ELVIS, TOP GUN: MAVERICK, THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE, A SEXPLANATION, MEN, DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, MOON KNIGHT

ELVIS | Warner Bros | Director Bazz Luhrmann| Co-written by Sam Bromell, Jeremy Doner, and Craig Pearce | Cinematography Mandy Walker | Costume & Production Designer Catherine Martin

Growing up if something was really white and kinda corny you can best believe I was into it. So I fell in love with the girl crazy, but clean-cut Elvis of the movies like Fun in Acapulco, Blue Hawaii, King Creole and Viva Las Vegas which is on my Letterboxd List of Movies I Can Watch Again and Again, but I didn’t realize this was all part of America’s censoring and taming of the young, rebel, hip swinging, black eyeliner wearing Elvis. The Elvis who grew up in an all-black neighborhood, revered gospel music, was good friends with the likes of B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and other early Jazz/Blues musicians. I always assumed he heard their records and appropriated the sound, but it would seem he came by it naturally, due to his upbringing.  I didn’t even know that he had two choices – go to jail for indecency or join the military.  Why is America called “The Land of the Free” yet sh*% like this happened all the time, and still can happen if we’re not very vigilant.

In terms of Baz Luhrmann films, I’ve only seen Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. I wrote a comparison between the 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Luhrmann’s Leo DiCaprio version that became my most viewed posts for 5 years running.  I was in favor of the original; yet, I don’t hold that Baz Luhrmann’s just too much bias that most critics seem to have.  In fact, I’d like to praise him when it comes to his latest film Elvis, for giving the iconic crooner the razzle dazzle he and his life story deserves. And I’m not alone as it was given a 12 min standing O at the 75th Cannes Film Festival!

The film gets going with a bang of diamond-encrusted logos and spinning kaleidoscopic of Elvis and Vegas in frames with loud music and just a sense of the excitement that surrounded Elvis Presley in his heyday.  I like being brought into a movie of this nature this way, it prepares you for being taken on an entertaining ride and that’s what we get.  And yet, there are many scenes played out emotionally and fully. In NO WAY is the movie choppy or overly edited or too glitzy. It’s just the right touch of bling. And for the most part, after the opening scenes, it’s a linear story starting with Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) on the touring circuit with a good o’l boy singer Hank Snow (David Wenham). It’s Hank’s son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow (Kodi Smit-McPhee) that starts playing a record newly popular with the kids in town. They first tell him to shut it off, assuming the singer’s black, but when Jimmie apprises them of the fact that Elvis is white, you’d swear they CGI’d dollar signs in the Colonel’s eyes and off he goes to capture lightening in a bottle.

This is how Luhrmann and his team of writers decided to frame this story of Elvis Aaron Presley, through the eyes of his avuncular, manipulative, greedy, “snow-man” of a manager, Colonel Parker, who nobody ever really knew.  He speaks with an accent that seems like a mix of Dutch and German behind a practiced southern drawl.  He admits to being akin to a carnival barker and a spin doctor, yet Elvis trusts him with his life and livelihood practically his whole career.  Hanks is not right for this part, prosthetics, fat suit, accent, none of it is enough to convince you he ever should have been cast.  Thankfully, there is no better person suited to play Elvis than Austin Butler. It’s his movie to carry. The young actor does more than just nail Presley’s singing voice and stage presence; he goes far beyond an impersonator to a place of kinship.  Rami Malki was very good as Freddy Mercury, Taron Egerton did a fantastic job in Rocketman, Jennifer Hudson tried her best as Aretha Franklin, but Austin Butler puts them all to shame!

T&T LAMB score 4.5 outta 5

TOP GUN: MAVERICK | Paramount Pictures | Director Joseph Kosinski |Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie

Up until a week ago, the last time I saw TOP GUN was in the theaters in 1986.  It’s never been one that would make my Letterboxd List of Movies I Can Watch Again and Again, but I love that for so many others, both male and female, it is.  Nothing like nostalgia for a movie that just makes you feel good and nothing like a movie that so perfectly captures a time period with pop-culture resonance abounding 36 years later.

That being said, I don’t think the original Top Gun is a good movie – it’s hard to follow WTF is going on in the countless flying/dogfight/MiG scenes. In terms of the romance between Charlie (Kelly McGillis) and Maverick (Tom Cruise) I get that he was attracted to his superior who was a bit older and more sophisticated, but Cruise didn’t even look 22, he’s got such a baby face in this movie he could have been playing a 16 year-old.  She never would have fallen for that cocky kid, she just would have used him for a night or two.  And yeah, I get the bromance between Goose (Anthony Edwards) and Maverick, and Goose subsequently dying is the crux of the movie…  I was more into the scenes with Goose’s wife played by Meg Ryan, because at the time, she had just left As The World Turns and she still had her Betsey Andropolis hair cut. IDK basically, Top Gun for me is just one fun soundtrack. 

Now, TOP GUN: MAVERICK with Mr. Cinematic (Cruise) Executive Producing the whole thing, has a bit more weight. He and this set of writers bring more story and structure, better dialogue and explanation of the still countless (I know, that’s the point of the movie) real flying scenes.  

It seems since last we saw Pete “Maverick” Mitchell not a lot has changed. He’s still taking chances, he’s still got the same motorcycle and jacket (original from Top Gun) doesn’t appear he ever married, and he’s still a captain flying planes for the Navy.  “You won’t retire, despite your best efforts you refuse to die, you should be at least a 2 star admiral by now, yet here you are Captain, why is that?” says Radm. Chester ‘Hammer’ Cain (Ed Harris) angry at Maverick for yet again disobeying orders.

This latest stunt could have had him dishonorably discharged, but he’s still got friends in high places – Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet (Val Kilmer). Who has commissioned Maverick to come back to train a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission.  These are this generation’s Best of the Best – Female pilot “Phoenix” (Monica Barbaro), “Payback” (Jay Ellis), “Fanboy” (Danny Ramirez), “Coyote” (Greg Tarzan Davis), ‘the new Iceman’, is super cocky “Hangman” (Glen Powell), I like that his helmet is spelled with some of the letters missing like the game. And last but not least, is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller) son of Goose and like a son to Maverick.  I remember thinking when I heard Teller was in the movie that he would be much older than the recruits of the original Top Gun, and he is, which is at the center of Rooster and Maverick’s rift.

Rounding out the main characters is the antagonist Adm. Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm – here’s a great podcast interview with Hamm) on how thrilled he was to be asked to join this iconic legacy. And Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), you may remember her name is mentioned as an Admiral’s daughter Maverick is caught with in the original, during the scene when Maverick and Goose are being reprimanded.  This is an easy way for the writers to add in a little romance with a character from the past, without having to give her a lot of backstory or motive. Connelly plays into it, giving Penny plenty of sexy, confident, playful body language. She and Cruise definitely have chemistry.

Yes, I agree with what most are saying, if you loved “Top Gun”, you’ll love “Top Gun: Maverick”, if you only kinda liked “Top Gun”, you’ll still find this sequel to be a well-done popcorn blockbuster meant for 2020, enjoyed in 2022.

T&T LAMB rating: 4 outta 5

THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE | 20th Century Studios |Directors Loren Bouchard & Bernard Derriman |Screenwriters Bouchard & Nora Smith

I know I haven’t watched every episodes of Bob’s Burgers 13 seasons, but I’m definitely a fan of the series and get a kick out of the hapless, yet forever hopeful Belcher clan, headed by Burger operator Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) his overly enthusiastic wife Linda (John Roberts) their 3 children – awkward, boy and horse crazy Tina (Dan Mintz), unfiltered and good natured Gene (Eugene Mirman) and my favorite, wise cracking and wise beyond her years, wearing pink ears Louise (Kristen Schaal). The Belchers live in a quirky little beach town with eccentric inhabitants and each episode is typically a mix of the kid’s angst and/or them discovering something they have no business getting involved in, while their parents try new ways to keep their only source of income afloat – Bob’s Burgers.   But it’s really funny, in the most insane manner.  A lot of pop-culture references, some ridiculous songs thrown in and just an overall nutty goodness which makes it a good show to put on when you know you should be turning off the TV to go to bed, but you just wanna watch one more thing.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the movie, as with everything that goes from television series to the big screen, you have to play to the fans, while exposing the characters to new audiences, so what do you do? In my opinion, they probably should have introduced a new character, maybe even a real celebrity who buys a home in their seaside community. This way that character gets to meet everyone, providing an introduction to the newbies watching the movie. And we the fans, get to have fun with an animated version celebrity (al a The Simpsons) I think Jon Hamm would have been a good choice, although, he’s got another film coming out the same day. (Stay tuned for Maverick MiniMovieReview).

Instead they went with a 6 year-old murder mystery, involving their landlord Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) and a sink hole outside of Bob’s Burgers, preventing the few customers they usually have from coming in, with Bob and Linda already late on their equipment loan to the bank.  There’s nothing new on Tina’s forever crush on Jimmy Jr.; We’ve already had a good episode on Louise’s attachment to her bunny ears hat, no need to have retread that; and Gene playing a new instrument made from a napkin dispenser, spoons and a rubber band was by far the least entertaining thing he’s ever done.

All in all, it was just a passably entertaining episode that lasts 102 minutes, with far too many songs.

T&T LAMB rating: 3 outta 5

NOTE: BOYCOTTING Reviewing Philly’s Own HUSTLE | Netflix  because I didn’t receive an invitation to the preview screening with Adam Sandler in attendance 😡

A SEXPLANATION | Passion River | Writer/Director Alex Liu

Just your typical queer, Asian American, comedic sex education documentary about the universal search for love, connection, and family acceptance.

“To right the wrongs of his all-American sex education, 36-year-old health reporter Alex Liu goes on a quest to uncover naked truths and hard facts—no matter how awkward it gets.
From neuroscience labs to church pews, A Sexplanation features provocative conversations with psychologists, sex researchers—and even a Jesuit priest. With humor and grit, Alex takes audiences on a playful, heartfelt journey from a shame-filled past to a happier, healthier, sexier future.

Like many Americans in the 90s, the adults in Alex’s life taught him that abstinence made him good. These tactics worked to suppress his sexuality—all the more because he was gay. But ultimately, years of repression disconnected him from his body, his desires, and his family.

Now in his 30s, Alex still hasn’t outgrown these hang-ups. The fear mongering from school, media, and religion continues to permeate throughout his life—in both big ways and small.

Fed up, Alex decides it’s time to turn years of fear and loathing into something positive and humorous. A Sexplanation follows his pursuit of shame-free pleasure and call for comprehensive sex education. Along the way, he’s surprised to discover it’s never too late to have “The Talk”—even with his parents.”

Alex’s boyish charm and earnest approach to digging into not only his own sexuality but that of his friends and family is PG rated.  This is a sex documentary you can watch with anyone over the age of 10, in fact, it should be encouraged! There’s a lot of good educational information. Which after seeing how many grown-ass adults were unable to properly identify the male and female reproductive systems, obviously a refresher sex education class is in order for most Americans.  It is odd that the United States as a society loves to sell sex, but we don’t really like to talk about it openly.  Many of us still feel naughty masturbating; we prefer not to know anything about our parent’s sex lives and I would hazard a guess that most people, male or female have less than 5 friends with whom we can talk specifically and candidly about our sex lives or lack thereof.
Alex undoubtedly approaches this sex odyssey as a gay male, but the doc becomes about universal sexuality. I feel it’s very balanced.

“A Sexplanation” is distributed by October Coast. Directed/ Edited by Alex Liu, co-written with Leonardo Neri, produced by Steven Flynn, co-editor and cinematographer Brian Emerick a
(81 mins, English, Documentary). “A Sexplanation” has screened at 32 film festivals on 4 continents, 8 countries, and 18 states, winning 9 festival awards.

Check out the uncensored trailer below or here
Censored version can be found here

“This is a sex documentary you can watch with anyone over the age of 10, in fact, it should be encouraged!”

The best endorsement we could ever get. Thank you!! https://t.co/6PCz4OiX78

— A Sexplanation (@ASexplanation) June 5, 2022

MEN |A24 | Writer/Director Alex Garland

I’m all for clever, inventive, symbolic moments, and leaving somethings to the imagination or interpretation, but I hate when stories leave you completely baffled as to what really happened. It’s annoying.  Alex Garland‘s Ex-Machina was brilliant!  I appreciated Annihilation, gave it high marks for creativity, but his latest offering MEN, well, I’m not entirely on board here, but I think it’s mostly due to the ending.

I’ve now seen Jessie Buckley in 5 films – Beast (2017) which I hated; Wild Rose (2018) which I loved; I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) which I hated; and The Lost Daughter (2021) which I have mixed feelings about #49 outta 150 on my Letterboxd Best of 2021 and now Men (2022). I have to say, not only has Buckley only picked one enjoyable story to be apart of, Wild Rose is also the only role where she hasn’t been somewhat grating and off-putting.

In this movie she plays Harper a semi-recent widow who needs a get-away, she chooses the countryside in the village of Gloucestershire and splurges on renting this very large manor house.  It’s gorgeous, the grounds, the rustic elegance, baby grand piano, sun room, large old-fashioned tub, the works, but it’s also isolated, with too many glass windows and doors on the ground floor and too many rooms for one person to feel comfortable by themselves.

She’s greeted by Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear) the Caretaker of the place, he’s a bit too nosy, a little socially awkward, but affable enough, he gives her the tour and leaves her to it.  She FaceTimes her best friend Riley (Gayle Rankin). This relationship gives us some background on Harper’s past and possibly a way to gauge later if what’s happening is actual or figments of Harper’s grief catching up to her – as she witnessed her husband falling to his death from a balcony, it’s unknown whether it was suicide or accidental.

As Harper settles into her retreat, we go from a very real fright during her walk through the woods, to all kinds of dream logic, body horror and unexplained happenings; all of which, works as a psychological thriller/horror – including Kinnear’s uncanny ability to almost fool you into thinking there’s more than one actor playing all the Men! But when I try to interpret the social message of the film – you know the buzz words like toxic masculinity, misogyny, aggression etc… eh, I much prefer a good story with a good ending.

T&T LAMB rating: 3 outta 5

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS | Marvel/Disney | Director Sam Raimi | Writer Michael Waldron

Not only does Marvel work within phases, the movie industry in general does as well – a couple years ago the theme of most every movie was apocalyptic, all manner of genres took us to the brink of total destruction of the world as we know it. After that, we saw how many movies on | space exploration, space colonies, NASA, traveling the solar system an even an Arrival.  Now it’s all about the infinite number of Universes, where the same people are living similar lives only with important differences brought about by one or two deliberate or unintentional choices; this one went left in this world, where that one went right in another, and over in this universe they made no choice, which was a choice, and on and on.  Not that I’m not into it, I am as you can see by my rave of the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once and I found this Marvel Multiverse story almost as intriguing.

Doesn’t feel like the Doctor Strange origins movie was way back in 2016! The notion of his happiness since first embracing the red cloak comes into question, after all, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been plenty busy, too busy for much of a personal life.  He was a major part of the Infinity War and End Game, at the time in which he had possession of the Time Stone, it allowed him to see the only path to defeating Thanos, despite the casualties it caused, including he, himself being lost in the 5 year blip.  Possessing magic did nothing to protect him from the snap.

Most recently, he tried to help Peter Parker who came to him when his identity as Spider-man was blown, but in doing so, Strange caused a nearly unfixable break between Universes.  Yet, this plotline from Spider-man: No Way Home has no connection to this movie’s Multi-verse hopping, mainly because originally Dr. Strange 2 was supposed to precede No Way Home.

Yet maybe in someway this is why natural born Universe traveler America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez pronounced So-chi) finds her way to more than one Dr. Strange while being hunted for her powers. Strange and his co-hort the now Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong) are accustomed to opening up portals and traveling through them on Earth, and even in space, but America can punch big star shaped holes into other Universes, some of which are animated. 

Talking about the art direction and CGI of these Marvel films is not my strong suit, to me they’re all amazing.  We are taken to some trippy places in between worlds, but I wouldn’t call these places mad or horrific. I liked the great vastness of the Illuminati complex  – this is where we encounter the much anticipated superhero cameos, some familiar, others familiar in “the canon” but now realized.

All this and I haven’t mentioned the witch in the room. Marvel took a gamble building so much of the plot around what we know from watching Wandavision. Well, you can follow the story of the Multiverse of Madness, but the impact of Wanda/Scarlet Witch’s (Elizabeth Olsen) motives, the heart, will be lost on anyone who hasn’t seen the Disney+ show.  There’s just so much you can’t say when writing spoiler free reviews, I can say that the young Xochitl held her own up against the seasoned Cumberbatch and Olsen. But I was surprised at times the dialogue felt a little clunky. Waldron also wrote Loki and I never had dialogue issues watching that series.  And finally, I’ll just say, those who have acquired powers, should never try to go up against those born with their gifts.

T&T @LAMB rating: 4 outta 5

To Watch the Full Sam Raimi Interviews click HERE and HERE

MOON KNIGHT |Marvel/Disney |Contributor Enrico Versace

Spoiler Alert

Marvel’s white costumed Batman, that comparison is almost like a joke now. Yes, on the surface Moon Knight seems like that, but after watching the show one would realize they’re terribly mistaken. From the first episode this six part series was a psychological trip that went from a very simple story of a troubled man named Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) to an unlikely team up of different personalities within one body, mixed up into a rivalry between two Egyptian gods. My general consensus of the show is beyond good, though with a few minor complaints.

The show was cast pretty well and it’s fair to say that each actor gives a great performance. After just knowing Oscar Isaac from Star Wars, one might not expect much, yet this series proves that the problem with the sequel trilogy wasn’t the actors. Isaac is so believable in everything he does here, even when he’s using an odd English accent. It didn’t work for most viewers I imagine, even Feige wasn’t sure it was going to work, but I think it’s Isaac’s passion and work of wanting to be remembered for something other than Star Wars. Everyone else gives a great performance, Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy), Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham), Tawaret (Antonia Salib), and of course Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow who could basically do no wrong.

Loved the rich lore of Egyptian culture and the approach to violence. Many comic fans probably wanted more violence here and wished the show was more like Daredevil, but I was just surprised that a studio like Disney or Marvel went this far. I mean, child abuse, in a Disney title? And hopefully with the introduction of this third personality, Jake Lockley, the ruthlessness and sense of not holding back will be more prominent in the show. Speaking of that reveal, any comic book fan saw that coming a mile away and the surprise was sort of ruined. In fact, even though Marvel isn’t new to changing up the story, while still keeping some classic beats, I would have appreciated it if someone like me could have been surprised too. Like, I know it’s not the comic, but having Isacc play a character like the one from Split with over twenty personalities would be really cool.

All and all, there’s not too much to complain about here. Other than a little criticism towards the big Kaiju god fight at the end or marvel gods just being more powerful beings with human problems, everything seemed all well and worth the watch.   CHECK OUT other stuff by T&T Contrib Enrico Versace

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