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

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Netflix And Chill: The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star (2021)

The third Princess Switch movie allows Vanessa Hudgens to once again take on multiple roles as her characters become embroiled in yet another scheme. She plays Stacy, Lady Margaret, and the scheming Fiona Pembroke, and everyone starts to swap identities this time around in order to try and retrieve a valuable item, the Star Of Peace, that has been stolen while in the care of the royal household. Stacy and Lady Margaret do their best to figure out who the culprit could be, but they soon realise that the person best-suited to help them is the person being punished for their criminal scheming in the last adventure, Fiona Pembroke.

Robin Bernheim is back on the writing duties, this time flying solo, and Mike Rohl is back to direct for a film that feels very much like an easy reunion for everyone involved. Every cast member slips into their role(s) with ease and it's as if there's a fine layer over the material that shows a printed statement of intent. You want predictable, comforting, silly, snow-dusted, entertainment? Here you go.

A return to form for the series/trilogy, this third Christmas identity-swap adventure benefits from the way it increases the silliness in just the right ways. Having all of the main characters played by Hudgens having to work together, and at various times impersonate one another, allows for much more fun than the premise that pushed them all together the first time around. It also helps that you have more comic relief from Florence Hall and Ricky Norwood, as Mindy and Reggie, the assistants to Fiona. And there's a very good cameo role for Amanda Donohoe, giving her a role that she seems perfect for.

Nick Sagar and Sam Palladio also return, playing Prince Kevin and Prince Edward, and Sagar is still the more enjoyable male, mainly because he still doesn't have to play things as reserved and mannered as Palladio, and newcomers include Remy Hii, playing Peter Maxwell (ex-boyfriend of Fiona and a security expert who may be able to help with the case), and Will Kemp, playing Hunter Cunard, who is almost definitely maybe probably the actual thief.

But all of this talk of who is behind the camera, and who else does good work in front of the camera, is just preamble to me, once again, singing the praises of Hudgens. Perhaps one day she will receive a bit more of the praise that she deserves for a variety of performances that have been brilliant since the first movie, but have also improved slightly with each instalment. Hudgens may wobble at times with the accents, but she's often playing someone who is playing someone else, so the wobbly accent is excusable in those instances, even if it wasn't intended. Here's the thing though, I think it IS often intended, and I think Hudgens is always doing a great job. She's also brilliantly versatile in her way of moving from the more dramatic scenes to the comedy, with the character of Fiona Pembroke allowing her to be entertainingly cocky and outrageous.

I know that few people like these movies as much as I do (despite my disappointment in the second film, I'd still choose these over so many others), and I know that they're not milestones of cinema, but I'll happily recommend them to people who want some easygoing seasonal fare, who don't mind Hudgens in a central role, and who would prefer something that pushes some potential romantic developments to the side in favour of comedy montages and silly set-pieces.

6/10 

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Netflix And Chill: The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

I am well aware that I enjoyed The Princess Switch more than most people. Or, to put it correctly, I was one of the few people who enjoyed it unironically. I was especially complimentary about the lead performances from Hudgens, taking on two characters, and doing a great job of portraying those characters pretending to be one another.

This sequel, featuring a third character portrayed by Hudgens (something I mentioned as an obvious sequel idea before this was even announced), brings everyone back together for a plot that has Hudgens throwing a spanner in the works as . . . an evil schemer.

Just like I said. Although nobody decided to use any of my title suggestions. I guess 2 Princess 2 Switch was never going to be a serious contender.

Anyway, Stacy (Hudgens) is quite happy. Margaret (Hudgens) is less happy, dealing with the pressure of her duties after separating from Kevin (Nick Sagar). And Fiona (Hudgens) is a relative who thinks she can plan a little switcheroo to get her hands on a fortune and generally improve her life.

Mike Rohl directs once again, and writers Robin Bernheim Burger and Megan Metzger are back with to plot out another adventure for the characters they created, and the only change in the central cast would appear to be Mia Lloyd taking over the role of young Olivia (Kevin's Daughter). It's clear that viewers should know what they're getting even before they press play. It's something different, but almost exactly the same. Like so many other Christmas movies.

Despite aiming to never do it again, Stacy and Margaret switch once again, temporarily, which causes a headache for the scheming Fiona. Kevin wonders if there's a chance to repair a relationship, Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) remains quite sweetly oblivious of identity changes, until the finale forces everyone to divulge the complete truth, and you have characters trying to overcome their self-doubt, carefree moments in the snow, and a few dubious characters helping Fiona try to get away with her planned crime.

I'm not going to pretend that I didn't still enjoy this, but that's due more to my own goodwill than it is due to the quality of the film itself. The first film felt contrived in a way that was necessary for the whole central premise. This feels contrived in a way that is a bit, well, lazy and careless. Although the main plot point about Fiona is a fun direction for the film to take, it's mishandled, while almost every other aspect feels like a retread given very little actual thought. I know, you can say that about most films like this. That's true. It just feels more irritating this time, mainly because everything was in place to make this an enjoyable sequel. It sadly ends up just being very average instead.

Hudgens is once again good in her role (although even her performances don't feel quite as . . . sharp this time around), and both Palladio and Sagar are fine as the main men in her lives. Lachlan Nieboer is enjoyably easy to mistrust and dislike, playing an assistant/advisor named Antonio, and Ricky Norwood and Florence Hall are good fun as Fiona's accomplices. Lloyd is fine in the role of young Olivia, and Suanne Braun enjoys reprising the role of Mrs. Donatelli.

Perhaps on any better day I would have enjoyed this more than I did. I somehow thought it would manage to be on a par with the original. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it half as much as I expected to. And I don't go into these things with high expectations.

4/10

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Bad Boys For Life (2020)

I went to see Bad Boys in the cinema when it first came out. That was twenty five bloody years ago. It was great fun. The film itself didn't do anything new, not really, but it worked so well because of the pairing of stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, as well as some great supporting players. I cannot recall when I first saw the second movie. Taking things up a level, it was a bombastic and entertaining flick, making the two movies a great double-bill. But nobody seemed to be crying out for a third, especially this far down the line. Well, nobody except maybe Martin Lawrence (who seemed to pretty much disappear after a number of star vehicles that showed how he worked best when paired up alongside someone more talented).

Life is pretty much the same for Miami detectives Mike Lowery (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence). The former is still a cool ladies man, the latter is settling more and more into the content family life he hopes to embrace fully when he retires. Everything changes for them, however, when a mother (Kate del Castillo) sends her son (Jacob Scipio) on a mission to target and kill a number of people she has a vendetta against, including Lowery, who is to be left until last, after he has watched the others die.

It may no longer be Michael Bay at the helm (nice cameo though), but this has a touch of his style here and there to ensure that this third instalment fits perfectly alongside the others. You get plenty of shots that feel almost filtered directly through the Miami sunshine, you get at least one "Bad Boys" shot (you know the one, camera looking up at the main characters, moving around them as they grit their teeth and silently agree that shit just got real), and the action isn't afraid to pile up the bodies while anything flammable gets ready to explode. There's nothing here quite as over the top as the action set-pieces in Bad Boys 2, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Every main sequence is very well put together, and the finale delivers something very satisfying.

Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah do a great job of working the familiar elements into something both entertainingly familiar and yet also fresh enough to make it worth your time. The script, by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan, has the blend of action and humour you expect, and also brings in a main story strand that forces the main characters to rethink their whole approach to things.

Smith and Lawrence slip very easily back into their rapport, with both bringing out the best in one another, and a number of actors return from the previous two movies, not least of which is the great Joe Pantoliano as the put-upon Captain. There's a new team tasked with working the main case, headed up by Paola Núñez, and featuring Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Charles Melton. All of them do well alongside the more seasoned stars. Scipio is a very believable threat at all times, and Del Castillo is a scarily single-minded mastermind behind the death and destruction.

Some people really LOVE the Bad Boys movies, and I'm not sure if they will enjoy this one as much as I did. I have tended to like them all about the same, each one has strengths and weaknesses, and this allows it to now be a superb action comedy trilogy. Will they go for a fourth one? Possibly. Will I watch it, despite reservations? Definitely. Whatcha gonna do?

7/10

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Netflix And Chill: Polar (2019)

Based on a graphic novel, "Polar: Came From The Cold", this over the top action movie feels very much like an attempt to capture a viewing audience of John Wick fans. There are moments that definitely feel similar (as will happen nowadays every time one skilled hitman is facing off against numerous foes). But I think the difference can be summed up with one sentence. John Wick lost his beloved dog, the lead character in Polar accidentally shoots one.

Mads Mikkelsen is Duncan Vizla, 14 days away from his retirement after years spent working for the Damocles organisation. He's due a very lucrative pension, which is surely a worthy reward for a lifetime spent in his dangerous line of work. Mind you, the head of Damocles doesn't want to pay out massive pensions, which explains why all employees tend to die just before or after their retirement. A team is sent to track down Duncan and make sure he has no need of his huge pension fund.

I'm not sure who to blame here, having not checked out the source material, by Victor Santos. There's maybe stuff in the graphic novel that works better on the page than the screen, as is so often the case, but Jayson Rothwell doesn't help with a clumsy screenplay, and director Jonas Åkerlund feels as if he's just floating without a rudder from one Wick-lite moment to the next.

It's the tone that causes the biggest problem. Every moment that has Mikkelsen being a composed badass is great, because Mikkelsen can do composed badass in his sleep. There are also many good little conversations between him and Katheryn Winnick, playing Vivian, the mediator trying to hire him for one last job that turns out to have him as the main target. Vanessa Hudgens and Richard Dreyfuss also fare well, but everyone else seems to have been given a script for an entirely different movie.

The group tasked with seeking out our hero (led by Hilde, played by Fei Ren) are almost always shown killing someone in a way that is either gleefully over the top or just allowing them to vent their frustrations on people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although it's worth mentioning the hilarious sex scene that involves Mads (fans get to see some Mikkelbooty) and Ruby O. Fee, who plays Sindy, one of the killers who gives fresh meaning to the term "special finishing move". And the less said about the owner of Damocles (Blut, played by Matt Lucas), the better.

With that glaring disparity in mind, it's hard to judge the performances, considering that everyone involved may have been doing exactly what was asked of them. Lucas still stands out like a sore thumb, he's a whole other level of awful and I really cannot understand why he was thought right for the role (again, maybe it's close to the source material, I just don't know).

Some sequences look great, including the main attempt to capture Duncan and a very satisfying final bout of revenge killing, and there are infrequent moments in which the comedy works (our lead giving a highly inappropriate talk to a classroom full of kids is great fun), but neither Rothwell nor Åkerlund have the confidence to maintain the balance required to make this a success. The fact that it still entertains is all down to the performances of Mikkelsen and Winnick.

This could have been great. It's not. This could have at least been good. It's not. It's just average, which makes it disappointing. Fans of Mikkelsen will still find enough to enjoy, but he deserved a better vehicle for his not-inconsiderable talent.

5/10

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Netflix And Chill: The Knight Before Christmas (2019)

Netflix continue to try making their mark on the traditional Christmas movie market and, once again, there are a mix of pros and cons with their approach.

Vanessa Hudgens (who did such a great job in The Princess Switch last year) is a young woman, Brooke, who has everything in life, except for a man. And every woman needs a man, of course. Although... well, we will come back to this point soon. Anywayyy, that looks set to change when a Knight (Sir Cole, played by Josh Whitehouse) is sent forward in time by an old crone (Ella Kenion), enabling him to complete whatever quest he is supposed to figure out needs his attention, and enabling Brooke to realise that she doesn't mind the idea of true love.

Like almost every other Christmas movie they have produced over the past few years, with one or two notable exceptions, this one works in terms of the simple entertainment it aims to provide, yet feels as if those who made it were too wary to fully embrace the conventions of these specific types of movies. You get moments you expect, but you get them in a diluted, "diet soda", form. The sweetness and sense of immediate satisfaction are both there, they're just lacking the unabashed pure sugar rush.

Hudgens is good enough in the lead role, but it doesn't make the use of her talent that The Princess Switch did. That would seem to be the fault of writer Cara J. Russell, who has a fairly short list of credits, compared to the kind usually amassed by people in this field (although everyone starts somewhere), and perhaps that explains her approach to the material lacking a confidence in just how much viewers will welcome this kind of thing leaning hard into the expected "bucket list items". Director Monika Mitchell has a bit more experience, with both standard TV movies and Christmas TV movies, but doesn't show it here, which adds to the feeling that both she and Russell were slightly hampered by Netflix, who somehow seem to think that they can't just dive right to the ground and make snow angels while we look on and smile.

Although Hudgens is fine, Whitehouse can be given a little praise for his fun, light performance. Sir Cole may be ridiculously unfazed by things around him in the modern world (cars, TV, phones, Alexa, etc), but Whitehouse plays up the wide-eyed innocence of his character well enough. Emmanuelle Chriqui is the other main lead, friend to Hudgens and parent to the main child involved in the storyline (Claire, played competently enough by Isabelle Franca), and does well enough in her role.

It's telling that you can get all the way to the grand finale here without really knowing what the main lesson to be learned is, or even what quest Sir Cole needs to complete to make things right. Netflix want to hand you gifts, but they're not sure if you'll like them. So they make stuff, move towards embracing the home-made charm of it all, and then chicken out by polishing it up too much and packaging it with a gift voucher. You may read this and wonder what the hell I am on about, but if you're a fan of Christmas movies then you know I am right. Come on, Netflix, just knock back the eggnog, have the snowball fight, add more montages, wear the ugly sweater with pride, and stop pretending to be above it all.

5/10

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Yule Love It: The Princess Switch (2018)

Vanessa Hudgens is Lady Margaret, a soon-to-be-wed royal figure who is marrying her partner because it is her duty, not because she is in love with him. But she really wants to spend a couple of days before her wedding just getting to look around and spend time with the everyday people of Belgravia. Vanessa Hudgens is also Stacy De Novo, a top baker who is due to participate in a baking competition that takes place in Belgravia. When Lady Margaret sees Stacy, the two literally bump into one another, she thinks it will be a great idea if they swap places for a couple of days. Her fiancé, Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) is due to be away on business anyway, so that makes things easier. Stacy just needs to learn a bit about how to behave, and put on a posh accent, while Lady Margaret needs to loosen up a bit and also change her accent.

Considering the previous two TV movies from director Mike Rohl were Miss Christmas and Royal Matchmaker, this would seem like an obvious fit for him, mixing the royal romance with the holiday trimmings (and I've been surprised in recent years to find just how many Christmas films make use of a royal romance plot - who knew there were so many small provinces with princes desperate to get married?). And he seems to have put himself in safe hands with writer Robin Benheim, who has an extensive list of credits already, and who co-wrote this with Megan Metzger. Not that this is a quotable classic or anything, movies of this kind rarely are, but you have all of the usual lessons learned, a couple of twists and turns, and the necessary amount of festive cheer.

I can't say that this film does anything truly amazing, it's a rare holiday film indeed that rises up to that level, but I'm not going to write this review without heaping a serious amount of praise upon the main performances from Hudgens. Easy to dismiss because of the film that she's starring in, Hudgens gives an absolutely fantastic selection of skilled turns, either portraying Stacy or Lady Margaret, or even Lady Margaret pretending to be Stacy, OR Stacy pretending to be Lady Margaret (which make up the majority of her scenes). It's a shame that few people will give her credit for this, because it's JUST a Christmas movie (and, basically, a TV movie made by Netflix), but her performance is consistently pretty flawless. Seriously. She lifts up the whole film by being utterly convincing with anything that she's trying onscreen.

As for the rest of the cast, Palladio is Princely enough as the Prince, Sara Stewart and Pavel Douglas are okay as his surprisingly understanding parents, Nick Sagar and Alexa Adeosun are both likeable enough as Stacy's friend/sous chef Kevin and his young daughter Olivia, respectively, and Suanne Braun and Mark Fleischmann are the main staff members helping the royal couple, with Braun trying to help things go smoothly and Fleischmann trying to figure out why something suddenly seems different about Lady Margaret.

I've seen better Christmas movies, I've seen better movies with people trading places, I've seen better Vanessa Hudgens movies. That doesn't make this one any less of a pleasant surprise, and I hope it's one that more people will see and appreciate, if only for the not-inconsiderable talent on display from the leading lady.

6/10

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High School Musical (2006)

As I'm often after ways to give my movie watching a sense of purpose, eagle-eyed blog readers may notice certain patterns. For example, I try to include a Hammer movie every week (until I have made my way through most of the ones available to me). There was the Steven Seagal quest that almost broke me. I keep trying to get back to that 1001 Movies To See Before You Die list. And I am currently wrapping up my cinematic journey alongside the great Mr. Kurt Russell. So I asked some Facebook friends what I should line up next. "Get your wife to pick your viewings," someone piped up. Others agreed that this was a GREAT idea. The one person who didn't really like the idea was, funnily enough, my wife. She just couldn't recall what I had and hadn't seen already and had no inclination to pick twenty films, the number I decided to go with. But I kept on and on at her so I guess this is my fault. Yes, I now have to watch all THREE High School Musical movies, but at least have The Mighty Ducks trilogy to look forward to after those.

The film opens during school holidays. A young man named Troy (Zac Efron) and a young girl named Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) end up on stage together, made to sing thanks to the supportive influence of peer pressure. The two work well together in their duet, they chat afterwards and exchange numbers and then go their separate ways, unlikely to see each other again. When school starts back up, Troy is amazed to see that Gabriella is now enrolled in his high school. This is both good and bad news. He likes Gabriella a lot, but none of his high school friends know about his singing ability. In fact, his basketball team-mates would probably frown upon anything that didn't help him to keep his head in the game. The whole situation could get slightly awkward, even more so when auditions begin for the new high school musical and Troy finds himself tempted to go along. If cast in the musical, Troy and Gabriella risk incurring the wrath of Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale), a brother and sister act who always go all out for these things, as well as upsetting all of their friends and classmates. And Troy's father, the basketball team coach, probably won't look too favourably upon it either.

Viewing High School Musical and then writing up a review for it required me to seriously recalibrate my mindset for a while. It's obvious that this isn't aimed at an adult horror movie fan like myself. It's a Disney movie full of teens with perfect smiles and musical numbers with choreography that mixes skill with some attempts to be cool (such as the basketball number, "Getcha Head In The Game"). Recalibrating my mindset is nothing new. Most of us do it all the time. You go into a horror expecting something different from when you go into a sci-fi comedy, for example. It's just that some recalibration requires more effort. I can never seem to recalibrate enough to make watching recent Katherine Heigl movies any less painful to watch.

The biggest surprise for me while watching High School Musical was that I ended up enjoying it. I'm not going to say that I tried to sing along to one or two of the songs or that I tapped my feet along to the rhythms. But I did. My wife pointed out when I was smiling and tried to mock me until I just shrugged and admitted that I was quite enjoying the movie.

It's sugary sweet in places, it's completely predictable and it's full of people that you'd never want to spend time with in real life, but it all works as it's supposed to. The script by Peter Barsocchini does what is required to move the characters between musical numbers, and the direction by Kenny Ortega keeps the energy levels up throughout. Basically, it's aimed at about 8-12 year olds and it delivers for 8-12 year olds (just a guesstimate, apologies to any 7-year-olds who love the movie).

The cast all do a decent job, despite all looking as if they have been taken directly from some Good Guy assembly line in an alternate universe. Zac Efron is sickeningly talented and when I can see past the mist of jealousy that descends before my eyes I end up really enjoying his work onscreen (having already seen him in 17 Again and Me & Orson Welles). This was the big break for him and Vanessa Hudgens, and both show why they managed to build up such a big fanbase and move on to other work. Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel have a lot of fun as the privileged Evans siblings, and Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman are both fine as friends of the two leads. The adults are sidelined, for the most part, but Bart Johnson is okay as coach/Troy's father while Alyson Reed is fairly amusing as the teacher in charge of the music-al.

You will already know if you're unable to stand this movie at all. If you think that you'll hate it then you'll probably hate it. But if you're looking after kids on a rainy afternoon and one of them wants to stick on the DVD . . . . . . . . . . . you could do a lot worse.

6/10

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