Where most jukebox musicals weave their nonsense narrative through the best hits of a band with tenuous abandon, Greatest Days stands apart by seeking story in tone and musical resonance. This is the “official” Take That musical. A cinematic translation of The Band, Tim Firth’s modestly successful West End production from some years ago. Three decades of chart smashers thrust gusto into the heart of a surprisingly melancholic story, singing testament to the power of music to change a broken record.
The year is 2017. DC’s Justice League is finally game and set to challenge Marvel’s thus far almighty dominance in cinematic world building. The film bombed. Few emerged unscathed. Gal Gadot shone, of course, but it was franchise newcomers Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller that stole the show. Let’s fast forward. While Gadot and Momoa saw solo outings rapidly release, it’s taken six long years for Miller to win his own run in the sun. Owing to a string of high profile indiscretions and a very public mental health crisis, it may well be his last. Perhaps that’s why Flash feels so strongly like one last DCEU hurrah. There are other reasons – a reboot looms, for one – but some must go unspoiled.
The new Transformers film lacks nuance. It is a blockbuster where attention to detail goes to die. Such is neither surprising from a film produced by Michael Bay, nor an entirely damning indictment in addressing its ability to entertain. As a sequel to 2019’s winning Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts continues the series’ marked improvement on Bay’s unfettered years at the helm, albeit offers, by equal measure, something of a regression. Travis Knight’s return to stop motion animation is Laika’s gain and Bayhem’s loss. As each of Laika’s features enjoy a decade long gestation period, any imminent return for Knight seems unlikely. A pity. The launch of a Hasbro Cinematic Universe amid the settling dust in Rise of the Beasts is far from promising.
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