"It Chapter Two" Review

It Chapter Two gives us the conclusion to the Losers story. The film goes big and tries to cram 900 pages of material into its nearly three hour run time. The transition from childhood to adulthood can be tough, and certainly showing that in the sequel to 2017’s It was a difficult task for director Andy Muschietti. His efforts have to be commended. However, with length and structure issues, this doesn’t hit the mark of its predecessor and might wind up being forgotten once you’ve left the theaters much like leaving the town of Derry.

Jumping off with a hate crime towards a homosexual couple, the film gives its first foreshadowing of what you’re about to see: intense setups with questionable or predictable payoffs. After a young man is dismembered by Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), and once Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) hears about the latest murder over a police scanner, he quickly calls the gang back to Derry to finish what they set out to do. Mike’s call to Bill (James McAvoy), Beverly (Jessica Chastain), Ben (Jay Ryan), Richie (Bill Hader), Eddie (James Ransone) and Stanley (Andy Bean) sets off a chain reaction of fear reentering their lives before returning home. 

Upon arriving back in Derry, the group quickly falls back into the friendships they left behind 27 years prior. The narrative is pretty straightforward from there. They have a job to do, and there’s an inventive way in which the internal clock on the group’s decision to carryout their mission is employed. Each character has their own moment to reconnect with their childhood fears and It,  which is part of the reason for the bloating of the film. In fact, the film is light on the scares this time around in exchange for humor and the exploration of what it takes to overcome fear. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but its execution is fumbled in some stories.

The casting here is well suited. Bill Hader is stand out as Richie! From the moment he enters the frame, he embodies the role with a scene stealing richness that has to be applauded. (I doubt It: Chapter Two would receive any awards, but you could certainly make a case for Hader’s performance.) While we’re used to Jessica Chastain being a leading woman with a presence, she’s able to shrink herself enough to be one of the gang in a way that really works. It’s a shame that Skarsgard doesn’t get to do a lot with Pennywise in regard to screen time, but when he’s on the screen his performance is masterful.

Don’t get me wrong, Chapter Two has nice moments. Cinematographer, Checco Varese, is able to tap into our fears with the way he uses light in scenes. A lightning bug lights up Pennywise’s face in one scene, while the ugly fluorescent and neons in a fun house light another. Certainly the suspense and hair-raising moments of facing your fear is there. With sound being a huge component of creating scares, the sound department deserves their credit as well. It’s the quiet moments followed by the crescendo of a monsters footsteps getting closer and closer that really puts you in the zone.

Ultimately, this sequel doesn’t match the quality of the film before it due to the way the child ensemble masterfully handled the material and the fact that things that go bump in the night is a lot scarier when children are involved. There’s something about the way it feels more believable because we can remember when our imaginations ran wild and the friendly clown at the circus looked more like a threat then a fun time. That said, seeing the story conclude is much more satisfying this time around than the 90s mini-series.

Rating: B-

"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" Review

Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone are known for their comedy sketches and parody videos as a part of The Lonely Island. They came to prominence with their Saturday Night Live digital short “Lazy Sunday”. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is simply them coming together and fleshing out a feature length version of one of their videos. It’s a rock mockumentary for the popular culture of the 21st century, that’s actually funny. 

Conner4real (Samberg) is a young singer/rapper at the top of his game. He started out in the hip hop group called The Style Boyz with his childhood friends, Owen (Taccone) and Lawrence (Schaffer). Stepping out from the group he catapulted himself to the top of the charts and hearts of his fans. After the huge success of his first album, we find Conner preparing for his latest, Connquest. To ensure the albums success, Conner wrote all of the songs and used 100 producers to create all of the beats. 

With songs like “Equal Rights”, about marriage equality but stitched together with homophobic lines, and “Finest Girl” which makes references to killing Osama Bin Laden, Connquest tanks. The rest of the film is about Conner realizing he has a bunch of “yes men” around him and getting back to his roots. 

While the set up is typical of a VH1 Behind the Music episode, that’s a part of what makes it wonderful. The film mocks pop culture, pop music, and hip hop in a way that’s right on the money by marrying the documentary style filmmaking with comedy. Popstar is written by Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone and there is a palpable sense that they wanted to mock the culture while hitting dramatic beats and actually telling a story rather than stringing together numerous sketches.

As the film unfolds, numerous celebrity cameos of popular artists and comedians are woven into the film. Some are brief, and other’s continue to come back, but most of them add to the humor of the film because of the irony of making fun of the business they helped create or are still a part of. There are a few TMZ or CMZ as it’s called in the film, scenes that are hilarious! They nail Harvey Levin and crew’s office sessions. 

This film is a little funnier than the trailer, and I cracked up watching the trailer. So if you don’t find the trailer funny, than you probably won’t find the film funny either. But there’s no escaping the fact that this is clever satire that encapsulates this social media/reality TV/need to be liked generation in an affectionate, genuine, comedic film.

Rating: B

"Inside Out" Review: Laugh. Cry. Repeat!

Laugh. Cry. Repeat. That pretty much sums up what Pixar’s latest and perhaps greatest film is guaranteed to make you do. “Inside Out” takes the complex theme of how we deal with our emotions and presents it in a simply beautiful and entertaining 94 minutes.

Riley Anderson is eleven years old. Her parents have just moved the family from Minnesota to San Francisco. She’s left behind her friends, champion hockey team and everything she knows. The voices in her head- Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black), and Fear (Bill Hader)- are doing their best to help her deal with it from their headquarters in a tower high above all of her memories. 

After a couple of days of being in the new house, Riley’s emotions really begin to tug on her, which means chaos for headquarters. The event sends Joy and Sadness on a journey to try and make Riley happy again. Visiting places like long term memory, Goofball Island, Friendship Island and more, the duo meet old friends along the way. 

What makes this film great is the screenwriting! It perfectly blends what’s happening outside of Riley with the events that are taking place inside her mind. The cause and effect of her parents questioning her and Anger being at the controls make for plenty of laughs. Yet, Pixar delves into the intricacies of how a good memory can become bittersweet. Writer/director team Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen nail the natural growth that takes place when we encounter new life experiences which help to shape and mold our character! 

Pixar has always been great at making films that appeal to children but that parents can appreciate as well. I saw the film with a mixed bag of children and adults and my only concern is that the parents seemed to identify more with the film than kids did. Perhaps it’s because many of them hadn’t reached Riley’s cinematic age themselves, or haven’t dealt with loss outside of a toy, etc. I in no way doubt a child’s ability to comprehend the film, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some kids don’t latch on quite as well as others.

“Inside Out” tells a universal story that puts humanity’s feelings on display in a way that hasn’t been seen before. It’s a great ride from beginning to end, and one of the best kids’ flicks to come out in a while proving that Pixar is still king of animation. It may be debated whether it’s one of Pixar’s greatest, but you should definitely see it this weekend and judge for yourself!

Rating: A