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Krisha review — Bold and emotionally breathtaking

Krisha is an incredible debut film by Trey Edwards Schultz with an emotional powerhouse performance by Krisha Fairchild

As I’m sitting here trying to write this review for Krisha, I’m finding that I don’t even know where to start. The experience of the film is, for lack of a better term, emotionally devastating. Simply put, it’s one of the most honest and brutal portrayals of addiction and the toll it takes on the ones around you since Requiem for A Dream and possibly of all time. However, what makes Trey Edward Shultz’s debut picture truly effective is the central performance by Krisha Fairchild in the title role. In a single, crushing scene, she makes the audience understand her character, brings you onto her side, then ravages your emotions with an incredible monologue performed with grace and passion. It’s one of the best scenes from a 2016 film and the single best performance in years.

Made on a microbudget and using his friends and family as actors — including his aunt Krisha Fairchild — Trey Edwards Schultz tells the story of the homecoming of Krisha, a recovering drug and alcohol abuser whose son was raised by her sister Robyn (Robyn Fairchild). Her return to the family, which takes place during Thanksgiving, is met with both trepidation and hope that Krisha has finally made a recovery after alienating herself from her relatives. However, as she realizes the time she has lost and the relationships she has broken, Krisha slowly loses her grip on her sanity.

The opening shot of Krisha is an extreme close-up — the movie is filmed in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which allows the actors’ faces to fill the entire screen — it begins with an image of the title character as she stares intensely into the camera. It is accompanied by a crescendoing piece of score that feels like it’s pulled out of a horror movie. It’s a jarring way to open a movie about a family dinner, but so appropriate. The discombobulated score, which continues throughout the movie, and harsh smash cuts add tension to the movie. It turns a typical family gathering filled with food, football, and cooking into an anxious affair. Even the cinematography uses horror movie tropes like a long take down a dark hallway or framing characters from behind a corner. In fact, Krisha made me feel more anxious than some thrillers have made me feel. This is because we watch the movie squarely in Krisha’s point of view. We feel what she feels. And what she feels is terrified and alienated.

As the night trudges on and Krisha feels increasingly paranoid, the movie tightens the tension until it finally all comes to a head in an intense final act that would make any genre film lover come to their knees. However, as played out as the premise is, Schultz wrote and directed the movie with a flair that is so rare. For a movie so beholden to the past, it’s completely devoid of messy exposition. Instead, we have to infer and build the events before the movie. Because of this, it’s difficult to determine the good people from the bad. The result is one of the most compelling character studies ever committed to film. It’s brave and breathtaking.

The vision that Shultz had for the film is so abundantly clear and it feels as if what we see on screen is exactly what he intended. Whether he accessed some deep personal emotion to create this film or simply thought it up, I’m both ecstatic and disturbed that a movie of such boldly human destruction was conjured up by him. It’s a story of destruction and redemption and the lengths to which we will forgive the ones we love and the energy we put into forgetting them. Krisha is purely visual and cinematic poetry that will cut to your core and deliver you an emotional blow. But in the end, it’s one that you will feel glad you experienced because it will make you want to be a better person to the people closest to you. It will make you reevaluate the number of chances that people are willing to give and that you are willing to give. Most importantly, Krisha is a chilling reminder that old wounds don’t easily heal. It’s a dark truth of being a human, but its one that is bravely depicted here.

★★★★½ out of 5

Krisha is available for free streaming with Amazon Prime!

February 15, 2017
Lion review — A remarkable true story beautifully told

Lion is one of the few inspirational true stories that translates beautifully on screen thanks to director Garth Davis and a strong performance by Dev Patel

A Long Way Home, the book that the movie Lion is based on, is essentially devoid of emotion. That’s not to fault the book’s author and subject Saroo Brierley. He simply wasn’t equipped with the talent to translate his too-good-to-be-true story onto the page. Director Garth Davis certainly did. Lion could have easily fallen into the idealistic cookie cutter crowdpleaser category. However, Davis’ vision of Saroo’s journey is simultaneously devastating, yet filled with beauty, both human and cinematic.

Lion tells the true story of Saroo Brierley (Sunny Pawar), a boy who grew up as poor as one could in India — begging for scraps of food, caring for his young sister while his mother does hard labor. While following his older brother to a neighboring town, he becomes trapped in a train carriage. After two days on the train, being carried away from his mother, two brothers, and sister, he finds himself in Calcutta (modern-day Kolkatta). For months he must fend for himself by eating scraps of food and taking shelter under bridges. Eventually, he is taken into an orphanage and is adopted by an Australian family, Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John (David Wenham). Twenty years later as an adult (Dev Patel), Saroo decides to use Google Earth to find his long-lost family.

While the story has the plot of a Lifetime movie, it is true, yet improbable as it sounds. The journey Saroo takes is an incredible one. However, it’s also one that could easily be exploited for its emotional beats. The issue with a lot of movies based on incredible true stories is that the focus of the emotion is on plot, rather than character. And while Lion certainly toes that line, writer Luke Davies keeps the focus on the character’s emotional journey rather than the physical one. In particular, the character of Sue Brierley is given new life in the movie. In Saroo’s memoir, he protects his mother from his attempts to find his birth mother in fear that he is going to hurt her. While that is stated, it is never seen. In the movie, we see Sue being affected, not by Saroo’s search, but by the fact that he chose to hide it from her and that he was distant from her. It culminates in an incredible scene that reminds us of Nicole Kidman’s talents. I suspect that it will be her Oscar scene.

However, this is a story about Saroo and the movie does a lot to portray his emotional journey. Most of that falls on the shoulders of Dev Patel, who drives much of the story with his physicality and facial expressions. The shift from book to screen infused the story with an element of the mental toll that the story would take on a four-year-old boy and how it shapes the man he becomes. Sunny Pawar puts in some really great work as the young Saroo in a nearly wordless performance. Patel, on the other hand, depicts the psychological journey. While much of it is suggested with the editing — they cut in scenes from his past similarly to the way that a war movie would portray PTSD — Patel’s reactions to the memories are even more important.

While the performances give an emotional center for the movie, the cinematography and score do all they can to support them. Cinematographer Greig Fraser, who has done some fantastic work including Zero Dark Thirty and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, finally received an overdue Oscar nomination for his work. And while his work in Zero Dark Thirty is truly phenomenal — the raid scene ranks among the best shot scenes in the decade — his work on Lion certainly deserves its recognition. The way he lights the movie, which in this case was manipulating natural light, does justice to the skin tones of the Indian actors, which, unfortunately, is something that is quite rare. Though, the lighting does more than that. In addition to mixing stabilized and choreographed shots with uncontrolled ones, he used the natural lighting to give the movie a cinema verite realism that feels so grounded. However, as evidenced by the opening shot in the movie which finds Saroo between two hills surrounded by butterflies, Fraser also found the natural beauty of the landscapes he was shooting in.

Lion does have one fault, and that is in its editing. I find it hard to talk about the transition from book to the movie because you are awarding a certain dramatic license to the filmmaker. I can’t fault them in the changes they made for the sake of simplicity and dramatic tension. My bigger issue is the way that they cut the story. Although the movie comes in at just under two hours, this is one of the few occasions that I wished the movie had been a bit longer. Or, I wish the movie had been distributed differently. I think one of the most affecting parts of the book is Saroo’s portrayal of his life before “getting lost.” In particular, the focus on hunger as a motivation and how common and easy it is for a child in India to be lost and never found. While the second half of the movie, which focuses on the older Saroo, is strong in its own right, the movie would have been more dramatically satisfying if we got to spend more time with the young Saroo in India.

All in all, Lion is simply a remarkable story that is told well. After reading the book and being less than impressed, it shows what strong filmmaking can do for a story. I imagine that a lot of people are going to skip this movie because it seems like the typical uplifting Hollywood fare. More than anything, though, it’s a movie that is going to tear you down and build you back up again as a different person. That’s something so rare, yet beautiful to experience. It is far from being a perfect movie. However, it is a completely delightful watch that will stay with you past the last frames. Even the most cynical won’t be able to resist the charm of Lion.

★★★ out of 5

Lion is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital rental on Amazon!

February 14, 2017
I Am Not A Serial Killer review — The dark, funny journey of a sociopath

Max Records gives one of the best performances of the year in the creepy and darkly funny I Am Not A Serial Killer.

Animal cruelty, calling living things “it”, stalking, and wetting the bed. These are the four predictors of a serial killer. John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) has them all. However, as the title suggests, he is not a serial killer. There’s just a serial killer in his town that is stealing the citizens’ organs. This is not exactly the making for what someone might call “good cinema.” However, I Am Not A Serial Killer is perhaps one of my favorite discoveries from 2016. It’s a movie that seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s based on a book (which Brian reviewed here) that found mild success, with actors that aren’t exactly box office drivers, and has a premise that can easily turn off a mainstream audience. So, what makes I Am Not A Serial Killer such an effective movie? It completely embraces its quirks and completely delivers on its genre promises.

John Wayne Cleaver is an interesting protagonist. He shouldn’t be so charismatic. I mean, he’s a clinically diagnosed sociopath. However, the movie is told solidly in his perspective. Every shot is of him or from his point of view. This gives you a link into his mind that is both disturbing and hopeful. I Am Not A Serial Killer is essentially two movies. The first is a character study focused on John. We see his day to day to life. We see him at school, helping his mother (Laura Fraser) in their funeral home – yes, it’s completely ironic – and chasing down his town’s serial killer. Casual stuff. However, when he starts getting a bit too close to the mystery, he has to find a way to save himself.

Max Records is tasked with carrying the movie on his shoulders. Not only does he do that, he elevates the material. His performance is surprisingly nuanced. He invokes so much with his face. In one of the best scenes of the movie, he is being taunted by the school bully at a school dance. However, per his rules, he simply smiles and says something nice. When the bully persists, he shoots into a monologue about his sociopathy:

He manages to be charming, yet absolutely terrifying without so much of a vocal inflection or aggressive gestures. His performance is so subtle, without feeling withdrawn. He gets you on his side and then gets your sympathy. He is the foundation of the movie.

Throughout, we find snippets of humanity in John’s struggle with his condition. He may be the first self-aware sociopath committed to film. Because of his understanding of his condition, John has an internal conflict to both fight and give into his urges. At one point John says emotionally, “People are afraid of things, but they’re never afraid of their own actions.” He fears that he is fated to hurt someone. It’s a usual point of conversation with his therapist who points out that his tendencies are predictors, not destiny.

About a third of the way through the movie, it shifts from a character study into a mystery that has elements of 80s television and invokes more recent shows like Stranger Things and The X-Files. It is revealed that the serial killer may not be so human at all. The killer is animalistic in its attacks and leaves behind a thick black goo as its only clue. John becomes fascinated with the killer. In my view, it’s because the killer is the Mr. Hyde to John’s Dr. Jekyll. He becomes obsessed with knowing who this killer is, what makes them tick, and why they’re doing this. Hey, better than murdering people, right? However, the deeper John gets into the mystery, the more intense his sociopathic tendencies become.

From there, the movie emulates shows like Dexter and Six Feet Under, but it doesn’t mimic them. Thanks to the effective cinematography by Robbie Ryan, the movie is actually quite cinematic for such an intimate subject. He uses a lot of natural light, which gives the midwest town a faded look that feels more realistic than the latest trend of desaturating the picture. Director Billy O’Brien adds a film grain to give it an even stronger 80s feel. Finally, composer Adrian Johnston’s creepy, synth-heavy score adds an underlying dread to the entire piece, especially with its sharp cues. For such a small movie, it’s expertly made.

I Am Not A Serial Killer will creep people out before they even watch it because of its premise. However, when you sit down and watch it you realize that the creepiness is exactly what it wants you to feel. I cannot say it enough, but Max Records delivers the performance of the year in this movie. If anything, watch it for that. I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. Overall, some will think the movie is a slog. It’s a slow burner by design. Plus, the final act payoff may not make up for that pace. But expertly built tension is effective storytelling. Whether or not this leads to a franchise, I Am Not A Serial Killer will stay with you from its final rock and roll beats.

★★★★ out of 5

I Am Not A Serial Killer is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital download on Amazon!

February 6, 2017
2018 Golden Globes Winners — Complete List

Check out the complete list of winners from the 75th Annual Golden Globes!

The 75th Annual Golden Globes are tonight, hosted by Seth Meyers. As the first major awards show of the season, the Golden Globes often leave us with talked-about moments from the fashion to the ceremony to the winners — check out our predictions here. This year, which honors the best of film and television from 2017, The Shape of Water leads the film categories with 7 nominations and Big Little Lies leads the television categories with 6 nominations.

Tune in to NBC at 8 p.m. ET to watch the ceremony and check back here for an updated list of winners throughout the show!

Best Picture – Drama
Call Me by Your Name
Dunkirk
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Picture – Comedy or Musical
The Disaster Artist
Get Out
The Greatest Showman
I, Tonya
Lady Bird ***

Best Actor – Drama
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Tom Hanks, The Post
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour***
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Best Actress – Comedy or Musical
Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul
Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird***
Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes

Best Actress – Drama
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri***
Meryl Streep, The Post
Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World

Best Actor – Comedy or Musical
Steve Carrel, Battle of the Sexes
Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver
James Franco, The Disaster Artist***
Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri***

Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Hong Chau, Downsizing
Allison Janney, I, Tonya***
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Best Director
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water***
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Ridley Scott, All the Money in the World
Steven Spielberg, The Post

Best Screenplay
Lady Bird
Molly’s Game
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri***

Best Score
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water***
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Song
“Home” from Ferdinand
“Mighty River” from Mudbound
“Remember Me” from Coco
“The Star” from The Star
“This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman***

Best Animated Film
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco***
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

Best Foreign Film
A Fantastic Woman
First They Killed My Father
In the Fade***
Loveless
The Square

Best Television Series, Drama

The Handmaid’s Tale***
This Is Us
The Crown
Game of Thrones
Stranger Things

Best Television Series, Comedy

Black-ish
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel***
Master of None
SMILF
Will & Grace

Best Limited Series or Television Movie

Big Little Lies***
Feud: Bette and Joan
Fargo
Top of the Lake: China Girl
The Sinner

Best Actress, Limited Series or Television Movie

Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies***
Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan
Susan Sarandon, Feud: Bette and Joan
Jessica Biel, The Sinner

Best Actor, Limited Series or Television Movie

Robert De Niro, The Wizard of Lies
Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks
Jude Law, The Young Pope
Ewan McGregor, Fargo***
Geoffrey Rush, Genius

Best Actress, Television Series, Drama

Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale***
Claire Foy, The Crown
Katherine Langford, 13 Reasons Why
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Deuce
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander

Best Actor, Television Series, Drama

Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us***
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Best Actress, Television Series, Comedy

Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Alison Brie, GLOW
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel***
Issa Rae, Insecure
Frankie Shaw, SMILF

Best Actor, Television Series, Comedy

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None***
Kevin Bacon, I Love Dick
William H. Macy, Shameless
Eric McCormack, Will & Grace

Best Supporting Actress, Television Series

Laura Dern, Big Little Lies***
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Chrissy Metz, This Is Us
Michelle Pfeiffer, The Wizard of Lies
Shailene Woodley, Big Little Lies

Best Supporting Actor, Television Series

Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Alfred Molina, Feud: Bette and Joan

Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies***

David Thewlis, Fargo

January 7, 2018
2018 Golden Globes Predictions — Movie Categories

The Golden Globes, Hollywood’s biggest party, is this Sunday and we have predictions in all the motion picture categories below!

The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards are on Sunday, January 7th. They are the first major awards ceremony of this unpredictable awards season. Although the Golden Globes aren’t seen as an Oscar predictor, they can give a boost to films already in the hunt for Oscar. This year, Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy-romance The Shape of Water led with 7 nominations (see the full list of nominees here) and will be the favorite coming into the ceremony. Check out our predictions in all the motion picture categories below!

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Will Win: The Shape of Water
Could Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Should Win: Call Me By Your Name

Pretty much any nominee in this category could end up winning for any number of reasons, but the foreign voting body that makes up the HFPA will most likely skew towards Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water, which led the nominations. Since this is the earliest major ceremony, the winner of this category tends to be the Oscar frontrunner at the time, even if that film doesn’t ultimately win — Moonlight, 12 Years A Slave, Boyhood. That means it has to be a film that is in wide release or had already had its wide release. That narrows it down to two — the other is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. However, the quirky tone and less US-centric themes will help it appeal to the HFPA.

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Will Win: Lady Bird
Could Win: Get Out
Should Win: Lady Bird

This race is Lady Bird vs. Get Out. Both movies are Oscar frontrunners and have a strong consistent buzz around them, which is most important when it comes to the Golden Globes. However, after Get Out was controversially deemed eligible as a comedy and snubbed in the screenplay category — both films missed out on director nominations — Lady Bird feels like a more concrete frontrunner. Though leave it to the Golden Globes to nominate something controversially, then give it the win — The Martian is the most recent example. Get Out is still in this race, but it looks like Lady Bird‘s to lose.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Will Win: Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Could Win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Should Win: Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

With Ronan in the comedy category, this is Hawkins vs. McDormand. Movies tend to sweep at the Globes, which gives Hawkins the edge.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Will Win: Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Could Win: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Should Win: Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Though Oldman is the frontrunner, I see the Globes going for the buzzier Chalamet.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Will Win: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Could Win: Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Will Win: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

While every category so far has been a toss-up, this is the one that I feel confident in predicting. Ronan is the Oscar frontrunner and in the likely winner for Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. The Golden Globes love sweeps, so she should be swept along.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Will Win: James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Could Win: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Should Win: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Franco and Kaluuya are the two nominees with the best shot at Oscar nominations, which automatically puts them in the top two spots. Franco has gotten more individual acclaim, which will most likely carry him over to a win. Plus, the Golden Globes love to see a movie star on their stage.

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Could Win: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Should Win: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Like her co-star, Metcalf should easily coast to victory.

Best Supporting Actor

Will Win: Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Could Win: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Should Win: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Like I said before, leave it to the Golden Globes to pat themselves on the back for their own out of left field nominee. Since they obviously really loved All the Money in the World, it’s natural they’d award its buzziest aspect. Christopher Plummer’s last-minute entry into the film is going to be the story that pushes him over the edge over Oscar-frontrunner Dafoe.

Best Director

Will Win: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
Could Win: Ridley Scott, All the Money in the World
Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Del Toro should win this prize along with the motion picture category, but again, don’t put it past the Golden Globes to award Ridley Scott.

Best Screenplay

Will Win: Martin McDonough, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Could Win: Guillermo Del Toro and Vannessa Taylor, The Shape of Water
Should Win: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

Best Animated Feature

Will Win: Coco
Could Win: The Breadwinner
Should Win: Coco

Best Foreign Language Film

Will Win: First They Killed My Father
Could Win: The Square

Best Score

Will Win: The Shape of Water
Could Win: The Post
Should Win: Phantom Thread

January 2, 2018
The 10 Best Movies of 2017
This year has been one of the best movie years in recent memories with films that pushed the boundaries of filmmaking. Here are the best movies of 2017!
2017 is a year that started strong and ended even stronger, which is refreshing considering the end of the year always has an influx of awards-friendly prestige movies. But what is even more refreshing is the variety of movies this year that were successful commercially and critically. Horror had a huge year, as did comedy. Action made a comeback and romance became original again. But these genres don’t totally cover the movies on this list. If movies in 2017 could be summed up, you could say it was a genre-bending year. More and more movies have escaped classification, which is the right direction for the industry. However, more importantly. It seems that movies that had something real to say about our current political and societal moment are being seen.

The more movies that stray away from the typical movie formula and become successful, the more original movies we will start seeing. This list, I believe, is a testament to those new original directions and voices. Here are what I consider the best movies of 2017.

Note: See every 2017 movie I watched ranked on Letterboxd!

Brigsby Bear

When I heard that Saturday Night Live’s Kyle Mooney — one of my favorite repertory players — was co-writing and starring in a movie I was expecting something hilarious, awkward, and downright weird. Brigsby Bear was all those things, but what surprised me is that it had a surprising amount of heart. Mooney brings his usual endearingly awkward persona to his character, but the story makes it both charming and a bit devastating. It’s actually a rational exploration of trauma and how we deal with it. That doesn’t stop it from being a hilarious “fish out of water” comedy with the sensibilities as Mooney’s sketches on SNL. Still, its weird exterior is just a way to take the audience off guard and hit them with the kind of warmth and hope we need today.

Brigsby Bear is available on Blu-Ray and Digital HD on Amazon ➤

Get Out

2017 was a great year for first-time filmmakers. However, no first film quite made an impact as large as Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Not only did it make an impact critically and commercially, it sparked a national conversation about race while also being eminently entertaining. It has the sharp wit that Peele has become known for along with his collaborator Keegan Michael Key (who didn’t work on him for this film) that drive big laughs, but also a really smart take on racism, particular that of the liberal elites. However, what makes Get Out one of the best movies of 2017 is the incredible attention to detail. It’s the type of movie that is more rewarding on multiple viewings. Every line and image serves a purpose in the grand scheme of the movie. Not only that, it makes a star out of Daniel Kaluuya. To which, I say, it’s about time.

Get Out is available on Blu-Ray and Digital HD on Amazon ➤

The Florida Project

Director Sean Baker specializes in making films about people on the fringes of society. In The Florida Project, he tells a story about the invisible homeless on the outskirts of the family resorts of Orlando. But what makes this movie truly great and one of the best movies of 2017 is that he tells it firmly in a child’s perspective. To the protagonist Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), everything is magical. However, she doesn’t understand that some of the things her young mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) are less than normal and sometimes even illegal. But Baker never judges his characters. He has sympathy for their experiences, much like Willem Dafoe‘s character, who manages the hotel where Moonee and Halley live. In the end, audiences will view it with the same childlike wonder that Moonee has. It’s heartfelt, a bit dark, but also a delight to watch.

The Florida Project is available on Blu-Ray and Digital HD on Amazon ➤

Phantom Thread

To say that Paul Thomas Anderson created a romantic comedy with Phantom Thread might be overreaching, but he came close. In what is apparently his last performance, Daniel Day-Lewis continues his streak of playing complicated and difficult men. However, this time he has a complicated woman (Vicky Krieps) to go up against. And that battle of the Titans is one of the most thrilling relationships to see play out on screen. Reynolds Woodcock is a character for the ages and is certainly fitting to be Day-Lewis’ march into movie history, but more importantly, we have been introduced to an exciting new star in the making in Vicky Krieps. While this is a movie about a tortured artist, it’s also very much about the women — the other being his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) behind that tortured artist who have to find new ways to both support him and keep him grounded. Phantom Thread is a meditation on marriage. And if I was Maya Rudolph, Anderson’s wife, then I might be a bit worried.

Blade Runner 2049

Creating a follow-up to a film as technically dazzling and thematically rich as Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic Blade Runner seemed like a fool’s errand. That is until Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) stepped into the director’s chair. Along with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, who composed the score, and Roger Deakins, who shot the film, Villeneuve created one of the dazzling worlds seen on film this year. Splashed with neon tones that contrast to the industrial infrastructure that has befallen Earth, Blade Runner 2049 is a visual feast. But what made the film one of the best movies of 2017 is it continued to explore the themes of humanity, while also delving into new directions, most interestingly involving Ryan Gosling‘s K. Though it has a nearly 3-hour running time, it’s endlessly engrossing as its mysterious plot reveals itself. What differentiates it from the original, though, is it has a strong emotional center that catches you off guard and brings warmth to an otherwise cold world.

Blade Runner 2049 is available on Blu-Ray and Digital HD on Amazon ➤

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December 21, 2017
The Invitation Movie Review — Easily one of the best thrillers of the decade

Atmospheric and suspenseful, The Invitation is a blast to watch and easily one of the best movies of the year so far

If you haven’t watched The Invitation yet, open up Amazon or iTunes and watch it right now. I’ve said it about other movies, but if I had to choose one movie for you to not know a single thing about before watching, it is this movie. You’ve been warned.

I’m going to just come right out and say it. The Invitation is easily one of the best, if not the best movie of the year so far and one of the best thrillers in years. Nearly all the thanks has to be given to Karyn Kusama’s careful and increasingly tightening direction of the material. Starting with the opening. We open completely silent on Will (Logan Marshall-Greene) driving up a winding mountain road. As the sound slowly seeps back into the scene, we hear Kira (Emayatzu Corinealdi) telling him that they don’t actually have to go the dinner party they were invited to. They admitted to themselves that it was odd that they were invited considering they haven’t seen the hosts in a couple years. In a jump, Will hits a coyote and puts it out of its misery. However, it is shown in this gorgeously composed and claustrophobic shot before Theodore Shapiro’s Hitchcockian score suddenly breaks the silence.

Once the couple reaches their destination, Will is immediately taken aback. The first part of the film really plays on an interesting look at grief and really makes you question what Will, and therefore you, are seeing. Since Kusama presents the film through Will’s lens, when the rest of the party stops seeing what he does you become frustrated like him. You support him, but in the back of your mind nags you that maybe Will is letting his grief get to him.

Kusama is extremely patient. She doesn’t give too much. She isn’t one for theatrics. Instead, she uses strong imagery to make you feel off-centered. We have been wired to expect something explosive from a movie of this premise. We expect a moment where everything goes to shit. That puts you on edge. Whether it is Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch) carefully skulking in the background of a shot or a door being locked, nearly every beat that Kusama puts in makes you flinch because you have no idea what is going to happen. She plays her cards extremely close to her chest until she slaps them down on the table and then flips it. That’s how good the third act reveal is.

Brian and I watched this movie purposely without watching the trailer or reading any plot description more than a sentence. During the movie, it led to a great discussion what we think is the end game. We were both completely thrown.

In this new horror renaissance, it’s been established that you don’t need jump scare after jump scare to make an effective horror movie. Movies like It Follows, The Babadook, and The Witch prove that all you need is an atmosphere that unsettles you and makes you feel the anticipation of that big scare or terrifying image. That’s what The Invitation does so effectively. It waits and makes you question what kind of movie it is until it finally reveals itself in a beautiful finale. That’s what makes it truly one of the best movies of the year.

★★★★½ out of 5

Watch “The Invitation” on Amazon!

June 7, 2016
Sing Street Movie Review — A fun musical romp with an emotional punch

Packed with fun musical numbers and flashes of humor, Sing Street is enjoyable on both a superficial and emotional level.

John Carney is obsessed with the power of music. It’s what his last three films, including Sing Street, are about. Once talks about how music can communicate emotion and is a universal language. Begin Again explores the healing power of music. Carney is interested in how music is used to escape from your life with Sing Street.

This is perhaps the closest he’s gotten to a musical so far in his career. It’s the first time he has tackled a period piece. Part of the film’s success has to be due to its ability to immerse you in the 80s. Everything from the fashion to the music to the society is there. The production is quite impressive. The costumes, in particular, are a highlight. Much of the main character Conor’s (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) knowledge of music comes from his brother – Duran Duran to the Sex Pistols – and that fashion is what they replicate to some success.

Sing Street tells the story of Conor Lalor. During the 80s, Ireland is racked with unemployment and a crumbling economy. His parents are forced to move him to the free state school Synge Street to cut costs. Of course, Brother Baxter, a dictator-like principal, runs the school and sets his sights on Conor for not wearing black shoes no less. The transition to our equivalent of a public school is hard on Conor. He is exposed to violent – possibly sociopathic – teenage boys. On top of that (yes, there’s more), his parents are on the verge of splitting up. Though the movie sounds like a kitchen sink drama, we’re spared from the melodramatics.

After a few days of torture (both physical and mental) at Synge Street, he sets his eyes on Raphina (Lucy Boynton). She’s the object of any 80s teen with big hair, flashy makeup, and a gaze that’ll burn right through you. Conor asks her to appear in a music video for his band. The problem is that he doesn’t have a band. Cue the making the band montage. Conor teams up with Eamon (Mark McKenna), whose dad is in a traveling cover band, and recruits a keyboardist, drummer, bassist, and manager. Together, they form the band Sing Street.

However, underneath the fun musical numbers and making-the-band fantasies is a surprisingly real drama. There’s a scene about a third of the way through when Raphina takes her makeup off while she listens to Conor’s newest song. This is when the movie goes from a piece of the genre to something more. A lot like La La Land, it’s about this dream world that you use to escape the harsh realities of life. However, Sing Street feels a lot more real. It has experiences that more of us know.

Even Brendan, Conor’s freewheeling, music-loving brother, has an internal darkness that’s eventually revealed. It all comes to a head in the scene when they record the video for “Drive It Like You Stole It.” It’s the closest the movie gets to fantasy. And it’s an enthralling scene. Though, the end leaves you heartbroken. It’s a culmination of the harsh realities that Conor faces and his desire for them to simply disappear. Of course, it’s just a facade. “Drive it Like You Stole It” may be the best song from a movie last year. Sorry, La La Land. However, in general, the 80s infused score is not only pitch-perfect but so damn catchy.

Despite its dark undertone, Sing Street is incredibly entertaining. I had so much fun watching this movie. That’s something that you don’t get to say as often anymore. All the characters are likable and come with their own kind of charm. You can believe the relationship at the center of the movie. But what makes the movie truly enjoyable is that you feel the journey that Conor takes. My one quibble with the film is the ending. At first viewing, it felt out of place and unearned. However, an interview with director John Carney quickly assuaged that feeling.

It’s hard to pinpoint the one reason Sing Street works so well. It could be the musical numbers or the direction. Plus, the cast and characters are charming. However, I think it works simply because all these pieces fall together seamlessly. Yes, the drama can feel a bit contrived. But it’s delivered and packaged in such an entertaining way with memorable characters. It easily lands amongst the best films of the year for me.

★★★★ out of 5

Sing Street is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital on Amazon!

January 25, 2017
Jersey Boys Movie Review — Strong Performances and Flashy Musical Numbers Can’t Make Up for Weak Direction

It’s funny. The movie that I wanted Jersey Boys to be ended up appearing during the end credits when the cast got together to do a reprise of “Sherry” and “December, 1963”. It was fun, energetic, and so wonderfully campy. However, the movie preceding this end credits scene never gains the momentum it needs to sustain a two hour plus movie. While the film finds its footing during its musical numbers, they’re always followed up with less than thrilling character scenes that kill any traction it seems to find.

This is all coming from a guy who has seen and loved the Broadway musical the film is based on. The entire movie/musical is framed by the quote: “you ask four guys, you get four different answers.” The entire story is told from the perspective of the original Four Seasons. Tommy DeVito tells the story of how the group came to be and established Tommy as the hothead of the group. While his determination is admirable, his methods are questionable. He champions Frankie (John Lloyd Young) who sees Tommy as his mentor. Tommy’s ways quickly catch up with him. When he is introduced as our first narrator, who directly addresses the camera much like the musical addresses the audience, he gives us a tour of the “old neighborhood” like he’s trying to schmooze us into buying his version of the story. Vincent Piazza turns in the kind of performance that begs an Oscar, but eventually the character’s antics become monotonous before he drops out of the film all together.

By the time we get to Bob Gaudio’s (Erich Bergen) section of the story we already have a bad taste in our mouth from the poorly paced first act. However, his narrated parts have the most charm. Partially because the character is so endearing, but also because his section moves so much of the story forward. With the inevitable falling apart beginning in this section the characters become more interesting and the relationships more interesting. Sadly, it doesn’t last.

The third part of the film is told from the perspective of Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda), the quietest one of the group. While he spends much of the film in the background, this section brings us much of the deep character drama of the story. From Nick’s perspective the story seems dark. Not because of the actual events, but because of how personal the gripes between the characters seem.

When we get to the third act of the film there’s a sense of fatigue. It’s almost as if there’s no reason for us to continue watching. Even the writing and characters get tired. However, the final twenty minutes offer us some salvation and gives John Lloyd Young, who won a Tony for his performance in the musical, the opportunity to give a fully affecting performance. The film is filled with fine performances from Christopher Walken, Mike Doyle, and Renee Marino, but it’s John Lloyd Young, Vincent Piazza, Erich Bergen, and Michael Lomenda who give the film so much life.

Jersey Boys is almost frustrating in a way. The entire time we are aching for the film to wow us. Sadly, it never really does. While the musical numbers are entertaining and the performances are fantastic, the movie never really allows them to truly take off. Of course, the musical version had the luxury of staging musical numbers as “book” scenes, but the film could have taken a different route than a straight bio-pic approach. It must be said that some of the film’s downfalls come from its close adaptation to the musical’s tedious plot structure, but it could have been easily avoided.

The greatest downfall of the film, however, comes from Clint Eastwood himself. While the extended musical numbers are a welcome relief from the main storyline, they seem like the only salvation from his cut and dry direction. I’m not saying that it’s a terrible choice, but a story like this begs for something more extravagant or at least inventive. His presentation is very straight forward and old-fashioned, which is always an odd choice for a musical film. However, from the perspective of a bio-pic, Jersey Boys gets the job done.

I realize that so much of this review sounds negative, but I will say that I was thoroughly entertained by the film. No matter what, it’s a compelling story that is littered with great performances and fantastic musical numbers. You can’t help but smile when that familiar tune starts to play. While I think it’s one of the lesser movies in the Eastwood canon, you can’t help but feel complete happiness when you leave the theater.

June 22, 2014
Beauty and the Beast review — The animated classic is given new life in the live-action remake

The live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast doesn’t do much to add to the 1992 classic, but it has enough magic and charm to make you fall in love all over again.

The latest entry in Disney’s saga to do a live-action remake of every one of their classic movies is Beauty and the Beast. The 1992 version has the distinction of being the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars — a get only repeated twice. It simply is a masterpiece in animation. So, the remake not only had to justify its existence but also live up to its predecessor. While it first the former and miss the latter, it’s simply a magical piece that really feels like a tale as old as time.

Director Bill Condon surprisingly doesn’t have the most impressive directorial credits. His most noted and lauded work has probably been Gods and Monsters and Dreamgirls. The latter is the only musical he has directed to date and the reason it is so successful is because of his grasp of what makes stage musicals so fun to watch — their glitz, camp, and the heightened sense of reality. He recreates his success with Beauty and the Beast by embracing those very things in a different way. He gives the film a rhythm. It moves in a fluid motion from scene to scene and location to location. It makes the seemingly hefty 2-hour running time go by in a flash — save for the new Beast soliloquy added to the third act, which stunts some of the momentum.

Condon simply justifies the film’s existence by adding things that weren’t possible the first time. The more obvious is the sometimes dazzling visual effects. The furniture characters, in particular, is designed and realized beautifully — Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and Cogsworth (Ian McKellan), in particular. However, I was both impressed and disappointed with the CGI of the Beast. Dan Stevens’ motion capture performance is quite good and transfers well in close-up. But anytime was see a full-body shot of the Beast or are further away, the effect is less convincing. It’s surprising following the groundbreaking work in Disney’s last live-action film, The Jungle Book. He also makes the film a lot more progressive with Le Fou’s (Josh Gad) “gay moment” as it has been called and various interracial couples. In our current environment, it’s refreshing to see such a huge movie give us small moments that normalize things that should have been considered normal in film years ago.

As for the live-action facets of the film, the costume design by Jacqueline Durran pulls beautifully from the animated film while adding depth and texture. The iconic yellow dress is instantly recognizable, as is Belle’s blue dress from the opening. Although the production design by Sarah Greenwood doesn’t build too much on the design from the animated film, she still impressively creates the sets of the village and the castle with a whimsical flair.

However, it’s the performances from the cast that really make the world come to life. Within his first few minutes on screen, Luke Evans established himself as the standout of the cast by stepping into the role of Gaston with utter perfection. His physicality, his voice, and line delivery flawlessly portrayed what anyone would expect from a live-action Gaston. Plus, his singing voice is easily the strongest among the cast except for Audra McDonald in a small, but fun role as Madame de Garderobe. The voice performances from McGregor, Stewart, and Emma Thompson were also highlights. However, something that was quickly apparent was that Emma Watson was a bit over her head. While she steps into Belle quite beautifully physically, her performance didn’t impress me the way that it should have. After all, she’s playing one of the most iconic Disney princesses. I also had a hard time ignoring the autotune used on her singing voice. It’s especially apparent when you judge it against Evans and McGregor, who both come from theater backgrounds. It would have been a better choice to cast a Broadway veteran like Samantha Barks in the role.

Overall, Beauty and the Beast doesn’t do too much to build off the original — except perhaps closing some of the plot holes that many people have faulted the film with. However, it justifies its existence by telling the story with resources that weren’t available in 1992. Condon imbues so much charm and wonderment into the film that you forget about the politics or whether it should have been remade and just enjoy the film. The film makes you feel pure joy. Go in without any preconceptions about the movie. Don’t think about it as a remake. Just laugh, cry, and cheer as you remember why the original Beauty and the Beast was a pure masterpiece.

★★★★ out of 5

Beauty and the Beast (2017) is available on Digital HD on Amazon!

March 17, 2017
Frank review — A celebration of weirdness and papier-mâché heads

Michael Fassbender is fascinating as the papier-mâché headed lead singer in Frank, which celebrates weirdness and understands mental illness

Frank is just about as quirky and surreal as you’d imagine a movie about an experimental indie band with a lead singer who constantly wears a giant papier-mâché head would be. However, surprisingly, the character of Frank (Michael Fassbender) — who dons that giant head for the entire 90-minute running time — isn’t the weirdest character in this movie. And that is one of the many reasons that this movie triumphs. Although this is a pretty sharp satire of the creative process, particularly that of the new wave of pretentious indie artists that seem to think that building an audience is a threat to their artistic integrity, it also has an appreciation for the same people and has a firm step in reality. It begs interesting questions, even if the way it ponders them can only be described as eccentric.

Jon (Domhnall Gleeson, in yet another strong, but under appreciated performance) is a down-on-his-luck wannabe musician who is tolling his days in his cubicle or walking down the street piecing together lyrics based on his observations. One day, as he’s walking down the beach, he witnesses a man being pulled out of the ocean by paramedics. As the man is being attended to, he encounters Don (Scoot McNairy), who reveals that the man was drowning himself and was the keyboardist in the band Soronprfbs — no one actually knows how to pronounce it. When Jon mentions that he is a keyboardist, Don, the manager of the band, invites him to fill in at their gig that night. When Jon shows up, the rest of the band is reluctant except for Frank.

This first performance with the band, with all the disparate electronic sounds, nonsensical lyrics being talk-sung by Frank, and lack of melody, is surprisingly charming. That’s mostly due to the fact that Frank, thanks to Fassbender, is as whimsical as the enormous papier-mâché head he wears — the head is oblong and smooth with enormous eyes that constantly feel like they’re judging you. After the performance, which goes well until it doesn’t, Frank invites Jon to become a full-time member of the band and to join them in Ireland and record the band’s first album. The band, particularly Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), has a strong disdain for Jon whose mainstream tastes rub them the wrong way.

Eventually, after explicit hot tub sex, a Viking funeral, and a lesson on YouTube, Jon reveals that he has been sharing videos of the band rehearsing online and that they’ve been invited to the South by Southwest festival. It takes a while for the movie to get to its main points, but it ponders them vigorously until the very end. Who is art for? The artist or the audience? In the case of Frank, there is the added storyline of mental illness. The way you react to the tonal switch in the third act will determine how you react to this movie as a whole.

On the two sides of the aisle are Jon and Clara. Jon, who is more concerned with his social media followers, is encouraging Frank as an artist to share their music with the world. Clara, on the other hand, recognizes the fragility of Frank’s psyche. She understands that for Frank the music is art and medicine. In director Lenny Abrahamson’s able hands, the shift from quirky comedy to character study is jarring, but a welcome relief. Though watching the band set in the woods painstakingly use various household objects to make disparate noises to use on their album is hilarious, there isn’t necessarily a way that you can see the movie wrapping up successfully on that tone.

Gleeson’s character is set up to be the “straight man” of the group, though his social awkwardness certainly gives him comedy points. Seeing the movie through his eyes give us a chance to view Frank mythically, then as misunderstood. Fassbender, on the other hand, gives us a surprisingly grounded view of a character as weird as Frank before giving us a view into his world. Mind you, Fassbender is doing this all without ever showing his face — he even wears it in the shower with a plastic bag protecting it — though his character does announce his expression periodically throughout the movie. Just through his physicality, you can witness the journey Frank goes through. It’s remarkable how much he emotes just through his body. More than that, though, he makes Frank more than just his papier-mâché head.

Banksy — another enigmatic artist whose identity has yet to be revealed — once said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” It’s hard to grasp that quote unless you’re an artist. What screenwriters Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan were able to do was give us a look into the mind of an auteur — the screenplay is based on several musicians including Frank Sidebottom and Daniel Johnston — for better or worse. The first part of the movie, which is as entertaining as they come, lets us in on the better. The final act, the worse. However, you leave the movie with a different understanding of art, mental illness, and what it means to be different. For the disturbed, you will be comforted. For the comfortable, get ready to get disturbed.

★★★★ out of 5

Frank is available to stream on Netflix and for rental on Amazon and iTunes

July 31, 2017
Oculus Movie Review — A Stylish, Well-Acted Psychological Horror

Though it doesn’t quite reach the potential of its premise, Oculus packs in enough tension to make it a solid horror movie

Yet another entry in the psychological horror rooted in childhood emotional trauma genre. Running in two different timelines, Oculus follows a brother and sister as they try to destroy a mirror that contained the ghosts that haunted them in their childhood.

Although it is void of any big scares that would have made it the movie horror fans were looking for, Oculus targets something far more terrifying. Your mind. Mike Flanagan’s focus on the feeling of dread and underlying darkness will take you, chill you to the bone, and make you reevaluate your own sanity, which is all we can ask for when it comes to the horror of today.

The premise of Oculus is simple and neatly explained in its tagline: “you see what it wants you to see.” The aforementioned “it” being a mirror in this case. However, it has been told in many forms throughout the years. A music box, a haunted doll, the line of haunted object movies is endless, but Oculus is more successful than these entries because of its clear focus.

The film begins with Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) just before he is released from a psychiatric hospital. Eleven years prior his father murdered their mother under the influence of a malevolent supernatural force, however through intensive therapy doctors were able to convince Tim that it was solely his father who tormented the family.

Shortly after his release, he meets with his older sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan), who his doctors warn did not have the benefit of therapy following their childhood trauma, which shows. Through her work at an auction house, Kaylie is able to track down the mirror that tormented them in their youth. Almost immediately after her brother’s release (and when I say immediately I mean at lunch on the way home from the hospital) Kaylie reveals her plan to document the mirror’s evil intentions and powers before finally destroying it. Not the best idea ever.

The mirror is able to change your perception of reality. So when a man thinks he is taking off his band-aid with a staple remover, he is actually digging into his flesh. Isn’t it a lovely image? However, it isn’t the gore that is terrifying, it is the idea of not being in control.

The siblings return to their childhood home armed with cameras, timers (reminding them to eat and drink), thermometers, and an enormous anchor designed to destroy the mirror should anything happen to the pair. Kaylie even has her boyfriend Michael (James Lafferty) call them every hour to ensure they are still alive, although he does this under the impression that she is fearful of her brother. Nice. It’s clear Kaylie has been planning this for a while. Eventually, the film spirals into a dark pit of disturbing images that make the siblings question their own sanity.

Throughout the ordeal, the film flashes back to the siblings’ childhood and the events that started their torment. The screenwriters didn’t do much to differentiate their “dad’s an assh**le because he was possessed by a ghost and is probably going to kill us” premise from other movies like The Shining and The Amityville Horror. However, unlike these movies we don’t have an emotional connection to either their father Alan (Rory Cochrane) or their mother (Katee Sackoff in a wonderful performance). The story felt contrived and familiar without any deep rooted baggage to go along with the insidious darkness that consumes them. However, the saving grace were the fine performances by Annalise Bassoa and Garrett Ryan as the young Kaylie and Tim.

Despite this setback, the beauty of Oculus lies in its unnerving ability to get you to question the sanity of the two leads. In turn, we question our eyes. What we see on screen isn’t necessarily real either. The result is the questioning of our own sanity. It’s the perpetual unnerving dread of the film that creates most of the horror. Even in light, there is an insidious darkness lurking.

But where the film finally does fail is where countless horror and psychological thrillers fail. Once you are able to forgive the screenwriters, who also must be blamed for some clunky dialogue, for the well-realized yet terribly feigned procession of scenes that build up to the climax, we are let down by an inevitable final act twist that we can see coming a mile away.

In the end, Oculus doesn’t become the film we wanted it to be. Its brilliant first two acts suggest that there may be something new and fresh hidden underneath, but it is never fully realized. Either way, the final product is a beautifully shot and wonderful acted entry in the never-ending pool of niche horror movies looking to shock, scare, and unnerve.

6.5/10

Oculus is available on Digital HD on Amazon!

May 20, 2014
8 Best Romance Movies of the Decade

From the moments that make us swoon to the ones that break our hearts, here are the best romance movies of the decade (so far)!

With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s time to cuddle up with your significant other or your best Valentine’s day friends and binge romantic movies. However, these aren’t your typical romantic comedies. These romances talk about the highs and lows of relationships in a way that your typical rom-com wouldn’t.

So, here are the 8 best romance movies of the decade (so far)!

Beginners (2010)

“You point, I’ll drive.” It’s a moment that feels ripped out of the indie romance playbook. However, in just a few scenes, Mike Mills makes the moment feel like the most important interaction in Oliver’s (Ewan McGregor) life. Stylish without being unsentimental, Beginners is a beautiful look at love at the beginning and end of life. However, more than a romance, what Beginners is really about is how the people in our lives and the people in their lives and the people in their lives affect who we are and what we become. Luckily for us, it’s filled with touching moments, clever banter, and all the things that make us swoon about romances. Rent Beginners on Amazon >>>

Brooklyn (2015)

The book that John Crowley’s 1950s romance is based on is a cold look at homesickness. Essentially, all the romantic potential of the plot is sucked out. However, the movie adaptation grabs all the potential (and more) and spins it into a whirling cross-continental love story. While Ellis (Saoirse Ronan) isn’t exactly the love-stricken, romantic protagonist we hope for in a movie, Tony (Emory Cohen) certainly is. And his baseball loving, Brooklyn-accented ways will charm you to no end. So, when Ellis has to make the trip back to Ireland, your heart breaks just a little with Tony’s. However, it is just a means for the couple to earn their ending — and quite an ending it is. Rent Brooklyn on Amazon >>>

Her (2013)

I realize that this is a love story between a man and a computer but stay with me here. Spike Jonze’s Her is possibly one of the best-written movies of the decade. Much of the genius comes from the long two-way conversations between Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and Sarah (Scarlet Johansson). It is an interesting look at what it exactly is to love. Without a body, there is no sexual attraction between the two. Their love comes from their complexities and how they compliment each other. If not for the relationship between the two, watch Her for one of the best voice-over performances in a movie by Johansson. Rent Her on Amazon >>>

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have pretty much changed the course of the romance genre. While their two most famous movies — 500 Days of Summer and The Fault In Our Stars are drenched in some of the worst facets of the genre — overt cynicism, grand romantic moments, a plot soaked in irony — they make it work. John Green’s novel, which the movie is based on, captured the hearts and minds of the world by delivering a young adult novel that feels wholly grounded. But the adaptation adds something more to it. The irony and cynicism are there, but they feel natural with the characters of Augustus (Ansel Elgort) and Hazel (Shailene Woodley). Watch The Fault in Our Stars on Amazon >>>

La La Land (2016)

If you didn’t swoon over the romance between Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), then I don’t know where your heart went. Damien Chazelle’s love letter to Hollywood musicals has all the moments that you love. The clever banter, honeymoon stage montage, and a dance in the stars (literally). However, what lands La La Land on this list is its ability to tap into our generation’s stance on love. At what point does love for another person lose out to your dreams. It perfectly sums up the age of alienation we’re in. While parts could be heartbreaking, the heart-stopping musical numbers are more than enough to make up for it. Check out our full review of La La Land >>>

Like Crazy (2011)

Of all the movies on this list, Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy is probably the most overlooked and under appreciated. However, what the creators were able to make for a measly $250k is astonishing. While yes, pieces of the plot are improbable — I don’t think the American visa system works like that — it is a means for some pretty deep introspection on relationships, particularly long-distance. Anton Yelchin as Jacob and Felicity Huffman as Anna are astonishing in their portrayal as the young couple. It’s even more astonishing when you consider almost all the dialogue in the film was improvised. It makes for an experience like none other in a romantic movie. Their connection feels genuine. That’s all we can ask for in the genre. Rent Like Crazy on Amazon >>>

The Spectacular Now (2013)

I mentioned Scott Neustadter and Michal H. Webb earlier for The Fault in Our Stars. As I explained they’ve nailed this genre by embracing its worst elements. However, with The Spectacular Now, they subvert our expectations by serving an understated look at the senior year relationship between certified asshole Sutter (Miles Teller) and the sweet girl-next-door Aimee (Shailene Woodley). The great Robert Ebert put it best. “here is a lovely film about two high school seniors who look, speak and feel like real 18-year-old middle-American human beings. Do you have any idea how rare that is? They aren’t crippled by irony. They aren’t speeded up into cartoons. Their sex lives aren’t insulted by scenes that treat them cheaply […] What an affecting film this is.”

Weekend (2011)

Two characters, one set, and a weekend. That is the simple setting for Andrew Haigh’s near masterpiece Weekend. For years, Brokeback Mountain was the representative for gay romances. However, Weekend feels more timely. The premise is simple, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) meet at a club and have an immediate connection. However, with just the weekend to decide whether they want to become something more, the movie breaks off into an epic two-person conversation about love, identity, and fear of the unknown. It’s romantic without being sentimental, realistic yet poetic, small but endlessly complex. It’s that movie that comes along once in a while that feels intimate, yet endlessly important.

January 27, 2017
A Most Violent Year Movie Review — Smart and gripping, one of the best films of the year

A great homage to the 70s crime films, A Most Violent Year doesn’t need flash to be an intense thriller

There’s a scene about a third of the way through A Most Violent Year that outlines exactly what the movie is about. After striking a deer on their way home from a dinner, Abel (Oscar Isaac) gets out of the car to put the animal out of its misery. He stares at the helpless creature for a couple seconds before gun shots are heard. His wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) shot the deer, possibly to excess, while Abel just stood aside. It’s a simple scene, but you don’t really know its purpose until after it’s over. That is the beauty of the film and J.C. Chandor as a screenwriter and director. He gives enough exposition to his audience to ensure that they can follow the story at hand, but he maintains an ambiguity that keeps us hooked. He keeps us at arms length to let us decide for ourselves what his films are really about.

A Most Violent Year will be best enjoyed if you know little about the plot of the film. I say this about a lot of movies, but I highly urge you to maybe skip reading the synopsis on this one. Why? It so adroitly sets up its story, characters, and plot that if you know anything ahead of time part of the charm is taken away. All you need to know is that 1981 was one of the most violent years in the history of New York City and Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain), and their heating business are being dragged into it.

The film takes place at a very specific time in both period and style. It may be set in 1981, a time when New York was a lot more gritty (I know, it’s hard to imagine) and unforgiving than now, but the film is stylistically very similar to films of the 70s, one of the greatest decades for cinema. The decade produced some of the best films of all time, however films like The Godfather and Taxi Driver are some of the most memorable. It was a time when the subject matter was as dark as the films’ dimly lit sets and their muted color palettes relied on tones only the earth could provide. The mafia ruled the screens and honor and tradition were the main points of conflict. This is why A Most Violent Year succeeds. It is able to so adroitly replicate the slow, but emotional taxing, burn of those films.

Yes, the film may be slow, but you’ll never be jaded. J.C Chandor controls the screen with his gripping atmosphere that keeps you guessing. You can never truly rest because the stakes are never lessened, the threats never dissipated, and the enemies never eliminated. What I’ve continually noticed from Chandor is that he doesn’t need a lot to speak thousands in his films. He thrives on the simplicity of dialogue and the simplicity of direction. However, he never shies away from the occasional moments of high intensity action.

If Chandor is responsible for the body of the film, then the head and heart belong to the Oscar-worthy performances by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. There aren’t many dramatics in the film. The characters are very calculating in all their actions, as are the actors. Isaac has the makings of a young Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino, but so many lines come very close to a “you come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married” type delivery on some lines of dialogue that you could even say some Marlon Brando comes through.

I’m hesitant to call the movie a “gangster film” since Abel spends so much of the movie trying to dodge the title, so instead I’m going to consider a social commentary on violence. Between Isaac’s Abel and Chastain’s Ana we get two very specific opinions on its use, however the film goes so much further than that. Like I said, it’s what you make of it.

What I thought the film was trying to say is going to be different from what you think. In my opinion, when you throw in David Oyelowo’s Lawrence and Elyes Gabel’s Julian, the film becomes a look at success and what will be done to obtain it. It looks at the cruelty of the “American dream.” There’s an immigrant Abel who worked an honest living to obtain his father-in-law’s company. Julian, also an immigrant, who thinks that he’s entitled to the American dream. Then Lawrence, who’s true motivations I’m going to hold off on.

A Most Violent Year is going to go over some people’s heads. What they will see on screen is a boring crime film that doesn’t even have real gangsters in it. They’ll be looking for The Sopranos, but they’ll get something completely different. It’s when you realize that under the dimly lit sets and the bleak color palettes that you realize the movie is as manipulative as its characters.

January 16, 2015
The Revenant Movie Review — A flawed, but well-crafted survival

There’s something to say for good filmmaking, and that’s what The Revenant is — good filmmaking. It is a film that comes alive in its cinematography, editing, and sound. However, I think it’s the restraint on these factors that takes it to great, and at times, impossible filmmaking. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by last year’s Oscar winner for Best Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant follows the true story of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), who goes on a journey of survival and revenge. There are films that really shouldn’t be researched before watching, and this is one of them. However, because of the high-profile nature of the film — thanks to the fact that Leo might actually finally win an Oscar — that has largely been impossible. If you can’t bear it, take a look at the trailer, however, if you were somehow able to dodge anything about the movie, I would go in with fresh eyes.

Despite my plea in the last paragraph, I am going to talk about a scene in the film. The first one to be exact. It covers a battle between a Native American tribe and the group of hunters and trappers that Glass is working with. The film opens with a steady, but off-putting shot of pristine wilderness. Off-putting because of its calmness — a feeling you’ll be grasping for throughout the movie — and because of the fact that most of the movie was filmed using natural light.

With all respect due to DiCaprio, the real star of this film is the cinematography by two-time Oscar winner Emmanuelle Lubezki whose work in the film rivals his own in “The Tree of Life.” While his work in his two winning films — “Gravity” and “Birdman” — are truly outstanding, his work in this film is the kind that will be taught to future generations of filmmakers. Battling with a frigid temperatures, Lubezki decided to film solely with natural light.

“We wanted to make a movie that was immersive and visceral… The idea of using natural light came because we wanted the audience to feel, I hope, that this stuff is really happening.”

-Emmanuelle Lubezki

This decision alone elevated the film to not only become a story of revenge, but that of an appreciation and fear of nature’s force. It heightened the stakes and helped enhance the performances by letting them take the forefront, rather than hiding expressions behind studio lights.

Not only does this scene establish beautifully the stylistic tone of the film, it shows reverence for nature, which is both a beast and ally in the movie. That is until it is disturbed by Glass and his son. We then jump to the campsite where the rest of the group is camped out. An eeriness hushes over the group when they catch wind that they are about to be attacked. So begins an epic one-take shot of the battle that rivals Lubezki’s own work in “Gravity.” It’s this tension, followed by pure and unadulterated violence, documented in a sure and gorgeously directed manner that perfectly sets up the film.

So begins a tale of survival, revenge, spirituality, life, and death.

Despite the absolutely thrilling first two acts, the film loses its footing in the third — which could be attributed to the fact that the film almost wasn’t done in the first place. Where the first two acts flowed with sweeping one-take shots, natures own white noise, and the gripping expanse of both the plot and the environment, the last feels clumsy, spastic, and over-produced.

There are performances, then there is what DiCaprio did, which is dedicate himself to his art. His performance is one of brute force that is only enhanced by the fact that he has very little dialogue, which is spoken in two languages. In very few films has DiCaprio disappeared into a role, but this is the first that he has truly been immersed.

That is not to take away from the phenomenal work done by Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, and Domhnall Gleeson (who is having an amazing year with “Brooklyn,” “Ex Machina,” and “Star Wars” on his filmography.

My biggest criticism of “The Revenant” is that the overall plot is really not there. It’s emotionally flat and other than the revenge aspect, there’s very little to follow. When the film actually does show any semblance of a plot, it feels clunky, which is why the third act fell so badly.

“The Revenant” can be seen in many ways. A period piece, a revenge film, a survival film, a “bro” film. However, the one vein that runs through all of these classifications is its level of difficulty and its level of success despite. Seemingly impossible one-take shots, a surprisingly emotional arc, and gorgeously realized design, “The Revenant” is one of those films that you leave the theater not being able to speak until you leave out of respect.

It has its flaws. Its grand visuals are sometimes bogged down by self-important emotional drives, its restraint sometimes wasted in repetitive indulgence, and its last third rushed. However, it’s easy to get lost in story, mostly thanks to DiCaprio’s performance. Will you leave the theater as satisfied as you’d hope? Most likely not. Its epic scope is somewhat squandered towards the end and what should be an emotionally resonant story ends up feeling flat.

6/10

Buy or Rent The Revenant on Amazon!

January 10, 2016