Tag: Ayo Edibiri

ELLA MCCAY (2025)

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Written & Directed By: James L. Brooks

Cinematography: Robert Elswit

Editor: Tracy Wadmore-Smith 

Cast: Ella Mackey, Woody Harrelson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Ayo Edebiri, Kumail Nanijani, Jack Lowden, Spike Fearn, Rebecca Hall, 

An idealistic young woman juggles her family and work life in a comedy about the people you love and how to survive them.

I really wanted to enjoy this film. As I have grown up watching James L. Brooks films or productions, not to mention Emma Mackey in one of her first big screen leading roles after making such an impact on the series SEX EDUCATION

but this was a film that was hard to take.

It might be as it is so idealistic. It would have worked in the 1950’s or before, but in today’s political climate. It comes across as more of a dream. A high concept movie that might have come along or been passable in the 1980’s but feels grating and off rhythm in today’s cinema. 

While it’s nice to watch a film that is idealistic and not so cynical in today’s climate. It can still be interesting, which unfortunately this film isn’t. It lacks an ingredient even though it has plenty of energy .  

The film feels overwritten. As one of the characters says in the movie “You don’t have to articulate everything” one wishes the movie had taken its own advice.  

As the film plays like more of a theatrical piece for the stage, especially with the characters saying their feelings out loud to one another. Theme there are so many plot threads that luckily revolve around the main character. So that they lead into one another. 

It ends up feeling way too scripted an never natural. So that the characters have all these neurosis. Though they never Come across as natural or believable. They are slaves to the directions of the screenplay

One can understand Writer/Director Brooks is doing what he does best and aiming for an old school classic dramatic comedy that is more grounded and adult. Like the One’s he might have grown up with. Which is similar to his last big screen film HOW DO YOU KNOW. Though as that film was star studded but a bomb. This is truly worse than that film. As it is questionable what he saw in this story or film.

The film feels endless and boring after awhile. Where you get to the point where you don’t care what happens, you just want the film to end. 

There Also seems to be some scenes missing as it sets up a romance for two characters. Which is obvious, but we never actually see them pursue it or watch it grow to show their chemistry. It’s implied and then in the end even them being a couple is presented in the same way. Was it controversial as it would be interracial? It’s just strange especially in a film that fees the need to over explain Everything else. That it gets modest there or leaves the audience to figure it out. As maybe the filmmaker feels he has been there way too many times before.

It plays like a romantic comedy but then tries to present itself as a comedic character study?

It’s ultimately like the film isn’t sure in which direction it should be or even wants to go. 

Though luckily it fits into James L. Brooks filmography pedigree. Just not up to the quality of his previous works. 

Grade: D

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (2023)

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Directed By: Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears 

Written By: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit 

Based on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES characters, Created By: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Head Of Cinematography: Kent Saki

Editor: Greg Levitan

Voice cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ice Cube, Jackie Chan, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Rudd, Post Malone, Hannibal Buress 

After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. But they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.

Over the years, there have been many reboots of this franchise as well as ongoing, animated television shows. There were even two live-action films after the initial live-action trilogy of films.

I have to say that this animated film is the best of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise since the original animated series and also the first two live-action films which are near deer to my heart. I saw them in theaters and the first one I kept trying to see in theaters and I think, I tried five times to see it in theaters and it was always sold out. This was before you could buy your tickets online so when I finally did get to see it, it was so magical and felt so worth it.

This film emphasizes the teenage part of the title as the characters do have fighting skills, but they are also still teenagers at heart growing up and wanting to belong but also wanting to have fun and not necessarily so mission-focused.

With it being more about teenagers, it prepares you to have patience with that aspect as an adult, though it’s a perfect family film that feels a bit more funky and fun than any of the films have before. It’s a film for a younger audience though older fans can’t enjoy it.

Here’s a little bit reimagined with a more urban feel in a different villain than the nemesis usually the villain Shredder.

The film is a lot more fun and emphasizes a bit more humor than action.

The star voices don’t add too much more of a hay isn’t that such and such factor that would work with or without them, though it is nice to see here, the familiar voice does at times the danger of taking you out of the film, especially when it comes to certain beloved characters.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, take over the franchise or the ideas for the story here and rework it, just as they have others that they either produce or create shows like THE BOYS and PREACHER amongst others. At least it seems like the stuff that they are behind that RIP that they were fans of from the beginning so while they are making it a little more hip, they know what the fans like. Enjoy and want.

The film is an original story at heart. It’s closer to the more blockbuster material of the animated cartoon than the previous live-action movies that starred Megan Fox. 

It’s a reboot for a franchise that continues to reinvent itself while sticking to the same premise, yet never venturing into the dark original world of the cult comic book from which it came.

Grade: B+ 

THE SWEET EAST (2023)

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Cinematography & Directed By: Sean Price Williams

Written By: Nick Pinkerton 

Editor: Stephen Gurewitz 

Cast: Talia Ryder, Simon Rex, Jacob Elordi, Ayo Edibiri, Jeremy O. Harris, Andy Milonakis, Keith Poulson, Rish Shah, Mazin Akar, Gibby Haynes, Mimi Ryder, Jack Irv, Ella Rubin, Betsey Brown, Earl Cave

A picaresque journey through the cities and woods of the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. undertaken by Lillian, a high school senior from South Carolina. She gets her first glimpse of the wider world on a class trip to Washington, D.C.

The film has an Alice in Wonderland quality. they coming of age tale. where we follow this girl who right after losing her virginity goes on a school field trip to Washington DC gets mad wanders off and kind of gets involved in all these kinds of extreme groups and gets involved with these characters who have such great passion for their beliefs that she seems to put up with as long as she can, and they take care of her, but then soon grows of them and moves on, especially leaving them and ruin when she does

as it seems like all of those, she gets involved with seem to put their ideals dreams, and wishes upon her as some kind of fantasy is going to help them or save them or make them successful and she’s quite the opposite as she is just a schoolgirl trying to survive and trying to have fun

I think this film might’ve been a little stronger been directed and written by a female because as it plays, which might actually work and its favor seems more to go throughout this film as a kind of young female seen through the male gaze so she’s constantly made into a fantasy. it is directed by noted cinematographer Sean Price Williams.

The film doesn’t make her a victim, though it shows that she’s not that innocent and that she kind of enjoys the power that she gets from all these experiences as these types of scenarios and with the female being victimized, it’s kind of refreshing to see a film, where the female is the one who realized that she has the power and takes control, even though she doesn’t know how deep or dangerous the waters she’s stepping into truly 

The film is very experimental as it even has a musical sequence early in the film and seems to be mostly handheld gorilla style though has some beautiful shots the film does keep a sense of humor, but also has a kind of shock value that it produces every now and then just to make sure you’re paying attention 

as in one section of the film, she ends up staying with a white supremacist who is more of an intellectual than an actual member of the KKK who he spoils like she’s a pet, but never touches, though she keeps offering peaks and glances. He never makes a move, though he wants to and generally respects her, which makes her quite fast

she goes from there to African-American filmmakers who keep talking about being revolutionaries and even dress the part in 1970s wardrobe, but then when we actually see that the film they are making it some kind of merchant ivory-type production that is more about Caucasian characters in the pet in the past which proves to be one of the most, but also shocking sequences in the film

those throughout there are no real consequences for her character and the film tries to throw the audience off just as when she ends up secretly staying with what seems to be a Muslim paramilitary group. They are more of a music group dance and very secretive. so this film keeps to survive.

no, by the end, it doesn’t really seem to have all that much to say and still feels like the musings of a middle-aged Caucasian man declaring his thoughts on modern-day subcultures but putting it through a young female point of view, making it seem more open and not so fitting closed off.

In the end, it’s not quite an adventure. I’m sure most audiences will want to make but if they do, they might find something that captures their interest throughout. As the character travels through the eastern seaboard.

That is a great showcase for young actress Talia Ryder. as she constantly plays the main character, but also that character has to play the role that she is given by all these different people she comes across and even using other stories as her own to get more sympathy

in the end, it kind of amounts to a movie that seems like it was a hip hang-out for most of the cast that was made up as it went along to touch on certain subjects and meanings

Grade: C