Dir. Edgar Wright (2007)
Rated R Hot Fuzz is about police officer Nick Angel (Simon Pegg) as he moves from being a constable in London to a sergeant in a British countryside town called Sandford. He is finding the move particularly hard, as he misses all the action and crime in London compared to the slowness in Sandford, when the most recent job he had was finding a missing swan. He's also been assigned a jolly but slow partner, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), who asks too many questions and doesn't know much about his job. Things change for Angel when a the two leads in the towns' local performance of Romeo and Juliet are found dead. The whole town thinks it is an accident, since there is zero crime in Sandford, but Angel suspects murder. After this murder, more follow, with dead bodies of known members of the town being found. With no one suspecting anything still and no one helping him, Angel is furious that he can't find the culprit of the murders. One night after coming home from the bar with Butterman, he is ambushed in his room by someone in a black cape and hood. Angel uncovers the hood to reveal Michael, one of the employees at the local grocery store who only replies with the word 'Yarp'. After knocking him unconscious, Angel hears his walkie talkie going off. It's Skinner, the owner of the grocery store, ordering him to go to the church once he was done dealing with Angel. When he goes to the church, he sees almost the entire town dressed in black hoods chanting in a circle. All along, the members of the town had been murdering people that didn't follow the towns' perfect moral guidelines. After escaping a wild chase, Angel comes up with a plan to defeat the villagers. On the day judges were supposed to come to consider Sandford for neighborhood awards, Angel and Butterman engage in a wild gun fight with the town. They emerge victorious, and Angel and the rest of the police service have a newly cemented friendship. He even turns down an offer to come back and work in London. Angel and Butterman become best friends and partners, and continue solving crimes in Sandford. This movie was hilarious and I'm not sure why I haven't watched it sooner. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are an iconic due, and I have admired their worked ever since I watched Paul years ago. It's not serious at all and it's pretty quick, so if you're bored and just want something amusing to watch, this would be a good one. I also feel like this would be a good movie to watch on a date for some reason. The only thing in this movie that I did not enjoy was the gore, but that is just a personal opinion. A lot of people aren't bothered by that stuff and might even think it's funny. But if you don't like blood/gore, maybe skip through the parts where a large spike falls on a guys' head and when a woman gets stabbed in the throat with garden shears. Other than that, this movie is funny and really enjoyable.
1 Comment
Dir. Frank Capra (1939)
Not rated Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is about a young man named Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) who goes from being the leader of his local Boy Rangers group to a member of the United States Senate. His state's governor appoints him on a whim, and soon he is in Washington D.C. with a seat in the Senate chambers. Smith is a naive young man with many things going for him, including his looks and charisma, but he is obviously very unexperienced when it comes to the world of politics. Days into the job, Smith already finds himself in a huge conflict. As a newly minted senator, Smith has a dream of instilling a national boys camp for young boys all over the country who are too poor to afford any kind of summer camp or vacation. This interrupts plans that are brewing between the political leaders in Smith's home state, who are planning to buy the same land and build a dam that Smith wants to build the camp on. To prevent this from happening, a group of politicians (many of whom were Smith's own friends and advisors) created a false accusation that Smith already owned the land where he wanted the camp to be built, and the bill that he was proposing was created just to profit himself. In an attempt to prove the accusations are false and that he is innocent, Smith launches a filibuster that lasts nearly 24 hours. Mr. Smith speaks non-stop this entire time, spouting about the political ideals made by the American forefathers. During this time, the men who made the false accusations against Smith collude with the papers to get the public to hate him. When Smith's Boy Rangers rally to try to defend him, they're met with attacks from the public who support the state's politicians. Mr. Smith is close to giving up all hope, and after nearly a day of speeches, he collapses from exhaustion on the senate floor. Realizing what pain he has caused an innocent man, Senator Paine who helped start the accusations came forward and told the Senate President that Mr. Smith was innocent and it was him who should be expelled. Mr. Smith, who is barely conscious at this point, is met with cheers from the entire audience in his support. I did not know I could love older, black and white films until I watched those directed by Frank Capra. And Hitchcock, but that is completely different. I'm not trying to be derogatory towards black and white films, but it is rare for me to watch an older film and actually genuinely like it based off the story alone. Usually it's more like I am watching it and trying to appreciate the film for its kitchy-ness or just to say that I've seen this really old movie that everyone else has seen. When I watched It's A Wonderful Life and now this film, I think I got it. I wasn't just watching an old movie for old movies' sake, so I felt like I had accomplished something pretty big. Capra's movies are the definition of pick-me-ups. This movie was 2 hours long, but it goes by so fast, and then you're instantly in a better mood. Who wouldn't want to watch that? Also, after watching numerous films featuring Jimmy Stewart, I can safely say his role as Jefferson Smith is my favorite by far. Of course he is kind of the same in every film, or at least the way he speaks is, but he looks so young and naive in this movie and really fits the role. I really just wanted to reach through the screen and give him a hug. I really can't find a flaw with this movie. It is recommended. Dir. John Carroll Lynch (2017)
Not rated (there's nothing really bad in this movie, just some language. Don't rush to see it with your kids, though.) Lucky is about the spiritual and mental journey of a 90 year old man, Lucky, (Harry Dean Stanton) who has outlived all of his friends and family. Living on the outskirts of a quite and un-populated desert town, Lucky is independent and still does everything on his own. He starts every morning with the same routine: brushing his teeth, showering, doing 'yoga' exercises, drinking a glass of milk, and then smoking half a pack of cigarettes. He visits the diner and has a cup of coffee and does the daily crossword, then heads to the drug store to buy more cigarettes. He then goes home to watch the afternoon game shows, and then ends his day by going to the local bar and having a Bloody Mary. He is well known and loved by everyone in the town, and they all go along with his harsh and dry sense of humor. The entire movie follows Lucky doing the same routine again and again, but along the way he has transformative interactions and experiences with people in the town that help him come to terms with the meaning of life, friendships, and the unescapable fate that is mortality, accompanied by beautiful desert scenes and mariachi and soulful harmonica music. This movie was very quiet and reflective. It makes you think about death a lot, which is a con for some and a pro for others when deciding to see this movie. Just keep that in mind. When I read reviews earlier, a lot of critics called this movie dry and boring, which I don't think is true. I actually think it is the exact opposite. The movie is quiet, with not a whole lot of dialogue, and it does (like I said) follow Lucky doing the same exact thing everyday. But if you were really paying attention, or even if you can just get past that, this movie is about so much more. During Lucky's routine, he talks to people in the town that enlighten him and give both Lucky and the viewer wisdom. I feel wise and old just after watching this. The entire theme of this movie is Lucky coming to terms with his own morality and death, and the movie offers so many aspects to that thought that so many people think about and are terrified by everyday. There were many references to the Bible in this movie, but they were hard to catch. There's a scene when Lucky is leaving a bar after nearly getting in a fight with someone inside, and one of the men, Paulie (James Darren), follows him out on the street. When they're out there, they are next to a nightclub or bar of sorts, but all the viewer can see is a blaring red light leading the way to the entrance. Paulie gets entranced by the red light and walks into the place in a daze like state. Lucky follows and gets to the entrance, but you never see what is inside. You only see Lucky staring down into whatever is in the building. That seemed like a pretty strong reference to hell, with the red light and all, but it never gets referenced again in the movie. Also, when Lucky is at home watching the game shows, he always pauses to call someone on the phone. You hear Lucky having a conversation with someone, but there is no voice on the other line. I felt that was a reference to Lucky talking to God in some way, but again, it is never referenced again in the movie. The last striking reference was when Lucky was walking home, past a building that he repeatedly curses out when he passes it. the viewer later learns that it is the bar that Lucky got kicked out of, Eden's, for smoking inside. Towards the end of the movie, the viewer sees the entrance to the bar that Lucky passes everyday, and it is a beautiful garden with statues and tall grass. And the bar is called Eden's. Garden of Eden, get it? So the movie was pretty laden with the Biblical references, but they are never explained. I think they all tie into the theme of Lucky coming to terms with death and understanding the meaning of life in the first place. Along with the references, the human connections and interactions Lucky has and makes are really what make the movie. There were so many endearing moments that made me want to cry, and I did cry in some. He learns from everyone in this movie: the owner of the local diner, the woman working at the drug store, the owner of the bar he goes to and everyone who goes there. They teach him little things over the course of the movie that help him face his fear of meeting his end. There's a scene where Lucky goes to the woman who works at the drug store's son's birthday party, and he gets up and sings a song for the the entire crowd. There's also a scene where a man at the bar is depressed because his tortoise, President Roosevelt, ran away, and everyone is making fun of him for being so sad about a tortoise. It turns into a really emotionally moving scene that I don't want to spoil, but I do recommend watching. This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was mine. I was really moved by it, but it is really deep. If you're in the mood for a light and comedic movie, this isn't the one. If you want to cry and think about your own mortality, then this is definitely the one for you. Dir. Sydney Pollack (1985)
Rated PG Out of Africa follows a rich, aristocratic woman named Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) as she moves to Africa to be a dairy farmer. She plans to join her husband, Bror, for whom she doesn't actually have feelings for. They only married because Bror wanted Karen's family's money, and Karen hated the thought of being single. While there, Karen finds out that Bror went behind her back to set up a coffee farm instead of dairy. He then leaves to go on hunting expeditions and farms without her, basically leaving her in the dust. She then befriends a hunter, Denys (Robert Redford) a wild and carefree spirit. They spend everyday together, him taking her on hunting trips, safaris, and plane rides. She eventually develops feelings for him and they both fall in love. They have a fast and adventurous romance, that eventually ends in heartbreak. My mom forced me to watch this movie, because she claims it is one of the best she has ever seen. My dad also LOVES this movie, and when I told them both I thought it was just okay, they went on long rants for why it is a cinematic masterpiece and that I need to watch it again to really get it. I don't think that's necessary, so I won't be doing that. I still think that this movie was just OKAY. It's certainly not bad, but it didn't blow me away. I thought it was too long, for starters. This movie reminds me of Gone with the Wind in some aspects. The characters Scarlet and Karen are strikingly similar in my opinion. They are both very strong women, but they get carried away with their feelings for particular men, and that kind of annoyed me. Though this movie was long, the relationship with Denys and Karen went way too fast. Maybe that was the point of their relationship, because it was all about living in the moment for them, but it seemed to me like the actual development of the relationship was weak and everything just happened too quickly. It was fun while it lasted, but the entire beginning of the movie I could see it coming so I was just waiting for them to end up together. When it ended, and SPOILER ALERT, when Denys suddenly dies, I was just.. frustrated. This entire movie, that is way too long, builds up to their relationship and then it all of a sudden ends because Denys got in a plane crash. My parent's argument: Denys is a wild, carefree man who explicitly stated that he could never be held down in a relationship. He is in love with the world and wants to see it all, and for him to be such a wild and reckless man, there was no other way for him to die than suddenly and in a plane crash. I admittedly get that. I was still irked at the way the movie handled their relationship, I guess. I WILL say that the scenery and music in this is quite nice. For me, it was one of the only forgiving parts and what I liked the most. I see why this movie was nominated for a lot and so well received when it came out solely because the scenery.soundtrack is amazing (in my opinion). It was also really cool to see Meryl Streep act in one of her earlier movies, because she is one of my favorite actresses. She was great, but I do think sh has gotten even more amazing with time. Her versatility in roles that she is able to play blows me away. Anyways. I understand why this movie was seen as the best thing since sliced bread when it came out. Some people may think its the love story that withstands time, but I don't agree. It was good for its time and I'm not saying it's bad! I just don't get all the praise that my parents gave it. I do think that it's a movie that you should watch because it is a classic and deserving of a watch and people have so many different takes on it. You might love it. Dir. Guillermo del Toro (2017)
Rated R Set during the Cold War, The Shape of Water is about a mute woman, Elisa (Sally Hawkins) falling in love with a sea creature (of sorts). The creature was found in the oceans near South America and brought back to a top secret US government laboratory, where Eliza works as a cleaner. The Americans are holding it to use it against the Russians, the enemy at the time. Everyone there tortures and treats the creature like a monster to see what it is really capable of, but Eliza soon befriends it and they make a connection. She eats lunch with him and offers him eggs, and she seems to be the only person the creature is amiable towards. Later in the movie as tensions progress, the government officials decide to kill the creature, because it cannot communicate and they don't think he/it holds any purpose in the war against the Russians. This news devastates Elisa, and she decides that she is going to rescue the creature and house him in her own apartment. She does this with the help of her co-worker (Octavia Spencer) and her next door neighbor and best friend (Richard Jenkins). When the creature is in her home, they develop a deeper connection and eventually fall in love. I went into this movie expecting not to like it. First, the director. The only other movie I've watched directed by del Toro is Pan's Labyrinth, and you can read my review on that if you want to know how I feel. In short: didn't love it, WAY too weird. I don't even want to get started on the eyeballs-in-hands guy. That being said, I was expecting this movie to be just as weird and disturbing. Second, the idea of a sea creature and a human falling in love was.... not unthinkable, but close. It just seemed to be too deep into the realm of bestiality. As I was watching it, I also had these same thoughts. There are scenes that leave nothing to the imagination: Elisa and the sea creature have sex. And it's not implied, it is seen. So just get the thought in your head, it's gonna happen. You can also kinda guess it in the trailer, so you are pretty much expecting it. I just couldn't get over it for a while. For me, I didn't love this movie from the get go. The more I think about it and the longer it's been since I've seen it, however, the more I love it! Once you get past the sex parts, this movie is good. Or if that doesn't bother you at all, then you'll probably love this. This movie is more than just a sea creature romance, I see it now as more of a metaphor. Elisa, being a mute, and the creature are both outcasted. Elisa is pretty much ignored by society, except for her friend at work and her best friend in the apartment next to her. No one pays her any mind simply because she cannot speak. The only other time she gets any attention, it's from the slimeball misogynist government agent Strickland (Michael Shannon), who just wants to take advantage of her. Elisa partly fell in love with the creature because he saw her for who she was, one of the only people to do so. She made that pretty clear to Giles (neighbor) when he almost refused to go along with the rescue operation. Simply put; if you're disabled in any way, you're not treated the same. You're ignored and looked down upon and devalued. That made a big point in this movie. When you take the layers away, this movie is a romance and connection between two outcasted beings. I admired that part. This movie also showcases heartwarming friendships, the ones between Elisa and Zelda (co-worker), and Elisa and Giles. These two supported her through everything and saw her connection with the creature. This was also a really beautiful movie, for the most part. There is great cinematography and beautiful colors. There were some scenes I felt were pretty gross and unnecessary too, though. There's a scene where Strickland has sex with his wife that serves no other purpose than just to show how misogynistic and slimy he is. There are also some scenes regarding separated fingers that I won't go in depth about. They just didn't really have a purpose. That's just del Toro I think, though, because there were some pretty gruesome scenes in Pan's Labyrinth, too. They didn't worsen the movie anyways. In short, this movie really grew on me. I'm glad it's nominated, and I'm glad I saw it. It really is a beautiful film with a deeper meaning. 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. 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. Dir. Vesevolod Pudovkin (1925)
Not rated Chess Fever is an early Russian short film/comedy about a woman who leaves her chess crazed fiancee because he loves chess more than he loves her. Chess is the talk of the town in the setting of this short film, as there is a chess tournament going on with the world champion. The woman is waiting for her fiancee to come over, but he is unfortunately late because he was at said tournament. When he arrives, the woman looks through his pockets and finds chess pieces and a miniature chess board. She throws them all out the window, and breaks up with him in a fit of anger. She cannot believe that her husband would really put chess before her. Later, she is so heartbroken about her break up that she decides killing herself is the only way out. She stops at a local drug store and asks for the most poisonous thing they have. Just as she is about to drink the poison, a man comes up to her and she vents about her hatred of chess. He agrees, saying he does not understand all the hubbub of this board game. She is happy that she has finally met someone who hates chess as much as her, but then PLOT TWIST, she ends up GOING to the chess tournament! She watches the riveting game being played by the world champion, and finally understands the hype about chess. She reunites with her fiancee, apologizing for being so ignorant to the game before. She then suggests they play a round. The man pulls a tiny chess board necklace from under his shirt, as one does. Rule #1: always be prepared for a chess game. They then hold and kiss each other, happy in their relationship due to a new love of chess. Even though this film is incredibly short, it is a quintessential Russian formalist film. It is a montage of events that focuses on a certain characters' emotion (the woman) throughout the whole film. It is directed by Pudovkin, and it is a very typical Pudovkin film given his common themes in movies directed by him. It is pretty obvious that Pudovkin was inspired by DW Griffith; the style and structure of the films are almost identical. Both show a sequence/montage of events with the frequent use of title cards for dialogue from the characters. Pudovkin focused on emotions, which is evident because the viewer is following the emotions of the heartbroken woman. We watch her become angry (because of chess), suicidal (because of chess), and then finally happy (because she found a mutual chess hater, then fell back in love with her chess loving fiancee). It was truly an emotional rollercoaster. I did enjoy this film, mostly because it was so silly and I spent most of the time deciding which title card I wanted to use as the thumbnail for this post. The soundtrack also made it fairly enjoyable, even though it is not even close to the original soundtrack, which you can just tell by listening. It did actually fit the movie and plot line though, so it wasn't annoying. I would recommend this film to anyone who REALLY loves chess, I guess. For a short film, it was pretty amusing. |
AuthorCasey Land Archives
January 2018
Categories |