A Moving Mind

Oh, the faultiness of being a teenager. A time when disrupted weekend plans were the end of the world, where asking out a girl was a heart stopping proposition, and when The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was considered a good film. Yes, I will admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this film as a teenager. Me and my brother went to see it together, coming out both having enjoyed it and for over ten years that initial positive reaction to the film has been what painted my opinion of it. But, much like thinking of one’s first kiss or that far too sweaty high school dance, revisiting the past often leads to confrontation with your demons. My demons, in this case, is the blissful enjoyment of a film so dumbed down and confoundingly boring that it seems insulting now. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a parody film that does not realize it is a parody film. Bombastic and utterly lacking in any style, the film simply glides to one set piece to another with no forethought an...

The Shape of Water is both soaring and grounded in it's pursuit of love, in all forms; physical love, holy love, unrequited love. It does not burden itself with explanation, with the unnecessary components many films that pursue this course would do. It only shows what it believes it must, and much like love itself, the rest falls uselessly to the wayside. Many themes run concurrently throughout the film, all with the singular purpose of telling a love story in their own unique ways. How can the voiceless be able to love? How can a God love those different than itself? How can love be so warm yet so treacherous? All of these questions are deeply embedded in the heart of the audience throughout the film, pulling and tugging and gasping for release along with us. It is a film built upon it's moments, a near recollection of a long-lost love. All that we have left are these moments, these moments of our heart skipping a beat, of our heart being broken, of our b...

When I think of 2017, of the hurt that this year has, this longing, and most of all, this seething anger that has seemed in infiltrate every aspect of out lives this year, this futility that we are becoming more and more accustomed to, this right here is the film that is necessary to come to mind. This is truly a film of the moment. Filled with characters that are so assured, so certain, yet simultaneously and instantly lost in what they are doing. Few things have spoken so clearly to the murky waters that is life today as an angry, grieving mother, an assured, steadfast sheriff, an incompetent and unworthy deputy. All of these characters, as well as the supporting cast, are uncommonly staunch in there ways, unrealistically set in their goals and their beliefs. They all try so very hard to appear strong, to appear believable, to appear right. Yet these facades fall, slip away so easily under the tiniest bit of scrutiny, and we see it. We see their failings, their frai...

Darkest Hour both excels from the regular biopic tropes and falls directly into their well worn trends, sometimes simultaneously and sometimes surprisingly. I feel it should go unwarranted that Gary Oldman puts in an strong, blood-sweat-and-tears performance has Churchill, and does a remarkable job at humanizing a legend. Unfortunately, other aspects of the film seem inadequate by comparison. When it comes to Oldman, everything is near flawless. The voice, the gait, the make-up design by David Malinowski (which no doubts will be within awards contention). Everything works, everything is together, is one. It is a full creation, not simply an imitation. There are no moments that you doubt you are watching and listening to the great orator. Unfortunately, it is elsewhere that the film wanders and whimpers that tend to leave wanting. The film is seemingly lacking in morality. It is a story of the game of war, where young men are simply pawns for their kings and queens ...

This is something I will openly admit at the start of this review: this is a film I've likely gotten wrong. With all the unending praise that this film has recieved since it's debut, I have no doubt in my mind that it's me. That I have missed something. That I denied myself the magic somehow. But, with that out of the way, I will stand by my current belief; this is a very solid, very good film, that never really reaches the brilliance it could. It reaches for it, in various moments throughout, from a quiet moment of hometown reflection, to a time of self realization and admittance to a love you've denied yourself to long. This is a film that tries to both by important, and hide it's importance through it's seemingly simple storytelling. But for me, this yearning simply came off as slight. The great pieces are there. The relationship between Lady Bird and her mother (Laurie Metcalf is fantastic as a mother always on the fringes) is of course on...

Mel Brooks is, without a question, one of the greatest comedic minds that has ever come into film. Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein have and will continue to stand the test of time as two of the greatest comedy films ever made, not to mention History of the World Pt. 1, Spaceballs, and The Producers. Brooks has always worked best when digging in with both the broad slapstick and metacommentary has works may be best known for, but when working within genre satire. Blazing Saddles and the history of the western. Young Frankenstein and horror hysterics. Which leads to the question: what satire is Robin Hood: Men in Tights presenting? Unfortunately, the answer seems to be none. The 1993 film starring Cary Elwes, Dave Chappelle (in his first onscreen role), Richard Lewis, and Roger Rees is not a satire, but a parody. And while all of Brooks’ films are parodies, without a satirical edge to them, they do not resonate as strongly as they could, or maybe should. The f...

The Babysitter is a fairly well pitched horror-comedy in the spirit of Cabin in the Woods and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. This recent meta-commentary boost to the genre has certainly livened up what is commonly cliched and poorly produced fodder for bored teenagers not yet making out. And while The Babysitter is neither breaking new ground nor adding anything new to this commentary, it does play well within it's world. The charm of the film relies heavily on it's two leads, Samara Weaving and Judah Lewis. The film takes it's time with these characters, sitting up a relationship that may not be deep or truly meaningful, but is kind and playful. The payoff to this build up is evident, as it allows for what (admittedly little) character development to take place. Both leads are very endearing and fun to watch. The entire film is quite stylish, possibly to a fault. It seems to be aping in various 1980's horror cliches, playing with them and lampshading them...

Swingers. The title says a fair amount more than either Jon Favreau or Doug Liman imagined. Free spirited, free formed, worry free. Those are what this film encompasses, an impartial impasse. Much like our characters are drifting through the world, this film simply glides along, unattached to time or beliefs. This film is certainly a time capsule, a moment in time, a snapshot of life. Though I have never experienced it myself, I feel it is a safe bet that this is THE Los Angeles film of the 90's. Written by the people, for the people. With this comes some caveats. The film is about men picking up women in the 90's, so there may be some issues to be taken with certain things that happen. Things said, things done, people done. But applying modern sensibilities to a film released even 20 years ago is a fool's errand, so if you can see passed this, the film does have something to offer. Favreau keeps it as simple as possible, bare bones in plot and characters,...