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COLME AARON
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  • Movie Reviews
  • Yearly Top 10
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Movies In RevIew

Hamilton - Review

7/3/2020

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Released: July 3, 2020
Wow

The most famous Broadway show in the past half-decade, Hamilton, amassed a large following. It felt like if you hadn't secured a sold-out ticket, you listened to the soundtrack on Spotify. For about a year, it was the most talked-about thing people wanted to go and experience. Having been released on Disney+, it is now available to all and just in time for the 4th of July weekend. While I can't answer if this matches up to seeing the musical in person, as I never had the chance to, I can recommend this version. 

One of the many advantages of going to a live production is choosing where to look. A set designer can try and focus the audiences' gaze, but it's ultimately up to the individual where they decide to look. This was the first hurdle I struggled with when the program started. I tried to focus on the set and the ensemble cast, but the camera's focus was on the main singer's face. When there was a moment that allowed me to see more of the stage, there would be a cut to a different angle. Eventually, I gave up on this endeavor and stuck with where the camera was pointing, but this is because the
set never changed. There were no background replacements, meaning there was never a reason to look back around. There was also a lack of engaging choreography for a production that had a lot of actors moving around. These factors helped to translate the experience to the more edited version that is now available.

The bulk of my entertainment started to manifest after the first hour. While that first part is fine, the momentum really picks up afterward. There is much more drama in the second half, and the quality of the music goes up as well. What really ties everything together is the recurring pieces of music that narratively build up characters and their motivations. When the curtain call happens, I looked back at and appreciated my time getting to experience the musical. It earned my time, and I felt good having watched it.

Hamilton is a great watching experience despite the more focused approach. While the music is good, it was the performance of Daveed Diggs and the small appearances of Jonathan Groff that made me believe in seeing it rather than listening to it. Aside from the historical aspects, it's a well-told biography that's engaging and keeps you interested. It earns the runtime, and you can finally understand why people wouldn't stop raving over it, though you might not end up as enamored as they did.

7.5/10
​The best thing to come out since quarantine started

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Frozen 2 - Review

11/21/2019

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Release Date:  November 22, 2019​​​​​​​​​
Frozen Over

​Can you believe it's been six years since "Let It Go" took over the world? While many hate the first Frozen because it became cool to do so, I maintain that it was fine. It's not without its flaws but was a mainstream story about sisterhood that I could enjoy. Trying to recapture the magic which was accidental in the first place seems impossible. Frozen Fever was an early indicator that things wouldn't work out for the sequel as the same creative team made that too. Frozen 2 just doesn't come close to tapping into the mania whipped up by the first.

The most substantial aspect of Frozen was its music; some unforgettable songs ended up being earworms, and in the age of covers on YouTube, it was a potent concoction. Frozen II absolutely drops the ball on this front. I am not even passing judgment on the music itself; rather, it was a technical aspect that horrified me — some of the most significant pieces were handicapped by the vocals being too quiet. Remember in "Let It Go" where the song gets to the major key change, and you feel that energy? That never happens due to the instrumental backing being too loud and not letting the vocalist shine. Other songs didn't have this problem, but it was an issue for a couple of big moments.
With the music hindered, it was all on the story to keep the movie going. Infamously, Frozen was majorly changed at the last minute since Elsa was supposed to be a villain; this is not brought up as a vote of confidence. The level at which Frozen 2 fails at telling a compelling narrative is massive. It starts by retconning aspects of the first film and continues to snowball (heh) from there. Anna goes from having goals in 2013 to being a passive character now. Events just happen to her, and she barely participates. Not a single character has anything resembling an arc; they're all static, unchanged from the beginning to the end. The movie tries to hide its shortcomings by heavy-handedly shoving paper-thin character motivations in your face. Exposition dumps group together with characters always telling you how they feel; show don't tell should be the most obvious rule to follow. 

From a big-picture perspective, the film stumbles as it tries to set up mysteries and lessons early on. These would only work if everything wasn't so obvious and if the movie didn't keep referencing them every other scene. It also has one of the most bizarre third acts I've ever seen, lasting a max of 20 minutes. Right as a huge revelation is revealed, and characters are put in difficult situations, everything resolves in a snap. I can't elaborate as it would contain spoilers, but the rate at which all hope is lost turns to everything is alright flashes by. 

Frozen 2 isn't inventive enough either. There are three separate references to "Do You Want to Build a Snowman"; THREE. It takes ideas, aspects, and structure from the first film so often that it felt like Deja Vu. Some might mischaracterize this as nostalgia, but movies have been struggling to spawn sequels for decades. Even the lightweight queerbaiting is back, only more prominent than before.

Two things did put a smile on my face, the first being the animation. There were so many little touches that added to the overall character, so many references where you blink, and you'll miss them. Some are character movements, and others are presentation nods, it's wild how many there are. The second thing is the texturing and rendering technology on display. Disney proves once again that no one is close to achieving the level of fidelity that they can reach. Some landscapes and backgrounds look photorealistic. It honestly is impressive stuff and blew my mind each time I saw it.  

Frozen 2 is pretty bad. It was at its best during the first act since it played to the brand's strength. Olaf was able to make me laugh, and there was a budding curiosity on what adventure the cast was going to embark on. Once that all came crashing down, my head was propped up by my hand as I sighed my way through the rest of the runtime. There was clapping when the credits rolled so you might enjoy it, but I cannot recommend it.

3.5/10
The music during the credits are the songs sung by professionals and its great

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The Greatest Showman - Review

12/22/2017

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Release Date: December 20, 2017
Genuinely surprising

The Greatest Showman had to grow on me. From the very first trailer, I wasn't sold. Even the second trailer didn't make me confident in seeing the movie. That whole process mirrors my experience watching the movie itself.

The movie starts off with some cringy lines from child actors that are off-putting. When the movie transitions to Hugh Jackman's character as an adult it immediately improves. But then the movie continues to make really easy choices when it comes to the storytelling. It takes the easy way out, rushing through what would seem like important plot points. It likes to skip through hardship that the characters take and focus on the positive. For all the talk about inclusion and overcoming prejudice, it doesn't really portray the hill to climb.

If you take the constant head scratching that is the story and ignore it, the movie is nice on the eyes. It's colorful and full of life with some great vibrancy in colors. The soundtrack, since this is a musical, is actually really good. I love to listen to the music thinking about the scenes in which they were used in the movie. That being said, the musical numbers are not that magical in the movie itself. Some are, but most don't portray the magic that you feel listening to the music by itself. Pretty much every song is used in the movie as a tool to create positivity. This means that whenever you feel like some emotional depth might actually happen in the movie, it is picked up by a musical number.

The standouts from the movie are obviously Hugh Jackman but also Zendaya. Jackman is a no-brainer because he is great in everything he does, while Zendaya is a genuine surprise. This is due to the fact that she is barely in the movie but still makes a strong impression. I was not familiar with her before this year's Spider-Man: Homecoming, but now hope she is in a lot more movies. Zac Efron proves he can still sing but still can't prove to me he has range in acting.

Overall the movie was pleasant enough. It's pretty enough to look at and has some really great music. I am happy that the movie came out solely for the soundtrack. At the beginning of the movie, Jackman and the director come on screen and thank you for coming to a theater to see the movie, but you could rent this at home in a few months time.

                                            7/10
            All the songs on the soundtrack are good
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