fpcholcomb Reviews

Drive My Car (2021)

A Slow Drive to Meaning

[8/10 · 30 May 2024]

Drive my car is entrancingly meditative exploration of the human condition. It is many things at once, but above all it is loyal to the artifice of film. It is chock-full of beautiful, atmospheric, slow, and deliberate shots that mirror the tone of the narrative. Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a master at cultivating a tremendous aura with excellent cinematography. He weaves a beautiful tapestry and invites the viewer to commune with the characters and the poetry they speak. He lets the text illuminate the inner truths it wishes to explore. Yet at no point does it feel preachy or over encumbered. It engenders empathy by including the viewer in characters most intimate moments and does not shy away from displaying the pain and hurt that comes along with the complexity of love and loss.

The beginning is almost feels akin to a lucid dream, characters monologue to each other with a dryness and distance. The main character Yusuke Kafuku, played expertly by Hidetoshi Nishijima, is morose and aloof. Pain has been a defining characteristic of his life since tragedy struck early in his marriage. He is childless, but he and his wife create together in the form of poetry and plays. His name sounds like Kafka, which is fitting to say the least. Kafuku is a classical Russian literature archetype, like a Dostoevsky character his pain does not allow him to fully integrate into his surroundings and it is the source of the friction underlying the plot. He is a relatively famous actor who mostly participates in avant-garde plays, characterized by the blending of many languages into universal humanistic stories, but he does not appear to take any joy from his success. He is not angry nor self-flagellating, he just chooses not to engage with difficult truths, and it stifles his ability to thrive.

The titular car that he must allow others to drive is an older red Saab that he meticulously maintains. He drives it while listening to a tape of his wife reciting script lines. This helps him both learn the play intimately, but it also is a way to connect with his wife rather than communicating direct. His life is not a happy one, but one of stalwart perseverance and artistic expression. Throughout the course of the plot, he meets a young driver named Misaki Watari played by Toko Miura, who is forced upon him by a job opportunity he accepts. Driving was a controlled experience for him, something he did not like to surrender to someone else. But as the film progresses the ritualistic driving of the car becomes an integral part of his characters progression, and the progression of Misaki as well. The symbolism of lettering someone else drive his car is deep and profound.

While the film is a compelling character study of Kafuku, it is not without flaws. Some of the supporting performances did not compel me. The film is also extraordinarily long. I enjoyed most of the runtime, but I cannot recommend this to the average movie goer, it will bore them. If I am honest certain scenes, particularly the table read scenes, bored me as well. But ultimately there is a character to this film that I find incredibly endearing.

Critically, the filmography is enrapturing, and even when the plot creeps along, the meticulous framing of each shot, the cigarette drags, the highways, the coastlines, it's just a delight to look at. Layered in with these beautiful shots is a tone of quiet and meditative contemplation that is a pleasure to observe. Drive my Car is excellent and idiosyncratic, and certainly worth a view for anyone who can appreciate its nuances and will not be fatigued by its leisurely pace.

Memories of Murder (2003)

A Complex and Engaging Masterpiece

[10/10 · 6 March 2024]

Memories of Murder is one of the best detective procedurals I have ever seen. It seamlessly interweaves historical commentary on bureaucratic injustice and misallocation of resources with a wearily heavy human tale about the tole a rash of serial killings took on both the detectives working the case and the small town in which the killings occurred.

To make things even more interesting it is based on the crimes of a real serial killer that, until 2019, had not been caught. At the time of making this film, director Bong Joon Ho did not know who did the killings, what he looked like, or what his motive was. That fact, along with the chilling nature of the murders and the political climate in South Korea for a majority of the 80s, created the perfect backdrop for an utterly enrapturing film.

Memories of Murder begins by showcasing the lack of professionalism, technology, or competent police officers in the small town's police force. A murder has occurred, and yet the police cannot keep the crime scene free of children, journalists, and other onlookers. Even more egregious, their own officers cannot protect the integrity of the crime scene which in turn decreases the likelihood of finding actionable evidence. It is a far cry from the taped off meticulously investigated scenes of contemporary American detective films, where preternaturally gifted lawmen put their skills to good use.

I found Memories approach quite hilarious at first. Things are clearly escalating to a degree the place and time is not ready for and the cops are more concerned with looking good for the papers than actually solving the crime. You can tell they are not equipped to deal with what is going to come next. However, when the police begin doing their best to close things up quickly by pinning the crime on a mentally handicapped man on a hunch that he may be responsible because he had a habit of following the murder girl, the film expertly turns those feelings on its head. It also never wastes time leaving more concrete clues for meticulous watches to pick up on.

But the police officers start beating confessions out of people and even scoff at the mere suggestion of more in-depth police work. Song Kang-ho and Kim Roe-ha, each playing two small town detectives, have such a great screen presence and dynamic that their sinister efforts still have a degree of levity to them, but the film is making a salient point about police abuses during a time and place where the people who are supposed to act as protectors of the people were also lackeys for an authoritarian regime, putting down student protests while ignoring and writing off real crimes.

Despite the police's best efforts to open and shut the case, more people end up dead, and the tone of the film continues to shift. The police chief in charge of things is cycled out and a big city detective comes into town to help. While the local cops continue to bumble and beat their way through things, going off hunches and eyeballing perps, the city cop starts doing some real police work. This creates interpersonal drama between members of the police force who struggle to deal with rapid changes in both the case and bureaucratic climate, and thus feel threatened. The sins some of the officers commit will certainly come back to take their pound of flesh.

Essentially the film establishes humanistic drama between its characters, while making poignant cultural commentary, all the while having an engaging serial killer investigation run in the foreground. In is a deeply woven tapestry of themes hinging on just how savage and depraved these murders were. The cops are at a loss to fathom just what kind of person would do such heinous things, and their immediate inkling is to look to the downtrodden and disabled, but what if the killer is just a common man? What if the evil within is not reflected without?

In the end, the director casts his vision outward, talking in broad strokes directly to his audience, trying to have them come face to face with the reality of evil in this world, and what exactly it looks like. This film is ingenious in both concept and execution and leaves me rattled each time I watch it. It does not get old either, the meticulously framed shots and nuanced writing and performances always present something to engage with that you might have missed focusing just on the plot. Every aspect of filming on display here is overwhelmingly successful in what it attempts to do. I consider Memories of Murder to be one of the top 50 films ever made and readily recommend it.

Aftersun (II) (2022)

After Aftersun

[8/10 · 3 March 2024]

Aftersun is a guided tour of a difficult and scattered memory. What it lacks in engaging plot it makes up for in earnest and heartfelt presentation. It uses a unique poetic language to achieve a contemplative tone that at the same time seems definitive in its message.

If you sat back right now and thought about time you spent with a loved one, memories would come in waves. The ebb and flow of the tide would be guided by the thoughts and emotions you felt during a time and place rather than a specific linear narrative of your life. Aftersun uses several visual motifs to convey this experience, particularly of intimate moments with the main characters' father. I do not know the story of director/writer Charlotte Wells, but this felt deeply personal and intimate in a way that I suspect many will find enrapturing. Nothing evidenced this more than my dislike of some of the artistic choices here. There are epileptic rave scenes interspersed throughout the film which, while thematically important, gave me headaches (I much, much preferred the camcorder aesthetic utilized in the beginning of the film to convey the setting). Moreover, the film didn't have to be completely devoid of actual plot to achieve what it wanted and the some of the supporting cast gave wooden and stilted performances. The scenes in the present day are totally tertiary too and seem like they exist just to say, hey remember this is all a memory that someone still struggles with, but that was already apparent, and it felt redundant. But despite me not liking some of the traditional aspects of her filmmaking, I still loved this film. That is precisely because it felt like such an honest and individualized effort from Wells in a time when many of the big budget films feel like they are made by committee with the intent specifically to pander to one demographic or another. Wells could have made a "better" film, but it might not have been her film, and then it surely would lose something in the process.

I would be remiss if I did not mention how great the two leads, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, are. On screen they feel as though they have known each other a lifetime and that is no easy feat. They also convey depression in what felt all too real. This film demands you sit with them and empathize with them in an incredibly effective way, and that is due in no small part to their performances.

Aftersun deeply resonated with me and by the time the credits rolled it had me in a headspace where I could more deeply appreciate fond memories I had of my own youth. Human experience can often feel solipsistic, but films like this help us move out of our own head and realize the rich inner life that exists in all of us, and it invoked a sense of love and appreciation in me that speaks to the films inherent value. If you can't tell by now, I recommend this film. I also recommend you call your loved ones and express how much they mean to you, because the time we have is finite, and this will all just be a memory someday.

Skinamarink (2022)

Alone in the Dark

[8/10 · 28 December 2023]

Skinamarink is listless. It is the slowest of slow burn, interested only in cultivating an aesthetic horror that invokes a specific kind of childhood fear. I found it terrifying.

The movie is a series of slow shots from the perspective of two small children living in an eerily dark home and at no point is the movie interested in deviating from the atmosphere it creates. It immediately feels off, but it does not supply the viewer with any meaningful information as to why until well into the film, and even then it does not explain much. This decision will lose a lot of people. But for those that remain attentive and can move past some of the movies flaws, they will be in for an unsettling and creepy experience.

Skinamarink does not have a hook at the beginning like most horror movies do, like an introductory murder or haunting. It is uncompromising in its desire to wallow in the frightened perspective of these young children. Total immersion, for better or worse.

Personally, I really respect the dedication to vision even if it so clearly will alienate many viewers. I myself found the movie absolutely fascinating and, importantly, frightening. It worked on me. I know I was afraid of the dark as a child, but it is difficult for me to remember exactly what that felt like. This movie evokes some of those old feelings, fearing the enigmatic darkness that surrounds me at night. When you are young, the world feels large even if you are mostly confined to your home. At night, even if your parents are nearby in their bedroom, the darkness can play tricks on you. In Skinamarink, the darkness is literally does. It is such a simple, primal kind of horror that I am surprised has not been explored more.

Maybe some of the reception to this film answers that question for me. Most people will not like this film. It is almost certainly too long. It could have achieved everything it wanted to do and come in under an hour. Some shots are far less inspired than others, window dressing for the more creatively composed imagery. There could have been more audio, more exposition, more diverse ideas infused into the horror house. But in my opinion Skinamarink is a success. Outside of the first 30 minutes I was on edge. The jump scares that are employed are done in the least cheap way possible, often telegraphing themselves and then scaring you anyways. The imagery was dreary but also engaging, Legos strewn on the carpet, a splatter of blood on a door, your parents faced away from you on their bed. There is a lot of interesting less is more cinematography here that deserves praise.

Skinamarink is worth a watch especially if you have the patience to make it through the slower parts, and the diligence to allow yourself to not fully understand what is on the screen. It drops you in the darkness without much rhyme or reason and in conveys a specific, unsettling feeling of creepiness and trepidation. It is interesting, aesthetic horror. Just don't ask me to explain the title.

Dream Scenario (2023)

A Dream of a Scenario

[9/10 · 3 December 2023]

Dreams are a fascinating phenomenon. The malleability of a dreamscape is a source of endless possibility, reaching into the depths of one's mind manifesting unconscious thoughts. Dream Scenario plays with this concept in clever ways through both its cinematography and plot. Borgli smartly uses quick cuts and rapid changes in lighting to blur the line between the dreamscape and reality of the film, mirroring the main character's journey.

Nick Cage plays an incredibly banal and painful uncool man named Paul who gets thrust into the public spotlight as a result of his spontaneous and miraculous popping up in people's dreams. At first, this is a boon to his otherwise unextraordinary life. He uses it to impress his kids, to entertain his students, and to impassion his wife. Crucially however, Paul has not changed. He is not his dream self. The way he is perceived by society is not a product of his reality. In this way his fame is wholly arbitrary. Instead, his reality becomes a product of the way he is perceived. There is a clear satirical bend to having fame thrust on such an unexceptional person and it produces some genuine laughs, but I also loved how the film could marry that comedy with sinister undertones.

Paul, like all of us, wants to be special. And if he was always thinking clearly, he would realize that having a loving wife and two children is something special in and of itself. He would realize that he cannot be the man of people's dreams. Still, the intoxicating appeal of fame is understandable, and he remains a sympathetic if pitiable and painfully uncool protagonist. It is difficult to look away while his life gets spun off in directions he had no ability to predict.

Dream Scenario has much to say about the price of fame, the desire to be great, and the dangers of technology affecting the way we connect with each other. But it has in equal or greater measure some profoundly funny moments built upon an incredibly raw and earnest performance from Cage (reminiscent of his work in Adaptation). Some of the commentary was a little on the nose, and I would have liked to see a bit more character transformation from Cage, but the shot composition, smart writing, and dedicated performance from Cage really make this film worthwhile.

Tampopo (1985)

Appetizing and Endearing

[9/10 · 2 December 2023]

Tampopo is an irreverent and ingenious film. The main thrust of the plot is deceptively simple, a trucker (Goro) helps a single mother (Tampopo) turn her Ramen shop into a reputable business with the help of a colorful cast of characters. But the primary plot is constantly sidelined for little vignettes of other people's lives, primarily during shared meals or moments of indulgent mastication. The film ends up as a kind of freeform exploration of how people's relationships and memories are tied inextricably to food, or more specifically the act of preparing and eating local cuisines, while also being a successful charming tale of a small up-and-coming ramen shop.

The theme of Tampopo is not exactly subtle, but it is presented so earnestly and creatively that it still hits incredibly hard, the most obvious example is a family enjoying a final meal prepared by a dying mother, a final expression of her love that they will always connect with that simple rice dish. Everyone can relate to having meals that are indelibly connected to their childhood and in particular their mother's home cooking. Memories made all the more powerful when we are no longer able to create new ones with a person.

This message is only bolstered by the absolute devotion Tampopo (the character) has to becoming a successful, and perhaps more importantly, artisanal Ramen chef. It is impossible for the viewer not to be on her side after seeing how dedicated she is to her vocation, and with such passion. Her enthusiasm is infectious and endearing. Goro sees this almost immediately, and for what at first may seem inexplicable reasons, seems to put his life on hold to help her achieve this end.

Most of the nuts and bolts of the plot are someone cartoonish, but in a lighthearted and charming way. Goro is styled as a John Wayne-esq cowboy hero even if the vast majority of what he is doing is just working with Tampopo on her ramen recipe and technique. Tsutomu Yamazaki plays the character straight, adding to his charm. All the side characters are interesting too, everyone having entertaining eccentricities. Every character is adeptly realized and contributes to the warm ethereal quality of the film, its charm becomes almost an atmosphere in and of itself. My favorite scenes inevitably involved these characters sneaking into other shops to critique their ramen preparation techniques or, if they are talented, to steal their secrets.

It is impossible to exactly articulate how these characters fit so neatly into the plot, but they do. Tampopo is a fairy tale, a fever dream, a creative jaunt focused around an electric cast of eccentric people all united by their love of food. The film radiates comfort. It is also a deeply empathetic film that is beautifully human. I highly recommended, especially while enjoying a bowl of noodles.

X (II) (2022)

Xs Genre Massacre

[2/10 · 29 November 2023]

I love the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I love it for its idiosyncrasies, its low budget ingenuity, its colorful villains, its charming flaws. That being said, I would not describe the Texas Chainsaw Massacre as high art. It is effectively schlock, good schlock, but schlock none the less. Schlock works when it is fun and creative, when it engages the viewer in its excesses. Schlock can, however, be elevated by a dedicated artist's vision, and that is what X attempts to do. It takes an established style and plot structure from B-movie horror of the past, now nostalgic in its appeal, and attempts to do three things, pay homage to those classics, elevate the material through artistic directing techniques not contemplated by the older films, and to talk about societies relationship to sex, youth, and religion in broad strokes. On all three accounts X is a failure.

The film is not wholly without charm. Mia Goth is fantastic as the lead and the rest of the performances are solid. There are some beautiful shots, and the director has the courage to take some real chances with how he presents the intentionally textbook material. That is where my praise ends.

The heart of the film is disappointing. Beautiful shots are ruined by the films tedious attempts to foreshadow its overbearing message. A perfect example is when Mia Goth's character, alone, goes for a swim in some stagnant water that is serene, yet ominous. Up to this point the film has been cultivating a relatively tense atmosphere through uncomfortable interactions with an elderly couple who owns the property where the rest of the characters are trying to surreptitiously film a porno. The scene didn't need blatant danger to feel creepy, but it instead elects to add a crocodile slowly following the main character bluntly foreshadowing danger in an incredibly cheap and contrived way. She is prey, and yet any audience member already knows that. They know X is a horror film. They know the old couple is evil because they are put in so much makeup and prosthetics that they hardly look human. The film is not clever when it moves slowly and blatantly shouts what it is attempting to do.

Combined with the otherwise banal plot it's telegraphed unfolding, X also has much to say about sex, religion, and personhood, but it is so shallow in its interpretations of these concepts. In trying to be deep in comes across as shallow.

Spoiler ahead, but the elderly woman's bloodlust is essentially fueled by her inability to feel desirable since she has aged. Her husband can no longer play the part of her romantic lover as the way she needs. She longs for the youth that the other characters have, and all the sexual and personal freedom it gives. The gang, on the other hand, are young and cocky and seek to leverage their youth to gain wealth and fame. They are vain people who are pretending to have deeper connection than they actually have (one girl talks about faking her interest during scenes, while the head honcho talks about all women being the same, etc., the film is never subtle). Mia Goth's character, while the softest spoken, still harps about how she wants to be successful above all else, like she deserves the fame she believes appearing in pornography will bring.

The commentary here completely lacks nuance. These people don't inspire sympathy, but they don't deserve their fate. The film seems to critique old conservative forms of sex, yet the main thrust of the film is that making a porno and youthful hubris gets many people killed. The main character leaves the carnage at the end, but rather than relief at a quick getaway (a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre) she feels like John Wayne esq hero leaving victorious, which made little sense. To make matters worse the kills are boring. I found the first murder unbearably artsy in a way that felt unearned, and the rest were total duds, with one possible exception. The film wants to make art of gruesome murders, but also kills a lot of people in very anticlimactic and visually unappealing ways (quick gunshots, underwater and unseen deaths).

Maybe some people will be taken with the shot composition and retro feel combined with a modern shooting style, but in my opinion a film needs a lot more than vapid exploration of themes along with a nostalgic style to be interesting or entertaining.

X's ultimate sin is it lacked the charm of the slashers of the past, and in trying to innovate within the genre completely missed the point of it.

Sorcerer (1977)

Sorcerer

[9/10 · 10 August 2023]

Sorcerer is an oppressive film. It brings together four men with blood on their hands and demands of them sacrifice. The plot is simple, four men fleeing from the consequences of their actions are offered a great sum of money to transport improperly stored dynamite required to stop a blazing oil well fire spewing from the ground as if from hell itself. The imagery is striking, and the director Friedkin did not shy away from using impressive set pieces on location in the jungle. Establishing shots of the landscape are particularly beautiful. The background feels so authentic, and the poverty feels so real, because it is. The film is rife with hardship and anxiety precisely because it was so honest in its depiction of destitution and corruption. This is the reality of life for many, something that people should not keep out of sight and out of mind.

Sorcerer concerns both corruption of the soul and corruption of a country's power structure. These men have fled to this country precisely because the law cannot follow them there, yet they find themselves at the mercy of corrupt officers and business interest that treat people as a means to an end. The movie starts out frenetic and explosive as it establishes the background for the four primary characters, but it really slows down and stews in its own juices when they have all fled to South America. I loved the character introductions, but they make the film undeniably disjointed and a bit front loaded. I still appreciated how much it was able to establish purely visually during these sequences: a childless Frenchman stares out the window of a lofty and ornate apartment at children returning home from school (much later it is established that he and his beloved never had kids); a terrorist watches solemnly as his brother in arms is taken away to pay for crimes he also committed, while standing in the very crowd screaming for his blood; and one slick character just walks in and out of a hotel to kill a man in cold blood. Sorcery shows and does not tell. It may lose some people because of this, but a nuanced viewer will find much to appreciate. The characters have all caused havoc and destruction in their life and it is placed them in a position where havoc and destruction can be visited upon them by an oppressive regime. Certain scenes perfectly encapsulate the internal turmoil these characters come to recon with, but I will not say more for fear of spoiling the most poignant parts of the film.

The first act sets up the characters' backstory, the second act brings them together in a destitute village, and the third act concerns the act that brings them together, the driving of the dynamite. Three of the four are chosen on their merits, one out of force, and they are sent on what looks to be a suicide mission with the promise of a great deal of money upon success. The camera follows two trucks, each with three boxes of dynamite each, held in place by sand, as they progress down a mapped-out route of 218 miles. The sticks are volatile, and handled wrong, or tossed around inside the truck, the will explode. This whole section is tense and unpredictable. What really makes it impressive is how there are no digital effects, the set pieces are lush and authentic. The bridge scene in particular is a standout, but I also really adore the penultimate scene. The movie becomes cerebral and fatalistic in its final moments, and it serves to impress upon the viewer the meaning of this seemingly bleak and hopeless journey.

Ultimately, it left me with a feeling of deep appreciation for the circumstances of my life that allow me to escape such a fate. It achieved this feeling through impassioned filmmaking and stands out as a singular and decisive work. I heartily recommend Sorcerer.

Inland Empire (2006)

Inland Empire

[10/10 · 31 July 2023]

Inland Empire is a striking and decisive effort.

I had lived around Inland Empire most of the summers of my youth. It did not stick particularly out in my mind, but there is a certain energy in Southern California that is greatly informed by Hollywood and the medium of film as a whole. It is not something I deeply interrogated until I saw this film. Lynch is swimming in the art form. Inland Empire comes across as a free form exploration of what can be achieved by a camera and crew. He seems to me to be trying to convey the inarticulable aspects of a place and time. Things that can be felt but not exactly pin down. It is also incredibly empathetic film that mourns the abuse and escapism present in our world and propagated by those that benefit.

There are many layers here but that is by design. That is life. Inside of us all is an Inland Empire of our own. When we marry that vision to an image, a film, a sound, or any other artistic medium, it takes on new meaning. Go into this film with an open mind and it will impress upon you meaning I cannot possible know. That is not to say it is perfect. The dance numbers did not land for me. It had about one monologue too many. The film could have been shorter. It could have looked better. But in the end, those are just interpretations from my perspective, my empire, not yours.

Have your own journey.

Memories (1995)

An Inspired, Endearing, and Disjointed Memory

[8/10 · 21 July 2023]

Memories is a complex animal. The animation is simply gorgeous and that alone is worth the price of admission. Creatively it is chalk full of interestingly colorful shots, like paper drawings coming to life or derelict cities covered in bright blooming flora. In terms of actual plot, however, it is a mixed bag. Memories plays a bit out like freeform jazz in that in contains three wholly separate stories that shift into one another with little transition. Clearly it comes from a place of aesthetic inspiration rather than a desire to tell a singular story. Memories is a canvas for a bevy of talented animators and directors to display their craft, and in that way it succeeds wholeheartedly.

I enjoyed the the first story the most, as it held the most tension and included the Akira inspired animations that I long for (as I am a huge fan of that movie). The actual universe of the story is disjointed, but that really is rightly not the focus. The movies thematic resonance channels the malleability of memory and perception. In fact, all the stories connect back to a through line of misconception, sometimes played innocent and sometimes played melancholic, warping the reality around people. In turn, the animators literally warp the universe of the stories, with colorful transitions, shifting structures, and some uncanny dream sequences. Each story maintains this ethos, but I felt the first managed to merge that tone with the actual structure of the plot the best.

In a way Memories almost felt like a pitch for the coolest television show to come out of Japan since Takeshi's Castle. 35 minute vignettes that allowed their director to play with reality, to do long form shots of a gigantic cannon firing into the unknown, to show a modern well-armed military fight in full scale conflict against the most absurd enemy possible in vivid detail, and to deconstruct the nature of propaganda in a closed scale environment using one of the most interesting animation styles I have ever seen. The cinematography is often as interesting as the animation itself. Particularly, I absolutely adored the "dusty" newspaper cartoon animation style especially in contrast to the bleak and oppressive portrait it painted of a world war 1 esq German propaganda state.

The film is certainly worth seeing because of how many great ideas are packed into it. But ultimately my engagement with the stories was too varied to call the experience wholesale enjoyable. The second story in particular felt weaker than the first and third. The premise had promise, but the dark and ominous tone cultivated in the first act is undercut by its slapstick treatment of what in my mind was an exceedingly horrifying scenario in the second.

That being said, the music was wholly inspired and through the ups and downs of the film kept me enraptured. It just so perfectly matches the animation while at the same time managing to feel like it took risks and defied convention. Beautiful operatic movements, frenetic jazz, slow melancholic piano, even the sound design bursts with personality.

Memories is a testament to the power of art in and of itself, and the power of our own perception interpreting it. All I can say is it left me wanting more, especially of the first and third stories. Unfortunately, there was no sequel, and my experience with the film is now just a memory, to be diluted by the slow march of time.

Beau Is Afraid (2023)

I used to like Ari Aster...

[9/10 · 3 May 2023]

... I still do, but I used to too.

Beau is Afraid is an indulgent behemoth, a cacophony of distressing events put to screen in an attempt to get the viewer to understand the perspective of an anxiety ridden mama's boy. And it succeeds extraordinarily on that front.

It really is all there in the title. Beau is constantly afraid.

When I stroll down a street in New York, I am usually at relative ease. Not that I am unaware that there is an inherent level of danger that accompanies walking a city street, but it usually is too miniscule for me to give any credence to. But for one like Beau, things are not so miniscule. To Beau, the street is a battlefield of horror, full of deranged and violent psychos, worse than you can imagine. What is a thought in the back of the mind for one is an all-consuming nightmare for another. And so, in Beau is Afraid it is only natural that the streets are literally rampant with degenerates sprinting at one another, bloody stabbings are commonplace, and the dead lie decomposing in the street because no one cares enough to bury them. It is a dangerous, selfish, and scary world displayed to the audience through the looking glass that is Beau. The film practically begs you to root for him to overcome the crashing waves of adversity thrust upon him by seemingly pure hellish bad luck, but it always keeps full understanding out of reach.

If you are one that demands coherency you will be disappointed. The plot takes a backseat to the odd world and the characters that inhabit it, at least for the first two or so hours, but the vector that drives the plot forward is Beau's mother. His planned visit to her was interrupted by forces outside of his control. When he breaks the news to her, he, and by extension the viewer, could sense her palpable disappointment over the phone. It must be said that Joaquin Phoenix really inhabits this character. He gets the posture and meek manner of speech exactly correct. Beau is perpetually contrite, apologizing for his presence, quietly begging others to attempt to understand his perspective rather than speaking with any kind of confidence or authority. This weakness of character stems directly from his strange childhood. The scenes that recounting his formative years were some of my favorites in the whole film and really make his perspective more understandable. Zoe Lister-Jones gives a disturbingly impassioned performance as his young mother (and of course Patti LuPone kills it as his present day mother). The casting is really altogether wonderful, Nathan Lane being my personal favorite, every line he says had me rolling.

To continue to sing its praises, the direction of Beau is Afraid is colorful and varied. I was a big fan of Aster's freshman effort, Hereditary, and it is nice to see him continuing to address taboo and personal topics in such a diligent and creative manner. And for someone with two hits under his belt, Aster could have easily fallen into something more formulaic and guaranteed to please than Beau is Afraid. It took courage to make something so different, something that many of his previous fans likely will not appreciate. In many ways Beau is afraid shocked me because it was so much odder than I anticipated. Many of the decisions regarding scene construction and execution felt bold to me, it always demanded something of the audience. And while the humor won't land for everyone, I found the absurdity wonderfully hilarious and refreshing. The only issue is that it is undoubtedly a longwinded film, and certain sequences towards the latter half don't have the momentum and charm of some of the earlier ones.

But if you can manage the run time, there is a lot to enjoy here. The sound design is picture perfect. Brooding ambient music amplifies the mood of each scene, and the licensed music just fits in all the right ways. The camera toys with perspective and framing giving the film a mind bending patina. Aster's unity of vision married the acting, sound design, and cinematography masterfully. All of the separate components come together to create a three hour fever dream full of diverse and passionately crafted sequences that, while tenuously connected by thin plot, are all thematically and emotionally significant.

Beau is Afraid is a movie that insists the viewer take an active part in the experience and will certainly be long and off-putting to some. It has lulls, even for me who enjoyed it so thoroughly. It is smart, funny, full of compelling performances, and is just an exceedingly interesting film. It is a film perfect for anyone who is a fan of thought provoking and perspective challenging cinema, who can also stomach the trauma that Beau carries. I heartily recommend it.

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

The Wonderful World of Willies Wonderland

[7/10 · 14 February 2023]

At the start of Willies Wonderland a few things jumped out at me. I thought stylistically it was quite ugly. Its low budget was readily apparent, and the color tint seemed off putting to me. The violence was immediately cartoonish and not at all scary. I was unsure of what I was getting into. Fortunately, the introduction of Cage's character injected an energy into the film. Cage has no lines, yet he is able to communicate much through his facial expressions and body language. Cage's character appears to be an enigmatic drifter who catches some bad luck running over a spike trap. A talkative mechanic, having a conversation for two all by himself, picks up Cage and offers to fix up his car, but refuses to take a card because this smallest of small towns apparently doesn't even have internet. Cage agrees to work off the debt by cleaning up an old, now abandoned, children's play place called Willies Wonderland. We all know where this is going, it's telegraphed from the beginning, the animatronic band are possessed, and Cage is being tricked into becoming a sacrifice in a satanic machination. At the same time, we learn of a group of teens who have agreed to burn the place down in an act of vengeance against the animatronics inside, as well as the townsfolk who allow such atrocities to continue.

It's a simple and quite honestly dumb premise, but it doesn't have to over intellectualize everything and instead focuses on what the people want to see. Nick Cage fighting evil robots. And in that way, Willies Wonderland delivers in spades. Nick Cage really gives everything to this silly plot and it makes the whole ride oh so enjoyable. The teens are fodder and none of the actors particularly stand out, but the way they interact with Cage is hilarious. Cage is dedicated to taking breaks and chugging soda as if he was a machine himself, needing time to recharge before continuing his task with righteous fervor. In one of my favorite scenes in the film, he leaves one of the kids to face down an evil robot by themselves while he retired to the rec room for soda and pinball, not without giving the child a knife of course. Scenes like this inject levity into the film even when there is gore and violence aplenty.

Willies Wonderland does not surprise you, it does not really scare you, and nothing within its plot is particularly compelling. But the animatronics and Cage are just plain campy fun and so the movie remains entertaining from start to finish. Is it a masterpiece, of course not, but in my opinion there should be more low budget campy movies like this and I want to see them succeed. In a weird way I throw it in the same vein as the Evil Dead movies, and heartily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of cheesy horror movies or the tour de force that is Nicholas Cage when he is given an absurd role to play.

Oblivion (I) (2013)

Derivative but Humanistic and Entertaining Sci-Fi

[7/10 · 17 November 2022]

Technically Oblivion does a lot right, and for that it is worth watching. I absolutely adored it's take on apocalyptic earth, vast open spaces, desolate and uninhabited, but not oppressively dour and beige. The whole design of the film and its characters, in particular its use of light and color, really were a joy to behold.

That being said, the biggest weakness is the movies opening. The movie opens with voice over exposition which feels like an addition due to a producer intervention rather than creative direction. I would have preferred if the movie let the visuals speak for themselves, showing not telling. The visuals tell a lot in oblivion too, Earth has been scarred after an intergalactic threat arrived and forced humanity to go nuclear. Humanity won, but now they plan on jumping ship to greener pastures on Saturn's moon in a technologically impressive arc like spaceship.

The earth is now barren, but still colorful and vivid. There are pockets of life and vegetation, even if now vast swaths of the globe are deemed unlivable radiation zones. Tom Cruise gives a solid performance playing the drone handyman Jack, who still has a deep fondness and curiosity for the Earth and its beauty as it contrasts with his mundane and sanitized life above the clouds. The opening sequences post voiceover mostly involves him going about his routine and helps the viewer understand why he has become so fond of the melancholically beautiful landscapes. It also introduce us to his assigned partner Victoria, played excellently by Andrea Riseborough who gave my favorite performance in the film. She is all business, and cannot wait to get off to the moon to start their new life. There is an excellent tension between the two characters who while fond of each other seem to have incompatible visions for the future.

The overarching plot is a mishmash of awesome sci-fi concepts that are all interesting in their own right, but they are also derivative and mostly by the book. The heart of the film lies in its emotional core, behind all the shiny sci-fi tech is a human and empathetic story of people who feel misplaced by circumstances they cannot quite fathom. Characters feel deep and romantic connections to their past lives, to the point where they are literally haunted by memories they cannot really recall because their memories were wiped, presumably because most of the survivors would have committed suicide if constantly reminded of everyone that was lost in the conflict. This dynamic, and its interplay between Jack and Victoria's partnership, really felt nuanced and compelling and was my favorite part of the film.

Of course the action in the movie is pretty great too. Most of the combat is between scavengers and these bland and inoffensive looking drones that are essentially flying spheres with guns. They look sanitized and boring in a way that feels truer to life than your average sci-fi robot that cares mostly about looking cool and being badass. There sounds are also incredibly fitting to their image, sounding more generic and mass produced rather than creatively adapted, pragmatic is a fitting word. Meanwhile the scavengers take the exact opposite approach and look like something out of Star Wars, a decision I was not personally a fan of, but it was charming especially in the few shots of them spying on Jack. Either way the drones act with ruthless efficiency and it is something to behold as they hunt down the scavengers.

Ultimately, the movie goes in a lot of directions, and the plot covers more ground than it probably should and is far from perfect because of it. Much of the dialogue is overdone and I wish it took a more minimalist approach to some of its themes, even if there are some great cheesy lines in there. But everything else is done well. The movie never drags and constantly utilizes to great effect either the open landscape or interior desolate buildings with gorgeous cinematography. The movie starts slow and has some plot holes, but if you are a sci-fi fan, it really seems like you can't go wrong with this one, especially if you appreciate the more subtle emotional plots that plays in the background of the main operatic battle between earth and the invaders.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Empathetic, bleak, foreboding, and beautiful

[10/10 · 31 October 2022]

It is difficult for me to watch Rosemary's Baby. Maybe by some people's measure of film that makes it a poor one. I would understand that perspective, but I must disagree. Few films have been able to capture such a dour and oppressive atmosphere while at the same time being ethereally beautiful and compelling. It does incredibly justice to a fantastic book. This is in no small part due to an empathetic and earnest performance from Mia Farrow who plays Rosemary Woodhouse, energetic, young, beautiful and in love with her down and out yet devilishly charming husband Guy. Mia understood this character and she melted into the role, and it creates such a compelling want in the viewer to see her escape the hellish machinations of the films villains.

Rosemary came from a big family, and she wants desperately to be a mother. We can tell she would be an excellent one. As the movie opens her relationship with Guy, played all to expertly by John Cassavetes, is a happy and lighthearted one. They joke and enjoy each other constantly embracing all while preparing for their future. They move into an absolutely stunning gothic building, named the Bramford, which is reasonably priced in no small part because of a series of unfortunate events that occurred in it's past. But the past isn't on Rosemary's mind, she thinks only of her future and how wonderful motherhood will be. Injected into her life, however, comes nosey neighbors who even in their advanced age have an otherworldly energy and fervor. They are excellently cast, chatty and welcoming with a demeanor that is both familiar and off-putting. Guy is taken with them, he is down and out actor and they flatter his theatrical abilities as criminally under noticed. His vanity comes to fore as the shots close in on the young and old couple exchanging niceties with drinks and food. Then, while Rosemary is in the kitchen helping with the dishes, smoke pours in from another room while Guy chats leisurely with Mr. Castevet.

There are so many subtle ways in which the camera expresses a deep uneasiness to the viewer. Rosemary's Baby is the mother of many of the more cerebral and slow burn horror films of today, and still remains an exemplar of how to create a compellingly dark and frightening atmosphere without relying on a litany of monsters and jump scares. The horror of Rosemary's Baby comes from how Rosemary's earnest and commendable love for family and friends is twisted against her by the selfishness of both her partner and those around her, and from the callousness in which pregnancy and motherhood are treated by people who are sinister and uncaring.

The direction and cinematography stand the test of time in more ways than one. Few movies can cultivate the kind of uneasiness achieved here and with such a measured tone and atmosphere. Visually, the exploration of both Rosemary and the Bamford Hotel is compelling from start to finish. Every shot is meaningful. It is colorful yet bleak and oppressive. I hated what occurred on screen, but I did not want to look away, I wanted to stick it out and see Rosemary reclaim her vision of motherhood and protect her child.

It is hard for me to think of a more empathetic examination of the difficulties of motherhood. Her surroundings push an expectation on her without a thought for her own wellbeing or a modicum of nuance. The camera pours over Rosemary and you route for her in the face of tremendous adversity. Unfortunately selfishness and ingratitude all too often pervert and destroy a loving relationship, corrupting what should be beautiful and profound.

Rosemary's Baby is not an easy watch, but it is a worthwhile one. Influential, expertly crafted, lovingly acted, and unyieldingly depressing, it remains one of the most important horror films to date. In the end, it left me with a deep appreciation for life and family, because some people never even get that much.

Paprika (2006)

A visually impressive, easily forgotten dream

[4/10 · 9 January 2022]

Paprika is visually incredible during certain sequences, and conceptually I adore it. It is incredibly well edited and stylized to perfection. However, while Kon seems to convey an important message about the dangers of obsession with fantasy, he completely fails to wrap that valid message in an engaging plot. The writing here is bad and nonsensical. When characters are not spouting useless exposition about outrageous technology and dreamscapes, they are not saying anything of particular interest or value. Most are outlandishly cartoonish and shallow.

Many people will be taken with the imagery to such a degree that they can forgive the sins of the movie, like the vacuous and empty villains or the ending which fails to address any of the underlying themes with rigor, apart from telling the audience to enjoy things like love or going to the theater every now and then.

Put simply, Papurika is nonsense and a dream of itself. Like most dreams you will not remember most of it after it's over.

Red Rocket (2021)

An Honest and Unsettling Character Portrait of a "Blessed" Narcissist

[9/10 · 7 January 2022]

I enjoy Sean Baker's films because he conveys a passion about everyday American life that often goes unnoticed by those not immediately living in its proximity. Red Rocket carries on this tradition, but in a change of direction it also feels like a more cohesive character portrait of a singular, unusual person. This is very much Simon Rex's movie, and outside of the first 20 minutes, not many colorful characters are introduced that steal the screen for a few moments, as was the case in Baker's other films like Tangerine.

Rex plays the character of Mikey, who is an ex-porn star down on his luck returning to his hometown waiting for his opportunity to get back on his feet. He immediately starts mooching off an ex and thinking and talking only of himself. But he is good looking and bubbly, so it gets him by. There is an endearing quality to him because it never feels like he is intentionally being malicious, he is just dumb and by a consequence is incapable of introspection on his flawed perspective.

The film starts off with a certain whimsy despite the setting clearly being a poverty-stricken area in the clutches of a drug epidemic. It is enjoyable, free flowing, and colorful. I would have preferred more emphasis on the setting, but the camera is mostly on Mikey and what Mikey is seeing, we are really entrenched in his perspective and that is why we cannot really see much of what is going on outside of his immediate vicinity.

Through Mikey's eyes we see the character of Strawberry, whom he becomes smitten with all the while failing to see her as what she is, an impressionable young girl who he projects his own sexual proclivities onto in a deeply unsettling and inappropriate way. In this way it very much reminded me of Nabokov's Lolita and it really left me feeling queasy with some of the rawness with which their relationship is portrayed. There are even snippets of political events going on in the background, but of course Mikey just tunes it out, the man doesn't even care about the people he is living with, let only the people living throughout the nation (maybe this bit of commentary was too on the nose if you ask me).

I don't think the movie had to be over two hours, it definitely slows down in the middle, but it really captured me in the beginning and the end. It is incredible how the film can shift how the viewer is feeling from passive endearment to disgust and discomfort with Mikey's as his selfish idiocy takes him deeper and deeper into a contemptable hole where he takes advantage his friends and love interests one after the other.

Red Rocket is littered with snippets of commentary on modern culture and relationships while never leaving the perspective of a disgusting narcissist, which I found engaging despite the deemphasis on the setting and side characters. Baker keeps his finger on the pulse on the modern American underclass with sympathy and understanding for the victims of circumstance, and in this instance the victims of Mikey as well. Red Rocket continues that tradition in a worthwhile and nuanced way, while remaining a fresh and compelling character portrait. A definite thumbs up from me.

The Simpsons: The Boy Who Knew Too Much (1994) Season 5, Episode 20

Skipping Class is Good for the Soul

[9/10 · 1 November 2021]

The Boy Who Knew Too Much is one of my favorite Simpson's episodes because of how brilliantly it works in quick witted jokes and relatively obscure movie references with a tongue and cheek satire of the American criminal justice system. To me it encapsulates the classic Simpson's formula executed to a T.

The premise of the episode is that Bart skips class and ends up attending Freddy Quimby's (the nephew of Mayor Quimby) birthday party, at which he witnesses an event that results in the trial of an innocent Freddy. Springfield elementary is depicted much like a dystopian prison, which to me was accurate to how I remembered my own schooling experience. Bart dreaming of playing hooky revealed a world of splendor, possibility, and pure American Huck-Finn-esq adventure. Of course the powers that be (in this case Principal Skinner) pursue Bart with an inhuman zeal leading to one of my favorite scenes where he wades effortless through a river, without swimming, a reference to the original Westworld film (which has a great trailer on YouTube under the account Cinema 85 if you are interested).

Bart has to choose between revealing that he skipped school, and thus incurring the wrath of Principle Skinner, and coming to the defense of an innocent albeit boorish man. The interplay between Skinner, Bart, and Lisa is hilarious. The interrogation scene of Lisa, and when Skinner inevitable has a heart to heart with Bart at the end of the episode, never fails to have me in stitches. But the real star of the episode is the courtroom scene. Lionel Hutz is just the best side character in the show (RIP Phil Hartman) and Homer ends up being the most egregiously terrible Juror imaginable. I once fell asleep on a jury during instructions and was reprimanded by the Judge whom said it could result in my expulsion, I have never related to Homer to such a degree before.

All and all this is a MUST WATCH, even if you're not a big Simpson's fan. Show it to your loved ones. And it's pronounced CHow-der.

Fargo (1996)

It's Never Too Cold for Murder

[10/10 · 1 December 2019]

Fargo contrasts the snowy quiet that accompanies Minneapolis simple living with scenes of excessive violence and depravity to create an unsettling yet captivating experience for the viewer.

On one hand, you have one of my favorite female characters of all time Marge Gunderson, played expertly by Frances McDormand, who is a talented and good natured police officer who just so happens to be pregnant and engaged in one of the most wholesome relationships ever put to screen with her husband Norm. And then, on the other hand, you have two psychopathic kidnappers and a mild-mannered family man who engineers some base plans.

I love Marges character because it contrasts heavily with the standard grizzled veteran cop with a dark past but is good at his job stereotype subverting a well established movie trope, and I love the kidnappers because they are just so different from literally every other character in the movie. I hate Jerry because his kind Minnesotan demeanor belies his scheming corrupt nature.

The Coen brothers are undisputed masters and the cinematography here is breathtaking. There are so many beautiful shots of the snowy and sparsely populated landscape of Fargo. The snow acts as a kind of obscuring and calming presence on screen, almost turning it into a horror movie-esq fog that is meant to cultivate uncertainty. It seems so cold there you cannot really imagine someone mustering up the energy to commit violence out there.

All the violent scenes are expertly done and expertly contrasted illuminating a terror lurking in the quiet simple American life, greed. And the setting is just so... inoccient and quiet. I love how ever character from Minnesota, especially Jerry, excessively uses the words "Oh yeah" and "Oh geeze" when communicating, they are not the kind you anticipate to deal with grizzly murders.

There are also a lot more subtle little things the Coen brothers show the viewer that helps emphasize just how wholesome and quiet this place is, one of my favorites being that Jerry's kid, rather than having the traditional bikini pictures on his wall as you might expect from a near puberty adolescent, has a picture of an accordion player on his door. There is also a scene where two ladies of the night are interviewed, and rather than appearing hardened or overly sexual as they normally would in the movies, the Coen brothers have them act like simple young adults who are extremely innocent and unfortunately more than a little slow.

I could go on and on talking about little things in the interactions between characters, the plain setting of nearly every location in the film, or the creeping yet strangely hollow score but that may take up a lot more space than I intend to. Suffice it to say that this is a simple tale of the tribulation of a good mother, the sin of a deadbeat father, and the death of not only people, but the myth of the peaceful quiet life.

We may not understand why some people end up so rotten, but we can love each other as best we can and try our best to do good, and honestly, isn't that enough?

Lethal Weapon (1987)

The Best Buddy Cop Movie Ever Made

[9/10 · 27 November 2019]

Lethal Weapon is the best buddy cop movie ever made and a quintessential piece of American commercial cinema. This movie is a perfect example of how to take a relatively common format with broad appeal and bring it to its natural peak. It is energetic, well cast, and toes the line between humor and emotional excellently.

Now I have to admit some bias here as I am a huge fan of Danny Glover. I first saw him in Predator 2, which I liked him in although the movie was disappointing when compared to the original. Then I saw him much later again when I watched my favorite tv show of all time, Arrested Development, where he had me in stitches. Pairing his old, charming, and gruff cop persona with Mel Gibson's wild eyed always-say-die energy was a stroke of genius. Glover is an old cop who has amassed a good family and a nice life that he wants to protect, the exact opposite of Mel's character who is a reckless cop who has nothing to live for but the job after his wife died in a car accident. At first the situation plays out about as well as you expect, with neither particularly liking the other. It becomes clear they have very, very different methods of diffusing situations that often put them at odds with one another. Most importantly, this relationship does not feel forced and there is a minimal amount of cheese. I cannot stress how well Glover and Gibson play their characters off one another.

One of the only points I can take away from the film is that the villains are no Hans Grubers. They are generic drug dealing ex military guys who like to prove how tough they are by burning themselves in front of potential clientele. That being said, they are well acted and rightfully not the focal point of the movie, only appearing to show their menace or to get into shootouts with Murtaugh and Riggs (the cops Danny and Mel play, respectively).

The big reason this movie works in two fold, like almost all good action movies it does not take itself too seriously and its the fast paced and explosive action sequences works within the laws of its own universe. There is always something going on or surprising the viewer to keep them engaged. Not to mention it at time shows restraint, which movies often don't. They use feature a helicopter often but never show it exploding mid air in a ball of fire as so many other movies would do for the sheer spectacle of it despite its obvious lack of feasibility. The violence is abrupt but not overtly gruesome. It presents a convincing world and two heroes that are worthy of our attention within it. You feel the stress of the cops life as they are threatened going about their everyday work in a city full of drugs and crime and not in a cartoonish way.

Action, heart, fantastic actors, this movie has all you could want from a cheesy action flick, and it does not feel nearly dated as one might think in this cgi spectacle age. A must watch for any action fan.

House (1977)

Too Out There to Miss

[8/10 · 26 November 2019]

Watching House was one of the strangest viewing experiences I have ever had. I fluctuated between hating and loving it multiple times. But the movie has genuine laughs and a few creepy moments, and not to mention the most legendary piano scene in all of cinema. It is just so strange and hard to quantify.

Ultimately, House is wholly unique, and that is such a rarity I feel like it is a stop any lover of weird cinema must take at some point.

MacGruber (2010)

Pure Uncut Comedic Gold

[10/10 · 26 November 2019]

I was shocked when I found another good SNL movie besides Wayne's World. McGruber was already a pretty funny skit as it was, but my fear was that if you just extended that humor throughout a full-length film it would become tired and just plain stupid. Luckily they took the feature in a completely different, much more vulgar, direction. This movie is not for everyone. If you don't like cheap stupid humor and explicit content stay at least 50 feet from this movie at all times.

McGruber is a fairly obvious parody of McGyver that follows a secret agent who uses everything except guns to get the job done. I am not kidding when I call this movie cheap, the humor is not intellectual or high brow, it is extremely base, and the production really is nothing special. But the fact is this movie is so funny and Will Forte so amazingly underrated that it does not need anything but the jokes to sustain itself.

Moreover, unlike a lot of comedy movies of this ilk, McGruber has an extremely funny and compelling villain in Dieter Von Cunth (even his name makes me laugh) whose motivation is surprisingly understandable when McGruber tells us about the nature of their relationship. He is played expertly by Val Kilmer who really sells the role with a dramatic flair. Especially of note is the hilarious back and forth between Cunth and Mcgruber, my favorite being when they face off during a poker game Cunth is hosting.

The movie never quits either. Every scene has something unexpectedly funny, and still manages to flow neatly into the next, keeping up the plot and pace. It is not like a few scenes are funny and they use all of those in the trailer to bait people into filling seats. Almost every scene made me laugh.

Part of this movies strength is that I expected so little from it and thus was blindsided by it's hilarity. It is also extremely quotable and has one of the best sex scenes in movie history that had me gasping for breath I was laughing so hard the first time I watched it. Go into this movie empty and without judgment and you will no doubt enjoy yourself if your sense of humor is anything like mine. .

Observe and Report (2009)

An Outlandish Character Study of a Deluded Mall Cop

[9/10 · 26 November 2019]

Observe and Report is at once an intense character study and an aggressively stupid comedy. It fails at doing either spectacularly well technically, but through the casual combination of elements from both genres it brings about an incredibly unique flavor all its own.

The absurdity of its premise is only enhanced by the fact that it's lead is Seth Rogan, a "stoner" actor who nonetheless seems to fit the diluted and disturbed character of Ronnie Barnhardt. It is clearly influenced by the Scorsese film Taxi Driver, which is perhaps the greatest character study in all of cinema. It takes a fantastic movie and turns it on its head, both lampooning it, paying homage to it's greatness, and creating a life all its own in the process.

Rather than following a delusional Taxi Driver, Observe and Report follows a fat, psychotic mall cop who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has a childish and extremely inappropriate crush on another mall worker, and takes his job more seriously than perhaps anyone else in the world. He has a crew of enablers that feed his ego and help him preside over the mall with an iron fist. This is where the meat of the movie is for me, every interaction Ronnie has with the young red headed understudy, the Asian twins, or his right hand man with a lisp, played by the intrepid Michael Pena, was incredible and fed the absurdity of the movie. I give special consideration to Michael Pena's character the voice he does has me in stiches and his undying loyalty to Ronnie for no apparent reason was good for a laugh.

The primary conflict Ronnie faces is between a typical masculine cop figure played nie perfectly by Ray Liotta and a rouge streaker who has been targeting mall goers. His failure to become a real cop or protect the mall from a thief and the streaker eventually unhinges Ronnie leading him to the other side of the law, but while he tastes the darkness Ronnie does not succumb, but rises like a phoenix to new heights... kind of.

In probably the best scene in the movie, Dennis shows Ronnie how to with the system and offers him a chance at true darkness, but even though Ronnie is not a "good" person he believes in a code of ethics that condemns crime. Ronnie breaks the mundane reality of his quite sad life by playing up his devotion to the clash between good and evil he perceives as constantly occurring in every day life. In a strange twist, some people seem to buy into his delusion precisely because he lives it out so passionately. It is almost as if the psychosis is infectious, particularly when mixed with a culture that glorifies violence.

In the end Observe and Report is a movie about affirming ones knowledge of oneself, a noble theme, but the way it delivers this message through the character of Ronnie is extremely absurd and dark. Along the way it offers more than a few laughs and has surprisingly interesting cinematography for a Seth Rogan vehicle.

Ultimately, I think this movie should be witnessed for two reasons, one is that it offers an interesting take on the classic Taxi driver, making it more intelligent than the vast majority of comedies that are released these days, and two Michael Pena's character Dennis may be one of the greatest comedic characters in movie history, and honestly should have had more screen time. It is truly one of the strangest movies I have ever witnessed and in a sea of films that seem so similar it was truly refreshing.

Tangerine (2015)

Comedic, Odd, and Human

[9/10 · 26 November 2019]

Tangerine is a really unique movie. It is about a transvestite hooker fresh out of prison who finds out that her pimp/boyfriend has been cheating on her while she was away, with an actual woman. This sends her on a path of revenge that intersects with the story of an Armenian cab driver with a family, who has a fetish for dudes that look like ladies. If it sounds like an out there movie that is because it is.

It starts off hilariously and fast paced with the man-lady, street named Sin-Dee, walking around fuming while her friend Alexandra tries to calm her down. The best parts of this movie are the strange interaction the main characters have with random street folk. These interactions really made the movie for me, it is not the main storyline is weak, its just that this illumination of a certain kind of subculture was so interesting that anytime even the smallest of characters came onto the screen to talk to our heroine it was fascinating to watch. I especially loved Sin-Dee's interaction with all the other tyranny's on the street.

The movie is aided by a talented and believable cast, who humanizes these otherwise somewhat cartoonish characters. By the end of the film the director achieves a tremendous range in emotion from all the primary characters. I was laughing almost the entire first half of the movie but by the end I was quite dour. It weaves between lighthearted zaniness and grounds itself in real human anguish.

In the end tangerine was just a wild ride that feels so different where so many movies feel so the same. It shines a reflective light on an otherwise ignored part of society splashing flashes of real humanity into hilariously farfetched situations and discussions. Tangerine is a film that should be seen by anyone who appreciates films that do something different, and it manages to avoid an air of pretentiously that often accompanies this film. If you can appreciate that, you will enjoy this ride.

Along Came Polly (2004)

Watch this Movie for Hoffman's Performance

[6/10 · 26 November 2019]

Ben Stiller has a habit of playing virtually the same trite everyman for all his romcom roles. Along Came Polly carries on with this tradition, and, in an unsurprising and ultimately underwhelming turn of events, as the perfect accompaniment for Stiller's utterly dull character we get Jennifer Aniston playing, you guessed it, Jennifer Aniston. I liked her in Friends but talk about someone who coasts on her looks. She has the acting range of a petrified piece of wood. The wood may even display more artistic integrity.

And yet I recommend this movie to essentially everyone, despite it clearly being bad. Why? Three words, Philip Seymour Hoffman. The late PSH is one of the greatest actors to ever grace the big screen and his dialogue and mannerisms as Sandy, Ben Stiller's best friend, carry this movie into quotable territory. It has one of the greatest basketball scenes in movie history, which I still mimic to this day when I hit the courts. He is not overused either, like some kind of superactor, he shows up just when we need him to inject life into this otherwise stale experience. It is so great to see a normally dramatic and heart wrenching actor completely crush a comedic role, it really shows his mastery of his craft.

There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about this movie apart from PSH and he remains the only reason to see this movie, but for me that is enough. This man is the exact opposite of Jennifer Aniston in terms of acting range and was ripped from us far too soon. Rest in peace you king of men you will be missed dearly.

Charlie's Angels (2019)

Not Good

[2/10 · 25 November 2019]

This one was painful watch. It has all the trappings of a fun action flick but none of the seperate components seems to mesh. It's attempt at campy fun comes of as awkward and cringy and it's messages feel hamstringed into an outrageously stupid and underwritten plot. Charlie's Angels has chase sequences, a psychopathic hitman, explosions, a good deal of betrayal, and a little love, but it does none of these cliches particularly well. It certainly does not justify a remake of the old movies.

None of the performances are good, litterally none. But that is likely not the actors fault considering how terrible the writing is and how sophomoric the direction is. This movie certainly lacks a firm hand to guide it's structure and flow. The fight scenes come off lacking vicerailty and overrely on quick cuts and simple one two punch coreography, especially the scene in the cafeteria.

Really this movie feels like it was made for tv. There is some clearly awful cg and some truely terrible set pieces accented by generic and uninteresting characters and action. Sure these movies are supposed to be cheesy but the pseudo science and the phoned in plot structure take the movie to a real low.

Do not watch this.