Sorry, Uncle Stevie, Part Two: Electric Boogaloo
This post is a continuation of the previous post on films and culture...
#26. Birdman
What a pretentious Best Picture Oscar winner. I appreciate the technical aspect of a seemingly seamless single-take film (although there are some creative cuts you can spot, which makes for a good game to pass the time), but the plot is boring. I can hear the outcry already. "But it's layered!" Sure, but each layer is dull as dirt. I get why Academy members would vote for it, what with it being the life they've led at some point in their careers. But considering the tight race between this and Linklater's Boyhood, I would've rather Boyhood took home the hardware. Boyhood speaks to a larger audience. Everyone was a child once. Not everyone was a mentally ill has-been movie star with a fame-hungry streak. Still, a good writer can make an unlikable character that's nothing like you appealing enough to look beyond the differences, but that didn't happen either. I obviously can't recommend Birdman. The best part was Emma Stone's two-minute spiel on relevancy, but it's not worth the two-hour shitstorm.
#27. Finding Vivian Maier
A fascinating documentary about a puzzling woman who photographed everything, Finding Vivian Maier poses more questions than answers most of the time, but I think not knowing for sure just adds to the beauty of this wonderfully weird story. It's very difficult to describe without flatly detailing each discovery made, which I don't wish to do, but I can say that it is definitely worth the watch.
#28.
Let me first confess that I'm not one for war films. American Sniper drew a crowd at the box office, but I wonder how many really enjoyed it and how many just said they did while saluting the American flag. To compare, I immensely enjoyed The Hurt Locker , wrote, performed and directed with an intense message and care for its subject matter. These two films share loosely the theme of war's addictive nature, but not to the same extent. No, American Sniper is like a diluted version of that, rushed through production and hitting trite patriotic tones. Its execution is flawed, failing to show the humanity within the killing machine. The few glimpses we get of a person, not a robot sent to kill, are so corny and unspectacular, many will miss the point. It's bloated and long-winded and wastes precious time dwelling on the same old thing without delving deeper into the other aspects of battle-scarred protagonist Chris Kyle's life. Sadly, the best and most fully formed character is Sienna Miller's Taya, but she's diminished to a bit part to give more screen time to camouflage and sand. I appreciate what this film wanted to be, what it could and should have been with a touch more time and better handling overall, but that's not what it was. For me, American Sniper missed the mark.
#29. Game of Thrones: Season Four
A thrilling spectacle is what you expect from Game of Thrones. But unfortunately this season felt bogged down. Don't get me wrong; it's still better than much of what litters the airwaves. That doesn't make it perfect. It is the least strong season so far, as it relied too heavily upon big moments spaced out with utter monotony. I couldn't care less about Castle Black at this point, and frankly, the series started out with a heavy focus on the events of Winterfell and Kings' Landing. While I know we can't go back to the former, there's no reason to point the camera away from the throne for so long. Even Daenerys Stormborn, who I hope takes it all in the end, had a weak plotline, the most uninteresting season-long story she's carried in a while. It feels like the writers are dragging their pens through the footnotes this season. Get to the point! Overall, the bursts of flavour sprinkled every three or four episodes don't have enough pizzazz to leave a good taste in my mouth. That being said, Game of Thrones can still be good television, so I'm not giving up hope yet.
#30. John Wick
A beautiful action film, John Wick was truly terrific. It had the elements of an artfully ultra-violent action story but the plot of a thrilling melodrama. It was heartfelt and heartless. What is John Wick about? To tell you the plot would spoil the film, so I won't dare. What I will tell you: Go see it. It was everything I wanted and I didn't expect it. I doubted Keanu and I thought very little of this assassin tale upon first impression. What would it even be about? Oh, how wrong I was. It dangles a mysterious past, an adorable dog, a lost love, and a Russian mob together, then stirs it all up until they're blended to perfection.
#31. St. Vincent
There aren't many films quite like this, funny through and through but realistic and honest depictions of divorce and old age. Centered on a young boy's experiences with an old cranky neighbour, St. Vincent invests thought into its characters, developing them to show not just the cracks but that which caused them. Its casting was skilfully done. Bill Murray is spot-on with his performance and the smaller role of a pregnant Russian stripper was molded into something clever in the capable hands of Aussie actress Naomi Watts. Some child actors can be grating but the bright little newcomer Jaeden Lieberher was perfectly cast. It's a charming film, for sure, and a pleasant experience to watch.
#32. The Book of Life
The Book of Life was a beautiful fun-for-the-whole-family tale, injected with just the right dose of adult humour to balance out the cutesy stuff that caters to kids. It was much better than I expected. It's an interesting change of pace, regarding the line between life and death, especially when told through the context of the Latin holiday Dia de los Muertos. (I told you films offer a little culture!)
#33. The Boxtrolls
Beautiful animation and a truly clever plot, The Boxtrolls features one of my favourite villains in a while. Villains always have a critical flaw, and the Snatcher's flaw is a doozy. (I wouldn't dare spoil it, though.) I feel that both The Boxtrolls and The Book of Life were genuinely great animated flicks that were overlooked this year because they lacked the big-studio marketing.
#34. Pride
Pride is a great British dramedy about how lesbians and gay men fought to support the rights of the striking Welsh coal miners in 1984 when everyone else turned their back on them. It was a tumultuous time when bigotry was allowed to bloom untamed. But slowly the barriers are broken down to find true appreciation in their common cause: the freedom to live a life worth living. An underrated gem, Pride was a delight to watch and gave me a few laughs with a sprinkling of historical tidbits.
#35. Blood Simple
Meh. I like the Coen brothers, but this is certainly not their best work. A touch too slow, it's a decent first attempt, what with it being Joel's directorial debut, but the brothers had yet to come into their own. Raising Arizona and Fargo are more my speed.
#36. The Gambler
At one point in The Gambler, Brie Larson's character points out that Mark Wahlberg's character is someone with no problems that has to invent them instead just to be sour. That is exactly the problem with this swollen pustule of a film, swelling and throbbing, ready to burst its pseudo-intellectual bull over everything. The protagonist is all 'woe is me,' but his life could be pretty great if he wasn't such a miserable whiner with a superiority complex and a penchant for pitting people against each other. Screw happiness, though. In lieu of that, he orchestrates his own demise for reasons unknown. I absolutely hated this arrogant and ungrateful numb-skull. As a film-watching experience, it wasn't anything like The Wolf of Wall Street or Goodfellas, those truly great antihero tales, where you're rooting for the bad guy to win while waiting for him to fail. No, instead Wahlberg's character doesn't have any motivation at all and I became fed up with his asinine behaviour within twenty minutes and had to force myself to finish the film. The Gambler just sucks out your soul. If you hadn't guessed already, I don't recommend it.
#37. Pacific Heights
An expertly crafted suspenseful thriller, Pacific Heights showcases not only a wonderfully original story but an equally stunning batch of performances from the talented Matthew Modine, Melanie Griffith, and Michael Keaton. A happy unmarried couple, Patty Parker and Drake Goodman, decide to buy a large house beyond their means with two rental units in addition to their home. They have a studio and a one-bedroom apartment; they find a nice couple to take the one and are looking for another tenant. That's when they meet Carter Hayes. Investing in themselves, in their future, becomes a devastating wild goose chase to either get the rent or evict him. Driving them further into debt and towards their wit's end, Patty and Drake endure a real-life nightmare. It is the subtle twists of this film that make it feel real, beyond its time and completely lacking in the formulaic tendencies of films that veer this way. Made in 1990, it spoke of the identity theft and fraud that buzzes in today's headlines, over twenty years after it was made. Pacific Heights is completely different than anything I've ever seen before, and I mean that in the best of ways. And again, it is beautifully real, which shocks me because villainy sometimes comes off as feigned. But not here. Michael Keaton has always been an expert at playing a mysterious individual and sometimes even a dastardly one, with his turns as the darkest Batman the world had ever seen (up to that point, of course) and the equally nefarious Betelgeuse from Tim Burton's whimsically spooky Beetlejuice. But here is where we see his pure evil. He is a master manipulator. He is the parasitic fear that lurks inside the house. Keaton is perfectly equipped for this role, the haunting Carter Hayes at the bottom of the stairs; years before his Oscar nod, Keaton exhibited his strength in acting here. And it's not just Keaton. The same can be said for Modine, morphing from a gentle landlord to an enraged shadow of his former self as he fights foreclosure. Even Melanie Griffith -- no, especially, Melanie Griffith; admittedly never one of my favourite actresses, always leaving me wondering how she became a star -- is a tour-de-force, a strong single woman adept at what she does, stressed but breathing, doing her level best to keep her house and her mind, and, when all is said and done, determined to never allow history to be repeated. She is admittedly afraid but powering through hell because, like it or not, that's what you do when you come face to face with it. And everything about her performance feels incredibly realistic, equal parts driven and terrified. And something is only scary when it feels like it could happen, when it feels real.
#38. This Is Where I Leave You
This Is Where I Leave You is trying and failing to be a twenty-first century Big Chill. But instead of being a reunion of friends, it's a family reunion when a handful of siblings return home for Dad's funeral. Each is struggling with their own thing: adultery; impending divorce; infertility; potty-training children; dating someone older; miscarriage; unplanned pregnancy; unemployment; bla bla bla. But the contrived message is, of course, that family must lean on family and love each other unconditionally. We've heard it all before, spouted like a universal truth but applicable only in some situations. This family in particular must sit shiva for their "Jewish Atheist" father, seven days of mourning under one roof, his dying wish. Throwing this much talent together should ignite a spark just from the friction, but I failed to see anything light. The one stand-out is miserable Jason Bateman, who, from his years on Arrested Development, has perfected the straight-man persona amongst the chaos of a dysfunctional family. I normally love Adam Driver and Tina Fey, but they feel miscast here, lacking their usual panache and trading it in for an archetype to hide behind. Same goes for Jane Fonda, showing up in lingerie to highlight how good she looks for her years, something akin to a sex-fueled cameo. The only worthwhile scenes come within the last twenty minutes of the film, all revelation and resolution one after the other. Not worth its flashy star power, This Is Where I Leave You is best left on the shelf.
#39. Life of Crime
An odd jumble of crime comedy and dark drama, Life of Crime centers on a botched kidnapping, similar to that of Fargo on the surface but not quite as good. Failing to collect ransom and struggling to work together, the kidnappers operate on all different levels, one too sensitive and friendly, another a womanizer prone to flipping the switch, and the last a nutty Nazi sympathizer with aggressive tendencies and loyalty to no one. Its ensemble is fairly solid with Jennifer Aniston accepting a smarter and more sophisticated role than she typically accepts, along with the well-cast John Hawkes and Tim Robbins. Of all of the performances, Isla Fisher is arguably the weakest link in the chain, there to instigate conflict without motive. But the main problem with Life of Crime is that it doesn't fit any genre and falls into perpetual overlap. It would have been better as a full-on seventies-era comedy, scrapping the grittier elements and focusing on the dynamics between the kidnappers, the kidnapped, and those who refuse to pay. But instead it loses momentum getting bogged down in heavy themes and lingering close-ups. Too much gloom and doom meant not enough room for smirks and smiles.
#40. This Boy's Life
This Boy's Life is brutally honest, uncomfortably so. With great performances from the whole cast, I feel this film, which depicts the early life of writer Tobias Wolff, deserves a touch more acclaim than it received. I won't share the details; it's best not to see anything coming. Mum's the word.
#41. The Fault in Our Stars
Happily surprised, The Fault in Our Stars played like beautiful music to the ears. It's one in what I hope will be a string of stellar films aimed at adolescents, starting in more recent years with Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's not so bad for what was falsely marketed as a cheesy teen sob story. The characters use polysyllabic words and have a sense of grace and integrity. Perhaps the source material by fantastic writer and all-around fun personality John Green is where this film's credit lies. It seems to be a close adaptation, not veering too far from the page, and producing, as a result, a strong film about adolescents dealing with grown-up diseases and life events much bigger than them. It was neither sappy nor insensitive, straddling that line superbly. The message is sweet, that love is sometimes the greatest medicine, repairing the human spirit, but the means that we arrive there, the journey itself, is intricate and honest. I applaud The Fault in Our Stars for daring to be different than its shabby Twilight-knock-off neighbours.
#42. Diana
Diana was a disappointing film that boils down to bitterness over an unhappy marriage and divorce combined with the overbearing flood of paparazzi. We've beat all the dust we can out of this rug. Can we let her rest in peace now?
#43. Movie 43
Why do I do this to myself?
#44. The Hundred-Foot Journey
The Hundred-Foot Journey could have been better. I've become quite taken with cooking films, but something about this one didn't hit the spot for me. I much preferred the underrated Jon Favreau passion project Chef, which I highly recommend. No, The Hundred-Foot Journey received Spielberg and Oprah's blessings, though, and so, it received a ton of only half-deserved publicity. I enjoyed the idea of fusion cuisine, but that was barely seen here, instead dealing with non-issues, like snootiness. It could have been more serious and compelling, more shocking with its conflicts, but it wasn't. In lieu of that, it could have been funnier, fluffier, lighter, and thus more entertaining, but it wasn't that either. It was straight-faced with nothing much to say. I enjoyed it while it was on, but I don't think I'd watch it again. So, if you worship at the feet of Spielberg or Oprah, then watch it. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
#45. The Other Woman
This film got a whole lot of flack for being daft, but it was better than I thought it would be. I think half of why I enjoyed it was pure shock. The other half was Leslie Mann. Even though it's as if she was told to read all her lines in a shrill pseudo-sob, she is still the real motivating force here. She is flawed but trying. She is real. And I can enjoy that much more than Miss Attitude (better known as Cameron Diaz) or Miss Ditz (Kate Upton). I can always get behind a good revenge plot in film, so maybe in that regard I'm biased, but overall, for a fun and lighthearted popcorn flick, The Other Woman does not disappoint.
#46. The Fabulous Baker Boys
Remember when I said Michelle Pfeiffer is amazing? I think this may be her peak. Never go into business with your family. And that includes show biz, according to The Fabulous Baker Boys. Real-life brothers Beau and Jeff Bridges play an onscreen jazz piano-playing brothers act, dueling on the ivories and behind the scenes, as they barely stay afloat in the murky waters of second-rate hotels and themed drinking joints. And then they decide to hire Miss Diamond, a club singer, to accompany them. What ensues both builds and breaks the brothers Baker. Michelle Pfeiffer is dazzling here, which I suppose is kind of the point, but as a whole, the film felt lackluster. The story needed work and every scene missing Pfeiffer felt drab.
#47. Snowpiercer
Other than a largely symbolic conclusion that felt less appealing than what I suspected would occur, I greatly enjoyed Snowpiercer. A unique dystopian film about the sum of humanity surviving the next ice age aboard a uniquely equipped train, I especially liked the range of villainy and godliness intermingling, regardless of their station in life. And I mean that literally. These people feel genuinely stationed on the train, given vocation and location permanently. Dark but enjoyable, I recommend this to audiences who can handle grimness without a sugary sweet layer of apologism. Simply put, Snowpiercer is just that: cold and piercing.
#48. Get Shorty
I love movies about the movie business. I love a good crime film. And Get Shorty combines the two and adds some flair, to boot. Any fan of Elmore Leonard adaptations will love this cool and suave Barry Sonnenfeld flick from the nineties. It's just as smooth as Jackie Brown and Out of Sight, with its usual chit-chat style about whatever the hell the characters like. I love the idea of Chili Palmer and adored watching everything unfold around him. I was taken by the idea of an unseasonably cool spell in Miami that sets everything into motion. And I really enjoyed seeing the late great James Gandolfini in an early role that showed how bright his star was going to shine before the biz had even given him a chance to twinkle. Everything is a delight here.
#49. The Skeleton Twins
The Skeleton Twins exceeded my expectations by a landslide. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are perfect together, their bottled-magic chemistry spot-on for siblings who find solace in each other. With such a natural conversational flow, I wonder how much was penned in advance and how much was ad libbed. The central characters are flawed, horribly dysfunctional but trying to function nonetheless, which is more realistic than cookie-cutter images that damage the self-esteem of an audience who can't relate. A little more broken than the norm but working back to happiness, this dynamic duo clash with the supporting cast, especially the glowing ball of joy and mirth that is Luke Wilson. Shining the light on familial imperfection, The Skeleton Twins is harsher and more adult than flicks like Little Miss Sunshine or Perks of Being A Wallflower but in the same vein.
#50. The Birdcage
This one was a birthday gift. The Birdcage is the story of a newly engaged couple returning home to their parents with the news, only to realize that they must bring their parents to meet before they get married. It's Meet The Fockers before such a film existed. The camera centers on Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane), a gay couple who own the drag club aptly named The Birdcage, but they try to conceal this fact from their son's new in-laws-to-be, a conservative Senator (Gene Hackman) and his sweet traditional wife (Dianne Wiest). It's sweet and funny, if not a little dated in its vernacular. The son isn't particularly sympathetic and I would argue that, even with his stuffy father passing judgment, it's actually Armand's son that is the worst part of this family. How could he be so ashamed of his parents? It was a different time and the world wasn't as friendly to gay culture, but still, it feels downright awful. Regardless, The Birdcage is a great comedic watch. Fosse, Fosse, Fosse!
So for now that's all. I may update later on in the year, but, in the meantime, if there's anything in particular you want me to watch, leave a comment and I will try to meet your requests.
#26. Birdman
What a pretentious Best Picture Oscar winner. I appreciate the technical aspect of a seemingly seamless single-take film (although there are some creative cuts you can spot, which makes for a good game to pass the time), but the plot is boring. I can hear the outcry already. "But it's layered!" Sure, but each layer is dull as dirt. I get why Academy members would vote for it, what with it being the life they've led at some point in their careers. But considering the tight race between this and Linklater's Boyhood, I would've rather Boyhood took home the hardware. Boyhood speaks to a larger audience. Everyone was a child once. Not everyone was a mentally ill has-been movie star with a fame-hungry streak. Still, a good writer can make an unlikable character that's nothing like you appealing enough to look beyond the differences, but that didn't happen either. I obviously can't recommend Birdman. The best part was Emma Stone's two-minute spiel on relevancy, but it's not worth the two-hour shitstorm.
#27. Finding Vivian Maier
A fascinating documentary about a puzzling woman who photographed everything, Finding Vivian Maier poses more questions than answers most of the time, but I think not knowing for sure just adds to the beauty of this wonderfully weird story. It's very difficult to describe without flatly detailing each discovery made, which I don't wish to do, but I can say that it is definitely worth the watch.
#28.
Let me first confess that I'm not one for war films. American Sniper drew a crowd at the box office, but I wonder how many really enjoyed it and how many just said they did while saluting the American flag. To compare, I immensely enjoyed The Hurt Locker , wrote, performed and directed with an intense message and care for its subject matter. These two films share loosely the theme of war's addictive nature, but not to the same extent. No, American Sniper is like a diluted version of that, rushed through production and hitting trite patriotic tones. Its execution is flawed, failing to show the humanity within the killing machine. The few glimpses we get of a person, not a robot sent to kill, are so corny and unspectacular, many will miss the point. It's bloated and long-winded and wastes precious time dwelling on the same old thing without delving deeper into the other aspects of battle-scarred protagonist Chris Kyle's life. Sadly, the best and most fully formed character is Sienna Miller's Taya, but she's diminished to a bit part to give more screen time to camouflage and sand. I appreciate what this film wanted to be, what it could and should have been with a touch more time and better handling overall, but that's not what it was. For me, American Sniper missed the mark.
#29. Game of Thrones: Season Four
A thrilling spectacle is what you expect from Game of Thrones. But unfortunately this season felt bogged down. Don't get me wrong; it's still better than much of what litters the airwaves. That doesn't make it perfect. It is the least strong season so far, as it relied too heavily upon big moments spaced out with utter monotony. I couldn't care less about Castle Black at this point, and frankly, the series started out with a heavy focus on the events of Winterfell and Kings' Landing. While I know we can't go back to the former, there's no reason to point the camera away from the throne for so long. Even Daenerys Stormborn, who I hope takes it all in the end, had a weak plotline, the most uninteresting season-long story she's carried in a while. It feels like the writers are dragging their pens through the footnotes this season. Get to the point! Overall, the bursts of flavour sprinkled every three or four episodes don't have enough pizzazz to leave a good taste in my mouth. That being said, Game of Thrones can still be good television, so I'm not giving up hope yet.
#30. John Wick
A beautiful action film, John Wick was truly terrific. It had the elements of an artfully ultra-violent action story but the plot of a thrilling melodrama. It was heartfelt and heartless. What is John Wick about? To tell you the plot would spoil the film, so I won't dare. What I will tell you: Go see it. It was everything I wanted and I didn't expect it. I doubted Keanu and I thought very little of this assassin tale upon first impression. What would it even be about? Oh, how wrong I was. It dangles a mysterious past, an adorable dog, a lost love, and a Russian mob together, then stirs it all up until they're blended to perfection.
#31. St. Vincent
There aren't many films quite like this, funny through and through but realistic and honest depictions of divorce and old age. Centered on a young boy's experiences with an old cranky neighbour, St. Vincent invests thought into its characters, developing them to show not just the cracks but that which caused them. Its casting was skilfully done. Bill Murray is spot-on with his performance and the smaller role of a pregnant Russian stripper was molded into something clever in the capable hands of Aussie actress Naomi Watts. Some child actors can be grating but the bright little newcomer Jaeden Lieberher was perfectly cast. It's a charming film, for sure, and a pleasant experience to watch.
#32. The Book of Life
The Book of Life was a beautiful fun-for-the-whole-family tale, injected with just the right dose of adult humour to balance out the cutesy stuff that caters to kids. It was much better than I expected. It's an interesting change of pace, regarding the line between life and death, especially when told through the context of the Latin holiday Dia de los Muertos. (I told you films offer a little culture!)
#33. The Boxtrolls
Beautiful animation and a truly clever plot, The Boxtrolls features one of my favourite villains in a while. Villains always have a critical flaw, and the Snatcher's flaw is a doozy. (I wouldn't dare spoil it, though.) I feel that both The Boxtrolls and The Book of Life were genuinely great animated flicks that were overlooked this year because they lacked the big-studio marketing.
#34. Pride
Pride is a great British dramedy about how lesbians and gay men fought to support the rights of the striking Welsh coal miners in 1984 when everyone else turned their back on them. It was a tumultuous time when bigotry was allowed to bloom untamed. But slowly the barriers are broken down to find true appreciation in their common cause: the freedom to live a life worth living. An underrated gem, Pride was a delight to watch and gave me a few laughs with a sprinkling of historical tidbits.
#35. Blood Simple
Meh. I like the Coen brothers, but this is certainly not their best work. A touch too slow, it's a decent first attempt, what with it being Joel's directorial debut, but the brothers had yet to come into their own. Raising Arizona and Fargo are more my speed.
#36. The Gambler
At one point in The Gambler, Brie Larson's character points out that Mark Wahlberg's character is someone with no problems that has to invent them instead just to be sour. That is exactly the problem with this swollen pustule of a film, swelling and throbbing, ready to burst its pseudo-intellectual bull over everything. The protagonist is all 'woe is me,' but his life could be pretty great if he wasn't such a miserable whiner with a superiority complex and a penchant for pitting people against each other. Screw happiness, though. In lieu of that, he orchestrates his own demise for reasons unknown. I absolutely hated this arrogant and ungrateful numb-skull. As a film-watching experience, it wasn't anything like The Wolf of Wall Street or Goodfellas, those truly great antihero tales, where you're rooting for the bad guy to win while waiting for him to fail. No, instead Wahlberg's character doesn't have any motivation at all and I became fed up with his asinine behaviour within twenty minutes and had to force myself to finish the film. The Gambler just sucks out your soul. If you hadn't guessed already, I don't recommend it.
#37. Pacific Heights
An expertly crafted suspenseful thriller, Pacific Heights showcases not only a wonderfully original story but an equally stunning batch of performances from the talented Matthew Modine, Melanie Griffith, and Michael Keaton. A happy unmarried couple, Patty Parker and Drake Goodman, decide to buy a large house beyond their means with two rental units in addition to their home. They have a studio and a one-bedroom apartment; they find a nice couple to take the one and are looking for another tenant. That's when they meet Carter Hayes. Investing in themselves, in their future, becomes a devastating wild goose chase to either get the rent or evict him. Driving them further into debt and towards their wit's end, Patty and Drake endure a real-life nightmare. It is the subtle twists of this film that make it feel real, beyond its time and completely lacking in the formulaic tendencies of films that veer this way. Made in 1990, it spoke of the identity theft and fraud that buzzes in today's headlines, over twenty years after it was made. Pacific Heights is completely different than anything I've ever seen before, and I mean that in the best of ways. And again, it is beautifully real, which shocks me because villainy sometimes comes off as feigned. But not here. Michael Keaton has always been an expert at playing a mysterious individual and sometimes even a dastardly one, with his turns as the darkest Batman the world had ever seen (up to that point, of course) and the equally nefarious Betelgeuse from Tim Burton's whimsically spooky Beetlejuice. But here is where we see his pure evil. He is a master manipulator. He is the parasitic fear that lurks inside the house. Keaton is perfectly equipped for this role, the haunting Carter Hayes at the bottom of the stairs; years before his Oscar nod, Keaton exhibited his strength in acting here. And it's not just Keaton. The same can be said for Modine, morphing from a gentle landlord to an enraged shadow of his former self as he fights foreclosure. Even Melanie Griffith -- no, especially, Melanie Griffith; admittedly never one of my favourite actresses, always leaving me wondering how she became a star -- is a tour-de-force, a strong single woman adept at what she does, stressed but breathing, doing her level best to keep her house and her mind, and, when all is said and done, determined to never allow history to be repeated. She is admittedly afraid but powering through hell because, like it or not, that's what you do when you come face to face with it. And everything about her performance feels incredibly realistic, equal parts driven and terrified. And something is only scary when it feels like it could happen, when it feels real.
#38. This Is Where I Leave You
This Is Where I Leave You is trying and failing to be a twenty-first century Big Chill. But instead of being a reunion of friends, it's a family reunion when a handful of siblings return home for Dad's funeral. Each is struggling with their own thing: adultery; impending divorce; infertility; potty-training children; dating someone older; miscarriage; unplanned pregnancy; unemployment; bla bla bla. But the contrived message is, of course, that family must lean on family and love each other unconditionally. We've heard it all before, spouted like a universal truth but applicable only in some situations. This family in particular must sit shiva for their "Jewish Atheist" father, seven days of mourning under one roof, his dying wish. Throwing this much talent together should ignite a spark just from the friction, but I failed to see anything light. The one stand-out is miserable Jason Bateman, who, from his years on Arrested Development, has perfected the straight-man persona amongst the chaos of a dysfunctional family. I normally love Adam Driver and Tina Fey, but they feel miscast here, lacking their usual panache and trading it in for an archetype to hide behind. Same goes for Jane Fonda, showing up in lingerie to highlight how good she looks for her years, something akin to a sex-fueled cameo. The only worthwhile scenes come within the last twenty minutes of the film, all revelation and resolution one after the other. Not worth its flashy star power, This Is Where I Leave You is best left on the shelf.
#39. Life of Crime
An odd jumble of crime comedy and dark drama, Life of Crime centers on a botched kidnapping, similar to that of Fargo on the surface but not quite as good. Failing to collect ransom and struggling to work together, the kidnappers operate on all different levels, one too sensitive and friendly, another a womanizer prone to flipping the switch, and the last a nutty Nazi sympathizer with aggressive tendencies and loyalty to no one. Its ensemble is fairly solid with Jennifer Aniston accepting a smarter and more sophisticated role than she typically accepts, along with the well-cast John Hawkes and Tim Robbins. Of all of the performances, Isla Fisher is arguably the weakest link in the chain, there to instigate conflict without motive. But the main problem with Life of Crime is that it doesn't fit any genre and falls into perpetual overlap. It would have been better as a full-on seventies-era comedy, scrapping the grittier elements and focusing on the dynamics between the kidnappers, the kidnapped, and those who refuse to pay. But instead it loses momentum getting bogged down in heavy themes and lingering close-ups. Too much gloom and doom meant not enough room for smirks and smiles.
#40. This Boy's Life
This Boy's Life is brutally honest, uncomfortably so. With great performances from the whole cast, I feel this film, which depicts the early life of writer Tobias Wolff, deserves a touch more acclaim than it received. I won't share the details; it's best not to see anything coming. Mum's the word.
#41. The Fault in Our Stars
Happily surprised, The Fault in Our Stars played like beautiful music to the ears. It's one in what I hope will be a string of stellar films aimed at adolescents, starting in more recent years with Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's not so bad for what was falsely marketed as a cheesy teen sob story. The characters use polysyllabic words and have a sense of grace and integrity. Perhaps the source material by fantastic writer and all-around fun personality John Green is where this film's credit lies. It seems to be a close adaptation, not veering too far from the page, and producing, as a result, a strong film about adolescents dealing with grown-up diseases and life events much bigger than them. It was neither sappy nor insensitive, straddling that line superbly. The message is sweet, that love is sometimes the greatest medicine, repairing the human spirit, but the means that we arrive there, the journey itself, is intricate and honest. I applaud The Fault in Our Stars for daring to be different than its shabby Twilight-knock-off neighbours.
#42. Diana
Diana was a disappointing film that boils down to bitterness over an unhappy marriage and divorce combined with the overbearing flood of paparazzi. We've beat all the dust we can out of this rug. Can we let her rest in peace now?
#43. Movie 43
Why do I do this to myself?
#44. The Hundred-Foot Journey
The Hundred-Foot Journey could have been better. I've become quite taken with cooking films, but something about this one didn't hit the spot for me. I much preferred the underrated Jon Favreau passion project Chef, which I highly recommend. No, The Hundred-Foot Journey received Spielberg and Oprah's blessings, though, and so, it received a ton of only half-deserved publicity. I enjoyed the idea of fusion cuisine, but that was barely seen here, instead dealing with non-issues, like snootiness. It could have been more serious and compelling, more shocking with its conflicts, but it wasn't. In lieu of that, it could have been funnier, fluffier, lighter, and thus more entertaining, but it wasn't that either. It was straight-faced with nothing much to say. I enjoyed it while it was on, but I don't think I'd watch it again. So, if you worship at the feet of Spielberg or Oprah, then watch it. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
#45. The Other Woman
This film got a whole lot of flack for being daft, but it was better than I thought it would be. I think half of why I enjoyed it was pure shock. The other half was Leslie Mann. Even though it's as if she was told to read all her lines in a shrill pseudo-sob, she is still the real motivating force here. She is flawed but trying. She is real. And I can enjoy that much more than Miss Attitude (better known as Cameron Diaz) or Miss Ditz (Kate Upton). I can always get behind a good revenge plot in film, so maybe in that regard I'm biased, but overall, for a fun and lighthearted popcorn flick, The Other Woman does not disappoint.
#46. The Fabulous Baker Boys
Remember when I said Michelle Pfeiffer is amazing? I think this may be her peak. Never go into business with your family. And that includes show biz, according to The Fabulous Baker Boys. Real-life brothers Beau and Jeff Bridges play an onscreen jazz piano-playing brothers act, dueling on the ivories and behind the scenes, as they barely stay afloat in the murky waters of second-rate hotels and themed drinking joints. And then they decide to hire Miss Diamond, a club singer, to accompany them. What ensues both builds and breaks the brothers Baker. Michelle Pfeiffer is dazzling here, which I suppose is kind of the point, but as a whole, the film felt lackluster. The story needed work and every scene missing Pfeiffer felt drab.
#47. Snowpiercer
Other than a largely symbolic conclusion that felt less appealing than what I suspected would occur, I greatly enjoyed Snowpiercer. A unique dystopian film about the sum of humanity surviving the next ice age aboard a uniquely equipped train, I especially liked the range of villainy and godliness intermingling, regardless of their station in life. And I mean that literally. These people feel genuinely stationed on the train, given vocation and location permanently. Dark but enjoyable, I recommend this to audiences who can handle grimness without a sugary sweet layer of apologism. Simply put, Snowpiercer is just that: cold and piercing.
#48. Get Shorty
I love movies about the movie business. I love a good crime film. And Get Shorty combines the two and adds some flair, to boot. Any fan of Elmore Leonard adaptations will love this cool and suave Barry Sonnenfeld flick from the nineties. It's just as smooth as Jackie Brown and Out of Sight, with its usual chit-chat style about whatever the hell the characters like. I love the idea of Chili Palmer and adored watching everything unfold around him. I was taken by the idea of an unseasonably cool spell in Miami that sets everything into motion. And I really enjoyed seeing the late great James Gandolfini in an early role that showed how bright his star was going to shine before the biz had even given him a chance to twinkle. Everything is a delight here.
#49. The Skeleton Twins
The Skeleton Twins exceeded my expectations by a landslide. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are perfect together, their bottled-magic chemistry spot-on for siblings who find solace in each other. With such a natural conversational flow, I wonder how much was penned in advance and how much was ad libbed. The central characters are flawed, horribly dysfunctional but trying to function nonetheless, which is more realistic than cookie-cutter images that damage the self-esteem of an audience who can't relate. A little more broken than the norm but working back to happiness, this dynamic duo clash with the supporting cast, especially the glowing ball of joy and mirth that is Luke Wilson. Shining the light on familial imperfection, The Skeleton Twins is harsher and more adult than flicks like Little Miss Sunshine or Perks of Being A Wallflower but in the same vein.
#50. The Birdcage
This one was a birthday gift. The Birdcage is the story of a newly engaged couple returning home to their parents with the news, only to realize that they must bring their parents to meet before they get married. It's Meet The Fockers before such a film existed. The camera centers on Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane), a gay couple who own the drag club aptly named The Birdcage, but they try to conceal this fact from their son's new in-laws-to-be, a conservative Senator (Gene Hackman) and his sweet traditional wife (Dianne Wiest). It's sweet and funny, if not a little dated in its vernacular. The son isn't particularly sympathetic and I would argue that, even with his stuffy father passing judgment, it's actually Armand's son that is the worst part of this family. How could he be so ashamed of his parents? It was a different time and the world wasn't as friendly to gay culture, but still, it feels downright awful. Regardless, The Birdcage is a great comedic watch. Fosse, Fosse, Fosse!
So for now that's all. I may update later on in the year, but, in the meantime, if there's anything in particular you want me to watch, leave a comment and I will try to meet your requests.
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