If you’ve ever been in eighth grade, you should see ‘Eighth Grade’

“Eighth Grade” review

“Eighth Grade” is a (sometimes painfully) accurate story of coming-of-age in the digital age. And in this case, calling it painful is a good thing.

In it, 13-year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence in all its anxiety, social media bubbles, parental disagreements and politics of fitting in as she makes her way through the last week of middle school.

We wouldn’t really call it a comedy even though it is very funny. It’s written by a comedian, but there are no real jokes. You just end up laughing anyway because of how relatable and specific it gets while representing how rough, scary and confusing life can be as a 13-year-old.

For being written and directed by Bo Burnham, a 27-year-old male, it’s an impressively empathetic story of a teenage girl. But then again, he is the product of his middle school awkward phase and one of the first people to come of age as a YouTube star.

Elsie Fisher’s acting is what makes it all feel real though. It’s hard to believe she’s a 15-year-old-actress, not a real teen named Kayla. Everything from her slouched body language, to her awkward small talk, her fights with her dad, to her acne are so authentic that it will make you remember things you thought you forgot about when you were that old.

It will bring you back to the time you were gawkily navigating the halls of your own middle school, but this movie isn’t nostalgic. It’s a movie about the present. It makes us remember a universally difficult age, but shows how today’s teens have to deal with everything we did plus social media, school shooter drills and higher rates of anxiety and depression.

To better understand today’s youth (unlike the dabbing teacher in it), watch this heartwarming, somewhat angsty and funny movie. Real-life eighth graders approve, too.

And if you like “Eighth Grade,” you should watch: all of John Hughes’ films, “Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Ladybird” and “Elephant”

“Eighth Grade” is screening now in Milwaukee.

“Three Identical Strangers” review

Like any good documentary—and this is a really, really good documentary—it will explain everything. You don’t need to know any of this before you go see it. Just go see it.

If you’re still here, this is what you’re in for:

Identical triplets become separated at birth and adopted by three different families. Years later, their amazing reunion becomes a global sensation but also unearths an unimaginable secret that has radical repercussions.

It’s an unbelievable story, but a completely true one.

It’s a documentary, but not a biopic. This year, we’ve talked about how much we loved the films about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Mr. Rogers, but what made “Three Identical Strangers” so good was that it was just about everyday people. It’s categorized as a documentary, but it was more like a well told story. With all the drama and mystery, it could have been filmed as a reenacted fiction with actors and a script. But as a documentary, it still had a real narrative with a beginning, middle and end while keeping it as accurate as possible by featuring the real brothers, who luckily have big personalities.

We don’t want to reveal too much. If you want mild spoilers and a deeper look, listen to the podcast above. All we’ll say here is that the film brings up a lot of interesting moral dilemmas, explores evidence for nature and nurture, entertains a bit of conspiracy and tells one hell of a good family story.

If you like this film, Kpolly recommends: “Thin Blue Line,” “Stories We Tell” and “Tower.”

See “Three Identical Strangers” in Milwaukee theaters now.

Coming soon to the Oriental Theatre

Coming soon: more women’s restrooms on the first floor, minor restorations and some great film programming.

Photo courtesy of MKE Film

August 10 is the soft opening of the two side theaters as they complete renovations in the main theatre. They’ll be screening “BlacKkKlansman” and “McQueen” for the opening weeks. Then, it’s just one great feature after another. Here’s the schedule so far:

“BlacKkKlansman”

August 10 – 24

From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee and the producers behind the Oscar-winning Get Out comes the incredible true story of an American hero. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department, bravely sets out on a dangerous mission to make a name for himself: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. A more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), is brought into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.

“Skyscraper” review

The film’s plot description is, “Will Sawyer (Dwane Johnson) is a former FBI agent and U.S. war veteran who now assesses security for skyscrapers. While he’s on assignment in China, the world’s tallest and safest building catches on fire — and he gets framed for it. Now a wanted man and on the run, he must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family members when they become trapped inside the inferno.” But, it’s essentially a “Die Hard” movie that isn’t as good.

What we did like was: the architectural design of the titular skyscraper, the unfunny humor that made us laugh at the attempt anyway, the suspenseful scenes at high altitudes that triggered our fear of heights and the fact that it is not trying to be a franchise.

What we didn’t like was: pretty much everything else.

If you do go see this ridiculous film, do it in the theater. It’s the only way this movie will entertain you. Or you could watch literally any other action movie instead, because “Skyscraper” is basically smashing them all together.

“Sorry to Bother You” review

Lakeith Stanfield, from “Atlanta” and “Get Out,” stars in this movie as he gets a job as a telemarketer, learns to use his “white voice,” rises to the top of the call center, experiences an absurd and hilarious telemarketer culture and is propelled into the corporation’s macabre reality of the fact that its basically profiting off slavery.

Stanfield is reason enough to see this movie, but in case you need more: Tessa Thompson is acting in it, Forest Whitaker is producing it and the hilarious “white voice” is dubbed over by comedians David Cross and Patton Oswalt. Plus, the screenplay and directing is being done by Boots Riley, vocalist of hip-hop groups The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club.

This is only his directorial debut, but with this movie, he’s already found his spot as one of the greats of our time. He has an incomparable style that is fresh, funny and full of sharp social commentary and surrealism that’s realer than reality. But, if we had to make comparisons, we’d say that this movie is kind of like a perfect combination of a Spike Lee and a Spike Jonze film. But, as soon as you start comparing “Sorry to Bother You,” the list could go on forever. Critics have said they’ve caught elements of “Atlanta,” “Get Out,” The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Office Space” and tons more in the film.

“Sorry to Bother You” aims at many targets and hits them all, showing the evils (and the humor) in everyday racism, unions, code switching, capitalism, etc.

There is simply too much in this movie to unpack in one article and you just really need to see this for yourself. “Sorry to Bother You” required viewing in 2018 and will be for years to come. This is the kind of movie that you can watch multiple times and still notice new things and still find the old things funny.

Listen to the full Cinebuds podcast above to hear us scratch the surface on our favorite moments in the film (with some spoilers). And, go see this movie. It will make you laugh, it will make you think and it just might bother you—but that’s the point, and Boots Riley is not sorry about it. It’s screening now in Milwaukee.

“Amélie” screening in Milwaukee

On the eve of Bastille Days, the East Town Association is partnering with the Avalon Theater to bring you a very special screening of the whimsical 2001 French film “Amélie,” nominated for five Academy Awards. Of course, there will also be some delectable French menu items available, inspired by the film. See it tonight. We’ll be there “looking back at people’s faces in the dark.”

“Amélie” tells the tale of the title character, intent on making those around her happy and in the process finds true love. It remains a charming film, imbued with a sense of community, charity and hope that few films achieve. Featuring a joyous titular performance by renowned French actress Audrey Tautou, deft direction from Jean-Pierre Jeunet and a traveling lawn gnome, “Amélie”‘s charms haven’t waned over the past 17 years and you may just be inspired to do something good when it’s all over.

The Avalon is the perfect setting to watch this movie for the first time, or the hundredth. But, if you can’t make it to the theater, it’s also on Netflix.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

After you watch “Amélie,” three things will probably happen: you won’t be able to stop smiling, you’ll want to put the film score on loop and you’ll want more from the auteur director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Luckily, he has three other acclaimed movies that you can watch: “Delicatessen,” “The City of Lost Children” and “Alien Resurrection.” Though they are noticeably darker than “Amélie,” they still have the same charm and whimsy, humor and distinct saturated visual style.

All of Jeunet’s films before “Amélie” had been shot primarily in studios due to his love of complete visual control. But, recreating the Montmartre neighborhood on a sound stage would have been way too expensive, so Jeunet had to shoot on location, even though the real city streets didn’t match the dreamlike version of his imagination. So, the colorful and romantic version of Paris in “Amélie” is the result of the crew clearing the streets of all cars, cleaning graffiti off the walls, replacing posters with more colorful ones and doing a lot of post-production touch-ups. This attention to detail is what makes him great.

Hear more about our love for Jean-Pierre Jeunet and “Amélie” in the full podcast episode above.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” review

We’ve already admitted that even the trailer for this movie made us cry, making it one of our most anticipated movies of the summer.

Milwaukee Film is planning to improve the moviegoing experience while leaving the backbone aesthetics that make the beloved theater one of the world’s finest. Among the renovations are upgraded projection, improved sound equipment and a much needed first floor women’s restroom.

Kicking off opening week will include daily screenings of Spike Lee’s highly-anticipated new feature “BlacKkKlansman” and the acclaimed new documentary “McQueen.”

“BlacKkKlansman”

From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department, as he bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.

The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.

“Hereditary” review

Calling “Hereditary” a horror film is an understatement. It’s being called the most terrifying movie of the year and we think it will jump straight into canon as one of the scariest movies of all time. It’s not a horror movie, it’s a paralyzing nightmare which has acting, drama and cinematography that make it feel real.

It’s essentially the story of a family struck by tragedy and haunted by generations of inherited demons. The film is framed around the death of the matriarch of the Graham family and the grief of her daughter (Toni Collette) who is a professional artist who sculpts miniature dioramas. Her family starts uncovering secrets of a sinister fate that is chasing them.

We were scared the entire time. The creepiness, suspense and sheer terror took no breaks. It was a rollercoaster that only went up. It’s the kind of fear that makes you unable to move. We were physically tired when leaving the theater after being so tense during the screening.

The acting (especially by Toni Collette and Alex Wolff) was so intense that you not only feel like the characters on-screen are actually going through something, you feel like you’re going through it too. Alex Wolff even says that acting in this movie might have given him PTSD.

It didn’t have any classic scary move tropes, jump scares or any other cheap shots, though it did have some great visual and sonic subtle references to other horror moves, as the best ones do. It has hints of “The Shining,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist,” taking elements that are guaranteed scares, but multiplying them by 10.

If you like scary movies, this is probably about to be one of your favorites. If you don’t, you might want to save yourself the trauma. If you’re like us, you’ll love the thrill of this movie once, but then you’ll probably never want to see it again. It really was that disturbing.

Listen to the full episode above for the full hype around this movie, though we won’t give you any spoilers because you just have to experience it for yourself. It’s playing in Milwaukee now.

“Incredibles 2” review

Over a decade after “The Incredibles,” everyone’s favorite super family is back—though the movie is being released in a much different hero and comic book culture than before. At first, the announcement of a sequel might have seemed like Pixar capitalizing on this popular moment for hero films, but the product is more like a commentary on it.

The movie picks up exactly where the last one left off—the Underminer needs to be stopped, though superheroes are still illegal.

This time, Helen aka Elastigirl is in the spotlight fighting crime, leaving Bob aka Mr. Incredible at home with Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack to navigate the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life. It’s a tough transition for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone must find a way to work together again in a divided world that doesn’t always have the most favorable opinion of “powered people” and often doesn’t want their help. Thus, they essentially go through superhero PR bootcamp and a lot of moral questioning.

“Incredibles 2” offers a lot of commentary on our real world society and the Marvel/DC universes that our culture is currently obsessed with. Plus, it’s brilliantly animated, hilarious and progressive—the heroines (and villainesses) grab the spotlight in this movie. Though it’s appropriate for all ages, this is so much more than a kids cartoon or a cash-grab sequel.

That being said, sequels hardly ever live up to overhyping they’re given. This was how I felt after walking out of the theater. It probably didn’t help that I just recently read the biography of Walt Disney who had a distaste for sequels. After “Three Little Pigs” was so successful, he was asked if he would do another one and famously replied, “You can’t top pigs with pigs.” With hardly any new characters or backstory, I couldn’t help but think that Pixar did not top “The Incredibles” with more Incredibles.

But, Kpolly (who I basically tricked into seeing this movie) didn’t have the same expectations. Maybe because of that, he ended up loving it. After all, there is a lot to love: the quick throwaway jokes, Jack-Jack, the easter eggs and again, Pixar’s spectacular animation.

If that doesn’t convince you to see it in the theater, Pixar’s cutest short film yet, “Bao,” should. Pixar’s shorts are one of the best parts of seeing their movies. Don’t miss out on seeing this tear-jerking story of a lonely Chinese empty-nester who gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life.

Listen to the whole podcast above for more conversation about “Incredibles 2” (including some spoilers) and why we don’t usually like to see sequels even though they’ll always do great at the box office anyway.

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