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‘Moneyball’ – One of the Best Baseball Movies Ever

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

WRITER’S NOTE: This movie review was written in 2012. I present it now as the latest baseball season has now begun.

“Moneyball” is, for my money, the best baseball movie since “Bull Durham” as, like Ron Shelton’s 1988 classic, it takes a very unique look at this American pastime and the players who inhabit it. Whereas most baseball movies are about rising to the occasion and winning the big game, this one is more interested in the mechanics and statistics as the characters, all based on real life people, work to see if the current state of this sport can be improved. This is not about winning mind you, but of recapturing a love for the game which has long since passed so many people by.

Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics (a.k.a. the Oakland A’s) who has just witnessed his team’s tough postseason lost to the New York Yankees. In its aftermath, he watches as the team’s key players of Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Jason Isringhausen leave for more lucrative deals with other more desirable franchises. From there, the team’s management becomes obsessed about finding the best players to fill their spots. What stands in their way, however, is they have a budget of $40 million to work with which, in any other case, would sound like a lot, but it’s pitiful compared to the Yankees’ overall budget of $100 million.

While visiting a coach from a rival team, Beane comes across Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a Yale economics graduate who has new and radical ideas of how to assess a baseball player’s value. After hearing Brand’s theories, Beane hires him to join the Oakland A’s, and they both put his unusual theories to the test. This quickly upsets the team’s scouts who cannot, and do not, want to see the validity of these chances being taken. Regardless of the objections, Beane is insistent everyone go in this new direction. But as “Moneyball” goes on, it becomes clear that Beane is not just doing this because of a lack of money, but to find a new way to fall in love with baseball as it ended up betrayed him years before he became a manager.

There are a number of things at work in this film; the need to change the game, the disadvantage some teams have compared to others, and the demons that keep fighting certain baseball players who continue playing this game even when they are long past their prime. In flashbacks, we discover how Beane was an exceptional baseball player in high school, and that scouts for the big teams were serious about signing him up for the major leagues before he could even consider college. His baseball playing career, however, turned out to be a stunning disappointment, and it is this failure which haunts him to this day.

Brad Pitt gives one of his best performances ever as Billy Beane, and he finds a balance to where he inhabits the character more than acts. He draws us emotionally into this movie even more than some might expect, and he brings a realism to Beane which makes his acting never less than compelling.

Jonah Hill, best known for “Superbad,” “Funny People” and “Get Him to The Greek” among other films, gets to go against type here with this dramatic role. He does an excellent job of playing Brand as so fresh-faced to this job and becomes our eyes to the realities of baseball which many people may not be aware of. Seeing Hill imbue Brand with a strong intelligence and a big heart proves he has a lot more to offer than just hilarious performances in comedy movies, and it marks an important change of pace for him as a result.

Another great performance comes from Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe. You never catch Hoffman acting as he portrays Howe as an individual being worn down by endless contract negotiations and is constantly questioning the control he has over his own team. Howe is adamant that he is the one to manage the players above everyone else, but he eventually finds he does not have the energy for a prolonged argument with Beane or Brand as they have their own plans. It is the weariness of Howe which Hoffman so perfectly captures, and he remains one of the best actors working today.

“Moneyball” is based on Michael Lewis’ non-fiction novel of the same name, and it has been adapted by two of Hollywood’s best screenwriters: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Neither of them ever tries to spell out everything for the audience because they are smart enough to give them enough information to where we can all come to very understandable conclusions. And on top of everything, their dialogue remains as brilliant as ever.

In a year which has seen more remakes or recycled ideas as opposed to anything resembling originality, “Moneyball” succeeds in giving us a story which feels so fresh and highly innovative. In dramatizing real-life events, the movie makes you want to see people go against the grain because it does not help to keep things the same as they have always been. It also makes us remember what is so great about the game of baseball in a time where headlines about steroids and other performance enhancing drugs and the constant abuse of them make it all seem like a sick joke. Surely there is plenty of innocence left to this American pastime, right?

* * * * out of * * * *

First Trailer For ‘Alien: Romulus’ Has Been Unleashed

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

For my money, both Sir Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant” were worth the price of admission as the famed director dared to take this franchise he began back in 1979 in a different direction as they both dealt what happened before the events of the original. But regardless of Scott’s intentions, audiences were very critical of both films as many were expecting something along the lines of what they got before. After watching the teaser trailer for the upcoming “Alien: Romulus,” I get the feeling they will get what they want, but are we also charting our way back into familiar territory?

The start of this trailer features familiar visuals as we visit a spaceship which looks very much like the Nostromo. From there, we see a couple of capsules which I assume the humans hibernated in, and one is quite the bloody sight. From there, we see characters running through corridors, we see a female getting something very long and possibly deadly being pulled out of her throat and mouth. It all culminates with Caliee Spaeny wielding an “Aliens” looking weapon as she carefully traverses the corridor, terrified of what might be waiting for her around the corridor. Looking at the way she is dressed and the weapon she has in her hands, it is very clear Spaeny is being introduced as the Ellen Ripley of this franchise installment.

Looking at this first trailer, it has me wondering if 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) was adamant that it look like something which stoked the nostalgia of the “Alien” franchise’s most die-hard fans. Clearly, they feel the need to give the fans something they want after the commercial under-performance of “Alien: Covenant.” But if that is the studio executives’ intention, can they succeed in doing so as nothing can ever compare to the original? Moreover, there is no guarantee that the fans will be accepting of the same old thing when they get it.

For what it is worth, however, the image of those numerous facehuggers galloping out of a certain room to land on the faces of the unsuspecting is quite the sight. It gives new meaning to the term, “I want some head.”

What really gets me excited about this particular “Alien” installment is what I have read about it thus far. It is directed by Fede Alvarez who directed the “Evil Dead” remake which I was lukewarm about, but he also made the 2016 film “Don’t Breathe” which proved to be an excellent thriller and a great exercise in handling suspense in a motion picture. If Alvarez can make “Alien: Romulus” every bit as unnerving as “Don’t Breathe,” then we are in for quite the cinematic ride.

Also, this film is a interquel, a sidequel and a prequel as it takes place between the events portrayed in “Alien” and “Aliens.” Furthermore, it has the sincere approval of the directors of those two classic movies, Ridley Scott and James Cameron. Scott has been quoted as saying the rough cut he has seen is “fucking great,” and Cameron has praised the same cut as well. If that is not the best endorsement a filmmaker can get, what is?

While I am obligated to keep any expectations I have for “Alien: Romulus” in check as I do with most movies, I do look forward to checking it out when it arrives in theaters on August 16, 2024. Please feel free to check out the trailer below.

‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Makes Me Feel Good

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

While “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” may have trafficked a bit too much in nostalgia and fan service, but it still proved to be a fun ride which introduced us to some fun new characters, and it reunited us with old friends we yearned to see again for many years. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” however, is not burdened as heavily with those things as it hits the ground running with characters and situations which have since been introduced to us. What results is a follow-up which I very much enjoyed, and while there is an inevitable amount of nostalgia on display, it is not submerged by it.

Two years have passed since “Afterlife,” and the Spengler clan of Callie (Carrie Coon), 18-year-old Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and the infinitely intelligent Phoebe (McKenna Grace) have since moved from Summerville, Oklahoma to the old Ghostbusters headquarters in New York City along with Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd). They are busy busting ghosts, but as usual, they are making a lot of insurance companies go bankrupt. Whether or not they catch the latest paranormal entity running amuck in the Big Apple, there is a lot of collateral damage left in their wake. This brings about the endless ire of Walter Peck (William Atherton), who remains embittered about the Ghostbusters even after several decades, and regardless of how they did save the world back in 1984.

Peck seeks to curtail the activities of this new group of Ghostbusters, and the one who gets hurt the most from this is Phoebe as she is underage and not even getting paid for a job which deserves at least a healthy salary. As a result, she is benched by her mom and Gary to where she feels unfairly robbed of what she sees as her calling, and she ends up alone in Central Park where she befriends a teenage ghost named Phoebe (Emily Alyn Lind) who perished tragically in a fire to where you can still little flames coming off of her. But despite these two having their differences, one being alive and the other dead, they find a friendship which is clearly not an easy one for them to form.

When it comes to the myriad of characters we see in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” the one I liked the most was Phoebe. Seeing her struggling through her teenage years and being denied to be a Ghostbuster gives this film the emotional grounding it needs and which the other characters build off of. McKenna Grace was perhaps the best new addition to this franchise, and she is terrific here as she makes Phoebe into a teenager who is incredibly bright but suffers through the pangs of adolescence like any other.

Speaking of ghostly spirits, the main one threatening our heroes and the world at large is an ancient one, and it is always an ancient one, isn’t it? Basically, it involves a golden orb which Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) buys off of Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) for a mere fifty bucks. It turns out to be a centuries old artifact which has the power to bring about a second Ice Age where everything and anything can be frozen ever so quickly, and humans can be rendered into ice sculptures before any of them can cry out, “What’s this got to do with global warming?”

Gil Kenan takes over directing duties from Jason Reitman, but both also return to write the screenplay as they did on the previous installment. The two of them have a bit of a challenge here as they are forced to juggle many characters, old and new, and some actors make more of a cameo appearance here than anything else. Still, it is great to see so many familiar faces such as Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson who gets much more to do here as Winston Zeddemore than in the previous installments combined, Annie Potts who, as Janine Melnitz, finally gets to where one of the famous suits, and Bill Murray whom, as always, gets some of the best lines.

One actor I do have to single out is Dan Aykroyd who gives Ray Stanz a strong poignancy even as he tries to navigate the current world of podcasts, something which is not completely up to date on. When Aykroyd is not spouting an endless array of scientific or paranormal information, his face speaks volumes as he shows, just with a look, of how proud he is that the Ghostbusters are back in business, and of how much he misses being one.

All of this builds to a truly exciting and emotional climax as our heroes battle a “horny little devil,” as Jack Nicholson once uttered in “The Witches of Eastwick,” only this devil is not so little and proves to be the most fearsome nemesis the Ghostbusters have faced in a long time. Along the way, there are some nice little jabs made at the franchise and of how immensely popular it became back in the 1980’s. They even talk about the debacle the original team made with the Statue of Liberty back in 1989, a subtle little jab at the critical reception “Ghostbusters II” received back then.

And plus, you do have Paul Rudd on hand, and he is always fun to watch in everything and anything he does, and his character of Gary is forced to navigate some new personal territory as he becomes a parent of sorts to both Sophie and Trevor. I imagine Rudd is already busy promoting this film with clips from “Mac and Me,” and he makes such famous lines like “busting makes me feel good” sound so wonderfully goofy and fresh.

I know I will eventually revisit “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” in the future, and perhaps its flaws will become more glaringly apparent with each viewing. But whatever flaws it may have did not take away from my enjoyment of it. I came into this installment with no real expectations as expectations in general can be impossible to fulfill, and it is far too easy to be disappointed by this and that. What I can tell you is I had a really good time watching it, and I left the theater with a big smile on my face and found myself applauding once the end credits began. And when Ray Parker Jr.’s theme song started playing over the end credits, I honestly felt like a kid again.

The ”Ghostbusters” franchise has sputtered throughout the decades as sequels and reboots did not, and could not, capture the power of the original. After watching “Frozen Empire,” I can honestly say this franchise is now much stronger than ever, and I am excited to see where it can go from here.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

Melissa McCarthy on Playing a Con Artist in ‘Identity Thief’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

WRITER’S NOTE: This article was originally written in 2013.

Ever since she first found recognition for her character of Sookie St. James on “Gilmore Girls,” Melissa McCarthy has left an indelible impression on us all. After watching her breakthrough role as the abrasive and shamelessly raunchy Megan in “Bridesmaids,” a role which earned her a deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, there was no forgetting who she was. McCarthy wasn’t just funny in the role, she also made Megan a complex character with wants and needs we could easily relate to, and this made her performance all the more wonderfully memorable.

Now she gets the opportunity to put her comedic skills to solid use again in “Identity Thief” as Diana, a con artist who steals the identity of Sandy Bigelow Patterson (played by Jason Bateman) for her own benefit. This actually marks McCarthy’s first lead role in a motion picture, and it came as the result of Bateman loving her performance in “Bridesmaids.” The role of Diana was originally written as a man, but Bateman had the character’s gender changed to a woman just so he could get her cast in the movie.

Now the role of a con artist is a challenging one to make the least bit sympathetic, but McCarthy proved to be up to the challenge. She got her start at The Groundlings which is an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe located in Los Angeles, but while this character would have made for a hilarious five-minute sketch, McCarthy realized she had to do things differently in a feature length motion picture. She made this clear in her interview with Amy Longsdorf of Delaware Online.

“I wanted to make sure Diana wasn’t just a one-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain because I thought that while that’s kind of interesting for a scene, I don’t know how to play that for a whole movie,” McCarthy told Longsdorf. “I love the thought of someone doing criminal acts but not doing them to be menacing. She does them because she’s lonely and doesn’t have anyone. She kind of steals identities so she can go out to a store and pretend to have these lives. She can pretend to have a husband and a family, pretend to be engaged.”

Whether it is film or television she is doing, McCarthy is a comic force of nature and she appears fearless in what she will do to get a laugh. This was especially the case when she hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live” and came close to swallowing a whole bottle of ranch salad dressing. I was lucky enough to attend the “Identity Thief” press conference which I covered for the website We Got This Covered, and I asked her if there ever is a limit to how far she will go for a laugh, or if she is willing to do anything to get one.

“For me, I think as long as it makes sense for the character,” McCarthy said. “I like to see if you can, on the worst day or the most extreme circumstance, I like to see how far you can push it. But to me it’s not funny anymore if it doesn’t make sense. And I don’t like to do anything that’s mean-spirited just because I don’t find it funny. I’d rather be the jackass than make fun of somebody else because that just seems too cheap and easy. So those are my only limits.”

The one thing, however, that McCarthy was more fearless about than getting laughs was doing her own stunts. It turns out that she tried to do as many of them as possible on the set of “Identity Thief,” and Bateman was stunned at just how far she was willing to go. She even volunteered to do the stunt where Diana gets hit by a car, and it does look very painful when you watch it onscreen. McCarthy ended up admitting to Kevin P. Sullivan of MTV News that she and Bateman did a lot of hand-to-hand combat in order to make their fight scenes look more believable.

“We hurt each other the most, for real, and the most exhausting,” McCarthy said. “You’re just covered in bruises and muscles are ripped.”

Many also wonder where McCarthy comes up with the inspirations for each character she portrays. It is said most actors base their characters on people they grew up with or whom they remember from their hometowns. McCarthy herself was raised on a farm in Plainfield, Illinois, and during the press conference she realized that her upbringing still plays a big part in the roles she chooses.

“In terms of the characters I think are really fun to play, a lot of times it’s someone in my head saying I know that woman,” McCarthy said. “There are women like that in my hometown and there’s one like that the Midwest. I guess I do kind of always go back to that them and draw from there because I really love them. I find them great and interesting and quirky and eccentric. I think everything that any actor does, I would assume, is shaped by how and where they grew up. I steal a lot from a lot of Midwestern women that I weirdly watch, that’s what I should say.”

We are going to be seeing a lot more of Melissa McCarthy in the near future as her star continues to rise in Hollywood. In addition to her television show, “Mike & Molly,” she has a number of starring roles in movies coming up like “The Heat” with Sandra Bullock. No matter what that thoughtless snob Rex Reed may think of her, McCarthy is a superb comedic actress who has many unforgettably hilarious performances left to give the world.

SOURCES:

Amy Longsdorf, “Melissa McCarthy morphs into ‘Identity Thief,'” Delaware Online, February 9, 2013.

Ben Kenber, “Interview with Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy on Identity Thief,” We Got This Covered, February 8, 2013.

Kevin P. Sullivan, “Melissa McCarthy’s ‘Identity Thief’ Fight Bloodied Up Jason Bateman… Kinda,” MTV News, February 8, 2013.

Underseen Movie: ‘Things I Don’t Understand’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

“You’ve got to get yourself together,

You’ve got stuck in a moment

And now you can’t get out of it.

Don’t say that later will be better…”

-U2

“Nothing fades as fast as the future,

Nothing clings like the past.”

-Peter Gabriel

 “More Than This”

What really happens to us when we die? It almost seems like a foolish question to ask because we will only get to find out when we depart this mortal coil, and we won’t be able to tell anyone what it’s like. The only thing people can seem to agree on is that they move towards a “bright light,” but this only tells us so much. Nevertheless, we still look for an answer to this question mainly because we hope it will confirm the things we are led to believe. At the same time, thinking about the future this deeply is not much different from being stuck in the past.

Movies like “Flatliners,” “The Sixth Sense” and even “Heaven Can Wait” have explored this subject in various ways, but David Spaltro’s “Things I Don’t Understand” is one of the more thoughtful I have seen on it in recent years. It’s not interested in coming up with some supernatural answer to this question, but instead in how our curiosity can somehow rob us of what meaning our lives have. Here we meet a variety of characters whose mind and thoughts are broken as their present lives seem unfulfilling because of physical and emotional scars, and their futures all seem relentlessly bleak as a result.

Molly Ryman stars as Violet Kubelick, a graduate student working on a thesis of what becomes of us after death. Over time, Violet has emotionally detached from the world and those around her after surviving a failed suicide attempt, and she has since developed a pessimistic attitude about life and what it has to offer. She lives to avoid every customer who enters the bookstore she works at and freely embraces a life of drugs, alcohol and promiscuous sex as though she is daring death to take her away from this ever so cruel world.

Things come to a head for Violet as she and her obsessively artistic roommates, bi-sexual musician Remy (Hugo Dillon) and hypersensitive artist Gabby (Melissa Hampton), face eviction from their home in Brooklyn and have to quickly come up with the money to save it. As this is happening, Violent comes to interview Sara (Grace Folsom), a girl with end stage cancer who approaches the end with a sardonic sense of humor, and she forms a friendship with lonely bartender Parker McNeil (Aaron Mathias) who is trapped by a tragic past that won’t leave him be. All these relationships bring about a much needed catharsis for everyone as they need to break free of what holds them back.

What I really liked about “Things I Don’t Understand” is how it doesn’t come to us with easy answers about the afterlife as it is far more interested in raising questions about life after death. To define what happens when you die in a movie is tricky because you threaten to lose half your audience with your own interpretation. Spaltro avoids this trap and examines how our questions about life after death come to define how we live life day by day. For these characters, it has seemingly robbed them of a positive outlook on life and has frozen their emotions at a moment in time to where they may never fully thaw.

The acting all around is very good, and Spaltro has given each actor a challenging role regardless of how big or small it is. Ryman has the tough job of portraying a character who is not altogether likable, and she simultaneously (and without words mind you) has to indicate the psychological trauma which has come to define her life. As Spaltro has us guessing as to what that is, Ryman gives us a deeply felt complex portrait of an individual we might easily, and thoughtlessly, dismiss as damaged goods, but who is fighting a battle within herself to find a reason to keep on living.

The best performance in “Things I Don’t Understand,” however, belongs to Grace Folsom as Sara. The role of a terminally ill person can be a thankless one as we have seen it so many times to where it often feels like a shamelessly manipulative device filmmakers use to lay waste to our emotions for no really good reason. But Folsom fully inhabits this character with a hard-won dignity and a biting sense of humor that keeps what is left of her spirits up. Everything Folsom does here feels genuine and real, and her emotions never ever appear faked in the slightest.

Aaron Mathias also has a tough role of someone whose happiness came to an abrupt stop years ago, and the shadow of his past hovers over everything he does. As Parker, he comes across as genuinely nice but still struggling with guilt he cannot put to rest. Mathias succeeds in capturing the complexities of his role in giving us a good-natured guy whose eyes betray a deep sadness which still overwhelms him. I could have done without his line of how being a bartender is like being a psychiatrist spiel, but that is only because I have heard it so many times before.

As for the supporting performances, they at first seem too broad for a movie like this, but in retrospect, they feel just about right. Hugo Dillon and Melissa Hampton play artists so dedicated to their art that they have foolishly denied other outlets which could very well add to it. Their characters strive not just for artistic truth but for acceptance from others, something they feel completely lacking in. In a world which can be so cold and unfeeling to their desires, they have forgotten to respect themselves. As much as Dillon and Hampton go over the top, they both inhabit their characters fully and are more than willing to experience their longings and horrific embarrassments (just wait until you see Gaby’s play) in order to reach a new level of understanding about themselves.

Other performances worth noting include Eleanor Wilson’s as Darla, the new to town actress who looks and sounds dumb, but who turns out to have a positive view of life by choice to where she cannot be mistaken as a victim of blissful ignorance. Lisa Eichhorn takes what could have been a throwaway roll as Violet’s psychiatrist, Anne Blankenship, and gives it a nice edge you don’t always see in characters like this one. And let’s not forget Mike Britt who gives great comic support as Parker’s good friend, Big Felix.

“Things I Don’t Understand” is one of those movies wandering around in the overcrowded world of independent cinema which I hope finds the audience it deserves. While it looks like yet another movie wondering about what happens when we die, it takes this question and uses it to define how we can live for today. The more I think about this film, the more it reminds me of the lyrics of one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs:

“You can spend your time alone, redigesting past regrets, or you can come to terms and realize you’re the only one who can’t forgive yourself. Makes much more sense to live in the present tense.”

* * * ½ out of * * * *

Richard Gere on Making Us Root for the Bad Guy in ‘Arbitrage’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

Photography By Myles Aronowitz

WRITER’S NOTE: This article was originally written in 2012.

Don’t get me wrong, Richard Gere has played many likable characters in movies like “Pretty Woman” and “An Officer and a Gentleman,” but it’s when he plays despicable ones that he truly excels as an actor. The latest example of this is his brilliant performance as Robert Miller in “Arbitrage,” the movie which marks the directorial debut of writer Nicholas Jarecki. Robert is a hedge fund magnate who is desperately trying to cover up his instances of fraud, cheats on his wife, and willfully deceives his children. On paper this character is a jerk, but the beauty of Gere’s performance is how he keeps us rooting for him regardless of this fact.

So, how does Gere manage to make such an unlikable person so fascinating and relatable on screen? Audie Cornish of NPR’s “All Things Considered” asked him this question as she couldn’t get past the fact that Robert Miller is a “monster” and yet still wanted him to get away with what he did.

“Isn’t that funny? I mean, that’s one of the uniform things and kind of mystifying things,” Gere said. “And the comments I’ve gotten back, even from very close friends, that they’re very angry with me, that they care about this guy and want him to get out of trouble, although they’re well aware the guy is a jerk, as you say, and makes some very bad decisions in his life and has a kind of a mindset that you go, huh?”

“But look, that’s my job, is to make characters human, to make them knowable on some level,” Gere continued. “I think it had root in when you spend time with even supposed monsters, there’s a human being there. And in storytelling, you’ve got to find that human being.”

This humanity certainly shows up in the scene between Robert and his daughter, Brooke (played by Brit Marling), where he has to break her heart by telling her the truth of his fraudulent activities. What he is doing to her is terrible, and yet you still feel for him as he tries to explain how his business really works. Regardless of all the bad things Robert has done, there’s no doubt as to just how much he loves his family.

“That was a scene we (Gere and Marling) worked on a lot, and in the end, it came out of an improvisation actually, that she’s not my partner, that she works for me,” Gere said. “And I found myself almost in an animal growl saying everyone works for me. And I think that was the truest moment with this character, that that’s his mentality – horrifying but true. I mean, he’s naked in that moment.”

Another great scene in “Arbitrage” has Robert to do the right thing only to see him look for another way out. Being the reckless gambler that Robert is, he always seems to find another angle which can keep him up and running for yet another day. Gere remarked about how his sister, who is a psychiatrist, found this moment in the film especially fascinating.

“That mentality of I’m always going to find a way out, always find a way out. I think it’s that kind of a gambler’s thing,” Gere said. “Well, I’m down to my last penny, but I’m going to turn that penny into two pennies, and I’m going to get out of this. It’s a really interesting kind of person that never truly gives in. Now, if you’d imagine they were in the service of something extraordinary on the planet, what they could achieve, I guess the hope for me is, is that the people who are so effective in the world and can do this stuff, which is just ultimately pretty silly, just the accumulation of wealth, if they were putting their minds and their talents and their skill towards being of service and responsible on this planet, man, this will be a garden.”

Whether or not he is playing good or bad guys, Richard Gere always comes across in his performances as someone we want to support. Regardless of whether he plays a self-serving defense attorney in “Primal Fear” or “Chicago” or portraying an infinitely corrupt cop in “Internal Affairs,” there is something about this actor which is always alluring. Just don’t expect him to explain what it is because even he’s not sure:

“I don’t know. I don’t know what that is. I suppose it’s some peculiar thing I’m able to do. I don’t know. It’s certainly nothing I work at or particularly aware of in the process.”

Perhaps it’s best he does not find out because we want to see him giving more great performances like this one in the near future.

SOURCE:

Audie Cornish, “Richard Gere on Playing a Jerk You Want to Root For,” All Things Considered, NPR, September 14, 2012.

‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

I’ve never quite understood the appeal of Jason Momoa as an actor. I’ve never walked away from a movie of his and been impressed or blown away by his performance.  He has the look of a movie star, but he doesn’t really stand out in his film roles.  He’s merely just a buff dude on screen. Of course, we have seen jacked up actors in the past such as Dwayne Johnson, John Cena and Dave Bautista, but they have charisma, personality and charm. Momoa, on the other hand, strikes me as someone who is trying way too hard to be funny. He’s not a very natural actor. He has screen presence, but when he’s asked to dive deep into a character, it falls flat.

I have not seen 2018’s “Aquaman,” which was also directed by James Wan, the man behind such films as “Saw,” “Insidious,” “The Conjuring,” “Furious 7” and “Malignant.” I’m a big fan of his directorial style, and I think he brings a lot to the table from a visual perspective. Because of this, I went into “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” with some hope he would be able to make an interesting, unique and outside-the-box superhero film. Sadly, he can’t even save this clunker.  I really don’t think it would have mattered if I had seen the original or not.

This sequel takes place four years after the first film, and we see that Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has become the king of the Atlantis.  He’s now married to Mera (Amber Heard) and has a child with her as well. He’s struggling to adapt to parenthood while also dealing with the responsibilities of being king.  There are some truly cringe-worthy gags where their child is constantly peeing in the mouth of Aquaman.  Even worse, Momoa sells it with these weird and contrived faces which only makes it even more unfunny.  He also must contend with David Kane /Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is looking to avenge the death of his father. David Kane’s scientist sidekick is played by Randall Park in a thankless and one-note role. He’s basically a scared geek.

In order to make sure that David Kane doesn’t cause any further damage, Aquaman must enlist the help of his brother, Orm, played by Patrick Wilson. From here, the film turns into a bromance action flick with Wilson and Momoa bouncing one-liners off one another.  At times, the film is too silly and stupid with its attempts at humor. During other scenes, it is deadly serious.  This is a film in search of a tone, and it never really finds one. Wilson is great and dependable as usual, but even he can’t make it work with the uninteresting and bland Momoa.  Overall, this film was a complete mess from the word go.

I know there has been a lot of drama surrounding the film’s production and the usage of Amber Heard in the story.  She’s barely in the film, and it seems odd at times that Aquaman’s wife would have such a minor role in his life, especially considering they share a child together.  I understand they wanted to focus on the two brothers and their whacky relationship together, but it would have been nice to have a bit of an emotional tone to the proceedings.  When Heard does appear, it feels forced and out of place because the writing doesn’t give her a whole to do.

The stakes just don’t seem very high in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”  The film is also doomed because it doesn’t have a charming or engaging leading man.  The story feels very, very thin.  This feels like a sequel which was only made for the money based on the fact they made very little attempt to really do anything out of the ordinary with Aquaman.  I understand they couldn’t change actors as Momoa was in the first film, but I did leave this sequel wondering what it would have been like if Wilson was paired with someone other than Momoa who is not a natural comedic actor. While Momoa seems quite pleased with himself, his jokes fall flatter than four o’ clock.

I want to go back to the story of this movie again, as this is where the majority of the issues are in addition to Momoa’s dead on arrival performance. There is an outline for a good movie here.  I would have liked to have seen more of with Aquaman attempting to juggle life at home and also life at sea.  There is too much time spent at sea, and it turns into a full-blown action film.  The action scenes would have been effective if the story took its time to really build up the relationship between Aquaman and Mera.  They rush through all of that, and they go straight to the comedic relationship between Aquaman and Orm. When the jokes on the page are not funny, the actors are doomed.

I did like the film’s message about everyone doing their part and sticking together to make the world a better place.  However, it doesn’t really resonate or land on screen when we have been dealing with bad comedy, mindless action scenes and a plot which moves at a glacial pace. This is a prime example of a movie that really did not need to be made in the first place.  I understand it made money, but from a quality perspective, this film was what I call a “watch movie.” I kept checking my watch over and over again, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

* out of * * * *

4K Info: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 124 minutes and is rated PG-13 for some language and sci-fi violence. There is a digital copy of the film included with this release as well.

Video Info:  The Dolby Vision transfer on this film is simply breathtaking.  It’s a visual feast for the eyes.  I only wish the film was as good as its Dolby Vision transfer.

Audio Info:  The same can be said for the Dolby Atmos audio track.  It’s sharp, vivid and very impressive.

Special Features:

Atlantean Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Should You Buy It?

Unless you are a completist and enjoyed the first “Aquaman,” I don’t see any reason why you should add this film to your collection. It really was a disappointment, especially considering the director behind it. That being said, when he doesn’t have a great leading man or a great screenplay in front of him, there is only so much he can do.  The 4K transfer looks out of this world, and it was the only thing that kept me glued to the screen. After a certain point, I was more immersed in the visuals than the story or the action, which says a lot about the final product. This film is really a dumpster fire. I’m glad I watched it, as I had interest in checking out what James Wan would do in this universe, but I have zero interest in revisiting it or checking out the first film.  This film is strictly for people who enjoyed the first film. It will not win over any new fans, and it will probably even frustrate fans of the original.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘The Color Purple’ (2023) Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

It wasn’t that long ago when I had the pleasure of reviewing 1985’s “The Color Purple” on this very website, and I absolutely adored the film.  When I heard there was going to be another adaptation, I was eager to see how it was going to turn out, especially because it was going to be a musical.  Musicals are tricky, as they need just the right amount of music to make it work.  The music needs to really lend itself to the scenes instead of taking over the film entirely. If it’s one song after another without any time to let them breathe, it can take away from the performances on screen. I’m happy to report “The Color Purple” has all of the right ingredients to succeed with flying colors.

The film follows two sisters, Celie and Nettie Harris (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi and Halle Bailey) who are stuck living with an angry and abusive father named Alfonso, played by Deon Cole. He’s especially hard on Celie, who has two children after being raped by her own father.  He separates her from her children, which causes her much distress and agony. It isn’t long before the two sisters are separated after their father gives away Celie to a man by the name of Mister, played by Colman Domingo.

Mister is a farmer who already has three children of his own, and he’s equally as rough on Celie as her father.  She’s basically doing everything for him, and she feels defeated from the years of abuse from both her father and her current husband. In addition to this, Mister is also hiding all the letters she receives from her sister Nettie, so they have no contact with one another.  Between not being able to see her children or her sister, she feels like life is nothing but misery and pain for her each and every day.

As Celie gets older, she is played by “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino.  She definitely has the emotional range as an actress to pull off this incredibly demanding performance. When it comes to the musical numbers, it is second nature to her.  Along the way, she gets to know Sofia, played by Danielle Brooks. She is married to Mister’s son, Harpo (Corey Hawkins), and she is not afraid to whip him into shape.  This is the first time that Celie has seen a strong female in her life.  She is used to women having to take everything from their husbands without being able to defend themselves.  It is certainly not the case with Sofia.  One day, Celie hopes to be as strong as Sofia.  She also meets another strong and confident woman in Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), a jazz singer who completely captivates Mister.

During this film, we see a journey which starts in 1909 and goes all the way until 1947, and it’s one of two sisters who are bound and determined to meet up with one another again, no matter what it takes. Along the way, even Sofia deals with some hardships of her own and feels defeated and drained by her new circumstances.  Celie learns to grow and finds out how to stand on her own two feet.  Heck, even Mister learns a thing or two about himself and how he needs to modify his own behavior.  Everyone’s character arch is worth watching throughout the course of the film’s two hour and twenty-minute run time. 

This is a film that never feels boring, stale, or repetitive because these are fleshed out characters whom, as an audience, you care about and root for throughout the course of the story.  For the most part, the film is pretty true to the original 1985 film in terms of its major moments.  As a whole, it works on so many levels. It starts with this tremendous cast of actors and actresses from Fantasia Barrino to Taraji P. Henson to Danielle Brooks to Colman Domingo to Corey Hawkins to Gabriella Wilson ‘H.E.R.’. Everyone brings their heart and soul to the project in addition to their lungs. They were very diligent about putting this cast together from top-to-bottom. Ciara also appears as an older version of Nettie.

“The Color Purple” is ultimately a story about sisterhood, resiliency, strength, and the human spirit. I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two films as they are trying to accomplish the same thing while going about it in completely different ways. The music enhances the story and adds a different take to the material while also keeping the essence of Steven Spielberg’s original film alive and well.  For my money, this is a perfect film.  I was emotional during it, I laughed at the appropriate moments, and the songs stayed with me as well.  I wanted to listen to the soundtrack as soon as the film was over, and I played it on repeat.

Remakes of popular films are tough to pull off, especially when it’s from a novel, a nearly forty-year-old film, and a successful Broadway musical as well. However, when the new version is a fan of the original film, you have what is known as a labor of love.  If you enjoyed 1985’s “The Color Purple,” you will certainly enjoy 2023’s “The Color Purple.” It is about perspective, though.  I believe this film needs to be seen as its own entity.  If you are able to do that, you will enjoy the heck out of it. 

The filmmakers know the audience cares about these characters, knows them, and wants to see them succeed.  It takes you on an emotional journey from start to finish with a tremendous payoff in the end which is very satisfying. You very much live through these characters. You feel their pain, their happiness, and you root for them to succeed. Along the way you laugh, you cry, and you never lose hope.  That, in my opinion, is the beauty of a great film like “The Color Purple.”  There is a reason why this story has stayed with people for so many years and still resonates with viewers to this day.

* * * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Color Purple” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital copy of the film. It has a running time of 141 minutes and is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual content, violence and language.

Video Info:  There is a beautiful Dolby Vision transfer on the film here, and it looks magnificent. This is a film filled with life and color, and it’s on full-display with this flawless transfer. The HDR really brings out the richness of the picture quality.

Audio Info:  We are also treated to a pitch-perfect Dolby Atmos soundtrack here which allows us to enjoy each and every single song the way it was intended to be heard.  It stays at just the right bass and volume throughout the film, as it’s never too loud or too soft.

Special Features:

Creating The Color Purple: A Bold New Take on the Beloved Classic

Hell Yes! The Iconic Characters of The Color Purple

In the Flow: Creating The Color Purple’s Biggest Musical Moments

 A Story For Me: The Legacy of The Color Purple

Should You Buy It?

If you enjoy the power of cinema, do yourself a favor and pick up “The Color Purple” on the day of its release.  It is worth every penny, especially with the special features that are included here along with a Dolby Vision transfer and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.  This is also a terrific film that really tugged at my heartstrings.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I put this movie in my 4K player and sat down to watch it.  However, I was blown away by its high-energy, its music, the intense drama, and the phenomenal performances. This version of “The Color Purple,” which was directed by Blitz Bazawule, is the kind of movie I wish Hollywood made more of these days.  It’s an adult drama that invigorates the spirit and is good for the soul.  “The Color Purple” on 4K comes highly recommended as a day one purchase.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Contagion’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Some of my favorite films are the ones which stick in my brain long after the credits have rolled. They make me uncomfortable, get under my skin, and make me anxious.  You might wonder why someone would want out of such a moviegoing experience, but I believe the best films really challenge and require something out of the viewer. I have seen “Contagion” three times now. I saw it during its theatrical run in 2011, re-watched it on Blu-ray during the height of the pandemic in 2020, and I watched it again recently on 4K. Every single time I’ve watched it, I’ve been utterly engrossed in it, even though I know all of the beats and how it’s going to play out. If anything, I gain something extra from this film because of how much it ended up being pretty damn accurate.

“Contagion” opens by introducing us to Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), an executive returning home to her husband and son after a trip to Hong Kong. Upon returning home, she has a seizure and dies in the hospital, which leaves her husband, Mitch (Matt Damon), with plenty of questions but no answers.  It becomes even more agonizing for Mitch when his stepson passes away shortly after his wife.  He is wondering what she came down with, how it was transmitted, and if he is at-risk for it along with his daughter. His whole world has been turned upside down, and he’s constantly on edge, angry, and making sure he’s doing his due diligence to stay safe.

The story then shows us Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), who works for the CDC, and he’s looking to trace the root of this problem.  Is it something people should be concerned about or is it an isolated incident? He brings in Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) from the Epidemic Intelligence Service, to talk to anyone and everyone who was in contact with Beth.  She is going to look anywhere and everywhere for a connection to what might have happened to Beth. She also wants to find out if anyone else is in danger of catching what Beth had as well.

It doesn’t take long for panic and hysteria to take over when the death toll is increasing every day.  It’s becoming a dog-eat-dog world out there, and people are willing to do whatever it takes to not only survive, but to protect their loved ones as well.  They are not afraid to take extreme measures if they need to, as they don’t want to be another victim of this deadly virus which, in the film, is called the MEV-1. Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle), meanwhile, is working around the clock to come up with a vaccine to treat this disease.

There is also a conspiracy theorist named Alan Krumwiede with a very popular blog, and he’s played by Jude Law. Alan is brainwashing his website visitors to try Forsythia, which he believes will cure this disease.  This creates two problems: one, people begin to look at Forsythia as a miracle cure and when the pharmacies run out of it, people start to loot and destroy them. The second problem is that people are now hesitant to take the vaccine, which will actually save lives and help stop the spread of MEV-1.  He’s looking out for his own personal gain and profit, but during times of panic, people will believe anything they read on the Internet.

There is also a storyline involving Dr. Leonora Orantes, a WHO epidemiologist, played by Marion Cotillard, who is looking through countless footage of Beth in order to determine the sequence of events in which she contracted the illness and whom she might have inflicted as well. Leonora is in Hong Kong doing this, and because they are worried about how their village will survive, they kidnap her in order to make sure they have access to the vaccine when it’s released.  They don’t want to hurt Leonora, and she is not scared for her life, as she just wants to help them. As stated previously, desperate times call for desperate measures. When it’s a matter of life and death, you never know what you are capable of doing as a human being.

The only issue I had with “Contagion” and why I couldn’t give it the full four stars is the fact that some stories are more interesting than others and, at times, the plot can be a little bloated.  There are some tremendous performances in the film, especially from Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard. Director Steven Soderbergh gives his actors plenty of space and freedom to show off their considerable acting chops. When the film is firing on all cylinders, it’s truly engrossing and engaging. It’s pretty easy to follow as well, even when they are using scientific terms which might not be as common or familiar to someone like myself.

“Contagion” an ambitious film, and for 80% of its running time, it’s a great movie.  The other 20% is a bit of a slog and can be a little over-stuffed plot-wise. Overall, though, it is a really, really good movie which features some of the biggest names in Hollywood on screen together.  It’s a dark, moody, and tense film that is relentless when the pressure is turned up. I will say this: every single time I’ve watched “Contagion,” I’ve enjoyed it even more and gained something new from it and an even greater appreciation for what it achieved on camera. This is a powerful piece of cinema, and it is a film that will always leave an impact because of what happened to the world in 2020.

I’ll end my review by saying this: I’m not an expert on Covid-19 and the pandemic, but this film foreshadowed a lot of what happened in 2020; from social distancing, handwashing, conspiracy theorists, vaccines and the ability to access to them, and what human beings are capable of doing when they are pushed to the brink of life or death.  For a lot of people, they probably want to put 2020 in the rearview mirror and not watch a movie which focuses on things that were difficult or challenging for the world.  I, on the other hand, find it therapeutic and cathartic to watch a movie like this, as it’s a way for me to deal with what happened in my own way. 

* * * ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “Contagion” is released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running-time of 106 minutes and is rated PG-13 for disturbing content and some language.  It also comes with a digital copy of the film.

Video Info: The minute I popped this movie into my 4K player, I was instantly transfixed by the picture quality.  It was a huge upgrade from the Blu-ray which I previously owned. The film has a dark and brooding look to it with green and blue hues. According to the press release, this was sourced from the original camera negative and the remastering was overseen by Soderbergh. This is exactly what you are looking for when you buy a 4K. You want it to come from the original camera negative and have it looked over by the director.  This is a beautiful 4K and the HDR is incredibly crisp and clear.

Audio Info:  There is also a Dolby Atmos soundtrack here, so this is a win-win for film collectors out there.  The music was composed by Cliff Martinez, who has worked on some of my favorite film scores, such as “Spring Breakers,” “Pump Up the Volume” and “Drive.”  He’s collaborated quite a bit in his career with Soderbergh. This movie does not work as effectively without this mesmerizing score.

 Special Features:

The Reality of Contagion – Featurette

The Contagion Detectives – Featurette

Contagion – How a Virus Changes the World –Featurette

Should You Buy It?

I was so happy to be able to review “Contagion” on 4K and check it out. I recently reviewed “Wonka,” which I thought was an incredible 4K, but this one is even better, considering the improvements they made on the transfer. It still has the same gritty and dirty look to it while also providing an improved picture quality at the same time. The film itself is very close to being a masterpiece. I was very close to giving it four stars, but I had to deduct half a star because of a few issues, which I mentioned in my review. Still, with that being said, “Contagion” comes highly recommended. As physical media shifts to mostly online retailers, it is our duty to support 4K releases of films like “Contagion.”  Why? Because it encourages Warner Brothers and other studios to go into their archives and upgrade other great movies as well.  At the end of the day, they will do their part if we show them there is a legitimate market for physical discs.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Wonka’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Confession time: I have not seen any of the live-action films based on the Roald Dahl novel, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”  I have not seen “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” or the aforementioned “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” I do think this puts me in an ideal position because I have no frame of reference when reviewing this film, “Wonka.” I’ve often said any film that has source material attached to it should be able to stand on its own two feet and appeal to an audience which has no history with the characters or the story itself. Ideally, you are looking to make a film that will appeal to those who have seen the other films and read the novel, and also to those who are going into it with fresh eyes. That’s the main goal.

Willy Wonka is played here by Timothée Chalamet in a brilliant performance which is able to portray both the sweet and eccentric side of the main character. If he went too far into the latter, it would have been rather off-putting and too peculiar. However, he does a great job of balancing the tender side of the character and also the quirkiness. It’s a great performance. Wonka has many skills in his arsenal (magic and innovation), but the skill he is most proud of is his ability to create chocolate that is creative, delicious, and brings people together.  He’s looking to start up his chocolate empire, but he’s met with strong resistance by what is known as the Chocolate Cartel.

The Chocolate Cartel is a group of three men who have a monopoly on the chocolate industry, and they are not looking to share it with Mr. Wonka anytime soon. The group includes Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Gerald Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Felix Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton). Once they catch wind of his arrival, they want to do whatever it takes to put an end to his budding chocolate industry.  Luckily for them, Wonka finds himself stuck in a terrible contract due to his inability to read.  Because of this one-sided contract, he must spend 27 years and 16 days at Mrs. Scrubitt’s (Olivia Colman) laundry house, which she runs with her evil goon Bleacher (Tom Davis).

While working in the Wash House, Wonka befriends an orphan named Noodle, played by Calah Lane. Together, they hope to help each other out, as Noodle is looking for information on her family, and Wonka wants to make his chocolate store a reality, which was inspired by his close bond with his late mother, played by Sally Hawkins. There is also a bookkeeper in the Wash House named Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), Lottie Bell (Rakhee Thakrar), a telephone operator, Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell), a plumber, and a former comedian Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher). They have also fallen prey to the evil contracts doled out by Mrs. Scrubitt. If they can work together, they might be able to turn things around and get out from not only their contracts, but also from the Chocolate Cartel as well.

Another thing the Cartel has going for it is the chief of police (Keegan-Michael Key) has a strong addiction to chocolate, so it’s quite easy to pay him off and keep him from doing his job with any sense of dignity or honor.  They must also contend with Lofty, an Oompa Loompa, played brilliantly by Hugh Grant. At first, Noodle is hesitant to believe he actually exists, as the idea of a little orange man with green hair is hard to fathom.  However, Lofty believes he was wronged, so he will do whatever it takes to get what he believes he is owed from Wonka. Hugh Grant makes the most of each and every scene he’s on screen with this deadpan timing and delivery. It’s a treat whenever he’s on screen.

“Wonka” is a film I ended up enjoying a lot more than I thought I would when I started watching it. I think it helped that I really had no idea what to expect or any type of preconceived notions, whatsoever. I found the film to be absolutely delightful.  They did a great job in casting as, top-to-bottom, this is an all-star cast of actors.  It really starts with Timothée Chalamet as Wonka, however.  If he came across as too goofy or too silly, the film would have failed. However, this is the best performance I’ve seen from him in his young career. It also helps that there is a tremendously sweet friendship between his character and Noodle. The way their friendship grows and blossoms is moving and genuine.

“Wonka” has a lot going for it. The musical aspect of the film is top-notch, and there are memorable songs that come in at just the right moments, whether they are used to brighten up the mood and make you laugh or whether they are used during a more introspective moment.  The bad guys are deliciously evil and a lot of fun.  The friendships come together organically. Much like a great bar of chocolate, all of the ingredients here are working together as one. It also helps that the film takes its time in allowing the audience to get to know the characters and their intentions.  Everyone serves a purpose here.

This is a patient film, as mentioned. and it is better because of it.  We get to go along on the journey with Wonka and all of the characters who inhabit this world. I enjoyed every single character and actor for what they brought to this project.  This could have easily been a throwaway film where it was done just to make a profit without paying attention to quality. There is a lot of craft and love here, and it shows on screen.  “Wonka” warmed the cockles of my heart.  It’s sure to put a big smile on your face, just like it did it for me.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “Wonka” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment.  The film has a running time of 116 minutes and is rated PG for some violence, mild language, and thematic elements.  It also comes with a digital code for the film.

Video Info:  We are treated to a beautiful Dolby Vision transfer on this release of “Wonka.” This is a bright and beautiful film with eye-popping visuals that really lend itself to the 4K format.  I was very impressed with the colors and the level of detail on this transfer.

Audio Info:  We get a Dolby Atmos audio track here as well, which sounds terrific. Considering this film is a musical, we want to be able to enjoy the music to the fullest. We are able to do that here thanks to audio which is clean and very vibrant.

Special Features:

Unwrapping Wonka: Paul King’s Vision

The Whimsical Music of Wonka

Welcome to Wonka Land

Hats Off to Wonka

Wonka’s Chocolatier

Should You Buy It?

If you enjoyed the “Paddington” films, which were directed by “Wonka’s” Paul King, you should definitely buy this 4K release of “Wonka” as soon as it’s released.  It’s very clear by now that King is a British director who knows how to make films that are going to appeal to children and adults, which is very difficult to pull off.  He has it figured out and it’s on full display here with this nearly perfect motion picture. Film, to me, is at its best when I’m able to feel something emotionally and also laugh in equal measure.  From an audio and visual perspective, the 4K gets an easy A here.  We also get a few special features as well.  So far, 2024 has been a slow year for 4K releases, but “Wonka” has set the standard early on for this year.  This one comes highly recommended!

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.