Review: Hamilton (2020)

Hamilton (2020)

It's no news that, for the past number of years, Lin Manuel-Miranda's Hamilton has been the hottest show on the Broadway circuit. Taking a very 'white' story of the Founding Fathers of America - particularly Alexander Hamilton - and giving it a contemporary edge through a racially-diverse cast and a fusion of hip hop, R&B, rap and other music genres, was an absolute winning formula for greatness. And now, thanks to the House of Mouse, many of us no longer need to spend our life savings to see the show live! What a treat it was - Hamilton was pretty much everything it was hyped up to be: fantastic music, great performances, a moving story, and a lively theatrical production!

LMM's magnum opus tells the life of Alexander Hamilton (whom he plays in the show) right from Hamilton's early days in America, his important role in the Revolutionary War, his personal and family life with , and then his time with Aaron Burr, and the other Founding Fathers in Congress and through the first few presidencies, and then all the way to Hamilton's final days. It is a comprehensive tale and the show has been repeatedly lauded for its historical accuracy and sizeable historical content. For those unfamiliar with this period of history (such as this Canadian writer), I may recommend a brief read of some of the relevant history either before or after watching Hamilton. Aside from the historical content, I was surprised to see how much depth there was to the show from character-wise. LMM does not shy away from the darker and unglamorous aspects of Hamilton's story as he stays true to the facts. This type of honest and evocative storytelling will surely be one of the reasons why Hamilton remains a Broadway tentpole for many years to come.

Now, onto the show itself. Hamilton was very clearly a passion project for LMM - there is an energy and fervor running through the entirety of the show, which runs the gamut of full-cast show stopping numbers to intimate character solos. Some of my favourite songs were "Yorktown", "My Shot", "Satisfied" and the King's fabulous and recurring "You'll Be Back". As with all musicals, Hamilton has had a rotating cast over the years, however, Disney+'s recorded performance from 2016 thankfully has LMM in the title role, as well as Leslie Odom Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, and (surprisingly) Jonathon Groff in the major roles. All of the cast was astounding and all of the main stars each have their own songs to shine and delight with. This may irk some people, however, I actually found LMM to have a weaker voice than most of the rest of the starring cast (don't kill me...).

Overall, Hamilton is an astounding production that deserves to be seen by all. For those of us without the particular means to see the show live, the new Disney+ version serves more than adequately. The film coverage is great and the audio is impeccable. It is a great option as something to watch for any night in.

Review: Sound of Metal (2020)

Sound of Metal (2020) TLDR: Easily one of the best films I have seen in a long while. Grounded by an absolutely stellar performance by Riz Ahmed (and co-star, Olivia Cooke), Darius Marder's Sound of Metal is a moving and deeply-empathetic look into the journey and struggle to find peace with one's self through the lens of a musician who loses his hearing. Have no doubt, if you are not yet familiar with the names Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke you are about to be. Both actors - Ahmed in particular who leads the film - are transcendent in Darius Marder's Sound of Metal. Ahmed plays Ruben, a heavy metal drummer, in a duo group led by guitar/singer, Lou, played by Cooke. The two are as much a pair off-stage as they are on it. It is clear from early on that they are all that the other really has in life and they are content to travel across the country in their RV together playing shows and making ends meet as best they can. However, all goes awry when Ruben - who batters his eardr

Review: Soul (2020)

Soul (2020) TLDR: For a year where many may feel like they have lost a little piece of their own, Soul has arrived to remind us all what's most important in life. This is a Pixar film that is arguably more important for adults to watch than kids: it is beautiful - in both story and art, it is quirky, it is heartfelt and, as these trying times endlessly push on, it reminds us that there is still a lot of good in this world to enjoy and reflect upon. Note: some spoilers below. It takes a little bit of time to ease into Disney/Pixar's Soul. Though the film starts out in a lush and beautifully rendered NYC filled with delightful jazz music as we follow Joe around his everyday boroughs, things very quickly run astray. Suddenly, we are thrown into an abstract world filled with Picasso-like wiry characters and massively heady existential concepts like 'where do we come from', 'the great beyond', and much more. If it's not immediately apparent, it soon becomes clea

Review: Pierrot le Fou (1965)

Pierrot le Fou (1965) TLDR: Despite being a 'classic' and perhaps one of the quintessential European New Wave films, Godard's Pierrot le Fou is the antithesis to today's contemporary mainstream movie-going experience. It is an entertainingly goofy affair yet also baffling and often indecipherable. It is both an homage and also a commentary on the medium of film, and one that requires a good deal of contemplative afterthought to ponder what exactly it is you've just watched... I will admit that Pierrot is the first film by the legendary Jean-Luc Godard that I have seen. While I knew his status as an auteur and as one of the best of his craft, I didn't quite know his 'style' going into this film. As anyone who has seen some of Godard's will know, within twenty minutes or so, I was taken for quite the turn - I quickly felt like I was part of Ferdinand and Marianne's chaotic joy ride through the European countryside filled with romance, crime, non-se

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