Talking Movies: Here Today, Death on the Nile and Dear Evan Hansen
Spling reviews Here Today, Death on the Nile and Dear Evan Hansen as broadcast on Talking Movies, Fine Music Radio. Listen to podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
Good morning – welcome to Talking Movies, I’m Spling…
This week, we’re talking about a comedy drama, a murder mystery drama and a coming-of-age musical drama.
Starting off with a film now on Netflix…
HERE TODAY
A veteran comedy writer and New York street singer form an unlikely yet hilarious and touching friendship.
Director: Billy Crystal
Stars: Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish
– Crystal is a comedy legend, a charming funnyman who has only been taken seriously enough to host the Oscars.
– Playing a self-reflective role as a comedy writer in the twilight of his career, the actor presents his trademark comedy with self-deprecation and a few pearls of wisdom.
– Opposite him as a counterpoint is the feisty Haddish, whose live-for-the-moment energy contrasts sharply with his headful of regrets and lingering nostalgia.
– This unlikely couple have enough chemistry and romantic interest to warrant speculation on the nature of the relationship, a tension that helps compel the comedy drama.
– From a behind-the-scenes vantage point of his day job, audiences are invited into a writer’s room scenario much like 30 Rock as the politics of a TV sketch show comedy play out.
– Serving as a commentary on today’s comedy standards, Here Today is also a meditation on family, relationships and the power of memory.
– While the unusual pairing may recall movies like Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, this opposites concept serves as a platform rather than a one trick pony.
– Blending comedy and drama, Crystal is able to entertain with a charming New York story by way of heartwarming laughter and even tears.
– Here Today is an admirable, enjoyable and life-affirming film, which holds steady until it capsizes into a heavy-handed and melodramatic third act.
A satisfactory 6 on the splingometer!
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Moving on to a film now on Google Movies…
DEATH ON THE NILE
While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot and Annette Bening
– Death on the Nile is a follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express, Kenneth Branagh’s revival of Agatha Christie’s beloved detective.
– In keeping with the original, this film features a stellar ensemble, dazzling visuals and a classic murder mystery tale cranked up to serve modern audiences in terms of pacing and visual splendour.
– Still relying quite heavily on CGI, there’s a greater sense of actuality as the story moves between the banks of the Nile and the luxury steamer vessel.
– Taking the gist of Christie’s novel, there are some alterations to character and subplot to simplify the otherwise burgeoning cast of characters.
– Still brandishing an owlish funhouse moustache that seems to have its own moustache, an elaborate and elegant black-and-white war drama opening chapter is almost exclusively there to give the moustache its own origin story.
– Death on the Nile has a handsome cast matched by its exquisite, surreal and breathtaking visuals of Egypt and its iconic monuments.
– Moving at a clipped pace, there’s not much time for dramatic suspense or nuance, leaving the film eye-popping yet rather cold and distant.
– It’s as if Branagh is trying to emulate Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes reboot starring Robert Downey Jr. but forgetting to appease the original fan base or find the fun for new audiences.
– While fast-paced, star-studded and visually-appealing as a moving painting to entertain Christie’s epic murder mystery, it sacrifices a great deal of detail, nuance and wit in the action-packed reinvention.
A flat 5 on the splingometer!
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And finally a film on Showmax…
DEAR EVAN HANSEN
A high school senior battling with social anxiety disorder embarks on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a fellow classmate.
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Stars: Ben Platt, Julianne Moore and Kaitlyn Dever
– Stephen Chbosky, writer-director of Wonder and The Perks Of Being a Wallflower, has been entrusted with bringing this musical form adaptation to screen.
– It’s easier to see the underlying vision for Dear Evan Hansen as it attempt to harness some of the teenage angst and melancholy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and some of the dark comedy belying World’s Greatest Dad.
– Entertaining some timely and difficult subject matter relating to loneliness and mental illness, Dear Evan Hansen is a thought-provoking commentary on the youth of modern America when social media ironically finds people more disconnected than ever.
– Taking a musical approach, songs are cleverly interlaced to keep the dramatic momentum and integrity of the performances.
– These musical elements shine light into the gloom of what could have been a fairly creepy impostor scenario for a more prickly dark comedy.
– Led by Tony, Grammy and Emmy award winner, Ben Platt, and supported by the likes of Julianne Moore and Amy Adams, the heartfelt songs reinforce the film’s emotional undercurrent.
– While quite long, checking in at over two hours, your overall enjoyment of Dear Evan Hansen may be impacted by one of the film’s biggest criticisms as relates to your ability to roll with the casting of Evan.
– Testament to Platt’s sharp lead performance, his boyish looks and gangly mannerisms anchor the role, even if his powerful singing voice and awkward confidence may be at odds with the character’s age.
A solid 7 on the splingometer!
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So just to wrap up…
HERE TODAY… good chemistry carries this entertaining and heartwarming comedy drama to its overwrought final chapter… A satisfactory 6!
DEATH ON THE NILE… eye-popping visuals, a fine cast and a classic murder mystery are undermined by brevity and cool distance… A flat 5!
DEAR EVAN HANSEN… while overlong and a bit of a reach, it’s a timely, heartfelt, entertaining and powerful musical drama adaptation… A solid 7!
For more movie reviews and previous Talking Movies podcasts visit splingmovies.com.
And remember, Don’t WING it, SPL!NG it!
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