Category Archives: Keke Palmer

2022 Films, Daniel Kaluuya, Donna Mills, Horror, Jordan Peele, Keke Palmer, Oz Perkins, Steven Yeun

Nope-2022

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Nope-2022

Director Jordan Peele

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer

Scott’s Review #1,334

Reviewed January 15, 2023

Grade: B

I excitedly anticipated the latest offering from one of my favorite modern directors, Jordan Peele. Always conjuring some message, intrigue, or social issue, his projects are laden with meaning rather than a one-dimensional portrayal of a crazed killer or a one-note story.

Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) were riveting efforts that could be watched over and over again for deeper meaning, and the same was expected of Nope (2022).

Peele’s brilliant yet short-lived The Twilight Zone series further cemented his appeal.

While there are moments of mystery, intrigue, and horror, and the stories are good individually, they don’t come together cohesively at the end of the film. Nothing was clear or specific, nor was it fulfilled.

Nope is not a dud and deserves respect for the originality of the premise as well as the sprinkling of nods to past horror films like The Shining (1980) and others.

Hollywood animal wrangler OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) begin observing unexplained phenomena on their vast Southern California ranch. After a falling object kills their father, they become obsessed as they plot to capture the mystery on camera.

Their next-door neighbor, Jupe (Steven Yuen), a former child star turned family theme park ringmaster, has his own story to tell.

Through flashbacks, we learn of a deadly incident with a chimpanzee who went berserk on the set of a television series in which Jupe starred.

The 1998 events involving Jupe and the chimpanzee are the best parts. This is surprising since they are not part of the main action. Peele does wonders with chapter title cards to separate the film and haunting camera angles focusing on Jupe’s point of view.

The chimp slaughters nearly everyone on set except for Jupe and tenderly reaches out to him before being shot and killed by the police.

OJ and Emerald’s story also has juice. The foreboding, unidentified flying object that circles and appears at varying times provides a sense of mystique and wonder. What could it be, and why does it hover only over their land?

Peele wrote, directed, and produced the venture, so presumably, he had complete creative control over the entire film.

He even convinced the appealing Daniel Kaluuya, who starred in Get Out and just won an Academy Award for Judas and the Black Messiah in 2021, to return.

There are no significant issues with the technical special effects, the cinematography, the cast, or the two separate stories.

My beef is with the myriad of questions I was left with when the end credits began to roll, and I thought, ‘Why has Jordan Peele disappointed me for the very first time?’

Here are just a few of them.

Why is the unidentified flying object afraid of horses? Why does it viciously attack anyone who looks it in the eye? What does the vicious chimpanzee attack have to do with anything? How does Jupe’s story connect with OJ and Emerald’s? Why is the character named OJ; what is the connection to OJ Simpson?

Knowing Peele, I could venture a guess at the UFO’s anger at being looked at as having a connection to the celebrity or a society of voyeurs, but the others are perplexing to me.

I was both compelled and fascinated by the events throughout the film, but I wish the payoff had been more substantial; it never came.

Peele creates sophisticated films, and Nope is no exception, offering sophistication and a deeper meaning. I wasn’t personally able to put the pieces together like I was for Get Out or Us.

I may not have the energy to rewatch the two-hour and fifteen-minute spectacle to see if I can get more out of it a second time, but I probably should.

I will watch whatever Peele creates next with anticipation and excitement because there is always something to ponder and be entertained by. However, at first review, Nope (2022) seems inferior to his other projects, and more was expected.

2022 Films, Angus MacLane, Animated, Bill Hader, Children, Chris Evans, Dan Scanlon, Disney, James Brolin, Keke Palmer, Lee Unkrich, Pete Docter, Taika Waititi

Lightyear-2022

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Lightyear-2022

Director Angus Maclane

Voices Chris Evans, Keke Palmer

Scott’s Review #1,322

Reviewed December 13, 2022

Grade: B

The popular Toy Story (1995-2019) franchise spawns a new child with Lightyear (2022), a spin-off prequel film within the franchise. Box office receipts will determine if Lightyear has any children of its own.

It’s a pleasant and fairly conventional offering, as it focuses solely on one ‘toy’, the masculine Buzz Lightyear, and tells his story. The visuals are delightful and colorful, and there is enough adventure to keep the whole family engaged.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of legacy or connection to the Toy Story characters, and even the voice of Buzz is replaced by Tim Allen and Chris Evans.

One’s enjoyment of the film predominantly depends on one’s preference for the franchise in general or the hero in question. Better satisfied may now be adults who were kids in 1995, harkening back to a nostalgic film featuring a favorite childhood character.

As a semi-fan, but not a diehard fan, of the Toy Story films, I found the overall result pretty good, but not astounding.

It doesn’t explain why Lightyear went from a living and thriving action hero to becoming a suburban kid’s possession, but it also doesn’t matter much, at least to me.

For fans of the series, it’s a nice trip down memory lane, more than anything groundbreaking or breathtaking.

Sometimes familiarity breeds comfort.

The film follows Buzz Lightyear (Evans), a space ranger, as he is marooned on a hostile planet with his commander and crew. He attempts to find a way back home while confronting a threat to the universe’s safety.

His ambitious recruits, Izzy, Mo, Darby, and his robot companion, Sox, serve as new characters following Lightyear’s every move. As this motley crew tackles its most challenging mission yet, they must learn to work together as a team to escape the evil Zurg and his dutiful robot army, which is never far behind.

Possibly the most interesting, and I’ll confess the primary reason why I saw Lightyear, was the notorious same-sex kiss that unceremoniously got the film banned in some Middle Eastern countries.

It also pissed off conservatives who found the kiss too much for them and the potential damnation and ruination of young children everywhere.

In truth, the kiss is timid and a non-issue. The issue is more likely a prominent female lesbian character and her wife, and best friend, Buzz. It’s like, how dare the all-American Lightyear have a black lesbian for a best friend?

Alisha (Uzo Aduba) is strong, confident, and black. She is a commanding officer and arguably the most interesting character in the film.

What an inspiration for young girls everywhere to see such representation and potential. The kicker is that she is in a relationship with a woman who has a granddaughter named Izzy (played by Keke Palmer), one of Buzz’s recruits.

Despite the addition of inclusion and diversity, Lightyear is nonetheless a by-the-numbers offering. The message is one of a robust adventure, though I appreciate the social importance of such a good character.

Once Buzz is in flight and soaring for the stars, Lightyear turns into action/adventure in a hurry. The filmmakers intend to create a popcorn summer blockbuster, with our hero saving the day, and this intention is fulfilled.

The time travel and aging of characters are interesting because we see their life cycles and the generations that follow. For example, Buzz is close to Izzy.

He cares deeply for Alisha, whom he misses terribly, because he has been far away and hasn’t aged, while she has aged like a normal human.

Lightyear (2022) offers a safe flight plan, despite being brave enough to include diverse characters. It doesn’t connect to the origin of Toy Story as much as I’d like it to, and feels somewhat like a stand-alone.

Time will tell if a sequel is made, but it would be unnecessary.

2019 Films, Adam McKay, Cardi B, Constance Wu, Crime Drama, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo, Lorene Scafaria, Mercedes Ruehl, Usher, Will Ferrell

Hustlers-2019

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Hustlers-2019

Director Lorene Scafaria

Starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez

Scott’s Review #942

Reviewed October 3, 2019

Grade: B+

Hustlers (2019) is a film that I had no intention of seeing. It was not on my radar, and I did not know much about the movie except that it was promoted as a story about a group of strippers who bamboozle Wall Street men.

Yawn!

The experience was better than expected, thanks to the critically lauded performance by Jennifer Lopez. She astounds in a role perfectly written for her as the true story champions female empowerment, and why shouldn’t it?

The result is a feminist film with humor.

Constance Wu, famous for putting Asian actors on the map with Crazy Rich Asians (2018), does a complete one-eighty as the lead character in Hustlers.

Unrecognizable, she plays a New York City stripper named Destiny, who works at a trendy Wall Street club named Moves, in 2007. She supports her grandmother and barely gets by on meager tips, possessing the looks but not quite the style.

When she witnesses fellow dancer Ramona Vega (Lopez) perform a simmering routine, the women bond and become fast friends.

Destiny enjoys newfound wealth and a close friendship with Ramona. A year later, the financial crisis strikes, and both women find themselves struggling for cash, having squandered their fortunes.

Destiny becomes pregnant.

Her boyfriend leaves her shortly after their daughter’s birth, and she is unable to find a new job. Destiny and Ramona, along with other girls, hatch a plot to manipulate the business people they have grown to know out of desperation.

The story is based on actual events.

Had the elements not wholly come together in this film, the result would have been dreary or at best mediocre.

A current trend in modern cinema is to have a group of female characters team up in some form of heist or crime-fighting adventure- think Ocean’s Eight (2018), the Ghostbusters (2016) remake, or Widows (2018).

Some results are better than others, but hardly memorable, as the girl-buddy genre hardly has any depth.

Two critical factors stand out to me as rising Hustlers way above a mediocre or standard fare film experience. Jennifer Lopez deserves all the praise she has been showered with for her role as Ramona.

From the moment Lopez, who is listed as Executive Producer, appears on screen, she is electrifying and impossible not to be mesmerized by.

As she shakes her booty (and many other parts of her anatomy) and writhes on stage to Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” the men in the club throw money at her.

The scene oozes sexuality, and from this moment on, Lopez owns the film.

Lopez, besides Selena (1997), has primarily chosen mainstream and fluff material like The Wedding Planner (2001) and Maid in Manhattan (2002) over the years.

She may not be the Meryl Streep of her time, but it is always nice when an actor charts challenging and dangerous waters. May she continue to choose wisely. She powers through Hustlers with gusto and is the central draw.

Not to limit Hustlers to a conventional woman using sex appeal to lure men, the film is sure to get its message across to viewers in a more sobering way.

By 2008, the United States was in a financial landslide, with Wall Street being hit particularly hard. The point is made that not a single person went to jail for causing the collapse or for causing tens of thousands of people to lose their homes, jobs, or life savings.

This makes the audience realize that what the women did pales in comparison to Wall Street types (their victims), and many of their lures got what they deserved.

The subject matter at hand, being one of the worlds of strippers, may turn off some of the prudish, but delving into the emotions and aspirations of those who exist in the industry is eye-opening and quite enjoyable.

Hustlers (2019) successfully garnered empathy from its audience and champions a female empowerment movement, resulting in the surprise hit of the season.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Director-Lorene Scafaria, Best Supporting Female-Jennifer Lopez, Best Cinematography