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Smiley Face (2007)
Well Acted And Well Directed, But Not My Thing
There was a lot to appreciate about this movie. Anna Faris gave this role her all, and it's probably the best performance of her career (not too difficult with a career including THE EMOJI MOVIE and YOGI BEAR). Furthermore, there's a lot to appreciate in Gregg Araki's direction. He has a very defined style, with a fine attention to detail and a lot of humanity in the way he presents things.
Where this movie really didn't work for me was in the writing. I did not care about the main character at all. This goes beyond a character who is written to be flawed in a way that still makes them likable. This movie is 80 minutes of Anna Faris screwing up again and again and again and learning nothing every single time. Considering the whole movie takes place in the span of about 8 hours, we never see anything to convince us that she's a character worth rooting for, other than a narrator assuring us that she's "pure of heart" as she drops a stolen priceless first edition of The Communist Manifesto off the side of a Ferris Wheel.
For many people, this genre of "cringe comedy" is hilarious. I am not one of those people, and the scenes in this film that were supposed to make me laugh left me squirming in my seat.
Ask for Jane (2018)
Just Because You Have an Important Message Does Not Mean You Have A Great Movie
It's a shame that the issue of abortion is still one that plagues the political dialogue. With the recent law passed in Alabama, we are one step closer to the nightmarish implications women faced in pre-Roe v. Wade America, where obtaining an abortion was difficult, painful, and often impossible. The Jane Collective, the basis for "Ask for Jane", was one of the groups who defied the laws, helping women obtain safe abortions and providing a support network. Unfortunately, the brave efforts of these women has not received the film adaptation they deserved in "Ask for Jane".
For starters, the main thing holding this film back is it's budget. According to what I can find online, the film had a budget of $250,000. Even when considering that shoestring budget, this film is incredibly lacking. Films like "Thunder Road" (with a budget of $200,000) and "Upstream Color" ($50,000) look leagues better than "Ask for Jane". Perhaps that is because, unlike those other films (or most low-budget films, for that matter), "Ask for Jane" is a period film, set in the late 60s/early 70s in Chicago. In my initial viewing, I wasn't aware of the exact budget, but began to notice that 90% of the scenes were shot indoors, and the framing of the few outdoor scenes was very tight and claustrophobic. I soon realized that this is because if the shots were any wider, we'd catch the modern stores and cars they were walking past. I will give the filmmakers credit that I wasn't able to catch any Starbucks or SUVs in the background. However, with limited resources, a film should be able to trick it's viewers into not seeing it's shortcomings. This film fails in that respect, with the cheap synthetic costumes, hastily decorated starter apartments, and all cars or other expensive spectacle occurring offscreen (save for one powder-blue Oldsmobile the film was able to secure).
Even if the budget was sufficient for this film, there were still other issues to overcome. A rushed feel, a lack of coverage, and a script that has characters randomly being introduced and dropped until almost the very end of the 108-minute film kill the pacing of the project.
The tone of the film is also over the place. Abortion is probably one of the most difficult subjects to tackle in storytelling, and "Ask for Jane" can't decide what tone it wants to take. In some scenes, abortion is treated with solemn urgency. In others, it's treated with blase flippancy ("My parents are really religious", one pregnant character cries. "So just get an abortion", says her roommate, with the significance of telling her to run to the supermarket to get milk.) In one very strange moment in a montage, abortion is played for comedy, when a frazzled mother of four chokes out "I CAN'T have another."
For the most part, the performances were fine. The main seven women portrayed their roles with conviction, and the peripheral characters fulfilled their purposes. The only weak link was main character Rose's fiance, who woodenly leaves her after her involvement in The Jane Collective would potentially ruin his chances of running for "office" (what office or political platform he takes, the movie doesn't seem to really care about). His main problem is that he doesn't seem convincingly upset about Rose's part-time job as an abortionist, so his decision to leave her doesn't make any sense.
The biggest shame of "Ask for Jane" is that I wish a better film would be made about The Jane Collective. This group helped thousands of women reclaim their lives and their bodily autonomy. However, the filmmakers seem to be mistaken that historical importance is a substitute for competent production design, nuanced direction, or defined characters.
V/H/S Viral (2014)
Was this part of the same series?!?!
Let me start out by saying I remember seeing the first VHS. I fell in love with it. I've always found the found footage genre interesting, and VHS was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The first film's ability to keep suspense by hiding things behind impurities in the video print, combined with creative and well- executed stories, made it instantly a horror masterpiece. Then I heard there was a sequel. I looked it up on Netflix, and I was satisfied with what I got. It wasn't as shocking or gripping as the first, but the idea's were still creative, the writing and acting was all around well done, and by sequel's standards, it held up well. Then I heard they were making a third film. I got hyped, and watched it the day it came on Netflix. What. The. F*ck. I'm still not entirely sure VHS Viral is part of the VHS series. The ideas were still kind of interesting, but were done terribly. Dumb executions, half-assed acting, and the encompassing storyline is attempting to be melodrama, but just ends stupidly. My advice is to avoid this movie, put on VHS and VHS/2, and live in denial of the third one.
Casi casi (2006)
Loved It
My Spanish class teacher put this film on for us once when we had no other assignments to do that day. Naturally, I went into this film with low expectations, thinking it would just be some slapstick comedy film with references that I, an American, would not get. I was sorely mistaken. The chemistry between the 6 stars is impeccable, and the performance of the frustrated principal is hilarious. I'm not sure how many times the "run-for-class-president-to-impress-the-girl" story has been done, but this is the movie that does it perfect. If you are looking for a good, wholesome laugh, grab this movie, turn on the English subtitles, and enjoy.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
An Academy Award worthy, but unfortunately ignored film
I have never connected to a group of characters in a film like I have with the Wallflowers. As a person living with social anxiety, I can place myself in the shoes of Charlie in almost every event in this film, from the first school dance to saying goodbye to the seniors after they graduate, Logan Lerman gives, in my opinion, one of the greatest performances of the 21st century. This film's screenplay, it's direction, and the performances of Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller were all Oscar worthy. Unfortunately, before you even have a chance to experience the film, it is lumped in with the typical, half-assed, campy coming-of-age comedy-dramas. This film catches the raw emotion, sarcasm and fears associated with the first year of high school. If you see one more film in your adult life, I urge you to view The Perks of Being a Wallflower.