NYFF Review: Sprinsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025)

On the cusp of global superstardom, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the album “Nebraska” in the early 1980s.

New York Film Festival Review

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is directed by Scott Cooper director of Crazy Heart (2009), Out Of The Furnace (2013), Black Mass (2015), Hostiles (2017), Antlers (2021) and The Pale Blue Eye (2022).

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is very different from the usual music biopic, for one thing the film mainly focuses on the conception of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska and the struggles he went through making it. There are some flashbacks to his childhood as well but those are more so sprinkled in between and help paint the picture of what the film is telling us. All of this combined with the feel of being in Springsteen’s mind, the excellent performances and the film tackling mental health helps the film feel incredibly striking.

First and foremost we have the performances that are all very well done. Jeremy Allen White completely disappears in the role of Bruce Springsteen, not only does he capture Bruce’s voice incredibly well but he delivers this vulnerable and balance performance of striking depth and power. The quiet moments of him just staring tell so much without uttering a word, he bounces off of the rest of the cast masterfully and with his performance truly paints this beautiful picture of Bruce and what he was going through during this period of time. Jeremy Allen White really shows how excellent he is as an actor here and goes all out with playing Springsteen, during the later half of the film we see the vulnerability and the pain he’s going through which easily brings the viewer into the film. With this, Jeremy Allen White gives one of the most raw and beautiful performances of the year.

Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau Bruce’s manager is just as fantastic, Strong really ties into the whole mental health part of the film where he is a honest friend to Bruce during his roughest moments. The conversations between the two not only show how incredible Jeremy Strong is as an actor, but shows some of the film’s most beautiful and honest moments. I would be lying if I said that some of these moments almost made me cry, they depict the action and feel of friends letting you know that they are always there and will do the best they possibly can to help you. That’s something Jeremy Strong’s performance truly gives off and it works so incredibly well, while yes he does typical manager stuff during some parts of the film. He still absolutely cares for Bruce and the bond between the two truly is one of the film’s strongest assets.

Paul Walter Hauser gives a solid comedic performance, the comedy does not overstay its welcome which is a smart move considering the themes the film tackles. Odessa Young is solid here, while she is not in the film all that much Bruce’s mental health does impact the two’s relationship and does tie into the whole theme of mental health. It’s one of those “your mind is destroying things you are most looking forward to” sort of moments that feel all to real for anyone who’s dealt with these sort of moments before. Finally there’s Stephen Graham who plays Bruce’s father, Bruce has a complicated relationship with him due to a number of factors and over the course of the film we see said reasons. But we also see that slowly but surely there’s some semblance of reconstructing a bond, Graham gives a very strong performance.

The writing is beautifully done, while it may feel a bit simple at times there truly is something powerful underneath it all. The film shows us the positives and negatives of being a music artist, while yes it’s wonderful it also comes with drawbacks such as the producers wanting what THEY think will be successful rather than letting said artist do what they want. This clearly upsets Springsteen as he wants the authentic version of his music, this is an issue in the music industry that is still quite present today especially with younger artists.

I have brought this up a lot of times now but the way the film tackles mental health is truly powerful, honest and quite beautiful. The film’s main theme here is sometimes you just need someone in your corner and to never be afraid to ask for help, seeing the scenes of Bruce being incredibly happy with Faye Romano (played by Odessa Young) one moment and then seeing their torn apart relationship due to Bruce’s struggles is heartbreaking and as I said before feels all to real. There’s one particular scene where Odessa Young’s dialogue is honest and truly captures a lot of the film’s themes incredibly well.

Luckily the film does end on a hopeful note, one that is an important message for many who struggle with these issues, it’s a truly beautiful film that shows the vulnerability of man and what he was going through at the time.

Overall Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is a fantastic film that you should check out whether you are a Bruce Springsteen fan, a music biopic fan or are interested in general! It’s a raw and beautiful watch.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere releases in theaters Friday.

9/10 A

Kiss Of The Spider Woman (2025) Film Review

A political prisoner named Valentín shares a cell with a man named Molina. They form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts a Hollywood musical plot.

Kiss Of The Spider Woman is directed by Bill Condon director of Dream Girls (2006), Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2 (2011 and 2012), Beauty And The Beast (2017), The Good Liar (2019) and a few others. The film is based on the stage musical and is the second film based on the 1976 novel, the first film being the 1985 film of the same name.

I liked Kiss Of The Spider Woman a bit more than expected, Bill Condon’s directing career has not exactly been great in the last several years. But luckily he brings the magic he did with Dream Girls (2006) back here. While not everything in Kiss Of The Spider Woman lands, there is so much to absolutely love here that it ends up being such an experience from beginning to end.

The performances are by far the film’s best assets, starting with Diego Luna who gives an incredibly solid commanding performance, his chemistry with Tonatiuh (who we will get to in just a second) is filled to the brim with charm, his performance during the later half of the film only gets stronger as there are moments where his performance ends up being genuinely devastating, it’s one of those performances where you may think it can’t get any better but in this case you would be wrong.

Jennifer Lopez might not have the most screen time, however she makes the most of it and what follows is a genuinely well done performance. Her dancing is hypnotizing and oozes with style, Lopez captures the Old Hollywood feel incredibly well and captures the style and atmosphere the film requires effortlessly. Although I’m not exactly huge on the songs (they aren’t bad at all) she does a really beautiful job with her singing, even if you are not huge on the songs like I was. There is absolutely no denying that Lopez does a great job of capturing the feel of the songs and giving them their own story. Her characters also support the story very well and even help move the film at a bigger pace.

Finally there’s Tonatiuh who for me is the standout, everyone is going to walk away from this film having a different take on who was the standout and for me that’s Tonatiuh. As I said before the chemistry between Diego Luna and Tonatiuh is fascinating, the fun banter they both have during the film’s beginning is filled with charm. On his own much like Jennifer Lopez he perfectly captures the Old Hollywood style, he’s having the time of his life as well as this understanding of his characters. It’s such a beautiful element to see from an actor and it ends up working so incredibly well to his benefit, the obvious passion and one particular moment with Jennifer Lopez (which he has fantastic chemistry with) all lead this to be one of my favorite performances of the year. It may take time for some to warm up to his performance, but that’s mainly due to Tonatiuh saving the power of his performance for the later half, which ends up being worth the well done wait.

As I said before I’m not huge on the songs, however that does not make them bad (far from it) the song sequences are incredibly well done and mix especially well with the film’s cinematography. Cinematographer Tobias A. Schliessler does a fascinating job of capturing the energetic choreography from the dance and music sequences, it’s filled with detail and color both of which help the film pop out a lot more. Due to this, even if the songs aren’t exactly the strongest, all of the technical aspects are able to push these sequences to the finish line and still be quite fantastic.

Lastly the film’s Old Hollywood feel is absolutely exciting, between each of our three main characters capturing the feel perfectly and combined with the technical aspects of the film there’s so much passionate style that director Bill Condon quite clearly poured into this film. I also do think the side to side transitions from the prison and the Hollywood musical are genuinely well done and heartbreaking in some cases.

Overall Kiss Of The Spider Woman is a strong film that is filled with fantastic performances that you will leave the theater loving! It’s a well directed and engaging film that Bill Condon and the rest of the cast and crew did such a passionate job with!

Kiss Of The Spider Woman releases tomorrow in theaters.

8/10 B+

KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Film Review

A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.

KPop Demon Hunters is directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang! Appelhans previously directed Wish Dragon (2021) and this being Maggie Kang’s directorial debut!

KPop Demon Hunters is the biggest surprise so far this year, this was a film I was not originally going to watch mainly due to my huge lack of knowledge of K-Pop as a genre of music. I only really know the more mainstream groups and that’s about where my knowledge ends, luckily for people not super into the genre like myself you do not need to be that knowledgeable to jump right into this film. It incorporates elements of the genre while also focusing on being just an overall fantastic film that has so much going for it and even more to really love.

Right off the bat, the voice cast is brilliant the main three characters we follow Rumi, Mira and Zoey almost immediately are filled with charm when they are introduced. The voice acting from Adren Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo is beautifully done, all three have this natural chemistry that you feel from their words and emotions. There’s so much fun dynamics, banter and even character moments shared between the three, it all meshes into this beautifully told story that really captivates the viewer due to the attention to detail that goes into the character designs. Ahn Hyo-seop who voices Jinu is also quite fantastic as well, his moments with Rumi are some of the film’s best that help push the film forward as well as bring out the film’s themes.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, there’s a lot of attention to detail here that not only went towards the character designs but also the background, the film’s world and the overall atmosphere. There is so much to explore in this world with tons of fun moments during the song sequences, it’s electrifying and never leaves the viewer with a dull moment. The film’s background also tells the story as well, when the foreground is not exactly busy there is always something going on in the background whether it’s fun character movements or just beautifully done animation.

The music is well done and does a great job of translating this style of music to the film, Golden, Free, Takedown and How it’s Done are some of the film’s standouts although the whole track list is quite great. Each of the songs has its own personality and flavor to them that keeps things incredibly fresh throughout the film. The song sequences are also beautifully animated with a lot going on and so much energy in the air that it ultimately builds to beautiful finale.

The story might not exactly be anything new and has a few hiccups, with that being said that is not nearly enough to stop the film’s story from being effective. There’s this 90s classic anime feel such as Sailor Moon that when paired with this exciting style of animation is absolutely exciting and almost feels like it’s putting this era into a different perspective. The visual storytelling is also fantastic there’s a lot of moments here where lines do not have to be said, the music pushes it forward in this way that the viewer can clearly understand.

Overall KPop Demon Hunters is so far the best animated film of the year as well as being one of the best films of the year in general. Be sure to watch this one if you haven’t!

KPop Demon Hunters is available on Netflix.

9/10 A

The Ballad Of Wallis Island (2025) Film Review

Old tensions resurface when former bandmates who were former lovers reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is directed by James Griffiths who previously directed Cuban Fury (2014). The film is based on the 2007 short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a pretty straightforward story about the relationships with art we both make and admire, the film does have its hiccups particularly in the character writing department but there is so much passion felt here especially through the acting and flow of the film.

The acting all around is quite great, Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan all give beautiful performances that are genuinely meaningful especially as the film goes on. While the character writing is a bit lacking as we don’t really get some critical answers to some of these characters and are kind of left in this unknown area, what makes them work is the acting. It’s raw, beautiful and striking which is more than enough to bring the viewer along for the ride.

The direction from James Griffiths is earnest and gives this beautiful look at Charles (played by Tim Key) looking up to Herb McGwyer (played by Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (played by Carey Mulligan) and inspiration for music, it’s genuinely touching and displays tons of beautifully done moments that you can really feel their bond growing through the screen.

The cinematography combined with the music is beautiful as well, the mountain town and folk music aesthetics really add a lot of flavor to the film and build the atmosphere it needs to really deliver. The cinematography from G. Magni Ágústsson really brings the whole beauty of the film together in the end with tons of shots that stay with you until the credits.

Overall The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a beautifully acted and done film that really inspires you especially when it comes to its theming.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Juliet & Romeo (2025) Film Review

Based on the real story that inspired William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, follows the greatest love story of all time, set as an original pop musical

Juliet & Romeo is directed by Timothy Scott Bogart director of Touched (2005) and Spinning Gold (2023)

Romeo & Juliet a story that everyone has heard at least once and here we have another adaption. What does Juliet & Romeo do differently than the rest? Well two things, for one Bogart tells us the “true story” that inspired the play and second he makes it a pop musical…which goes about as well as you would expect. It would be one thing if at the very least the performances were well acted and the songs were memorable which is sadly not the case here.

To start with the leads Clara Rugaard (who plays Juliet) and Jamie Ward (who plays Romeo) are the weakest of the cast. This is one of those movies where the supporting cast are actually far more interesting than the leads, which in some cases it could be debated that’s a good thing. However it’s most definitely not in this case, Rugaard and Ward don’t do a terrible job as the pair, they really try their hardest with what they have but the script is just not giving them an opportunity to make these characters exciting. Rupert Everett, Jason Isaacs and Derek Jacobi have some great moments but unfortunately don’t have a whole lot to do.

Then we have the songs which are hard to sit through, the best way to describe these songs is thinking of the most cliche portrayal of pop music you can think of. Whatever you just imagined is not far off from what’s in this movie, there’s some occasional neat set pieces and the movie itself is colorful which helps pop out at times. But these are small bits that do not overall really help this movie standout all that much. The music itself is also auto-tuned and a lot of the time feels very out of place, there’s times where you can really tell they tried to go for the feel of Jesus Christ Superstar but without any of the energy the play had.

I’m not entirely sure what the goal was here with Juliet & Romeo if it was to make the most dull adaption to the play then I guess it succeeded. Because with a runtime of 122 minutes this is an absolute chore to sit through and there’s very little to entertain the viewer with or bring interest.

Juliet & Romeo releases tomorrow in theaters and in UK Cinemas for one night only on June 11th!

3/10 D-

Opus (2025) Film Review

A young writer travels to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by a cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she soon finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.

Opus is directed by Mark Anthony Green which is his directorial debut.

Look there is absolutely no denying that Opus is a mess writing wise, it has a ton of plot issues and the movie itself very much feels like a weaker Midsommar (2019) and The Menu (2022). Having that said I do think with what was presented this was just weird and fun enough to check out and really enjoy.

The cast is what keeps the film at least interesting, Ayo Edebiri does really solid job in the leading role and shows that she can make for an incredibly fun final girl. I do like what the film does with her character Ariel as it does explore some quite interesting elements from her mind during the final moments of the film, even if the exploration comes in a bit too late it still manages to grab the viewer’s attention for just a bit longer. It helps that Edebiri as an actress is just great, she works incredibly well with the rest of the cast and she fits into the film’s incredibly odd atmosphere.Her facial acting where she just looks confused throughout keeps some sense of a grounded nature, like we are seeing what’s happening through Ariel. The film unfortunately does take you out of that feel especially towards the second half of the film, but I do appreciate the film’s attempt at even going for a grounded feel at times at all.

John Malkovich is incredibly strong here, there is certain scenes that allow him to be as weird as possible and it really works in both Malkovich and the film’s favor. His character Alfred is the classic cult leader who seems nice at first but then slowly the mask slips and we see more of his true character, there’s one moment in particular that Malkovich goes all out with it’s a scene of him busting out so many dance moves while one of the many great songs in this film 35mm by Moretti, Nile Rodgers and The-Dream is playing. It’s by far the strangest scene in the film and perhaps the best as we get to feel the full weirdness that the film’s atmosphere was hinting towards before the scene occurred. Malkovich isn’t playing a brand new type of character but his balance between a friendly person and a completely crazed cult leader is more than enough to make up for it.

The supporting cast mainly Amber Midthunder who acts unhinged here and is just delightful to see, Murray Bartlett who’s a lot of fun here and Juliette Lewis who is also quite a lot of fun. Lewis and Bartlett don’t really have fully fleshed out characters in fact they are very similar to characters from other films like this, but in terms of good performances they do well here.

The music as I briefly mentioned before is incredibly fun, it’s energizing and has personality behind it which keeps the film more fun as it goes on. It’s a bit unfortunate that the film does not really use the music in very out there ways outside of the moment I talked about earlier, but at the very least the mysterious atmosphere remains intact throughout the film.

The second half of the film is where the movie suffers the most, the tone switch is incredibly messy and unfortunately doesn’t translate all that well for what the rest of the film is trying to go for. The whole idea of cults being viewed through the lens of musicians is there and from what’s presented it’s executed fine enough, but it’s incredibly surface level, there’s interesting horror elements and ideas introduced but never fully elaborated on. The film’s overall message is about celebrity cults which leaves the viewer asking “okay what about them?” and the film does not seem to have an answer.

Despite my problems with Opus however I would be lying if I said that I did not have a good time with this one. It’s a mess writing wise but the incredibly solid acting from the cast, the catchy and addictive nature of the music, the sharp cinematography and the mysterious atmosphere are just enough to make the film worth a watch. This is absolutely not going to be for everyone and is incredibly flawed, but if it sounds like your thing I recommend giving it a go.

Opus is available in theaters.

6/10 C+

O’Dessa (2025) Film Review

A farm girl embarks on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom in the post-apocalyptic future. Her journey soon leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love. However, in order to save his soul, she must put the power of destiny and music to the ultimate test.

O’Dessa is directed by Geremy Jasper director of Patti Cake$ (2017).

O’Dessa is one of those films where you want to love badly but it’s next to impossible to ignore when it comes to the film’s major flaws, having that said I do think for the most part the film gets a lot right and is generally a solid time.

Sadie Sink is the major part of why the film works, she has a beautiful singing voice and her acting goes above and beyond. Her interactions with the rest of the cast is filled with passion, the scenes she shares with Kelvin Harrison Jr. are admittedly very cute and the chemistry between the two is charming enough. Sink sings a majority of the film’s songs and they are so well done and fit the mood of the scene they are in, the film’s main theme is probably my favorite of the songs she sung. It’s a nice blend of rock and opera (something the film really seems to not really go far enough on halfway through the film.)

Regina Hall is not given a whole lot to do here but she makes what she can of it and does a solid job, Kelvin Harrison Jr. works well with Sink as I said before but is also great on his own (he has a few solid songs here) and Murray Bartlett is just having a ball. Bartlett in particular has one song here called Onederworld that he sings with Emily Forsythe which is definitely the most unique of the songs and perhaps my favorite simply due to how bizarre and sudden it appears. Bartlett seems like he’s having the time of his life with this song, between his singing and dancing it’s a whole light show and an incredibly fun sequence that is easily one of the film’s highlights.

The music is overall quite great although I will say if you go into this movie expecting it to go all out with the rock opera premise you are going to be left disappointed. As fun as the songs are (some of them being even great), I don’t think a lot of these songs would be the first thing someone thinks of when they think “rock opera” there’s a touch of it in some songs but not enough to really say the film went for it. Despite that however I still do think the songs are fun, creative and have strong sequences attached to them plus they highlight the talent of the actors which is always a plus.

As far as atmosphere goes the film feels like a cross between Mad Max and The Hunger Games but with music sequences, at times it’s pretty creative especially when we get to see more of this film’s world, the visual style is genuinely exciting. With colors that match the apocalyptic punk feel the film is going for, plus the use of colors with the song sequences are fun to look at. The camerawork is focused and brings in some extra detail as well, for what the movie was going for with its punk rock opera theme I would say the film does a solid job look wise.

Storytelling wise there’s definitely some bumps in the road that do stop this one from being great mainly the romance, while Sink and Harrison Jr. do have cute moments and both act well together on screen. The romance plot is just not well developed and it takes a lot away from this movie, this is mainly during the middle portion meaning when the third act comes around the movie gets back up on its feet and delivers. But sitting through the second act with an incredibly generic romance plot is very frustrating because this could have easily been trimmed and just stops the movie dead in its tracks pacing wise.

Overall O’Dessa is still a fun ride and I do like the swings that were attempted here. It’s a film that could have done far more with its premise, but from what was presented here I say it’s a decent little movie with great performances and some truly exciting music!

O’Dessa releases tomorrow on Hulu

6/10 C+

A Complete Unknown (2024) Film Review

In the early 1960s, 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. Forming his most intimate relationships during his rise to fame, he grows restless with the folk movement, making a controversial choice that reverberates worldwide.

A Complete Unknown is directed by James Mangold director of Girl Interrupted (1999), Logan (2017), Ford v Ferrari (2019), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and many others. The film is a biopic that portrays Bob Dylan through his early folk music success until the controversy over using electric instruments at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Music biopics have been releasing nonstop lately, much like a lot of things they all start to have this same sort of formula that ultimately hurts the film. I was worried this was going to be the case for A Complete Unknown but luckily it wasn’t, while this does share some common music biopic elements there’s a few different ingredients that the film uses that most of the films in the genre do not. Capturing the spirit of who the biopic is about, bringing passion into the mix, capturing the time period (in this case the 1960s) and completely bringing the viewer into the film, bring them inside the mind of Bob Dylan.

Timothée Chalamet gives an excellent performance as Bob Dylan, right from the beginning you can tell he went all in with this performance. He even captures Bob Dylan’s voice which he uses so beautifully, every single one of the music moments is perfect and really tells Dylan’s story but themselves. Chalamet is already a fantastic actor, but when you put him as one of the greatest songwriters of all time you get fascinating results. It’s one of those performances from a music biopic where the lead is completely connected with the spirt of the person they are attempting to capture through their performance, the scene that has Blowin’ in the Wind in particular is absolutely beautiful and really sums up Chalamet’s performance. You can feel the emotion and what Dylan is going through when Chalamet sings. One of the very best performances of the year that is truly captivating to watch.

Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton are also fantastic here as well, Barbaro has a beautiful singing voice that blends so well with Chalamet during the scenes of the two singing together. Much like Chalamet she’s just captivating to watch and really goes all out with her performance, her facial acting is also top notch. There’s moments where she just stares and that tells you so many different thoughts that are going on inside of her head. Edward Norton has a lot of fantastic moments especially early on (his singing is also kind of amazing). His dialogue with Chalamet is genuinely beautiful during certain moments and he just does such a good job of capturing the spirit of Pete Seeger.

But the part that makes these performances and even the film itself work so well is the screen presence of Chalamet, Norton, Barbaro and everyone else. They all connect with one another so easily and are able to go all out with their talent, there’s times where you really feel like this is a concert film just told with a story and that’s due to just how raw everything feels. It’s so beautiful to see witness Bob Dylan’s story being told in this very passionate light, we see his successes and his bumps in the road. It all makes for such a wonderful picture that tells you so much but at a nice pace that isn’t overloading the viewer with information.

James Mangold clearly knows his stuff when it comes to capturing the 1960s, especially with the early folk music type of feel that is very much present throughout the film. It’s also beautifully shot having this big scope that compliments the early folk music genre and how it important it was for everyone involved with the story, the information being told in the film might not be exactly new especially if you are a major fan of Bob Dylan. But the way Mangold tells Dylan’s story is truly fascinating and captures a lot of what Bob Dylan is all about.

Finally the film does such a beautiful job of making the viewer feel like they personally know Bob Dylan, it very much feels like Dylan himself or someone who knows Dylan is telling you his story (even though there isn’t a narrator in the film.) you get that sort of feel through the film’s beautiful atmosphere that takes you along this path filled with beautifully sung music.

Overall A Complete Unknown is a fantastic film that really surprised me, I highly recommend checking this one out!

A Complete Unknown is currently in theaters!

10/10 A+

Wicked (2024) Film Review!

Misunderstood because of her green skin, a young woman named Elphaba forges an unlikely but profound friendship with Glinda, a student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their relationship soon reaches a crossroad as their lives begin to take very different paths.

Wicked is directed by Jon M. Chu director of Crazy Rich Asians (2018), In The Heights (2021), Now You See Me 2 (2016), Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), Step Up 3D (2010), G.I. Joe Retaliation (2013) and Jem and the Holograms (2015). Wicked is the first installment of a two part film adaption based on the musical of the same name and serves as a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz.

It was inevitable that a film adaption of one of the biggest broadway shows in recent memory Wicked was going to be made, the questions were when was it going to be made? Who would make it? Plus would it actually happen? The answers to these questions are luckily very satisfying, which in turn led to one of the best films of the year and the very definition of a fantastic crowd pleaser.

Right from the beginning we are thrown into the land of Oz, the production design all the way through the film is quite excellent. A lot of attention to detail with the many colors that pop out, especially during the musical numbers where the film gets more creative. There’s many of these instances where the townspeople, students and get to participate and show off their choreography which truly is fantastic and really gives the film this lightning sort of energy it needed as well as a beautiful personality that really makes you feel your right there.

The performances are all fantastic, everyone here really gives it their all which leads into some of the best moments from a film this year. Cynthia Erivo was just a natural choice for Elphaba, Erivo’s singing voice is known to be big and powerful plus she her acting ability has always been top notch and here is no exception. She absolutely nails it down with “Defying Gravity” it’s a legendary song at this point and is a song that is incredibly challenging to sing, Erivo does such a masterful job with the song and really goes beyond expectations. It’s almost like you can see Erivo challenging herself to go even further which is something that is always fascinating to see from actors and actresses. We also quickly get to see how incredible Erivo’s voice really is with “The Wizard and I” a solo performance that quickly establishes that Erivo truly captures Elphaba as a character and goes even further in the film.

Ariana Grande as Galinda is just as fantastic, before this film Grande had not been in a lead or even a supporting role for years. There were cameos like Don’t Look Up (2021). But her last relatively main role was Hairspray Live (2016) but even then she wasn’t really front and center if you want go even further back it would be Victorious and Sam & Cat. To say Ariana Grande proved herself to be a fantastic actress here that could even go further in her acting career would be the understatement of the year. Right from the beginning Ariana Grande hits it out of the park with her powerful singing voice the notes she hits during “No One Mourns The Wicked” is absolutely striking and oozes with power, any doubt of Grande’s ability as an actress gets thrown out the window right at the moment. Throughout the film Grande really goes above and beyond to capture the spirit of Galinda and does such a masterful job at it, “Popular” is another grand moment for Grande the film does such a good job of comparing the personalities of Elphaba and Galinda throughout the film but this musical number and the Ozbust scene (more on that in a second) really shines. Grande brings this energizing spark to the film that really captures the land of Oz perfectly.

Together Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande bring this power that was absolutely needed to make the film work as well as it does, they go beyond expectations and even throw in their own style into the mix. One such example is during the Ozbust Elphaba and Galinda share an unforgettable beautiful moment that I believe to be the film’s heart. Before this we saw the two’s personalities challenge each other but here it’s when they collide and become friends…in a very beautiful way. The way the scene is done is just gorgeous, no dialogue besides the whispers of the crowd watching the two, they both move slowly and perform personal and beautiful movements that ultimately speak to one another. It’s a scene that admittedly made me tear up due to just how up close the camera is, the film is telling the viewer that this is a personal moment and wants you to experience it. The acting from Erivo and Grande gives us moments like this, “One Short Day” which is just oozing with energy and of course “Defying Gravity”.

The supporting roles from Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode and Jonathan Bailey are all fantastic. Marissa Bode has a lot of cute moments that are bound to warm your heart and Jonathan Bailey is just a lot of fun “Dancing Through Life” shows he’s quite a solid singer as well and really captures his character quite well.

The rest of the film is just a blast and it remains that way throughout the film, the choreography is energetic and as I said before everyone gets the chance to participate plus insert their own style into the mix. The film really captures the land of Oz quite beautifully with its production design, music and atmosphere. The atmosphere has this perfect balance of light and dark, the film isn’t overly too happy and it isn’t overly too dark either. It’s the perfect balance that makes the film speak for itself, all the build up is worth it to the grand finale when “Defying Gravity” plays. Even if you haven’t seen Wicked you probably have at least heard of the song or someone mention it. As I said earlier it’s a huge song that really does sum up Wicked a big and powerful piece that is booming and at times intimidating. Luckily that feeling is captured here, between all the events of the film coming together to the voices of Erivo and Grande mixing flawlessly it’s a sight that really wows you.

Overall Wicked is the definition of a crowd pleaser and one that has so much heart, it’s one of my absolute favorite films of the year! If you haven’t seen it already please do so!

Wicked is currently in theaters!

10/10 A+

Maria (2024) Film Review!

Famed opera singer Maria Callas retreats to Paris in the 1970s after a glamorous yet tumultuous life in the public eye.

Maria is directed by Pablo Larraín director of Jackie (2016), Ema (2019), Spencer (2021), El Conde (2023) and many others. Maria is the third film in Larraín’s trilogy about important 20th century women the other two being Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Maria tells the story of opera singer Maria Callas and her final years.

I was pretty excited about this one going in, I really loved both Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021) especially the latter it’s a film that I consider one of the best of the decade so far. Unfortunately Maria is a huge step down from the other two films of the trilogy, it’s not a bad movie by any means it just falls in line with a lot of other biopics where as Jackie and Spencer did not.

Angelina Jolie undeniably gives a phenomenal performance, it’s one of those performances where you can tell the performer really captured the soul of the person they are portraying. There’s brilliant moments during this film (mostly around the last 25 minutes) that standout quite well, you can absolutely see the pain of Maria Callas through Jolie’s eyes and acting. Jolie’s singing voice is also incredibly beautiful and really captures Callas’s voice, it’s huge and powerful to the point where her singing voice really speaks for certain scenes themselves. Much like Natalie Portman portraying Jacqueline Kennedy or Kristen Stewart portraying Princess Diana, Angelina Jolie completely captures Maria Callas and even when the script falls into typical biopic territory she’s able to still give a phenomenal performance.

The cinematography from Edward Lachman (who was also the cinematographer for Larraín’s previous film El Conde) and the direction from Pablo Larraín both mixed together work well, much like a lot of Larraín’s work the film is beautiful to look at especially when combined with the setting. While I do think Spencer’s more dreamlike filming style is a lot better it still nice to see Lachman again and much like last time with El Conde he nailed it here as well. Larraín’s direction this time around does have its weak points, but it’s still quite great. When you combine his direction with Angelina Jolie’s performance you truly get fascinating results.

The downside of Maria ultimately comes down to the script from Steven Knight, which is a bit of a disappointment since he also wrote Spencer and that wasn’t written like a traditional biopic. As I said before Maria plays out much like a usual biopic which coming off of Jackie and Spencer you can’t help but feel disappointment, granted nothing is particularly bad here. The movie does a solid job of telling the final years of Maria Callas it’s just not anything really noteworthy, the last 25 minutes or so I will admit are some very powerful moments that do get the ball rolling a bit when it comes to leaving the line of traditional biopics.

Overall Maria is just fine, if you are going to watch the movie watch it for Angelina Jolie’s performance.

Maria is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+