ELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times
I grew up in the 1990s and 2000s and during that time, one of my overall favorite artists was P!nk. I’m not entirely sure how I got introduced to her music, but I remember being really excited whenever I heard “Get This Party Started” come on the radio, even though admittedly, I was a little young to fully understand what the song was about.
Throughout the years though, I’ve kept up with her music and when I recently saw on her social media about the upcoming release of her new album, “Trustfall,” I knew I would have to check it out. So earlier this week, I pulled it up on YouTube while doing some work and ultimately, I ended up having a blast.
The album overall showcases a wide variety of genres from acoustic to country to pop to hard rock, and P!nk absolutely nails them all. The album starts off with “When I Get There,” which is very soulful and sweet and really lets P!nk show off her vocal talents due to the minimal instrumentals. “When I Get There” was definitely one of those songs where afterward, I was sitting at my desk thinking “I did NOT sign a permission for this feels trip!” because it’s such a lovely love letter to anyone who might be grieving at this time. The album then moves to straight pop with the title track, “Trustfall,” and it’s a cool transition. I felt like this song could actually be interpreted in a few different ways, and the thought that kept sticking in my mind was how it could be a song about a group of friends helping each other through a hard time rather than just being a strictly romantic song – although, given how subjective music is, listeners can interpret it however they want. The only complaint I would have about this song is it’s maybe slightly overproduced and doesn’t really let P!nk’s vocals shine as much as I would like, but overall it’s a song I could easily see being a popular club song.
Viola Davis (left) and John Boyega in a scene from “The Woman King.” Courtesy photoELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times
The Agojie all-female warrior unit has an important part in African history and recently, the powers that be in Hollywood decided to tell part of that story with “The Woman King.” Set in the 1820s, the movie stars Viola Davis as Nanisca, a general who trains the next generation of warriors to fight an invading enemy.
I’d heard a little bit about the movie in recent weeks and recently, I noticed it came on Netflix and decided to click on it to see for myself what it was like. Ultimately, I was not disappointed with what I saw.
One of the first things that caught my eye about the movie was the fight scenes throughout, which was actually somewhat easy given how the first scene is a small battle. The fight scenes throughout the rest of the movie, however, are done VERY well and it was evident there was actually effort put forth to make everything look good both from a production standpoint and also from the performance standpoint. The choreography is smooth and graceful and actually pretty realistic for such scenarios, and the actors make everything look almost effortless. Something else I also appreciated was how the blood/gore was handled – I’ve mentioned before how I’m not really a fan of gore simply for gore’s sake, and while there was blood/gore used, it actually had purpose and there was a reason for it to be featured. I also appreciated how there was also some realism used in those scenes and in the moments where someone got cut or stabbed (or both, in some instances), there wasn’t a bunch of splatter as is typically depicted in other media. I felt like to an extent, there was also a “less is more” approach to these scenes, because while there was plenty of action, it wasn’t completely over the top. All that being said, my hat goes off to everyone involved with putting together the fighting and action sequences.
Kaitlyn Dever (left) and Minnie Driver in a scene from “Rosaline.” Courtesy photoELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times
Many adaptations have been made and performed of Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet” throughout the centuries, and while the titular pair are famous in literature, one character who quickly gets put on the back burner is Juliet’s cousin (and Romeo’s ex), Rosaline.
Recently, filmmakers decided to tell Shakespeare’s famous story through Rosaline’s eyes with the romantic comedy “Rosaline.” I’m always a fan of “What if ...” alternate universe stories, and when I heard about “Rosaline,” I thought it would end up being an interesting and amusing take on the story. Ultimately, I ended up being proven mostly right.
To start off, the absolute star of the film is Kaitlyn Dever in the lead role as Rosaline, and she does an amazing job. Her comic timing throughout the movie with her sarcastic barbs made me laugh out loud more than once, and she also gives Rosaline some much-needed softness, particularly near the end of the movie when everything ultimately comes together. She also has great chemistry with everyone else in the cast, particularly with Isabela Merced (who portrays Juliet) and Bradley Whitford (who portrays her father, Adrian). I also particularly enjoyed Minnie Driver as Nurse Janet, who’s also given some pretty good lines that match evenly with Dever’s comic timing, so much so that there were a couple moments where I thought “Are we SURE Janet isn’t actually Rosaline’s mother?!” She’s basically the character in every other movie that has just absolutely HAD IT with everyone’s nonsense, and she doesn’t hesitate to call people on it, which I absolutely love. I also liked Sean Teale as Rosaline’s eventual love interest, Dario, who was perfectly charming but also not afraid to tell Rosaline when she messed up – I actually wish he had been given a little more of a storyline, but he was very enjoyable when he was onscreen.
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