seeking good. The curse may come and go, but that does not stop elements of positivity from shining in  Practical Magic 2. The film has a faithful context of wonder yet the writing could have been improved. In the end, there are layers of happiness to be found in Practical Magic 2. Two-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Road to Everywhere Review

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The film is aimed at a cab driver with many struggles. There is the sense that life was normal, and then scenarios went south. The realism of changes over time lingers with meaning. Road to Everywhere is a challenging and engaging journey. Directed by Michael Shoob, I found a level of deepness with Road to Everywhere. That is because I always feel that films aimed at car rides or road trips create moments of characterizations to evolve. Many do “evolve” with purpose in Road to Everywhere. Moments of the past have cinematography of color, and the present is black-and-white—the tonal elements in the cinematography tune in audiences with real-time on a parallel level of spellbinding grandeur.

 

The film’s main character is Jason Schuyler, and he is played by Whip Hubley. He is a cab driver with lots of struggles. He is divorced, has a strange relationship with his son, his son’s wife, and his life continues to have deficits. He spends countless nights driving people to locations just to help him get over and keep up with his financial burdens. The biggest one though is that he is trying to help his ex-wife with medical bills after a car accident. His ex-wife is Rachel, and she is played by Diane DiLascio. 

 

The film continuously focuses on the angels of stress—it does well at capturing the emotions of Hubley’s performance. He plays the role as a disgruntled individual so well, and audiences will connect to his role as a human being. I felt that way with Road to Everywhere. Jason’s life begins to see a light when he meets Jake. Jake is played by Robert Mirabal. Jake is a shady casino dealer and gambler. Jake asks Jason to drive him to Navajo Nation in Arizona. The drive is from Los Angeles to Arizona. Jake wants to reconnect with his family. Jake also wants to see his grandson participate in Rodeo. This is a drive where both adults will share a journey of hard emotions and tolerance. They will share the essence of struggles. 

 

Road to Everywhere creates the mode where being on the road is the open book for many topics. Jake begins to go into detail about his marriage problems with Jason, and Jason begins to open up as well. At the same time though, they share frustrations along the way. Jason presents most “frustration” because he is the driver pulling all his weight. The writing of the film is top-notch in displaying how hard tolerance can truly be. Especially for a cab driver doing a drive at this length. The deserts create the tones of solitude—there is lots of ground to cover with so many lands of emptiness in the rough journey. 

 

Road to Everywhere is deep and heartfelt. Dark with turmoil but fully presents realism. I adore the usage of the lighting—the past and present context helps change gears in this film where the writing may have a bipolar approach. At moments too emotional, but also still a solid work-of-art. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

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