Dir. James Franco (2017)
Rated R The Disaster Artist is a movie about filmmaker Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) and the making of his film The Room. Tommy is an aspiring actor who has a lot of passion for movies and a ton of money to make them, but it is clear that he has no real skill and doesn't really know what he is doing. With his friend who wants to be an actor as well, Greg (Dave Franco), they move to LA to try to get in the acting business. Months go by with no luck, and one day Greg jokingly says that the two should just make their own movie. Tommy doesn't let this go, and soon he has spent a fortune on film equipment and hires an entire crew to make a film that he has written, The Room. When watching, it is pretty obvious that the script is terrible and that the movie will be pretty bad. The actors and crew on set soon realize this, too. Tommy is relentless, however, and impossible to work with. He can't see the lack of development in the script or the over all soap opera-ness to it, and thinks that it's going to make millions. Tommy is an enigma: no one knows where he is from or how old he is or who he really is at all. That remains the same throughout the whole movie, too. When The Room finally has its premiere, Greg has stopped talking to Tommy entirely because of Tommy being a horrible director and a tyrant. There is a huge turnout, but when the movie plays, everyone but Tommy can see how embarrassing it is for the actors and how horrible of a movie it is overall. It's supposed to be a drama, but the entire audience is laughing hysterically at every scene. Tommy is devastated that everyone is making fun of his movie, and Greg rushes to comfort him despite them being estranged now. He realizes that people still love his movie, but not in the way he expected. It's now a comedy instead of a drama. The movie ends with Tommy and Greg being friends again, having made a movie together with questionable reviews. This movie was endearing and hilarious but awkward and pretentious at the same time. I liked certain parts a lot and thought they were hilarious. As I was watching it, I remembered watching a clip of it in film class (Tommy doing multiple takes for the "I did not hit her" scene). That was one of the funniest parts, and there were a bunch more. I felt that a lot of the comedy was based around Tommy himself and his accent. Still not sure what that accent is, but I guess that is part of why Wiseau is so mysterious. I think it's important to insert here that before watching The Disaster Artist, I had never heard of Tommy Wiseau or the The Room. I had no idea that it was a Hollywood cult favorite or that it was known and loved for how bad it was. The ending credits were very helpful for me to read. That being said, the movie works for people who have and haven't heard of it, which is great. Greg and Tommy's relationship was full of development and was fun to watch but also frustrating because of Tommy's character. Still, by the end it had a 'feel good' effect on me. For the parts I didn't like as much, there were sooo many awkward parts in this movie. Awkward as in during some of the dialogue I was tensed up thinking, oh, man, is this really happening? I wish I weren't watching this right now. (I'm not even talking about the part where Franco is practically naked on screen. The bulk of the award-ness just happens in the dialogue.) Perhaps it was second hand embarrassment/awkwardness. It was great to watch James and Dave Franco act together in a movie, because I love both of the actors and had never seen the brothers together before. Their acting was amazing, and I have reason to believe that if James Franco didn't make this movie or if the two brothers did not appear in it, it wouldn't have done nearly as well. I just don't imagine this story line being a successful one if it had not been made as well as it did. It seemed a little like the Franco's were just showing off, because a lot of people will go see any movie if they're involved with it. (that's what I mean by the pretentious bit.) So overall, I didn't love this movie, but I didn't hate it either. The trailer made it look hilarious all the way through, but as I said, there is a lot of awkward-ness that weighs it down. The funny bits were great. With all of this being said, I'm not really sure why this movie did as well as it did. I don't get why it's nominated for Oscars. I just feel like out of all the other movies that I saw that are nominated as well, this one was by far not as good. That's just my opinion, though. I'm not saying it's bad and a lot of people LOVED it, so it must have done something right.
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Dir. Greta Gerwig (2017)
Rated R Spoilers, probably (After writing this review 2 times and accidentally deleting BOTH, this is my third try. Strap in and please ignore my poor sentence structure. Thank you.) Lady Bird is a movie that follows Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, a senior in a Catholic girl's high school in Sacramento, California. This movie covers a multitude of conflicts and emotions that Christine goes through as she is navigating young-adulthood, like applying for college, conflict with parents, trying new things and trying to own her identity in an unaccepting environment. It also has some great relatable Catholic school moments. By the end of the film, the viewer watches Lady Bird transform emotionally as she has just began figuring out how to figure out life. It is a really special and moving film. I loved loved LOVED this movie. It was amazing. (I think I call too many movies 'amazing' on here, and I don't want that to discredit this one, because it is really amazing. I think I'm too nice to movies on here and also in need of a wider vocabulary when it comes to reviewing movies but I'm learning OK?) But yeah, this was an incredible movie. I know I only just saw it, but it is really special to me. I think because I was able to relate to so much of it. I love coming of age movies and movies about teenagers and high school, but I feel like they always depict a perfect non-realistic life that these teenagers live in. If they're not perfect, they're trying too hard to be inspirational and aesthetically pleasing and quirky (I'm thinking Perks of Being a Wallflower). I always watched these kinds of movies and wished my life was like the teenagers in them. This movie is different, because you're not looking at Lady Bird's life through rose colored glasses. You watched Christine deal with so many conflicts in her life, like trying to go to college in New York when her parents can barely afford for her to go to college in state. She wants to be a sophisticated east coaster with real culture, and she acts ashamed of where she is from (she constantly calls where she lives 'the wrong side of the tracks'), causing significant conflict with her mom, because she feels as if Lady Bird isn't grateful for everything has done for her. Lady Bird feels like her mom hates who she is and who she wants to be, which secretly hurts her feelings but she showcases that in the form of resentment. The movie covers feelings and problems that pretty much every teenager goes through, and feelings that any adult can remember feeling. It really moved me because it was like watching real aspects of my life but translated in a beautiful way that only a movie can accomplish. Usually when I watch coming of age movies, it's like I'm looking in on the story because young people are portrayed in such a non-realistic way. This one was different. I think this movie is also accessible to adults, a group of people whom I usually think are turned off by coming of age movies. Neither of my parents particularly like this genre, so that's what I think, anyways. My dad, who saw it with me, liked it a lot and it made him think. Adults are able to relate to Lady Bird too, because this movie takes them back to when they were Christine's age and what it was like to be that age. It shows flaws and imperfections and angry and sad feelings, but it doesn't try to make Christine look like the teenage 'hero' who has everything figured out. The lines in this movie were brilliant, but they also seemed like things my actual friends and classmates would say. They weren't these large, inspirational rants that take place in movies about high school that no one actually says, they were candid pieces of dialogue that still were really great. My favorite lines happen in a conversation between Christine and her school principal, who is a nun (that's not really relevant, just thought you should know), as they are going over her college essay. The principal says "it's clear how much you love Sacramento," to which Christine says "I guess I just pay attention." the principal then says, "Don't you think they're the same thing?" There are a bunch of lines like this and so many hilarious moments that I wish I could include but won't, partly because you just have to see it for yourself and also because this would be so long and just a rant rather than a review. But yeah, the dialogue is so smart and funny. The acting is incredible too. Every actor, no matter how small the part, really knocks it out of the park. In short, this movie is really special. I think I said that already but whatever. I loved it. I loved how I was able to relate to it and understand a little of what Christine went though. There were so many beautiful scenes and lines and moments. Maybe I'm hyping up a movie that's been seen and done before, but I really don't think so. This movie is different, and you just have to see it for yourself. Dir. Martin McDonagh (2017)
Rated R (This movie is pretty dark. And there is a lot of language. If you don't like dark, then don't watch this.) Warning: there's pretty much spoilers littered throughout this entire thing, so read with caution. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri follows a woman named Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) who is trying to find justice in the rape and murder of her teenage daughter. Months after the murder has taken place, police have yet to find a suspect or made any kind of progress on the case. Mildred finally decides to take action, turning her anger towards the local police department, specifically the chief of police, Sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). She paints three billboards on a quiet country road that blatantly calls out the police. It gets the entire town talking, and splits them in two: those who take Mildred's side, and those who take the Chief's side. The film follows Mildred on her quest to avenge her daughter's killer, and it offers an in depth analysis on the human character and what people do in worst case scenarios. This is one of the most complex movies I have ever seen. This movie throws so much at you, and there is so much to think about. I actually saw this movie about two weeks ago, and I still find myself thinking about it a lot and how I think about it. I don't know if it's bad to write a review on a movie that you haven't JUST seen, but it still is pretty fresh in my mind. This isn't a movie that you'll soon forget. The thing that sticks out to me the most in this film is the depth and range of the characters in it. Mildred has been through the traumatic experience of losing a child, a loss that does not equal a lot. I cannot even imagine the grieving process for that, and for a majority of the film, I found myself sympathizing for her. I thought she was justified in putting up the billboards (despite the Sheriff dying of terminal cancer. More on that later), and I felt the same anger that she did in the police not doing anything or finding any suspect in the murder. There gets to a point when I cannot sympathize with Mildred's actions, like when she throws the employee who helps her with the billboards out the window, or sets the police station on fire. I hate the scene where one of the only genuinely nice people in the town, James (Peter Dinklage), takes Mildred on a date and she embarrasses him and hurts his feelings. The scene with the priest and the dentist also found to be disturbing and/or unnecessary. I think that all of these scenes with Mildred that make the viewer feel so many different ways amounts to one answer: Mildred is a flawed and broken human who is one of the most complex protagonists ever. She may not even be considered a protagonist. She has suffered a huge loss, and the way that she grieves isn't meant to be showcased as admirable or relatable, it just is as it is. The acting on McDormand's part is brilliant, to say the least. I wouldn't mind and I HOPE that she rakes up a ton of awards for her part. I appreciated this movie a lot because it gave me the chance to see actors like McDormand and Rockwell in lead roles, when I had previously only seen them as supporting actors. The entire cast had so much talent; they were moving and captivating, and that makes any film that much better. The relationship between Mildred and Chief Willoughby was fascinating. The plot of the movie surrounds the idea that Mildred is furious with the police department, particularly the Sheriff Willoughby, and their inability to solve her daughter's case. At the same time, Mildred and Willoughby have an oddly loving relationship at times, as he is dying of cancer and she sympathizes for him. One of the better scenes in the movie is when Willoughby is questioning Mildred after having drilled a hole into the dentist's finger, and they get into a screaming argument until Willoughby coughs up blood onto Mildred. He immediately apologizes and she is there to help him, after they had just gotten into a huge fight. Despite all the stuff that Mildred does that would infuriate any police chief and probably lead them to arrest Mildred, Willoughby is patient and almost accepting. The film also shows Willoughby's loving side with his wife and two young daughters. When he dies after committing suicide, he writes Mildred a heart warming letter. It showed that their relationship was more good than bad, and they were almost friends despite her anger. Something unique about this movie is the humor in it. The tone of the movie is dark, and that is made known to the viewer from the very beginning. I've seen plenty of dark comedies, but this wasn't one. It was almost like when the humor was added in, I was taken aback. It was surprising and confusing, but that doesn't mean that I didn't like it. I like humor in almost everything. It just took me by surprise because as I was watching it, it didn't seem like the kind of movie to have any humor in it at all. The scenes with Frances and the deer and some of the banter between her and the police officers give this movie so many intricate aspects. Also, the ending. The movie ends with Frances and Dixon (Sam Rockwell) driving together to go find and kill this man who was guilty of rape (not Mildred's daughter, though). They're in the car, and they are talking to one another, and at this point in the movie, the viewer's opinions on each of these characters has completely changed. Dixon was a horrible tyrant who made a terrible police officer at the beginning of the movie, and then he has a change of heart after reading a letter that Willoughby left him and turns nice. He starts to become a detective and takes a stand in Mildred's daughter's case. I wouldn't be surprised if these two (Mildred and Dixon) ended up together, but the movie ends with them in the car. So yeah, this movie is great. I absolutely loved it. It's not a movie you want to watch if you love happy endings, or cookie cutter plots that have a not-so-bad conflict involved. There's no character that a viewer can really identify with or relate to, or a character that viewers particularly root for. This movie is a beautiful one if you like dark, twisted movies with humor (perhaps even though there shouldn't be any), and more importantly, movies that just revolve around the human character itself (I know I've said that about 100 times). There is nothing pretty about this movie, yet I still loved it. It is a hard R, but I really think it is worth a watch. Dir. Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina (2017)
Rated PG Coco is a film about a little boy named Miguel and his struggle to find himself and the importance of family. Living in Mexico with a family of shoe makers, music is forbidden to be played or even talked about. This is because many many years ago, Miguel's great great grandma was married to a famous musician who left his family for his career. She was left to raise her child all alone, Miguel's great grandma Coco. On Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, Miguel's family puts up pictures of all of their family members who have passed away, except for the musician. All the while, Miguel is trying to pursue his love of music. His idol, famous Mexican singer Ernesto de la Cruz, told his fans to seize the moment, and Miguel was trying to do just that. He decorated his guitar to look just like de la Cruz's and sang his songs constantly. After accidentally shattering the picture of his great great grandmother, Miguel unfolds the rest of the picture to see the man who the family has exiled. While the face is torn out, de la Cruz's guitar is in the picture. After realizing de la Cruz must be his great great grandfather, Miguel knows he must pursue his dream of being a musician. This comes to a halt when his family finds out and destroys his guitar, causing Miguel to run away from home. He runs to the graveyard and breaks into de la Cruz's tomb to borrow his guitar to play in a talent show, knowing that he is his family. While in the tomb, something magical happens, and Miguel ends up on the side of the spirits. He is surrounded by the dead who are back on earth to visit their loved ones. While there, Miguel discovers shocking things, finds himself, and the meaning of family. I don't even know where to start with this movie. I loved it so much. First off: the visuals in this movie are breathtaking. It is so beautiful. I could go on and on about how beautiful this film was. The use of color was incredible, with vibrant oranges, greens, purples, yellows, etc etc. The most amazing shot in the film was when Miguel crossed the bridge and saw the city of the dead. (see third picture in slide show). That picture alone should make you want to go see this movie. It is that beautiful throughout the entire film. I am also loving that Disney is breaking into some movies with diversity. This movie gives a look into Mexican culture, which (I think) does it justice. It shows that Dir de los Muertos is not a scary holiday where the dead come back to life, but it is a holiday for loved ones who have passed away have a chance to visit with their living family. I used to think it was more about ghosts and spirits, but it is really a beautiful celebration in Mexican culture. I was grateful that a Disney movie taught me that, and I am really happy that little kids will be learning this as well by watching a kids movie. Go Disney. As for the plot, it is by no means basic, but I guess one could call it predictable. What do you expect from a Disney movie? People don't watch Disney films for a dark, twisted plot with an ambiguous ending. Disney movies aim to make you feel warm and happy inside, which this one successfully did. This movie did have a more complex plot than other Disney films (see: Moana), and had a lot of unexpected plot twists. At one point, everything looked like it was going to go wrong and have a melancholy ending, but SPOILERS (kind of): everything works out in the end. Miguel and his real great great grandfather are reunited and his picture is finally displayed on the family shelf, and Miguel's family accepts music again. It is the most heartwarming ending ever. I was so close to tears. Overall, this movie is so beautiful and touching. It is by far one of my all time favorite Disney movies. I recommend this to literally everyone. It is great for families. Or go by yourself. I am probably gonna go see it twice. It's amazing. |
AuthorCasey Land Archives
January 2018
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