The Official Review Thread of 2018

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Sabin
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Sabin »

dws1982 wrote
Thunder Road
The story is fairly standard--a small-town man having a meltdown after some personal tragedies--but Jim Cummings (writer, director, editor, leading man) doesn't take a standard approach. Like Custody, it has some pretty big shifts in narrative and tone. Whereas those shifts in Custody were pretty smooth, these shifts feel abrupt and out-of-nowhere at times which, to be fair, is something that Cummings intends, and I think that these abrupt shifts fit with the story and the character at its center. This is a story about someone who is only holding things together from moment to moment, and when it falls apart--as it does several times--it's as uncomfortable as hell to watch. I don't really know exactly how I feel about this--it's a movie that almost defies the binaries of "good" and "bad" or "excellent" or "flawed" that we try to put on films. Even within the confines of a story you've seen variations on in the past, this is still very much its own thing made by someone who is playing by his own rules. Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about this exactly, although I am definitely very interested to see what Cummings does next.
So, this movie is apparently somewhat famous in indie circles. It began as a one-shot monologue short film that swept the film festivals and was expanded from there. When offered a lukewarm distribution deal, the filmmaker said screw it and opted for self-distribution and it made a profit.

Anyway, I think people are going to fall one way or another on this movie based on their tolerance for Jim Cummings. The whole film tonally pivots around his character, as he deals with the death of his mother, divorcing his wife, possibly losing custody of his child, all amidst a high-stress job. The script is formula but has a fresh feel due to his presence in every scene. Officer Jim's behavior can be boiled down to always on the edge of a breakdown, saying things he doesn't mean, but unfailingly earnest and attempting politeness. He's almost a sitcom character but there's something moving about his presence in this movie about a guy who is just trying to do good but can't. His plight never quite feels bigger than himself, never feels quite about the rest of the world as miniature... but it comes close. I was surprised how taken I was by it. It should be ridiculous but never is and I ended up finding it to be a small triumph and Jim Cummings is excellent. I would have supported him as a Best Actor contender in 2018.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

THE FAVOURITE
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn.
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos.

Oh, jeez. I loved this film. There are lines in this film where I thought to myself, "I wish I wrote that line" (people who know me can guess which! haha). It's dark, twisted comedy-drama about Queen Anne of England and the two ladies vying for her attention (and love). This is the latest film from Yorgos Lanthimos and it's probably his most "normal" film. But even then, his trademark demented humor, in-your-face style and fucked-up sensibility are still front and center. The three lead actresses, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz all get plum roles and run away with it with delicious glee. It's wonderfully dark and also kind of sinfully fun. It is truly one of the best films of the year.

Grade: A.

AT ETERNITY'S GATE
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner.
Dir: Julian Schnabel.

Director Julian Schnabel has always given the tired sub-genre of the biopic a more artsy flair as evidenced by his previous biopics of poet Reinaldo Arenas (Before Night Falls) and Jean-Dominique Bauby (The Diving Bell and The Butterfly). This time, he takes on the life of Vincent van Gogh. This time it's a little less successful. It's a visually interesting film. There are some great moments in it. But it seems kind of, I don't know, tired, perhaps? Since we just had Loving Vincent the previous year and numerous cultural depictions of Van Gogh. Willem Dafoe, despite being too old in real life, does give a great performance and he's the reason to see the film. But overall, you're better off just watching other films on Van Gogh.

Grade: C+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

MIRAI
Cast: Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Koji Yakusho, Masaharu Fukuyama (voices).
Dir: Mamoru Hosada.

After his parents bring home his new baby sister, a little boy grows jealous of her. This leads to a series of fantasy time-traveling adventures as he comes to terms with his new sibling initiated by the future teenage of his little sister, Mirai. This is the first non-Studio Ghibli anime film to get the Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars. It is a beautifully animated and absolutely lovely and sweet little film. I'm an uncle to two kids who are of similar-ish ages (my nephew was also 4 when his sister was born, and baby Mirai looks like my niece!) so I could definitely see the similarities and was witness to similar-ish incidents so I can't help but smile. It's no Miyazaki but it truly is a very good piece of work.

Grade: B+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by MaxWilder »

Big Magilla wrote:Donna Rice, Hart's squeeze for the weekend, comes off as a bimbo who, contrary to the evidence, wants to be taken seriously as a pretty girl with a brain.
It was very strange how they presented her. She's deliberately hidden from us at first. We only see her from behind on the boat and again when she's followed at the airport. I thought their intention was, "Once you see her, you'll understand why he risked his future." Nope! We get to the big reveal and Sara Paxton, a very pretty girl, is a crying mess in a deeply unflattering wig. Were we supposed to think the opposite: she's why he threw it all away? I couldn't tell you. As you said, misfire from beginning to end.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Big Magilla »

Sound mixing was only part of the problem with The Front Runner.

The screenplay was poorly constructed. It wastes the first thirty-seven minutes of the film on boring meetings and press conferences instead of building a case as to why we should care about Gary Hart who is presented as an arrogant, self-centered jerk with nothing to distinguish him from other candidates other than his nice hair which doesn't look nice at all in the wig they gave Hugh Jackman to wear.

Donna Rice, Hart's squeeze for the weekend, comes off as a bimbo who, contrary to the evidence, wants to be taken seriously as a pretty girl with a brain. Hart's wife comes across as a total doormat even in Vera Farmiga's capable hands. The blurb at the end of the film that Hart and his wife are still together begs the question, why?

This was a total misfire, bad from beginning to end.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

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MaxWilder wrote:I watched The Front Runner. Worst sound mixing of the year. Apparently Jason Reitman interprets 'Altman-esque' as 'make your dialogue near-impossible to understand.'
I noticed that at the beginning of the film and thought of Robert Altman straight away :roll: . Did it continue all the way to the end because I don't recall it going on maybe I just stopped noticing it. There is a good film at the very least buried in The Front Runner but Jason Reitman, like his father, generally reduces almost everything to a basic superficial sheen. Hugh Jackman's wig was very distracting too and its hard to muster up enthusiasm for a film that wastes Vera Farmiga.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

THE RIDER
Cast: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Cat Clifford, Lane Scott.
Dir: Chloe Zhao.

A young man who has a passion for riding horses and works as a horse trainer and rodeo rider gets a debilitating brain injury. He struggles with the fact that he may never ride again. This film reminds me one of the reasons I love cinema. It allows me to take a glimpse and put myself in the shoes of people who are far different from me and live a far different life. Writer-director Chloe Zhao is a very empathetic filmmaker, based on this one film. It really makes you feel for this young man and get you into this world. The film is almost a biographical since the lead of this film is in the exact same situation as his character with whom he shares his name and he gives a very natural, assured lead performance, amazing from someone who has never acted before. This might make my final Top 10 of 2018.

Grade: A-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by MaxWilder »

I watched The Front Runner. Worst sound mixing of the year. Apparently Jason Reitman interprets 'Altman-esque' as 'make your dialogue near-impossible to understand.'
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by dws1982 »

Custody
Seems, at first, like a two-sides-to-everything divorce drama about two divorcing parents who use their kid to get back at each other. But it ultimately takes a turn in a different direction. It's not exactly an unexpected turn--the groundwork was laid, even in the first scene--but there's still an elements of surprise because Xavier Legrand has been so good at handling all of the tensions and relationships and perspectives. And then near the end, when it takes another turn, it's both surprising (because we hadn't quite expected this) and in keeping with the groundwork that he had laid with these characters and relationships. The kind of balance that Legrand achieves here is really impressive, and it's just an all-around top-notch film, from the shots and edits to his use of actors. (The kid is really impressive; a lot of what he has to do is reaction, but it's really good.) It's currently free to watch on Amazon Prime in the United States. Very much worth watching.

Thunder Road
The story is fairly standard--a small-town man having a meltdown after some personal tragedies--but Jim Cummings (writer, director, editor, leading man) doesn't take a standard approach. Like Custody, it has some pretty big shifts in narrative and tone. Whereas those shifts in Custody were pretty smooth, these shifts feel abrupt and out-of-nowhere at times which, to be fair, is something that Cummings intends, and I think that these abrupt shifts fit with the story and the character at its center. This is a story about someone who is only holding things together from moment to moment, and when it falls apart--as it does several times--it's as uncomfortable as hell to watch. I don't really know exactly how I feel about this--it's a movie that almost defies the binaries of "good" and "bad" or "excellent" or "flawed" that we try to put on films. Even within the confines of a story you've seen variations on in the past, this is still very much its own thing made by someone who is playing by his own rules. Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about this exactly, although I am definitely very interested to see what Cummings does next.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

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VICE
Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Jesse Plemons, Eddie Marsan, Justin Kirk, LisaGay Hamilton, Lily Rabe, Bill Camp.
DIr: Adam McKay.

A biopic of sorts which chronicles the rise of Dick Cheney, the infamous Vice-President who basically pulled the strings on the War in Iraq and other atrocities committed under the Bush administration and its ripple effects still affect us to this day. This is less a movie and more of Adam McKay's woke liberal cinematic essays that he also did with The Big Short. That's not to say it's bad but it's much wildly inconsistent here with its weird, distracting editing and its mish-mash of wanting to be a comedic satire and a straightforward serious biopic. There are good moments. Christian Bale looks so much like Dick Cheney, it's almost uncanny. While I agree with its politics, the film doesn't say anything I don't already know or already on board with. It's fine but it doesn't offer anything insightful like it wants us to believe.

Grade: C+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

GREEN BOOK
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini.
Dir: Peter Farrelly.

Purportedly based on a true story. It's the early 1960's and Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip is hired to be a driver/assistant/bodyguard to renowned African American pianist, Dr. Donald Shirley as he does a concert tour in the Deep South. Ever since this became a Best Picture Oscar front-runner, this has been the target of a lot of controversies. From its charges of historical inaccuracy to the off-set antics of its makers down to the criticisms of its treatment of racism, I've heard them all. But forget all about that. What is it really? It's a funny, sweet buddy road comedy with a couple of likable performances and its heart in the right place. Lots of think pieces have already been written how problematic this is. While I understand that, I didn't think it was all that bad. Best Picture material? No. (But I think it would've won easier if it had been released, say, 20 years earlier). As it is, it's a pretty good film. I prefer Peter Farrelly's more broad stuff though.

Grade: B.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by dws1982 »

Free Solo
I mentioned this a little bit in the Unseen Oscar Nominees thread. I'm glad I saw it in a theater, on a big screen, even though I had mixed feelings about the movie itself. The climbing footage, where you see the vastness of the landscapes in contrast with the smallness of one man, is really impressive. I wish there were more of it, and on DVD, where the climbing footage is less striking, viewers will be left with a fairly standard documentary with a truly inscrutable subject at its center. I don't understand Alex Honnold, even a little bit, and while there's nothing wrong with having someone like this at the center of a documentary, the film and filmmakers are a little too awestruck and uninterested in delving into what leads Honnold to take up this hobby in what is ultimately a very selfish quest for personal stimulation. I thought going in that this might be a winner for Best Documentary at the Oscars, and I guess it's possible, but I wonder if voters, especially those who watch it on DVD, will be as put off by the protagonist as I was.

The Old Man and the Gun
David Lowery is another one that I don't understand. He clearly has talent, and even vision--his movies are clearly not the work of someone just going through the motions to cash a paycheck. But my goodness, what an unusual (and uninteresting) group of films he's used his talents to make. It's well-made, well-shot, and well-acted. But there's just so little substance. Personally, I would've preferred it to make the Redford character a supporting one, and focus on Sissy Spacek's far more interesting character, a lady who, for whatever reason, decides to take a chance on Redford's character. It's a different, better movie when she's on screen.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

THE MULE
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Pena, Dianne Wiest, Andy Garcia, Ignacio Serrichio, Clifton Collins Jr.
Dir: Clint Eastwood.

An elderly man runs into financial trouble and decides to act as a mule for a drug cartel. This is said to be Clint Eastwood's final film at least as an actor. I hesitate to say he ended his acting career on a high note, but I will say he ended on a decent, respectable note at least. For a film which could have played this story, which is based on a real incident, as an action thriller or even as a comedy, it's a surprisingly straightforward and subtle human drama. Though far from Clint Eastwood's best directorial work, it is a return to form to what he does best.

Grade: B.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin, Anna Deaveare Smith, Stephen Spinella, Ben Falcone.
Dir: Marielle Heller.

Based on the true story of a rather misanthropic writer Lee Israel, once a successful biographer but now currently unable to pay her bills, decides to forge and sell letters allegedly written by famous writers. Hearing this premise and hearing who was cast in the role, at first I thought this was going to be a laugh out loud broad comedy and yes, a lesser filmmaker could have mined this premise for laughs. Although there is still some humor in it, it is, in fact, a drama. Melissa McCarthy absolutely blew me away in this. She gives this rather unpleasant character so much humanity that you can't help but empathize with her. She's more than just that loud actress. Matching her is Richard E. Grant who, likewise, does the same with his character and they work so well together. I wasn't a big fan of director Marielle Heller's previous film. This is so much better.

Grade: B+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Michael Beach, Brian Tyree Henry, Teyonah Paris, Aunjenue Ellis, Diego Luna, Dave Franco, Emily Rios, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein, Finn Wittrock.
Dir: Barry Jenkins.

Director Barry Jenkins's follow up to Moonlight is an adaptation of a work by James Baldwin. It's about a young black man in jail on a false rape charge and his young pregnant girlfriend's efforts to try and free him. The original novel was published in 1974 and it's just infuriating that the film's subject matter is just as relevant today as it probably was then. The non-linear structure makes things even more heartbreaking yet also gives it a beautiful, almost dream like quality. The performances are all pitch perfect. Both Stephan James and KiKi Layne deserve to be big stars and Regina King deserves all the awards. This will probably end up in my 2018 list.

Grade: A-
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