CinemaSquall

dedicated to open conversations on the topic of film

[cinemasquall-blog]

I grew a but restless by the end but overall Agnes Varda's "One Sings, The Other Does Not" is a beautiful story that seamlessly intertwines matters of the heart and mind.

This was my first Agnes Varda film and I was blown away by her ability to catch so many perfect shots.

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I was obsessed with Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange after seeing it on an AFI list of the top 100 movies ever. Despite having no idea what the film was actually about, the short clip that displayed a vibrant yet subdued aesthetic and the menace of Malcolm McDowell as Alex had me hooked. Unfortunately, it acted as a tranquilizer to my preteen self that took me years and multiple attempts to finish. I wouldn't have understood it at the time anyway.

The film observes cavernous philosophical ideas such as the necessity of evil in society and the freedom of choice that defines our existence as humans. Still to this day some of its ideas and messages escape my grasp.

Which of Kubrick's films is his magnum opus could be debated for days, but A Clockwork Orange definitely should be included in the conversation. And beyond that, it should be included in any conversation regarding films that dole out doses of controversial truth.

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Soft and empathetic. Ambient psychological colorizations. Simple yet curious.

Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003) is a masterclass in all of these things. A perfect film that shaped and encouraged my already growing love for film.

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Don't think I'll be writing a full review of #Rocketman so I'll just briefly summarize my thoughts here. The movie glides across Elton John's career without ever focusing it's gaze and diving deeper into John's personality. Despite this, Taron Egerton shines as Elton John and the supporting cast does as well as they can portraying their characters who are all incredibly one dimensional cardboard cutouts of typical character types (evil record exec, emotionally cold father, absent minded mother, etc.). #Rocketman is at it's best when it tells it's story thru a strange fairytale lens and has an emotionally honest and nuanced take on addiction most films could benefit from studying. With the good and the bad, the difficult task of fitting 20+ songs into the narrative of this two hour movie while still hoping to be engaging proves to be too much and is ultimately what sinks this film. SCORE - C #rocketman #eltonjohn #taronegerton #biopic #probstillbetterthanbohemianrhapsody https://www.instagram.com/p/ByK4e_Fh3FT/?igshid=u4ii17r48b1h

[cinemasquall-blog]

Short Term 12. The movie that launched Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Lakeith Stanfield, and most recently Kaitlyn Dever's careers. Also, my favorite film of the decade, that is doubtful to be bested. This movie is truly beautiful. Check it out on Amazon Prime or Kanopy if you haven't seen it yet.

[cinemasquall-blog]

My five most anticipated summer movies

5. Yesterday

4. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

3. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

2. Midsommar

1. The Farewell

[cinemasquall-blog]

Aladdin (2019)

Dazzling and disarmingly charming, Guy Ritchie’s beautifully oversized live action interpretation of Aladdin relies on the undoubtedly recognizable. The Lamp, Genie, Thief (with his loyal companion never far behind), Princess, and menacing Usurper are all there to deliver a faithful retelling of a story that is beloved and regarded as a classic by many. Ritchie’s film doesn’t take many liberties with the story, his main objective being to color in between the lines. The successful incorporation of a bigger more stylized, often opulent backdrop, with a new sheet of meme humor does just enough to differentiate his film from the 1992 original.

Mena Massoud stars as Aladdin, the street smart thief who gathers his meager day to day needs by stealing them. The young mischief-maker makes up for his undesirable trade with loads of charm, his best friend and loyal companion being a lovable monkey named Abu works in a mascot capacity, further catapulting his likability. Aladdin encounters the spellbinding Princess Jasmine(Naomi Scott), the two of them have an instant connection but there is no hope of them ever being together as a Princess must marry a Prince. But that all changes when Aladdin happens across a magic lamp that holds a Genie(Will Smith) who will grant him three wishes.

The original Genie, played by the always improvising, quick witted Robin Williams, is impossible to outdo. Adding the late Williams untimely death, and the recent spat of terrible Will Smith movies into the equation, audiences were not wrong in raising a ruckus over the casting and look of Smith in this role, but I am here to tell you, this movie works on a lot of levels, and Will Smith’s Genie carries it in almost all of those areas. The design of the Genie is jarring for a brief moment but quickly loses that effect and becomes impressive with his array of movements and mannerisms. Where Williams’ Genie was a master of impersonation, Smith’s capitalizes on deadpan humor and sarcasm, and most importantly, it never feels like he is trying to recreate Williams’ performance.

There is palpable chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine when Massoud and Scott aren’t wearing their “OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M IN THIS MOVIE” expressions that occasionally seep through. Between their performances and with the Genie doing most of the heavy lifting the first two thirds of this movie breeze by with an air of joy and nostalgia.

The pacing only becomes an issue when the film reaches its third act. The showdown with the power hungry Royal Vizier, Jafar(Marwan Kenzari), is an inevitability and the movie stumbles greatly dealing with this climax. The Genie takes a backseat robbing the movie of its fun tone, Kenzari’s portrayal of Jafar lacks any real menace, and Ritchie is unable to inject anything the audience doesn’t expect into the climax, leaving the entire final 30 minutes feeling like a chore.

The lackluster chore of an ending makes the enjoyable parts of this film feel like they took place a lifetime ago. Despite this, Aladdin still manages to be surprisingly good. Regardless of whether or not you’re frustrated with the lack of original IP’s being developed by Hollywood in favor of the retelling of stories we’ve already seen, we should all be thankful when the repackaged goods don’t end up tasting like Soylent Green.

Score: B-

[cinemasquall-blog]

I'm Trying

Check out my dedicated site to find a few more reviews I’ve finished.

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Brightburn (2019)

Brightburn's concept is a breath of fresh air among the bombardment of formulaic superhero movie after superhero movie that's been found in theaters over the past 10 years.  What if a superman like being that fell from space and who was taken in and raised by an unassuming couple, gave into their most violent urges rather than fighting for the righteous causes of justice and hope?  Unfortunately, Brightburn squanders the potential of being an interesting take on aspects of the superhero genre we have not yet seen, and turns it into a senselessly violent and empty experience.

Elizabeth Banks and David Denman star as Tori and Kyle Breyer, the unsuspecting couple whose prayers of conceiving a child together have gone unanswered. Their prayers are seemingly answered one evening when a crash in the woods close to their residence is revealed to be some sort of alien aircraft with a child inside.  We're shown home video footage of a loving family - the boy found in the woods is now named Brandon, and his father wants him to grow up to be a farmer just like him.  This footage serves as a tired method of character development and covering events between the discovery of Brandon and when the rest of the movie takes place.

Flash forward 10 years and we find Brandon not paying attention in class, instead his attention is consumed by scribbling what looks like a crucified frog in his notebook.  His teacher, as they often do in the most telegraphed moments, notices he is not paying attention and calls on him, asking what the difference between bees and wasps are.  Brandon correctly answers her query, stating that bees are pollinators while wasps are predators, unsatisfied, he takes his answer a step further by adding that certain species of wasps are unable to build nests so they must attack and steal nests from other winged creatures.  This trite allusion, that only the most pseudo of intellectuals would find satiating, is the only hint the film ever lends to its most interesting question; where does Brandon come from and what might his motives be? 

Brightburn's script is a mind-numbing exercise in platitudes and fraught symbolism.  Tori and Kyle Breyer's most notable character traits are that they rattle off cliches often reserved for jokes about cliches at an incessant rate, and they are both naive to an alarming degree.  Plot developments happen in a frustrating fashion and events struggle to achieve any sense of importance. For instance, in the films only (albeit unintentional) comical moment, Brandon discovers he has super strength, and can't be harmed by things that would cause catastrophic injury to others while doing his afternoon chores.

The plot, script, and lack of any meaningful inspection of the ideas and concepts that are likely to have been the draw for audiences to see Brightburn would normally combine to make a bad film.  But Brightburn is more than just a bad film, it is a deeply troubling film.  The ability to tastefully depict violence in film is earned through smart story-telling, sympathetic characters, or a wacky over-the-top tone that borders on comical. Brightburn does none of these things, yet still unleashes a barrage of gruesome scene after gruesome scene.  In all of these scenes the violence is carried out by Brandon, a child, and the carnage left behind is comprised of only innocent victims.  I can only imagine it was the filmmakers hopes that film-goers would excuse such depraved displays and still feel compassion for Brandon, chalking up his actions as being a byproduct of the emotional whirlwind that is puberty and the revelation that he is from another planet.  While this explanation altogether is very weak on its own, it escaped the filmmakers that they themselves had blocked this flimsy route to compassion from being reached when they imbued Brandon's character with dangerous traits of toxic masculinity and beliefs that are shared with violent hate groups.  

It's hard to pinpoint redeemable qualities when the entire film is burdened with so many greatly defined flaws.  The few bright spots I can note are David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, and Matt Jones performances. Jackson A. Dunn is effective with his performance of Brandon, which doesn't require much since the character shows minimal emotion throughout the entire film.  David Denman tries his hardest to bring some life to his character, Kyle Breyer, even with the script having him being nothing more than the culmination of a thousand awkward dad conversations. Matt Jones is great in his all-too-short five minutes of screen time as Brandon's uncle, Noah, who sees right through Brandon's facade of being an innocent pre-teen.

I wish I could end this review by simply saying Brightburn's lazy character archetypes, fumblingly empty script, and failure to follow up on any of its most intriguing ideas are the reasons why it fails so miserably.  But that doesn't feel like enough.  Today I planned on carrying out my first ever double feature at a cinema, and to come home and publish reviews for both.  I was excited, with the cinema as my oyster and this site my sword. But what should have been a brisk 90 minute film shattered this dream.  Brightburn ruined these plans when it assaulted my sensibilities, trying to pass garbage that should only be found in the minds of incels and alt-right sympathizers as a quality film.  And for that it can fuck right off.

Score: D-