Saltburn

 This Christmas, as you make your guest lists and check them twice, check them again. You may never know if the downtrodden stranger you just met wants to take over your life. At least, that's the implied message in Emerald Fennell's second feature, Saltburn. Let's see what you think of it.

It all starts in 2006 at Oxford. Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a scholarship student snubbed by his richer classmates. He admires the adonis on campus, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), and formally meets him when Felix gets a flat. Felix pities Oliver for his sad backstory and invites him to his estate, Saltburn, after Oliver's dad overdoses. The titular estate, which was filmed at the actual Drayton House in Northamptonshire, is quite spectacular to say the least. Who can blame Oliver for not wanting to leave?

He gets along fine with Felix's parents, Sir James & Elspeth (Richard E. Grant & Rosamund Pike), who both view him with condescending compassion. He attracts the interest of Felix's sister, Venetia (Allison Oliver), and the enmity of their American cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madekwe). Slowly but surely, we realize that Oliver is actually a sociopath who wants, if not Felix, then his good life. He'll just have to clear all the obstacles away.

Oliver is quite the charismatic villain protagonist. You'll end up loathing him for his villainy towards those whose only "crime" is being oblivious rich folks. You'll also pity him, even a bit, for his implied self-loathing over his true background. We buy into his nice guy persona when he arrives at Oxford. He seems sincere when he seemingly breaks the fourth-wall to introduce his story. You'll shudder when you see who he's actually talking to. The ending clarifies his actions all too well with some flashbacks. All in all, this is a spectacularly unnerving performance from Keoghan.

But Keoghan has a nice ensemble around him. It's easy to dislike Farleigh for his snobbishness early on, but even we sympathize with him once we learn more about Oliver. We sympathize with Felix when he learns about Oliver's lying and obsessiveness. Elordi does that great a job at making Felix an all-around nice guy. Venetia is similarly sympathetic when she's put through the ringer in the last half-hour. Sir James's amiability and Elspeth's over-the-top snootiness are fun to watch. Heck, the family bonding over Superbad of all things is surprisingly endearing. Carey Mulligan is fine in her unrecognizable cameo as houseguest "Poor Dear" Pamela. The only character I really disliked was Jake (Will Gibson), an arrogant math wiz who forces Oliver to prompt him to show off his skills.

Linus Sandgren's cinematography is truly something else. We get some nice tracking shots for the opening credits, Oliver's first tour through Saltburn, and the finale. The Academy ratio formatting amplifies Oliver's most unsettling actions, which I can't really reiterate here. Fortunately, I can reiterate that its nighttime photography is perfectly surreal, especially during a fateful birthday party. The money shot is Oliver seemingly hovering over Saltburn's gates (actually reflected in a pond). You'll be astounded even after you realize what you're looking at. All these sights, glorious or not, are accentuated by a sincerely romantic score by Anthony Willis.

Saltburn is weirdly fascinating if you can withstand its villain protagonist. It isn't easy on the eyes at times, but at least we get a clean joke with a hedge maze. A few critics have called it a twisted take on The Talented Mr. Ripley, a film I haven't seen before, but know of its reputation. You might get their point once you see the film. My theater is demoting it to a single nighttime screening starting tomorrow. Who knows how long it will stay in other theaters? So, see it soon if you're interested. 

At least I know what my next film review is on...

The Killer

David Fincher's The Killer doesn't waste time. It immediately begins with 55-seconds of opening credits once you press play on Netflix. It's all to get to the captivating story of an unnamed assassin (Michael Fassbender) wasting time before his next kill.

That's not as boring as I make it sound. This killer, created by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and Luc Jacamon for their graphic novels, waxes poetic in his narration about life, boredom, his profession, Popeye and other things. He sets up shop in an unfinished office room in Paris as he waits for his next target to check into the hotel across the street. Neither he nor the film care who this target is; to him, the target is a paycheck. It all goes wrong at the big moment when he accidentally shoots the man's dominatrix (Monique Ganderton).

The Killer flees for his home in the Dominican Republic. His employers have marked him for death, and the hired guns have already hospitalized his girlfriend, Magdala (Sophie Charlotte). This makes it very personal for a killer who has always remained neutral in his line of work. He decides to track down the hired guns, his employers, and whoever ordered the job in the first place. That's basically it, but not in that order.

The screenplay by Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker is neatly divided into six chapters, each taking The Killer to one city with one goal (i.e., Chapter 1: Paris/The Target). It's as darkly hilarious as it is unnerving to hear how casual he is about his line of work. This is a man who complains that his job won't make a dent in the world's population and uses sitcom characters for his fake names. His narrating is often interrupted by the real world, like when he's almost discovered by a mailman, or when his ex-handler, Hodges (Charles Parnell), takes far quicker to die than he estimates. The few moments that Fassbender has on-screen dialogue are some of the film's tensest scenes. All in all, it's an unconventional, yet captivating performance.

It helps to have a great editor like Kirk Baxter as an asset. We're perfectly tense as we wait for the big moment in Paris, with The Killer's watch measuring his heartrate as a countdown and are similarly hooked as he makes his escape. His confrontation with "The Brute" (Sala Baker), one of the hired guns, is a long fight in which the man smashes up his own home as much as The Killer. He gets the other hired gun, "The Expert" (Tilda Swinton), after a well-acted and morbidly funny chat as she realizes her number's up. You'll have little trouble remembering a film with these moments, nor the excellent Reznor & Ross score accentuating them. What else can I say?

I should mention the film's most sympathetic character. Her name is Dolores (Kerry O'Malley), Hodge's secretary and the embodiment of being at the wrong place and wrong time. She's somewhat complicit in Hodges's enterprises, but she's not as malicious as the man's hired guns. We do sympathize with her as The Killer extracts some names for her and gives her an "accidental" death. A bit less sympathetic, but somewhat pitiful, is Claybourne (Arliss Howard), the guy who hired The Killer in the first place. His confrontation is saved for last.

The Killer is a well-acted and well-paced crime thriller. Its main character doesn't say much on-screen, but when he speaks, you listen. Its sound designers and cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt make it a great film to hear and watch wherever you can. Indeed, you should watch it wherever and whenever you can. It's just that good.

Napoleon

 Ah, Napoleon Bonaparte, a man of many distinctions. The First Emperor of France, military genius, devotee to Josephine, and not as short as everyone thinks he is. Stanley Kubrick spent much of his life trying to make the definitive Napoleon film, and now, Ridley Scott gets his shot at the subject. Let's see how he did.

In 1793, Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) watches as ex-queen Marie-Antoinette (Catherine Walker) gets her turn with Madame Guillotine. He's promoted to brigadier general when he wins the Siege of Toulon. Meanwhile, Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby) is spared the guillotine when the Reign of Terror ends. She and Napoleon meet at a party and soon marry. His military career takes off, but their relationship goes nowhere. He eventually crowns himself the Emperor of France and it still goes nowhere. Actually, it goes somewhere all right, and that's downhill.

David Scarpa's screenplay chronicles Napoleon and Josephine's relationship amidst his wars with Europe. They go from hating each other to crazy for each other between scenes. It's an erratic relationship, to say the least, enough to make one question why Josephine stuck by a funny, yet cruel manchild. But Napoleon shows himself a spark of decency when he attempts to recover her late first-husband's saber from a stache of unmarked weapons. Who knows if he got the right one, but it's the thought that counts. Perhaps these scenes will flow better when Scott's director's cut eventually debuts on Apple TV+. The present film's mood whiplashes are odd but are thankfully not as tonally catastrophic as House of Gucci's. 

Napoleon's battle scenes are as visually impressive as they are brutal. Its production design by Arthur Max and cinematography by Dariusz Wolski help visualize plenty of stunning locales for Napoleon to battle in. Scott holds nothing back, as even Napoleon's horses are blown apart by cannon fire. My personal favorite was the Battle of Austerlitz, where Napoleon lures his enemies to his death on a frozen river, for its massive crowd shots and desolate battlefield. Napoleon's suppression of the revolt on 13 Vendemiaire is brutally quick, while the burning of Moscow is an alluring end to his failed invasion of Russia. These scenes make the film's 157-minutes worth it.

What else is there to recommend? Kirby is decently compelling as Josephine, while Rupert Everett & Edouard Philliponnant are entertaining as Napoleon's arch-enemies, the Duke of Wellington and Tsar Alexander. Amongst the film's other famous faces, we have Ian McNiece in a surprise cameo as Louis XVIII and Sam Troughton as a somewhat pitiful Robespierre. The biggest surprise is in the soundtrack; while Martin Phipps composed much of the score, the film also uses Dario Marianelli's main theme from Pride & Prejudice. It's a surprising film to hear that soundtrack in, for sure.

Napoleon is a peculiar film. It has perfectly visualized battle scenes with an imperfectly developed central relationship. Its titular character is still interesting enough that its sheer runtime is barely an issue. Who knows what Kubrick would have thought of this film, but I thought it was fine. It's not perfect but it's not the hot mess a few folks peg it as. This may have been produced for Apple TV +, but you should still see it on the biggest screen you can find. After all, who knows when it will finally stream there?

Wish

The other film I saw today was Wish, the animated centerpiece of Disney's centennial. I must say it's better than its otherwise average reviews suggest it is. Does it have any problems? Let's find out.

King Magnifico (Chris Pine) and his wife, Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral), are the founders of the Kingdom of Rosas. Magnifico is also a sorcerer who can hold onto his subjects' wishes and grant them whenever he pleases. He only grants whatever wishes he pleases, so most of them are stored away for nothing. Nobody knows what they lost because of his magic.

Asha (Ariana DeBose), a peppy tour guide, wants the King to grant her grandpa, Sabino's (Victor Garber), wish for his 100th birthday. She finds out about the King's dark side when she applies to be his apprentice. She soon wishes upon a star, which brings a star named Star to Earth.  Star gives a voice to Asha's goat Valentino (via Alan Tudyk), and a few funny problems. But the King's not happy to be upstaged and vows to hunt down Asha and Star. Asha decides to liberate her peoples' wishes from his clutches. It's not easy.

Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn collaborated on the story with screenplay writers Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore. Their Disney celebration is loaded with callbacks to the company's extensive animated catalog. There are some glaringly obvious ones, including practical cameos of Bambi's woodland friends. There are a few subtle ones, too, as I didn't realize till the end that Asha's friends were homages to the Seven Dwarfs. All of these jokes, and more, populate a decently compelling story.

This is essentially a Disney heist movie. Asha, as the center of it all, is a particularly selfless protagonist. Her biggest wish is to make everyone else happy, that's it. She rightfully questions why the King would keep the wishes he never planned to grant. Her first attempt to steal back a wish, particularly Sabino's, is as funny as it is tense. Her and her friends' mission to free the rest makes for a tense climax. She gets a few good songs by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, particularly her "I Want Song" This Wish and its emotional climactic reprise.

King Magnifico makes for a splendidly dastardly villain. He’s affable when he and Asha meet, which goes awry when she inadvertently challenges his ego. While his villain song is catchy, it’s also where his affability strains and breaks. He fully turns scary once he descends into dark magic. But he also reveals himself a petty jerk who distrusts, yet demands respect from, his populace. It's quite satisfying when he gets his comeuppance.

Now for a few supporting highlights. Queen Amaya is far more sympathetic than her husband; she joins Asha and her friends on their mission and delightfully deals with the King herself. Asha's friends include Bazeema (Della Sabba), the Bashful homage and Simon (Evan Peters), the Sleepy homage. Bazeema's talents for off-screen teleportation are astounding; Simon is quite likable even after he sells his friends out in a moment of weakness. Valentino and Star make for great sidekicks. Asha's mom, Sakina (Natasha Rothwell), and Sabino are warm presences here. I'm sure we've seen a few of their types before, but these characters are sufficiently likable. 

The film's CGI is rendered with a unique watercolor aesthetic. Its characters, especially non-human ones like Valentino and Star, look like appealing 3D renderings of cel-painted ones. Its backgrounds are almost indistinguishable from paper painted ones. King Magnifico's sickly green aura accentuates his scariness once he embraces the dark magic. In other words, this is a great film to look at. It's also a good film to listen to, with the aforementioned songs and Dave Metzger's powerful score. Who knows if they'll be as memorable as those in their animated predecessors. But right now, the music makes for a nice listen.

Wish doesn't veer into the straightforward "be careful what you wish for" plot the ads imply. Instead, it's got a likable, if somewhat straightforward, protagonist, and a surprisingly twisty main plot. I kind of hope that its currently mixed reception improves with time, like so many of its animated predecessors. I had fun with it; give it a chance, and you might too. It makes for a good family matinee during these upcoming holidays and beyond.

The Holdovers

I did that theatrical double feature that I promised. The first film I saw today was The Holdovers, which marks Alexander Payne's first film since 2017's shortsighted Downsizing. Let's see why it's great.

It's Christmastime, 1970. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is a history teacher at the esteemed Barton Academy. This year, he's forced to supervise the five "holdover" students with nowhere to go during winter break. Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a troubled underachiever, is one of these students. His mother and stepfather are honeymooning, while the other four students are soon bailed out for a ski trip. He soon becomes the biggest thorn in Paul's side. Eventually, the two of them, along with head cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), become a close surrogate family. 

This marks the theatrical debut for longtime TV writer David Hemingson. His screenplay features three compelling protagonists with memorably hilarious dialogue. Paul has plenty of audacious comebacks for his students ("I can't fail this class," protests Angus. "I truly believe that you can," Paul counters). Angus hurls back Paul's insults, with a mix of hypocrisy and obliviousness, when he accidentally injures himself at one point. Their relationship improves once they see each other as the sad and lonely guys we do. They pull through for each other when a semi-unauthorized trip threatens their academic futures.

Mary makes for a great centerpiece of this trio. Her relationship with Paul & Angus improves her outlook on life as much as she improves theirs'. She calls out Paul for his insensitivity, while she serves as the mother Angus wishes he had. All the while, she struggles with her son's death in Vietnam. She gets some subtly emotional scenes, such as a breakdown at a Christmas party and perusing through her son's baby items. She's also very funny when she needs to be. It's a great range for Randolph's performance that should warrant attention in a few months. 

Now for the others. The youngest holdovers, Alex Ollerman (Ian Dolley) and Ye-Joon Park (Jim Kaplan), are quite sympathetic. But once they go skiing, they and the other holdovers don't matter until the end. Still, the bully Teddy Kountze's (Brady Hepner) comeuppance, ice burn, is pretty amusing. Lydia Crane (Carrie Preston), the only Barton staff person who likes Paul, is herself likable. Danny (Naheem Garcia), the school's janitor, is just as funny as the leads. Gillian Vigman and Tate Donovan show up at the end as Angus's aforementioned mom and stepdad, and these two skirt the line between selfish and reasonable. Stephen Thorne is sympathetic in his one scene as Angus's dad.

The Holdovers is a foul-mouthed feel-good movie. You'll be hooked as its three central characters improve themselves and each other over the course of 133 minutes. You'll also be stunned at its colorful language. Either way, it's a future Christmas classic. See it soon while it's there for your holidays. Now, to the other film I caught today.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

 Who wants to play the games again?

It's been nearly a decade since The Hunger Games ended with Mockingjay - Part 2. But they're back with a prequel, subtitled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a long subtitle for a long supervillain origin story.

Long before he was Donald Sutherland's President Evil in the original films, Coriolanus Snow was Tom Blyth's scion of a disgraced family. He and his cousin, Tigris (Hunter Schafer), and their "Grandma'am" (Fionnula Flanagan) live in abject poverty in the otherwise wealthy Capital of Panem. Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), the mastermind of The Hunger Games, tasks "Coryo" and his Academy classmates to mentor the tributes of the upcoming 10th Games. Coryo, in particular, is assigned District 12's Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a popular country singer. Whoever mentors the best gets wealth and glory.

Problem is, The Hunger Games are actually not that popular. Coryo decides to drum up support by turning it into a spectacle, complete with sponsorships already in place by the time Katniss plays her first games. He sees Lucy Gray's fiery personality as perfect superstar material. Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), the Head Gamemaker, approves Coryo's innovations. A few problems arise for Coryo when the Games start; for one thing, his relationship with Lucy Gray turns romantic. 

The screenplay by Michael Arndt and Michael Lesslie is divided into three parts: The Mentor, The Prize and The Peacekeeper. Those first two parts are the most gripping as we learn about the Games pre-Katniss. It's shocking to see that the ghastly spectacle in the original films is an improvement over what the tributes experience here (for one thing, they're dumped into a zoo until game day). The ineptitude of the drones which send tributes items is weaponized at one point. All the while, we see Coryo's relationship with Lucy Gray develop as he becomes invested in the spectacle he created. Her victory would make a great ending for the film. That happens at around 90 minutes out of 157.

The Peacekeeper is a dour character study as Coryo is drafted into military service in District 12. He faces heartbreak and betrayal - he even does some betraying - on his way to becoming President Evil. Blyth is quite likable whenever Coryo's a good guy, but his descent to self-serving villain is rushed in this part. It's still tragic to see his idealism rot away into villainhood. He has Sutherland's demeanor nailed by the time he's fully future President Evil.

Zegler makes quite a first impression when Lucy Gray stuffs a snake down her archenemy Mayfair's (Isobel Jesper Jones) dress, lunges at her father, the Mayor, and sings a defiant song on stage. She never loses that spark throughout its runtime. Her chemistry with Coryo is great, and we're fully invested in her when the Games begin. Davis, meanwhile, absolutely relishes playing Dr. Gaul as a wicked mad scientist. She cements her maliciousness when she persuades Coryo's academic rival, Clemensia (Ashley Liao), to dip her hand into a tank of rainbow snakes. She's the kind of villain you'd want to see get her comeuppance. Maybe next time.

Now for a few others. Jose Andres Rivera is quite compelling as Coryo's best friend, Sejanus, who detests the Games. Dinklage as Highbottom is surprisingly likable, while Jason Schwartzmann is funny as Games Host Lucky Flickerman. A few tribute highlights include the sympathetic Reaper Ash (Dimitri Abold), Lucy Gray's District 12 counterpart, Jessup (Nick Benson), and Coral (Mackenzie Lansing), the ringleader of the antagonistic tributes. Lily Cooper also stands out as Coryo's classmate, Arachne, whose snootiness spectacularly bites her.

The film's Art Deco production design - think futuristic Great Depression America - is spectacular. Everywhere from the opulent Capital to the bleak District 12 is appealing. The visual effects that help complete these locales are seamless. The matching costume and makeup designs are pretty good, too. The sound design gets its best moment when the Tributes and their Mentors encounter an unexpected problem. Let's just say it's a shocking one. James Newton Howard returns to give this instalment another splendid score. Who knows if the Academy will notice any of them.

It's a bit too long, but The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a good prequel. Its supervillain origin story is surprisingly compelling even with its narrative issues. It will fill your need for Thanksgiving action with style. It's a fine return for the one reality show nobody wants to be in. So, yeah, see it on the widest screen you can find. If all goes well, I'm going to do something crazy:

A theatrical double-feature.

Next Goal Wins

Let's cut to the chase.

The narrative ball is in the wrong court with Taika Waititi's soccer dramedy Next Goal Wins. A few other reviews have accused the film of barely developing its real-life team with one major exception. They're far more interesting than their coach, Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), whom the film actually follows.

In 2001, the American Samoa national team lost to Australia in the World Cup Qualifying Matches an astonishing 31-0. This certified their place as the world's worst soccer team. They're still losers ten years on. Tavita (Oscar Knightley), the head of the American Samoa Soccer Federation, decides to look outside the island for a new coach. Rongen is soon assigned to the job. Rongen's task is to ensure his team scores at least 1 goal in the next World Cup Qualifier.  

Rongen is out of his element on the island. He's completely ignorant of their culture, particularly "curfew time," where everyone stops and prays. His harsh coaching style and foul temper doesn't win him many fans on the team. He only has a few short weeks to make them better, if not perfect. The film's most significant player is the fa'afafine (third gender in Samoan culture) Jaiyah Saeluna (Kaimana), an eventual trans soccer pioneer. Her and Rongen's relationship is initially rough, but she helps him lighten up, and he involves her in his winning strategy.

This is a narrative remake of Mike Brett & Steve Jamison's 2014 documentary of the same name. Waititi, as a goofy priest, tells us up front that the story has "a couple of embellishments along the way." I sure hope one of them is the portrayal of Rongen, whose inflated ego makes him rather difficult to root for here. He deliberately deadnames Jaiyah, just because he can, until she tackles him. Their eventual reconciliation falls a little flat. He gets a few likable moments, but his tragic backstory is revealed way late into the film. 

Jaiyah, on the other hand, is a far more compelling character. Her radiant personality makes her popular with her teammates and, hopefully, the audience. She helps Rongen recruit a few key players, including goalie Nicky Salapu (Uli Latukefu), a veteran of the 2001 team looking for a comeback. She still struggles to maintain her soccer career despite her changing biology, which leads to an emotional breakdown. Her eventual triumph is somewhat undermined by the film positioning the climactic seconds as flashbacks (long story). She's still the film's best character.

A few more MVPs include Officer "Rambo" (Semu Filipo), whose strong kick gets him scouted by Rongen; fellow player Daru (Beulah Koale), who is also Tavita's son; and Ace (David Fane), the former coach who gets a good gag when he (quietly) berates his team at the start. Rongen's daughter, Nicole (Kaitlyn Dever), plays a major part in his backstory. On the other hand, Rongen's estranged wife Gail (Elizabeth Moss) and her new beau, Alex Magnussen (Will Arnett), are just there. 

Next Goal Wins could have been better. It could have switched protagonists, adjusted its current one, or even kept its dramedic tone more consistent. It gets a bit sillier when Waititi shows up as the priest. Its glimpses into American Samoan life are interesting, even if they are brief. See it if you want, but hurry if you do; it might get benched rather soon.

Trolls: Band Together

 Everyone's favorite dolls with the wild hair now have another movie. I skipped Trolls: World Tour, as by the time I got Hulu, where it landed, I was already busy with plenty of other films. Well, I have time for the threequel, Trolls: Band Together, one of many, many, films on my docket for the rest of the year. Yay.

Fortunately, anyone who skipped out on World Tour is barely lost here. Sure, plenty of stuff happened since they last saw Trolls Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) win over the hungry Bergens with music, but a lot of it is natural progress. For one thing, Poppy and Branch are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. For another, the Bergen King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his former scullery maid, Bridget (Zooey Deschanel), are about to get married. The ceremony is disrupted by former Troll heartthrob John Dory (Eric Andre), who announces himself as Branch's long-lost brother!

That's not all. Branch and his brothers were a boy band called BroZone, who broke up when they couldn't get NSYNC (ha!). Their brother Floyd (Troye Sivan) has been troll-napped for his talent by twin hacks, Velvet and Veneer (Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells). Floyd needs Branch's help to get their other brothers, Clay and Spruce (Kid Kudi and Daveed Diggs), back together to save Floyd. It seems only the "Perfect Family Harmony" can break the diamond prison the hacks are holding Floyd in. So begins a weird road trip that also sees Poppy reunited with her own long-lost sister, Viva (Camila Cabello). But are the hacks really going to let them walk into their home turf of Mount Rageous? Obviously not.

Everybody got that?

It's actually a much simpler story than my summary suggests. The road trip is pretty straightforward, but it has a few interesting stops. One of them is the subplot involving Crimp (Zosia Mamet), the hacks' put-upon mop assistant, who gets some sweet revenge at the end. Likewise, Bridget and Gristle's honeymoon is pretty amusing, and it pays off near the end. The glittery Troll Tiny Diamond (Kenan Thompson), who was introduced in World Tour, is mildly amusing, while Veneer is almost sympathetic. Viva's insecurities manifest in the film's most poignant scene. Its climactic scene tries to be poignant with a character's death, but it's blatantly obvious that it's a fake-out. 

Its most appealing aspect is its art styles. The Trolls and Bergens are still ugly cute, but its new characters have wholly unique aesthetics. The denizens of "Vacay Island," where the Trolls find Spruce, are clearly CGI Muppets that almost look real. The Mount Rageons look like hip updates of lanky golden age cartoon characters. A "hustle button" on John Dory's bus critter, Rhonda, is just an excuse to throw in trippy 2D sequences. The visual highlight is the climactic chase of the hacks across the wacky highways of Mount Rageous. It's that sequence alone that would make a trip to IMAX worth it (I saw it on a regular sized screen).

The soundtrack includes more mashups of pop standards, a few new songs, and an instrumental score by Theodore Shapiro. Let's cut to the chase on some of the new songs. The much-hyped Better Place, which sees Timberlake collaborate with his old NSYNC bandmates (who get a weird cameo), is simply fine. It's a good listen but nothing too special. Watch Me Work, the hacks' hit single, is quite appealing, especially when it's mixed with Fame in the climax. The mashups are fine, but Crimp's take on 9 to 5 is entertaining. The instrumental score stands out just fine amongst all the pop. 

Trolls: Band Together's 92 minutes of cartoon silliness will appeal to kids the most. Its oldest audience members will still get some amusement, even a few groaners, out of it. It's good for an afternoon matinee, but who knows if you'll still feel the beat beyond that. I surprisingly remembered quite a bit of plot from Trolls as I watched it; that might be a good sign going into a Trolls 4. Make your plans soon before the cineplexes get crowded this holiday season.

Priscilla

Last year, I reviewed Elvis, a dazzling biopic of a dazzling superstar. This year, I’m reviewing Priscilla, a down-to-earth biopic of said superstar’s wife. What a double-feature that would make.

Sofia Coppola adapted the film from Priscilla's memoir, Elvis and Me. They both tell how Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny), the 14-year-old daughter of an Air Force captain stationed in Germany, met the King of Rock'n'roll. Elvis (Jacob Elordi) is a foot taller and a decade older than her. But it's love at first sight for them. He even arranges for her to move into Graceland a few years later. Her parents have quite a few objections. 

Priscilla initially enjoys living like a superstar's girlfriend, and later, wife. She slowly becomes lonely at Graceland as Elvis goes on the road for tours and film shoots. Back home, Elvis becomes more and more volatile, especially when she confronts him over his highly publicized flings with his co-stars. He expects her to "understand that things like this may happen." He probably expected too much.

What can you expect? We get to see their romance start in a surprisingly endearing way. She's just a humble schoolgirl and he, the superstar mama's boy. They hit it off right away despite their many differences. It's so easy to miss how the film's central romance went wrong for much of the film. But you'll realize it, if you haven't, when Elvis blows up over a silly pillow fight. It suddenly puts much of his actions in perspective. I'll get into further detail with the leads.

Spaeny, who is 25, is believable as Priscilla goes from 14 to 27. She's quite compelling as she tries to circumnavigate Elvis's world. As I said, it's initially endearing despite the differences. But then reality sinks in. Elvis's father and stepmother, Vernon and Dee (Tim Post and Stephanie Moore), are so demanding they won't let her play with her poodle on Graceland's front lawn. Elvis, himself, is overdemanding of her fashion choices, among other things. We're as uncomfortable as she is when cinematographer Phillipe Le Sourd shows him loom over her. So, naturally, we're all for her as she tries to find happiness elsewhere.

It's inevitable to compare Elordi's Elvis to Austin Butler's Elvis. Both are charming, but Elordi's Elvis slowly becomes more and more erratic and unsettling. He has some redeeming moments, such as him accepting Priscilla's disinterest in spirituality, albeit with the unseen Col. Parker's orders. A few other moments are at best, irresponsible, and nasty at worse. We don't really see Elvis perform, other than a home piano solo, as Coppola couldn't get the rights to his songs. I think it's apt. If Butler was the public Elvis, then Elordi is the private Elvis.

What about the actual music? Coppola populates the soundtrack with a few other classic songs, and a score by the bands Phoenix and Sons of Raphael, the former of which is fronted by her husband, Thomas Mars. Its tender opening theme and its classic songs make for easy listening. Its final selection may strike a few viewers as odd given the film's events. But it made sense to me once I read up on Priscilla's perspective. The production and costume designs are stylish, but nowhere near as dazzling as last year's film. All in all, it's a good film to see and hear.

Priscilla has a much narrower focus than Elvis, and thus, has plenty of time to breath. I barely noticed his Grandma Minnie Mae "Dodger" in last year's film, where she was played by Liz Blackett. But here, as played by Lynne Griffin, she's a warm presence and a welcome friend for Priscilla. See both films back-to-back for some major whiplash. Are you not interested in that? Priscilla is still an interesting biopic of a star's private life. Let's see if the Academy takes notice.

The Marvels

Yay, the Hollywood Strikes are over! 

My first review of a post-strike film is The Marvels, which functions as a sequel to both Captain Marvel and the Disney Plus show Ms. Marvel. It's a nice diversion even if it has some narrative issues.

Ms. Marvel ended with its titular heroine, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), inexplicably switching places with Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). The film explains that it's all the doing of Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), the "Supremor" of the Kree. She needs the Quantum Bands, a pair of MacGuffins, to save her home planet, Hala, from uninhabitability. How? By opening up space portals that let her siphon some unfortunate planets' natural resources to Hala. Kamala has one Quantum Band, and Dar-Benn gets the other when she opens the film. 

Anyway, because of the space portal stuff, Kamala, Carol and Capt. Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) - the last of whom got superpowered in WandaVision - switch places when they use their powers together. It's all very confusing for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Kamala's family. But "The Marvels" have to figure out how to manage it before Dar-Benn's quest goes too far. That's basically it.

Nia DaCosta, who directed and co-wrote the recent Candyman, helms this film as well. She and her co-writers, Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, create a pretty basic "stop the bad guy" comic book plot. The mechanics behind all the switching is jumbled at best, and contradictory at worst. Naturally, you'd have to do your MCU homework to follow a few plot threads. It gets weird when the returning "Flerken," Goose the Cat, introduces a new plot thread.

It’s a delightfully silly comic book film. The first major fight is a farcical, yet somewhat overlong, brawl between the Marvels, assisted by the Khans, and two Kree goons. Prince Yan (Park Seo-joon), Carol's political husband from the musical planet Aladna (roll with it), is a pretty cool new character. Goose’s plot thread is resolved in the most audaciously hysterical manner. It’s sometimes serious, especially concerning Monica’s late mom Maria (Lashana Lynch) or Carol’s biggest diplomatic failure. It's not completely serious, but it's far better than the real-life stuff I've dealt with lately. 

Anyone who missed Ms. Marvel gets a great introduction to its star. Kamala's superhero fangirling is endearing, especially when she visualizes her and Carol's first meeting in fanfic form. It's fun to see her bond with the older Marvels and to see them warm up to her idealism. We feel for her after she nearly falls out with Carol after Dar-Benn's attack on the Skrulls' world. We definitely feel good once she proves her mettle as a heroine. As for the others, Carol, Monica and Fury are pretty good, Dar-Benn's a decent misguided villain and Kamala's family (especially Zenobia Shroof as her mom, Muneeba) are fun.

Now for the technical Marvels. A few highlights of Care Brower's splendid production design include Fury's S.A.B.E.R. space station, Dar-Benn's ship, the desolate Hala, and Aladna's palace. The Aladna scenes make for a good highlight reel for the costume and makeup designers. There's some great CGI for The Marvels' powers, whether it's with Kamala's hard-light attacks, Monica's intangibility or Carol's energy surges. Goose is still creepy when her true nature is revealed. The film retains Ms. Marvel's composer Laura Karpman, who gives the film a rousing theme perfect for its cosmic scale.

Did I mention that it's pretty short by superhero standards? It's just 105 minutes long, which makes it a concise, but not perfectly told, superhero adventure. It'll make for a great pre-Thanksgiving matinee just before the glut of new releases between next Friday and Turkey Day. If you're still not convinced to see The Marvels, then do it for a surprise cameo in the prerequisite mid-credit scene. I'm sure it's not the last you'll hear of this character.