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The Kid Detective (2020)
Funny, Gritty, Complex... the complete Package
I honestly was not expecting such a compelling film out of The Kid Detective. It is a dark comedy in every sense of the word. From beginning to end. There are moments that are drop dead hilarious, and also so sad. Adam Brody plays his role perfectly. It is non-stop melancholy fused with bits of rich humor. I loved it.
La La Land (2016)
Quite possibly the best film I have ever seen!
I've seen a lot of films. Over 1,000 from all generations and all genres. I saw every great film to come out this year. Yet, nothing has hooked me from beginning to end quite like La La Land. Damien Chazelle's last film - Whiplash - came quite close. But this is a masterpiece if I've ever seen one! It's magnificent! It's stylish, and cool, and mind-numbingly beautiful! This is the film that you must see this year! It will make you laugh, cry, make your brain tingly. And it just doesn't end. You'll have that movie high for at least a day after. It's everything you want; trust me. The score will stick with you for days. And you will find yourself listening to every song multiple times over. I can't recommend this film enough. Go see it!
Nebraska (2013)
This film is OK, but that's about it
I was mildly disappointed when the credits started to roll on Nebraska. By the end of the film, I didn't feel like anything happened. I thought about how that could be a theme in the film - they're in Nebraska, so everything is supposed to move slow and feel limited. However, I was expecting a solid, Oscar-worthy film, as it has been nominated for 6 of the prestigious awards. For the most part, though, I was just bored. There are a few scenes that made me laugh quite a bit, but I believe that the film is too long and could have benefited from another cut. The humorous parts actually make the movie in my opinion, because I think they reflect so much about the small-town culture. If they weren't there, I probably would have walked out.
Bruce Dern was incredible, and Will Forte had some great moments, but June Squibb did not seem to realistically portray her character at all. In the beginning, when she first confronts Woody, I felt like she was just reading her lines without putting much thought into the complexity of the character. I'm not sure if it was how the dialogue for her character was written or if it was her performance, but I just couldn't see her as Kate Grant.
I think the cinematography was exceptional, especially because it was shot in black and white, which adds a lot of complexity to the lighting setups. At certain points, I could see them refocus the shot (the screen either squeezed or expanded), and I don't know whether that is because of black and white or not, but I found that very interesting. I also really liked the wide shots of open prairie, as I believe it set up the world of the film very well.
Overall, I thought Nebraska was just sort of average. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I definitely did not watch an Oscar- worthy film. It was shot very well, and some performances were great, but there's really no point to the movie. None of the characters change, and there's no real overarching theme. I know that many people will probably love this movie for what it is, but I guess I just expected a little more. To me, it was just OK.
Her (2013)
I love everything about Her
This is the best film I have seen all year, and I saw just about every good film to hit theaters in 2013. I think it's because it is so representational of what it's like to be human.
There are so many things that make this movie special, but I'll just mention a few.
1. The score is INCREDIBLE. The music paired with the beautiful sound design make you FEEL the movie. Sure, you see everything on the screen, which is already beautiful, but then that music hits you and the emotions just start to run. I laughed, I cried, my brain got all tingly. It was an emotional roller coaster, and the score assisted in that so well.
2. The script. I knew how this movie was going to end 30 minutes in. And unlike most who would then say that it's predictable and not worth watching, I consider that awesome, because it means that the script is tight enough to tell a good story with a believable arc. Every scene in this movie is straight up powerful! Like it will fill your heart with sadness and happiness and pain and guilt and confusion. And then rinse and repeat. For 2 hours. It moves through all of the most complex and interesting questions that we should be asking ourselves about what it means to be a human being. About what it means to be alive. This film is about all that life is. And after the screening, as well as during, I found myself questioning things in my own life that either don't make sense or don't have to make sense. Like love and thoughts and emotions. They're all so natural and yet none of us truly understand how they work. In my opinion, moreso than any other film this year, Her has the perfect mix of complex ideas, story, and character development. One of the best scripts ever written.
3. Cinematography. My personal favorite shot to see and use is the extreme close up. And that shot was all over this movie. The reason I love it so much and believe it works so well is because it allows you to see the emotions of the character so plainly. Like their face is right in your face, so you just have to look at it. And that's where Joaquin shines. He delivers such a powerful and emotional performance and the close ups are there to capture it all. They also make great use of the natural backlighting of Shanghai, and the colors all fuse to make it a really pretty movie. I'd say the cinematography is on par with Drive and/or Lost in Translation in terms of the style. It looks like every shot was photographed with the intent to make it the most beautiful shot in the film. And I admire the DP's work. He did a really great job.
More than anything though, this film just made me feel. Everything about it was so beautiful. I didn't want it to end. I felt like the film was controlling me - playing with my mind as if it were a joystick. And that's just something you don't get every day. Very rarely am I awe- stricken by a movie, and this film made my jaw drop. It is without a doubt the best film of the year, and upon just one viewing, one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time.