Review by Camden Ferrell

King Richard marks the first leading role for Will Smith since early 2020. This movie had its premiere this year at the Telluride Film Festival. It is the newest film from director Reinaldo Marcus Green, his first since last year’s Joe Bell. This movie is a reliable awards contender, telling a crowd-pleasing true story, anchored by an incredible performance from Smith.
 
Serena and Venus Williams have become some of the biggest icons of modern sports in their career. This movie follows the life and efforts of their father, Richard Williams. In this movie, we see Richard as he, against all odds, tries to coach his daughters at tennis and elevate them to their legendary status. These athletes have a very interesting story that deserves the big screen treatment, and I think it’s a story that audiences everywhere will enjoy.
 
Written by Zach Baylin, the script for this movie is very strong from start to finish. The story is told in a compelling way, and it gives the audience a reason to root for its protagonists. It often emulates other sports biopics in its execution of certain plot beats, but it doesn’t hinder the experience of the film. While the choice to focus on Richard as the main character can feel questionable once or twice, the writing is strong enough to overlook any potential issues. It’s an impressive feature writing debut for Baylin that suggests good things to come from his future.
 
Leading this performance is the always talented Will Smith. He is without a doubt the highlight of this film. He has full command over this role, and he unsurprisingly steals nearly every scene of the movie. He tackles the drama and comedy equally well, and he has great chemistry with his co-stars. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton play Venus and Serena respectively. They both perform very well for such young actors, and they display their talents throughout this movie as well. One of the big surprises of the film is the performance of John Bernthal, who plays tennis coach Rick Macci. He works very well with Smith and has a charming and hilarious screen presence. 

One of the film’s flaws is also one of its biggest virtues. It feels very safe artistically speaking, and it refuses to stray from the tried and tested biopic formula. The film often feels like it could be better than it is, but the underdog story is just so enjoyable that it’s easy to overlook these problems. Fans of sports dramas will love the tennis matches, and even general audiences will enjoy this story and themes of perseverance.
 
Robert Elswit serves as the film’s cinematographer. While it’s not his best work, he has a unique way of shooting this film which makes it stand apart every so slightly from other films in this genre. This, along with the execution and direction of the film make this an engaging film from start to finish. I especially found the film’s final act riveting and thought it was a satisfying payoff for viewers.
 
The film can be a little daunting with its 138-minute runtime, but it’s paced very well. While some moments can drag, the film moves with a purpose for the most part. This is bound to be a major awards contender next year. It definitely feels like Oscar-bait, but it’s a crowd-pleasing sports drama that is hard to dislike.
 
King Richard shows Will Smith commanding the screen with his best performance in years. It’s an engaging and true underdog story that will inspire audiences everywhere. Despite its PG-13 rating, I think this is a great film for families to watch together this weekend.
 
King Richard is in theaters November 19.
 
Rating: 4/5 

Review by Dan Skip Allen

With the popularity of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter films over the past couple of decades also came the deluge of fantasy and young adult book series to be adapted into films or television shows. The latest of these is from Amazon Studios, Sony Television, and showrunner Rafe Judkins. It is based on the best-selling, world-renowned series from writer Robert Jordan called The Wheel of Time. 

This series deals with similar themes as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films combined. It has a story of a powerful sorceress Moiraine (Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl) a member of a sect of women known as the Aes Sedai who seeks out young men and women who might be the savior of the world known as the reincarnation of the dragon. She rescues five young men and women from a small village when it is attacked by ghastly beasts known as Trollocs led by a demon horse rider with no eyes, Myrddraal. They are also seeking the five.

The show is full of unknown actors and actresses playing all of the young men and women, other than Pike that is. They all have their own character arcs within the show. Along the way, all the main characters run across various other characters, some good and some bad. The show is filled with questionable people with motives all their own. The show deals with all these character arcs separately and as it progresses we learn about each of them one by one. It doesn't rush into anything too soon even though the show is only eight episodes long.
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The five are separated after leaving Moiraine and her servant/bodyguard Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney). They end up in a dark enchanted city and this separates them into three groups. They all end up going on three separate adventures. A couple of them meet a group of gypsies known as the Tinkers, a band of nomads traveling around from place to place. Three others seek the help of the Aes Sedai, while two others run afoul of a dangerous barkeep and a strange singer Thom Merrillin (Alexandre Willaume) who travels with them, all while keeping their distance from another group known as the White Coats.

The show has some good production value as well as decent visual effects. The show's cinematography is quite breathtaking as well. The show was filmed in Eastern Europe in places like Prague, Slovenia, and Dubrovnik. These are areas not previously seen on television in this form of fantasy show. The dampness of the weather and fall and winter seasons played right into the overall setting of the show. The costumes by Isis Mussenden and hairstyles are pretty amazing as well. It's always nice to see how these shows dress and prepare their actors and actresses for a show such as this.

The show is based on a popular book series of the same name, so it's no secret that it focuses on a sect of women, and women, in general, are at the forefront of all the main story arcs and key aspects of the show. Jordan wanted to show women in positions of power in the series from the get-go. In the era of the MeToo movement, it was a good idea to have this series made into a television show for the world to see. It also has plenty of Asians, Black, and other races besides white in key roles of the show. This just shows how Hollywood has progressed in the regard of casting decisions on its films and television projects.

There are some films and shows similar to this one I've seen before with a similar feel to this one. Not having read the book series, I can't judge the show based on how good the books are or aren't. The show doesn't stand out as anything too great or not so great either. It's an interesting show with intriguing character arcs. The set production, production value, and cinematography are all fine. The cast is also strong as well, with Pike as the standout in a cast of relative unknowns. Season 2 is on its way so maybe it'll be bigger and on a grander scale. Until then we'll have to be happy with what we've gotten in Season 1 on Amazon Prime on November 19th.

The Wheel of Time streams on Amazon Prime beginning November 19. All eight episodes reviewed.

Rating: 4/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

After their last film, Zootopia, won an Academy Award, directing duo and Disney veterans, Jared Bush and Byron Howard are back with another outing for Disney. Encanto is their newest feature, and they are joined by co-writer and co-director Charise Castro Smith. This is another adorable and enjoyable Disney film, one that is elevated significantly by one of their best soundtracks in decades.
 
This family fantasy film focuses on the Madrigals, a Colombian family who have been blessed by the magic of the Encanto. They live in a magical house in a booming town, and each of the Madrigals have been given a unique and magical gift. However, Mirabel is the only child in the family who is not given a magical power. From there, we see her deal with the frustrations of being ordinary in an extraordinary family. It’s a fun and unique premise that audiences of all ages will enjoy.
 
The screenplay from Smith and Bush is slightly better than the average script from Disney. While it’s not subtle in its humor, interactions, and themes due to their target audience, it doesn’t ever feel boring. It lays down a strong narrative foundation on which the animation can be built into something truly enjoyable. The jokes are relatively strong, and it definitely feels like theirs a conscious effort to connect to the adults in the audience. Sometimes the writing can come up a little short and some of the humor doesn’t always land properly, but it’s admirable writing for a family film.
 
The voice acting in this movie ranges from adequately forgettable to strong. The film is led by Stephanie Beatriz who plays Mirabel. Her typical charm doesn’t always shine through in her voice acting, but it’s still the strongest performance in the movie. She has a decent screen presence, and she also has strong command over her singing throughout. The other highlight from the cast is Maria Cecilia Botero who plays Abuela Alma. She is consistently strong throughout the film as well. The rest of the cast is decent, but no one else really stood out to me as exceptional in their role.

Without a doubt, the defining aspect of this movie is its music. Composed by musical-theater icon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, this is one of Disney’s best soundtracks in decades. Miranda’s style and influences are evident almost immediately, and these songs feel wholly unique within Disney’s repertoire. While not his best work in his career, this is his best work for a feature film, and it is full of catchy songs that might help him complete his long-awaited EGOT.
 
Like a lot of other Disney movies, the animation is really beautiful throughout. There’s such a keen attention to detail present, and it allows you to feel immersed in the movie and the world it’s creating. In addition, the physical comedy is aided by the consistently creative animation. The characters interact with their environment in a way that doesn’t get boring or monotonous.
 
At its core, this is another movie about family and what makes us special. It’s not new territory for family films, but it’s a tried and tested formula that works yet again for this movie. It’s not too long and doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it has a lot going on that both kids and adults will enjoy.
 
Encanto is another strong entry for the House of Mouse, and it’s an absolute triumph for the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s a celebration of family and Latino culture that will please audiences everywhere this Thanksgiving.
 
Encanto is in theaters November 24.
 
Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Cowboy Bebop is one of the most acclaimed anime series of all time, so the new live-action version of the series is understandably highly anticipated by fans. Although it would be impossible to live up to the quality of the original show, this is pretty great for what it is, a ton of stylish, sci-fi fun.

The series follows a group of space-bound bounty hunters who travel the galaxy hunting down dangerous criminals, as they find themselves up against larger-than-life threats. It’s a fun romp that throws us straight into this world, allowing the audience to immediately get caught up in the misadventures of Spike and the crew.

Part of what makes this show so much fun to watch is that each episode is a relatively stand-alone adventure, although they also each build towards the overall season arc. And although the Netflix release is typically conducive to binge streaming, the format of the show also allows viewers to take it at their own pace.

The main trio of the show is obviously very likable, and it is their dynamic that really drives the show. Those who are fans of the anime will already be familiar with this dysfunctional family of sorts, but the show does a great job of exploring their relationship after the first few episodes. And of course, the gallery of villains they face over the course of the season is definitely memorable.

John Cho is very charming in the lead role, but there’s not a whole lot of nuance to what he is doing. He pulls off the cocky side of the character quite well, but when the role calls for a bit more vulnerability, he doesn’t go far enough. The other highlight in the cast is Alex Hassell, who is amazingly villainous as Vicious.

The action sequences in the series do vary quite widely in quality. There are a few that are simple standoffs, and then there are others which are much more inspired. One episode, which features the heroes fighting a group of eco-terrorists, has one of the most wacky and creative sequences in any show this year.

There is definitely a goofy quality to a lot of the show’s execution, but it is fitting given the fact that the show is trying to faithfully emulate the highly-stylized anime. Some of the CGI isn’t the best, but what the show does to create this unique, futuristic world in which it is set is generally quite effective. And the opening sequence is on-point, which is a small detail, but shows just how much care was put into this.

Cowboy Bebop is exactly as much fun as fans of the original anime were hoping it would be. It may not be groundbreaking or revolutionary in any way, but as an homage to something so iconic, it delivers.

Cowboy Bebop streams on Netflix beginning November 19.

​Rating: 4.5/5

Based on a novel by Jennifer Clement, the Mexican submission for Best International Feature, Prayers for the Stolen, is sure to be one of the prime contenders for the awards. Effectively harrowing, even if its unique pacing may be off-putting to some, this is a nuanced and compelling coming-of-age story, the likes of which we don’t often see.

The film is set in a community stricken by war where young girls live under the daily threat of being kidnapped and sold into human trafficking. The central storyline of the movie is a coming-of-age arc, but it’s anything but standard, as writer-director Tatiana Huezo shows a very different perspective of what it means to grow up.

Obviously, this film offers a lot of social commentary in regards to the issue of human trafficking in Latin America, but what makes this stand out is that it as concerned with the characters as it is with what it has to say. It’s hard for a movie dealing with this issue to feel harrowing without being excessive, but this pulls it off quite well.

The way in which the film is paced is certainly very unique. It’s a ticking time bomb of a movie, and we know that it is going to explode, but when it does, it’s still soul-crushing. Huezo brilliantly builds suspense, alternating between moments of unadulterated childhood joy and the bleakness of this society dealing with human trafficking.

That said, this slower pacing can also work against the film at times. There are long stretches of the movie in which we are just watching the mundanities of life in this village, and then something devastating happens. Although there is a poignancy to these more restrained moments, the repetitiveness may exhaust some viewers.

The two young actresses who play the lead character are both superb. Ana Cristina Ordóñez González and Marya Membreño play the younger and adolescent versions of the character, respectively, and they both embody the role brilliantly. They capture the emotional vulnerability of the character excellently. 

This is Huezo’s first narrative feature as a director, and her foundations in documentary filmmaking are clear. The cinematography by Dariela Ludlow does a great job of capturing the harshness of the situation, both in reality and from the youthful, hopeful perspective of the protagonist.

Prayers for the Stolen isn’t a perfect film, but it does what it does very well. Although there are definitely a few sequences that could have spared to be tightened significantly, few audience members will be left unmoved.

Prayers for the Stolen is screening at the 2021 AFI FEST, which runs November 10-14.

​Rating: 4/5