La La Land (2016)

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This film makes me really miss Debbie Reynolds. Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) functions here like Tarantino—patching together scenes and nods to the great films of the genre, hoping that those who aren’t familiar with them will find them fresh and charming, and those who are familiar will revel in the nostalgia. Unfortunately, it ends up feeling like a pastiche of clichés. I found it to be nearly devoid of charm, with the exception of two numbers—the couple’s first dance together, and Stone’s audition song. Continue reading →

Christine (2016):

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Unfortunately, the best performance by an actress in a motion picture this year probably won’t get the Academy Award. It probably won’t be nominated, even. Hell, you likely won’t even see it, unless you take my advice and seek out Rebecca Hall’s performance as tragic news reporter Christine Chubbuck in 2016’s Christine. The film itself is well made, if low-budget, but what elevates it above the crowd is Hall. She is magnificent, giving as strong a portrayal of depression as I’ve seen, in that it doesn’t play into convenient scenes and stereotypes; the illness insinuates itself into every scene, every aspect of her life, from dealing with her mother, whom she lives with, to obsessively analyzing a video of herself, and wondering if she nods too much. Even her gait makes her seem that she’s uncomfortable in her own skin. It’s a heartbreaking portrayal, and often difficult to watch. Continue reading →

Apologies!

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I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but there should be a few coming soon, as well as my “best of” list from last year. I had a number of films I wanted to see that I thought would be contenders, and was loath to put the list together without seeing them.

The Girl on the Train (2016)

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I guess I should start by saying that I didn’t care for the novel the film is based on. But it’s still a damn sight better than the film. The internal monologues present in the book at least give some measure of breath (and breadth) to the lives of these characters. Those who have read it will, no doubt, recognize the wisps of backstory left intact that made the novel readable, if somewhat predictable. They also should be able to follow the convoluted plot a lot better. The compression from novel to screenplay didn’t do this story any favors. Continue reading →

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

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Holy fuck. Sorry about the profanity, but that just about sums up my feelings after finishing The Autopsy of Jane Doe. You should know that I generally don’t get scared at films, but this one…this one scared the crap out of me. This is how I expected to feel after watching It Follows, but never quite did. In retrospect, I know this wasn’t all that original, but boy, it sure felt like it at the time. Director André Øvredal (2010’s excellent and underappreciated Trollhunter)pulls out all the stops here to keep us holding our breath on the edges of our seats. The premise is simple: a half-buried, naked woman (Olwn Kelly) is found in the basement at a bloody crime scene. Why is she there, how did she die, and what—if any—connection does she have with the events of the floors above? Continue reading →

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

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(from July 5, 2013)

Visually stunning, but I wish they had put a little of that CGI money into hiring a better writer. The acting is a little off, but I really think it’s more the result of the writing than anything else. (I felt there were multiple cringeworthy lines.) The characters aren’t quite developed enough, either, although there are some very nice moments. (I loved nearly all the scenes with the China Doll.) And yet, overall, I enjoyed it. The 6.6 at IMDB is maybe a couple of tenths high. (running time 2:10)

The Tribe (2014)

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When is a “talkie” not a “talkie”? When it’s done completely in Ukrainian Sign Language. And I mean completely. No talking. No translation. No subtitles. On the one hand, it feels like a gimmick, and keeps the audience from getting to know much about these characters, but on the other it forces us to become a much more active audience. Even paying attention, though, you’re still not going to get everything. Continue reading →

Last Cab to Darwin (2015)

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So I’ve been trying to work my way through all of the “brand name” films, trying to put together my end of the year list, and I thought I’d take a break and slide this film in as a sort of “palate cleanser” with no hope of it being anything more than that. Wow, was I wrong. This might be one of my favorite film experiences this year. It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for films from Down Under, and although this one might benefit from my bias, I feel comfortable recommending it to anyone. It’s not a film filled, like so many others this year, with heroic action sequences, stylistic camerawork, witty dialogue, or over-the-top violence. It’s a film about believable, real characters dealing with an, unfortunately, all-to-real situation. And I can tell you, as I sit here writing this with a tear still on my cheek and a smile on my face, it will make you care about these people. Continue reading →

The Lobster (2015)

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I’m not sure how to describe this film, except maybe to say imagine if Logan’s Run was written by Woody Allen and directed by Terry Gilliam (or maybe Wes Anderson). Colin Farrell, who I normally don’t think much of, gives a nice, understated performance here as David, a newly-single man from a mildly Orwellian future, who is shipped off to stay at a hotel (Room 101!) where denizens are all single, and must find a mate within 45 days or be turned into an animal of their choosing (in David’s case, a lobster) and released into the forest. He’s got nerdy glasses and a paunch, and (perhaps because he’s relying less on his looks) I don’t think I’ve seen him better. Continue reading →

The Revenant (2015)

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I’m not a big fan of Leo’s. Maybe I’ve just chosen the wrong titles, but I’ve never thought he had the range for many of the roles he plays. He always seems so one-note. He’s good here, but once again, it’s one note: angry. To be fair, he has to make do with very little dialogue, about half of it in the Pawnee dialect, which he uses to converse with Hawk, his son by a Pawnee woman. And he has plenty of reason to be angry. Continue reading →