THE QUEEN OF SOUL // A FILM REVIEW OF "RESPECT"

BY MATEO MORENO

Aretha Franklin the artist and her music are two things that are instantly recognizable throughout the world. She's always had a larger than life personality and her music seemingly soars far above us. When RESPECT, the new biopic about her life, was announced, Jennifer Hudson seemed like the perfect choice to play the Queen of Soul. And it turns out, she truly is. RESPECT follows Franklin's life from childhood into her adulthood, starting with her childhood in Detroit in the 1950's. Her father, a Baptist minister and civil rights leader played superbly by Forest Whitaker, would throw lavish parties and invite friends from all over. He would wake Aretha up in the middle of the night to sing to the crowd of partygoers, showing her off like his latest prize. Something to be flaunted in front of his friends, as he knew they would adore her, and then take her back to bed and continue his evening. In these scenes, Aretha is played dynamically by Skye Dakota Tuner and she's probably somewhere in the middle of wanting to perform and knowing that it'll please her father so she does.

Her mother (Audra McDonald) has separated from her father but adores Aretha. When she does have time with her daughter, Aretha loves to hear her sing at her piano, soaking up every last moment with her mother. Tragically, her mother doesn't make it past her childhood, but the ghost of her memory stays with Aretha well into her adulthood. We jump forward in time where, as an adult, Aretha is now played by Hudson. She sings at her father's church and he controls every aspect of her career and life. When someone is talking to Aretha that he doesn't deem fit, he whisks her away, micromanaging every last aspect. He eventually helps land her a record deal at Columbia where she finds an early fan in producer John Hammond (Tate Donovan). It isn't until  much later that the hits we know begin to trickle out of her and start to shape the Queen of Soul but her early days help create the power that propels her forward in later years.

RESPECT covers a lot of ground, and there's a lot of story to tell with Franklin's life. But under Director Liesl Tommy's life it remains compelling and engaging, even when the notes ring familiar of the typical biopic beats. The film also shows the struggles and abuse that Aretha went through, from her childhood trauma (including a pregnancy at 12-years-old) to the manipulation of her father and abuse from men like one-time husband Ted White (Marlon Wayans). Aretha had a very tough life, yet she took control and became the legend that she is today, inspiring millions of people across the world. Jennifer Hudson is not only the perfect choice the play the diva, her voice is the perfect voice to sing her music. The melodies of hits like "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," "Think" and of course, "Respect" soar out of Hudson, dripping like sweet honey into our ears. Her performance itself is wonderful and shows very plainly that her Oscar win for Dreamgirls was no fluke.

Sequences of her building the songs, creating the melodies and structure of the songs are some of the most thrilling to watch, and one sequence in particular has her sisters (played as adults by Broadway favorites Saycon Sengbloh & Hailey Kilgore) riffing on the song "Respect" with her, creating the "re-re-re-re" refrain that's a direct nod to her nickname of "Re." It's a cheesy movie moment that may have never happened but is so charming that even in its silliness makes you smile. There are liberties taken, as all biopics do, but the power, the emotion and yes, the soul is all there for the taking. RESPECT doesn't break new ground in terms of what the movie biopic looks like, but it doesn't need to. It has a story to tell, and it tells it well, highlighting a cast of wonderful performers, lead by the brilliant Hudson, and gives them a terrific showcase. The story is Aretha's, but the film is all Hudson's and this is her moment to shine. And shine she does.

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN BY Callie Khouri, Tracey Scott Wilson DIRECTED BY Liesl Tommy STARRING Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Waynes, Marc Maron, Audra McDonald, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Brenda Nicole Moorer, Tituss Burgess, Tate Donovan, Albert Jones, Skye Dakota Turner. OPENING AUGUST 13TH IN THEATRES. FOR MORE INFO: RESPECT

LOST IN SPACE // A FILM REVIEW OF "STARDUST"

BY MATEO MORENO

The excitement and thrill of David Bowie's life can hardly be summed up in one review. Or one song, one album. Even the entire Bowie catalogue doesn't quite tell the full story of the Thin White Duke. You also need his concerts, his interviews, the images, the memories. Truly one of the most groundbreaking artists of all time, and certainly one who never let himself be put inside a simply understood box. Since his untimely death in 2016, fans around the world have yearned for a film to properly give him the send-off he truly deserves. For most fans, STARDUST won't be that film, especially since the Bowie estate had no involvement in it and there isn't a single original Bowie song within. So can the film fly on its own?

Playing the legend is Johnny Flynn, who finds a kind of Bowie-like rhythm but struggles to ever truly inhabit him. The film follows Bowie as he embarks on a "tour" of America to promote his album The Man Who Sold The World. His American publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron) seems to be the only American who truly believes in him (his popularity hasn't gained traction in the states yet) but he is given very little money to promote him. Plus, due to Visa problems, Bowie himself isn't allowed to sing any of his songs. He can only talk about them (quite a save there, since no songs actually COULD be performed in the film). It goes badly right away, as the increasingly shy & timid Bowie doesn't quite know who he is an artist so he doesn't know how to sell himself to the US crowd. He's also haunted by memories of his half-brother Terry (Derek Moran), who introduced Bowie to all sorts of music styles before being institutionalized and becoming the "dark secret of his family."

Yet, none of this seems like Bowie. A shy, timid portrayal of one of the most forward thinking musicians of all time. This Bowie wants to become famous and the art kind of falls into his lap later (here suggested by his manager in a throw away comment that I guess resonates with him enough that he draws upon it later). This "Biopic that's not a Biopic" gets a lot of the details wrong, and freely admits that in the opening moments, where it states that ost of the film is Fiction. So, why go through in making it? It is, after all, supposed to be telling the tale of how Bowie first became Ziggy Stardust, yet you can't actually show any of the proper journey, or hear any of it (It should be noted that The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars also wasn't the album he crafted after his actual NYC trip. That would be Hunky Dory, but again, most of the film is fiction, not fact). To suggest that Bowie's biggest influence was his fear of not becoming his brother and going insane seems far too simple of an explanation to the window of his genius. And it seems that way because it is. Johnny Flynn doesn't have much to work with here and sadly is nowhere near Bowie, nor does he really look or sound much like him at all. Marc Maron's version of Rob Oberman is entertaining (because it's Marc Maron doing it), but it's not at all who the real Oberman was. Jena Malone's character arc as Bowie's first wife is truly one dimensional, with a whole middle section missing from her development.

All of that being said, there are a few magical moments of true wonder in STARDUST but as a David Bowie story it is severely lacking, and frankly kind of boring. There are some strong performances laced throughout, but this is not the Bowie Biopic that we fans have been clamoring for. It mostly serves as a palet of quesitons for fans. Why is everyone in the cast purposely too old to play these roles? Why is Bowie a timid, boring figure? Why is there no magic or true weirdness? Bowie has meant so much for millions of fans out there (including this writer, who mourned his death as if he was my own family member), and sadly this misfire will only be a footnote in the sure to be long road to get a proper (and estate sanctioned) Bowie on screen. 

GRADE: D+

WRITTEN BY Christopher Bell, Gabriel Range DIRECTED BY Gabriel Range STARRING Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron, Jena Malone, Derek Moran, Anthony Flanagan, Julian Richings. Opens in Select Theatres and on VOD November 25th. For more info: https://www.ifcfilms.com/films/stardust