No, I'm not dead, and no I have not seen new movies. However, I managed to rent and watch some new movies that came out earlier this year and decided to compile a bunch of small reviews in one big page. Take that for what its worth, and enjoy.
Everybody Wants Some!!
I have been arming myself to hate Everybody Wants Some the moment I saw the trailer. I mean, how can I not? A movie about an ensemble cast of coincidentally handsome bros in early 80’s college life that do nothing other than chase women, get wasted, and dick around? In 2016, where multiple douchebag comedies not only did this but did this horribly? And don’t get me started on how paranoid anyone can get with discussions about influences or feminism. Yet here I stand, knowing how otherwise profoundly troubling concept, Richard Linklater approach this and ultimately says “yeah, this is dumb and not safe, but it is also fun and small doses of fun is no crime.” And I would be damned if it doesn’t work! Everybody Wants Some is not only “good”, nor only “exceptional” but probably “perfect in what it wants to be”
The secret to the film’s success, surprisingly, is its simplicity. There’s virtually no plot, no conflict (unless if you consider flirting with chicks is any sort of struggle), or any significant cultural iconography other than a classic rock soundtrack and retro production design. What the film does, however, is simply observe the multitudes of vignettes of males doing male things, like partying, playing home sports, drinking, dancing with girls, more partying, and then some. And yet, it all feels tangible; we feel that we’re with these boys and their shenanigans, mostly because it feel reminiscent of my similar experiences. Even though I never smoked weed, picked up girls, or got into fights with dudes in bars, somehow this film transport me in these scenarios in a way that I did, even though I never lived in the 80’s. All of this is due to the maestro of social observation Richard Linklater, who might just be making his spiritual successor of Dazed and Confused. The way he frames these trials of masculinity looks so ultra-real that it’s barely a movie anymore as much as it is a series of YouTube videos recording real life events.
There are themes in this deceptively simple movie, to be sure. Being a movie about college kids, there are some jabs at “the government” among other life lessons like “don’t fool around too much”. But amidst all these series of masculine horseplay, great soundtrack, the specific direction, and a surprising amount of relatable characters, what stick to me about Everybody Wants Some is the notion of coming to your own and being who you want to be. And what more to support that notion than just to grab a beer and have fun for once in a while. Do not miss this one!
Rating: 9/10
Eye In The Sky
Memo to would-be political filmmakers: if you wish to tackle this sort of concept, THIS is how far you need to go to make it work! Anybody, and I do mean fricking ANYBODY, can make this movie – a political piece about drone warfare and soldiers debating about casualties and “needs of the many” and whatnot – but without the balls to go far with its consequences. Yet here’s Gavin Hood, of all people, stepping in with the wherewithal to go bold and personal. Sure, you can supply a wide arrange of good performances and insightful political insights and moral ambiguity in your movie, but if you don’t take the obvious step further in your efforts, all you have left is futile. And thankfully, Eye In The Sky breaks this mold of monotony, all while instantly becoming a legit functional movie supplied with a great think piece.
The whole nuts and bolts of this movie are all tightened and arrange adequately without any of it loose or tight. The performances show enough emotion within the plot without overdoing it (Aaron Paul, Helen Mirren, and Alan Rickman, in particular, do wonders in their roles). The politics about Iraqi bombings and drone warfare take front and center but there is no sense of overblown pretension. The dialogue strips most of the distracting connective tissue in favor of straightforward moral insight, even if it does drag on and mostly feels like we’re watching a college presentation. The few action scenes serve no gratuitous purpose other than to remind us about the stakes that these spies endure while deploying drones. It’s all arranged and choreographed exactly the way it needs to be and would be all worth it all its own.
Thankfully, they don’t leave that there. The third act surprise takes a wholly unexpected turn that takes guts to execute. This plot turn takes its theme of “Drone Warfare is more costly in blood and we should be more cautious about how we use it” to “No matter how we try, there will be bloodshed and the best we can hope for is less of it.” All conveyed by instantly the best line delivery by the late Alan Rickman in his whole career. In the end, Eye In The Sky is as bold and complex as it needs to be and would’ve been a nice distraction without its ambitions. See this as well!
Rating: 8/10
Midnight Special
Midnight Special proves to be the most frustrating movie to think about all year, let alone the most frustrating to enjoy. It’s clearly inspired by the Spielberg-inspired sci-fi drama with family dynamics and paranoia commentary, but either fails or chooses not to have us invested in any of it. Now I know I should appreciate Jeff Nichols attempt to utilize experimental sensibilities with the blockbuster scene, and for the most part, he does excel in most parts of this movie. But what we have here is an unfocused hybrid of both, with heartfelt moments pulled back for subtlety, and subtlety being absent with a few minutes of special effects.
The premise: a child who shoots lasers out of his eyes is on the run with his father and uncle from the government who wish to experiment with him. Clearly inspired by E.T. or Close Encounters (with the family dynamics, the nifty special effects, and the sci-fi sensibilities within the fish out of water storyline) but it seriously feels it needs to pull out at the least appropriate time in some vain attempt to be different. Are the awkward pauses within the dialogue supposed to be elevated by the actors facial emoting or is Nichols unaware for how long and awkward they are? Is the paranoid religious community supposed to fill in the commentary, or is it just background noise? Is the ending intended to be interpreted or did they just run out of time?
It’s a shame because everyone involved in this movie really tries to pull this off. Joel Egerton, Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, and child actor Jaeden Lieberher express their abilities well enough to smooth out the complicated script (to say nothing of Adam Driver still proving to be quite a surprise) and Jeff Nichols does all he can to fulfill his vision, even though he doesn’t seem to know what that sort of vision is. However, as it stands, Midnight Special all amounts to a well-intentioned, mildly good-looking slog that either doesn’t feel the need or just can’t connect to the subtle experimental audience or the not-so-subtle Hollywood audience. I’m not going to pretend this movie doesn’t have its own audience, but it just didn’t work for me.
Rating: 6.5/10
Green Room
Alright, here is the premise: a punk rock band signs up to a gig in the middle of nowhere that’s full of nasty, hate-filled Neo-Nazis and eventually gets held hostage after their performance goes awry. From then on, it’s a bloody, intense horror thriller with many lip service to the Romero-era zombie flicks with skinheads. The film is literally that simple, and yet somehow conjures up more than what we expect. Amidst all the violence and the effective horror sleight of hand, the true center of Green Room lies strictly on the surprisingly solid script and filmmaking.
Under the helm of newcomer Jeremy Saulnier, the film delves into the struggle with these characters and their situation. Even though we like to see a bunch of teens killing off a bunch of skinheads Oldboy style, the band members never come close to being the heroes; some of them are poor, loathing bastards themselves and they strive for are no less different than their swastika-toting adversaries. What matters is what they react to their position they got themselves into, and what can reflect on to us in the slim chance we get into their situations. Even the final boss (a menacing Patrick Stewart) and his henchmen feel more grounded, as they feel as anxious as the band members and unwilling to cause any harm. In a Hollywood horror movie landscape as uninspired and lacking of any investment, here is one fresh out of a Film Festival playbook with more than just jump scares and gratuitous gore.
Even the brilliance of the script out of the equation, Saulnier still manages to craft one hell of a tense movie. I cannot recall a horror movie in the last 10 years that has got me at the edge of my seat and shocked me out of it. Explaining how would be impossible, but just imagine The Conjuring if the camera lingered on that bed scene for a few seconds longer, and the payoff was… bloodier. If this is what Jeremy Saulnier can manage, then I am proud of keeping him in y radar. Overall, I recommend this slickly crafted horror movie if for no other reason than you won’t experience a more anxiety attack like this.
Rating: 8/10
More on the way!
