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Richard Jewell (2019)
Easily Clint Eastwood's Best Film
Unpopular as this is, I have to say that I am not much of a fan of Clint Eastwood as either an actor or director. I've enjoyed some of his work but nothing as much as Richard Jewell. An incredible story to be sure, but the directorial mastery that was showcased here is the star of the show. The beautiful cinematography, engaging sound design and expert editing all highlight an incredible cast as they perfectly embody characters who we instantly know and feel strongly about. The sense of tension, frustration, anguish and eventual relief that this film evokes is powerful and its themes are right on the money.
Now more than maybe any other time we ought to remember the importance of truth, integrity and honor. Let us take this as an opportunity to pursue those values in our lives individually and demand them of those who sit above us in the positions of power we grant them, either with our votes or with our attention.
Buried (2010)
Think Outside the Box
You wake up and realize that you are trapped. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide and no way to win. Forces have conspired against you and there is nothing you can do. Alone in the dark, precious empty time ticks by as you draw your last few breaths. What has it all meant? What good have I done? Does it even matter?
I imagine that we have all felt this way from time to time, and there are certainly those who would have us believe that this is the reality for many of us.
Buried underground in a wooden box, we see Paul Conroy face these obstacles in an all too real way. Fully immersed by both compelling cinematography and superb sound design, we are subjected to the horrors of this claustrophobic catastrophe right along side the films only embodied character as he searches for answers and fights for his freedom.
I won't say too much more about the plot or the themes, other than I believe the writer struck many a chord that resonated with Americans circa 2010 and even today.
I encourage you to set aside an uninterrupted 90 minutes and watch this movie by yourself, in the dark with the best sound system you can find, whether that is a home theater or a good pair of headphones. You won't regret it.
Disturbia (2007)
One order of thriller please, heavy on the everything else
I really don't know how I feel about this one.
I mean, on the one hand, it was a pretty typical outing for circa 2007 Shia LaBeouf who, even then at the "height" of his career, was turning in performances that were capable though not very compelling. Pair that with a story that doesn't really seem to know what it wants to be, and so overcompensates by being too much of everything: Mystery, teenage "romantic" comedy, coming of age tale and genuine thriller/horror. Add in some mediocre acting by many of the supporting players and you get a movie that just doesn't seem to ever really take flight.
On the other hand, there are genuine moments, few and far between as they may be, where the movie does accomplish what it sets out to be. Both in terms of it's individual aims (see list above) as well as the over arching feel I believe it is trying achieve by weaving them all together. Amidst the heavy sighs and eye rolls, I found myself more caught up in what was happening to the characters than I expected. Sometimes this suspension of skepticism would last long enough for me to ask myself "is this actually good?", right before something overblown or heavy handed would happen to snap me back into the disappointing reality.
So, is this a good movie? Is it a bad movie? I could probably make a case for either position, in fact I kinda just did in the previous two paragraphs, but ultimately I think this one is gonna depend on the mood of the viewer and the atmosphere of the viewing. One day, one person might think it is great and another day another person might hate it.
I guess this isn't really a bold statement since it could easily be applied to just about any movie, but it's what I've got today.
My best recommendation would that anyone who finds the premise of this film interesting should really check out Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 masterpiece Rear Window. It's everything that Disturbia want's to be and more.
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
Very Respectable Sophomore Outing
I was admittedly skeptical about this film when I sat down to watch it. Being, like many, a pretty big fan of much of Denzel Washington's work I wanted to like it, but I just had a bad feeling. I pulled up the movie on IMDb before starting it and was very pleased to be reminded that this was Dan Gilroy's latest project. I am a really big fan of many of the films he has written and Nightcrawler (his most recent film and directorial debut) is one of the most critically under appreciated masterpieces I've seen in years.
So with my spirits, and expectations, lifted I pushed play. The opening scene grabbed my attention right away and I was excited to see where things would go. Unfortunately the film lost steam pretty quickly and struggled to find solid ground for the first 40 minutes or so. I was disheartened as I thought I would be writing my second review in a row of a disappointing film by one of my most respected creators.
Thankfully things turned around and began to engage both the heart and mind as the titular characters journey, so excellently conveyed by both writer and actor, became more twisted and honest. Real emotion was achieved as I felt both excited, afraid and ultimately relieved for Roman as he wrestled through his inner battles.
From a technical perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed many of the visual style Mr. Gilroy employed as well as his use of music and score. Both lent themselves well to depicting an almost timeless version of both Roman and the city of Los Angeles.
As for the writing, I was particularly grateful for his decision not to overly emphasize some of the more commonly highlighted civil issues at play in this story, but rather spend time focusing on the deeper issues at play in all of us. The ones that I believe truly lie at the root of so many of the issues we all face as human beings.
All in all I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys stories about justice and all of the tensions created by our pursuit of it. It is well told and Denzel's performance is certainly in keeping with the high regard that I (and many others) hold him in.
Molly's Game (2017)
Look at all my words
Let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE Aaron Sorkin. I really enjoy the movies he's written and his television shows are among my all time favorites. In fact, I have even said on more than one occasion that I believe that his name will go down in the history of great American writers along with people like Mark Twain.
I am also a big fan of Jessica Chastain, of poker and of writer/directors. So, as you can imagine, I was very excited for this movie, especially when I heard that Mr. Sorkin would be making his directorial debut.
Unfortunately, it seems that not all directors can/should write and that, at least this writer, can't direct. I know that it is his first time in the chair, but he has been in the business for over 25 years and has had the opportunity and privilege to work with some true masters of the craft. Yet he managed to fall into what is possibly the biggest trap for someone in his position by ignoring one of the basic rules of the medium: "Show, don't tell.".
This movie had more voice over narration that I've EVER heard in another film before. Don't get me wrong, when done properly I think this device can be extremely useful for both efficiently moving the story forward and effectively creating emotional investment and impact. This was not the case in Molly's Game.
Aaron's words didn't have any of their normal spark or edge. There was no music to the language. The voice over and the dialogue were both incredibly flat and unengaging. The words themselves weren't even that interesting, there were just so many of them and with every additional one it made the last that much less significant. I haven't read the book that this screenplay was adapted from, but at times I wondered if entire sections of the narration weren't just being read verbatim from it.
I really think I could have closed my eyes and just listened to this "movie" and got about 80-90% of the experience. Honestly, the only visual element Sorkin seemed willing or capable of paying any attention too were the lead actresses admittedly lovely curves that were so frequently highlighted in the vast array of expensive dresses she wore throughout the film. I'm certainly not opposed to a little female based visual stimulation, but it isn't really the type of "smart" content I've come to expect and adore from one of my favorite creators.
It seems that I am in the minority with these opinions and I hope that those of you who would disagree with me were able to take something meaningful from this film because I was just left wondering why I just spent nearly two and a half hours of my time enduring a film that barely grabbed by attention once.
Here's hoping that this was a minor glitch in an otherwise stellar career and not a sign of things to come.
Fruitvale Station (2013)
So many tears!
I watched this movie with the thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to see a story about people I had less in common with. It turned out to be a story about people who I was all too familiar with, which was devastating. Real people with real struggles in the real world.