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Good Boys (2019)
Mehhhh
Whereas "Booksmart" from earlier this year was essentially "Superbad" but substitute women for the main characters, "Good Boys" is essentially "Superbad" but substitute tweens for the main characters. Instead of getting laid, the goal of Jacob Tremblay's character is to kiss a girl he likes at a house party, almost the same motivation as Jonah Hill's character in "Superbad." The other two members of the "Bean Bag Boys" have different goals compared to Tremblay's character, but in the end they are all still trying to go to a party, and the entire movie is as vulgar as the producers could possibly make it.
"Good Boys" has a very heavy theme of the need to fit in or be accepted by your peers in subtle ways. Tremblay's character, Max, does not really need to fit in since he is already accepted by the "popular" kids in his grade, but he does not know how to kiss yet, and he wants to be ready to do it correctly in front of other people. His friend Lucas has identity issues throughout the movie after Lucas learns that his parents are about to go through a divorce. This information is useful to set up quite a few jokes within the movie, but at the same time it is a serious issue that Lucas does not know how he is going to fit in with his two friends who have no idea what it is like to have divorced parents. Thor, the last "Bean Bag Boy," is a joy to watch as he tries to prove his manhood time and time again, although at one point this means he has to lie about his interests. Thor is a young boy with a true gift for singing, but when the popular kids see him standing next to the audition sheet for the school musical, he crosses his name out and says someone else put his name down to mess with him. He is also cursed with the nickname "sippy-cup" to which he replies "it's a juicebox" which is such a great line in the movie.
While the movie has good intentions with the three boys' character arcs, "Good Boys" just keeps pounding it into the audience's heads that it's a very R-rated movie involving tweens. There are constant jokes of the main characters having a poor understanding of certain sexual topics, including but not limited to Real Dolls, tampons, beads (they think it's pronounced "uh-nahl") and the list goes on. They also have a poor understanding of drugs, thinking that "molly" is the name of a girl when two older girls are asking for their drugs back. They keep hitting the same few jokes into your head throughout the movie, and it becomes a little tiresome. However, some unique humor does save the film from being monotonous - the funniest running gag in the movie has to be that Lucas for some reason always has to be brutally honest, even if it means getting in the worst type of trouble.
"Good Boys" is not a terrible comedy, but the humor could be more original and less repetitive than simply restating "these kids do not know about sex" over and over again. It is a joy to watch Lucas and Thor while Max, the "main character" is actually pretty boring (and to think, he is the only child actor who has already made a name for himself in this movie).
6/10
The Farewell (2019)
Not As Good As You're Hoping
Initial reactions for "The Farewell" were not just good - they were phenomenal, with many critics saying it is clearly the best movie to come out of 2019 so far. With a 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews for "The Farewell" set a very high bar for audiences before they had a chance to see it. While "The Farewell" certainly has its moments, the high standard set by the critics will most likely disappoint the majority of "regular" audiences who will go to see this indie drama produced by A24.
The best aspect of "The Farewell" is the cast of the film and the wonderful performances that the cast members give, especially from the star, Awkwafina. The start of the movie establishes the close emotional bond Awkwafina's character, Billi, shares with her grandmother, "Nai Nai." When Billi learns that her grandmother is expected to pass away in the near future (though Nai Nai knows nothing about that), Billi's parents warn her that she has never been able to hide her emotions effectively, so she is advised not to go visit her grandmother like the rest of the family. The minute she arrives at her grandmother's place, Awkwafina proves to portray this characteristic of her character perfectly. She is clearly struck with grief, but her face shows her holding her emotions back just barely enough to not give anything away to Nai Nai. Though the writing is not necessarily enticing, later in the movie, Awkwafina delivers a couple different monologues about the ethics of lying to Nai Nai with such powerful emotion that she steals the show for this movie.
The dramatic irony of the audience, as well as the rest of Nai Nai's family, knowing that Nai Nai has cancer is a pretty important part of this movie, as it sets up a lot of emotional moments as well as some humorous ones scattered throughout the film. It really pulls the emotional strings whenever Nai Nai makes offers to help with her grandson's wedding since she should be in charge of the planning or when she refers to doing something in the distant future. It also will evoke tears from the audience when Nai Nai sees somebody crying or upset and she genuinely asks what the matter is with no idea of what is going on. The movie proves to be particularly emotional at the wedding scene very late in the story.
As mentioned above, however, the movie is not as enticing as a majority of critics have led audiences to believe. The story may be an emotional one, but most scenes in the film simply consist of the family having long conversations, whether it is with or without Nai Nai. It becomes very repetitive that the movie keeps pounding it into your brain that Nai Nai does not have long to live and how it is affecting the emotions of her family members while it does not affect her at all since she is ignorant to the fact she has cancer. It is a good quality movie, but it is also a very boring movie, especially for a movie that is under two hours in duration.
"The Farewell" has great intentions, and its phenomenal cast makes it worth it to watch once. However, it is also simple and repetitive to the point that you'll be looking at your watch every so often wondering how much time has passed since the last time you looked.
7/10
The Art of Self-Defense (2019)
A Very Smart Dark Comedy
"The Art of Self-Defense" is a very smart dark comedy in its own right. You have to be in the right mood when you see it though because its sense of humor is unique, even for a dark comedy. Some of its humor stems from situations that just seem really awkward so you laugh at the awkwardness, but at other times the movie is in your face with surprising moments that are just so absurd you have to laugh. "The Art of Self-Defense" is very good at being a comedy, but its story might not sit so well with most audience members.
Meet Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), a 35-year-old accountant who lives only with his dachshund and who looks like a light breeze would knock him on his rear. One night he goes out to buy his dog some more food, and he is clearly frightened when two people on a motorcycle drive by and ask if he has a gun on him. On his way back from the store, these mysterious people confront him again, this time beating him up and mugging him with little effort since Casey is such a pushover. Determined to protect himself, he first goes into a gun shop, which proves to be a hilarious scene, but then ultimately decides he wants to take Karate lessons when he looks in on a kids' lesson out of curiosity.
Eisenberg is great in his role as Casey, and it seems to be a perfect match given his usual "nerdy" roles such as in "The Social Network" and "Zombieland." The only difference is his age is actually starting to show now, so Eisenberg really does look like he is in his thirties. In the first third of the film, Eisenberg plays his character as extremely nervous and fragile, trying and failing to pick fights with people even with his little bit of knowledge of Karate. But once his Karate master simply advises Casey not to be scared anymore, Casey takes that to heart, the results are hilarious. He becomes mean to the nicest people in the strangest of ways, basically demanding exactly what he wants from strangers and co-workers, and his rage is fun to watch. Frankly, it is like watching a 35-year-old behave like a little kid without any consequences to his actions, and Eisenberg plays it perfectly.
However, there are a few stylistically weird choices in "The Art of Self-Defense." The first thing to note is that the movie is almost completely without a film score. There is barely any background music in this movie, and this adds more gloominess to the film's already dominantly bleak tone. Also, about halfway through the movie, like in some other dark comedies, the story takes a very hard left turn and becomes a little bizarre. Then again, this is not such a negative aspect when you think about how well this hard turn fits in with the overall tone of the movie.
"The Art of Self-Defense" proves to be a very humorous dark comedy that portrays martial arts practice as a very masculine cult of sorts. You will be taken for a ride, so buckle up, and get ready for some really odd humor!
8/10
Hard Candy (2005)
Ahead of Its Time
"Hard Candy" is a revenge film that puts masculinity in its place, and if it would have been released more recently than 2005, it would be highly appreciated in this era of the MeToo movement. It clearly has a low budget when you are viewing it, but it is quite entertaining to watch a pedophile get what is coming to him, and a very young Ellen Page dominates with her humorous yet intimidating performance. This movie is a nightmare for men and a triumph for young women, but it is a mediocre one at best.
The best aspect of "Hard Candy" is Ellen Page's unrelenting performance as a mentally disturbed 14-year-old girl who goes by the name Hayley. She is set out to destroy a photographer named Jeff (Patrick Wilson) whom she believes to be a pedophile. In the first fifteen minutes of the movie or so, Hayley is able to keep her composure as she puts on an act for Jeff. Once they agree to meet in public we are introduced to both characters, and Hayley seems ignorant and flirtatious, the type of girl that would be an easy and obvious target for a pedophile. Hayley even "jokes" with Jeff, saying 4 out of 5 doctors have diagnosed her as being insane. Once she drugs Jeff and ties him up to a chair at his own place, we see that she was being serious. Her demeanor completely changes as she holds Jeff hostage at his own home. She is demanding, ruthless, angry, and as she is with Jeff longer and longer, she has this matter-of-fact-ness to her that makes her performance pretty funny as well. She speaks with Jeff as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening, which makes her that much more creepy.
The story itself is a little too simple that it makes it a bore to watch after a while. Once Hayley has Jeff tied down in his home, we learn that the story is that she is going to investigate his place in order to prove whether or not he has child pornography and whether or not he was involved in the murder of a young girl. If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then she is going to torture him. She knows that he is a photographer who specializes in taking photos of models who are under the age of 18, but Hayley still needs to prove that this type of behavior goes beyond his profession.
The first two acts are long and are only mildly entertaining, but the third act proves to be a pretty good pay-off for all that waiting. Towards the end of act two and throughout the whole third act, the filmmakers do a great job at maintaining a feeling of tension, and on several different levels at that. The movie ends rather abruptly after the climax, but it is not a fault for the movie since it feels it should end that way, and to extend the third act would only drag it out.
What is most respectable about "Hard Candy" is that it is bold in its effort to tie in masculinity with a perverted nature of sorts, and even if Hayley's character does not reflect a traditional definition of femininity, it is a joy to watch her make a pedophile's life a living hell. The movie may only be mediocre, but it is also ahead of its time.
7/10
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
One of the Greatest Romantic Comedies
AFI 100 Comedies. AFI 100 Passions. AFI 10 Top 10. AFI 100 Quotes. AFI 100 Songs.
"When Harry Met Sally" is easily one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. It is short in duration, it is extremely watchable, Nora Ephron's script is hilarious, and Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan both give fantastic performances. There is very little to dislike about this movie if you are looking for entertainment. However, this is in no means an artsy film or a game-changer, but simply something that will definitely put you in a good mood.
When Harry met Sally... they hated each other. Their actual meeting for the first time was nothing special at all: Harry's girlfriend at the start of the movie was a friend of Sally's, and Sally was simply driving Harry back to New York from college because she lived in New York as well. It only takes a couple of minutes into their journey to New York to make it apparent that the script will be full of philosophical discussion between the two of them (as well as other characters) just like most Richard Linklater films. It is an interesting notion that the main point of Harry's initial discussion with Sally is that the two of them can never be friends because the "sex stuff" always gets in the way of a man and a woman - yet 10 years after they meet, they become "just friends" (but do we really believe that?).
There is a very creative scene in the movie about two thirds of the way through where a friend of Harry's and a friend of Sally's are now a couple, and they are each talking on the phone simultaneously with Harry and Sally respectively. Really interesting editing is applied here to get all four characters on the screen at once, each taking up about a fourth of the screen. It is three separate images, the first image being an image of the couple in bed, and the other two being superimposed images of Harry and Sally on opposite ends of the screen while they are each on the phone. It is one of the most creative scenes in Rob Reiner's filmography.
Above everything else, "When Harry Met Sally" has a lot of heart, which comes in different forms. It has heart due to its sense of humor, it has heart by showing a lot of emotion between Harry and Sally later in the film, and every now and then, the movie cuts to different couples explaining how they met and when they knew they were meant to be together, putting a smile on the audience member's face. It is also a joy to watch Harry and Sally grow as people as they become friends (which is against Harry's initial beliefs) and as they realize their feelings for each other, even if they do not admit those feelings immediately. From the famous "I'll have what she's having" moment to the finale at midnight on New Year's Eve, "When Harry Met Sally" is a triumph of a motion picture, capturing our hearts and holding on throughout.
"When Harry Met Sally" might not be a masterpiece in terms of technicality (it is pretty simply shot and edited aside from that creative scene mentioned above), but it is a film many should experience just for how enjoyable it is. It is a great love story and highly re-watchable.
9/10
Gifted (2017)
Decent Movie, A Little Cheesy
"Gifted" proves to be a decent heartfelt story about a young math prodigy in the middle of a custody battle between her uncle and her maternal grandmother. Its tone has a great range from delightfully charming to morbidly dramatic. We become connected to the main characters enough to sympathize with them, but certain aspects of the film make it tough to "buy" the story. The movie has enough potential to be hailed as an award-worthy film, but falls short of that type of quality for a few reasons. "Gifted" is not necessarily a bad movie, but it has its weak points.
The performance from child actress Mckenna Grace is actually somewhat problematic upon second viewing. Being a genius/prodigy, her character has a certain attitude towards authority figures, but the bad attitude never feels genuine. The way Grace plays it, the attitude comes across as forced. Not only that, but when Grace has to portray Mary while she is working out problems, there is almost no emotion in these segments. If not showing happiness, the audience would think that while Mary does challenging math work she would at least give off a sense of eagerness - racing to get the problem solved in a standoffish nature - or maybe more irritability that she has to do work well below her full capabilities. Instead we get a more robotic performance from the young actress. Sometimes it is difficult to cast the right child actor or actress for a role, and that seemed to be the case for "Gifted."
The movie does have good intentions, on the other hand. Mary is torn between two very different worlds by her uncle and grandmother. While her uncle, played by Chris Evans, is trying to keep her in public school so that she can be a kid like her mother would have wanted, her maternal grandmother is basically using her genius to complete a complex mathematical "proof" that her mother had started when she was alive. This poses a good philosophical discussion about whether Mary's happiness is more important or if she should work her mind since her capabilities are extraordinary. Letting the kid have fun just seems like common sense, but the question is posed nonetheless.
While "Gifted" is filled with great moments such as Mary standing up to a bully who ruins one of her classmates' art projects, you cannot help but notice cheesiness that is sprinkled throughout the film as well. A few scenes that focus on portraying Mary's grandmother as a villain are a little over the top to be honest. In a courtroom scene, the grandmother delivers a monologue while on the stand that clearly marks her as a villain, but it is filled with cliché "bad guy" remarks. The performance itself is fine, but the writing combined with the camera moving in on her face really forces a dismal tone upon the audience. It would be nice if there was more of a moral ambiguity in the portrayal of the two main adult characters in "Gifted." Evans is shown as all-good while Duncan is basically portrayed as all-bad, but a little gray area for the characters would make their presence more interesting.
All that being said, "Gifted," has some key flaws, but it is no means a bad movie. It is a nice, heartwarming film that can be enjoyed especially by families. Although Mckenna Grace's performance is not perfect, we can all learn from her character, Mary, and we can learn from the adults in this film how important their roles are in a child's life.
7/10
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
A Surprisingly Entertaining Movie
What a way to end a semester of good science fiction by watching Edge of Tomorrow. I remember seeing the trailer for this film during a Godzilla IMAX 3D screening, thinking it looked too much like a video game and that it looked so cliche. I didn't grasp the fact that it was like Groundhog Day meets Terminator, and the result was a great deal of fun.
First of all, this film has a good casting of leads/important characters, such as Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt (who I had not seen much of before this film) and Brendan Gleeson (who I LOVE in In Bruges). Some people hate Tom Cruise, and to that I say give the guy a chance with great roles under his belt such as the lead in Rain Man and a role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia which rightfully earned him an Oscar nomination. Emily Blunt is amazing as the "full metal b****" who does not give a damn, knocking out a soldier who nearly calls her by this name. And as for Gleeson, I guess he doesn't really do much, but I like him.
Going back to Tom Cruise, he plays an iconic spokesperson who has a high military rank, though he is more involved with advertising and wants little to do with actual battle. He is a coward who is sent on a journey to prove himself to be a very brave soldier.
The Groundhog Day aspect to this film provides a lot of laughs, focusing on funny ways that he dies early in the film and the way Emily Blunt's character kills him over and over again.
The premise of the film is kind of a stretch to believe, but then again this is science fiction; you either buy it or you don't. Cage is lucky enough to kill an "Alpha" with a claymore before dying, and the alpha's blood is splattered onto him and gives him the "ability" to reset the day as he dies. These aliens are unlike any we have seen before in alien invasion movies, looking like giant sea creatures with a type of "hair" that looks like the features of an anemone. Alphas are very rare amongst them, which are the ones that can reset the day, and their motivations are unknown, but they are a force that the world is fighting against. This is a very "us vs them" film promoting global unity to fight a threat.
You'll be pleasantly surprised with this gem; watch this film.
8/10
*This review is from 2015.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Julia Roberts At Her Best
AFI 100 Cheers. AFI 100 Heroes/Villains.
"Erin Brockovich" is a pleasant movie and one of the best projects from director Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh is a talented filmmaker who is able to direct movies from a wide range of genres. There are the "Ocean's" movies of course, which have a glamorous style of their own in terms of editing and prove to be fun and easy to watch. There are also strange, morbid and overly dark films such as "Unsane" which has a strange gimmick of being shot entirely on iPhone cameras. But somewhere in the middle, there is "Brockovich," a movie from the start of the millennium starring a talented cast including Aaron Eckhart, Albert Finney, and, who can forget in her Oscar-winning role, Julia Roberts.
This is such a solid character-driven movie, and almost every scene is fun to watch thanks to Julia Roberts. Act one is really interesting because you would not think to connect a traffic collision to the idea of a character getting a job, but that is exactly what happens. The titular character, Erin, is shown in a job interview at the start of the movie, and she has the right personality for the interview but lacks the experience. We feel for her as we learn she has three kids, she has been divorced twice, and she is basically broke. Once she gets in a traffic collision, she has trouble contacting the lawyer assigned to her case, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), so she figures if the people at the law firm cannot do their job, she will show up and do it for them. And we see that bold persistence in Erin throughout the duration of the film.
Erin is the type of human we should all aspire to be because her persistence and loyalty allows her to have a better work ethic even than her superiors. She does investigating on her own when she is given permission (barely) by Ed Masry, but this involves her doing her work away from the firm for a period of time, and she gets fired since everybody assumes she just left the job to "have fun." After all, most of the women working at that law firm have expressed their disliking of her due to the way that Erin dresses. But that is the thing about Erin - she could care less that she dresses in a revealing manner. It even helps her get information on the case she is working on. Masry asks Erin how she was able to obtain so much information that would help their case. Her response? "They're called boobs, Ed."
In terms of filmmaking, "Erin Brockovich" is nothing that is going to be remembered for its visuals or editing. It plays out like a typical movie - there are no iconic shots, there is no spectacular editing style, and the strongest aspects of the film are clearly its story and the performance by Julia Roberts. It is such a joy to watch Roberts in this performance and it definitely makes the movie feel more like a comedy than a serious drama. Audiences can probably look at it either way though since it is, above all, an inspiring flick.
Julia Roberts has never been better and she completely sells the movie.
9/10
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Great, But Not The Best Tarantino
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a grand fairy tale set in 1969 Hollywood when Hippie culture was clashing with the luxurious lifestyles of A-list celebrities who populated the area. Somewhere in the middle we have Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Pitt), a television actor and his stunt double/best friend who live somewhat modestly as Dalton struggles to make it "big." Dalton is also an alcoholic, and sometimes talks with a stammer which gives off a nervous vibe for the character. Early in the movie, Dalton becomes worried that he is a "has-been" since the offer he is getting is to star in some Spaghetti Westerns - a genre in film that he thinks is terrible for some reason. One final thing to note is that he lives next door to Sharon Tate and, more importantly, Roman Polanski, and he thinks it would be a big opportunity for him if he were to meet the director of Rosemary's Baby.
Anybody who is familiar with Tarantino can tell that in terms of cinematography, editing, and especially production design, this is clearly Tarantino at his best. There is a great sequence in the film that follows Rick Dalton as he acts in front of a camera for a Western in which he plays the antagonist. The audience is meant to see these scenes in this fictional movie as it is theoretically supposed to be edited together, but it is done in real time. At one point, when Dalton calls for a line and they have to "reset to 1," it is a representation of how filmmakers actually work as the camera pulls back to its original position and dissolves the illusion of the movie within the movie that we are watching. Every shot in this sequence is masterly crafted to give us the feeling that we are still watching Hollywood and not the Western, only we are seeing it from the point of view of the camera filming the Western. Above all, the framing of each shot is spectacular.
One thing that is extremely different in this movie compared to most Tarantino movies is actually the use of dialogue. Most of the dialogue in the film does not sound like Tarantino dialogue. Instead of standing out with elaborate metaphors and analogies, a lot of the dialogue simply moves the story along in Hollywood. That is not to say that the dialogue is never in the spirit of Tarantino. There is plenty of dialogue in the film that proves to make the audience laugh out loud, yet what the characters say is not particularly smart or witty in the Tarantino fashion. Regardless, it is nice to see a Tarantino movie where more focus was put on the visuals and structure of the movie rather than making sure the dialogue was top-notch the whole time.
If this film shaved off about 20 or 30 minutes it would be almost perfect. Unfortunately, a lot of the movie drags since there is only a little excitement spread here and there throughout - that is, except for the last 15 or 20 minutes. The most exciting actor to watch in this movie is definitely Brad Pitt. In Inglourious Basterds, Pitt had to put on a ridiculous accent for a character who was decent at best. In this film, he does almost the opposite - Cliff Booth has a quiet and reserved nature about him, yet he is intimidating to watch once we learn about this mysterious past which disturbs other characters in the movie to think about (think Hans Landa saying "I love rumors" at the beginning of Basterds). Tension that is built in scenes involving Booth is the closest we ever come to a scene with the quality of the opening of Basterds. We simply do not know what Booth is going to do next when placed in dangerous situations.
Overall, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood proves to be an enjoyable experience. While it feels a little too long, it is funny throughout, it looks great in terms of visuals and production design, and it has great performances by all three of its stars. It is not top-tier Tarantino, but it is a great movie nonetheless.
9/10
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Review from 2015, A Perfect Movie
I remember that this was my second Tarantino film. A few days before, I watched Reservoir Dogs with my brother, introducing me to Tarantino movies, and I was ecstatic that my Dad agreed to take me to Inglourious Basterds since the trailers made it look like a good revenge film. I was surprised that the film went beyond this notion and was simply fantastic overall, leaving me smiling as I left the theater.
Let me just say, the early trailers for this film are deceiving. They make it appear that the premise is simply Brad Pitt and his men killing Nazis in a brutal manner throughout. This is definitely not the case, and actually touches on subjects I never would have imagined. Tarantino shows his knowledge for German cinema throughout as the main character of the B plot - Shoshanna - comes to own a cinema, and the Nazis are dealing with where they should hold the premiere for the new film by Joseph Goebbels - Nation's Pride.
The villain, played by Christoph Waltz, is such an amazing character to watch. At certain points, he exhibits intellect and detective skills near Sherlock Holmes levels, and at other times he makes us laugh with how out of touch he is with certain customs. The first twenty minutes of the film is almost fully dedicated to this Hans Landa, and it proves to be among the best sequences Tarantino has ever written.
I fully believe this film had a better screenplay than Django Unchained, but to me, it makes sense that the academy went with The Hurt Locker for best original screenplay. It makes sense not because The Hurt Locker fully deserved it, but because The Hurt Locker was a film that this country needed in 2009 to shape our perspective on the war being fought over seas.
While Inglourious Basterds is not an accurate depiction of World War II or one of the most important World War II films, it is certainly one of the most fun to watch. It is tense, funny, crowd-pleasing, and at the same time it is a very smart movie with well-developed characters, an intricate plot, meta characteristics, and above all, extremely well-written. This now holds the spot of my 2nd favorite film by Quentin Tarantino, behind Pulp Fiction.
10/10
This review was written in 2015.
Paris, Texas (1984)
Great Film, Only a Few Flaws
Paris, Texas is a beautiful film from critically-acclaimed director Wim Wenders. It tackles a wide range of themes from family and betrayal, to reunion and tragedy. It is not a movie for the masses; it is carefully crafted and meticulously plotted to go beyond simply evoking emotion from the audience - it devastates anybody with a heart and soul who would attempt to watch it. Admittedly, it does take a while to start become intriguing, but we are fully invested in Travis by the halfway point of the movie.
One of the best aspects of Paris, Texas is the brilliant yet subtle performance from its lead actor, Harry Dean Stanton. In roughly the first twenty minutes of the movie, Stanton is silent and his performance is all body language. We are introduced to him as he aimlessly walks around fields and barren landscapes somewhere in Texas. He tries to drink water from a random spigot and is disappointed when nothing comes out, yet he still keeps walking on with unexplained intentions. News of his appearance at a hospital reaches his brother, Walt, who comes to "save" him, and this proves to be a sort of humorous sequence in which Walt talks at Travis while Travis remains silent and mysterious until the story demands him to speak. Travis becomes more and more talkative gradually throughout the film, and is the most obvious changing feature of his character arc. This movie is essentially a telling of the re-birth of its protagonist, Travis, and we should not have it any other way.
The way the plot is structured makes it follow an almost untraditional path. In the time slot that would normally be considered act one, Paris, Texas seems unsure of where it is going, and this is in part because the characters are unsure of what to do and do not have a set goal in mind. The protagonist, Travis, does not set a plan for himself until about halfway through the movie, and because of this, the second half of Paris, Texas is clearly the better half.
The dominant theme that appears in this movie is the questioning of what family means and what constitutes a "true" family. Half an hour into the film, it is finally revealed through dialogue between Travis and Walt that Travis used to have a wife and child, and the child, Hunter, is currently being housed and cared for by Walt and his wife Anne, who are the boy's aunt and uncle. They are extremely attached to Hunter since they have raised him for about half of his life (he is almost 8 in the movie) so it stirs up some controversy when Walt decides to bring Travis home and reintroduce him to his biological son. It does bring out the good in Travis, however, who longs for a connection and feels ashamed when Hunter does not want to walk home with him because "everybody drives" and nobody walks anymore. This is clearly an excuse that he really just does not trust his dad.
The best scenes of the film are clearly in the second half of the movie, but they will not be discussed in order to avoid spoilers. Without giving too much away, it is safe to say that Paris, Texas is a beautiful, emotional journey that deals with the notion of family, and above all, it is a mature movie. Anybody with a heart will appreciate this film, unless the viewer has never experienced heartbreak over family.
9/10
Kis Uykusu (2014)
A Great Drama, But a Little Long
Winter Sleep won the Palme D'or at Cannes Film Festival in 2014. That is an impressive achievement, something that was accomplished by Tarantino's Pulp Fiction in 1994. It is the highest honor at the Cannes Film Festival. However, watching the over-3-hour picture proves to be at least somewhat of a chore. If the conversations in the film were not so enticing, Winter Sleep would feel like it is longer than 5 hours. Winter Sleep is a very simple movie and a great drama at that, but audiences will not take too kindly to its length.
Winter Sleep is comparable to Richard Linklater meeting The Green Mile: there is a lot of philosophical/ethical conversation going on the film which links back to Linklater, but it has the length of a slow drama such as The Green Mile. Though most of the scenes in this movie could be cut down significantly in length yet still have the same effect, every conversational scene in Winter Sleep plays out as if the entire conversation is portrayed. Most of the conversations in this movie involve the protagonist, Aydin, and the editing style of this movie makes you feel like you are truly a part of each conversation and not just observing each one from afar. That being said, this movie plays out like a long stage play, so it is definitely not for everyone, especially audience members that go to the movies for a sense of excitement. If you want to connect to characters, then you will probably enjoy this flick, but forget it if you are expecting any action whatsoever.
The main character Aydin is an interesting character to study. He is quite unlikable for a few different reasons. The first thing revealed about him in the movie is that he is a landlord, and like any landlord he butts heads with his tenants. On top of that, he is an arrogant writer who tends to look down on almost everybody around him, and he cannot accept criticism that well, even from his beloved sister. He can also prove to be quite indifferent to other people: he barely shows any emotion when informing one of his tenants that he owes 100 more liras than he had led him to believe for a replacement window for his friend's car.
One of the most interesting aspects of the movie is Aydin's failing relationship with his much younger wife, Nihal. One of the best sequences of the film is when Aydin and Nihal have a petty argument about whether Aydin should even be allowed in his house while Nihal is hosting a fundraiser meeting for the organization she is a part of. This leads to Aydin to verbally attack her several scenes later when he realizes his wife has no idea what she is doing in terms of bookkeeping for the funds raised. This may not sound too interesting, but the way it plays out in the film makes it intriguing to follow the conversation and see where and what it will lead to.
Winter Sleep is a great character study that could probably shave off at least 20 minutes of its duration and maintain the same effect on audiences. This is a movie to make you think rather than to excite you, and if you like philosophical discussion then you will love Winter Sleep. It is definitely not a movie for everyone, but those who appreciate slow dramas and good character development will praise this as a great film.
8/10
The Lion King (2019)
Very Faithful to Original
The Lion King remake might not be as stunning as the original, but it holds up to be a solid film that has only a few key differences from the beloved classic in terms of the story. If you were to watch both versions back to back, other than the obvious difference of 2D animation versus CGI animation, they would seem almost identical. Some critics have complained about how identical the two versions are since it means that Favreau's version does not take many new risks. Making a film unique should always be a priority, but how can we really expect the filmmakers to try to improve a movie that is already hailed as one of the best by Disney? 2019's The Lion King is only a little disappointing due to its faithfulness to the original, but hey, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
One problem some critics have with this version of The Lion King is that the type of animation does not allow for human emotions in the characters' faces as the 2D animation allowed in the original. This is an understandable criticism of the film, but you have to remember, the characters are animals, so do they really need to show human emotion? Even without emotion in the facial expressions, emotional scenes in this film still cause the audience to feel and sympathize for the characters in the movie. There is more than one way to evoke emotions from the audience members - Hans Zimmer's score (again) is very effective in that famous scene which revolves around Mufasa. The score with the combination of fear in young Simba's voice was able to bring a tear to this critic's eye.
The biggest disappointment in this movie compared to the original is the character of Scar. First of all, his only song in the original, "Be Prepared," is cut extremely short in this remake. Scar basically sings one verse of the song in this version and then it ends; it is extremely abrupt, and the hyenas have no involvement in the song at all. On top of that, compared to the original voice actor, Ejiofor's voice barely sounds menacing at all. If anything, his voice is very monotonous in his role as Scar and does not show a wide range of emotion like in the original. Speaking of voice acting, Beyonce shines as Nala in both voice acting and singing, whereas Donald Glover proves to sing well in his role, but sounds like a teenager when voice acting for adult Simba. Just like in the original, adult Simba is in about a third of the movie, and Glover does not seem to contribute to the character as much as Broderick did in the original.
What Favreau and the screenwriter add to this movie proves to be enjoyable. There is a great throwback to the original during "Hakuna Matata" in this version, and only die-hard fans will notice the joke, but it is a very smart breaking of the fourth wall. Timon and Pumbaa also make a reference to another classic Disney movie. Disney making fun of itself; this is the first time since Ralph Breaks The Internet that Disney has chosen to do that, and it is cool the executives at Disney can have a sense of humor about their movies.
While the remake of The Lion King might not be as solid as the original, it still proves to be an enjoyable throwback if you don't mind seeing a movie that is almost identical to the first one.
7/10
Crawl (2019)
You Know What You're Getting Into
Crawl is a good movie to watch if you want something simple to pass the time and make you tremble at the end of your seat from time to time. Basically, it is an R-rated B-movie that does not hold back on the carnage of alligator attacks at all. It is not trying to be a masterpiece like other horror films from this year (most notably Midsommar), and you know what? That is okay.
Act one of this movie actually is not as bad as most B-movie introductions prove to be. We are introduced to a young woman athlete (a swimmer, perfect for a gator movie) named Hailey, who remembers from her childhood the words of her father when she failed to win at a swim meet, and those words are "you are an apex predator." Basically it does not matter if she wins or loses because Hailey is a fierce competitor, but they have to phrase it in a fun way because, you know, it is an alligator B-movie horror flick! Act one wraps up nicely in about twenty to twenty-five minutes once Hailey finds her dad injured at her childhood home during a hurricane and is caught off-guard when she discovers an alligator in the basement.
You know how stories are more interesting when there is conflict involved? Well Crawl has a bunch of conflict sprinkled throughout the movie, most of which is either an alligator attacking somebody who can possibly help Hailey and her father, or an obstacle that Hailey and/or her dad faces as they are trying to avoid being torn apart by a giant reptile. This is a reason why horror movies tend to have mass appeal - they are loaded with conflict every which way, especially in a monster flick like Crawl.
One problem with the movie is that it would be more exciting if some characters aside from Hailey and her father were better at fighting the alligator. The point of the alligator being able to devour people trying to help is meant to increase tension for the audience, but it would prove to be more fun if some of the human characters were able to put up more of a fight.
This next point is not unexpected when thinking about B-movies in general, but man, some plot points and other aspects of the movie almost serve no purpose whatsoever. The writer or writers made it a point to include a dog in the movie named Sugar probably just so that we would constantly hope it is not harmed during the story. But here's the thing: for most of the movie, the dog is completely safe since it does not go down to the basement and is essentially nowhere near the water, so the alligator can't swim up to the dog. Also, there is a random shot in the movie focusing on eggs that the alligator has laid, and we see one baby alligator come from these eggs, but then we do not return to this at all later in the movie. It seems that might have been thrown in just to tease the possibility of a sequel.
Basically with Crawl, the movie is exactly as advertised, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. If you're looking for a simple movie where humans fight a monster, this is a great one to turn to. However, don't be surprised if you come across some random plot points that do not get resolved later on. The movie is solid, and if you know it is not trying to be Oscar-caliber then you will probably have fun with it.
7/10
Akira (1988)
Ambitious, but Too Much Packed into One Movie
TOP RATED MOVIE IMDB
Akira, like other famous anime films, can prove to be quite bizarre at times. Trying to explain the premise of the movie is challenging since the story takes a while to focus on a main plot rather than three or four different subplots.
The movie starts with what appears to be a bombing of Tokyo in 1988, then quickly jumps to the year 2019 (hey that's this year!) and the city of "Neo Tokyo." A bike gang with key members Kaneda and Tetsuo becomes the focus of the film as we simultaneously see a civil war happening in the city due to lousy tax reforms which upset the citizens. On top of all that, there exist three children with psychic abilities who are being monitored and cared for by a group of military members and scientists who are concerned that a mysterious being Akira will be unleashed in the near future. The last important thing to note is that Tetsuo gains psychic abilities after interacting with one of these psychic children at the beginning of the movie. It only gets stranger after all of that.
As can be seen from the last paragraph, Akira is a movie that could be helped if it did not pack so much into one story. The plot is so convoluted that it is honestly difficult at times to tell who the true protagonist of the movie is. From the cover art on the box of the blu-ray disc as well as the first fifteen minutes of Akira, the protagonist seems to be Kaneda, and one would think the movie would primarily about him as a leader of a bike gang, but as noted above, the focus of this movie is all over the place.
The writer/director's choice to set this story in the middle of a civil war is interesting yet strange to dissect. As we get further into the story, we are led to believe that the explosion or bombing at the beginning of the story might have been a result of the titular mysterious being, Akira. Once Tetsuo receives his new abilities, the group of military and scientists begin to talk about Akira as a sort of common enemy that will unleash hell on Neo Tokyo due to catastrophic events in the past. This notion is reminiscent of people in power uniting against a common enemy in the graphic novel Watchmen, and the visuals surrounding the common enemy are strikingly similar as well. With all this in mind, this part of the story is almost to no avail since the common people in this movie are always seen fighting with the government. This common enemy never seems to fully unite them, but rather causes a ceasefire between the two parties.
That last thing to discuss about this film is its rating of R. It receives that rating due to graphic violence and brief nudity, both of which do appear in the film, but this film can easily be catered towards younger audiences if the nudity was dropped from the film. In the scene that involves nudity, it is heavily implied that members of a rival bike gang are going to attempt to rape a woman, but they only undo her top in the scene before they are stopped. If they are stopped even earlier than this, then this film could probably receive a PG-13 rating since the violence in the film is more cartoonish than disturbing.
Akira is definitely not a film for everyone. Ultimately it tries to pack too much into its 2-hour runtime but it is ambitious in nature, so it at least deserves some respect.
6/10
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
One of the Best Superhero Movies Out There
It has been 15 years since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 was released in theaters, but it has not aged poorly. In fact, it still holds up today as one of the best superhero movies ever made. Peter Parker's character arc in this installment of the Spider-Man franchise is better than ever as his subconscious desire to stop being Spider-Man takes him on what can only be described as an emotional rollercoaster. And once again, this story is very much about Parker's desire to be with Mary Jane, even though he rejected her at the conclusion of Raimi's first Spider-Man movie from two years prior.
One big feature of Spider-Man 2 is the presence of a villain that exceeds the villain of the previous movie in almost every way. Alfred Molina steals the show as Doctor Octavius, or Doc Ock for short, a power-hungry scientist who tries to harness an element named Tridium so he can have "the power of the sun in the palm of his hand." In order to harness the element, however, he builds mechanical arms with artificial intelligence, but things go awry, of course, and he succumbs to the will of these arms when a chip that allows him to maintain control breaks. Octavius' evil motivations are combined from both his own mind and the will of his mechanical arms, so unlike Green Goblin in the previous installment, he is not a villain who goes mad due to insanity being a side effect of a drug. Doc Ock is more well-developed as an antagonist.
Another subplot in the film focuses on Harry Osborn becoming obsessed with longing for Spider-Man's death for the "murder" of his father, Norman. While this subplot ultimately makes sense (most people would seek justice for murder) it does not take up a whole lot of screen time, and it seems to be rather repetitive. It is almost as if every time we see Harry on-screen, he is in the same petty mood as before, drowning his sorrows for the loss of his father, but with nothing new to say each time he appears. Franco's acting chops are good in a scene when he confronts Peter at a banquet while he is clearly intoxicated, but the entire subplot could have been handled better to make Harry's hatred more genuine.
The best movies demand a strong character arc from their protagonists, and this movie does just that. Though it might seem repetitive if thinking about the first Spider-Man movie while watching this one, a lot of the story revolves around Parker struggling to be with Mary Jane, but this time around it is because he has too much responsibility as he balances being Spider-Man, going to school, and trying to find work. This is definitely the most emotional Spider-Man movie to date. His losing his abilities as Spider-Man is a subconscious warning to him that being a hero may no longer be in the cards for Peter Parker. He also struggles to be honest with his Aunt May in this movie, and this leads up to one of the best moments in the history of Spider-Man cinema.
With a brilliant character arc for Peter Parker, good subplots, and a much greater villain than its predecessor, Spider-Man 2 still shines as a brilliant superhero movie 15 years later.
9/10
Spider-Man (2002)
Great Balance of Humor and Drama
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is full of iconic moments that have been referenced in other movies. The scene in which a single drop of Parker's blood alerts Norman Osborn to his presence is quickly alluded to in the animated film Hoodwinked, although I suppose the argument could be made that was actually inspired by Mission: Impossible. The famous upside-down kiss between Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, however, is certainly unique and it is clearly this moment that is referenced in a montage at the beginning of Shrek 2. Spider-Man definitely raised the bar for action movies and superhero movies alike when it was released, but has the film aged well? Let's dive in.
The movie opens with a voiceover monologue by Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire in this universe) in which it is apparent he is talking to the audience, asking if we want to know who he is. Starting a movie with the use of voiceover can be risky since it might indicate heavy use of voiceover later in the film, which is not ideal for a visual medium; most would choose the "show don't tell method." Luckily, voiceover is only used to project Parker's thoughts a few times in the film, and since it is used sparingly, it proves to be effective and not a nuisance at all.
While this is obviously an action movie and a superhero movie, the writing gives the film a pace that lets it unfold like a slow drama. Unlike the current Marvel Studios Spider-Man movies, this movie is smart at picking where and how to be funny rather than trying to force humor down the audience's throat every minute. Guess what? This doesn't make Spider-Man any less entertaining than Homecoming or Far From Home. The way this movie was written, it knows which scenes demand humor and which demand drama.
While the humor and drama in Raimi's movie balance each other out, the drama is handled especially well. As Parker states at the movie's opening, this story is all about a girl: Mary Jane Watson (not unlike Homecoming). The way Maguire plays the role, it is interesting to see this shy and awkward high school boy gradually build up his nerve to talk to and express himself to the girl he has liked since he was a child. We root for Maguire's Peter Parker as he slowly comes out of his shell as we simultaneously laugh with Spider-Man as he discovers and tests out his powers. As far as the relationships go in this movie they are generally well-handled, but Mary Jane Watson starting to date Harry Osborn is glossed over, and their relationship is underdeveloped as well.
Spider-Man may play out like a slow drama, but that does not mean it is not exciting. As stated above, the sequences in which Parker discovers his new powers and tests them for himself prove to be particularly entertaining, although some skills seem to be mastered way too quickly (his fast reflexes saving MJ and her food is almost corny). It is also very interesting how the movie employs a montage to combine action sequences with an explanation of how Parker is able to get such good photographs of himself fighting crime. The action sequences between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin are fine overall, but the Goblin is honestly an underwhelming villain in this movie. Early in the movie the writer quickly throws in a reason for his insanity (one side effect of the performance enhancers is literally "insanity" according to one of Osborn's employees) and his plan to join with Spider-Man to - uh, wreak havoc? - is very poorly explained.
Raimi's Spider-Man proves to be an entertaining drama that does not overplay its use of comedy. There is a great balance between the drama, humor, and action in this movie, making it a great experience for all ages and a visually remarkable movie.
8/10
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Clashing Romantic Comedy and Marvel
Is Spider-Man: Far From Home one of the best films to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, no, but does it provide quality entertainment that we expect from Marvel Studios in 2019? Yes and no. Comparing Tom Holland's Spider-Man to the previous live-action Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) is a difficult process. He fits the role well since Holland looks like a toddler in comparison to both Maguire and Garfield, and we can actually believe that he is a high school student as he should be (with the exception of Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, in which Maguire plays Peter Parker in his college years).
Getting an actor who looks the part is one thing, but just like with Homecoming, the writers of Far From Home try to throw rapid-fire jokes at the audience like Groucho Marx, and in the first hour of the film, about ninety percent of these jokes fall flat. Granted, most of the attempts at humor are not necessarily "cringe-worthy" bad; they just fail to hit the mark. Perhaps the writers are catering the humor in the film more towards teenagers than the general public since a lot of the humor revolves around relationships between students on the vacation and the awkwardness that can come from such relationships. This movie is like a teenage romantic comedy combined with a Marvel Studios film.
Okay, so the comedy in the film seems to be overplayed, but what about the general story? The story in Far From Home proves to be a big improvement from Homecoming, even though certain aspects are unoriginal in the superhero genre. When Iron Man 3 was released, critics were comparing Guy Pearce's villain to Syndrome from The Incredibles. Without giving too much away, the same argument can be made about the villain in this film, so now we have two Syndrome knock-offs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Or maybe Syndrome should be considered a knock-off of these villains if this is how the villains were portrayed in the comics?
Peter's part of the story, however, turns out to be a great feature of this movie. As noted above, Far From Home plays out as a romantic comedy for teenagers, so naturally, a lot of this movie deals with Peter's interest in M.J. and his adorably awkward way he goes about trying to get her attention. Since a lot of Peter's character arc deals with what he would rather focus on (M.J. or being Spider-Man) it proves to be a similar - though not identical - character arc to the one featured in Spider-Man 2, the best Spider-Man movie to date.
In terms of visuals and filmmaking, Far From Home proves to be pretty spectacular. The "fight scenes" between Spider-Man and the main villain are jaw-dropping and almost frightening since they have the audience constantly questioning what is real and whether or not the audience is on an acid trip during these sequences (not even kidding). It is beyond impressive - the editing, cinematography, and special effects blend together in these nightmarish sequences to put the audience at a feeling of unease.
Far From Home surpasses Homecoming in quality, but it is neither the best of the best nor the worst of the worst in terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is a solid movie that tries to jam humor down your throat early on, but gradually becomes a well-rounded cinematic experience towards its second half.
7/10