WinterSoldierAM

Hamilton is a performance that does so many things. It elevates Broadway with new ways of presenting stories. New music, new takes on historical events and figures. And it takes you into some of the problematic elements of the founding fathers without punishing you for enjoying the characters you see on the stage. The presentation of an intimate tale of a single man's life inevitably attaches itself to the building of new ideals and ideologies encompassing and evolving over time through the input of other men and women much like Hamilton himself. The actors in the film come from a variety of backgrounds and help to decolonize the stories of the past and add multiple perspectives and presentations of the stories we seldom hear outside small tidbits in intro to U.S. History courses. Hamilton tells the story of Alexander Hamilton in such a way that you feel emotionally attached to him and the other characters involved. The performances by each and every individual involved are phenomenal but I'd be remiss in dismissing the outstanding performances of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jrr., Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, and Renee Elise Goldsberry. Not to mention Jonathan Groff's levity and frankly on-point performance of King George. Each actor involved takes the physical and musical performance to heights that captivate and entrance the audience. The emotional investment people put into these characters is wholly due to the writing and performances involved. Not only that, but the music itself is some of the best music to come out of the 2010's. The songs are catchy with a hip-hop flavor and some heart warming softer tunes meant to evoke strong emotional responses. Each song strings into another and tells an amazing story while also standing out as individual masterworks. Everyone has a favorite and while I love them all, Satisfied is such a captivating performance, usage of the stage, and emotionally captivating song that I just can't help but rank it as number one for myself. although a cased could be made for every song here. Some may not like musicals, some may not like the music involved, but the characters portrayed and the story told is a masterpiece to behold. The only minuscule thing I could see as being even slightly negative was a very brief moment early on where the cameras went a bit shaky. Past seeing the performance live this is an exceptional capturing of the stage performance and is worth a shot. I look forward to the day when I can get my hands on a physical copy of the performance in the form of a 4k blu ray. Until then, I'm going to wait for it...

At times this movie falls into the to good to be true category and at others it is to true to carry entertainment value, but despite that this movie was an impressive recount of a true story of how Benjamin Mee bought a zoo. Let me start off by saying I have not read the real book by Benjamin Mee so I am basing my review on entertainment. The acting by both Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson were both top notch while others in the cast went over my head with there over the top antics. The movie carries with it a more tragic aspect that (when addressed properly) tugs right on the heart strings. The films comedic aspects are sometimes out of place but at other time (citing McReady going after the inspector) they deliver a good laugh. This movie may fall short to cynical people hoping for a darker ending but the ending itself dials down on the happily ever after aspect when Benjamin confronts his past and takes his kids to the place where he met there mother. Although Why Not? is supposed to be a main theme in this movie it is addressed only a few times which takes away from the impact of the final line of this movie, but not enough to make it annoying or useless. This movie suffers from some blunders and achieves in other instances, all in all it's a good wholesome movie that pushes away cynics and invites families.