Tag Archives: Sam Rockwell

Best of 2017: Top 5

This is it. I’ve already looked at the rest of my top 20. you can read them elsewhere on the site. (6-1011-1516-20). 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.

Oscar Outlook: Male Performance

What’s happening on Sunday night? That’s right. It’s time for the 90th annual Academy Awards more commonly called the Oscars. The one television program that I make arrangements to watch every year. It is a night to celebrate the movies and to a lesser extent, politics, and other social issues. This is the very reason that I have to watch this without my wife.

Let’s keep looking at the nominees in the major categories, because nobody is talking about Best Adapted Screenplay at the water cooler on Monday, that is unless Logan pulls off a major upset to beat Call Me By Your Name. Instead, all eyes are on the big awards like the two male performance categories that we are going to look at in this post.

Best Actor

And the nominees are…

  • Timothee Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name
  • Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread
  • Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out
  • Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour
  • Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Who Will Win

This is another category with a clear favorite. Gary Oldman will most likely take home his first Oscar on Sunday night after already winning the SAG, BAFTA, and Golden Globe. I loved Darkest Hour. I’m a fan of history (when presented to me in 2-3 hour segments in a dramatic way). When I first saw the makeup that transformed Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill, I was amazed and knew that we were going to see them nominated and probably winning for Best Hair and Makeup.

After watching the film though, I forgot it was Oldman under that makeup. I was completely enthralled with the story and sold on his passion and eccentricities. Oldman is known for being immensely flexible in his range and he has sunk deeply into characters before. Think of Dracula, True Romance, Sid and Nancy, and many more, but he has never been this electric and transparent in such an accessible and moving film.

Outside Chance

There are some rumors that the new kid on the block Timothee Chalamet could pull an upset. I think this is highly unlikely. While Call Me By Your Name does tick a lot of the Oscar’s boxes for being relevant politically and socially, when those anonymous votes get tallied, I don’t think the voters  ) find a majority to vote for the most pretentious and self-indulgent movie of the year. Fun fake fact: Peach sales have increased by 15% since the movie’s release.

Who Should Win

The Academy is probably trending towards the correct choice at this point. Part of me would love to see Daniel Day-Lewis take home his fourth Oscar in six nominations. That would give him the best nomination/win batting averages of those with more than five nominations. Compare that to Meryl Streep with her 21 nominations and only three wins. No offense to either Daniel Kaluuya or Denzel Washington who I thought were great in their roles but they don’t have a chance of winning.

Best Supporting Actor

And the nominees are…

  • Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project
  • Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water
  • Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World
  • Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Full disclosure: This is the only category in which I still have a blind spot. I missed All the Money in the World so I can’t comment on Christopher Plummer’s quick exchange for Kevin Spacey. I’m going to try and catch it before Sunday. I’m sure he is wonderful, but part of me thinks this is one of those political statement nominations.

Who Will Win

Sam Rockwell is the odds on favorite to win this and I couldn’t be happier for him. I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since I saw him play Guy in Galaxy Quest back in 1999. Then when he played Zaphod Beezelbrox in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy I loved it. But his breakout role was for Duncan Jones criminally underrated sci-fi thriller Moon. Perhaps after he gets the win people will know him by his name instead of “you know, that one guy.”

Outside Chance

As much as I like Sam Rockwell and would love to see him win, in my heart of hearts I want to see Willem Dafoe pull out the victory for his role in the film that affected me more deeply than any other this year. Sean Baker’s The Florida Project was humanistic and rich. Dafoe plays an On-Site Manager for a small slum hotel called the Magic Castle in the shadow of Orlando’s Disney World.

The film was created with many non-actors, and actual residents of the hotel. I was shocked when this wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture because it is worth that accolade and more. There has been some groundswell of support for him in recent days, but I ultimately think that it was just too small of a film to make the impact that the Oscars are looking for.

Who Should Win

Rockwell and Harrelson both provide quality supporting roles to Frances McDormand’s powerhouse performance, but I’m going to go with the little guy and and say that Willem Dafoe should win this category for his supportive and compassionate father figure.

This is all just my speculation and it is all about what amounts to a fancy human horse race. The Academy invariably gets things wrong, they vote based upon popular tides and political leanings. They vote to make statements, and often that means that the true best of the year go by overlooked and under appreciated except by those of us who champion them. Let your voice be heard! Sound off in the comments below or find me on any of the major social media platforms and let’s talk about movies (or other stuff… but mostly movies.)

Fall 2017 Movie Preview: Drama Part 1

This is going to be a great season. The awards are going to be very crowded. We’ve already seen several powerful films that could be in awards consideration. I’m specifically thinking of Detroit, Dunkirk, Baby Driver, and even Logan and Wonder Woman. However, they are going to have to compete with a slew of biopics and powerful narrative dramas and character studies. These movies are like candy for me so excuse me if I tend to go on and on, but part of the joy of cinema is its ability to move us, and that is exactly what these aim to do.

Please let me know which of these you would see if you could only choose one or two. This is only half of the Dramatic movies coming out this season. I’ll be following up to this post with the dramatic movies from November and December soon. Also, make sure you take a look at the others to watch section because there are far too many to talk about all of them at length.

September

Rebel in the Rye – 9/15

The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel, The Catcher in the Rye.

How many of you have actually read Catcher in the Rye? I think it is one of those books that people buy to look smart but never actually read. If you want to watch an interesting retelling of the Holden Caulfield story, you can watch Perks of Being a Wallflower. Honestly, It is a great work of literature and it will be interesting to see the story behind what inspired the author. It will be starring Nicholas Hoult as J.D. Salinger and will feature Kevin Spacey as a teacher and source of inspiration. Also, I hope you like biopics because this is the first of about a dozen by my count.

Battle of the Sexes – 9/22

The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.

I love both of these actors. I heard that after La La Land, now Emma Stone is the hottest thing since sliced bread and is making oodles of money. That’s good for her. She has a fantastic comedic sense and is able to sink her teeth into more meaty dramatic roles so this biopic should be great for her. Steve Carell has been one of my favorite comedic actors since his turn as Brick in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It will be fantastic to watch these two play off of each other in a story of liberation, misogyny, and tennis.

Loving Vincent – 9/22

A feature film about the life and mysterious death of Vincent Van Gogh.

Just watching the trailer for this I am surprised that so much time and care has gone into the preparation of the film. If you haven’t heard anything about it, watch the trailer and be floored by the visuals as you realize that every single frame in this film about the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh was hand painted in oils meant to mimic his style. It looks stunning and innovative. I love to see films that do something that no one else has ever done and this will certainly do just that. Not only have I never heard the story of Van Gogh’s tortured creative process but I have certainly never seen a movie that is put together in this way. It should be very rewarding to watch.

Lucky – 9/29

The spiritual journey of a ninety-year-old atheist.

I really hope that Harry Dean Stanton gets an Oscar nomination for this. The film looks quirky and funny and contemplative and it is all centered around the tremendous skill of an actor that generally stays out of the limelight. You might probably best know Harry Dean Stanton as the janitor in The Green Mile that the guards use to practice for the execution. That is one of hundreds of roles he has had in his storied career. This also serves as the Directorial debut for that guy that everyone thinks is the Zodiac killer in Zodiac (John Carroll Lynch). I can imagine that I will probably be quoting lines from this for months after watching.

October

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – 10/13

After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.

I’ve been ready for this one since I saw the trailer in front of something back in June or July. It is a combination of a number of things that I love. Frances McDormond is an amazing actress that doesn’t get nearly the number of roles she deserves. Much of that is probably because she only takes roles that are good. Sam Rockwell takes everything he is in up a couple of notches. And Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) is one of my favorite screenwriter/directors in the business today.

Marshall – 10/13

About a young Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.

I’m a bit embarrassed that I know next to nothing about Thurgood Marshall except for the fact that he served on the Supreme court from 1967-1991 (I even had to look those dates up). Chadwick Boseman has been Mr. Biopic as of late. Before landing his role as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including his own stand-alone movie coming in 2018) he starred in 42 as Jackie Robinson and most recently in Get on Up as James Brown. So, he is no stranger to taking on another’s mannerisms and portraying their lives. This is clearly a story of Thurgood Marshall’s young life before he became part of the US Supreme court. Is this a film that interests you?

Same Kind of Different as Me – 10/20

International art dealer Ron Hall must befriend a dangerous homeless man in order to save his struggling marriage to his wife, a woman whose dreams will lead all three of them on the journey of their lives.

It looks like Hollywood might finally be figuring out that Christians want to see movies with Christian themes of love and mercy and generosity and equality portrayed in a artful manner by talented actors. I for one will be one of the first people lined up to see this film and I will be encouraging our Church to buy out showings to encourage more film like it to be made. With a cast of actors as eclectic and talented as this group there is no reason it shouldn’t be good. I just hope it’s not too schmaltzy or preachy. If they can walk that fine line and maintain realism while telling the story then it should be good.

Suburbicon – 10/27

Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns…the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon.

I was torn whether to put this one in the Horror or Comedy category or here. It definitely will not be your average thriller. But I can’t just discount it as a comedy like Hot Fuzz. Instead, it seems to be blending Drama, Comedy, and Thriller tropes together to create something. It should be very interesting because The Coen Brothers usually direct the stories that they write, but this one they have handed off to their good friend, George Clooney, who has great abilities as a Director, but we haven’t seen his best work as of late.

Others to Watch:

Stronger coming on September 22nd. Stronger is the inspiring real life story of Jeff Bauman, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become a symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. This is getting some praise from actual Boston natives about it realism and authenticity. Jake Gyllenhaal is super talented so it should be great to see him get lost in this role.

Breathe coming on October 13th. The inspiring true love story of Robin and Diana Cavendish, an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease. Their heartwarming celebration of human possibility marks the directorial debut of Andy Serkis. Yes, Gollum is directing a film with Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield. That’s intriguing if nothing else.

Only the Brave coming on October 20th. A drama based on the elite crew of firemen from Prescott, Arizona who battled a wildfire in Yarnell, AZ in June 2013 that claimed the lives of 19 of their members. Firemen are good people and they risk their lives to protect people. This might not be the greatest movie, but it should be a powerful reminder of their service with a great cast featuring: Jennifer Connelly, Taylor Kitsch, Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, and Andie MacDowell.

Wonderstruck coming on October 20th. The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection. Directed by Todd Haynes (Carol, I’m Not There) and based on the Novel by Brian Selznick (Hugo).

The Mountain Between Us coming on October 20th. Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers (Idris Elba and Kate Winslet) must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness. This sounds stressful and I won’t be taking my wife to see it or I will never get her on a plane.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women coming on October 27th. The true story of William Moulton Marston, the polyamorous relationship between his wife and mistress, the creation of his beloved comic book character “Wonder Woman”, and the controversy the comic generated in its earlier years. Playing off the success of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman earlier this year, we get a biopic about the guy who created the Amazonian princess. Could be interesting.

Wow. That’s already quite a list and we still have two more months of the year to look at. Which are you most enthused about? Are there any that you aren’t sure about or that you think might not live up to their expectations? Let me know in the comments below or on Social media. Also, don’t forget to check out the other installments of this Fall Movie Guide: Action/Adventure, Horror/Thriller, and Comedy/Family.