★★★ Stars Directed by: #LeeKaeByeok Written by: #SeongDaSom Starring: #JangKiYong, #ChaeSooBin, #KrystalJung, #LeeWooJe, #HwangJungMin Film Review by: Alicia Moore “Faced with real-world opportunities and challenges, a couple endures the highs and lows of trying to make a long-distance relationship survive.” I would introduce this film further and in a bit more depth, but I genuinely don’t have the capacity to do so without just explaining the entire plot… I’ll keep as much under wraps as possible. Sweet and Sour is labelled as a romantic comedy and, while there is some laughs to be had, it feels much like an ‘anti-romantic’ type of film. Sweet and Sour brings a primary focus on the struggles of relationships and commitments rather than the honeymoon period in partnerships. This is me warning you now – if want to watch something more lighthearted and tender but still staying within the ‘K-drama’ genre, I’d recommend watching content like the show Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo instead. It is difficult to navigate a solid opinion on Sweet and Sour as, not unlike its contrasting title, the plot weaves in and out of love and loss. This could have been an amazing concept if the climax was portrayed in a better sense but, because of the twisting plot from start to finish, there doesn’t seem to be a valid conclusion or point of meaning that the film is trying to make. It’s disappointing really, to see a story with so much potential be ultimately struck down by moments of inconsistencies. There are many lines said to which I thought ‘finally, we are getting somewhere with an agreeable ending’ however, minutes after this build up, it is knocked down with yet another piece of instability. I enjoyed Sweet and Sour in its entirety despite these flaws but the flaws are so vast that my enjoyment cannot overcome my frustration. Falling into my annoyance with the layout of the plot, the characters follow with this and become almost detestable fairly quickly. Even the individuals who you are rooting for you eventually begin to dislike towards the ending. It’s a different stance for a film to take, having such a range of characters that make you... well... simply hate the world for a while, but when there is only one character left for you to adore fully it becomes strenuous to finish the journey with any of them. Was the meaning of the film embedded within these unfavourable characters? That is highly possible. Nonetheless, this point doesn’t take away from the fact that viewers struggle to create a relationship with the characters firsthand. Regardless of how the characters have been presented in writing, the acting is really great. Some individuals have the typical K-drama spin on their characters where their movements, expressions and words are a bit more exaggerative compared to others. Jang KiYong (JangHyuk) and Chae SooBin (DaEun) work brilliantly together, mixing each other’s emotions to give the audience an immerse look into their feelings for one another – both their positive and negative views of each other throughout. Also, Sweet and Sour feels quite homely at times to those who are interested in Korean cinema, as well as K-pop, with names like Hwang JungMin (Save the Green Planet!, The Housemaid, Cart) and Krystal Jung (widely known for her position in the K-pop girl group f(x)) amongst the incredibly talented cast members. The acting seen in this film on a larger perspective is very smooth and natural, helping the plot to gain at least some sense of direction. With its wide camera angles and good use of lighting in settings, Sweet and Sour is visually appealing. Unfortunately, its downfall is the writing and planning of how the concept should move forward. Since the story itself has been adapted from the novel Initiation Love written by Kurumi Inui, I’m intrigued to read it now and I encourage you to do the same if you find yourself interested in the specifics of the story like myself. Sweet and Sour (now streaming on Netflix) gives a harsh glimpse into what the reality of relationships can be and does a good job of making you question your experience with trust, but it’s always nice to have a reality check every once and a while - right?

★★★★★ Directed by: #ChristianSerritiello Written by: #ChristianSerritiello Starring: #BruceGlover, #DulcieSmart, #ScottCoffey Film Review by: Patrick Foley Most of us get frustrated when people aren’t where they are supposed to be. We’ve all tutted to ourselves when our Morrison’s order has been half an hour late, or when a taxi you’ve ordered is nowhere to be found. Usually, the most dramatic action one takes is to write a strongly worded-email. But as An Approximation of Their Barbarous Manners shows, those in the film industry has a habit of taking things to another level. A filmset in North Africa is abuzz with anticipation for the arrival of decorated movie legend Bruce Glover (himself). But when Glover no-shows, the set goes into meltdown – causing the highly-strung director (Bruce Woolley) to demand a search party and the egomaniacal cast to come up with their own coping mechanisms as an uncertain chaos descends around them. An Approximation of Their Barbarous Manners is a short experimental film dramatizing the chaos on a film set, and how artistes lose all sense of control when confronted with an unforeseen setback. The reactions across the crew vary from disturbing to hilarious, with the director launching into a maniacal tirade against his subordinates as he tries to locate his star, whilst actors throw tantrums as they realise the man they signed up to work alongside is nowhere to be found – with one resorting to mimicking his spirit animals for comfort. There is a certain disdain for these types of personalities that resonates from the film – with director Christian Serritiello making clear that overly pretentious actors and precious directors should be the subject of our derision. The film is stylish, with a black-and-white arthouse presentation which feels self-referential as it is easy to imagine the director in the film presenting his own movie in exactly the same way. Chaos is well-demonstrated as Glover’s no-show becomes obvious, with frantic cuts and rushing action shots which try to keep up with the worry that has infected the cast. The close-ups of the director as the last remnants of his sanity fall away are reminiscent of horror films, and are a memorable and darkly comic way to demonstrate how over-the-top and toxic his psychotic reaction is. Bruce Glover’s physical absence in the film is impressively offset by his overarching impact on the rest of the cast and crew. His initial audition video, and a subsequent telephone call open the film. From then on, despite his notable absence, his is the name on everyone’s lips. Without even being present, he seems to be manipulating events mischievously as the film falls apart. Of course, the real gag is that most casual viewers will have little idea who the 87-year-old character actor – and actor’s actor – is at all, and why these uptight performers are losing their minds over him not being there. The ensemble cast are largely excellent, with a variety of Hollywood archetypes on display. Bruce Woolley’s control-freak director dominates the set and is brilliantly unsympathetic as he causes more problems than solves. Scott Coffey’s meerkat-impersonating James and Daniel Brunet’s Jeremy – who treats Glover’s absence as a personal affront - are hilarious examples of actors living within their own world. Perhaps deliberately, Gloria (Dulcie Smart) and Anjelica (Kristen Bush), the women in the piece, handle the setback much more sensibly – surely a comment on the macho-culture often found on film sets. A wry and dry exploration of the oddball and pressurised minds of film crews, An Approximation… skewers the pretentiousness of so many auteur filmmakers – both with its educated takedown of their behaviour and by producing a film in the artistic style better than many could accomplish themselves.

★★ Directed by: #GuilhermePedra Written by: Guilherme Pedra Starring: #DylanSoal, #IssacNevrla, #AnaMoioli Short Film Review by: Corey Bulloch It’s all about connection in Guilherme Pedra’s short film following musician Arthur’s spiritual dilemma on his love life. Finding himself enamoured in a corespondent relationship with Luna, his interests also has him getting closer to Theo, a cello player down the hall. The film is framed to wrangle with the questions of love: what it is? How it can change? Can you love more than one person?. This dilemma drives Arthur deeper into his music, seeking to complete a composition that can express who he is. I am Love looks at how different connections create different expressions of love but is unable to create a connection with its audience. The fault to Pedra’s script and direction is a lack of charisma that makes Arthur’s character and journey one difficult to emphasise with. Nothing tugs at the heartstrings, it all feels pretentious and leaves little to invest in. Xuezi Zhang’s camerawork makes it all look pretty, with crisp focused digital photography and an over-emphasis on the colour blue, but these visuals also increments on the tedium. It’s a conflict that doesn’t feel personal despite its intended intimacy, there is a disconnect to Arthur's most poignant moments. Though Pedra doesn’t shy away from portraying Arthur’s bisexuality or the larger themes of the spectrum of sexuality, it doesn’t leave a memorable impact. There’s a lack of chemistry with the romance, the audience is invited into these private moments between Arthur and Theo and there’s nothing real about it. I am Love feels artificial in its presentation, non-subtle blue lighting showcasing artistic struggles and romantic intimacy accompanied by classical music. The music is relevant to the film but also contributes to the hollow nature of the story. At times the mise-en-scène of I am Love feels like a checklist of what the filmmakers believe an audience will respond to rather than their personal visions. The music isn’t terrible by any stretch, Juan Dussán’s score and accompaniments are highlights of the film, I enjoyed ‘The Missing Piece’ by Gabby Fontes that played over the credits. In the end, however, Arthur’s love life crisis and its larger questions flounder as Guilherme Pedra can’t craft a compelling vision. Dylan Soal struggles in making Arthur multi-faceted in his heartache, with an absent passion from Pedra’s direction having all of the emotional moments fall flat. I am Love is forgettable, with the underdeveloped characterisation that makes any audience investment abstract at best. Trailer: #CoreyBulloch #shortfilm

★★★ Directed by #MartinKraut Written by #MartinKraut Starring #CarlosPortaluppi #IgnacioRogers Film Review by Brandon Thomas It’s harder to think of a more respected profession than nursing. This notion might be even more widely shared now, after the past year. Nurses are there during the worst emergencies, and they’re also there to help with recovery. We put a lot of trust and responsibility in them during our weakest moments. Writer/director Martin Kraut’s thriller La Dosis (translation: The Dose) examines what happens when that trust is breached in the worst possible way. Marcos (Carlos Portaluppi) is a confident and experienced nurse with more than 20 years under his belt. His professionalism and thoroughness make him well respected in his department. Marcos has a secret though. For certain terminal patients, he uses the cover of night to administer enough medication to allow them to peacefully slip away. For Marcos, this is a way to preserve their dignity even if it goes against the ethical nature of working in medicine. When Gabriel (Ignacio Rogers), a new young nurse arrives, Marcos finds himself threatened by the handsome man. As Marcos’s coworkers and superiors fall under Gabriel’s charming spell, the elder nurse begins to suspect that Gabriel might harbor his own homicidal tendencies. If there’s one word I’d use to describe La Dosis, it would be deliberate. The film mirrors Marcos’s steady, pragmatic personality by slowly, and methodically, introducing us to the characters and setting. It’s the type of no-frills opening that makes Marcos’s first act of homicide all the more surprising while still seemingly mundane. Things begin to heat up and get weirder once the character of Gabriel is introduced. Is Marcos’s distrust of the young nurse simply sour grapes or is there a more sinister reason? That’s the question the film plays with momentarily until it’s quickly answered. The suspense of toying with Gabriel’s true intentions is cast aside rather quickly. La Dosis frustrates more than it captivates. The back and forth between Marcos and Gabriel has all the trappings of an exciting rivalry, except the film refuses to let it happen. Marcos yo-yos between being Gabriel’s adversary and his friend. The film tries to explain this away with tepid sexual tension between the two, but it’s never explored on more than a surface level. Portaluppi is the film’s bright spot. There’s an inviting casual sadness to the character that never strays into pity. Even when the script falters with Marcos’s questionable behavior and choices, Portaluppi does his all to make it work. There’s also a level of dark comedy at play that the film never truly capitalizes on. The story is ripe for this kind of approach, yet the filmmakers continue to pull their punches. The hesitancy to go full dark comedy or even full medical thriller hobbles the film in the end. La Dosis tantalizes with interesting character beats and odd tonal shifts, but in the end, doesn’t quite reach a satisfying conclusion. #BrandonThomas

★★★★ Directed by #PranoBaileyBond Written by #PranoBaileyBond #AnthonyFletcher Starring #NiahmAlgar Film Review by Hope Madden Catch catch a horror taxi I fell in love with my video nasty –The Damned Damned, indeed. Stern, driven Enid (Niamh Algar) takes her responsibilities seriously. Unfortunately for her, they come at a high price. Enid is a film censor in the most punishing time and place for such an endeavor: Thatcher’s England. It’s 1985, an era when controversial films hoping to make their way to screens big and small found themselves more butchered than their characters. Co-writer/director Prano Bailey-Bond takes inspiration from this notion in her feature debut, Censor—an immersive era-specific horror. It is especially immersive for Enid. She spends long hours deliberating on exactly where the line is between danger and acceptability: rewinding, examining frame by frame, if necessary, regardless of the nonchalance and casual derision of her co-workers. Enid is convinced it is her duty to protect people from these images. As she herself drowns in repeated viewings of the most violent and depraved material, you have to wonder whether she might be better off protecting herself. Bailey-Bond has other questions in mind, like why is it that Enid is so preoccupied with this job, how might it feed her own darkness, and what happens when her worlds blend together? Censor is a descent into madness film—nothing new in the genre. And moments of Censor can’t help but call to mind fellow Brit Peter Stickland’s 2012 treasure Berberian Sound Studio. But Bailey-Bond and co-writer Anthony Fletcher evoke such a timestamp with this film, not just in the look and style, but with the social preoccupation. As coincidences pile up – a definitive family decision, a horror movie-style murder spree, a film that hits too close to home — Enid seems to suspect that her real motive has been to censor her own thinking. When she stops doing that, look out. Algar’s prim and sympathetic, deliberate and brittle. It’s clear from the opening frame that Enid will break. But between Algar’s skill and Bailey-Bond’s cinematic vision, the journey toward that break is a wild ride. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: Chris Reeves Starring: Celia Allen, Marie Alvarado Documentary Review by: Vikas Yadav What happened at Wapping in January of 1986 is downright tragic and woebegone. It was the fateful month and year when 6000 workers were sacked by Rupert Murdoch. None of the employees expected to be confronted by this tragedy. In Chris Reeves’ Wapping - The Workers’ Story, you would hear an admission of innocence. A worker says that they were naive and never anticipated that Murdoch would end up taking such a step. What did he do? He moved the production of his newspapers from central London’s Fleet Street to Wapping. It was an overnight decision that was set up slowly and secretly. A new facility meant new technology. The Wapping office didn’t require print union workers who used the hot-metal Linotype method to print. Instead, modern computers were installed, which allowed journalists to input copy directly. These machines reduced the workers to disposable beings. Left without a job and insufficient money, the workers, gathered and protested against the injustice. If you are aware of this incident, you would know the protest lasted for over a year until February 1987. It collapsed and yielded unsuccessful results. Wapping - The Workers’ Story explores the aforementioned event through the words of the workers who lived and participated in the demonstration. They recollect with pain how adverse those times were for them and many innocent bystanders. For example, one of the interviewees remembers seeing a baton go up in slow motion and then hitting a woman. Her crime? She had just stood there looking lost and worried. That’s it. The documentary consists of such personal and moving reminiscences. These are strengthened by the mournful tones emitted from every speaker as if they had recently experienced the altercation. These people have a vivid memory of the violence and unfairness inflicted on them, and they don’t want the world to forget about it. Not all memories are gloomy. One of them in which a lion’s piss is collected from the London Zoo to repulse the horses of the police makes you laugh. Wapping - The Workers’ Story opens with chaos and then steadily provides details leading to its eruption. The people are still haunted by the aggressive echoes of the protest, and you sense that pain occasionally in their words. This is one of those documentaries that drives you to read more about its topic.

★★★ Directed by: Angela How Written by: Angela How Starring: Jacinta Klassen, Lulu Fitz, Kirar Mercy, Akira Matsumoto, Giustino Della Vedova, Candice Leask, Saya Minami Film Review by: Jason Knight As the title suggests, this film is about bullying and bad people. Charlotte (Klassen) is a student, who lives in a big house with her parents and younger sister. However, she is also being the target of bullies at school, who are led by Brenda (Fitz). She endures as much as she can, but things take a turn for the worse when she finally stands up to them. To complicate matters further, family members come to visit them during the Christmas holidays and it becomes apparent that there is a very sinister side to one of her relatives. How's feature film debut begins as a drama about bullying and turns into a psychological thriller about a disturbed individual. There are plenty of scenes that show merciless bullying and the movie explores the effects it has on the victims. The tension and suspense rise after a person goes missing and the seemingly harmless and joyful relative reveals their true nature. The plot moves from trouble at school to life-threatening situations and it does not do so effectively. First there is bullying, then a missing person, then a disturbed individual. The screenplay does not do a good job in putting these elements together. Once the feature is over, the viewer might feel as if they watched two films with different stories. Klassen leads the story well as the bullied one, who receives no help from the adults but is also able to stand up for herself. She lives in a nice household and means well. Unfortunately, trouble comes her way and she is forced to deal with it. Fitz delivers a strong performance as the head of the bullies out to get her. The rest of the protagonists do a convincing job. The film is very well made and contains interesting use of slow motion and dissolve editing techniques. Aiko Fukushima's music includes a dramatic violin score, which goes well with the scenes. This Australian movie raises awareness about the issue of bullying. There is drama, suspense, intriguing characters and nail-biting moments, making it watchable. It is a shame that the way the narrative is structured leaves the audience confused. #JasonKnight

★★★ Directed by: #ChrisFriend Written by: #ChrisFriend Starring: #GenevaJacuzzi Film Review by Lucy Clarke Cyberpunk. Neon colours. Synth-pop. 80’s visuals. Geneva Jacuzzi’s Casket is a maelstrom of colour, science-fiction motifs and alien graphics, paired with two of American musician Geneva Jacuzzi’s unusual synth melodies. Although it is dynamic and experimental, Geneva Jacuzzi’s Casket doesn’t quite hit all the right notes. Watching Chris Friend’s film feels as though you have been sucked into a 1980s computer game à la Disney’s Tron. The characters – all played by Geneva Jacuzzi wearing a variety of fabulous costumes and outlandish make-up – appear on the screen, followed by the white font in the corner detailing character name and location, like a Top Trumps card. The visuals and the character introductions vaguely promise a linear storyline, but these promises are only trampled on by the lightyear-speed pace that we rattle through each event. However, although this film succeeds at confusion in a messy attempt at a storyline, it triumphs as an experimental piece. Mirrored holographs of Geneva Jacuzzi in hooded costumes lure the audience in. The viewer traverses across worlds painted in computer graphics and is launched across a cyberpunk space. Amidst all the rough edges of the cyberpunk aesthetic, this is a genuinely visually beautiful watch. Experimental piece or not, Geneva Jacuzzi’s Casket functions best as a music video for two of her songs, Casket and Technophelia. Her soft synth songs call back to retro times, but they have a fresh modern twist. It is evident that Jacuzzi is a very talented musician and performer, and the film’s aim seems to be to showcase Geneva Jacuzzi’s art and talents, from her multiple starring roles and her songs which make up the soundtrack. The music is deeply enchanting and drags you into an eclectic dream space alongside Jacuzzi and her many personas. Jacuzzi has an immensely watchable stage presence, but the film could be mistaken for a talent reel. From a decapitated head singing in a bag, to an alien statue shattering on a foreign world, there’s a chaotic genius amid the confusion. Technically impressive and dynamically experimental, the images come from a great deal of sources. From antique anatomy images to designs more commonly found in 80s computer games, there’s a wealth of imagination reverberating throughout the entire piece. Unfortunately, Geneva Jacuzzi’s Casket boils down to dynamic, acid-coloured fun rolling in front of your eyes at an energetic pace. What it’s trying to say, however, is unclear.

★★★★ Directed by #NicoleRiegel Written by #NicoleRiegel Starring #JessicaBarden Film Review by Hope Madden It is incredibly rare to see a worthwhile film that deals with American poverty. Nomadland certainly broke through, and recent movies including Winter’s Bone, Frozen River and Little Woods also made the case that resilience and poverty need not condescend or patronize. Hillbilly Elegy missed that memo. Holler, the feature debut from filmmaker and Ohio native Nicole Riegel, sugarcoats nothing, patronizes no one, and does not need a Mamaw to explain the facts of life. Instead, Ruth (a bristlingly confident Jessica Barden) figures things out on her own. A high school senior who spends most of her time collecting scrap metal with her brother – both just one step away from eviction – Ruth has very little time for contemplation, though. Riegel’s Rust Belt winter offers a malevolent backdrop for Ruth’s coming of age, and the illegal scrapping—the tearing down of the disused industries that once kept Ruth’s family and town afloat—is eerily fitting. Barden gives the film a grainy bleakness, Ruth’s red hat and her brother Blaze’s (Gus Halper) pickup the only bursts of color in the dreary Southern Ohio grey. Compelling and authentic, it all often feels mainly like a showcase for Barden’s talent. That’s not to say that the film is in any way weak, simply that Barden’s performance is that strong. Willful and bursting with anger, her Ruth is a force—destructive, sure, but strong and powerfully determined. Barden’s not alone. Her supporting ensemble delivers nuance and grit in equal measure, from Halper to Austin Amelio’s sketchy scrap metal entrepreneur to a remarkably humane turn from Becky Ann Baker. Riegel’s script, dreary though the vision can be, hints at forgiveness and hope in nearly every scene. If you seek an antidote to Hillbilly Elegy, Riegel has what you’re looking for. #HopeMadden

★ Directed by: #KyleKenyon Written by: #KyleKenyon Starring: #NickMandernach, #KaitlynTanimoto, #NinaConcepcion Film review by William Hemingway Oh my God, no! Do we have to? Is it really necessary? Is there any reason that we have to be subjected to this sort of stuff? If you think you have a 'comedy' routine, go try it out in the clubs, in front of a live audience, who'll tell you first hand exactly what you need to hear about just how unfunny you actually are. Stop trying to foist it onto a movie crowd who don't need to hear the incoherent ramblings of your inner monologue. Stop hoodwinking people into joining in on your egotistical delusion that what you have to say is useful, or relevant, or needs to be heard, or is funny. It isn't, it doesn't, it's not. So, the premise for this skit is that Nick Fotdog (not the worst unfunny name in the piece) is some kind of middle manager in some sort of tech company that's in some kind of financial trouble. The team are all around the table waiting to hear the news and some creative ideas to help them out of the situation they're in but instead get Nick soliloquising about his abs and his lats and his quads. The team, which includes Carlawinda and Jendabelle and Pitters, play the role of the audience with their WTF faces and little asides to each other as they respond to the farce at the head of the table, but much like the audience no-one is laughing. As Nick runs out of steam he descends into the inevitable breakdown and we learn more about why he may be having such an obvious psychotic break. However, because it is all played for laughs, none of which are forthcoming, there is absolutely zero emotional resonance to anything that is being played out on screen. By the end of the nine minutes we realise that the whole thing has been an exercise in sheer narcissism; not from Fotdog but from writer/director Kyle Kenyon who thinks that it's okay to pen this stuff and then corral a few folk into paying him some money so that he can play out his adolescent dreams on camera. There may well be a couple of sly winks and nods to the absurdity of modern society, or to certain global tech nerds who have become the media symbols of our age, but frankly none of it is clear and honestly who cares? It's all lost in amongst this bilge of a tirade that anyone unfortunate enough to click on the link to this video is subjected to. It's like Kenyon got high one night and watched SNL then said to himself, 'I can do that' without anyone else stopping him or telling him that he couldn't (or shouldn't). If there's any saving grace to this short film (and there isn't) it's that the actors are all fully committed to their roles, but seeing as their characters are all bland, boring stereotypes of skit characters we've seen a million times before and better (thank you 30 Rock) it can't lift this nonsense from the Bog Of Eternal Stench where it resides. Sad. Bad. Avoid.

★★★★ Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh Written by: Chris Sparling Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd Greenland (2020) Film Review It's been over ten years since writer Chris Sparling brought us the claustrophobic thriller Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds. Having also written some lesser known titles in the meantime, his latest disaster film Greenland sees a return to form and perhaps a career best. Gerard Butler plays a structural engineer and family man who gets selected for a government escape plan in light of a badass comet (called Clarke) that is coming to destroy the planet. Getting to the flight to safety proves tricky, not only because of the predictable highway traffic but also the racking guilt that they have been chosen over their neighbours who are likely to perish. The family encounter a maelstrom of issues as they journey across the country, from their son’s insulin supplies to guns and kidnappers. A modern take on the Deep Impact plot, Greenland injects palpable threat into every inch of the frame. Butler and wife Morena Baccarin are under assault from the word go, not least due to their own marital problems which hang over them like a thunder cloud. They also come across numerous people in full survival mode, whose extreme actions feel authentically handled and genuinely terrifying. A particularly gripping sequence involves Baccarin attempting to get supplies with their son (Roger Dale Floyd) from a drugstore when an unruly gun-wielding gang roll in. The film benefits from modern CGI and several instances of intense sonic booms which knock characters on their arses numerous times. When the sky rains burning fragments from the comet, the effect on the viewer is fiercely engaging, being immersed in the tumultuous attack. Rather a shame Greenland went straight to Amazon Prime, as this is perfect action cinema. As with the majority of disaster genre films, Greenland has predictability spewing from its ears. The central characters all behave exactly as you would expect them to and all make the same mistakes you scream at the screen not to. Where Sparling injects notes of originality, however, are in the human elements of the story, in particular those in survival mode. Gripping and emotionally investing, grab a slice of the apocalypse baby - before anyone else takes it first. #ChrisOlson

★★★★ Directed by #JonMChu Written by #QuiaraAlegriaHudes #LinManuelMiranda Starring #AnthonyRamos #MelissaBarrera #StephanieBeatriz Film Review by George Wolf I know there’s still plenty of bad out there, but it’s summer, people are getting out in the heat, and it feels like maybe we deserve a few minutes to celebrate. How about 143 minutes? In the Heights makes them all count, with a summer celebration practically bursting with joyful exuberance. It’s been 13 years since the stage production won 4 Tony Awards – including Best Musical, on top of Best Original Score and Best Actor for Lin-Manuel Miranda. Since then, Miranda conquered the world with Hamilton (maybe you’ve heard it), so now what seems like a follow up is really a return to his roots. Miranda’s aged out of the starring role, so Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, A Star Is Born) answers the bell with a breakout turn as Usnavi – the Washington Heights, New York storekeeper with a dream. As the days until a blackout wind down and the temperature ramps up, Usnavi’s block is buzzing with welcome arrivals, planned departures, and romance in the air. Nina (Leslie Grace) is home from Stanford with major news to break to her father Kevin (Jimmy Smits) while she reconnects with Benny (Corey Hawkins), a dispatcher at Kevin’s neighborhood car service. For his part, Usnavi has finally scored a date with his crush Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), but it might be too late – she has her sights set on leaving the block behind with a new apartment uptown. So while the gossip is raging at the hair salon, and the piraqua guy (Miranda) tries to compete with Mister Softee (Hamilton‘s Chris Jackson, who played Benny in the stage version) as the king of cool treats, fate intervenes. Usnavi discovers his bodega has sold a winning lottery ticket – a stroke of luck worth 96 G’s – and then the lights go out. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) proves a worthy choice to move the project from stage to screen with magic intact. The most accomplished of directors (see Attenborough and Eastwood) have fallen hard trying to make musical numbers pop on film, but Chu gives Christopher Scott’s choreography the space to be graceful and the intimacy to be gritty. Miranda’s music meshes irresistibly with the sounds of the street, and from swimming pools to rooftops, more than a few of Chu’s grandly-staged set pieces nearly soar off the screen. And it won’t be just fans of this show who will be giddy, as the Wicked faithful will find plenty of reason to be excited Chu is already in pre-production on that long-awaited film adaptation. Source writer Quiara Alegría Hudes pens the screenplay here as well, with a heartfelt, character-driven ode to cultural strength and sacrifice. Bookended by Usnavi telling the story of his block to a cute group of youngsters, the tale of Washington Heights is layered with respect for immigrant families just fighting for a place to belong. And while they may be fighting against gentrification and bigotry, the film’s heart remains unquestionably hopeful, so downright wholesome that even the lack of sweat-stained bodies in the 100-degree heat feels like part of the movie magic. In the Heights has been saving that magic for the big screen experience, and now that it’s here it is indeed worthy of celebrating – in a theater, with a crowd. Are we really “back to normal?” Can the American dream still be alive? For 143 minutes, it sure feels like it. #GeorgeWolf