350th Review: Sinners

        350 films can do a lot for one guy. I distinctly remember just being cooped up in my apartment and deciding to just review my small movie collection. Anything to kill time for seemingly forever pandemic that affected everybody. I just gotten my degree with a minor in film studies, so to me it made sense to use something where it can’t be applicable in the real world. As soon as I expanded my horizons and viewed more movies via streaming and joining my local film club, it cemented what I love doing. I’ll admit that my earlier stuff isn’t good but there a part of my growth and why it’s such a sharp contrast with what I’m talking about in any film. With all that reminiscing, Sinners is my favorite film of the year. 

1. One Night By The Delta

        I remember back on Twitter when news broke that Ryan Coogler was going to shoot his next film. The initial idea was that it was going to be a gangster film with vampires peaked my interest with how he was going to execute it. He’s one of the few directors to have a hot streak and slowly becoming the next great auteur director. Just watching his films and seeing how far he’s come is really something to see. While I’ll talk about him later, this film is sort of like a culmination for him. 

        Just before I talk about the film, I find it odd that this year was the year of the twins. You may not notice it but take a dork like me to notice it and to see how everywhere this odd motif popped up just about in some movies. Like, Warner Bros. had their films like this one, Mickey 17, The Alto Knights and Superman have characters where there’s a copy of one character or one actor portraying multiple versions. To the point that Disney is guilty with films like Elio and Predator: Badlands. It was just a questionable studio mandate to have one actor/actress portray multiple characters. And have it be everywhere if you really pay attention.  

        I got that out of my chest so now we can talk about this film. As I mentioned earlier, the initial gist of the film was that it was a gangster film with vampires. When seeing the final product on the big screen, there’s so much where it’s a miracle that it’s like a well-oiled machine that everything just clicks. We start by seeing a young man covered in blood going to his father’s church. Interpsperse with brief seconds of flashbacks of what he’s seen and what we’ll slowly see in a matter of moments. Just seeing him cut and tattered got us hooked now to ask and inevitably find out what happened to him. 

        So the story is like this. We follow twins Smoke and Stack as they arrive in the Mississippi Delta to start their life anew. It’s established that they were in Chicago when they lived like mobsters. Michael B. Jordan plays both the brothers and it’s nearly flawless with how the footage and special effects make them share the screen. They concoct a plan to open a juke joint for the locals to dance and drink.

        Meanwhile, we see that Sammy is their cousin and going to be the performer for the joint. I like the first half of the film as we see the individual brothers split and get help to assemble their club. All of it has a point where we get introduced to the secondary characters like Delta Slim and Annie. The latter having history with one of the twins as they used to be lovers. Their introductions is good and all since they have that good chemistry with the twins and Sammy. 

        Might as well talk about Sammy. Even though Michael B. Jordan gets topped billing, the whole story centers on Sammy. Actor Miles Caton makes his film debut and he’s the best part in the film. It’s established that he has a penchant for singing the blues and playing it as he has his guitar that he treasures. He holds it in high regards since the twins gifted it to him by saying that it was a famous musician’s guitar. And you better believe that the music has to slap just as much with the amount of action that comes after. 

        It wouldn’t be a Ryan Coogler film without his regular composer Ludwig Göransson. The duo is sort of like Steven Spielberg and John Williams; each are like the peanut butter and jelly with the individual projects. Anyways, the music is the ultimate secret weapon that the film has. At first, I wasn’t expecting this film to have any musical bits. Albeit not a musical but have the music be the central focus and have it be diegetic where it enhances the story. The beginning of the film establishes that music can be transformative by bridging the past and future.  And of course bring in outside threats.

        I should at least talk about my favorite moment in the film, and possibly the best moment of the year in my opinion. We see the Juke Joint popping as the music and people dancing to the song. When it’s Sammy’s turn, that’s when the film immediately sells itself to me. We get echoes of Delta Slim and Smoke’s ex Annie talk about the blues and music. Sammy plays and then we see dancers from the future and past pop up and dance to the beat. It’s sort of weird but more dancers appear and the song keeps going and then the whole joint lights up in fire. Literally, Sammy is on fire as he’s singing and playing the guitar. 

        While all that is good, the villain of course wants to be a part of the camaraderie. We get an introduction to Remmick as he’s running away from the local Choctaw tribe. What makes it better is that when he arrives to a Klansmen’s shack, vultures are circling by. Remmick isn’t an evil person per say, but he’s the type that want’s to belong to a collective. When seeing the music pop in the joint, Remmick wants to be a part of it. Like, there’s a lot of backstory that we only hear and see tiny glimpses of what he was possibly like before he turned seemingly immortal. 

2. Ryan Coogler

        If you know me, Ryan Coogler is becoming my next favorite movie director. It was a decade ago that I saw his film Creed where I loved everything about it aside from being a Rocky sequel. Just his style and how he shoots his films gives him that edge of grounded ruggedness. I’ve already talked about his blockbuster Black Panther. And seen his other film that he produced Judas and the Black Messiah. I’ll admit that I still haven’t seen his debut Fruitvale Station, but I’m all for him to make more films that are pushing the envelope on race. 

        Anyways, how he handled this one is nearly flawless by making the whole film be a period piece of the 1930s. It’s very clear that he made the film to combat the Jim Crowe era that was pervasive during that time, by having the twins lift other civilians in the town up. To the point where I wasn’t even aware that there were Asians living by the Delta in Mississippi. Coogler went authentic with the setting, and made it work within the context of the story. 

        Now, part of the story feels like it’s been done before. That’s only because it was when back in the 90s, you had Robert Rodriguez direct From Dusk Til Dawn with George Clooney starring. Both films are somewhat identical, with having criminals dealing with vampires. Albeit the execution is the real sticking point of where the two films differ. Rodriguez had his film be an action flick that is paying tribute to the past grindhouse exploitation films of the past. Coogler’s is a tribute to the blaxploitation films of the past by having the authenticity of the real world give it that boost. Now, I’m not saying one is better than the other, objectively speaking this one is. I mean, how can you not love when one of the twins engages in a shootout against the Klan. 

        What I’m getting at is this is Coogler’s second R-Rating where he amps up the action and violence with blood squibs. When the action is about to go down, I love how the aspect ratio lifts and down to give us the violence in full screen. Part of it feels fun to imagine just how much the cast and crew go loco with the staged violence and how the special effects were used when the vampires met their end. Like, the final fight is great when we see the characters hold their own against the onslaught. 

3. Overall

        Even though I talked about what I liked about it, there’s so much that I didn’t want to repeat from others. Sinners is the best film of the year and one of Ryan Coogler’s best in his career. 

The Fabelmans Review

        If you know me or have been following my little hobby for a good while now, you’ll know that my all time favorite director is Steven Spielberg. His name needs no introduction since he’s the type of director that mostly makes exciting movies that appeal to just about anyone. For some, he had a direct impact on what kind of movies that we like. Ranging from adventures like Indiana Jones to something that is gripping like Saving Private Ryan. He’s a director where he can range from incredible to grounded with his storytelling. With his age, it seemed appropriate where he'd probably make a movie on his own life, with some creative liberties. 

1. Sammy Fabelman

        So yeah, you can say that I’m a huge lifer when it comes to the director. I’ve seen nearly all his movies and own a somewhat chunk of them in my collection. To me, he’s the director that is nearly consistent with his output and it’s rare that he has a massive misfire or disappointment. I think the reason why I like his movies is that it’s a mostly to the point with the overall story and character development. And when he makes his adventure films is when I’m all for the ride. You can say that all his movies are a ride, emotionally speaking since he has this style of making his characters interesting in a normal world. 

        When this movie was announced, I was for it since the trailers seemed to be a semi-autobiographical look into Steven’s life before he hit it big. Little did I realize that underneath the wonders of film is the tumultuous unraveling of his family. And that’s what the whole film is all about. Seeing Sammy’s life as his love of moviemaking grows, as he wrestles with his familial issues in his life. It wouldn’t be a Spielberg film without having a broken family as the anchor point in the story. 

        Granted, I can imagine that some people would be disappointed that the film doesn’t go over all of the stuff that Steven did. Creative differences and time constraints give us an overall great film where we see an artist forming and embracing with what he wants to do. And I love how the love of it grows when his parents take him to see Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth. One section of the film plants the idea for Sammy where he wants to replicate the feeling that he saw. 

        We see that as we have a great montage of Sammy making his short movies with the help of his sisters. It’s all great and I love that John Williams has a playful piano motif going on when Sammy is making his shorts. I got to acknowledge that the actors who play Sammy, both Gabriel LaBelle and Mateo DeFord portray the young man and they did a great job as far as having the curiosity and the drive. LaBelle takes over for a good chunk of the film and it’s uncanny that he nearly looks like Spielberg in his youth. 

        Just the moments when we see LaBelle with the various cameras shooting his films is great since I really dig into the process of shooting and taping together the film. I think I’m interested in the actual process, since now the whole method can be done on a computer and it’s not as exciting that having strips of film and taping them together. In one way, the film is a loveletter to filmmaking and to movies since it’s a semi-biographical film, but what makes it work is that it’s a personal movie without rose-tinted glasses.

        Aside from Sammy, we also follow his parents during his growth. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano portray Sammy’s parents and they are great as well. Both are completely different as people. We have Mitzi who’s very artistic and a piano player and we have Burt who’s very technical with his work and with how he views life. It’s a very odd pairing but what makes it unique is that they both have different approaches to Sammy’s new interest. Mitzi is for Sammy’s artistic talent while Burt sees it as a hobby and not anything that can be tangible for a job. 

        It's the two perspectives that drive a wedge into the family and where Burt’s friend Bennie throws a monkey wrench at the family dynamic. Seth Rogen should be in more dramas and much like Adam Sandler, he doesn’t phone it in when he’s in something dramatic. Rogen’s character is the comedic relief and unintentionally sets in motion the family’s split. The one scene that I like is when Sammy is working on a film and notices the cheating when he’s splicing in film. The shots and the piano music is tragic since what turns out to be an interest is now something that’s awful. 

2. Art and Individuality

        As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a film that celebrates the movies with rose-tinted glasses. That was a thing for a little while in this decade. You had films where it had a celebration of the movies during the pandemic. You had these film’s contemporaries such as Babylon and City of Lights that try to show how movies can be how it can bring people together and celebrate the movies. Those films didn’t quite capture the basic idea of what they were going for by being vague. What this film did was to make the whole idea be personal while also showing us the dangers of art. 

        What I mean by that is Sammy has a predicament with his new venture. He wrestles with the idea of making his own things and being told what to make despite not wanting to do it. It’s the central conflict since Sammy doesn’t want to do it but also try to understand his mother’s grief. This is where we see Mitzi’s grand uncle arrive to visit them. Boris is an interesting character since he used to work in movies, something that Sammy wants to do. 

        His brief time in the film is great since he acts weird in front of Sammy but provides sage advice for him. It’s odd that he was nominated for an Academy Award, despite only being in the movie for about 10 minutes. His whole speech and methodology to Sammy is that art and family can ruin a person. And Boris cites Mitzi as an example since she’s a great piano player, but didn’t do anything with it as she had a family. In a way, this movie is not so much about the celebration of movies but how art can damage. 

        With the earlier scene I mentioned when Sammy sees his mother and Bennie uncomfortably close to one another. It’s a thing where it’s interpreted as Sammy gets older, he makes films to have a coping mechanism as things with his family are falling apart. To the point where he puts down the camera and tries to live a somewhat normal life. And I love how he’s in high school that he makes his film for the Prom and nearly everyone enjoys it but him. He views everything as a filmmaking idea, including his personal life when he sees his parents announcing their divorce. 

        Lastly, I’ll talk about the last moments in the film since it does have a cameo from an acclaimed director. It’s one thing where I heard Spielberg talk about his encounter of an old director and having it played out on the big screen. After Sammy gets an interview, he’s invited to meet with one of the directors that works across from the interviewer. In one of his rare acting roles, David Lynch portrays John Ford. A director that Sammy admires, he’s gob smacked when Ford asks him to observe the paintings he has in his office. It’s all great since he shows that Sammy still has ways to go and barely scratched the surface with his endeavor. 

3. Overall

        The Fabelmans is one of the best films of the 2020s and the directors best. 

Logan Review

2017 is probably the year where I took watching the movies seriously. It’s the first year where I took classes on film studies and was exposed to multiple domestic and international movies from the decades. As well as multiple bangers that were coming out that made me love movies especially more. When this one was coming out, I was hyped since it was billed as Hugh Jackman’s final role as the Wolverine. I think it’s one thing where you go in hyped and then leave the theater just stunned with what you watched. This is one of my favorite films of the past decade. 

1. Old Man Logan

        I can imagine that some die-hard comic book fans were disappointed that the film isn’t a literal adaptation of the storyline “Old Man Logan”. Mostly about the Wolverine in a dystopic future where villains reign supreme and how he’s responsible for the murder of the X-Men. The film is literally an adaptation by name only. Albeit, the film does have that doom and gloom to it but I’ll elaborate on that in a moment. I also thought it was unique to name the movie Logan, like how Warner Bros. titled The Dark Knight as a sequel to Batman Begins. 

        I think the film’s vibe overall is very apropos of the time and now considering just what the main plot is all about. With all that, the film takes place in the not too distant future where Logan is now a hired limo driver. From the very beginning we see him at his lowest where he seems very weather beaten, to the point where the title of the film pops up just as our hero is on top of the dirt getting beaten up by some gangsters. 

        It's revealed that he’s not as strong as he used to be as the adamantium skeleton inside him is toxic. To the point where he’s not as regenerative as he used to be. Compounding it is that there’s very little mutants left as he resides with another and Professor Xavier. I like how we see how Logan is the caregiver to Xavier but just how literally low they’ve gotten. I love the moment where we see Logan is restless in his bed as he feels the misery of wanting a quick death. 

        While I’ll talk about the breakout star in the film in a bit, the ensemble is chased by the Reavers. Humans with mechanical augmentations as they want to find a mysterious girl they want back. So yeah, this is a very different comic book with how it’s shot and the overall story. At it’s core, despite being a comic book film, it has elements that evoke Neo-Westerns with the setting and how the action is utilized. There are no gun fights but hack and slash action where it’s all grounded and we can feel the violence being etched out. 

        Of course I may be biased, but I think that this is one of Hugh Jackman’s best role when portraying Wolverine. At the time, he’s been doing it for 17 years and has been the face for the X-Men films that came out preceding this one. So when word was released that this was the last one at the time, he really went all out by portraying a jaded and dying version of beloved hero. Just the performance where he’s a reluctant protagonist and then becoming a hero is interesting where he’s been the outlier in the film’s he’s been in. 

        Anytime that he’s involved with regular people, trouble usually comes around. The best moment in the film I think is when he, Xavier and the girl are having dinner with a family of farmers. It’s the only moment where we have some calmness and where we see Logan and Xavier at peace for only a little while. It makes Wolverine a tragic character where regular people are caught in Logan’s mess. Just seeing the Professor spilling his heart out to “Logan” where he gets killed was shocking to me since he thought that the copy was the real one. 

2. Laura

        It’s tough to create a new character in the comic book sphere. More so any new character is going to be either beloved or reviled could make any appearance in more books and then other medium so tough. Laura/X-23 is unique since she debuted in an animated show back in the 2000s. Then to be properly introduced in the Marvel Universe in one of the X-Men books. The next logical step is to have her be in a movie, but it’s one of the film’s best asset to have her be in this one. 

        Played by Dafne Keen, Laura is as I stated earlier a breakout star in the film. At first we don’t know much about her, but she’s seemingly innocent when Logan first sees her nurse at a hotel. She’s the driving force for the whole plot where the Reavers want her back to kickstart their weapons initiative. With how she is at first, you would think that she’s out of control violent. I like that she can be unassuming at first to let people’s guard down. 

        When she rolled out of the foundry with a Reaver’s head is when she is just like her father. She has claws like Logan but is easily flexible and I love how she can hold her own when we see the fight scenes. I think it was intentional to have a little girl that looks somewhat like Hugh Jackman. Like, she could sell being his actual daughter and it makes the relationship more interesting where in the movie Logan wants nothing to do with her. 

        She’s mostly silent as Xavier talks to her when the group is on the movie. It’s established that the Professor and Laura are talking telepathically and it unintentionally feeds the animosity that Logan has for her. To the point where he sees the comic books that she’s collected as nothing more than a fantasy. Like it’s there for her to have something since she didn’t have a regular childhood. I just love how we see just how wild she is as she attacks a gas station clerk and nearly tearing apart a kiddie ride. 

3. James Mangold

        For the longest time, I had no idea which film of his that I wanted to talk about. He’s becoming one of my favorite directors that hasn’t missed. He’s mostly known for films that have that Baby Boomer quality, where his films are called Dad flicks. Mostly bio-films that are broadly liked by any stretch. My first film that I watched of his was the Tom Cruise film Knight and Day. I could not tell you what it was all about but it did have Cameron Diaz but the whole thing is a blur that I wouldn’t want to revisit. And this wasn’t the first Wolverine film that he helmed. 

        Back in 2013 he directed The Wolverine, a sequel to the main X-Men films and the character’s second solo film. It was a massive improvement over Logan’s prior solo film. With the huge critical improvement and box office success, 20th Century Fox ultimately gave him the keys to do whatever he wanted for the obligatory third film. With the title announcement and the rating the film got, the boost in hype where for awhile we only seen a tame version of the character where he could go all out. 

        It’s clear that the film took it’s inspiration with the classic Western film Shane. To the point where the film is directly acknowledged when Laura and Xavier are watching it in their resort room. As I mentioned earlier about the film’s action, the overall look has that grounded look to it. There’s very little fantastical elements due to the source material, but it has that distinct look to it where it’s referencing the past Westerns and Neo-Westerns. The grit is the visual selling point where we see desert environment and the forest vistas make the film unique. 

        Lastly, this is the type of R-rated film where it’s mature and not explicit. The difference between the two is that this isn’t the film that has buckets of blood spilled with each limb that’s cut off. The film is mature for the sake of the story where we follow this hero who’s dying that tries to be heroic despite not being 100 percent. It’s a brutal film where nothing is hold back to the point that I was naïve to think that Logan would survive the whole film. To me, with subsequent rewatches that there’s an motif at play for him. 

        I’m not saying that this film is religious, but it has elements where we see Logan as this Jesus-esque character as he’s the last mutant. Additionally, the motif is apparent when we see Logan ruffling through Laura’s comic books. Containing a coordinate to where Laura has to go to find salvation from the Reavers. And lastly where Logan goes down swinging as he’s impaled on a tree. I think it’s Mangold’s way to show how Logan is a flawed hero but one where he had to go through his journey of guilt to find redemption as the Wolverine. 

4. Overall

        Logan is one of the best comic book films and one of the best films of the last decade. 

Good Will Hunting Review

        We’re near the end of the month. Almost crazy that months go by and I love showcasing and talking about the movies that I haven’t seen and the I personally love. It makes sense in the month of my birth that I talk about my personal favorite films. I’m aware that I haven’t done it in a while and just go straight to December and talk about the year’s best films that I’ve seen. To me, it’s still good to talk about the films that I like and hopefully you’ll have a chance to check it out. 

1. Will Hunting 

        It always go back to when I was watching Family Guy as a youngster. There was an episode where Stewie tries out the adult life and it doesn’t go well. To which Brian recites the famous dialogue from this film to teach Stewie a lesson. From there, I happened to catch this movie on Netflix to see what it was all about since it has Robin Williams in a role. Color me curious, but this was when I was at that age where I wanted to watch movies that were different than the stuff that I was used to. As much as I love comic book films, I wanted to at least be knowledgeable since I was taking film classes at A&M. 

        With that, this is one of those films where it’s like comfort food for me. Doesn’t matter the mood or just when I feel like to whine down after a long day, but I love to watch it and just relax and watch this classic. To me, it’s a relic of the late 90s where you had Miramax that was churning out high budgeted indie flicks that where in the constant running for Awards season, but just good enough where they were making profit from the general audience. It’s a bygone era now, but I feel that this film is one of the examples of that era in time. 

        Just the setting in this one is such a Boston film where it’s a very blue-collar film where there’s no high stakes but just about one guy trying to figure himself out. And that’s the M.O. for the movie when you really get down to it. We follow Will as he’s a janitor for M.I.T., and he loves spending time with his childhood friends as they bar hop looking for girls. He gets arrested after an altercation and is granted clemency if he works with one of the university’s professor’s and gets therapy. It’s established that he’s a mathematical prodigy and is very intelligent among other subjects. 

        The remainder of the film has it where Will navigates through his therapy while establishing a romance with a Harvard student named Skylar. This is Matt Damon’s film, and the one where it propelled him as the next leading in star for Hollywood. There’s a lot about Will where it’s interesting as to how he is such a gifted prodigy as well as having a huge memory to retain such knowledge. The big thing about him is that he’s not using his skills and instead just throwing it away to be with his friends. Ben Affleck is also great too as Will’s friend Chuckie. 

        This is the film where the two actors would inevitably collaborate when they would make a film together. The whole basis of the film initially started as Matt Damon wrote the story as a play for his Harvard class. Just prior is when the two would meet as they started out as childhood friends. The dynamic between them as directed by Gus Van Sant is believable too since the film shows us that the characters are close enough where they can legitimately be brothers. And when the pivotal moment occurs when Chuckie has to call out Will on his use of his talent. 

        And I really love how we don’t take the film’s word that Will is wicked smart with just bits of dialogue and must take their word for it. We see just how much of a gifted prodigy as we see him solve the mathematics formula and read enough books to seem competent to know about a specific subject’s history. For as much as he’s gifted intelligence, what he lacks is the other side where he doesn’t have the wisdom to have an honest connection. Meaning that, while he can recite a specific trial of the past, it can’t help him when he’s on trial. 

        Lastly, I want to talk about Skylar as she’s the supposed prize that Will must earn to overcome his trial and tribulations. Minnie Driver is good in her role and I love how the connection blossoms as Will and Skylar slowly start their relationship and how she’s awed at his talent to retain such memory. How the relationship is used in the film is where Will does her homework to spend time with her. It becomes a detriment where she asks about meeting his family where Will gets combative. The argument moment is just great since we see just how Will is secretive about his life and that he doesn’t let anyone get close to him for fear of rejection.  

2. Intellect and Wisdom

        As we follow Will on his story, the sub-plot that we see involves the two men that help Will with his rehabilitation. Stellan Sarsgaard plays Gerald Lambeau who is a professor of advanced mathematics and is partly responsible for kicking off the story. He sees Will work on the formula and is baffled that he has such vast intellect for solving complex equations. What’s interesting is that he only helps him as he wants to use his mind to help solve even more difficult problems. The addendum is that he needs them while he gets therapy. 

        This is where we get to see Robin Williams in a serious role. Around that time, is when he was just a comedic icon with his performance and when he’s acting. I still remember my first exposure to him when portrayed Genie in Disney's Aladdin. With his filmography, he’s mostly typed cast to star in comedy films. Every now and then he would flex his acting chops to be in something dramatic. Though it would vary based on the individual film, when given the right script, he’s on it. It’s without a doubt that this is his best role as a supporting actor since he won his only Oscar. 

        The initial interaction between Will and Williams’ Sean is something to see as we see how Damon’s character operates. Will scans the room to see if he can use it against Sean, until bringing up his dead wife where he triggered Sean to grab him by the throat. All of it culminates in the scene that probably got Williams the Oscar win. The park scene is one of the best in the film and basically lays out what’s wrong with Will. To the point where Sean tells him that he’ll be with him to help him. 

        When we do get a break from Will, just seeing both Gerry and Sean together could be a film in and of itself. The dialogue between them is great since they both have differing ideas as to how they want Will to be as a person. Gerry wants him to use his talents for fame while Sean wants Will to choose who he wants to be. All of it is great since there’s a theme going on with how intelligence is used and how wisdom is used as well. We see that Gerry flirts with his students while Sean is at peace with his life. 

        All of it is great when we see the therapy sessions between Will and Sean play out. It’s all gradual where Sean wants Will to speak out first and then start with the process. Most of the scenes have a point where Will knows a lot but doesn’t have the wisdom to really understand and enjoy what he loves. The best moment is when Sean talks about his defining memory of his late wife to how she met her during the baseball World Series. It’s all great since there’s a relatability since both grew up in the city but Sean has the wisdom to instill in Will the big ideas of life. 

3. Overall 

        Good Will Hunting is one of my personal favorite film’s and the best of the 90s.