Netflix And Chill: Tick, Tick . . . Boom! (2021)

I have made the same mistake too many times already, but I am sure that I will continue to make it every year for the rest of my life. Some movies just don't seem to grab me, despite the fact that I like any of the main players involved, and despite some praise being thrown around. Tick, Tick . . . Boom! was another one of those films. I'm a big fan of Andrew Garfield, but I wasn't all that excited by the idea of a musical biopic about the famous Jonathan Larson (a musical theatre figure best known for the phenomenan that is Rent). More fool me.

It's the early 1990s. Larson (Garfield) takes to the stage to perform "Tick, Tick . . . Boom!". It's based on his struggles to keep himself motivated, keep himself from alienating his loved ones (mainly his girlfriend, Susan, played here by Alexandra Shipp, and a very good friend, Michael, played by Robin de Jesús), and try to make some kind of impact on the musical theatre world as he senses the titular tick tick reminding him of time marching ever onward. There's also the constant shadow of the AIDS crisis adding a sense of fear and urgency to things.

Based on the work of Larson, which was the kind of semi-autobiographical tale you suspect added plenty of creative liberties around a constant core of naked truth and raw pain running through it, this is turned into a satisfying and entertaining movie experience by writer Steven Levenson and director Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda has some experience with musicals, of course (I'm jokingly understating his own success), and he seems to be a perfect choice to helm this, constantly moving around Larson to show him from various angles, and various distances, as he tries to balance out his selfishness, his creative drive, and the love that he has for others he wants to keep in his life.

Garfield is fantastic in the lead role. He's great with both the seriously dramatic moments and also the moments of humour, but he's also really good with the scenes that require him to sing and dance. And I would argue that nobody does a better damp-eyed sad face than that man, who could star in yet another remake of The Heartbreak Kid that would just be footage of him walking up to people in the street and wobbling his tear ducts ever so slightly until they are in floods of tears. Shipp and Jesús are also very good, and they show our main character the different life options available without becoming ridiculously paper-thin stereotypes. Vanessa Hudgens is a good fit for the role of Karessa, a stage performer who helps to deliver Larson's full creative vision, and there's fun to be had from seeing Bradley Whitford portray the famous Stephen Sondheim, particularly in a scene that has him disagreeing with the opinion of Walter Bloom (head of a musical theatre workshop, played by the one and only Richard Kind). Others worth mentioning are Jonathan Marc Sherman (as Ira Weitzman), Joshua Henry (as Roger), Ben Levi Ross (as Freddy), and Judith Light playing an agent who doesn't seem a million miles away from the comic creation we used to see struggling to get work for Joey Tribbiani in Friends.

Considering my ignorance of Larson's work, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Tick, Tick . . . Boom! was able to quickly win me over with the wit and energy of the lyrics and staging of the musical numbers. It's not up there with the very best, but it succeeded in getting me to occasionally tap my feet and enjoy songs I was hearing for the very first time. That's no mean feat, and I'm sure that those who already know Larson's work will find more treats and get even more from this. 

Now, excuse me, I'm off to listen to "Therapy" (which was my favourite song from this) and convince myself that I really should eventually watch Rent at some point. 

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Ani-MAY-tion: Encanto (2021)

A Disney tale about a young Colombian woman trying to find her place in her gifted family, Encanto is everything you have come to expect from the best movies created by the House Of Mouse. It's sweet, funny, features some delightfully playful lyrics, and looks absolutely gorgeous throughout.

Stephanie Beatriz voices Mirabel, a member of the Madrigal family. Thanks to a magical candle that has stayed burning for them through decades, every member of the Madrigal family eventually receives a gift that helps people around them, including a local community that has grown and thrived with the Madrigals at the heart of it. Mirabel has one sister who is super-strong and one sister who can make flowers and plants bloom anywhere around her, she has a mother who can heal with her cooking, and there are other family members who can control the weather, shape-shift, have super-hearing, and even communicate with animals. And then there's Bruno . . . but "We Don't Talk About Bruno".

The writing and direction here is credited to Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith, but there's also a fair amount of credit to be given to Lin-Manuel Miranda, who gets a nod for helping to shape the story, as well as being credited for penning the catchy songs, in between a consistently lovely score from Germaine Franco . As much as those people should receive a good amount of praise, every animated film of this calibre feels like the end result of a fantastic collective effort from the many people who work on every different aspect of the animation and the audio.

Everything is helped by a great voice cast too. Beatriz is wonderful as Mirabel, the heart and soul of the tale, Maria Cecilia Botero is suitably imposing as Abuela Alma, Mirabel's grandmother and the protective matriarch of the Madrigal family. Jessica Darrow, Diane Guerrero, and Adassa are wonderful in their respective roles, I have just highlighted them ahead of some others because of enjoying their characters so much, and John Leguizamo is fantastic when we finally get to meet his troubled character.

Encanto is funny and adorable in equal measure, it's also inventive and absolutely determined to make every main set-piece as magical and eye-catching as possible. Every character and detail works, especially as things lead to a third act where things knit together to make the movie equivalent of a supersized family comfort blanket. There are, of course, some valuable lessons to be learned before the end credits roll, and people of all ages will appreciate the central dilemma for a character wanting to help her family while battling against the pressures put upon her (even if those pressures seem to stem, paradoxically, from being reassured that she shouldn't feel any pressure).

Despite the high standard of the animated Disney movies from the last decade, this deserves to be jostling for a spot at the very top of the rankings. It's a potential modern classic, and I would certainly revisit it ahead of some of the other top contenders (I'm side-eyeing you, Frozen).

9/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews