R.I.P. Ben Woolf

Ben Woolf, an actor known for his small but memorable roles in American Horror Story and Insidious, was injured Thursday, February 19, 2015 when he was struck in the head by a rear-view mirror by a car while jaywalking. He died Monday, February 23. He was diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism as a child, which caused his bones to shrink. He used acting as a side job, mostly taking smaller roles in documentaries and horror projects, as his primary occupation was as a preschool teacher. He donated his organs to three women, saving their lives, as he was a registered donor. Ryan Murphy, creator of American Horror Story among other series, has offered to pay for the funeral expenses to assist his family, and all of his AHS co-stars and fellow crew members have spoken very highly of him, sighting his kindness, innocence, and the inspiration he provided. Never has a relatively unknown actor's death left such an impact.

                                                                   Ben Woolf
                                                              1980-2015 (age: 34)
                                                         (Image: IMDb)

R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

Today, the world lost Leonard Nimoy, perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of Mr. Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series and in many subsequent films. He had also appeared in Fringe, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 remake), Get Smart, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Mission: Impossible (the original series), and the video game Civilization IV. His role as Spock is one of the most iconic roles of the 20th Century, and he has inspired many imitators, parodies, homages, etc. He will be surely missed by Trekkies and sci-fi fans. But he will also be missed because of his kindness and for inspiring a generation and generations to come to think rationally about the universe and explore it.

                                                                 Leonard Nimoy
                                                              1931-2015 (age: 83)
                                                            (Image: Wikipedia)

My Oscar Predictions 2015: Or at least, this is what I hope wins...

The Academy has lurched its' ugly head once again, and I figured I'd give my predictions (or, more accurate, hopes) on what will win this year.

Best Picture: Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Whiplash, The Imitation Game, or The Grand Budapest Hotel (I would be happy with any of these winning)
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood (though I personally think it would be a bit of an overstatement to say "Best"), or Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Actor: Steve Carrell, Foxcatcher, or Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game (Jake Gyllenhaal should have gotten the nomination for Nightcrawler)
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone, Birdman
Best Original Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu and friends, Birdman, or Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Best Adapted Screenplay: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash, or Graham Moore, The Imitation Game, or Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Best Animated Feature Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (though The LEGO Movie should have been nominated)
Best Foreign Language Film: Leviathan
Best Documentary Feature: Virunga, or Finding Vivian Maier
Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer, Interstellar, or Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Song: "Glory" by John Legend and Common, Selma
Best Sound Editing: Interstellar, or Birdman
Best Sound Mixing: Whiplash, or Birdman, or Interstellar
Best Production Design: Interstellar, or The Grand Budapest Hotel, or The Imitation Game
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Film Editing: Whiplash, or The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel, or Inherent Vice
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar, or Guardians of the Galaxy, or Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

American Sniper: Based on a true story... for the most part. (Also: Top Movies of 2014 List Update)

Today, I look at what is, in my opinion, one of the more overrated Oscar nominees this year.

American Sniper:
Chris Kyle is known as the most deadly sniper in American history, with 160 confirmed kills. The film chronicles his several tours in Iraq, trying to find a deadly enemy sniper named Mustafa, as well as just stay alive. The film also shows us his crumbling personal life and how it is negatively affected by the war.
    This has to be one of the more divisive films of the past year. I was intrigued when I first saw the trailers, thinking it could be a comeback project for Clint Eastwood, who has been on the decline in terms of quality over the past few years. After Invictus, his films started to become needlessly slow and boring. J. Edgar and Jersey Boys are snoozers with little emotional appeal or anything special or memorable about them. American Sniper is only slightly better. After hearing all the controversy about the film, I deduced there were two distinct schools of thought about it: it is horrific wartime propaganda that idolizes a ruthless killer and general asshole, or: a breathtaking and harsh look at the horrors of war that presents a very human main character. I had to make my own decision, and although I feel both these opinions are extremes, I think I fall more into the first school of thought.
    Now, I will not retread all the historical inconsistencies and inaccuracies here, but I will link a video below which covers all that stuff. To get the good stuff out of the way, Bradley Cooper's performance is impressive, and shows that he can do more than comedy and action films. His breakdown at the bar after finishing a tour of duty feels real and is gut-wrenching, and his general reactions to things after the war range from unsettling to just uncomfortable. One problem is that towards the end, the filmmakers decided to randomly "cure" Kyle's PTSD. They never say that, but he just randomly is able to be a better person. I also felt the ending could have been executed better, but I won't spoil it. The only problem is that I think people going into the film need to realize you need to treat Chris Kyle in the film as a fictional character; he is not an accurate representation of the man. The rest of the cast, including Sienna MIller and Luke Grimes, as well as cameos from Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, The Wire) and Brando Eaton (Jonah Mitchell from Dexter), are fine, but feel like they take a backseat.
   The war scenes are very intense and realistic, which I appreciated. They never felt too confusing nor too exploitive, and they are filmed very smoothly and efficiently, although I didn't appreciate the "bad guys vs. good guys" level of complexity in them, nor the constant use of racial insults, like referring to citizens as "savages".
   The cinematography isn't anything special, and a lot of the scenes are somewhat predictable (one PTSD moment at a barbecue was extremely cliche) and the music is very bland. There are many plot lines (one involving a fictitious terrorist called "The Butcher", and another involving Kyle's brother) that are set up and just go nowhere. I guess life is like that, too, but the entire film is building up to moments that just never happen.
   American Sniper is an entertaining and sometimes gripping film that takes a realistic look at the Iraq War. Though it is a little sanitized as far as the characters go, I still found it better than Eastwood's last few films. I still recommend not taking the film as gospel and looking into the real story a little more; you may be shocked by what you find. Overall, it is an above average movie that I feel doesn't really deserve the hype or the nominations, except maybe for Cooper's performance. I'm going to give this film two ratings, one for accuracy and one for its' quality as a film.
Quality as a film: 3/5 stars.
Accuracy: 1/5 stars.

A video summing up my problems (Spoilers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej_SRJNz9ls


               (Image: Wikipedia)



End of the Year List Update:
I usually do some "Top (Blank) Of The Year" lists around this time of year, but this time I am doing it a little differently. I decided since I still haven't seen many of the films I wish to see this year, I will take a page out of YourMovieSucks' book, and refrain from doing a list until I have seen said films. Just to show how many I have yet to see, here are a few I still have not seen:
The Imitation Game
Selma
Oculus
Snowpiercer
Leviathan
Magic in the Moonlight
Under the Skin
Top Five
St. Vincent
The Guest
Cold July
Chef
The Raid 2
Jadarowsky's Dune
This Is Where I Leave You
A Most Violent Year
Kill The Messenger
And that's not even the whole list. So it might be a while before you see any such list, although you may see a "Worst of the Year" list sooner.

Whiplash: Another musical movie from the director of "Grand Piano"

Today, I look at the universally acclaimed adaptation of his own short film.

Whiplash:
Andrew Neiman is an aspiring young jazz drummer at a prestigious music school. Striving to be one of the "greats", like Buddy Rich, Neiman is accepted into the studio jazz band program, run by the highly respected conductor Terence Fletcher. Unfortunately for Neiman, Fletcher is a lot more intense and abusive than he expected, and pushes Andrew to the limit of his physical, emotional, and psychological capabilities for the sake of music. The two eventually enter a gut-wrenching battle of wits as Andrew tries to gain the approval of this hardened instructor.
    While sounding fairly cliche, this movie is actually a really great drama that is almost a deconstruction of the "asshole coach/mentor" character you see in many sports and music-based movies.
  Before I dive into that, I must commend the acting. Miles Teller is already a matured and competent actor at just 27 years old, and his youthful appearance is able to sell the idea that he's only 19. Teller's performance included him having to improve on his drumming skills by learning the jazz style, which he was unfamiliar with. Many of the gashes and blisters that appear on his hands during his grueling practice scenes are real, and Teller's commitment to the role was something sorely missing from a lot of young actors today. Because the director, Damien Chazelle, never yelled "Cut!" at the end of the drumming scenes, Teller was forced to play until he physically exhausted himself, making the drumming sequences fell uncomfortably real.
   J.K. Simmons is a terrific character actor, playing memorable supporting roles such as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Dr. Skoda in Law & Order, and neo-Nazi Schillinger in Oz, but I think this is the one that will gain him more starring roles. His threatening and intense on-screen presence is unquestionable, and every scene with him had me on edge, wondering what was going to set him off next. His incessant nitpicking and emotional and physical battery of his students made him a thoroughly unlikable villain, but as the film peeled back the layers of his character and revealed why he is motivated to do such things, I found myself feeling some empathy for him. I was glad Chazelle made the choice not to make Fletcher such a one-dimensional villain, but more of a misunderstood one.
   The supporting cast aren't given much to do, but Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, and Austin Stowell all serve their purpose and are the most memorable of the supporting characters.
    The music in the film is very enjoyable and I was happy to see a movie that really explores the idea of how the general public perceives musical careers as opposed to sports careers, and also the way music can bring people together or tear them apart.
   I was also intrigued with how the movie, up until maybe the ending, served as a deconstruction of the "intense teacher/coach" trope. In other films, the hero would push himself hard, but ultimately win the day. In this film, Neiman pushes himself to the limit, but in doing so is wrecking other facets of his life: he is detached from his family, he is always stressed and neurotic, he alienates his girlfriend and classmates, etc. It shows that by trying to win the approval and respect of this one asshole teacher, Neiman is destroying the relationships with people who actually care about him.
   Speaking of the ending, without giving anything away, the second act and third act of this movie have to include some of the most tense, investing, and satisfying scenes of 2014. I will say this is one of my favorite climaxes of a movie this year.
    Whiplash is emotionally gripping, provocative, and electrifying, with two of the best performances of the year. The last 15 minute should be seen on the biggest screen possible with the best sound possible, so I would recommend seeing the film in theaters, if only for that last act. Damien Chazelle has definitely marked himself as one to watch out for in the coming years, and I can't wait to see what he does next. 5/5 stars.

          (Image: Wikipedia)



Another (short) review I enjoyed that explores the music in the movie a bit more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgH3e-S9aHA 

Inherent Vice: Paul Thomas Anderson meets Thomas Pynchon? This could go very good or very, very bad... Or neither.

Today, I look at PTA's latest film, the first adaptation of a work by Thomas Pynchon.

Inherent Vice:
It's 1970, and the paranoia that circulated the country at the time was in full swing in Los Angeles (this was after the Manson murders, after all). Larry "Doc" Sportello is a hippie dopehead and private investigator whose ex-old lady Shasta Fay Hepworth comes seeking Doc's help. Shasta claims she is having an affair with real estate mogul Mickey Wolfmann, whose wife Sloane, and her lover, plan to have Mickey kidnapped and thrown into an insane asylum. Doc reluctantly agrees, and in true noir fashion, the plot quickly thickens and Doc realizes he has unraveled a complex conspiracy and is way in over his head. It also doesn't help that Doc's heavy drug use and general paranoia have made having hallucinations in the middle of all this a possibility.
    This is so different than any other of Anderson's works that I can't really recommend it to fans of his per se, but I will say this is a very entertaining and fun movie. It's almost Pulp Fiction-esque, though I wouldn't recommend it to people looking for the next Tarantino film, either. It falls into this strange middle ground, and judging by the reactions of my fellow theater goers after the film, it appears this is going to be a movie that divides people into a "kind of liked it" or "kind of didn't like it" category. I think saying "love it" or "hate it" is a bit too strong for this movie, because it has certain aspects I think everyone can appreciate on some level. Such as the acting.
   The casting for this movie was spot-on. Joaquin Phoenix is the perfect fit for the role of Doc. He's able to be very likable and funny, but also just weird and detached from reality. Not as dark or as powerful as his role in The Master, but still something I think could be potentially Oscar-worthy. Katherine Waterson is terrific as Shasta. Though she isn't given all that much to do, she is able to have some good romantic chemistry with Phoenix. Josh Brolin shows up as Lieutenant Christian "Bigfoot" Bjornsen, Doc's main rival and police contact in the film. They have some excellent comedic chemistry and Brolin definitely plays the gruff, overworked cop role well. Owen Wilson is perfectly cast as a former sax player/drug addict drifter named Coy Harlingen, who can be pretty funny, but also is able to deliver some good dramatic moments. The supporting cast, packed with actors like Benicio del Toro, Jena Malone, Michael K. Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire), Reese Witherspoon, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Sinclair (a porn actress), Eric Roberts, Jeannie Berlin, Martin Short, Hong Chau, Serena Scott Thomas, and Martin Donovan, are pretty great, although some bigger names, like del Toro, Malone, Williams, Rudolph, Witherspoon, and Short have roles so minor they border on cameo status.
    The writing for the film is funny and off-beat, but never feels like it over-indulges in its' quirkiness, and never relies too heavily on pop culture references from the 1960's and 70's (though the Manson murders are mentioned frequently). The overall plot is very much like a classic noir film, and although it can get too complicated at times, I feel it'll be more rewarding from multiple viewings. What I can say about this film that will make it appealing to a more general audience is that it's not as slow as PTA's other recent works. It's not exactly "fast paced", but it doesn't drag its' feet as much as There Will Be Blood or The Master.
   The trailer for this movie captures the overall tone pretty well, but I felt the way it described the plot was very misleading. At first I was confused about this, but then I realized they didn't want to go too deep into the plot, as it would spoil a lot of the reveals.
   The soundtrack for this movie was a pretty excellent selection of late 60's/early 70's songs such as "Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke, "Vitamin C" by Can, "I Want to Take You Higher" by Sly & The Family Stone, "Any Day Now" by Chuck Jackson, and "Journey Through the Past" by Neil Young. The original score by Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead (who composed the music for PTA's previous two films as well as We Need to Talk About Kevin) is fair enough, and not as subdued as The Master's, and not as intriguing as There Will Be Blood's. Much like the Guardians of the Galaxy score, the original music takes a backseat to the pre-recorded tunes.
    The cinematography didn't exactly wow me the way it had in PTA's other films. It doesn't have nearly as many long takes, although when they show up it is appreciated, and is shot in more standard close-up shots and profile shots. Not to detract from the movie's style, however. This definitely feels like a crazy 70's crime film, but made with the resources filmmakers have at their disposal today, and I see this playing at late-night screenings at cinemas and on college campuses in the years to come.
   Inherent Vice may not be for everyone, but it's definitely an interesting film that I want to watch again right after seeing it, much like other PTA films. The neon-tinted look of the movie and killer soundtrack, coupled with the superb performances and oddball characters and humor make this a unique movie that does justice to the source material. It has the potential to develop a cult following, which I'll be glad to be a part of if it holds up on my second viewing. I can certainly say I liked it the first time around, and it makes for an interesting conversational piece, as it seems everyone has a starkly different reaction to it. 4/5 stars.

          (Image: Wikipedia)

Foxcatcher: The latest effort from director Bennett Miller

This is my first post of 2015, so I wish a Happy New Year to everyone reading this.

Foxcatcher:
Mark Schultz is a freelance wrestler who is down on his luck. Despite winning Olympic Gold, he is living in a rut, and in the shadow of his brother Dave, who is also an Olympic Gold winner. That is, until one evening Mark is contacted by associates of John du Pont, a mysterious and eccentric billionaire, who is organizing a private team of wrestlers called Team Foxcatcher, after his family's estate Foxcatcher Farms. Mark is enticed by du Pont's extravagant offers and decides to join the team, although he doesn't realize what he's gotten himself into until it's far too late.
     Channing Tatum is exceptional here as Mark Schultz; definitely the best performance of his career. He's able to bring forward an emotional intensity I've never seen from him, and his role was also very physically demanding, which he is able to pull off while never having it overshadow his emotional side. Mark Ruffalo is terrific as his supportive and skilled brother Dave. He is an actor who I always expect great things from, and he certainly delivers here. I respect Miller's attention to detail on the two, having the stars bulk up with similar physiques and wear prosthetic ears to really sell the idea that they are brothers. Their on-screen chemistry is undeniable, and I'd say they are the best duo of thee film, if not for one other character. Steve Carrell is really surprising as du Pont. He is able to be eccentric, inadvertently funny, creepy, intimidating, vulnerable, and pathetic, often back-to-back. Really a powerhouse performance, and I'd be glad to see Carrell pursue more dramatic work in the future after seeing him here. He and Tatum play off each other extremely well, and they are the best duo of thee film, if you could even call them that. The film is really a character study about their relationship, which is at times similar to a father-son/mentor-student archetype, then shifts to a creepy symbiotic relationship with shades of homoeroticism (which the real Schultz has criticized). Even if the last part isn't entirely accurate to real-life events, it still makes for a fascinating character relationship. Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, and Anthony Michael Hall (The Breakfast Club, Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science) also have supporting roles, and all do satisfactory jobs, with Redgrave playing du Pont's emotionally detached mother, with whom he has an extremely dysfunctional and sad relationship.
     Despite the main cast being superb and with nearly no flaws in their performances, the pacing of the film is a bit off. While there's no scenes that could have been cut without ruining the plot structure, the film definitely feels like it drags it's feet a little too often, and this can make it feel bloated at times.
     The cinematography by Greig Fraser was crisp and precise, and gave the film this cold, clinical tone that fit it perfectly. The music by Rob Simonsen and West Dylan Thordson wasn't anything spectacular, but it was well done and matched the mood of the movie.
      This isn't Bennett Miller's best work, but I think it is still a film that everyone should see once, and it is emotionally gripping from start to finish. Don't read much about it before you see it, as it is based on a true story and there will probably be spoilers online about it if you look it up, so just go see the film. Foxcatcher is one of the better movies of 2014, that explores ideas about how competitive sports affect people's lives and relationships and minds, how dysfunctional family relationships affect people, and even how being rich and powerful doesn't necessarily lead to a good or fulfilling life. 4/5 stars.

                 (Image: Wikipedia)