Poor Things Review

        I’ve decided to pick this film to wrap up my look into Searchlight Pictures. Starting back during the start of the new decade, Disney decided to drop the Fox label on their recent studio acquisitions of 20th Century and for the company in question. Their reason is that they didn’t want any brand confusion with Fox News. Albeit I think it’s a sly way to not associate themselves with the conservative network and have the baggage. With that, this film is I think the next evolution for the studio to embrace a new kind of big budget indies.

1. Bella’s Odd Journey

        I think of all the film’s that I’ve covered so far involving the studio, this is by far the strangest and sort of unorthodox film that I’ve seen. I think what made me second guess is that it was a huge swing from Searchlight that I’d assume it was their attempt to imitate A24’s style of films. Just how it looked reminded me of something I watched back in the mid-2010s. While I’ll get to the production, this is a unique film that is at its core about woman’s independence. 

        Based on the book of the same name by author Alasdair Gray, the film is about Bella Baxter who is a young woman who has been brought back to life via a brain implant. That’s barely scratching the surface with this one, since there’s a lot that goes on with the film. While it’s not that complicated to follow, since we follow Bella as she grows and matures. Although, having the same body but having a brain like a toddler. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost any potential readers due to the strange plot. 

        It's interesting watching Emma Stone perform in this role. At the time, I mostly associated with her with doing mainstream roles. From Easy A to La La Land, she became the new female lead, especially with winning an Oscar with the latter film. I think with any actor or actress, they have a phase where they want to divert from their mainstream output with something where they want to be artsy. The only example I can think of is Robert Pattinson, from Twilight to appear in a film where there’s multiple copies of himself. I believe that it’s a unique way to diversify their range as far as acting. 

        Back to what I was talking about. In a way, this is sort of like a unique take on the story of Frankenstein’s monster. Where we see Bella being experimented on and inevitably having independence as a creature created by science. There’s never a moment when she goes on a rampage, but one where we see her slowly gaining enough intellect where she’s defying societal norms. It’s interesting where her intellect and curiosity is mostly derived from her creator Dr. Baxter. To the point where she basically is curious enough to see what the world is like. 

        Although, when it comes to her curiosity, she attracts some men in her life who only love her to control her. Part of the highlight when it comes to the film is seeing her interact with the different men in her life. Willem Dafoe does a good job with being the Dr. as he’s the father figure to Bella. And speaking of men, Mark Ruffalo just hams it up with his accent as he portrays Duncan. He mostly seduces Bella to be his wife but is mostly vexed by her unorthodox personality. The scene I think represents it is when they’re dancing at a hotel. Bella dances to the music as Duncan joins her

2. Yorgos Lanthimos 

        To be honest, this is the first movie that I’ve seen of the director. Years prior, I remember seeing ads to one of his movies called The Lobster with Collin Ferrel as the lead. From there, I wasn’t into the weird cinema since my head was stuck with the mainstream stuff and watching assigned films that I had to be discussed in my film classes. With how everything is presented in this film, from the location title cards to the film’s distinctive look, it’s clear that only Lanthimos can pull off the visual aesthetic. 

        There’s a limit to how weird a director can go to the point where the abstract can be a film’s detriment since it takes away with what’s going in the central story. This isn’t David Lynch with how weird his films are and it’s up to the viewer’s taste. With how Yorgos shows the Victorian era in his own way, I feel that it’s very hyper stylized to the point where one can say it’s gothic but maybe Hyper-Gothic is sufficed. With the costumes and everything about the world gives it’s own sense of weirdness where it’s legible. 

3. "Barbie"

        It’s surprising that I haven’t dedicated a month where I talk about the copycat films. What those are is when two films have near identical plots but the only thing different about them is the title of the individual movies. The easiest examples is when DreamWorks released Antz and Disney/Pixar released A Bug’s Life, both center on insects as the ant is the main character. What I’m getting at is during 2023, Barbie the movie was everywhere as far as the public consciousness while Poor Things came out near the end of the year. 

        Both films deal with the main character figuring out who they are as they are exposed to a world that is male dominated and having a figure that tries to win their affection respectively. Having watched both films, since I wanted in on the Barbenheimer craze since I wanted to know what the hub bub was for the Barbie movie. I feel that when you put the film together, it’s clear in my mind that Poor Things is the more ambitious film as far as having the main character gain her own independence.

        Mind you, Barbie is a great film in its own regard. Although, I feel that where it falls short is the ham-fisted message that of course lies in with the toy that has been beloved by generations. Now, a movie based on a book and a toy is mostly like this. A book adaptation can go in any direction that the author couldn’t and a film based on a toy can’t quite be progressive and evocative since it’s mostly confined to being a toy. It’s a product where the only real difference it can make is mostly through the dollars that Mattel can conjure up. Maybe someday I’ll talk about Barbie, but when comparing the two. Poor Things is superior when talking about independence. 

4. Overall

        Poor Things is one of the best films of the 2020s and one of Searchlight’s best film of the decade so far. 

Jojo Rabbit Review

        We’re halfway through with my opinionated greatest hits of Fox Searchlight Pictures. From Whip It and in this film, the studio has become a critical darling by gaining multiple accolades and earning multiple wins at the Oscars. During the 2010s, other studios popped up to be the competition for Fox Searchlight. You have Neon and A24 who have taken a stab with their films that have an indie feel to them but with a moderate budget. I didn’t know what to expect with this film when it premiered in 2019, and it only took two years later to finally sit down and watch it.

1. Jojo’s Bizarre Adolescence

        Like most things, I was not aware that the film was based on a book titled “Caging Skies”. And when I say based on, I mean like a loose adaptation since the book has some heavy material and it only made sense for a comedic director to try to imbue a sense of irony and satirization. Crazy to think that this film was stuck in development hell. Meaning that, this niche idea was practically laid dormant since the director wrote the screenplay of it. With the material that was in it made it be deemed unfilmable due to just how odd it is. 

        I’ve already talked about Taika Waititi last year when I discussed his entry into the MCU with Thor: Ragnarök. I feel that with the unexpected success of that film, Disney basically gave him a carte blanche of doing whatever the hell he wanted as his next film. It only made sense that he would bring this concept up and make it his own. I think it’s almost risky to try to have any sense of comedy when dealing with Nazism. Like, only Waititi and Mel Brooks managed to have the talent to show off the comedy of a fascistic force such as the Nazis. 

        Anyways, we follow the main character as he’s part of the Hitler Youth Organization. Taking place during the final years of Nazi Germany’s existence, Jojo is a brainwashed kid who has an imaginary friend that is modeled after Hitler. Stay with me for a moment. After an incident at the camp, Jojo is sent home and uncovers a secret that his mother has been keeping. 

        I’ll talk about that final tidbit in a moment. I love how the film is mostly focused on Jojo’s point of view of how he sees things. He’s a kid and is heavily indoctrinated to the point where his own mother is aloof to it. Roman Griffin Davis does a great job playing Jojo. I like how he’s not just a miscreant but a boy who thinks what’s right is the dominant might of the Nazis. He wants to be tough but is a big softie when the moment arrives to show his supposed strength. And I like how he has a group of people that practically represent his whole worldview. 

        For instance, the supporting characters aren’t just relegated to the background and have a lot to do when they encounter Jojo. I think how they’re used to show Jojo how the world he lives in is and one where it’s his preferred vision. To start off, I love how it’s a contrast. We see Captain K and Jojo’s imaginary Hitler. Both show that the captain is miserable and imaginary Hitler is a wacky overzealous person. Jojo’s mother on the other hand, is not like the others since she’s the only positive person in his life. I love how she has this sense of positivity and how she’s basically attempting to have Jojo look at the world in a different light. 

        Since I brought up imaginary Hitler, I should at least elaborate on that. It’s a thing I’ve noticed with watching a select Waititi films where he does the double duty of acting and directing. His role as Hitler is just hilarious with how he has that childlike attitude as Jojo. Although, I like how he’s not just friendly but also becomes devious with how he wants Jojo to continue being hateful. To continue with that duality thread I talked about, both Jojo’s mom and imaginary friend helps him get an understanding of what’s going on with his world. And it all comes to head when he meets with a girl that his mother hides. 

        Elsa is probably my second favorite character in the movie that puts up with Jojo’s jingoistic tomfoolery. I love how when she’s first revealed, it’s like a horror film where Jojo is scared and when she exits the secret room, her hand grips the wall like a monster. The chemistry between the two young leads is great since Jojo is disgusted by her but is curious about her since he starts to develop feelings for her. Inevitably, it gets to a point where she is interrogated by the gestapo and it gets really tense when Jojo’s camp counselor interrogates her. 

2. Growing Up

        With everything that I’ve discussed, you would think that the whole movie is a hard sell due to what it’s about and the subject matter as far as it’s setting. To me, at the core of it is about a boy realizing what he believes and growing up in a place that is oppressive. It’s a unique spin on the coming-of-age story. One of those stories where we follow someone who is young and then gain or see things that change them into a mature person. Something like this is interesting since it’s revolutionary to have someone be jingoistic and grow out of it. 

        More so that, since the film is a comedy, it had to show the idiocy of Nazi Germany. We see just how idiotic and stupid the whole methodology of the “Heil Hitler” was with a sense of irony. All of it played for laughs which at hindsight is practically funny seeing how they conducted themselves. One thing that I will commend is that since we did see what happened to the dissidents. The moment when Jojo sees what happened to his mother is just shocking, seeing how he was at peace and having it just destroyed him.

        Lastly, I never would’ve imagined that this film would be a beloved film in 2019. More so that I’d couldn’t even think that it would win an Academy Award and be nominated for Best Picture.  I feel that it’s more relevant with what’s going on but uses the past to make a point about growing up. This is probably Waititi’s best film that I’ve seen so far and I’ll give credit to Disney for ultimately green lighting the film to be made. Had anyone else made it, I don’t think it would be talked about as a classic, but an oddity.

3. Overall

        Jojo Rabbit is one of the best films of the late 2010s and I think one of Fox Searchlight’s finest. 

Whip It Review

        My look into select Searchlight Pictures films continues. This one is interesting in that it’s a sports movie but has that indie feel to it. What I mean by that is that it doesn’t focus on a team per say, but one of those films that is about getting independence. Little did I know that actress Drew Barrymore directed it and I only ever heard about it when she hosted Steven Spielberg in her Netflix talk show. And for a debut, it isn’t bad at all. More so that I’m surprised that she hasn’t picked up the camera more often. 

1. Bliss from Bodeen 

        So yeah, this is the first time that I watched it after hearing about it in Drew Barrymore’s show. I think it’s one of those things where at the time it didn’t interest me unless I was curious enough to watch it. This is one of those instances where if there’s something playing on HBO or something different, I’ll tune in or go straight to on demand. I guess it’s human nature, but it comes as a bonus to finally be exposed to something and to appreciate it later. 

        Surprisingly, there’s a lot of background to this movie. I think this is the first time where the manuscript to the book was being optioned to different studios and the book itself was finding a publisher. Shauna Cross wrote the source titled Derby Girl and I’ll credit her with being ambitious enough to go the extra mile of getting her book and movie adaptation in some fashion. I think that maneuver is basically what the whole film represents. 

        We follow Elliot Page as Bliss Cavender, she’s a rebellious teenager who participates in beauty pageants due to her mother pressuring her. During a visit in Austin, she sees an ad about the local roller derby team. Inevitably, she sneaks in and watches the roller derby in action. Soon she joins the team dubbed the Hurl Scouts as she juggles her personal life and the team. 

        There’s a lot to like about this movie, especially with Bliss as she’s the black sheep in the beauty pageant community. It’s very clear in the beginning that she’s not like the other girls that she’s competing against. Right down to her blue hair that she wants to be more than what she’s told and to make her way. These kinds of stories get me interested in seeing he main character since we empathize with her and see how she can handle being in a new environment. Especially since she has a friend that is her connective tissue to her small town. 

        Elliot Page does a good job portraying Bliss as she’s a vastly different rebel than what we saw in Juno. In this film, Bliss is way more sympathetic since she gets herself involved with something that is completely beyond her since she’s willing to try out roller derby.  I was surprised that since a sport is involved, it had those moments where Bliss sees a boy named Oliver who is obviously the prize that Bliss thinks she wants. And what I mean by that is since Bliss is in a team, she’s on a quest to be independent and Oliver is her prize for going through the ringer. 

        While I’ll talk about the team that she’s in, I will say that Barrymore didn’t make the film with gloss at all. Meaning that, there’s a certain grit that comes to it when we see the roller derby. Most of the camera shots have it where the action is like being on the track and cutting to the shots where it’s from the audience perspective. It’s all great since we have those moments where the actresses fall, stumble and even get body checked and it’s just brutal seeing Bliss get put through the ringer. 

2. Hurl Scouts

        The main highlight of the film is seeing the Hurl Scouts perform the sport of Roller Derby and seeing the motley crew of women who make up the team. One thing that makes them endearing is that they’re the perpetual losers. Losing consecutive matches and all the while having a rallying cry of shouting “We’re Number Two!” Seeing Kirsten Wiig as the mentor to Bliss is one of those moments where it’s like another motherly figure to the young kid. 

        They all have that spunk to them where they are hesitant on Bliss but inevitably stick with her as she helps the team win. I think in more way, having Cavender be in the team helps her with her sense of independence. Having her be in the exact opposite situation of what she’s been exposed to gives her the confidence to be who she wants to be. They all have that punk edge to them since they don’t have matching uniforms but have their own style of representing the team. 

        It’s a very unorthodox sports movie when you get down to it, since this focuses on an obscure sport such as Roller Derby. And I’m glad that the film literally goes out of its way to explain the simple rules to it since I doubt anyone thinks that the sport is real and the exact rules to the vexing sport. The action as I said is like you’re in the team, and I like that there’s the moments where Bliss must try harder to have her team finally accept her. 

        One would think that since Bliss is on the team that they manage to win the obligatory championship in the end. With a lot of great sports films, this should easily belong on the list of films that the team doesn’t win a championship. And I like that it’s not really the whole point in the greater context. It’s about the main character finally paving her own road and having her family finally accept who she is. Just overall endearing and probably one of my favorite Searchlight films as of now. 

 

3. Overall

        Whip It is severely underrated and should get a greater appreciation among the best sports films and best overall films of the 2000s.

The Full Monty Review

        I’m back and I’ve decided to spice it up a bit in the incoming months. Typically, I talk about a genre or a type of film in March. So I’ve chosen to move that up to April and you can imagine that my director spotlight has been bumped to this summer. I’ll leave it at that since I’m planning to review one director’s entire filmography. With that update established, this will be the first time that I’ve done a overview of a movie studio. I think this is everyone’s first studio where they were exposed to films that aren’t mainstream but are endearing in some way. To kick off this venture, this is what I think about their first hit The Full Monty. 

1. The Super Indie

        As far as back as I can remember. I’ve been exposed to Fox Searchlight Pictures way back when I was younger. The first movie that I saw from the studio is Napoleon Dynamite. I talked about that movie awhile ago but something about it clicked with me where it wasn’t like any other film that I’ve watched. Mind you, it was just cartoons and action that filled up my mind but not so much of a slice of life film. And the next one I watched was Juno which coincidentally I talked about last year. 

        Knowing me, I wanted to look up how this studio came about and of course has the competition that it invited. Well, it all started back in the 90s when the new directors were coming out. The movement is referred to as the American Indie movement when new directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez where coming out of the woodwork making movies that didn’t cost around 100 million dollars. Miramax spearheaded the whole endeavor and it’s shocking to know that Disney made a partnership with them as far as distribution is concerned. 

        With the success of what the directors were doing, it only made sense where the other studios obliged with making their own studios with the same MO. You had Warner Bros. establishing Warner Independent and Paramount’s Paramount Vintage. While both of them are no longer around, it can’t be stated that Fox Searchlight is still going strong even after the recent acquisition from Disney. 

2. Gaz’s Dance 

        The reason I picked this one is this is the first movie where it solidified Fox Searchlight as an Oscar contender and one where if it wasn’t for the success of this movie. The studio may not have survived. Prior to the release of The Full Monty, it had released films that earned a good reception but didn’t make enough money to be considered a hit. With this one, it made box office bank surprisingly with its commentary and what the whole thing is all about. I’ll stop with the stalling and let’s get down to it. 

        We follow Gary, or as his friends refer to him as Gaz. We track him as he’s currently unemployed from the steel mill and can’t provide child support to his ex. Him and his friends are in the same boat as they are unemployed and are just slackers in general. Gaz decides to start a Chippendales-esque dance troupe in order to raise money to spend time with his son. 

        So that’s a lot for a movie about the underclass attempting to better themselves. I’ll say that the film is a blue-collar movie. An underdog story as you will since we’re following these guys who of course don’t exactly have the peak male form. They’re out of shape and the moment involving them fielding a tryout is hilarious when all who enter are nowhere near young or fit to meet what Gaz is attempting to create. What I like about the film is that it’s a personal film where Gaz is trying to better himself but go about a different way. 

        With how the film starts, we see a promotional video of the neighborhood and the narrator saying that it’s a beacon for employment. Adding stock footage of people smiling and a soccer team playing, then smash cut to the factory being in ruin and the whole neighborhood having a drab look to it with a muggy cloudy sky. I don’t know if it’s a geographical reason but it complements the whole feel for the movie where our characters are in a sense stuck with their predicament. 

        Character-wise, everyone does a good job especially our main lead. I love how he’s a slacker and he doesn’t want to get a regular job. He’s not a bad guy but is given an ultimatum to find something or risk having his custody of his son taken. Thus making the movie a lot more than just male stripping. With a movie that has male stripping, it has a lot of depth and themes on how challenging it can be for a schlubby person to just make a name for himself. 

        As far as all the characters that we see, the heart of the film is Gaz’s friend Dave. He’s a heavyset guy that mostly goes along with what Gaz is attempting to do. When they’re already practicing for their routine, we feel bad for Dave because he has a lot of self-hate as far as not being happy with how he looks. It even affects him at his house when his wife confronts him with about his venture and he tells her about his problem. It’s sad and it finally gives him enough self-confidence and to perform for his wife among everyone in attendance. 

        Might as well talk about the whole dance, since that’s what the whole film is leading up to when you watch it until the end. Before that, I want to say that a film has that type of action or showcasing, it shouldn’t be met with no consternation. Any criticism taking aim at it, I feel is lacking a lot of context of why it’s included. With how the dance is used, it’s like a sports movie where there’s a lot of practice and tiny peak into their whole dance. At first they’re embarrassed but I like how they overcome it when they finally do their whole bit.

3. Overall

        The Full Monty is one of the best British films that I’ve seen and one where it cemented Fox Searchlight as the premier Big Indie studio. 

Forgetting Sarah Marshall Review

        2000s comedy is to me probably one of the best as far as movies are concerned. You have the heavy hitters like Adam McKay and Judd Apatow that were releasing a new kind of comedy that aimed to show the mundane in the normal world and in anything Will Ferrell happened to be in. Little did I know that Apatow was in the credits for this film but didn’t entirely directed it. I happened to catch this film when I was in South Padre Island and I think it’s a perfect relaxing film that doesn’t get too depressing or heartbreaking when dealing with a breakup. 

1. Peter’s Hawaiian Getaway

        Little did I know when I was exposed to different stuff that I’ve seen Jason Segal in many things. My first exposure of him was when he played the villain Vector in the first Despicable Me. When I saw him on a consistent basis was when I was binge watching the entirety of How I Met Your Mother. At the time he was mostly associated with comedy films as only a secondary character. I feel that with this one he finally got the top billing. Well deservedly too since he also wrote the film based on his own personal experience. 

        So, the film is about Segal’s character Peter, who is a music composer for his girlfriend’s television show. They break up, which has Peter in a funk where his friend recommends having him go to Hawaii as a vacation. Little does he know that his ex is also on the island, along with her new boyfriend. It sucks when he can’t catch a break since Sarah is the last person Peter wants to meet and to immediately find out that she’s dating a vocalist in a band. 

        While the film is not too gloomy with the idea of Peter trying to get over a break up, I love that the film basically feels like an island adventure. More so that, the colors are lively to represent the Oahu Island and that for a beach is where Peter meets a variety of people that work or are staying at the resort. I’ll say that the supporting cast is one of the best aspects of the film since they help Peter get over his past relationship. I think out of all of them that are hilarious is Paul Rudd’s Chuck. Just an airhead guy that happens to live without being aware of what’s going on. 

        With a story like this, Peter happens to find someone that’s even better than Sarah. Mila Kunis as Rachel is just stunning. I think what makes her great was that she sees the awkward conversation between Peter and Sarah that she must help him out. Right down to even being comfortable around him to get an idea of who he is. The moments between Kunis and Segal is great since she’s not technically the rebound girl but she helps Peter be comfortable for who he is. The tender moments compliment the overall movie when it’s basically him that’s attempting to get over his ex. 

2. Breaking Up and Moving On

        It only makes sense that in this section I talk about Sarah Marshall. She is in the title of the movie and well the whole point of the movie is to have our guy forgetting her. It becomes impossible for him since she happens to stay at the same resort as him. Now, I will say that the movie isn’t entirely biased in a way where the movie paints her as the antagonist. Of course, finding out that she’s been cheating on Peter for a year isn’t right either. The moments between them is awkward in the hilarious way since Peter wants to patch up any sense of a relationship but she won’t budge. 

        The scene that is probably the best when you really get down to it is when they finally talk about why they broke up. All of it comes down to Sarah trying everything to fix it and accusing Peter of being a slob. One may think that she’s to blame but in reality is that they’re equally to blame. And the key fact that gets overlooked is that while she did everything, they didn’t sit down and talk. That whole tiny action is what maybe could’ve fixed things, but it wasn’t even explored. 

        If there’s one detail that I like is that we have flashbacks of when Peter and Sarah were together. It’s hilarious and sad on both sides since we can get a visual idea of how the breakup was all but inevitable. We get glimpses of Peter showing her his Dracula opera and Sarah telling him not to play it anymore is just infuriating. Right down to Sarah picking out clothes for Peter and for her new boyfriend Aldous lists out that she has flaws as much as Peter. As I mentioned, it isn’t entirely biased to paint her as bad, but to show that they weren’t compatible at all. 

        Apart from that, the whole movie is about having that baggage of the past. Like Peter’s toxic relationship and when Rachel tells him why she moved to Oahu. It’s not just Peter having a quest to figure himself out and to try to help out Rachel. I like that he’s proactive enough to be himself when Rachel does him a favor to play out his Dracula opera. It makes her redeeming and so representative of the feel good movie that this film is going for. 

        I might as well be upfront that both this one and Eternal Sunshine do have some things similar that I was entirely unaware. While one does have a breakup that inevitably tries to be salvageable and this one where there’s a breakup but the victim tries to move on despite everything. I think it’s unique to have a romance and love film focus on how to deal with a breakup. Being sci-fi or the traditional route of being self-reflective and accepting who one is. I feel like not enough films tackle that but prefer to go on the romantic route or do an action that is in the name of love

3. Overall

        Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of the underrated romantic comedies of the 2000s. I had a good time with it and it’s certainly a palate cleanser after watching last week’s film.