Tick Tick Boom

Tick Tick Boom (Netflix)

I am not the right person to review a musical film. I though an octave was something you bought at  the farmer’s market. This film has energy, warmth and pathos. It is about Jonathon Larson and his artistic challenges to write a Broadway musical. In case you do not know who Larson is, he wrote and composed Rent (which my wife reminded me we saw). The film has musical numbers but also dramatic scenes depicting Larson’s struggles to write a  musical. The creative process is a mix of failures, emotional turmoil and success-even if only brief.  

Andrew Garfield gives a bravo performance. On the “Late Show” Garfield said he never sang before, but Lin-Manuel Miranda, the director, wanted him for the part. Garfield took singing lessons. When I made the remark that Garfield was just mouthing songs my son corrected me saying I knew nothing about melody, range and hitting the notes. According to Wikipedia there are loads of cameos from famous theatrical composers and musical actors. I have no idea who the are but they were  great.

Besides Garfield’s outstanding energetic performance the film has a strong supporting cast. His girlfriend played by Alexandra Shipp, presents Larson with the pivotal question; when do you stop striving for the impossible? Of course they break into song. His boyhood friend Michael, who gave up on acting, went to the dark side and got a job in advertising. It is a dear friendship and Michael is there even when he is pushed away.  I am not sure if they broke out in song but probably they did. A poignant scene is when an actor portraying Steven Sondheim gives Larson positive feedback. As you may know Sondheim recently passed.

The film is not about his famous play Rent, but rather a play he labored over for many years, Superbia, which was never produced. Tragically Larson died of  aortic dissection at age 35. He posthumously won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He died on the first day of Rent’s off Broadway preview performance.

 

  

King Richard (HBO Max)

 

King Richard (HBO Max)

Richard Williams is a dedicated father but he is an annoying person. This is a Horatio Alger story but here Horatio is black and female.  His drill sergeant  method guiding  his daughters  to tennis stardom is admirable but dictatorial. He had an 84 page plan for the girls tennis stardom but he could not succeed without the remarkable talent of Venus and Sarina. As he said he has two Michael Jordans.  The film is a biopic, it tells a good story but lacks dramatic tension. The story could have been as effective on PBS. Surprisingly on HBO Max it was for free.

Will Smith gives his usual performance. This is a toned down “Bad Boys” act. Same face contortions, same leaning over into your face, same eyebrow lifts, same tone. As he demonstrated in “Ali” he can do better but he did not try here. Aside from the two delightful young girls who played Venus and Sarina the other character of note was Aunjanue Ellis who played his wife Oracene “Brandy” Price. She is a partner in her husband’s quest for their daughters success but she corrects the course when she things go wrong. The two young girls who portray the future tennis greats are very sweet and almost never push back on the intense regiment they have to follow. May we all have teenagers like them.

Names of famous tennis stars were dropped everywhere. From a historical perspective it was interesting to see how many tennis players had the same coaches. There were reenactments of actual tennis matches. The other actors were bit players mostly folding to Richard’s demands. While both sisters are showcased as potential tennis greats this is the rise of Venus and her early wins.

Not to dissuade you from seeing this movie other critics have given this film glowing reviews.

Dune

 

Dune

Seventy year old men should not watch Part One movies since seeing Part Two may be a bit tenuous. This is the first part of the epic 1965 sci fi novel by Frank Herbert. There are two books running 800 pages in all. The 1984 version of Dune was a box office flop. Dune was one of those 1970’s college campus must reads like Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse Five (I never read Dune).

This Dune has a lot of energy and an A rated cast. The plot is dense but it boils down to some basic elements: feudalism, palace intrigue, colonization, exploitation and a sprinkling of Zen. It is best to watch this movie in chunks. Dune is a great visual movie. The special effects are spectacular with futuristic spacecrafts traveling between planets. The battle scenes are different from other sci fi films in that they involve hand to hand combat. The costumes are unique and a key part of the movie. I am confident Dune will receive Oscar nominations for costume and art production.  

Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atreides the ducal heir. He is still willowy but gives a strong performance.  He does not have the muscle mass of an epic hero. In one scene he disrobes to put on a desert survival suite and his back looks a portable xylophone. Oscar Isaac is focused and gives his usual strong performance. Jason Momoa provides an ample dose of arched eyebrows. Zendaya has a few scenes at the end of the movie but she does what she does well, smolder. With the exception of Chalamat there are too many diverse scenes for one character to have a sustainable dramatic impact, which is not a bad thing.

If you are a sci fi fan this is a must see. The movie’s visual effects alone are worth seeing. I did not watch the epic credit roll at the end because after 156 minutes I had to do what seventy year old men need to do.