masonsaul

Jay Kelly is a melancholic comedy drama focusing on how constantly making movies comes at the cost of missing almost every other part of life. It's a satirical, self-aware and sentimental look at the burden of being a movie star for the titular star and those around him who have to make their own sacrifices just to keep him going. It's slightly too long but has a clear love of filmmaking and ends on a fittingly emotionally bittersweet moment.

George Clooney is perfectly cast as an iconic movie star with a natural charm. Even though his character is self-obsessed he can still bring some warmth to him and makes you care because of how deeply lonely he is. Adam Sandler gives a sensitive supporting performance which makes him so likeable as he always tries to stay relaxed despite having to deal with so many problems on top of his own and empathetically yearns for the life that almost was.

Noah Baumbach's direction starts really strong and continues to implement graceful transitions when moving from the present into the past without a simple cut. Similarly, Linus Sandgren's cinematography instantly impresses thanks to a satisfying long take and shooting on 35mm ensures the film always looks gorgeous. The screenplay by Noah Baumbach & Emily Mortimer contains several impactful lines and Nicholas Britell's score is suitably affecting.

Wicked: For Good is thankfully shorter than its overly long predecessor and covers more ground over the course of its 137 minute run time to deliver a satisfying conclusion to this story, even with a sluggish start and some weird narrative choices. It's a darker sequel that doubles down on the timely commentary revolving around manipulating the truth which feeds into growing prejudice in Oz without completely losing its sense of fun or whimsy.

Ariana Grande no longer feels like she's supporting thanks to significantly increased screen time and she is amazing, keeping Glinda's winning humour whilst bringing greater emotional heft. Cynthia Erivo remains a powerful presence who gets most of the biggest moments and her chemistry with Ariana Grande & Jonathan Bailey is on point. Jeff Goldblum is naturally charming despite being evil and Michelle Yeoh is good apart from the fact that she really can't sing.

Jon M. Chu's direction has improved the visuals when compared to part one. There's still a few scenes that are noticeably overlit but it generally looks more vibrant and Alice Brooks' cinematography is dynamic enough during the musical numbers. None of the songs here are as strong as Defying Gravity however, No Good Deed & For Good are great, memorable inclusions and John Powell's score finds plenty of time to include the songs in his work for increased emotion.

Predators wastes no time dropping its small cast of characters into the action and simultaneously shows an impressive amount of restraint by taking its time building up to the big reveal of its title characters. Setting this one on an alien planet and the new additions to the lore add something fresh even as it mostly repeats scenarios from the original in an engaging fashion and it's more than capable of delivering bloody action with effectively unsettling moments of horror.

Adrien Brody is actually a surprisingly great action star who brings the necessary physicality and has a grim determination to survive which makes him resourceful yet cold without being unlikeable. He's supported by a memorable cast of mostly likeable characters with the highlights being Louis Ozawa and Walton Goggins. Laurence Fishburne instantly understands how to be unhinged and Topher Grace plays to his awkward strengths until his sinister true nature is finally revealed.

Nimród Antal's direction comfortably merges the inspirations from the original Predator with other classic influences and the new creature designs look distinct. Visually, the film has aged quite gracefully thanks to strong uses of practical effects and locations making the budget feel bigger than it is. John Debney's score is too comfortable simply relying on Alan Silvestri's iconic work to create an ominous atmosphere throughout but it still works because his work is that good.