Mary Poppins Returns Is An Enchanting Sequel That Honors The Original's Legacy

       Making a long distant sequel to a timeless classic that came out several decades prior is no easy task as expectations are high for that film to meet the standard set by the previous film, with the audience already having the image of the first movie engraved in their minds and expect nothing different. Some examples of sequels made decades after the first film that continue the trend of the previous films are Superman Returns and Tron Legacy. Superman Returns followed the events of Superman l and ll while ignoring everything else in between. It not only attempted to continue the original films story, but reintroduced the character to audiences with Brandon Routh taking on the title role in place of Christopher Reeves. While Routh did the best job he could with Bryan Singers directing and the script he was handed, Superman Returns turned out to be a box office disappointment while dividing both critics and fans audience reception. Tron Legacy's reception wasn't much better as the film did reasonably well given the sequel being released a full 28 years after the first film, though didn't exactly set the box office world on fire both critically and financially. With Mary Poppins Returns, the expectation that Disney placed upon the sequel to the classic original is delivering a film that can serve as being a worthy follow-up to it's predecessor, while reintroducing the main character for audiences. Not only does Mary Poppins Returns meet the expectations placed upon it, but shatters them with Emily Blunt proving to be a worthy successor to the iconic role famously played by Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney classic. Mary Poppins Returns is a rare Disney sequel/reboot that completely does the original justice while reintroducing the characters to a new generation of audiences.

      The plot for Mary Poppins Returns centers around the characters of Jane and Michael Banks from the previous film (Played by both Emily Mortimer and Skyfall's Ben Whishaw) all grown up but facing their own life struggles with Michael being forced to not only raise his kids as a single parent but potentially lose his house on the side. It's not until the now grown siblings receive a visit from their former spontaneous and magical nanny Mary Poppins (Played by Emily Blunt), that they are reminded that with every job that must be done, there is also an element of fun that comes with it, making the job ultimately turn into a game. Nominated for four Academy Awards, this long-awaited sequel to the original classic picks up where the original story left off decades prior, while maintaining the same style of magic and charm that audiences experienced with the original growing up as kids with a shockingly strong performance from Emily Blunt. The success of this film was always going to hinge on the actress the studio got for the lead role as they not only must possess strong talent, but approach the part with a fearless tone as the inevitable comparison between that person and Julie Andrews performance would certainly be drawn. With Emily Blunt, she rises to the occasion and delivers cheers in regards to pulling off the part beautifully, while giving chills at how good she plays it. The film works not just because of her worthy performance, but also because it maintains a similar tone and feel to the original, even if the films main plot leaves a little to be desired. Despite the scripts issues, the film still manages to cast a familiar family friendly spell upon audiences, that brings both films together. The smartest thing the new Mary Poppins film does is not try to best or outdo the first film as that would've automatically failed, but goes about being it's own tale while winking at it's predecessor.

      The key ingredient to this film connecting with audience lies within the films main performances and surprising to not surprising here, the cast is strong with everyone delivering great performances, particularly Blunt. Emily Blunt's performance is the heart and soul of the movie and the glue that keeps it together when the story struggles to maintain audiences interest after awhile. She's fantastic here as she honors the work Julie Andrews delivered previously, while providing her own stamp with the part. Why Blunt was wrongfully snubbed of a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance here is a mystery as she's well-deserving of one. Ben Whishaw delivers a sympathetic and likable performance as Michael Banks, making the audience feel that his character forgot what having fun means as he struggles with numerous life issues. Whereas Robin Williams Peter Pan forgot how to fly and lost his childish sense of fun in Steven Spielberg's Hook, Michael's character forgets how to have fun with his kids as he struggles to raise them on his own while fighting to keep a roof over their head as his conniving boss played by Kingsman's Colin Firth, aims to take his property from him. Whishaw's character carries the dramatic weight of the film and brings it back to reality when the movie goes off the rails with it's moments of whacky fun. Emily Mortimer delivers a likable and charming performance as Michael's sister with her character providing the balance to her brothers serious side. Colin Firth is perfect as the slimy boss of Michael's character named Mr. Wilkins, making the audience despise him as he plans to force his employee out onto the street. Lin-Manuel Miranda steals the show as Jack, delivering charm to the role while impressing with both his acting and singing talents. Joel Dawson, Pixie Davies, and Nathanael Saleh all impress and shine as Michael's kids in the film as they share chemistry working together as a trio along with sharing the screen with Emily Blunt. Other notable supporting roles are Meryl Streep in a surprise supporting performance as Mary Poppins cousin Topsy, which also marks the pairs first appearance on screen together since their work on The Devil Wears Prada. Streep's role is brief but she ends up stealing the show with her whacky performance, that's both hilarious and fun-spirited, fitting right in with the films tone. Another noteworthy appearance in the film is Angela Lansbury as The Balloon Lady with her musical number adding to the films enchantment. Julie Walters, Jeremy Swift, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and David Warner all deliver strong supporting performances with each actor making the most of their screentime, while adding energy to the films story. The performances from the main cast are perfect and go a long way in terms of adding heart to the film.

      The films directing by Chicago and Beauty And The Beasts 2017 Rob Marshall is excellent with the Oscar winning filmmaker bringing his A game to the story, giving the film a childlike feel to it that's both magical and enchanting. While Marshall doesn't quite recapture all of the original films magic, he captures enough to make this a visually appealing and heartwarming story that stands on its own. Like with Beauty And The Beast, Marshall creates a production that feels both grand and lively with the performances being spot-on along with the art-set decoration and costume design. The moments where the main characters sing are well done along with the dance sequences being well-choreographed. The films animation sequences despite being minimal are top notch and used effectively in the film to enhance an already fun and energetic experience. Regardless of whether audiences like or dislike the film, it can't be denied that Marshall is a filmmaker that excels in bringing his stories to life visually as his work on his films delivers a certain flair and style that pays attention to detail. No to mention he does a brilliant job of blending classical Disney magic with old school British charm. In terms of directing, Rob Marshall succeeds in recreating the world that older audiences experienced as kids when they watched the original Mary Poppins, while ultimately making them feel like children again with his nostalgic approach to handling the story. The score by Mark Shaiman is perfect, making it worthy of its Oscar nomination with the films song "The Place Where Lost Things Go", being a great addition to the films story along with "A Cover Is Not A Book." Both songs are funny, charming, sentimental, and add a lot of emotional weight to the story.

      The films screenplay by David Magee, Rob Marshall, and John DeLuca does a damn good job of putting together a story, that can connect with the original while being its own film. Choosing to focus on the young siblings from the first movie as adults now was a smart move and added relatability with the characters to the audience. The film tackles themes pertaining to aging, the loss of a loved one, love, family, greed, magic, imagination, and remembering that life is not all seriousness but can also be fun and games. The message that the film ultimately delivers says that adults can often forget how to be children, and that they shouldn't forget what it's like to be a child nor lose that innocence. With the sequel tackling serious themes in the midst of all the fun and games, it makes it believable to the audience that Mary Poppins character would return to help the family she once cared for decades prior. As good as the writing is, the film can't help but fall into the conventional cliches of a traditional Disney film such as Colin Firth's main character feeling like a generic Disney villain, who must ruin the Banks families lives by swindling them of their fortune. While the films side characters outside of the Banks family are interesting, they also come across as feeling one-dimensional and just there for convenience to help push the story and characters forward without having much development of their own. The films strongest points are the beginning with the script setting up the Banks family and the obstacles they face in this sequel, while reintroducing Mary Poppins to the Banks family as well as the audience. The writers do such a good job of weaving her character back into the story with it feeling like she never left as she just shows up and begins assisting the Banks family without question. The films middle portion will divide audiences as it moves rather slow once Poppins returns and the anticipation wears off with Michael's kids shown to wonder around town with Poppins with the subplot involving Firth's character attempting to take the Banks property being resurfaced as a reminder to audiences about the films main conflict. The movies third act pays off strongly with the Banks family along with Poppins help, end up stopping their property from being taken along with a surprise cameo from Dick Van Dyke reprising his role as Mr. Dawes Jr. As far as the writing goes, Mary Poppins Returns works well as a family drama that manages to fairly recapture a large portion of the fun, the spirit, and the magic of the original film.

      Overall, the film works very well as being a worthy continuation of the classic 1964 Disney classic that starred Julie Andrews, with Emily Blunt proving to be a sensational successor to the role. Not everyone will like the film and will hold it to a high standard considering what it's a follow-up to. While it's true that the sequel doesn't match the same quality of its predecessor nor exceeds it in quality, it does a fantastic job of being a well-executed sequel that's totally deserving of its title. While Andrews performance will always be considered the gold standard of how to portray the iconic character, audiences will get a kick out of Blunts approach to the character adding a funny, stern, and warm side to Poppins, along with her character appearing to know more than she leads on. Both performances are great in their own ways and deserve to be celebrated for their own different styles and approaches to the character. With Mary Poppins Returns, director Rob Marshall proves once again that he is the ideal director to properly take a classic Disney material and reimagine it on the big screen for a new generation of audiences. The film does a beautiful job of drawing audiences back into the world of Mary Poppins with the cinematography, art-set decoration, and costume design being a perfect blend along with the films strong musical aspects and terrific performances. Returns was not just one of the best films to come out in 2018, but is proof that it's possible to properly reboot a classic Disney story decades later and have it actually work. The film dazzles and enchants its audience along with delivering a heartfelt message to them, which says that when times get rough, its always good to have moments of fun and be a kid again. Mary Poppins Returns is all heart and charm with the end result being a worthy successor to the first.

Final Verdict: For Disney fans and fans of the original Mary Poppins, the sequel is a must see.

Jeepers Creepers 3 Is A Major Letdown For Fans Of The Series

      

      It took 14 years after the release of the second Jeepers Creepers for a third film to finally get made and now audiences get the long-awaited third installment of the franchise, that first began in August 2001 with the release of Jeepers Creepers. Made for a budget of only $10 million dollars, the first Jeepers Creepers not only became a box office hit but developed a cult following, that led to the greenlighting of a sequel, which was released on the same Labor Day weekend release as its predecessor two years later in 2003. Carrying with it an even larger budget of $17 million in comparison to the first film, Jeepers Creepers 2 ended up being slightly less successful than its predecessor along with garnering the same style of mixed reviews, but ultimately ended up doing well enough to generate talks of a third film. The road to Jeepers Creepers 3's production was not a smooth one as the film struggled to find proper financing, and almost went straight to DVD under MGM studios. Add to that a total of nine straight years of numerous false attempts to begin production as well as setbacks. Upon finally securing financing and beginning production in early 2016, the film came under fire due to director Victor Salva's involvement given his criminal past regarding a child molestation case in the late 1980's, which led to him being convicted and later rehabilitated. Undergoing numerous rewrites, the script was polished with its story now taking place between the events of the first Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers 2, rather than the story taking place 23 years after the events of the second film with Gina Philips returning in a much larger role as Trish from the first Jeepers Creepers, 
rather than being reduced to a cameo role in the finished product. Unlike the first two films which received full theatrical runs, the third Jeepers Creepers received a one night run in theaters in October 2017 before landing on DVD, mainly due to the controversy behind its directors past. One suspects that the finished product ended up being a result of the resistance Salva received in terms of securing funding for the film for obvious reasons as the third Jeepers Creepers is easily the worst of the three films in regards to storytelling, production qualities, and lacking both the sense of fun and creepiness the first two films carried in terms of terrifying audiences.

The plot for Jeepers Creepers 3 takes place in between the events of the first and second film (Confusing right?) with Sheriff Dan Tashtego and a team of creeper hunters enlisting the help of officer Davis Tubbs to help stop the monster's eating spree. Watching the newest Creepers film, one doesn't understand why the films plot didn't continue from where the second movie left off with audiences, as that movie's ending experienced a time jump of 23 years into the future showing that the creature from the first two films was only a few days away from getting the opportunity to escape and eat again. Instead of continuing that films story and focusing on the farmer Jack Taggard played by Ray Wise, who caught the Creeper and was guarding him, Salva chose to take the franchise a step back by going backwards in the series timeline. The new story makes little to no sense in the overall timeline of the series, and only serves to frustrate and largely disappoint fans, who went into the new film with great anticipation that the story would find new ground after the terrorizing of a school bus of kids. The film abruptly ignores the storyline of both films before it, which was a fatal mistake for the movies chances to be a decent sequel. If Salva wasn't going to add to any of the previous storylines from the first two movies instead of doing a standalone one in between, then what was the point of establishing and making the audience care for the siblings in the first movie or the angry and vengeful farmer in the second. At least with those films, the audience had characters that were fairly well-established, and made you care about their safety when the creature appeared on the screen. Sadly that's not the case here as the audience doesn't connect with any of the characters in this film with most being throwaway ones, that only serve to be appetites for the creature with no real depth to them. The creature himself is not as scary this time around as he's way overexposed compared to the previous two films. Jeepers Creepers 3 feels like it doesn't have any of the creativity, the cleverness, nor the passion that went into telling its story, that the first film had nor the campy fun of its sequel.

      In terms of the films acting performances. the actors try for the most part but feel as if they lack the energy and enthusiasm, that actors such as Justin Long and Gina Philips carried in the first film. Stan Shaw is introduced as a new character in the series playing Sheriff Dan Tashtego, whose brought in to help track the Creeper. Generally a strong character actor, Shaw does the best job possible job with playing his role despite how badly written his character comes across. Brandon Smith returns as Sgt. Davis Tubbs from the first Jeepers Creepers with more screentime delivered to his character (One still doesn't understand why such a minor characters in the first one got a larger role in this story when Trish's arc is left unresolved). He plays the part the same way he delivered his performance in the first, which was cheesy though effective despite his character feeling pointless in this film other than helping to bridge the story in between the first and third movie. Meg Foster is third in line for strongest bystander character with her doing the best she can with the character written for her as being a dementia-stricken old lady. The rest of the cast is made up of young teens who deliver serviceable performances with Gabrielle Haugh as Foster's daughter Addison, Jordan Salloum as her brother Kenny, and Chester Rushing as Buddy Hooks, the young country boy crushing on Haugh's character, fulfilling the movies quota of having a generic teen romance thrown in the mix of the story. As for the Creeper himself, Jonathan Breck returns to the iconic role and once again provides a creepy yet effective performance despite his character not being as impactful this time around (That's more of an issue with the films direction and writing rather than his performance). The performances as a whole are passable with everyone trying their best to make something out of the story, but don't have a strong script to work off.

      The films directing and writing by Victor Salva is well deserving of the criticism it receives as both works lack the creative feel that the previous films had. While neither Jeepers Creepers film was perfect and had their share of issues with each story, they always carried with them a sense of campiness, which made their stories thrilling regardless of how silly they came across. That sense of dedication and passion towards telling their story is absent here as everything from the writing to the films production values feels like a downgrade in quality. The CGI in the film is cheap and unrealistic compared to the work done in the previous films, both of which carried with them larger budgets. It doesn't help that the effects are plastered all over the film either and involve weird new surprise twists involving the Creepers van that was never revealed before in the previous films. Examples are a giant chain that shoots out of the van and can go straight into another car, or rolling explosive balls that fly out of the Creepers vehicle and can blow up vehicles during highway chases. The films pacing is uneven and all over the place with the story both lacking focus and feeling off compared to the first two films. The way that Jeepers Creepers 3 ends with it's final scene is how the movie should've began with the tying of the first two movies stories together. The previous films also had stronger characters, that made the audience give a damn such as Darry and Trish from the first movie. Their plot was simple and easy to follow while providing enough time for the audience to grow connected with them and care when Darry is taken by the creature and ultimately murdered. The first movie was essentially a simply story about a pair of siblings trying to survive against something mysterious and sinister, that's out of their control. The second film took what worked about the first movie and built upon it with the main focus being the high school football team with an effective side-by-side subplot involving an angry farmer father, who became hell-bent on killing the creature after taking his son. The difference between the plots of the first two movies and the one for the third film is the first two were well-balanced, fairly developed, and easy to follow. Regardless of how silly the second film came across as being in comparison to the first, the audience was still drawn to the story and having fun with the concept of a bunch of high school kids in a school bus being terrorized by the Creeper. The plots for the first two movies worked because they took each other's concepts and built off them to create what could've been a bizarre yet solid horror movie trilogy if Jeepers Creepers 3 had stuck to it's original script of taking place after the events of Jeepers Creepers 2. Wouldn't it have been a more exciting storyline to see Ray Wise's character from the second team up with Trish from the first film to take down the Creeper once and for all when he awoke at the end of the second movie? That would've been a much more satisfying film for fans than what they ultimately got here.

      The most eye-opening revelation about the third film being so poor in quality in comparison to the first two is not how bad the CGI is for the film, it's how poor the scriptwriting comes across along with how the story feels like a bunch of unfinished ideas thrown together without a straight-forward narrative. This is easily the most confusing and frustrating Jeepers Creepers film to follow in regards to its plot as the film feels like it jumps all over the place with numerous characters the audience doesn't give an ounce about because they aren't properly developed. Some of the movies subplots have moments of potential where it could've worked if more elaboration was placed upon it, while others prompt unintentional laughter due to how silly they come across. Examples of the story feeling like it's bouncing off the walls is Meg Fosters character getting visions from her dead son along with the audience being treated to Sargeant Tubbs pointless bickering with Sheriff Dan Tashtego. The films jumps from their subplots to that of the anti-Creeper gang, then to the ones involving the teenagers such as Buddy crushing on Addison with her character having her own subplot. The script tries so hard to juggle all of these stories while introducing all of these characters in an attempt to make them relevant to the plot when in actuality they feel unimportant, unnecessary, and distract from the true narrative of the series which is that the creature gets to eat every 23 years and 23 days. The first two movies brilliantly and effectively conveyed that concept in the most brutal fashion, yet here the Creeper doesn't feel like the same creature from the first two films. The Creeper is also not as scary in this one due to the amount of times he's shown in daylight, making his costume come across as looking cheesy (Anyone wonders why he's wearing a red shirt in this film in comparison to the others?) For whatever reason he chose to eliminate some of the key traits that made the Creeper such an intimidating and frightening figure in the first two films, Salva fundamentally changes his own horror movie monster and gets his characteristics wrong. Whereas the Creeper singled people out by smelling their fear and eating their body parts, he does nothing similar here besides just walk around and grunt. The CGI work on him is so terrible that when he flies away at night, it looks like painfully fake rather than being visually striking. The only good scene in the film involving The Creeper is a scene in the woods where a group of young teenagers bikers find the Creepers truck in the woods prompting his character to attack. Beyond that one of the most innovative and interesting characters in modern horror is completely betrayed by his own filmmaker and completely wasted.

       To put it blatantly, Jeepers Creepers 3 is an all around terrible film, that serves as being a massive letdown for fans of the first two who waited 14 years for a stronger story to continue the series from where the second film left off. Here, the audience still doesn't know the origins of the series main antagonist, though it's hinted that the main characters in the film do because of a hand, that allows people to see visions of where the creature came from and what he truly is. The audience never gets to see what the characters in the film saw, which makes such a subplot completely pointless, frustrating, and stupid. Looking at this film in comparison to the previous two Jeepers Creepers, one doesn't understand why Salva decided to go in between his previous films with a story that absolutely no one was interested in watching, and didn't choose to continue from where he left off with the end of Jeepers Creepers 2. He missed out on a really good opportunity to tie both of those films together by uniting all the survivors in what could've been a strong finish to a fun series of horror movies. Not only could the Creepers origins story been explored here, but audiences could've gotten the proper finish to the trilogy they waited 14-years for while giving Trish's character as well as Ray Wise's character from the second the justice they seek for the Creepers actions. The third Jeepers Creepers film is a bad movie any way that one cuts it, but its greatest tragedy is not that it's terrible, it's the lost potential the third movie had to wrap up it's series in a more satisfying fashion for fans of the series. The end of this film implies that the door is left open for a 4th film, which after watching this almost nobody will want unless a different writer-director helm it or the series gets completely rebooted. What could've been a sequel that gave fans what they wanted after waiting in anticipation for 14 years, ends up being a complete disappointment, that deserves to be forgotten about immediately after seeing it and erased from memory. You'll be better off for it once you see what has been done to the story.

Final Verdict: If you enjoyed Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2, skip and avoid this film at all costs and just rewatch the first two, it's way more satisfying than this.

A Wrinkle In Time Is Fun, Bold, Full Of Heart, And Carries A Great Message For Kids

       Much has been said about A Wrinkle In Time since it debuted in theaters last spring. Running a production and marketing budget of around $150 million dollars, the film ended up becoming one of the biggest box office bombs in movie history with losses totaling $131 million, while also receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics. Add to insult, the audience score sits at a ridiculously uncalled for 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. There was only one film that performed worse than A Wrinkle In Time financially last year and that was Mortal Enemies. The reception that the film received from critics was split with some taking issue with the heavy use of special effects and numerous plot holes, while others celebrated the diversity and female empowerment the film was promoting. Having seen the film finally, one can simply say that the final product while not perfect, is much better than what it's reputation gives it and actually serves as being a fun film that's a brave and noble attempt from acclaimed filmmaker of Selma and Netflix's When They See Us, Ava DuVernay to bring a children's fantasy story to life based on popular literature. With A Wrinkle In Time, DuVarney tries and succeeds for the most part in delivering a new type of kids adventure that has heart, imagination, and carries a good message behind it.

      The plot for A Wrinkle In Time centers around a 13-year old girl named Meg (Played wonderfully by Storm Reid), whose both frustrated and heartbroken due to the disappearance of her astrophysicist father (Played by Chris Pine) four years prior during an experiment involving time travel. Facing acts of bullying by classmates and being derided by teachers, she is introduced by her younger brother to three celestial friends serving as guardian angels (Played by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling), who persuade her to take an inter-dimensional journey to find her father. Reading the synopsis for A Wrinkle In Time, one would get the impression that this film serves as being a cross between The Wizard Of Oz and Tron Legacy with the Oz comparison being a young girl transported into a different type of world, that's visually out of this world with the Tron Legacy comparison being her character is also looking for her father much like Jeff Bridges son in that film with the main plot difference being the gender swap. A Wrinkle In Time is guilty of utilizing large amounts of CGI to tell it's story to the point where the cinematography and effects come across as looking awkward at times, but the movie at its core is good-hearted and carries with it a sentimental message, that says the universe creates each person to be unique in their own ways with the ability to save the world. Some of the themes that A Wrinkle In Time's story covers ranges from absent fathers to broken families along with being guided by angels and spirits, science, diversity, love, respect, self-esteem, success, and determination. Watching the film, one feels as if DuVarney shaped this story to speak to young children (Particularly young African-American girls) in hopes of being a story that not only captivates them, but will reach to them on a personal level with words of encouragement and hope for their upbringing as they get older. She even incorporates themes that a lot of children experience in today's generation such as the absence of parental figures in their life as well as unstable and dysfunctional families. She shows the character of Meg as being a young girl, who experiences these themes while building up her own self-esteem and determination to make it on her own with the absence of her father-figure. Her character feels like she's a representation of what typical children of color go experience throughout their upbringing. Despite the many criticisms the film gets for the way it comes across visually, one cannot deny that DuVarney and the cast put their heart into the film as it shows through the performances and story shown.

       Along with the films visuals style, one of the movies strongest points lies within it's performances from the main actors. Newcomer Storm Reid does an impressive job playing the films main character Meg. She perfectly conveys her characters sadness, frustration, and hope that she can find her father again, while growing as a person throughout her journey. Levi Miller also shines as Meg's loyal friend and love interest Calvin, who accompanies her on her intergalactic journey to find her dad with Deric McCabe doing great as Meg's brother Charles Wallace. As far as the performances from the child actors go, they all do a really good job of bringing their characters to life and sharing both natural and believable chemistry together. In the supporting roles category, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling all deliver strong performances as the three main guardians of Meg's character as they guide her on her trip. The three work extremely well off each other and appear to be having a blast contributing to the story. Chris Pine shines in a nice change of pace role as Meg's scientific father, who goes absent throughout most of the movie then reappears two thirds in. Pine brings a sincerity to his performance that makes his character likable despite leaving behind his family for selfish reasons. One takes interest in his relationship with Meg as shown through flashbacks in the first half of the movie. Overall, the cast as a whole ends up being one of the films strongest points as they all do a great job of playing their roles and adding realism to the story.

      The films directing by DuVarney earns credit for creating a visually striking piece of art with a powerful message behind it. She doesn't just bring the story to life, she creates a journey for the films audience to take while leaving it up to them if they wish to do so. Given that this was DuVarneys first real experience in regards to using CGI, she handles it very well though the coloring in certain scenes may come off as being a bit too extreme for some viewers. DuVarney always manages to get the strongest performances out of her actors with this project being no exception. Here she crafts a beautiful tale, that's aimed directly for kids and directs it with confidence in knowing which audience she's aiming for. She crafts a touching and heartfelt story that's about the conquering of ones own insecurities and faults with the antidote being love. Love in the film is presented as being a powerful force ultimately bends both space and time. The only criticism that can be directed at DuVarney's style of directing is the use of CGI in certain scenes comes across as being over-the-top and unnatural compared to other sequences. The films pacing feels appropriate which gives the story the right flow. The films cinematography, costume, art design, and make up are top notch as well as the films moving score by Ramin Djawadi. DuVarney set out to make this a kids oriented film and here she succeeds in creating her own The Wizard of Oz type story, that feels sentimental in the message it delivers to young children.

      The screenplay by Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell is solid though has minor issues such as certain subplots feeling rushed and not fully developed. Meg's father leaving his family behind for scientific purposes felt rushed and not as shocking and hard-hitting for the audience as it could've came off had it been elaborated on somemore. Meg has moments where she describes some of the issues her character goes through with the audience being confused at some because there seemed to be no trace of them prior in the story. Despite the film feeling rushed in terms of scriptwriting, the screenplay makes up for it's shortcomings with the powerful themes it tackles. Lee writes the script as if it's one big analogy of life, while never feeling overly preachy in it's aim to teach people how they should properly live and treat others. The film basically says that those watching it should live life by avoiding and becoming disengaged from all the negativity they come across and focus on the positive or the "light". The writers elaborate on the way to do that by living as a good-hearted person, who puts oneself first while believing in their own potential family is also a driving force in the films story as the presence of such is needed in order for one to learn about their worth and be supported. While the scripts themes tower over the rest of the writing, the material itself feels rushed and not as fully developed as it should've been, ultimately taking what could've been a great fantasy film for kids and making it just an entertaining one.

      A Wrinkle In Time is a flawed yet decent fantasy epic for kids, that has an important message to get across to the youth and it does so reasonably and admirably well. The film definitely could've benefitted from more elaboration on some of the scripts elements as well as the restraint of the CGI in some areas of the film, but overall the end result is much better than the reputation people gave this movie. As an adaptation of the classic 1962 novel of the same name written by Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle In Time is a faithful version of the story brought to life on the big screen with both imagination and charm. One cannot deny that the film isn't without it's moments of enchantment, even if the structure of the film comes across as feeling uneven at times. Given that Ava DuVarney tackled her first 100 million dollar budget film as well as a popular piece of English literature, she did reasonably well with the project given to her, especially considering the material itself was always going to be extremely difficult to film. The film has more positives to offer audiences than negatives with the pros being the films stunning visual experience, as well as the value that young kids will find with the films themes and concepts. Perhaps the films biggest flaw is how it expects everyone to think like a child in regards to embracing the concept, as it tries to reach for the stars in terms of being broad and inspiring. The film was hoped to bring in a wide audience but feels like DuVarney always had the film aimed specifically for young girls, who can relate to the character of Meg in terms of their struggles. Perhaps DuVarney saw herself with that character and felt like she knew the right approach to telling the story. Her attempt at taking a complex source material and bringing it to the big screen was fairly successful though not without it's moment of missteps. A Wrinkle In Time is one of the most misunderstood and unappreciated films of 2018. Whereas it struggles in terms of remaining balanced with it's writing, it thrives off the energy and heart the films stars and creators bring to the final product.

Final Verdict: If one is looking for an innocent and fun children's fantasy story with a strong message behind it that's ultimately empowering, A Wrinkle In Time is worth a watch.

A Star Is Born Is A Worthy Remake With Great Performances From Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga

      

      When one star fades, another one rises and shines. That is the underlining theme of A Star Is Born, an American musical romantic drama film directed by, produced, co-written and starring Bradley Cooper in the main role with Lady Gaga as his co-star. Cooper's film serves as being the third remake of the original 1937 film of the same title, followed by the 1954 remake, and the 1976 version which starred Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand in the main roles. Originally, the project was supposed to be helmed by Clint Eastwood with Beyonce in the main role with various actors in the running for Cooper's role such as Leonardo Dicaprio, Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, and Will Smith with Jennifer Lopez up for Beyonce's part, which later went to Lady Gaga. The project ultimately was picked up by Bradley Cooper, who signed onto star and direct it with Lady Gaga joining the cast afterwards. The film ended up being a huge commercial success making over $434 million worldwide and opening to critical acclaim that landed it a spot on the American Film Institute's Best Movies of 2018 list as well as receiving a total of 8 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor for Cooper, Best Actress for Gaga, a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Sam Elliot, with a Best Song Oscar win for Gaga's "Shallow". Looking at the actual film, it's no secret as to why the film received such critical and box office acclaim, A Star Is Born is extremely well-performed, written, directed, and hard-hitting with its tragic romance, that also serves as being inspirational in a sense that as one person's star fades in terms of stature, they help another reach their full potential despite facing their own personal demons.

      The plot for A Star Is Born focuses on a fading rock and country music star (Played impressively well by Bradley Cooper), battling alcoholism as he comes across a beautiful young singer and songwriter (Played beautifully by Lady Gaga) with great star potential, but carries with her insecurities in regards to her looks and abilities. The two begin a romantic relationship with him helping her boost to fame status, despite their romance hitting serious obstacles in regards to her rising stature and his battle with alcoholism. Any of the audience members who've seen the previous versions of this story know that the love story ends in tragedy going into the new film. The film as brilliantly well put together as it is, deals with a culmination of themes regarding stardom, envy, love, lifting each other up, believing in oneself, struggle with alcoholism, addiction, money, grudges, substance abuse, and defining what beauty is ultimately. One can simply say that the romance in A Star Is Born serves as being a roller-coaster ride of emotions as the audience cares when Cooper and Gaga's characters are happy together, and get sad and frustrated when seeing them struggle with Cooper's character Jack's substance abuse issues playing a big part of the downfall of their relationship. On the surface, it may seem that their love story is a dysfunctional one due to the verbal abuse both characters share as well as the excessive drinking, but deep within the core of their relationship lies a powerful message about one person on the last leg of their career essentially using what's left of their talent and resources to uplift the other person, whose star is just rising making it one helluva romantic gesture. The film is not so much about the alcoholism and substance abuse issues the main characters showcase throughout the film, the story is about two people with common ground, who are music stars meeting each other, growing connected, aligning their careers and talents together, and for the time that they do spend together, try and uplift each other to shine brightly before one star ultimately fades for the other to shine. The film is about love and giving someone a chance to express themselves in the way they know how to do so best. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga make for a dynamic romantic duo, who share a great deal of burning and passionate chemistry on the screen while bringing out the best in each other in terms of both acting and singing performances

      One of the key elements to the success of the 2018 remake is the performances of its cast. Not only does Bradley Cooper do a fantastic directing job, he's terrific in the main role as country singer Jack, showing charisma in the role while making it convincing that his character is completely in love with Gaga's character Ally even to the point of envying her with the more famous she gets. He also does well with brilliantly depicting his characters internal struggles in regards to his substance abuse, his battle with alcoholism, and ultimately feeling like he's a burden on those he cares about (Particularly Gaga and Sam Elliot's characters for example). Cooper also demonstrates great versatile range with his singing duties in the film. Lady Gaga shines and surprises in her first feature-length film performance. One knew that she was talented as a singer but didn't realize how much talent she possessed as an actress. She's terrific here and conveys all the right emotions the part required such as being a young woman with dreams, but also holds insecurities deep down. The audience cares about her as she rises to stardom while struggling with the harsh realities of being famous. She gives an emotionally powerful performance that comes across as being strong, deep, and personal. The chemistry she shares with Cooper is spot on with both doing such fantastic and likable jobs playing their characters that audiences can't help but become emotionally connected with them. In terms of supporting roles, Sam Elliot does a great job playing Bobby Maine, the white-haired, manager and brother of Cooper's character Jackson Maine, who always seems to be tasked with forever cleaning up after his younger half-brothers mess when he gets drunk. Elliot's character provides the perfect balance between the three main actors as Cooper and Gaga work perfectly together as equals with Elliot's character providing the strong supporting role needed to round out the main cast. Together, the trio as a whole deliver performances of a lifetime, that are all deserving of their Oscar nominations. Had any of these roles been switched with someone else playing them, the film wouldn't have turned out to be as good as it ended up being with their involvement.

      In terms of the films directing and writing, Bradley Cooper does a fantastic job helming his first directorial project. With A Star Is Born, he keeps the camera steady and allows the performances to do much of the work in terms of driving the film. What could've easily ended up being a bland and tired old remake, is given a fresh retelling for a new generation of audiences while remaining deeply affecting thanks to Cooper's skills as a director. The fact that he was wrongfully snubbed of a Best Director nomination for his work on the film is a tragedy as he crafts a moving story about making it to the top in the music industry, while experiencing the challenges and downfall of fame. He does a brilliant job of setting up the characters and the story in the films first half with the fear factor of stardom being beautifully conveyed through Ally's character. Cooper shapes and molds the story around Lady Gaga's performance while utilizing both her musical and acting talents as a vital asset to the stories success. Coopers work as both the co-writer and director of the film, showcases pure craftsmanship as he keeps the film grounded in reality with his method of directing while making the character of Ally almost feel like a personal reflection of Lady Gaga's own life. The films cinematography is top notch making the film engaging to watch visually like a young girls dream of becoming a star being turned into reality with the films music being incredible, particularly the sequence in which Cooper and Gaga's character perform "Shallow". Not only is the song well-written and performed, but it literally feels like Gaga puts her soul into it. Given that the story is centered around an era where people can become stars over night due to digital technology on their phones, Cooper does a beautiful job of bringing both realism and sincerity to a story that not only feels genuine, but hits hard with its emotional climax.

      As well-done of a film as the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born turned out to be, it ultimately wasn't the film to take home the Academy Award for Best Picture (That distinct honor went to Green Book). While there was certainly stronger films up there for consideration on the Best Picture list, it doesn't make the impact that the story has on audiences any less real or powerful. The difference between this version of the story and the previous remakes, is that despite the previous ones feeling more Hollywood, this version makes audiences believe that they are seeing these characters and story happening before their own eyes. While some audiences may be turned off by the substance abuse nature of the story, others will take notice of the films deep message regarding ones desire to make their dreams become a reality. That and the films relationship at its core is the heart and soul of the story, keeping the audience invested in the movie while wanting Jack and Ally to succeed as a couple in the music industry despite their obstacles. Every so often, Hollywood puts two leads together in a love story, that are so effective they literally create magic on the screen. With Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born carries that magic and charm, which makes the whole experience feel like lightning in a bottle for both actors involved. The film is not just a solid romantic drama, its a shocking revelation of how talented its two main stars are compared to what audiences previously thought. One of 2018's most surprising and strongest filmmaking achievements, that deserves both its financial and critical reception. It's rare to find a Hollywood remake that not only lives up to the expectations placed upon it to match its predecessor, but also be surprising. This one however lives up to the hype and is worthy of its title.

Final Verdict: For Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fans, A Star Is Born Is A Must See.