20s Movie Review - The Color Purple

Director: Blitz Bazaluwe
Genre: Musical/ Drama
Runtime: 141 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Halle Bailey, Phylicia  Pearl Mpasi, Ciara, H.E.R., David Allan Grier, Louis Gossett Jr.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 19: A MUSICAL
 
Description: A woman faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Review: This is the musical rendition of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Color Purple”, already very successfully adapted into a drama film by Steven Spielberg in 1985. And seen as a play in 2005.

In the hands of director Blitz Bazawule, the raw account of the oppressed Celie, who slowly breaks fre from an environment filled with misyny and violence, does not gain the depth and layering of the original and its source material. However, lead actors Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks and the beautifully executed music make up for much.

I still think they should have left the original film alone and leave it as is, it’s not the best story to be turned into a musical.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - The last Voyage of the Demeter

Director: André Øvredal
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi, Chris Walley, Jon Jon Briones, Woody Norman, Stefan Kapicic, Martin Furulund
 
Description: A crew sailing from Varna, Bulgaria by the Black Sea to England find that they are carrying very dangerous cargo.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 50: A MOVIE RELEASED IN 2023
 
Review: The thing with prequels is, that you know how it will end, because you already know the story that follows. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is something of a prequel, as it is a chapter somewhere in the book “Dracula”. Again, there is never any doubt about how this will end, but the journey to that end is intriguing.

The ship Demeter has been commissioned to sail some large crates to London, that will take at least a week. They don’t know for who it is, but they have been promised a large bonus if they delivery arrives faster than usual. But then strange things begin to happen on board.

Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is a literary horror classic, there is a little bit about how Dracula managed to move himself from Transylvania to England: by boat. And by the time the ship arrives, there is no crew in sight. So The Last Voyage of the Demeter” offers no mystery.

For the screenplay, two characters have been invented that do not interfere with the source material. The main character is Clemens, a black man who graduated from Cambridge University, but cannot get a job because of the color of his skin. Well-acted by Corey Hawkins.

The other is Anna, a girl who appeared to be in one of the crates and has all sorts of strange-looking wounds on her body. One wants to throw her overboard, but Clemens heals her and becomes her protector.

The story still has enough suspense, even with knowing where it will eventually end. What happened to the crew, in detail, we don’t know. And the film is at times mildly scary, it’s very doable if you’re a scaredy-cat . The cinematography is amazing. Since the entire film takes place on a ship, you have little to work with. The set is beautifully designed and built, and the camera captures this perfectly. The way they work with light and shadow is very well done.

I did enjoy the film, putting focus on this part of the well-known story. I was invested, because I find Dracula one of the most interesting literary characters in history. They way everything was filmed was really impressive, but the characters, besides Clemens, are all a bit flat.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - In the Heights

Director: Jon M. Chu
Genre: Musical/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 143 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Olga Merediz, Jimmy Smits, Gregory Diaz IV, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz

Description: A film version of the Broadway musical in which Usnavi (Anthon Ramos), a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life.

Review: In Washington Heights, Manhattan we see several stories of people who are struggling to make ends meet, love problems, and dreams of getting a better life in the future, among other things.
In 2020, the Broadway film adaptation of Hamilton was a favorite for many. The man behind the music, Lin-Manuel Miranda, would now make a film adaptation of his other well-known Broadway hit, “In the Heights”. Another infectious musical that draws you in from the first song and leaves you with a feel-good feeling.
I’m a musical fan and I’m very happy to see that the genre hasn’t died yet. Lin-Manuel Miranda has a certain style that I don’t always like, but his mix of rap, hip-hop, Dominican swing music and slow pieces really fit perfectly in this setting.
I think “In the Heights” is the type of movie needed in this difficult time, to feel happy and be surrounded by song, dance and music. A feel-good movie, even if you’re not necessarily a musical fan.

Rating: 3,5/ 5