There are a thousand holes one could poke in
Yesterday's premise (yes, we all know Coldplay wouldn't exist as we know them if The Beatles didn’t come first and of course The Beatles’ music wouldn't be received in the same fashion today as it was fifty years ago-timing is everything), but to dig into director Danny Boyle's latest in regard to these factors alone is to miss the point of the film completely. First off, I'm a sucker for these types of light comedies that throw logic out the window and instate a "what if" scenario for the sake of our protagonist learning a valuable lesson (think the majority of Jim Carrey's comedies), but second-and more importantly-is that
Yesterday is able to touch on both the sadness and reassuredness in knowing that there are as many possibilities for us to fail in as there are for us to succeed; it's reassuring knowing we succeeded when we very easily could have failed while it's somewhat disheartening to know there are possibilities in our lives we'll never fulfill. The key to this, as with everything in life, is of course finding balance and not so much dwelling on what might have been, but as screenwriter Simon Curtis is so consistently good at effectively putting it: cherish the moment, cherish the present moment.
Boyle's efficient storytelling and cutting techniques also help this would-be saccharine tale come off with the necessary edge that pairs perfectly with its singular soundtrack. Call me a sucker if you like, but I'll drink this Kool-Aid all day long.
B+
Having only seen the original 1988
Child's Play prior to this (and when I say prior I mean the week before seeing this re-make) I neither expected much from nor had much invested in 2019's
Child's Play. Given I didn't necessarily come to care much for that original despite understanding why it spurned an eternity's worth of sequels, Lars Klevberg's new take on the film is surprisingly light, funny, and creative with its protagonist even if it only moves in fits and starts. Creative in terms of re-contextualizing the doll for 2019, but still lacking in that Mark Hamill's voice work doesn't allow the character to make a bigger impression. That said, the kid here is good and Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, and David Lewis are all game for the kind of movie they're in and that makes this quick, slick 90-minutes a lot more fun than it had any right to be.
C
It's fine. Jessie T. Usher is better than expected as the next gen
Shaft while taking Samuel L. Jackson's general boomer ribbing about being a millennial in stride with a little help from the always lovely Alexandra Shipp and the always reliable Regina Hall thrown in for good measure. Otherwise, this is standard procedural stuff you can catch anytime on TBS, but the third act team-up with Richard Roundtree, Jackson and Usher is worth the price of a streaming service rental alone.
C-
Sasha Luss stars in the little-seen Luc Besson action/thriller,
Anna, about how beneath the title character's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins. The film also stars Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy and Helen Mirren and while I wasn't able to catch it in theaters I've actually heard it's quite good given its genre qualifiers and will likely make a point to catch-up with it at some point.
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