Piece by Piece * Wonderful Innovative Approach Telling Pharrell Williams Life Story. Great Visuals; Great Storytelling
Thursday, October 10th, 2024L
EGO bricks tell the life story of singer/songwriter and record producer Pharrell Williams — from his childhood in Virginia to his success in the music and fashion industry. Piece By Piece is a unique cinematic experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. Told through the lens of LEGO® animation, turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Zoe C. comments, “This film is such an innovative approach to the music-documentary genre as it tells Pharrell Williams’ life story in the form of LEGO bricks. I absolutely love the music, colors, visuals, storytelling, and so much more.” See her full review below.
Piece by Piece
By Zoe C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16
Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams in director Morgan Neville’s PIECE BY PIECE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
Piece by Piece is the perfect addition to the LEGO movie franchise. I was so excited for this film since the LEGO movies hold a special place in my heart. I not only grew up playing with LEGOs, and The LEGO Ninjago Movie was my first ever press interview! I love that all the LEGO movies have been so diverse and different. This film is such an innovative approach to the music-documentary genre as it tells Pharrell Williams’ life story in the form of LEGO bricks. I absolutely love the music, colors, visuals, storytelling, and so much more.
The film follows the traditional documentary formula — it starts off examining Pharrell’s beginnings.
Director Morgan Neville in PIECE BY PIECE, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
He discovered music at a very young age and instantly felt a strong connection with music beyond just listening to it. He started a band with his friend Chad Hugo who was just as passionate about music; they called themselves the Neptunes. When a record label moved in across the street from them, Pharrell insisted on being heard, and eventually he was. From there his career skyrocketed.
He eventually lost himself and his touch as he became obsessed with creating music for people rather than making music for himself. When he reconnected with his sense of self, his career once again went above and beyond.
Pharrell Williams stars in director Morgan Neville’s PIECE BY PIECE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
It was Pharrell’s idea to utilize LEGOs to tell his story, which I think is such a great choice. The beauty of using LEGOs is that it’s free to interpret in any way, and the animators were free to create any world imaginable. The LEGO animation is perfect. I love the sets and other visual creations. Pharrell Williams is a very important person in the music industry, and I think the choice of LEGOs emphasizes how unique and special his story is.
So many other artists have also been a part of his journey — Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, Snoop Dog, and many other artists. The cast is incredible and they all voice themselves.
Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams in director Morgan Neville’s PIECE BY PIECE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
Of course, one of the most important aspects of this film is the score. This film takes us back in time with some of Pharrell’s greatest hits. Director Morgan Neville captivates the essence of Pharrell’s story while making it interesting, fresh, and new for the audience through a completely mesmerizing cinematic experience.
The film’s message is that you can reach any goal you strive for with hard work and perseverance.
I give Piece by Piece 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. You can watch Piece by Piece in theaters October 11, 2024.
The Last of the Sea Women follows an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors waging a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real-life mermaids, the Haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor—without oxygen —to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, with most Haenyeo now in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, their traditions and way of life are in imminent danger. But these fierce, funny, hardworking women refuse to give an inch, aided by a younger generation’s fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. Peering into what drives Haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence, and infectious sense of empowerment, unfolding into an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspiring a new generation.
The Last of the Sea Women is a gorgeous, moving documentary about the Haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island. Haenyeos dive in the ocean harvesting marine life using just their own breath. This documentary is beautiful, educational, and it left me wanting to learn more about the Haenyeos and their way of life. I also love the feeling of sisterhood you get from The Last of the Sea Women.
The documentary follows the Haenyeos, divers who work in a tradition handed down from mothers and grandmothers, as they tackle two main problems. One, the lack of younger Haenyeos to help with the physically hard and dangerous work. To collect seafood, they have to hold their breath underwater for up to 2 minutes and withstand water pressure, starting from a depth of 5 meters that is like a giant blue glass pushing them down. So, when emerging, a diver must break through this “blue glass” with all their strength, repeating this effort 100-300 times per dive. Also, today there are fewer women who risk becoming a Haenyeo. This documentary explores how their way of life may go extinct. Soon-E Kim (historian, Haenyeo tradition preservation committee) says being a Haenyeo is an extremely difficult occupation particularly because it’s so dangerous, which is why there are so few now. Young Haenyeos have asked why they can’t use an oxygen mask and yet that is not the way of the Haenyeo
The declining population of Haenyeo is concerning, but these days, no one wants to become a Haenyeo, perhaps understandably: If you try to collect too much in one dive, you’ll “eat your breath” (die). And if you go too far out to sea, the waves become much stronger. When you dive down, you can get swept too far out by the current. Death is always around the corner for Haenyeo. Another main concern of the Haenyeo is water pollution due to rising global temperatures which have changed the ocean. Soon Deok Jang, a 72-year-old Haenyeo, says she never saw trash like styrofoam in the sea when she was young – now she sees truckloads.
Directors of photography, Iris Ng and Eunsoo Cho, created a film with powerful images and Justin Turkowski’s underwater cinematography brings this story to life – it’s stunning. Some archival film clips are included which demonstrate that the Haenyeo have been around for a long time. The Last of the Sea Women’s encourages you to be invested in what they see as their calling. And they say that, in the old days, people looked down on Haenyeos, but now they are respected for who they are. The director and producer, Sue Kim delivers a compelling story with the help of the editors, Erin Casper, Yeong-A Kim, and Stacy Kim.
The Last of the Sea Women’s purpose is to bring awareness to the Haenyeo and their plight. The film’s message is that we need to take care of our planet, including our seas. The message is also to celebrate and learn about different cultures. Near the end of the documentary we see a Haenyeo festival. One of the Haenyeo, Hee Soon Lee explains that the festival is to teach people about their culture and their livelihood so that it is not forgotten.
From the world of Wonder, which sparked a movement to “choose kind,” comes the inspirational next chapter: White Bird. Struggling to fit in at his new school after being expelled for his treatment of Auggie Pullman, Julian (Bryce Gheisar) is visited by his grandmother (Helen Mirren) and is transformed by the compassionate and heroic story of her attempts to escape Nazi-occupied France during WWII. From the director of Finding Neverland, White Bird reminds us to be brave and choose kind.
A trio of misfit kids band together to search for mythic treasure, only to uncover a terrible curse. The trio must find and destroy the gold before a rival group of teens gets to it first and releases an evil spirit on Halloween night.
The upcoming film Treasure Trackers has amazing technical aspects, astounding acting, and deep character development. This film has something for everyone, especially me.
This storyline is very enjoyable – the whole concept of this mystery is very entertaining. The fact that the three underdogs work together makes it even cooler! As the trio tries to solve the mystery and find the treasure they form a truly amazing bond and each one develops their own strengths. For example, in the beginning, Marshy is a typical geek who’s always scared, but by the end he helps solve the mystery and has lots of fun doing it. He learns to face his fears and this sends an awesome message to viewers. Something that really makes this film stand out is the quality. The audio is perfect; you can hear the snap of a branch. And the video is crystal clear – the quality is so coherent that it really heightens your experience and you can truly feel each scene like it’s happening right before your eyes.
The acting in this film is extraordinary. Charity Rose, as Leah, is perfectly cast. Charity’s strong facial features really accentuate Leah’s determined attitude and confident demeanor. Her acting is also incredible – there is one scene where there are spirits overtaking her, and her expressions look so haunted and out of this world, which makes that scene even better. When it comes to the plot, I can only say how much I enjoyed it from the heartfelt scenes to the action, every one hits home. There are some parts that are a bit drawn out, which make the film a bit lengthy; for example, one of the scenes displaying a search for a clue seems rather long. On the other hand, the sets are astounding; in one cave scene, there are stalagmites and stalactites that look so real. There is even lava. The lava really blew me away because it looks super life-like.
I really love the film Treasure Trackers because it is a detective mystery film that leads you on a complex treasure hunt that leaves you guessing what the next clue may be or how they will get out of the next predicament.
Early in the film, the diary of Silas Carter is stolen from the school library. This is how Leah learns about the legend and that the diary may provide clues to the location of the buried gold. This inspires her to figure out who stole the diary and to join forces with Tessa and Marshy. During their journey in search of the gold, they face many obstacles — another group searching for the gold, others stealing their clues, and various dead ends. One of my favorite parts is when the trio ends up in a cave with a lava pit and Leah must walk along the cliff or risk dying. It’s very suspenseful part that made me hold my breath.
My favorite character is Tessa because she is fearless, daring, and willing to try anything. The country setting is beautiful which contrasts well with the scary scenes. The special effects are very realistic including the flowing lava and the talking raven. The spooky music definitely kept me on edge of my seat.
The Wild Robot delivers family-friendly entertainment through a robot stranded on an island that makes us experience the journey of connection, acceptance, and belonging. This animated film is heartwarming and laugh-out-loud fun.
I love The Wild Robot. It is beautifully animated, heartwarming and has powerful messages about stepping out of your comfort zone, being brave, kind, and showing compassion for others.
Pedro Pascal voices Fink the fox and he is devious and incredibly loving. Catherine O’ Hara voices an opossum, Pinktail and she mothers with a sense of humor. Kit Connor voices BrightBill, the gosling who is adorable and so funny.
The beloved award-winning children’s book, The Wild Robot, comes to life in a visually stunning feature film. The Wild Robot movie highlights what it really means to be alive and connected to others in a family and in a greater community. This animated drama is sure to become a classic in the family genre and appeals to young and old alike.
The film’s message is that kindness is a survival skill; and isn’t that a timely message. Roz becomes more than what she was programmed to be; after all she was not meant to ever feel anything. The Wild Robot is an interesting exploration about the adaptation of technology in the natural world and how life evolves through adaptation. Roz discovers love and a sense of community which helps Roz truly find her way home.
The Wild Robot is an awesome and touching movie that has many important messages. I love that it has many heartwarming moments that contrast all the happy and funny parts.
The Wild Robot is such a marvelous movie with a profound storyline. All of the actors present so many different emotions. One actor that is especially great at portraying those feelings is Lupita Nyong’o as Roz. Her voice acting as a robot is remarkable and she made me feel like I was in Roz’s situation. She manages to show her complexities even as a robot, both in voice and in her animation expressions. Pedro Pascal is amazing at voicing Fink. He plays a tough character, but on the inside, he is dealing with sadness and loneliness. Kit Connor is especially funny as Brightbill. He voices him as a funny gosling who doesn’t know how to be like a regular gosling and speaks like a robot. Roz, Fink and Brightbill all become a family and this movie teaches us that a family unit doesn’t have to be made up of only those we are related to. With Roz and Fink supporting him, Brightbill is prepared for his life. The CGI and music are phenomenal – the CGI is beautiful and realistic while the music compliments what is happening in the film.
