Based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Luenens, Jojo Rabbit is the story of a young German boy who joins the Hitler Youth camp during the waning years of World War II as he learns his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Written for the screen, directed, and co-starring Taika Waititi as Adolf Hitler, the film is a satirical comedy about a boy who has Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend as he struggles with his ideals upon learning what his mother is hiding while trying to understand the realities of war and tolerance. Also starring Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Thomasin McKenzie, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Archie Yates, and Stephen Merchant. Jojo Rabbit is a witty yet rapturous film from Taika Waititi.
Set during the final months of World War II in a small German village, the film revolves around a boy who is a Nazi fanatic as he spends time at home following an accident in camp where he learns that his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. It’s a film that is a coming-of-age story for this 10 year old boy who had just lost his older sister to influenza and his father was last to be heard fighting in Italy where he copes with not just all of the things he has been taught but also becoming conflicted with what he’s discovered knowing that his mother would be in big trouble. Taika Waititi’s screenplay does follow a straightforward narrative yet it’s more of a study of a boy coming to terms with this rhetoric of hate, race-purity, and all of these things that Adolf Hitler is spouting. The protagonist Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is someone that grew up on Nazi propaganda as he is convinced his father is still alive and fighting for the Nazis while is eager to fit in by joining the Hitler Youth camp.
Jojo doesn’t just cope with the rhetoric of the Nazis with a buffoonish version of Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend but also the realization that his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish teenage girl in Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie) who was a classmate of Jojo’s sister. Rosie has a different view on the world that is more hopeful as she sees taking Elsa into her home just to save someone’s life. Jojo also befriends Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell) who was a Wehrmacht official that would run the Hitler Youth camp where Jojo had an accident as he gets demoted to run the town’s Nazi headquarters as he is a unique character as someone that is becoming disillusioned while starts to care about Jojo as he feels that Jojo should just be a kid and not a Nazi. Once Jojo gets to know Elsa, he realizes that Jews aren’t as different as Germans as his friendship with Hitler starts to become more troubling.
Waititi’s direction does bear elements of style yet it his approach to humor and drama that really sticks out during the course of the film. Shot on various locations in the Czech Republic including areas near Prague, the film does recreate mid-1940s Nazi Germany at a time when the war is in the favor of the Allies instead of Nazi Germany but many of its locals aren’t aware or don’t want to know. Waititi creates an opening credits sequence that play into Jojo’s fascination with Hitler as this messianic figure with the Beatles’ Komm, gib mir deine Hand playing in the background that recall similarities to craziness of Beatlemania in the 1960s with an array of stock footage including propaganda films by Leni Riefenstahl. Much of Waititi’s approach to compositions are straightforward in the way he presents Jojo’s fascination with the world as well as his encounters with Nazi officials and Elsa. Waititi’s usage of the wide shots do play into this disconnect between Jojo’s idea of what Elsa and who Elsa really is as they would eventually closer as does the framing device in Waititi’s direction.
Waititi’s direction also emphasizes on this air of drama and tragedy into the events that would change Jojo’s view on the world where Waititi is more about what he doesn’t show than what would be shown. Notably as it play into some of the cruelty of reality that Jojo is unaware of that Hitler is trying to shield him from. Especially as he wants Jojo to stay on this course of hateful rhetoric as his character would progress from being silly to darkly comical towards its third act. Even as Jojo becomes aware of the reality where he starts to care for Elsa and wants nothing bad happen to her as even his friend Yorkie (Archie Yates) starts to be aware of the realities of what is going on. There is also this air of surreal and darkly comic imagery and situations that occur in its climax that involve children carrying grenades and young girls with machine guns as it does play into the many fallacies of war. Especially in the eyes of a 10-year old boy who realizes that there is so much the world has to offer than the stupid ideas of hate from a buffoonish dictator. Overall, Waititi crafts a touching and exhilarating film about a German boy’s journey to discover a world that isn’t filled with fanaticism and ideas of hate.
Cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. does amazing work with the film’s cinematography as it features an array of lush colors for many of the daytime exterior locations as well as the emphasis on natural lighting for some of the interior scenes and low-key usage of lighting for scenes at night. Editor Tom Eagles does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts to play into some of the film’s humor as well as some of the dramatic moments in the film. Production designer Ra Vincent, with set decorator Nora Sopkova plus art directors Radek Hanak and Ondrej Lipensky, does excellent work with the look of the home that Jojo and Rosie live in as well as the Nazi headquarters that Captain Klenzendorf works at. Costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo does fantastic work with the costumes in the design of the Nazi uniforms as well as the clothes that Rosie wears including her shoes and a robot cardboard costume that Jojo wears during one of his volunteer assignments.
Hair/makeup designer Danielle Satherley does terrific work with the look of Hitler as well as Captain Klenzendorf with his one eye. Visual effects supervisor Jason Chen does nice work with some of the visual effects as it is largely minimal for a few things that Jojo sees including a shot of how he feels about Elsa. Sound designers Ai-Ling Lee and Tobias Poppe do superb work with the sound as it capture the array of how bombs, grenades, and machine guns sound as well as the atmosphere of war and quieter scenes in the film. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible for its usage of strings and percussions that include military march pieces as well as some somber moments that play into the drama. The film’s music soundtrack features a diverse array of music that include music pieces that was played in those times like Johann Strauss, the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra with Roger Wagner Corale, Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Orchestra, Lecuona Cuban Boys, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as anachronistic music pieces by Tom Waits, Roy Orbison, Love, and two well-known rock songs in German by the Beatles and David Bowie.
The casting by Des Hamilton and Maya Kvetny is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Luke Brandon Field and Sam Haygarth as a couple Hitler Youth camp counselors bullying Jojo, Gilby and Hardy Griffin Davis as a couple of young clones, and the quartet of Joe Weintraub, Brian Caspe, Gabriel Andrews, and Billy Rayner as members of the Gestapo. Archie Yates is terrific as Jojo’s best friend Yorkie as a young kid who joins the Hitler Youth camp as he makes some funny comments while being a completely innocent child that starts to realize not everything about being a Nazi feels right. Alfie Allen is superb as Captain Klenzendorf’s second-in-command Finkel who helps out with tasks while being aware that Germany is losing the war. Rebel Wilson is fantastic as Fraulein Rahm as a Hitler Youth instructor who believes blindly in what Hitler does while saying some of the dumbest things out there.
Stephen Merchant is excellent as the Gestapo agent Deertz as a man trying to find Jews as he also admires Jojo’s bedroom. Sam Rockwell is brilliant as Captain Klenzendorf as a once-revered captain who has become disillusioned by the war as he agrees to run the Hitler Youth camp only for an incident to go wrong where he tries to mount a strategy for what is to come while trying to be a good person to those around him including Jojo whom he cares about. Taika Waititi is amazing as Adolf Hitler as this buffoonish version of the Nazi Germany leader who encourages Jojo to do silly things in the name of Nazi Germany while becoming frustrated about his growing friendship with Elsa.
Scarlett Johansson is remarkable as Rosie Betzler as Jojo’s mother who is the opposite of everything Hitler is about as Johansson displays some wit and charm into her role but also a warmth that is touching as it is one of her finest performances to date. Thomasin McKenzie is incredible as Elsa Korr as a teenage Jewish girl hiding in an attic as she was a classmate of Jojo’s late sister as she deals with her situation while befriending Jojo despite his Nazi fanaticism. Finally, there’s Roman Griffin Davis in a marvelous performance as Johannes “Jojo” Betzler as 10-year old boy trying to do his part for Nazi Germany and Hitler as he later contends with his mother’s secret as well as the realities of the world as it has elements of humor but also an anguish into what he would deal with as it is a major highlight of the film.
Jojo Rabbit is a tremendous film from Taika Waititi that features phenomenal performances from Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, and Sam Rockwell. Along with Michael Giacchino’s offbeat music score, themes of fanaticism, war, and hope, dazzling visuals, and a great mixture of humor and drama. The film is definitely a touching and satirical film that explores the fallacies of hate and war while it is seen in the eyes of a child who would befriend a Jewish girl who helps him realize that love and kindness are the keys to life. In the end, Jojo Rabbit is a spectacular film from Taika Waititi.
Taika Waititi Films: Two Cars, One Night - Eagle vs. Shark - Boy (2010 film) - What We Do in the Shadows - Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Thor: Ragnarok - Thor: Love and Thunder - Next Goal Wins (2023 film) - (Klara and the Sun) - The Auteurs #64: Taika Waititi
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Elizabeth Banks and written by Kay Cannon, Pitch Perfect 2 is the sequel to the 2012 film where a group of female a capella singers try to enter a global a capella competition in the hopes to save their sorority following a national scandal. The film is another tale about a group of young women who find themselves in a new world as some try to cope with life after college along with the fact they’re being scrutinized over something that was an accident. Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Skylar Astin, Ester Dean, Anna Camp, Adam Devine, Ben Platt, John Michael Higgins, Katey Sagal, Flula Borg, Brigitte Hjort Sorenson, and Elizabeth Banks. Pitch Perfect 2 is a delightful and witty comedy from Elizabeth Banks.
Set three years after the events of the first films, the Barden Bellas become a national treasure in the world of a capella singing until a concert in front of the American president becomes a scandal where the group is faced with suspension and not being able to perform or bring in new members. This sets the course for what happens in this film where they find a loophole that would allow them to compete in a global a capella singing competition though their chances of winning is very long. Along the way, the group takes in a new member whose mother was a Bella while the group’s co-leader in Becca (Anna Kendrick) becomes an intern for an egocentric music producer. It’s a film that isn’t just about these ladies wanting to redeem themselves but also face with the prospects of growing up and dealing with life after college as it’s something Bella co-leader Chloe (Brittany Snow) isn’t ready to cope with as she had purposely flunked classes to remain a Bella.
Kay Cannon’s script doesn’t just play into the growing conflicts and struggles the group face from within but also in the fact that they’re considered pariahs over the scandal caused by Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) when she accidentally exposes herself in front of President Obama during a birthday concert. Adding to their struggle is the fact that they’re being replaced by a super-German a capella group known as Das Sound Machine who provide a lot of things that overwhelm the Bellas in their attempt to redeem themselves. While Cannon provides some funny one-liners and some structure to the story, the story does feel a bit familiar but it has some unique subplots such as the group taking in freshman Emily Junk (Hailee Steinfeld) who is a legacy as she wants to write songs. Another subplot involves Fat Amy’s own attraction towards former Treblemaker leader Bumper (Adam Devine) who is now the university’s security chief.
Elizabeth Banks’ direction is quite straightforward in terms of the compositions that are created while maintaining that lively sense of humor that made the first film so special in the first place. Though much of what happens is quite conventional, Banks does make sure many of the moments of the film are engaging while having that sense of feeling improvised to make it feel more natural. Banks’ usage of medium shots and close-ups help maintain that sense of intimacy as well as the importance of sisterhood among the young women while using a few wide shots for some of the performances including an attempted comeback performance in the second act where the Bellas try too hard to outdo the Das Sound Machine. Shot largely in Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the film doesn’t just play into something that is vibrant as well as modern while using some of its older streets for the film’s climatic showdown at Copenhagen. Even as Banks knows that the film’s heart is in the music and singing a capella where it manages to do a lot in its performance and a whole lot more. Overall, Banks creates a fun and exhilarating film about a group of young ladies trying to win back their respect in an a capella competition.
Cinematographer Jim Denault does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its naturalistic yet colorful look for many of the daytime scenes set at the college campuses to the usage of lights for some of the musical performances and scenes set at night. Editor Craig Alpert does nice work with the editing as a lot of it is straightforward with some stylish usages of jump-cuts and montages for some of the livelier moments of the film including musical performances. Production designer Toby Corbett, with set decorator Monique Champagne and art director Nate Jones, does fantastic work with the look of the Bellas‘ house as well as the studio Becca would intern at along with the retreat camp the girls would go following a humiliating performance. Costume designer Salvador Perez Jr. does wonderful work with the clothes from the casual yet stylish look of the clothes to the array of stylish costumes the Bellas would wear as well as the clothes of Das Sound Machine.
Key hairstylist Meagan Herrera and key makeup artist Judy Yonemoto do terrific work with the look of the characters in the way they would present themselves during a musical performance. Visual effects supervisor Steve Parish does superb work with some of the film‘s visual effects as much of it is set dressing for the scenes set in Copenhagen. Sound editor Erin Oakely and sound designer Jack Whittaker do amazing work with the sound in capturing the naturalistic sound of a capella singing in all of its layers as well as the raucous sounds of the crowds and parties. The film’s music by Mark Mothersbaugh is brilliant for its mixture of electronics, dance and orchestral music as well as providing that same mix for the sound of a capella music while music supervisors Sarah Webster and Angela Leus would create a soundtrack filled with contemporary pop tunes and hip-hop into some of the songs as well as what is playing in the background.
The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is incredible as it features appearances from Clay Matthews, David Bakhtiari, Don Barclay, Josh Sitton, and T.J. Lang as real-life players of the Green Bay Packers who do sing a capella, David Cross as a riff-off host, Keegan-Michael Key as a music producer Becca is interning for, Shawn Carter Peterson as the producer’s hipster yet dim-witted nephew, Snoop Dogg as himself, and as members of the Tone Hangers group, Reggie Watts, Joe Lo Truglio, Jason Jones, and John Hodgman. Other notable small roles include Kelly Jakle and Shelley Regner in their respective roles as senior Bellas Jessica and Ashley, Birgitte Hjort Sorensen and Flula Borg as leaders of Das Sound Machine, Ben Platt as Treblemakers co-leader Benji who has a crush on Emily, Skylar Astin as Treblemakers co-leader/Becca’s boyfriend Jesse, Anna Camp as former Bellas leader Aubrey who runs a retreat camp as she would help the team get back up, and Katey Sagal as Emily’s mother Katherine who is considered a legend among the Bellas. Hana Mae Lee is a total delight as the very quiet yet creepy Lilly who is the group’s beat-boxer as she always says some very funny things.
Ester Dean is excellent as the soulful lesbian Cynthia with top-notch rhyming skills while Alexis Knapp is wonderful as sensual Stacie who often uses her sex appeal to get ahead. Adam DeVine is hilarious as the former Treblemakers leader Bumper as the college’s new security chief that is trying to get himself back into the world of singing. Chrissie Fit is fantastic as the Guatemalan exchange student who joined the Bellas a year after the events of the first films as she provides some very funny comments about everything that is foreign to her. Hailee Steinfeld is amazing as Emily Junk as a freshman who is accepted by the Bellas because of her mother as she copes with her new surroundings as well as wanting to create original songs. Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins are incredible in their respective roles as a capella broadcasters Gail Abernathy-McKadden-Feinberger and John Smith as they provide some funny commentary with the latter being very misogynistic.
Brittany Snow is brilliant as Chloe as a super-senior Bella who is obsessed with trying to win as it is really a cover for the fact that she’s not ready to leave college and the Bellas while being very funny. Rebel Wilson is phenomenal as Fat Amy as the Australian in the group whose accidental actions has given the Bellas a lot of trouble as she tries to set things right while dealing with her own feelings for Bumper. Finally, there’s Anna Kendrick in a remarkable role as Becca as the group’s co-leader who is trying to help the Bellas redeem themselves from scandal but also deal with her own future where she learns what it really takes to become a record producer where she finds inspiration and help from a Bella.
Pitch Perfect 2 is a delightful and entertaining film from Elizabeth Banks. Led by a great cast, some very funny moments, and wonderful musical performances, the film is definitely something that has a lot to offer while providing enough substance and characters for audiences to care about. In the end, Pitch Perfect 2 is a sensational film from Elizabeth Banks.
Pitch Perfect
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the non-fiction novel Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory, Pitch Perfect is the story of a college freshman who joins an all-girl a cappella group to compete against a rival all-male group from the same school for an a cappella singing competition. Directed by Jason Moore and screenplay by Kay Cannon, the film explores the world of singing competitions and the dynamics of a group as a young woman tries to bring something fresh to her team. Starring Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. Pitch Perfect is an exciting and entertaining film about singing and having fun.
The film revolves around an all-female a cappella singing group known as the Bellas where it’s a new season as its leader Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp) is seeking to redeem herself after a humiliating incident she caused at the national collegiate finals. Joining the Bellas is a music-loving freshman named Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) who reluctantly takes part in the group to appease her father (John Benjamin Hickey) as she learns about the world of a cappella singing competition where it’s quite brutal at times. Notably as the more traditional Aubrey and the rebellious Beca butt heads a bit about what to sing in order to win where the two eventually find a way to beat their rivals in the Treblemakers led by the egotistical Bumper Allen (Adam DeVine).
Kay Cannon’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the politics and the rules of what it takes to be a powerful a cappella singing group but also how fierce the competition can be. Though Beca is an outsider of sorts who listens to all sorts of music and creates her own vocal mixes from her laptop as she aspires to become a DJ. She takes part of the group because of her college professor father who makes a deal with her to take part in something for a year and if it doesn’t work out, he can send her to Los Angeles to become a DJ. Though the Bellas are this very talented singing group that sings mostly pop songs, their act is unfortunately a bit tiresome as they sing to an indifferent audience as its leader Aubrey has a hard time trying to get everyone to stick to the game plan.
Especially as the new version of the Bellas consists of an eccentric group of characters like the comedic Tasmania student Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), the lesbian Cynthia-Rose Adams (Ester Dean), the very sexual Stacie (Alexis Knapp), and the very quiet yet strange Lily (Hana Mae Lee). While there are elements of the script that is quite formulaic in terms of its plot where it does climax with the Bellas and the Treblemakers facing off again in the finals. The script allows the audience to want to root for the Bellas and the obstacles they face though the Treblemakers are actually a singing group that do have respect for the Bellas despite their leader Bumper who is very full of himself. Particularly as Beca is sort of falling one of the Treblemakers in a freshman named Jesse (Skylar Astin).
Jason Moore’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of compositions and such while he does infuse a lot of energy into the musical performances and rehearsals. Notably the audition sequence where he creates a lot of moments to reveal many new characters as they’re singing Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone in a very creative montage. The direction also gets the chance to let scenes play out while reveling into the characters as Moore gives them the time to develop in terms of the drama and comedy that’s happening. In the musical performances, Moore keeps things simple and natural to create something that is happening while using some of the performances to help tell the story including the tension between Aubrey and Beca. The comedy also has a sense of looseness where it has moments of improvisation but also doesn’t deter from the story. Overall, Moore creates a very funny and engaging film about singing and being part of a group.
Cinematographer Julio Macat does excellent work with the cinematography to give the film a very naturalistic look for many of its daytime exterior scenes while using more stylish lighting schemes for the concert scenes. Editor Zach Chemberlene does amazing work with the editing in creating montages and rhythmic cuts to play out some of the training sessions and auditions. Production designer Barry Robison, with set decorator David Hack and art director Jeremy Woolsey, does nice work with the set pieces from the stages where the singers perform to the look of the college campuses.
Costume designer Salvador Perez Jr. does terrific work with the costumes from the more casual look of the Treblemakers to the more refined look of the Bellas in their stage performances. Sound editors Sean McCormack and Erin Oakley do brilliant work with the sound editing to capture the intimacy of the singing as well as some of the comedic moments in the film. The film’s music by Christoph Beck and Mark Kilian is quite good as it‘s mostly alternative-rock based while music supervisors Sarah Webster and Angela Leus do fantastic work with the film’s soundtrack as it consists a wide range of music styles from pop, hip-hop, R&B, and rock while many of the actors in the film do their actual singing which helps elevate the music as a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is marvelous for the ensemble that is assembled as it features some appearances from Christopher Mintz-Plasse as an audition launcher, Donald Faison, Har Mar Superstar, and Joe Lo Truglio as a singing group, Freddie Stroma as a college radio deejay whom Beca and Jesse intern for, Jinhee Joung as Beca’s very chilly roommate, and John Benjamin Hickey as Beca’s college professor father who insists that Beca takes part in a group just so she can have a good college experience. John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks are excellent as singing competition commentators John Smith and Gail Abernathy-McKadden, respectively, as both of them bring some very funny comments to the singing. Utkarsh Ambudkar and Ben Platt are terrific as the Treblemakers vocalist/beat boxer Donald and Jesse’s nerdy/illusionist roommate Benji as the latter is a big fan of the Treblemakers.
Adam DeVine is brilliant as the Treblemakers leader Bumper as a guy who is so full of himself and loves to win while being a jerk to everyone as even his own teammates don’t like him very much. Hana Me Lee is fantastic as the strange yet very quite Lily as she someone who speaks so quietly that she’s barely audible yet is revealed to be a gifted beat-boxer. Ester Dean is wonderful as the soulful lesbian Cynthia-Rose while Alexis Knapp is superb as the very sexual and energetic Stacie. Brittany Snow is amazing as the very kind Bella vocalist Chloe who tries to get Aubrey to do something new while convincing Beca to join the Bellas. Rebel Wilson is very funny as the comedic Fat Amy as someone who is a very talented vocalist who brings excitement to the Bellas. Skylar Astin is stellar as Jesse as a talented singer who befriends Beca as he tries to show her films as well as being the guy in the Treblemakers that can ground them.
Anna Camp is a delight as the Bellas’ leader Aubrey as a woman trying to redeem herself following an embarrassing incident as she wants to win but is unable to take risks that would help her group. Finally, there’s Anna Kendrick in a remarkable performance as Beca as an aspiring musician/DJ who reluctantly takes part in the Bellas due to her singing ability as she also wants to do something that can help them as a group.
Pitch Perfect is an extraordinary film from Jason Moore that features a wonderful leading performance from Anna Kendrick. Along with a great supporting cast as well as an amazing soundtrack. It’s a film that plays into the love of music as well as being part of a group that allows someone to have fun as it is also quite funny. In the end, Pitch Perfect is a superb film from Jason Moore.
Pitch Perfect 2
© thevoid99 2013
