"The Upside" Review: Solid Performances, Formulaic Story
The Upside is one of those films that tackle how two vastly different people’s lives can intertwine to help one another see the brighter side of life. The film is based off a true story and a remake of the 2011 French film The Intouchables. While the performances are solid, this version ultimately lands a bit flat.
Philip (Bryan Cranston) is a quadriplegic in need of a live in assistant. Dell (Kevin Hart) is an ex-con in search of employment. After Dell stumbles upon the job interview, Philip hires him as the worst candidate for the job in hopes that he might just kill him with his lack of experience. As the two get to know one another, they are called out on their excuses that they make for the cards that life has dealt them.
This film is certainly Hart’s film. When he’s in scenes, they come to life, and when he’s not the film’s energy is sucked out. As a comedian at the top of his game, this film is Hart’s vehicle that will help him crossover in being taken seriously as a dramatic actor. The interactions between Hart and Cranston are authentic and at times hilarious. Due to their blunt honesty with one another, we’re able to analyze life truths that resonate. Nicole Kidman turns in a subtly wonderful performance as Philip’s executive in charge of his affairs.
The issue with the film is that it’s full of beautiful but formulaic moments. These moments are loosely strung together with choppy start-stop pacing. Furthermore, it fails to pull you in and genuinely care for its main characters. You may appreciate Dell and Phillip’s relationship, but you don’t really feel the connection to them that is necessary for the film to soar.
If you’re looking for a feel good film to take grandma to see this weekend, this is it. However, this is a film that I’d suggest you wait to catch when it’s streaming. You’ll forget about it moments after leaving the theater.
Rating: C
"The Upside" Review
Based on a true story, The Upside is a film that is both unexpectedly hilarious yet humbling. Bryan Cranston plays a wealthy quadriplegic named Phillip and Kevin Hart is his caretaker, Dell. Both Cranston and Hart are an unstoppable duo on screen. The duo are no strangers to comedy which makes their interactions more genuine and comical. Their endearing relationship gives you hope for humanity. Alongside the serious moments, the comedy is well written and delivered with perfection.
The acting is great; the relationship between Dell and Phillip in the film seems genuine and playful. The actors are able to portray the writing in a beautiful way that exposes a different aspect of the relationship Dell and Phillip have (they are still friends to this day). In a way, both of the characters are outcasts of society; Phillip as a quadriplegic doesn’t often receive the respect he should, even in small interactions; Dell has a similar experience being formerly incarcerated and now looking for a job. Their relationship builds off of their differences and in result of their friendship growing, they come to find that they are very similar. This development alone is one of my favorite aspects of the film and it is the first reason to go and see The Upside. Cranston and Hart lead the film with great acting but one cannot overlook the talented performances of Nicole Kidman and Golshifteh Farahani as supporting actors as well.
The second reason to go see the film is for the writing, the comedy is innovative and edgy, especially with the quips that Dell and Phillip throw at each other. I found that some of the humor is so awkward and cringe-worthy, you can’t help but laugh. The comedy delivered through the acting carries the film as Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart truly have a positive chemistry which makes it even better. Together the duo forces the audience to experience every emotion they’re experiencing, and they don’t hold anything back. Both of the characters go through significant change with each other and it is a beautiful process to see.
Alongside the writing and acting, the camera work is lovely and even whimsical. The director of photography, Stuart Dryburgh captures the film in a significant way; at times the cinematography reminded me of a painting, especially when the visuals are paired with dramatic moments. The director uses a technique with the cinematographer to expose bits and pieces of Phillip’s past through imaginative visual representations in a way that’s well executed. Joined with the drama and comedy within the film, the cinematography allows space when it is needed, the breathtaking shots are peaceful and meditative; it is almost as if the audience is supposed to feel the peace the characters do. These small decisions of the director and cinematographer makes the film stunning in a unique way.
Overall The Upside is great, it forces the audience to think differently about how to treat the outcasts of society and how much we take for granted on a day to day basis. If you wish to see a film that is action packed with explosions, this is not the film for you. However, if you wish to view the world differently and open your mind to new perspectives, this is a wonderful film to watch. I highly recommend this film if you are familiar with the actors, they certainly hold true to their acting reputations. See The Upside in theaters while you still can, the lovely visuals are made to be seen on a big screen.
Grade: A
"Isle of Dogs" Review
Isle of Dogs might just be Wes Anderson’s most accomplished film yet as a filmmaker. Coming off his most successful film with 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson returns to the world of stop motion animation that he previously visited having directed 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I very much enjoyed when I saw it. Isle of Dogs is a charming film from start to finish with some huge laughs along the way and a big heart. Even though this is in the same wheelhouse as previous Anderson’s films, this is oddly enough his most accessible film to date.
In the not too distant future in Megasaki City, a fictional Japanese city, there has been an outbreak of dog-flu and snout fever. To quarantine this epidemic, Mayor Kobayashi (story co-writer Kunichi Nomura) declares an order to place all dogs on nearby Trash Island. It’s also revealed that throughout the ages, his family lineage prefer cats to dogs. After several months, a young boy named Atari (newcomer Koya Rankin) crash lands onto Trash Island to find his beloved dog Spots (Liev Schreiber). Assisting Atari on his journey to find Spots are fellow dogs Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), Boss (Bill Murray), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), and King (Bob Balaban).
Since Japanese cinema heavily influenced this film, we can tell that Anderson wears those influences heavily on his sleeves. For example, the mechanized dogs look similar in design to Mecha-Godzilla from the Toho’s Godzilla series and the laboratories look like something you would see from a science fiction film. The storyline (written by Anderson from a story from him, Nomura, Roman Coppola, and Jason Schwartzman) is simplistic enough that throughout the 101-minute runtime, you never get confused about what’s transpiring on-screen. The pacing is good for its runtime as well. With the way that Anderson presents the story to the audience, at times, it feels like a story coming to life, which is given since the film is split into five chapters like a book, and most of the characters speak directly to the camera, as if they’re talking to us. Even though it’s a stop motion film, I bought into the story that the film was trying to tell. Like with his previous films, you get the humor that Anderson typically exhibits, whether it’s a deadpan delivery or a visual gag. Truth be told, some of the visual gags were the funniest parts of the film.
On top of that, all the actors that Anderson assembled for the film (most of them are from his previous films) were enjoyable in the roles they were selected, with the MVP in my opinion being Cranston as Chief, a stray dog in the pack that helps Atari. Like with his other films, Anderson plays with symmetry in the look of the film, and the visual design that was employed was splendid. Case in point, whenever the dogs fight, it becomes a ball of smoke like we’ve seen in previous animated films or shows. The film gets political here and there. Even though it’s a stop-motion film about dogs, Anderson uses it as a springboard to discuss larger topics at hand, like the use of fear mongering, corruption in politics, and uses the plight of the dogs as metaphors. The music choices were spot on, including tracks from Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Drunken Angel, since Anderson started that his films were a big influence, and once again, Alexandre Desplat composes another great score for Anderson (he previously won an Oscar for The Grand Budapest Hotel).
If there are any criticisms that I had with this film, it’s that sometimes Anderson throws too much info at the audience. Since we have an overload of information, it feels like as the film gets toward the end it runs out of steam just a tad. Some of the subplots don’t bring anything to the film and if Anderson trimmed some of them out, the film would have played just as well. As usual, if you don’t like the humor his films tend to employ, you might not view this as funny.
Overall, even though we’re in the month of March, it’s safe to say that Isle of Dogs is easily one of the best films of the year so far. At the heart of the film, it’s a story about a boy’s love of his dog, and how dogs are truly man’s best friends. This film shows growth for Anderson as a filmmaker, and is clearly one of his best films to date. I enjoyed this more than what I was anticipating going into it. I urge you to seek this film out as soon as you can, and I would most definitely recommend checking this out in a theater!
"Kung Fu Panda 3" Review
There’s no doubt that you make it to a third film in a franchise by either having great content or creating a film for cheap but getting large profit margins these days. Dream Works Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3 (KFP3) has certainly made it here by the former. However, is the third time a charm?
Jack Black lends his voice again as Po, the bumbling but lovable panda. The old crew is still with him: Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Viper, Jackie Chan as Monkey and Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu. Yet, in this installment, Po is on his way to becoming the Dragon Warrior. As if the journey for the student becoming the master wasn’t enough for Po, his long lost father Li (Bryan Cranston) comes on the scene to further distract him.
While Po reunites with his family (introducing us to new, memorable pandas), an old enemy from the spirit world, Kai (J.K. Simmons) has found a way to return to the mortal world by stealing other master’s chi. As Kai begins to defeat the Kung Fu Masters in China, he accumulates their chi in the form of jade miniatures of each master that he can wear on his belt. The jade miniature animations sound and look so real. The need for Po to ascend to the Dragon Warrior he’s supposed to be is even more pertinent.
With KFP3 you get the same incredible animated visuals you’ve come to expect, but the story doesn’t feel as fresh this time around. The film plays out in a way that feels more convenient to storytelling rather than exciting and integral. As Po unites with his father, tension arises between his bio dad and step dad, Mr. Ping (James Hong). As if finding his family wasn’t enough, Po also has to deal with pleasing the family he’s always known versus his new found relatives. Unfortunately, it feels almost negligent on Po’s part that he deals with his family issues while his comrades are loosing their “lives”.
By the end of the film we see Po’s growth and ascension into the role of Dragon Warrior with a message of “be yourself” that’s worthwhile for children of all ages. The animation in the film is top notch. While Po has a satisfying character arch and growth in the film, the furious five (Tigress, Mantis, Viper, Monkey, Master Shifu) are virtually silenced. Regardless, my 3 year old loved it, and I’m sure any child under the age of 13 will love the film too!
Rating: B-