Jack Henry's Year in Film - Week 3
First off, I’d like to give a shout out to 2017: if nothing else, thanks for the movies. Seriously, 2017 was a great year for film-lovers like myself. We had some excellent directorial debuts from Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) and Jordan Peele (Get Out), but also the return of some heavyweights like Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards), Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water; which I still, unfortunately, haven’t seen), Edgar Wright (Baby Driver), and Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread). 35 years later we got a sequel to Blade Runner and it’s great. One of my favorite filmmakers made a Star Wars movie and I (controversially) loved it. There were also some really unexpectedly excellent films: A Ghost Story and Lost City of Z. Now, I have to say, this was particularly an exciting week for me because I was able to see two films on my “Most Wanted” list. Firstly, I drove down to Austin with Zach this last weekend, sixteen hours round trip, for the sole reason of seeing Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film in 70mm…I mean, I also wanted to visit my friend Ross but it was the movie that got me down there…sorry, Ross. Secondly, AMC in Fayetteville decided to show Three Billboards for only a couple of days and I was, thankfully, able to catch the last screening.
WEEK 3
MONDAY (1/15) - Phantom Thread - Paul Thomas Anderson
So, I’d like to apologize in advance because, while this was an incredible masterpiece of a film and it was totally worth the sixteen hours on the road to see it in 70mm and it was probably my favorite film of 2017, I’m going to try my hardest to keep this review short. My reason being this: I’m planning a full essay and analysis of the film and I’d like to save a lot of my thoughts for that. Also, I firmly believe you should go into this film knowing nothing (so if that’s good enough for you STOP HERE and go see it immediately) but for those of you that need some motivation here are a few (spoiler free) reasons why this film is so worth watching. First, the cast is wonderful. Daniel Day-Lewis is once again a powerful force in his “final” film but the two leading women don’t seem to be intimidated by him, in fact quite the opposite. Lesley Manville, who plays his older sister, towers over him in cold control and he seems to cower before her like a boy. Vicky Krieps is no less compelling, she floats around rather clumsily in the beginning but there is quiet ferocity and ambition hidden in her eyes. Second, Anderson has always had impeccable visual style but this might be his crowning achievement. The driving scenes are superb and I think I let out an audible moan of pleasure during the New Years Ballroom scenes. While this is by no means my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film (that honor goes to There Will Be Blood) and it isn’t Daniel Day-Lewis’s best performance (that also goes to There Will Be Blood) this is an incredible triumph, so please, do yourself a favor and go see this film.
MY RATING - 9.5/10
TUESDAY (1/16) - Insidious: The Last Key - Adam Robitel
Elise the ghost hunter is back in the third, and hopefully the final, sequel to the Insidious franchise. Perhaps some would say The Last Key is just another yearly horror film that finds another way to rehash a lot of typical terrifying tropes, but maybe, just maybe, it’s a new genre of horror: Homage Horror, and there are straws a’ plenty to be grasped at. Elise’s latest exploit begins when she gets a call from a befuddled homeowner who’s dealing with some ghostly residents in his fixer upper home; sort of like a Money Pit situation. PAUSE. Seriously, I don’t get these people that feel the need to stay in their home when there’s evidence of spiteful specters. First floating object and I’m out. UNPAUSE. We find out later that this homeowner has been keeping a woman locked up in his basement. At one point Elise must crawl through a tunnel similar to Shawshank Redemption, but will she find freedom at the end of the tunnel? Nope, just a banshee in a briefcase. I’m sure there are plenty of other allusions that The Last Key makes, like the fact that Elise is sort of a Hamlet character, if for the sole reason that she can speak to ghosts, and if that be true then it would also make sense for her bumbling side-kicks to be Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. If only all that were true…So, if you like mildly interesting but poorly focused plots, cardboard acting, and couple of jumps scares, this movie is for you. If you don’t, still go see this with your friends and have fun getting scared and swearing loudly in the theater.
MY RATING - 4/10
WEDNESDAY (1/17) - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh has to be one of the best working screenwriters and playwrights in the game. Before last year he only had two feature films under his belt: Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges, the latter of which happens to be one of my favorite films. So, you could imagine my excitement in hearing that he was working on a new film. And Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (wow, what a title) does not disappoint. Like his previous films, McDonagh manages to create something very dark and thematically powerful but somehow explosively funny. His dialogue kicks like a mule with both dry witticism and dramatic force and because of this he is able to utilizes his cast to their full extent. Frances McDormand plays the protagonist, in probably her best role since Fargo. But you won’t find the sweet but hardy Marge Gunderson in McDormand, only deep sadness enveloped by calloused anger. McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, a mother who’s daughter was raped and murdered, and after eight months of fruitless investigation the law enforcement has given up. So Mildred buys three billboards outside Ebbing, MI (hey, there we go) to call out the police chief for discontinuing the investigation. McDormand plays this wounded antihero perfectly. She’s deeply flawed, and I think she know this, but she goes about her way with obscene flippancy. At one point her son call her an old c*** to which she replies “I’m not old”. The law enforcement she battles are not the “bad guys” all though they are just as deeply flawed as Mildred is, perhaps even more so. McDonagh regulars Woody Harrelson, Željko Ivanek, and Sam Rockwell make up the law enforcement but it is Rockwell who truly shines. Rockwell becomes this character; the way he moves and speaks emits slime. He sort of plays the counterpart to McDormand’s character; deep anger and sadness make up his being, except his reaction to these is pitiful cruelty. McDonagh again crafts a black comedy about crime and violence, sadness and guilt, but just like In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, though it’s cloudy and ambiguous, there is redemption.
MY RATING - 9/10
THURSDAY (1/18) - April and the Extraordinary World - Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci
I wouldn’t necessarily call the animated film April and the Extraordinary World a children’s movie. It does have a lot of whimsy and childlike delight to it but it also wields some sophisticated themes for the more mature viewer, similar to what Miyazaki does in his films. Now, I don’t want to offer comparison to Miyazaki, even though it thematically bears some resemblance to his work, because his films are true masterpieces and I think that can lead to some disappointment with this film. April and the Extraordinary World is it’s own film and I think it does an admirable job of presenting themes to inspire both children and adults and not to coddle (looking at you Disney). Set in an alternate history where the scientific revolution of the 1800's never happened, April, a young orphaned scientist, lives in the outskirts of Paris. Guided by her talking pet cat, Darwin, an invention of her scientist parents, who mysteriously disappeared when she was young, April seeks to create a serum that provides ever-lasting life. When a mysterious organization seeks April’s research for personal gain she must band together with her friends to try and stop them. The english version (which is what I watched) features the familiar voices of Paul Giamatti, Susan Sarandon, J.K. Simmons, and Tony Hale. I only kind of wish I was able to watch the french version because Marion Cotillard, one of my favorite actresses, voices April. This film does a good job thematically and in its world building. The ending to me felt a little lackluster and vaguely cliche but I think for the most part it achieves its goal of creating a thought provoking film that both children and adults can enjoy.
MY RATING - 7.5/10
FRIDAY (1/19) - Jiro Dreams of Sushi - David Gelb
“I would see ideas in my dreams; my mind was bursting with ideas”. This film, like its sushi, is about simplicity but also artistic mastery. A great chef must “take his work very seriously and consistently perform on the highest level, they aspire to improve their skills, cleanliness, impatience, and finally a great chef is passionate.” And the same should be said about The Artist. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is less about Jiro as a person and more about his art and influence. The people that work with him, his children, the people that sell him fish, his friends, those that have experienced his art, all speak of his influence on their lives. Over 75 years he has mastered his art and this film captures that. I highly recommend this film and, especially if you’re a fan of Chef’s Table, as this is the film that inspired it, and you should absolutely take time to watch it especially if you are an artist of any form. It’s short and simple but it superbly captures the beauty of Jiro’s art.
MY RATING - 9/10
As I will have to watch a little over 250 movies this year I would greatly appreciate some suggestions. Feel free to leave some in the comment section. Or if you want a recommendation don’t hesitate to ask.