2004 was a very good year in movies:
-Incredibles
-Anchorman
-Dodgeball
-13 Going On 30----which really grew on me
-Closer
-Mean Girls
It was a great year for comedies. In fact I do not know if there has been a better year since 2004 for comedy.
My number one film for 2004 is:
SIDEWAYS
Director Alexander Payne
Screenwriter Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Based On The Book by Rex Picket
Starring Paul Giamatti; Thomas Haden Church; Sandra Oh; Virginia Madsen
Two men reaching middle age, Miles (Giamatti) and Jack (Church). Take a short driving trip thorough California wine country to celebrate Jack's pending nuptials. However they cross paths with Maya (Madsen) and Stephanie (Oh), then things get interesting.
A wonderful story. True story about middle age and choosing what path to go in life. It sounds serious. Far from it. This film is also a love story and has many laugh out loud moments. Highlighted by four great performances by four of the best actors of our time.
Fun and not so fun facts:
-During the audition Church stripped naked because that is what it called for.
-The dinner scene was mostly improvised
-Church left acting to do just voice over work until he got this call from Alex Payne.
-Sandra Oh learned how to ride a motorcycle for her part
-Payne chose the wine list for the movie
-Giamatti admits in real life he does not like wine
Sideways is a wonderful film which won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. 5 out of 5 for Sideways. I always wished they made a follow up to see how Miles is doing.
From the shadows and 2004 thanks for your time as always.
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Directed by David yates
Screenplay by J K Rowling
Starring Eddie Redmayne; Katherine Waterston; Colin Farrell; Dan Fogler; Ezra Miller and Alison Sudol
This film of course was highly anticipated. So that leads to expectations being high. Which can also lead to disappointment because of those high expectations.
It is an odd film. It is a lot of fun as we follow Newt (Redmayne), as he tries to collect his Fantastic Beasts. But then he stumbles on another issue. Which I had troubles caring about. The story is weak, period. It is messy and choppy.
Wait a minute!! The story is weak/messy/choppy but I said it is fun???!!
It is fun because of the characters:
Redmayne as Newt is so awkward. Watch him, he never looks anyone in the eye. He is a bit off. Which oddly makes him vulnerable and likable.
Katherine Waterson as Tina. She is smart and she has a gleam in her eye that says she knows she is smart. No matter how many people block her way she knows she can out think her competitor. She is an underdog and we love her.
Dan Folger as Kowalski the No Mag. He becomes us. He is our eyes. He lovable and a little brave. We love him.
Alison Sudol as the wonderful mind reader Queenie steals the film. Her relationship with Kowalski is the second best love story of the year in film (Behind La La land). We loove her.
All four main characters are the movie. Yes the script lacks but the four main characters keep us watching and have us wanting to follow them even into the next movie.
So 4 out of 5 stars For Fantastic Beasts. It is a fun ride and introduction. Here is hoping for a cleaner script for the next film in the series.
PATRIOTS DAY
Directed by Peter Berg
Screenplay by Peter Berg and Matt Cook
Based on the story by Peter Berg; Matt Cook; Paul Tamasay; and Eric Johnson
Starring Mark Wahlberg; John Goodman; Kevin Bacon; Jimmy O Yang; and J k Simmons
This was the second film from Wahlberg and Berg in 2016, the first being Deepwater Horizon. Patriots Day is better.
We know the outcome!! We know what is coming! However we are on the edge of our seats. It is painful.
So lets go over what we did not see on the news:
-The behind the scenes search using cameras from restaurants
-We see terrorists plan and their moves after the bomb went off.
-We see the hospitals afterwards
Now I hear Wahlberg is a mix of characters/police officers not a real person.
However the rest of the characters from the FBI to the mayor are real and have to make a lot of tough decisions in a short time. It is intense. They made the right decision by bringing in Bacon; Goodman; and Simmons. Grade A actors make it work.
It was well done and one of the best films of the 2016.
Important to note: And maybe most important: The feel of the film. Evil that day attacked Boston. However a community came together and beat evil. A community together can do so much. It can uplift everyone.
4 1/2 stars out of 5 for Patriots Day. Well done by Berg and Wahlberg.
SILENCE
Directed Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by Martain Scorsese and Jay Cocks
Based on the book by Shusaku Endo
Starring Andrew Garfield; Adam Driver and Liam Neeson
I should just cut and paste this, but I will not be lazy. Critics can be sheep. They see a movie they are suppose to love and cannot get past themselves. They do not want other writers to think they are stupid. So getting to Silence....they see Scorsese and they feel, whether consciously or unconsciously, give it a thumbs up. Me I give it to you real. Do I feel you want to spend your time and money watching this film.
Silence follows two priests as they travel to Japan to find their mentor and teach Catholicism.
Let me get the good out of the way:
-Andrew Garfield as Rodriques gives a fantastic performance. You really feel like he is suffering, at the same time trying to lead. You really feel it. What a year he is having Hacksaw Ridge and now this!!
-The look of this film. Sometimes beautiful. Sometimes awash in mud. Shadows and light. Just beautiful.
-The story. I knew nothing about it. Faith and bravery...like I have never seen.
And now what you have been expecting...the bad:
This was Scorsese's baby. He has been trying to get this film made for like 30 years. Maybe longer.
There was a reason it has taken this long Martin!!! It is not a good idea!! Try it this way....Hey honey lets go to the movies and watch people get tortured for 2 hours and 45 minutes. It will be a great night out.
There is the problem. You are amazed by this man's faith but the torturer of his followers due to this faith...made the film just drag on. It was hard to watch, then throw in 2 hours and 45 minutes. UGH!!
You can tell no one had the guts to tell Scorsese to edit this thing, you can still get your point across.
I give Silence 2 1/2 out of 5 for the idea, for Garfield, and the cinematography. Yes there is an umbrella of a story here about the strength of faith. Which I like, but the way it was told and its length made me want to just walk out.
WHY HIM?
Directed by John Hamburg
Screenplay by John Hamburg and Ian Helfer
Starring Zoey Deutch; James Franco; Cedric The Entertainer; Bryan Cranston; and Megan Mullally
Sometimes I do not know if James Franco is acting or is he just being James Franco.
Whatever the answer is....here, in Why Him, he is very funny.
Playing a multi millionaire, without any social skills. He is way off kilter and it is awkwardly hilarious at some points in this film..
Problem is, with 2016 lacking of good comedies, this one may be the best. Still, it has the problem that a lot of comedies have had these days. It has a very funny concept, it starts well and it does not know where to go with it. From the hour mark it gets ridiculous, tiring and unfunny. Plus at one hour and fifty minutes it was loooooong, again mainly because the film had no where to go.
Wait a minute, I said it may be the best comedy but it can't finish? It is. It goes back to Franco and the cast.
Casting for this film is wonderful.
Bryan Cranston is great as the every man/father.
Megan Mullally is so good here!! Maybe her funniest performance since Will And Grace.
Zoey Deutch as Stephanie, who is madly in love with Franco's Laird. She is wonderful. It is a tough character to play, I mean she has to be an important character, but she has to take a backseat to the star power.
Then throw in Keegan Michael Key who surprisingly is a straight man in this.
Well Why Him is the funniest film of 2016. Please note it is vulgar also. I give 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Pretty funny but just could not finish strong.
20th CENTURY WOMEN
Directed by Mike Mills
Screenplay by Mike Mills
Starring Annette Bening; Elle Fanning; Greta Gerwig; Billy Crudup; and Lucas Jade Zuman
The story takes place in the 70's as we follow three women helping to raise a teenage boy.
I went in loving the idea that two of my top actresses are in one film!!! Gerwig and Fanning!!
So I was excited and they delivered.
What we see here is three women teaching a young man life lessons coming from different age groups.... ala points of view. The young man Jamie is played wonderfully by Zuman. He has a task. He has to keep up with the great actresses around him, He holds his own.
Then we come to the leader. The mom. Bening. This film is getting its buzz due to her performance.
I really think her performance is a little overrated. In fact I think that Gerwig's performance is a bit better. Not saying Bening gives a bad performance, in fact the whole cast is good I just think...it is okay.
Then we come to the story. I love the idea of the story. Three women at different ages in one house raising a young boy to become a fine young man. Problem is I felt the story just laid there. It did not really grow. It felt like it was a TV drama. The real sad part was I feel like when Gerwig and Fanning were not on the screen the film dropped down a lot, it was disappointing. The story became boring. I cared more for Gerwig's and Fanning's character more then the young man's.
3 stars out of 5 for 20th Century Women. For the idea and the acting....it just felt stagnant.
LIFE
Directed by Daniel Espinosa
Screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal; Ryan Reynolds; Rebecca Ferguson; Hiroyuki Sanada; Ariyon Bakare; and Olga Dihovichnaya
6 astronauts or research scientist are in big trouble as they underestimate the first life form or alien grown or born in space.
Let me get right to it.....
Problems:
-This obviously will be compared to Alien/Aliens movie and rightfully so. It has the same theme. When you watch these films, note the one thing they do right is..that you really do not deal with aliens until about 30-45 minutes in. During that time they do a really good job of developing the characters. Before the war starts you know the personalities and backgrounds of all that are involved.
In Life...this does not happen. It is the biggest weakness of the film. We really don't care about anyone. Do not get me wrong, I care when good people die in films but here I felt I was not vested.
-Then it is creepy how they die. Often I wanted to get up and leave. Think Aliens again. They are there and now they are gone. Sometimes they are cocooned but we do not watch it for minutes on,. I do not find pleasure of a slow death watch. Life has many a slow death watch.
-The Life form is just odd, personality wise. It is a clear glob that grows but....it is just a glob.
-The ending is flat and just stupid.
The good:
-You pay for scares and you sure get it. Well that is something.
2 out of 5 stars for the disappointing slightly annoying LIFE
