Tag Archives: Javier Bardem

2010s, Awards, Best Movie Bracket, Lists

Best of 2017: Top 5

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This is it. I’ve already looked at the rest of my top 20. you can read them elsewhere on the site. (6-10, 11-15, 16-20). But now, it is time for the cream of the crop. These are the movies that made a lasting impact on me. They changed the game somehow or made it impossible for me to shake them. This will also serve as my Best Movie Bracket entry for 2017. Once I publish this post, I’m going to stop looking back to 2017 and start looking at some of the 2018 movies that I have already missed and that are coming on the horizon.

This year has been one of the more diverse and varied in my recent memory. In this list we have indie films next to billion dollar blockbusters. We have psychological horror next to morally ambiguous drama, next to totally ambiguous metaphorical experimental cinema. Three of these five films have a female as the lead protagonist and we have a black screenwriter/director as well.  The point should never be diversity for the sake of diversity, but these are amazing films and they deserve the credit that they are getting. Let’s dive into my top 5 of the year!

5. mother!

The award for the most audacious, controversial, and avant-garde film this year goes to Darren Aronofsky’s awkwardly titled mother! I hope that you, like me, have been shrieking the name like Norman Bates from Psycho every time it comes up in conversation. This is a film that many did not appreciate but that I could not forget. I left the theater thinking about it and as my whole family can attest, I did not stop talking about it and pondering it for days and weeks afterwards.

Jennifer Lawrence plays the titular character and is featured in close-up, over the shoulder, or from her point of view for nearly the entire film. This promotes a claustrophobic feeling within this house which she is painstakingly attempting to restore to its former glory. She does all of this for her husband, played by Javier Bardem, who is known only as Him or the poet. The entire film is a metaphor or allegory for a multitude of different things that have been debated since its release. They are probably all somewhat right in their own way.

We’ve got an allegory of the biblical creation story mixed with a little bit of awaited messiah worship. These biblical themes are overlaid with a struggling creative type who ruins his relationships with his writers block and subsequent struggle with newfound fame and mixed in for good measure is a metaphor for climate change and environmentalism. Essentially, it is a big jumbled mess, but it is marvelous and hideous to behold all at the same time.

4. Get Out

Jordan Peele, half of the comedy duo, Key and Peele, writes and directs his first film. This is not the comedy that you might expect, if it is a comedy at all. We are presented with the story of a young black man invited to a weekend at the family home of his white girlfriend.

This could be the source of an interesting romantic comedy, but there is something wrong with this setting that we just can’t put our finger on. Is it the overt anti-racist statements that her father makes? “I would have voted for Obama for a third term if I could.” Why are the two servants the only black people around and why are they acting weird? Is this all just in his head? Is he being racist to think that there must be something else going on under the surface?

This will go down in a long line of movies that use racism as a theme, like American History X, The Help, Django Unchained, Crash, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. However, this film is unique because it turns the horror genre on its head. There is no boogeyman, no monster in the closet, there is no supernatural force of evil. The nefarious evil of Get Out is displayed in the white people who cannot be trusted. It is so impactful because this fear is something that is all too real for many young black men all over this country. We might hope that we would have moved on from racism in our country, but it is alive and well and it’s just as ugly, evil, and scary as any movie monster.

3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

It may sound like I love horror movies based on the marketing of my two previous choices. The fact is that I love movies that do things differently that other films that I’ve already seen. I like original concepts and execution that is done with high quality.

In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri we get a more conventional narrative story but the psychology of its characters pushes it into the outstanding category. It is a dark comedy to be sure. Coming from Martin McDonagh, who brought us In Bruges, I would expect nothing less, but as with that film there is also earth shattering heartbreak and pain. This is the duality of the world that we live in. There are notes of joy, beauty, grace and absurdity punctuated by hate, violence, hypocrisy, and apathy.

Frances McDormand is a force of nature. She carries such emotion through her performance that we can’t help but root for her even though she is crude, mean-spirited, and hateful. The growth of all of the characters is what keeps us rooted as viewers to this story. We know that her meanness is coming from a place of deep pain and sorrow and we want to see justice. We also see the ignorance and racism of the deputy played by Sam Rockwell. Our desire to see the good in people leads us to hope for his change and redemption. This film delivers on all sides.

2. Logan

I hope you can see from this choice that I am not like most critics. I try to take a look at all different types of film regardless of their standing within a particular community. I cross the gap so a film like Logan can go toe to toe with an indie film that only saw a limited release. I try to look at each film for what it is and for its merits and efforts to do what it set out to do.

I was looking forward to Logan since the initial teaser trailer and the revelation that a big budget R-rated Wolverine film would now be sharing my name. As the campaign continued I only got more excited to see that we were going to be exploring the Old Man Logan story line from the comics. We were going to see Hugh Jackman in his final performance as the adamantium-clawed anti-hero and he was going to be grizzled and broken.

The film joins Logan years into the future where no new mutants have been born and most of the old mutants are mysteriously absent. We get some beautiful touches of the paternal relationship between Logan and Charles Xavier played expertly by Patrick Stewart in his final role of the franchise as well.

The thing that impressed me the most about Logan was that there were huge sections of the film that I forgot this was supposed to be a superhero movie. It took its time in storytelling and character building and we are left with beautifully stark western about the consequences of a life of violence and how there can be hope for change but not without sacrifices. It is rich and deep and immensely entertaining for a fan of the X-Men but even if you’ve never picked up a comic book or seen another superhero film this is a story that will resonate and hit deeply.

1. The Florida Project

If you follow any of my social media feeds, it should come as no surprise that this is on the top of the heap for my year end list. I’ve been in love with this film since I first saw it. I love the style that Director, Sean Baker, brings to the table. It is rich and grounded and humanistic. All of his stories have been semi-documentarian. Starlet and Tangerine both focus on sex workers and their real-life struggles in a fictionalized setting. However, this is his most accessible film and it drips with charm.

The film was actually shot on site at a budget motel in Orlando outside Disney World called the Magic Castle. During filming, the motel was still operational, so many of the people featured in the film as extras were actually real residents of the motel. Willem Dafoe brings an air of gravitas to the role of Bobby, the on-site motel manager. He’s playing against type for him and is warm and paternal with many of the residents and their kids, however he still buzzes around this castle keeping it magical.

 There really isn’t much of a story in a narrative sense. We just get to spend a portion of the summer with a couple of families that live in this budget motel. Our main characters are young mom Halley and her precocious young daughter Mooney. The trick of the film is that the movie is told from the perspective of the kids. We are seeing this world with all of the potential wonder and hope while we keep our knowledge and it makes a profound difference. What kind of trouble will Mooney get into, is that going to affect Halley’s ability to raise her?

Can meaning be found in the shadow of the false god of consumerism? Is there happiness when the happiest place on earth is out of your reach. The film struggles with deep religious and philosophical and religious themes without ever mentioning any of them or having an expository scene. It is also a marvel to behold with gorgeous cinematography from Alexis Zabe who’s only other credit that I recognized was the music video for Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy.” His use of color and framing was so vivid and rich and reminded me of Wes Anderson in a good way without becoming distracting. This will be added to my Blu-Ray collection as soon as I can add it and I would encourage you to do the same.

So that’s it for 2017. Next up, I’m hopefully going to be looking at the recent Alex Garland follow-up to Ex Machina, staring Natalie Portman, Annihilation. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, please let me know your top handful for the year. You can always comment here at LifeattheMovies.com, but you can also visit me on various forms of social media and let me know your thoughts/opinions and leave snide comments.

2010s, Article, Film studies, Longform, Review

Aronofsky’s God on Display in mother!

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There is a lot going on in Darren Aronofsky’s new film mother! Some have called it the worst movie of the year, some even claim the century. Yet others have called it truly breathtaking and a creative masterpiece. It is a very polarizing film. Upon first viewing in theaters, I was sold. I couldn’t stop talking about it and thinking about it. Since then it has earned the worst audience score of an F, and been nominated for several Razzies. So why am I “wasting my time” looking at this film that statistically speaking most people will not watch?

There are so many religious messages that I can’t pass it up. It is available on Blu-Ray and streaming now, but I will warn you that this is a film made for one time purposeful viewing. It will stick with you and may haunt you. Beware that there is violent and disturbing imagery and foul language. I believe it is all meant to serve a purpose and it points to a creation, fall, redemption, restoration process that we see in scripture. This is through the eyes of an agnostic at best so it is not at all a perfect or complete picture, but we can clearly see what Aronofsky thinks of this God and his followers through his creation.

I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this film. It is a very difficult watch. But to serve any purpose I must dive deeper in discussion of the story that the film presents. To look at it from the surface it is just torture porn wrapped in religiosity, but if we will take time to go deeper, we can glean some tremendous insights. This is my last warning. Massive spoilers ahead! If you are up to it, let’s dive in.

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2010s, Article, Coming Soon, Horror, Lists, Supernatural, Thriller

Fall 2017 Movie Preview: Horror/Thriller

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You’ve most likely already seen the decorations, costumes and candy littering the shelves of stores. While we are still weeks away from October, much less the end of October, Halloween is already right in our faces. Why? Because the overhead for these items is low and the profit margins are high. Not to mention that consumers buy it up by the truck load. The opportunity to pretend to be a celebrity, superhero, or ghoul is just too good to pass up and the lure of free candy keeps kids of all ages excited about the holiday.

In the same way, Horror films are usually pretty inexpensive and quick to make and there is always a desire for them. Whether you are an adrenaline junkie out with your friends to see who flinches last at all of the jump scares and blood-curdling screams or if you are a teenager looking for a dark room and a place to sneak your arm around that special someone as they hide themselves from the perceived danger.

I’m not a huge Horror fan, but I do appreciate the art of a good scare and the psychology that goes into it. When we find those films that defy the traditional plot devices and tropes to keep the audience riveted then I am fully on board. So what delicious horrors are in store in our coming attractions? We actually have a Friday the 13th during October this year so expect that to be the epicenter for horror flicks this fall.

September

IT – 9/8

When young children in the little town Derry of Maine starts to begin to be found dead a group of seven kids find out that the killer is not a man. The killer is the evil clown Pennywise who is actually a creature that can shapeshift into the thing you are most afraid of. The kids also known as the Losers Club decide to fight and kill It. But how can you fight something who knows all your biggest fears?

I hear that it is good to face your fears head on. That’s great. I have been stuck with this irrational fear of clowns ever since I read Stephen King’s IT back when I was 10-11 years old. At some point, I dug up a copy of the 1990 TV miniseries and I’ve never looked at Tim Curry the same way again. This one looks like it is going to be much more true to the source material and people that I trust have said that it is terrifying in all the right ways. So, lets band together my Loser’s Club and we’ll get rid of our coulrophobia once and for all.

Mother! – 9/15

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

Man it’s fun to just say the name of this film with that exclamation point, but we haven’t been given much to go on with this one and I for one am totally fine with that. The trailer is frenetic and creepy and with a cast featuring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer I have no doubt that the performances will be superb. Jennifer Lawrence said that she hyperventilated and dislocated a rib during filming so it’s going to be a wild ride. If you weren’t aware, this is coming from Darren Aronofsky, the same guy that gave us Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream. He is an amazing director and I’m ready to see what this is all about.

Flatliners – 9/29

Five medical students, obsessed by the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring and dangerous experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods of time, each triggers a near-death experience – giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife. But as their experiments become increasingly dangerous, they are each haunted by the sins of their pasts, brought on by the paranormal consequences of trespassing to the other side.

I know what you’re thinking, “Another remake of a 90’s Horror property?” Yep, but don’t count this one out yet. That first movie with Kevin Bacon, Keifer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Oliver Platt, and Billy Baldwin is surprisingly good and I think this one has a chance as well. Ellen Page leads this cast with Diego Luna and Nina Dobrev, even Keifer Sutherland comes back for the fun. Hopefully the nostalgia gets people into the theaters and the story will take them the rest of the way. If it doesn’t, then maybe there are just some lines we’re not meant to cross.

October

Happy Death Day – 10/13

A college student (Jessica Rothe) relives the day of her murder with both its unexceptional details and terrifying end until she discovers her killer’s identity.

Imagine Groundhog Day with every day ending in your murder. It’s an interesting twist on this familiar plot device. It will be interesting to see it utilized for terrifying effects. There is no big name attached so it could either be a surprising hit or a big flop. I hope it’s good. The trailer looks solid.

The Snowman – 10/20

When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Rebecca Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.

Based on the international best selling novel of the same name from Norwegian author Jo Nesbo, Michael Fassbender plays Harry Hole (what a horrible name for a character). I don’t know if they have struck the right tone in the trailer. It almost looks like a dark comedy with the childish drawings of snowmen. It has to be better than the only other snowman based horror film I can think of: Jack Frost. It’s rare to see the Fassbender in anything awful (except Assassin’s Creed).

November

The Killing of a Sacred Deer – 11/3

Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.

Yorgos Lanthimos is an enigmatic director who doesn’t like clean common sense plots. You might have heard of a couple of his previous films, Dogtooth and The Lobster. They are both very dark, very strange and full of a twisted masochistic humor. Lanthimos reunites with Colin Farrell who starred in The Lobster and adds Nicole Kidman and Alicia Silverstone as well as a crop of young actors with few roles under their belts. It appears to be his most accessible film to date. That doesn’t mean that he is adopting a standard narrative style. That’s not what this Greek director does. This will be a crippling psychological thriller that will not give us any clear answers and will stick with us for days.

December

Polaroid – 12/1

High school loner Bird Fitcher has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious Polaroid vintage camera she stumbles upon, but it doesn’t take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end.

This doesn’t look very impressive to me, but it is the only horror movie coming in the traditionally quiet month of December. It looks like a knock off of the Ring and Final Destination films.  With no a list star to get people into the theater and such competition from other films this one probably won’t do anything, but even if it only makes 20 million it will still be profitable and we might even see a sequel in coming years. That is the way horror franchises get started.

Others to Watch:

Friend Request coming on September 22nd. When a college student unfriends a mysterious girl online, she finds herself fighting a demonic presence that wants to make her lonely by killing her closest friends.

Til Death Do Us Part coming on September 29th. Michael and Madison Roland had planned to spend the rest of their lives together, until one day Michael’s controlling ways turned their perfect marriage. With the help of her best friend, Madison decides to get away. After adopting a new identity, she meets Alex Stone (Taye Diggs) and learns to love again. All is well, until Michael discovers Madison’s whereabouts, and recreates the nightmare she once lived all over again.

Leatherface coming on October 20th. A teenage Leatherface escapes from a mental hospital with three other inmates, kidnapping a young nurse and taking her on a road trip from hell while being pursued by an equally deranged lawman out for revenge. It’s the Leatherface origin story we never knew we needed.

Jigsaw coming on October 27th. Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one man: John Kramer. But how can this be? The man known as Jigsaw has been dead for over a decade. The week after we get Leatherface’s origin story, we get a deeper dive into the Jigsaw killer from Saw. Two fictional serial killers that we don’t need to see any more.

Are you looking forward to any of these films? Which one would you go to if you were trying to sneak an arm around the girl you liked? Coming up next, we’ll take a look at the Comedy/Family movies coming this fall.

Click here for the other installments of the 2017 Fall Movie Preview:

2010s, Action, Adventure, Alien/Monster, Comedy, Coming Soon, Musical, Science Fiction, Space, Superhero, Weekend Outlook, white-collar

Weekend Outlook – Pirates of the Baywatch: Guardians of the Covenant

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Happy Memorial Day weekend everybody! So after you get done with your barbecue (which is really just burgers and hotdogs, or maybe brats if you’re fancy), then what are you going to do?

Maybe you’ll go shopping. I hear there are some good deals meant to lure you away from the simplicity of always paying less for things by shopping online. Perhaps you are thinking about visiting a theme park, but that’s expensive and you run the risk of dehydration. I guess you could watch any of the mediocre sporting events which will be on all weekend, you’ve got the Indy 500, the NBA conference finals, a whole bunch of baseball, or the carbonated poison water 600. But those all sound long, boring, and better watched in short clips on YouTube as a last resort of entertainment.

Why not hang out at the multiplex and catch up on those early Summer blockbusters that you have missed because you have been so busy catching up on your assignments from procrastination class or cramming for that test that you no longer remember because of sleep deprivation? It has been a relatively slow start to the summer movie season, but this long weekend should be the perfect time to catch that movie that has been calling you. We’ve got 3 sequels and an R-rated comedy TV adaptation to examine so buckle up!

If you haven’t already seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, you might be a Mennonite (Note to self: find Mennonite comedian and pitch the idea of stealing Jeff Foxworthy’s signature bit). It has only been out since Cinco de Mayo and it has already made close to 3 quarters of a billion dollars worldwide! Guardians is a ton of fun and it is fairly kid friendly, so as long as your kid can dress themselves and no longer needs a high chair, they should be up for this adventure.

The premise is simple. We rejoin our lovable gang of space anti-heroes a little while after the first film ends (If you haven’t first Guardians of the Galaxy, then you should probably buy it on iTunes and catch up with the rest of civilization). Star Lord has daddy issues that he needs to work out and they do it in hilarious fashion. This is has more laughs per minute than the first film with more of the same character driven drama and amazing 80’s soundtrack. (I’m serious about the soundtrack! I literally just Googled “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass. It will be stuck in your head for the rest of the week, just be prepared.) I’ll be honest, if you haven’t seen this one, and maybe even if you have, it is your best bet. The rest are likely going to be hit or miss.

I just saw Alien: Covenant last night and it was very good, but it kind of felt like it was struggling with what kind of movie it wanted to be. But what should we expect from the 3rd film from Ridley Scott in this franchise which he helped reboot back in 2012 with the prequel Prometheus. Covenant rides the line between the heady philosophical ramblings of Prometheus and the crap your pants scariness of Alien.

If Guardians was safe for kids that can ride a roller coaster then this one is only safe if you can drive a car (manual transmissions only, none of that wussy automatic garbage). I’m serious, there is blood everywhere in this, aliens bursting out of all kinds of cavities and orifices, not to mention the synthetic on synthetic porn that almost happens. I could hear the Fassboners rising in the theater. If you’re a fan of Ridley Scott and the franchise you won’t be disappointed, but it’s not his best work. I’m seriously hoping that Blade Runner 2049 is better.

I’ll be quite honest, the only thing that get’s me excited about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Longest movie name since Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood) is the inclusion of Javier Bardem as the baddie. If you’ve seen Skyfall or No Country for Old Men you know that he can be extremely creepy and intimidating, and that’s before he’s been all zombified. Even though it looks creepy, this is Disney we are talking about and I’m sure if your emo kids are into pirates then they would be okay going to this one too.

I know that this is a total cash grab on Disney’s part. They want to revive the franchise that has brought in $3.7 billion since 2003. I get it, but even Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley were smart enough to get out after three films and here Johnny Depp is riding into his fifth. He is simply the worst pirate that I’ve ever heard of, but I have heard of him so I’ll be checking this one out on Saturday, so stay tuned for my thoughts.

Finally, we have the R-rated 90’s TV adaptation that literally no one has ever been clamoring for. Baywatch hits theaters this weekend and I can only hope that they at least got Hasselhoff for a cameo, I mean he’s in Guardians so it’s not like he wasn’t available for filming. If they missed out on the Hoff, at least they have the ghost of Pam Anderson’s boobs, a.k.a. Alexandra Daddario. It looks like they are trying to go down the comedy parody road with this one and that would be great. But they have had me worried in a couple of trailers that they might try and take this straight, and if it takes itself too seriously it will be garbage.

The critical consensus is already that it is garbage (18% on Rotten Tomatoes), but I’m hoping that this could at least be as good as Central Intelligence. I’ve never been much of a fan of Zac Ephron, but I’m willing to give him a shot. This one is for adults only, the red band trailers have been bad enough that I had to watch them after my kids went to bed. I’ll be seeing this one next Wednesday so you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for my full review.

The most important thing is for you to enjoy this weekend and remember those brave men and women who died so we can eat lots of expensive buttery popcorn and be entertained by the beautiful monkeys we pay to entertain us. Have a great weekend!

 

 

2000s, Best Movie Bracket, Detective, Drama, Drugs, Great Movies, Suspense, Trailers, True Story

2007 Best Movie Bracket

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As I mentioned in the last post, 2008 was the beginning of the Comic book adaptation explosion. This march through the years to determine the Best Movie of all time really shows that themes come out in particular years. 2007 was loaded with amazing movies that almost no one saw. They were so good that I may have my first year with multiple winners. I say that no one saw them because the top 3 highest grossing films of 2007 were Transformers, Shrek the Third, and Spider-Man 3. All were panned by critics and had lackluster performance at the box office. This was a year for those Superbad movies and others like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Wild Hogs, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Bee Movie, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Norbit.

That being said, the ugly performance of popular films in 2007 really made the gems shine. We had an artsy Bob Dylan biopic with I’m Not There, and one of the coolest, nerdiest documentaries ever in King of Kong. There was a great entry from one of my favorite directors Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Network) who gave us Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. We saw a minor resurgence of good westerns with a 3:10 to Yuma remake and my pick for best long title movie, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. On the musical front, there were several solid entries from Sweeney Todd, Across the Universe, August Rush, and the hauntingly beautiful Once. There were also two emotionally shattering foreign films in Diving Bell and the Butterfly and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.

Other must watch films from the year include: Hot Fuzz, Ratatouille, Juno, Into The Wild, I Am Legend, Sunshine, Atonement, Gone Baby Gone, Lars and the Real Girl, American Gangster, Persepolis, and Michael Clayton. Charlie Bartlett is the film that sticks in my mind for the late Anton Yelchin, It is not a perfect film, but it is very entertaining with a great cast. However, all of these good films should wait if you haven’t seen any of my top three. I consider two of them modern classics that are almost perfect films.

3rd – Zodiac

Zodiac is a woefully underrated film from David Fincher, the same director that gave us Se7en and Fight Club. Roger Ebert said in his four-star review, “Zodiac is the All the President’s Men of serial killer movies, with Woodward and Bernstein played by a cop and a cartoonist…. What makes Zodiac authentic is the way it avoids chases, shootouts, grandstanding and false climaxes, and just follows the methodical progress of police work.” The cast (Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robert Downey Jr.) as well as the tone and script are all so tight and precise. It’s a delightful movie and immensely frustrating and entertaining. Now, onto the two films which I will be including in the Best Movie Bracket Competition.

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