In this week’s Montage, we take a look at the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Cameron Crowe’s romantic dramedy Aloha starring Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone, and the race relations satire Dear White People.

Into the Woods

Considering what a giant Stephen Sondheim is to the world of musical theater, it’s a wonder more of his signature works haven’t made their way to the big screen. Other than the Tim Burton-directed Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Into the Woods marks the only big-screen adaptations of his shows in decades. Luckily, fans of the stage production shouldn’t be disappointed by director Rob Marshall’s film version. The film playfully meshes together several well-known fairy tale stories under the framework of a new story centering on a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) on a quest to appease a witch (Meryl Streep, in yet another acclaimed performance). The songs are as catchy and conversational as one would expect from a Sondheim score, and the Oscar-nominated production and costume design are top-notch, proving that Marshall has a knack for extrapolating the spectacle of stage work into a more cinematic palette. While the cast remain committed to the story and their lovably over-the-top characters, the story ultimately takes a disappointing turn two-thirds of the way through. In an effort to subvert expectations, it ends up deflating the momentum it had built up, losing focus and muddling its own wonderfully straightforward narrative with unnecessary complications. Still, for its gifted cast (Blunt and Anna Kendrick in particular shine), beautiful set design and wonderfully quirky self-aware humor, the film is worth a watch, especially for fans of alternative takes on classic characters like Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Aloha

Cameron Crowe is a classic example of a filmmaker whose work has sadly fallen off over the years. Whereas many critics and fans still hold films like Say Anything…, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous in high esteem, the writer/director hasn’t really created anything as acclaimed as his first four features since then. Aloha sadly continues this “meh” period of his career. Despite solid performances by ever-charming stars like Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams, the film’s script never comes together, and as a result, the characters never seem realistic or relatable. From beginning to end, the story’s focus seems fractured, as if Crowe had simply decided to try and build a story around the admittedly interesting Hawaiian culture and mythology discussed throughout. The serious elements of the plot are murky at best, and the “romance” between Cooper and Stone’s characters is too rushed and nonsensical in its execution, despite the actor’s efforts to hold their dubious material together. Viewers will likely forget Aloha moments after the credits roll, which — as far as Crowe’s reputation is concerned — is probably for the best.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Films like writer/director Justin Simien’s Dear White People don’t come along every day. The film — which takes place at an upscale college — chronicles the developing conflicts surrounding the all-black Armstrong/Parker house, following the intertwined journeys of four separate characters. Equipped with a smart and zippy script, the film offers incisive satire on current perceptions and depictions of race relations in the modern era. Standout performances by Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris) and Tessa Thompson (Selma) lead a charming, thoroughly likable cast of mostly new faces. Beneath its blatant social commentary, Dear White People is really about the self-discovery that adolescents of all races experience in their early 20s. After all, this is the period in life during which identity springs to the surface, and Simien does an excellent job pinpointing how society’s views and influence can affect that.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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