Singin' in the Rain Review

        This is my second musical that I have reviewed for this blog. This is probably one of my favorites now that I just got done finishing it. You’re probably asking what does Singin’ in the Rain has to do with films about making movies. Well, there’s a lot, and the approach is pretty hilarious. I think it still holds up despite being approximately 70 years old, it has that charm of well being able to adapt and has really catchy tunes. SPOILERS will show up. 

1. Hollywood is Changing

        I will say that this film is a historical fiction type. Since it mostly deals with the adjustment that Hollywood had to make when the idea of sound started to be implemented. They use the film The Jazz Singer, which exists and is the first film to have moving images and recorded dialogue. With all that, the film stars classic actors Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Gerald O’Connor. They depict a group of actors that have to adapt to Hollywood transitioning from silent pictures to “talkies” as they were called back then. 

        The two male leads decide to convince their producer R.F. Simpson, to convert the film both Kelly’s character Don and Jean Hagan’s Lina are in to a musical. Since when they released the movie The Dueling Cavalier with sound but shot as a silent film. It gets laughed at by the audience by just how inept it is. The moments where the director is just getting frustrated with Lina not speaking to the mic is hilarious. Especially when R.F. accidentally pulls the cord, unintentionally sending Lina falling backwards. 

        What makes the musical work, aside from the actual musical numbers, is the fact that the characters try everything to be in Hollywood. Don learns that Kathy is an up-and-coming stage actress that he asks Simpson for her to be in the film. From there, they decide to convert the film to a musical. By using her to dub in Lina’s voice, which has a distinct Brooklyn accent. I’m being nice when I say that. My favorite moment is when they are filming, it’s in color. Then it transitions to black and white when Simpson, along with Don and Cosmo are watching the assembly cut. Which is like a rough draft for a movie.

2. The Music

        It’s the scene stealer without a doubt. Just seeing snippets of musicals today just shows how this movie be the ideal film for anyone directing a musical. There’s no quick edits to see the choreograph in a different angle. Just seeing the three main characters dancing and singing as we’re watching a Broadway play. Most of the songs actually advance the story, so they’re not just there just cause. 

        Mostly they’re about Don being cheered up by his friend and when they’re pitching the new film to the producer. None of them are distracting or just stop the movie. Catchy is an understatement since they embody the flamboyant style the film has going for it. I think the important thing about musicals is that the songs are meant to forward the story not just stop and sing for no reason contextually. With Singin’ in the Rain, most of the main cast has their time to shine, especially O’Connor who is kinetic with his song “Make ‘Em Laugh”.

3. Legacy

        Without a doubt this movie has a massive influence after it came out. It didn’t win any Academy Awards, but it’s one of those films that has become beloved and cherished years after the fact. I only ever heard of the film from an episode of Family Guy. Unfortunately, it was referenced in the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, I’m not going to say where exactly it happens in the film, but it’ll probably scar you. Researching more on the film, I was not aware that the film was being used as a basis or reference to many films and with music artists. 

4. Overall 

        So what if it’s old, and the aspect ratio doesn’t cover your tv or mobile device. This movie has music that absolutely slaps until your hand is numb. It’s an absolute classic and you should definitely watch it. 

        Singin’ in the Rain gets a five out of five. 

State From The Top #9

        Howdy, so I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to review for April. One idea was to review some Kaiju movies. Think monster movies like King Kong and Godzilla. Another was reviewing some animated films, but I don't want to inundate the blog with just Disney classics. Maybe in another time where I'll review some animated features sometime this year. Right now, I will be dedicating the month on a small sub-genre which I call movies about making movies. 

        I have heard of this topic on YouTube when I sat down and watch a countdown video about that topic on the website Cinemassacre. That got me thinking that there are probably more than just the 5 films the host talked about. So with all that, here's the slate for April. 

Singin’ in the Rain 4/3/2021

King Kong ’33 4/7/2021

Be Kind Rewind 4/10/2021

Living in Oblivion 4/14/2021

Ed Wood 4/17/2021

The Disaster Artist 4/21/2021

Bowfinger 4/24/2021

The Player 4/28/2021

Bad Education Review

 

        I was not aware that HBO, that Game of Thrones channel, actually makes their own films. Now, that’s pretty bad on my end, knowing that they make TV shows, documentaries, but apparently movies wasn’t something that I thought that they would do. Bad Education came out last year and made me aware that HBO can make movies. That’s a bit disingenuous, I was literally not expecting anything with this film. Except that Hugh Jackman was in it. Putting it out there, his role as Wolverine in the X-Men films helped a lot by passing off the idea that he’s American or Canadian since Wolvie is a Canuck. Anyways, here’s what I think about this great film. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Tragedy Makes Great Drama

        Like most films, it’s based on a true story which you’d never heard. All of it takes place in Long Island, New York at Roslyn High School where we see Jackman playing superintendent Frank Tassone. He is a respected person in the school among the students and faculty. We also get to see Rachel played by Geraldine Viswanathan who is a student newspaper writer for the school paper. She asks Dr. Tassone and his assistant about the high school’s skywalk. As Rachel goes over the school’s finances, everything starts to go south, for the faculty. 

It’s great drama for a good hour and 48 minutes. Jackman does a great job of playing the guy and he is just likeable. What sells us is that his character was a former teacher and has this great connection with everyone. The problem is that he’ll turn a switch when he is confronted with any problem that threatens him. The scene with him and Rachel in the school grounds highlight it. He figures out what she’s actually writing and tells her that the article she’ll publish will damage her. 

The whole movie is not so much on the school system’s problems, but more so that Tassone was unable to stop from the egregious spending that was going on. That exceeded millions of dollars that the school auditor found out and threatened of being fired by Tassone. It’s his personality and lifestyle that really made him a fallen angel. He was also an unfaithful man. Not in a religious sense, but of the cheating variety. I felt bad when his partner was shown a picture by the District Attorney that had Frank and his former student at a house in a Las Vegas suburb. 

I think what amplifies this type of drama is the dedication that Rachel has for the article, which was supposed to be a fluff piece for a school renovation. I love the idea that her Dad was happy to help her track down the companies that was tied to the school’s invoices. And the whole perspective that her Dad was tied to a financial crime and he could’ve raised his voice about it but didn’t. 

2. School Bureaucracy 

        Does this school have so much behind the scenes drama and politics like, wow. When word gets out that Tassone’s assistant Pam played by Allison Janney has a family member who splurges on the school’s business card, Frank throws her under the bus when the initial financial report was around $200,000. Not just him but the entire front office staff tried to figure out how exactly to cover it up. It makes you think how anything that were to happen in your high school would react to something like this. 

        Another thing that I noticed is that there’s one parent who sees Frank twice in the film. Both in the beginning and near the end of the film, the parent begs him to have her son be in an advanced class. The final part is one of the best moment in the entire film. Frank sees that the student is having difficulty reading a letter that was written by the mother. He keeps struggling on the word “accelerate”. So much so, that Frank helps him and use the analogy that the student is like a racecar being restrained. 

        We see that for as much as Frank is seen as a asshole to the parent, he is proving a point that every teacher and administrator is seen as the problem for not helping their kid. Him just getting so frustrated with everything about the school administration and having a parent try to ask for a favor. He wants to help, but can’t. It would’ve been easy to make him one note, and the entire administration corrupt. They were just caught in something that was building up and had no idea how to deal with it. 

3. All The Superintendent’s Men

        Aside from one man’s fall from grace, it’s a good newspaper drama. I thought that the stuff with Rachel and her Editor would just be around the background when we see Frank’s life slowly turn upside down. It’s one of those things where if you’ve never heard of this story and all it took was a high school newspaper to break story so massive, you or anyone would believe any ounce of it. I think what drives her to make the paper more than just a simple one is just her digging more. Which is actually prompted by Tassone to tell her to make it more worthwhile. 

        I feel that’s just dramatic irony in a way that, she eventually finds enough dirt of what’s going on that it comes back and wrecks havoc on the faculty. I’m not saying that this film is anywhere close to All The President’s Men, but it’s up there. More on the person than the actual event. 

4. Overall 

        This is one of those hidden gems of a movie that you need to have HBO in your cable service or sign up for HBO Max. As far as I know and I can be wrong, but I think there’s only a digital copy of the film that is available online. Bad Education was one of the worthwhile movies that I saw when I was lockdown during a pandemic. 

Bad Education gets a four out of five. 

Attack the Block Review

 

        I’m with you on this one since neither of us have even heard of this movie. I forgot where exactly I heard about this movie that made me want to check it out. Just to get this out of the way, I didn’t watch the movie just because it had actor John Boyega, who was in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. With most movies, I went in with an open mind. Attack the Block is probably one of my favorite foreign films. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Intimate Alien Invasion

        One would think that it would be film about a turf battle among gangs. Absolutely not, a gang that’s called The Block. Led by Moses who is Boyega’s character see an asteroid crash onto a car. The group breaks in to steal the radio, a small alien attacks and Moses kills it. Little did they realize, more aliens in asteroids are falling in their area of London. 

It’s a breath of fresh air when anyone who thinks about an alien invasion movie thinks big invasions, massive battles, generals strategizing, and Will Smith. With Attack the Block, the invasion is limited to a high-rise apartment complex. It would’ve taken away from the characters to have the aliens land elsewhere. Also, the weapons that the gang uses are limited to fireworks and baseball bats. 

The aliens do look interesting. When we see the first one, it’s white and small. Very feral along with the black ones who have glow in the dark teeth. Which I thought they were eyes, but they have no eyes. I feel that the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise is always the go to for people to make a good knockoff. We really don’t get an explanation, but just that they land and wreak havoc among the gang.

2. Unlikely Heroes

        The Block Gang are the quintessential anti-heroes. They begin by robbing a woman of everything. I honestly thought that the character Sam would just appear in the beginning and that’s it. She actually contributes to the overall plot. Since, Moses and Sam have this distrust for each other that they begrudgingly accept help from each other. 

        The other members in the gang are actually good on their own. I was surprised that when more aliens appear that some were actually killed. Shocked as I was, I literally thought that all of them would survive. Moses and the gang practically change throughout the film. It’s a little known tidbit that can make a movie better than what it is. Since near the end, the whole gang changes their act including Moses who actually tells Sam that he’s just 15. 

    

        One thing that kept popping up is the idea of broken homes in the movie. Mostly all of the gangs in the apartment complex don’t have a stable family. Most of them live with single parents, grandparents and relatives. It’s the idea of nature vs nature that’s all over the film. Especially when Sam tends to one of the gang member’s wounds when an alien bit him. And it’s apparent since there are two little kids who mimic them and unintentionally help out killing the aliens. 

        The final aspect that I noticed is the slow moments when characters just talk and really digest what’s going on. After the gang survive an encounter with the aliens, they stay at their friends room. All of them are wondering why they are seeing aliens invading on their neck of the woods. Moses questions possibly that the creatures are the government’s creation. The movie didn’t have to be that deep, but when you see later on Moses’ life, it make sense since he was dealt a bad hand of fate. 

3. Overall

        Arguably, this is one of the best foreign indie films that I have seen just by pure curiosity. The scope is small to make the characters intimate and the threat isn’t exacerbated by them being everywhere. It’s a fun, poignant film that deserves to be watched on Hulu, for a limited time since I have no clue when it’ll be removed from the service. 

Attack the Block gets a four out of five. 

Underrated Gems: Steve Jobs

 

        In 2011, Steve Jobs died from cancer. Many remember him as an innovator for technology such as reinventing the computer and phone. For some, he was considered a hero despite not really knowing him personally. Two films were released to showcase the innovator, Jobs in 2013, and Steve Jobs in 2015. The first one was not great and the one for today’s review bombed in the box office. While the films damper the general audience on watching any film about Apple’s co-founder, Steve Jobs offered a glimpse as to who the man was. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Reality Distortion Field

        At a first glance, Michael Fassbender does not look anywhere near as the title character. I feel it’s a compromise since he absolutely nails the person. He easily steals the show since he perfectly acts and delivers his lines just how the actual guy acts. I think the thing he does well is that the whole product presentations just show how anal he was with making sure everything was perfect. 

        He has a confidant Joanna who is the person who really tries to level with Steve about product expectations and to really guide him down when he’s being a total dick to the computer engineers. It would be one thing where we had a film where we see Steve Jobs from college dropout to making an Apple product. Here though, his interaction perfectly captures just who Steve was for the people who never knew him. A complete asshole, for one thing he is very blunt and has the my way or the highway attitude. 

        The thing that spotlights the whole movie is him being a Dad. Or the opposite since he claims that his daughter Lisa isn’t his. This is the part that a whole lot of people weren’t even aware. If you read the biography by Walter Isaacson, he delves into the relationship between Jobs and Chrisann Brennan. Here, he attempts to dress down his ex by really justifying the Mac and how he misspoke when he said that Brennan slept with a determined number of men. 

        It’s one thing to make the film completely biased and to really deify him. Here, the film presents him as such, he’s poorly built. The movie goes out of its way to explain why he has such a big issue with control and making sure everything has to be perfect. He thinks in a different way most people would see as not possible. In context, when we start the film he stresses that the Macintosh has to say “Hello”. Joanna wants to skip the feature while engineer Andy Hertzfeld attempts to explain to Jobs why the computer can’t do that function.

2. A Story Told in 3 Product Announcements

        As I said earlier, the film has three product launches as a way to start a new act. Each has a different music style and how it was shot. It makes the setting, even though it takes place in a theater and backstage authentic for the most part. The really interesting aesthetic is the upgrade in film footage that was used in the successive acts. In the first two acts, they were filmed on 16 and 35mm footage. Which helps explain why in the Mac launch there was a grainy look to it. Then in the last one was shot on digital. 

        As with most movies based on actual people, the best ones are focused on an event that made the person famous. Steve Jobs does that but in an interesting way such as with the launches of the Macintosh, the NeXT computer, and the iMac, we get to see just how the person has grown up and really come to terms with who he is. Part of it feels repetitive, but I think it allows for the character to grow and that makes the film endearing. Aside from meeting with Chrisann and CEO John Sculley, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak shares the highlight of stealing a scene. In the final act, both Jobs and Wozniak argue about why Steve won’t acknowledge the Apple 2 team. Woz thinks that since Steve was kicked out that he’s doing it as a snub. While Jobs see it as them really hurting the company. 

        It goes to show just how complicated the legacy of Steve Jobs is. For one, he was an innovator who had fantastic ideas of using a computer. Although, he didn’t input any code or built anything, he was just the spokesman who really nailed the pitch of getting people to want to buy an Apple computer. This film really does a great job with setting the record straight with just who he was as a person. 

3. Altered History

        The biggest complaint in the movie is that the events that happened on film didn’t really happen. Mind you, I feel that anyone could be bored when Steve is preparing himself with a product presentation with no technical difficulty or personal beef that needs to be settled. It’s a creative liberty that is justified since it shows just who Steve was. I hate to really sound like a broken record when stating that since that’s really what made the film work. For drama sake and for being invested with what’s going on. 

4. Overall

        With all that being said, this is one of the best films that came out in 2015. I feel that the Ashton Kutcher movie made more of an imprint in pop culture due to him looking like Steve Jobs. Although, this movie delivers on nailing just who the character was. I think if The Revenant wasn’t around, Michael Fassbender would’ve won the academy award for best actor. Regardless, this is one of the best underrated gems in the 2010s.

        Steve Jobs gets a four out of five. 

Napoleon Dynamite Review

 

        For some weird reason, this movie was shown when I was in a after school program in elementary. Something about it was intriguing to me. Perhaps it was the main character or it was just that the whole movie was really nothing that I have seen before. Keep in mind, I watched animated movies and superhero movies growing up. This was so left field for me when I was young. Years later, this is one of those films that I will re-watch and still laugh. SPOILERS will appear in the review.

1. Not Your Usual High School Movie

        At a glance, this doesn’t look like a typical high school movie. There’s a template on how to do a successful one such as any John Hughes film or Mean Girls. Napoleon Dynamite is that aberration of a high school movie where it adheres to no formula and instead just forges its own path. When you watch it, you feel like nothing is happening. Mostly we follow what Napoleon is doing and just how he is.

        Played by Jon Heder is an anti-social person with the worst people skills. He opens up when the new student Pedro becomes his friend. At his house, his washed-out uncle comes and wreaks havoc when he invites his older brother to join in his get rich quick schemes. You would think it would be about Napoleon trying to figure out who he is. That’s not really it, it’s more or less a slice of life movie, about how yes, figures out what skills he has, and help Pedro run for class president. 

        What it does well is that the whole approach is bizarre. Not that it’s bad, but it gets away with just how Napoleon is just an endearing loser. His idiosyncrasies are hilarious and just the stuff he says is just funny. I think it’s an acquired taste in comedy since its very low energy, but the comedy just comes from the overall weirdness of it. If there is one thing that I noticed is that nobody acts their age. Like Uncle Rico yearning for his football days in high school and Grandma riding the ATV in the Idaho dunes. I think we’re supposed to laugh that they’re clinging to something that they should move on from. It could be just that they are just flawed people. 

2. A Good Bland

        Another thing I noticed is that the film feels like it’s on a time warp. It has the aesthetic of the 80s, despite taking place in the 2000s. I just think that Idaho reacts later than the rest of the country in terms of keeping up with the times. I joke, but I think it just emulates just how small towny it feels. There’s just a lot of white people and the only minority is Pedro. Not that it’s a bad thing, but everything that happens is mostly happening within Napoleon’s world. 

        I think the whole town just screams indie film. Mind you, it’s a studio indie film, meaning that Fox Searchlight Films was created by 20th Century Fox to distribute small budget indie films but carry the name of Fox to increase profits. Other than that, the whole town is like the same bizarre as the characters themselves. 

3. Overall 

        This is one of those aberrations that occur in film where it pops up, and word of mouth give it the right kind of publicity. As far as I can remember, there were t-shirts and an animated show that was aired on Fox back in the early 2010s. Napoleon Dynamite is one of those movies where it’s a good slice of life where you’ll feel good about the characters. 

Napoleon Dynamite gets a four out of five. 

Minority Report Review

 

        I remember I was watching a show on the National Geographic channel back in the mid-2000s. There was a show that talked about Hollywood movie science, and in one of the segments included from the film Minority Report. One of the first shots that I saw was the use of tiny tripods in the film. That was only a small slice of the futuristic tech in the whole movie. When I finally sat down and watched it for a film class at Texas A&M, never would I think that this would be my favorite Steven Spielberg film. SPOILERS will appear in the review.  

1. Story

        The film takes place in 2054, John Anderton played by Tom Cruise is an officer for a new department called PreCrime. Their job is to stop crimes before they even happen. They use a dual way to assess threats by using three beings called Precogs. Twins and a woman who have clairvoyant powers to see into the future. Also, technology that helps John with putting together footage that the Precogs see.  After a successful mission, Agent Danny Witwer played by Colin Farrell, assesses the department before giving it the go ahead to become permanent. 

        While looking through new footage from the clairvoyants, John realizes that he is a perpetrator for killing a man. He goes on the run from his fellow officers and Agent Witwer, in an attempt to clear his name. I never realized that the overall world and technology would make me love this film. I feel that the film is a combination of an action, sci fi, and noir film rolled into one. Not once where it feels so tonally off but manages to keep the action and the drama balanced to make an enjoyable film. 

        One of the other things about the film that is the focus is the technology. Back in 2002, nobody thought that we would have anything that closely matched the film. Most of it feels quaint and not that far off, considering that we have ads targeting us and wireless earphones where we can talk to people. Although, you would probably need a phone. Not that it didn’t steal the spotlight, I feel that it’s a character in its own right. The world feels idealistic but frightening. Since the very idea that you or anyone can be a criminal for a crime you weren’t aware that would happen. 

2. PreCrime

        The whole organization is the main thing that drives John to be who he is. We get a reason as to why he joins. He lost his son at a pool and vows to use the department to try to find him. When he gets confronted by Agent Witwer, it is probably one of the best moments in the film. They discuss just how PreCrime is functional. It’s a battle of wits in the spoken word. Since Danny is questioning if its possible that the department is prone to mistakes and John sticking to his guns by saying it’s a fool proof way of dispensing justice. 

        I like that it’s not very biased but presents the organization as a good and bad. Mostly leaning to the really bad aspect. Since we see that John might have sent some innocent civilians to jail. The whole futuristic jail is such a frightening sight, most of the prisoners are in a suspended state where they see an idealistic vision of their life. The whole unraveling of the department mostly helps the character arc of John. Who becomes such a cheerleader for the new way of justice, to running away from it. 

        Even when John meets the founder of Precrime, she has doubts about the whole project. Throughout the film, it more or less talks about the idea that maybe stopping a crime before it happens is wrong. For anyone, it seems ideal since nobody gets hurt. On the other side of the coin, someone innocent might become a victim for a false arrest. It’s more or less a metaphor on authority since that is fallible as well. For a film to based on a short story from the same writer that wrote Blade Runner, he appears to be prescient. 

3. Precogs

        Continuing from my talk about the department, these beings as well gets its own tab. All three are named after detective authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. We only ever focus on the clairvoyant Agatha since she has the McGuffin that drives the film and gives John what he needs to clear his name. The whole reason as to why they were granted the ability to see into the future made sense, sort of. They explained that they were birthed from some drug using parents. I’ll let that slide since it is the future and I’m assuming any narcotic can produce some power.

        I like that they as well bring the conundrum that PreCrime isn’t a reliable system of justice. When we see their visions of a crime that will happen, there appears to be some version where it happens differently. It’s used so well as a red herring since the director of Precrime Lamar Burgess, played by Max von Sydow actually manipulated the future in order to implicate John from using Agatha to solve her mother’s death. 

4. Very Basic Philosophy That I Understood, And So Can You

        Now this movie has some philosophy that anyone can understand. Hell, it’s in the dialogue as well. There are two concepts at work here: the idea of free will and predeterminism. The latter is mostly this, anything that is going to happen will happen. John sees his supposed crime being committed and he is given a chance to avoid it from happening. I like that concept since there is a chance for him to essentially avoid being a cold-blooded killer. 

        That isn’t to say that the movie is deep in anyway. The ending is probably my only complaint since John gets captured and anyone can interpret that what we see after is what John is being shown in the futuristic jail cell. Although, with that he can’t see what his ex-wife is saying to Lamar. Who knows, it’s cathartic since John gives Burgess an ultimatum to either give Precrime the attention it deserves or ruin it. All which is a catch 22, and highlighting the philosophical points I just mentioned. 

5. Overall 

        As I said earlier, Minority Report is one of my favorite Spielberg movies. An honest tough choice to really pick and choose a favorite, but this one is a within the Top 5. It’s prescient with its subject matter and the technology isn’t that far off. Just the thought that the film is nearly 20 years old is crazy to me. More so that people have not heard of it nowadays. 

       Minority Report gets a four out of five. 

Little Miss Sunshine Review

 

        This is one of my favorite films that I watched during the pandemic beginning last year. It’s one of those most endearing films that I have seen in a long time. Every now and then I see the film referenced in numerous ways. Such as having a spoof moment in the film Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. Besides that, there’s so much heart in the film that it really struck a chord for me, which is rare for any film to do that nowadays. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. A Family Story

        Just by looking at the cover of the DVD it has everyone running and pushing a yellow VW van. It has Olive looking at an old Miss America pageant video to get the right reaction to winning the title. Her mother Sheryl picks up her suicidal brother Frank from the hospital. In between that, Richard the husband is presenting in a seminar emphasizing the idea of winning is better than losing. Sheryl and Richard have a rebellious son Dwayne, who has taken upon himself to be mute since he wants to be a pilot in the Air Force. 

        Helping Olive with her dance routine in the pageant is her grandpa Edwin. We don’t see what they are practicing, but when you see it being performed is the best part in the movie. Anyways, Olive gets word that she gets to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant in California. The family adjust as to how they are going to do the trek. Due to Sheryl having to keep Frank from killing himself and Richard attempting to call his book agent about his book on his motivation philosophy. 

        This is one of the those films where there’s never a slow moment to be wasted. The best part is when they are riding in the hunk of junk Volkswagen van and just trying to get to California. No one wants to be there, but they have to suck up their pride to support Olive. Most of the characters are giving a whole lot of depth despite the fact that the film is clocking in at 1 hour and 45 minutes. It would’ve been one thing where the family are just one dimensional, but the film succeeds by having the most realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family. Since one would think that they’ll be trailer trash. This isn’t the case since it’s implied that they are barely hanging on. Hoping to have the husband have a successful book career. 

2. Success in Failure

        Aside from the family aspect of the film which is the highlight, another piece to the film is the idea of being okay to fail. At the beginning when Richard is giving a lecture, he stresses that the way to be a winner is to not be a loser. He hangs on to that tenet throughout the film, even talking about it with Olive by instilling a sense of positivity that she has to have a winner’s edge to win the pageant. 

As the film continues or just stressed that everyone in the cast has failed. Sheryl is a divorced wife, Frank is a suicidal would-be Shakespeare scholar, Rich is an ambitious motivational speaker who is out of his league. Edwin is a narcotics user. The moment when Olive is testing Dwayne’s eyesight by giving him a color test is the saddest scene and the film’s best moment. It’s established that Dwayne has taken an oath of silence until he becomes a pilot. When he struggles with an eye color test, Frank breaks it to him that he can’t fly. What proceeds to happen is the most gut-wrenching moment in any film that I have seen.

He bangs on the van until Richard pulls over. Dwayne screams out and cries. You have to feel sorry since he honestly wanted to be a pilot. All that silence and reading about Nietzsche was for nothing. The very fact that the film is mostly about failure is endearing since the message is that its okay to fail. I mentioned before in my Nightmare Before Christmas review that the musical was about being okay to fail. This film is exactly like that and it embraces it. 

Olive is the only one who has no shame when we are confronted with shots of little girls being dolled up for the pageant. Her youthfulness and positive attitude propel her to perform the routine she and Edwin had practiced. The most satisfying part is that her family joins in on her dance recital. All of that constant barrage of failure is uplifted when Olive is just having fun. 

3. The Hypocrisy of Pageants

        I feel that it’s one thing to bring up the idea of beauty pageants as the ultimate representative of winners and losers in the film. Olive gets in only because a contestant was disqualified due to her using diet pills to better her figure. The little girl is reminded by her Dad that skinny girls win the pageant when the family is in the diner eating. The rest of the family cheer her up by tempting her to eat ice cream when they eat it. 

        The whole clash of ideas is interesting since it’s common knowledge that any stubborn parent is willing to parade their daughter to look skimpy and dolled up to win a trophy that doesn’t mean anything. When Olive performs, every single parent is shocked to the point that they clutch their hypothetical pearls. I feel it’s a subversion since it’s on point that Olive does her routine since the pageant is built like that to be very evocative.  

4. Overall 

        Without a doubt and I can repeat myself so much that I love this film. Little Miss Sunshine is one of those studio indie films that is easily on my definitive top ten. It’s an endearing story about family and coming to terms with the reality that they’re not perfect. And that being a failure is okay. I was laughing and feeling sorry and it’s one of those films that is a sure-fire way to have anyone emote in any emotion. 

        Little Miss Sunshine gets a five out of five. 

Chef Review

 

        Jon Favreau is a unique talent in Hollywood right now. I think he’s the only talent who can direct and act in the film and not come off smug in the least bit. The first time I got exposed to his work was in Elf and then later for Iron Man and its sequel. Chef is probably one of his best movies where it’s mostly about him but with everything about filmmaking replaced with being a chef. I will explain that tidbit later. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Redemption Story

        Favreau writes, directs, and stars as Carl Casper. He is a chef at a fancy restaurant in Los Angeles. After unintentionally starting a Twitter beef with the local food critic, he is let go and attempts a way to have a fresh start. His ex-wife Inez helps him with her ex-husband to rent a food truck. From there, Carl and his son Percy along with his assistant cook Martin go east to travel west to rekindle Carl’s love for cooking. 

        The story is one way a redemption and a story about a father and son rekindling their relationship. Carl and Percy are sort of distant. As the film goes on, Percy asks to help out his Dad with running the food truck. My favorite moment is when Carl takes Percy aside and explains to him why he loves cooking. In the context that Percy almost lets a worker eat a burnt Cuban sandwich.

        It’s a charming story for one thing, since we see Carl grow up a little and really realize his love for cooking. The moments when he is conversing with his cook friends and Inez is endearing since they try and pump him up to be the best. One thing I noticed is that the film has tons of Marvel alumns: such as Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. It just shows just how much of an actor-director Favreau is. I feel that he works best when he works with the actors to get a feel more for their characters. 

2. Cooking Food

        Now, when you have the title of the film called Chef, you’d expect to have scenes or shots of food being cooked. And man, do they really steal the show. Most of it is shot very voyeuristic with close ups and shots with Favreau and others prepping the ingredients. It’s not entirely new when a film deals with food to have that. Ratatouille mastered that aesthetic by having it all be animated. 

        When I mean voyeuristic I mean that it makes the audience and yours truly want to actually eat the food. It’s a way to actually take the film term called The Male Gaze and apply it to food. I might as well explain what The Male Gaze is. To be brief about it, ever notice that in some action films, sometimes shown in Michael Bay and Quentin Tarantino films, there are moments with women being shot in various sexy shots. That’s where that film term means.

3. Real Life Parallels 

        As I mentioned before in the introduction, the film is used as a way to parallel Favreau’s film making career with being a chef. Prior to this film’s release, he directed Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens. Two films that, while not great but just okay that it signaled to some that Favreau had already started a slow decline. Now that’s bologna since he drew from his actual life to incorporate aspects to Chef. 

        I feel the moments when he is working at a professional restaurant is supposed to represent that he felt constrained to the studios. This one moment when Carl and his son are watching a puppeteer using a skeleton marionette, the camera zooms in on the puppet as its supposed to symbolize to us that Carl is being restricted to be a talented chef. Back at the restaurant, Carl changes the menu and is scolded by the manager. 

        Just the observations is just how I felt how Favreau must’ve felt during that time prior to filming. Especially when he just airs out his grievance to the food critic. It’s cathartic since he probably had opinions about movie critics who tore his films up. Even though, in the movie Carl unintentionally caused a beef that the food critic just wanted to point out that the chef was being restrained of his talent. That part felt refreshing since it’s probably, and I think only time where a critic and an artist try to understand one another. 

4. Legacy

        After the film was released, Netflix released a cooking series called The Chef Show. Where Jon Favreau and his cooking friend visit various people to understand various foods in the country. I enjoyed it since he has a friendly personality, and he did an episode with the directors of Avengers: Endgame and the producer for Marvel Studios. This is the first time where you guys get two recommendations. 

5. Overall 

        What else can be said that I love this film. It’s a step away from the blockbusters that Jon Favreau did for a while, and still doing. It’s a passion project that has his quality as a director and as a cook on display. I think the benefit to enjoy this movie is to have no expectations and to see a family be reunited. 

        Chef gets a four out of five. 

State From The Top #8

Howdy guys, I thought I should update you all on the movies I will be talking about for this month. This is probably the toughest part since I've been struggling to pick the right movies to review. For one thing, I don't want to have a specific theme. I think it would be repetitive to have back to back months were there was a theme. With all that said, just for this week only, I will be taking a break. Then after that, it will be full steam ahead with yours truly. 

I've been thinking about spicing up my review slate from two movies to three a week. I'll probably implement them either when April comes around or during the Summer. Not to get too ahead of myself, but I am thinking of doing a summer blockbuster slate for the entire summer months. I haven't looked at what movies to see, although with them being blockbusters, anything good will pop up. 

With all that being said, here's upcoming slate for March. 

Chef 3/10/2021

Little Miss Sunshine 3/13/2021

Minority Report 3/17/2021

Napoleon Dynamite 3/20/2021

Underrated Gems: Steve Jobs 3/24/2021

Attack the Block 3/27/2021

Bad Education 3/31/2021

Hitch Review

 

        Before 2013, Will Smith films had a continuous run of his films being number one in the box office. Hitch was a contributor for his streak. One of the best romcoms that I have seen that closes this shortened month. I have seen it a couple of times variously on cable. For some odd reason I could never wise up and buy a physical copy for myself. Regardless, here’s a gem from the early 2000s. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Story

        To begin with, we follow Alex Hitchens narrate about the concept of love in New York City. He is known commonly in the city as “The Date Doctor” since his m.o. is to have men be in long lasting relationships. In between that, we follow Albert, played by Kevin James. I think this film is his only good film as far as I’m aware. Anyway, he is a financial helper to Allegra Cole played by Amber Valleta, and he has the hots for her. 

        So throughout the film, Alex coaches Albert to have the guts to ask out Allegra. At the same time, he falls in love with a newspaper columnist. Sara played by Eva Mendes, for who Alex falls in love with. The interesting twist to this is that his methods to flirting don’t work on Sara. This is a unique conflict since his method has worked for the men he helped. 

        This is an enjoyable romance film that anyone can enjoy. Most of the cast has that chemistry that gels. It’s a recurring thing with these films that has to be stressed, the chemistry has to be there. What I really like is that Alex doesn’t see Albert as just a client. He does in the beginning but eventually warms up to him as a friend. It’s enjoyable to see Albert and Allegra dating and actually falling in love. 

2. Idea of Finding Love

        Aside from Hitchens helping out his friend Albert, I give the film this with this nuance idea of finding love. Alex gives the clients a sense that they can date anyone, no matter if the woman is above their league. To have Albert date a rich woman in New York is pretty bonkers since when you look at them separately, they have no shot at being together. 

        I think what this film works best is that, for as much as Alex claims to be a date doctor, his only axiom is to just gain confidence. Not that he has an ego, he does it since he was stood up by a girlfriend in college. The best part is when he declines to help a man who just wants to sleep with a woman. Which in turn getting Hitchens getting a bad rap in the city. 

        While I’m not saying that this movie is deep by any measure. I feel that the way Hitch presents this concept is nuance in a way. It’s relatable since with anyone who lacks the self confidence likes someone who themselves think have absolutely no shot. When the person in question just needs the confidence to just be himself. 

3. Overall 

        As far as Will Smith films goes, this is where his comedic talent comes out. It’s in no way a bore, Smith has that factor where he is charming, and it manages to gel with everyone. It’s one of the best romantic films on the 2000s. Just the fact that it has a concept as someone dating someone that is leagues above them isn’t new but does so in a way where it’s endearing. 

Hitch gets a four out of five. 

10 Things I Hate About You Review

 

        I remember watching this one back when I was in high school. I forgot the actual reason as to why the entire class watched the film, but it was enjoyable on my end. Some people don’t know that it was actually a modern day take on the classic Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew. I’ll go into detail as to why in the 90s there was so much modern day takes on classic literature and Shakespeare. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. High School Shakespeare

        The whole film takes place in a high school in Seattle, Washington. The film is about the new kid Cameron, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who befriends Michael. He shows him around the school’s various cliques. Cam likes the prettiest girl he sees, Bianca played by Larisa Oleynik who can’t date anyone since her older sister is the shrew in this story. Kat played by Julia Stiles, is the antisocial one of the cast of characters. 

So throughout the movie, Michael and Cameron try to scheme a way to have Kat get a date so that Cam can date Bianca. Patrick played by the late Heath Ledger, goes along with the plan when the pretty boy Joey gives him the money to date Kat so that he can date Bianca. One would think that Patrick would pretend to care about Kat, but he eventually opens up to her to shed out the tough guy image. 

I feel as a whole the film is a good bookend of the decade. As far as I’m aware there weren’t that many high school films that were released in the 90s that was as popular as the ones that came out during the 80s. With this one, the whole decade and the feel of the movie is like one big character. To make my point short, everything just shouts the time period. 

2. Product of the Times

        You know it’s the 90s when it’s dominated by alternative rock, and ska. Aside from the wise choice to not use grunge music from either Nirvana or Soundgarden since it’s tied to Seattle. The whole movie is like a time capsule of the times. It would be interesting if aside from the music they would use dated slang to really capture the times. The wise thing was that everything feels authentic in terms of speech since it’s supposed to be a timeless story that’s part of a list of adaptations of the Shakespeare play.

        Also, Kenneth Branagh pumped out movies of Shakespeare films where he did the dual roles as actor and director. It was like the decade was a sort of celebration of Shakespeare or just a way to make more money by adapting classic plays since the money was there. I’m serious, Disney’s The Lion King is an adaptation of Hamlet and made bank for the studio. In 1998, Shakespeare in Love won best picture in the Academy Awards. Some may argue that it didn’t deserve it as some declare that Saving Private Ryan was the film that should’ve won but was snubbed. 

3. Modern Day Take on a Classic

        Since the decade is practically the overall theme of this review, the whole era had films that was littered with modern takes of classic stories. Films like Clueless and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet showed the audience a unique adaptation of having the classic story but set in the places where it’s believable. What made this film work is that with the high school background it couldn’t be any perfect to have a Shakespeare comedic play. It broke ground by having one of the characters really put the female characters in their place by saying they aren’t who they really are. 

        It’s the charm factor that the entire cast has that really sell the movie to anyone. One thing I would say that can get a bit frustrating is those moments where the film sprinkles in the Shakespeare references. I can understand that the general public has no clue that this was an adaptation. To the ones that do know that it is, can find it grating since it pops up every once in a while, the film will drop references. Although with that, we wouldn’t actually have the moment where the title of the film actually means something in the end.  

4. Overall

        Bottom line, this is an enjoyable adaptation of the classic play. It’s one of those films where you don’t have to know or read the play to really understand what’s going to happen. There are moments where I laughed a lot which is something that I didn’t expect with this film. The whole film reminds me of the 90s with the music and, I think it’ll be the next decade to be exploited in cinema. 

        10 Things I Hate About You gets a four out of five. 

Underrated Gems: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

        This is one of those films where I actually shut it off when I was watching it on Netflix. The following day, I relented and sat through the film. It was very enjoyable, and I remember that when the film was released, a tie-in video game was on consoles for a limited time. When I did the background info on the film, I was surprised that it bombed badly in 2010. It made sense when rewatching the film that it’s very niche. Not your typical comic book film since it embeds itself with video game stuff and quirky humor. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Not your typical comic book film

        I watched this film after being exposed to Edgar Wright films. He already made a name for himself when he directed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz before releasing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Most of his filming techniques is everywhere in the film. This is where the term “auteur” comes in. Where motifs like quick edits among other things pop up in a director’s film.

        Anyways, the film is based on a comic book. When you sit down and watch it, it’s like a comic book made in three dimensions. A better way to explain it than that is seeing the onomatopoeias pop out in a nondiegetic way. Again, words like “POW” pop up and action lines appear during a fight scene. The first instance of seeing this type of comic book design was in Ang Lee’s Hulk. Although, that film messed up since it had the comic book panel moments litter the film when it’s supposed to be a think piece about the jade giant.  

        With all that, the film is about Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera meets a new girl Ramona Flowers played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has to fight her seven evil exes in order to properly date her. Since the world operates like it’s a video game. In the midst of that, he has a band who is trying to get a record deal. In between that happening, Scott already has a girlfriend Knives Chau, played by Ellen Wong who thinks that Ramona is stealing Scott from her. The story has romance written all over it since that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. 

2. Scott Pilgrim is a Conflicting Person

        I was turned off when Scott was cheating on Knives for Ramona. I thought about it more and something that I missed when I was focusing on just Scott. He’s so aloof with his actions that he never revels in being an ass. He is actually given an ultimatum from his gay roommate that he has to break up with Knives in order to be with Ramona. Scott is lazy about it and just pursues Ramona. 

        Aside from that, he meets with his ex-girlfriend Envy. When they talk, there’s a little detail where the camera pans on Scott and we see photos of them together. Envy has a band as well and hates Scott. We can only infer and guess how bad the relationship turned out for the both of them. This part kind of shows just how Envy is as wanting to have revenge on Scott for breaking up with her. 

        This is probably one of the film’s strongest point is Scott’s character arc. He is having multiple relationships and not having the guts to break it off. Lacking the self-respect he needs to really give him the confidence of just growing up. Another thing I noticed is that after fighting the evil exes, Scott feels like he’s not worth it to Ramona. It would be one thing were the film just be repeating in terms of evil exes, I like the moment where he feels like the whole ordeal is just draining on him. 

3. Niche

        I might as well slowly work my way on how and why the film bombed. As I mentioned earlier, the film is very niche. Not that you have to read the comic book to understand what’s going on, but really take in the quirky effects that is being presented with the film. Such as when Scott’s band finishes playing, Ramona’s first ex fights Scott. In a way that’s completely unorthodox, he sings like it’s a Bollywood film since he’s Indian. I love it when Anna Kendrick’s character says “What?”. It just sets up the audience’s reaction when seeing that part. 

        Another example is that the film copies most video game tropes and comic book aspects. It’s engaging since Edgar Wright utilizes his film aesthetics to make the film something to behold in the special effects. I feel that it’s good action, it just doesn’t work when it’s live action. Like the parts that supposed to be gravity defying stuff looks weird when an actual person does it. It just works in animation, as it was perfectly displayed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Not to diminish the film but, it also contains drawn segments of the comic book when Ramona talks about one of her evil exes. 

        It’s conflicting since it makes the film slightly inconsistent with what it wants to be. Either be a quirky comic book film, an ode to video games, or an animated film that embraces those aspects of geeky culture. Regardless, Edgar Wright manages to balance the mundane with the film to make it a cult classic. If that was his intention or not.  

4. How Did it Bomb?

        With all that being said, the film didn’t make enough to turn a profit for Universal. It grossed 30 Million dollars less than its film budget. After doing some digging, it might’ve been just bad advertisement from Universal. Every studio is susceptible to this, since it’s hard to convey to the general public what this film is. 

        And just by watching it, it may turn off some people who wants to see a comic book film. Mind you, that genre isn’t limited to just superheroes. Another cult classic, Ghost World is about growing up, but is considered one of the best comic book films ever made. Without having a cape or a hero in the marquee. I like Scott Pilgrim since it combines video games with good music. Another thing is that it’s another teen movie with Michael Cera. During it’s release, he had starred in Juno and Superbad, two great teen films, but audiences started to get tired of seeing him in yet another type of him where he’s just quirky. 

5. Overall

        This is an enjoyable film that is part of the slate of films that are classified as cult classic. For the sum of its parts, it’s a good romantic film with bits of comic book and video game humor. I think it’s only detriment is that it’s not a very accessible film for the general audience. As I say with any movie that breaks the norms, check it out. 

        Scott Pilgrim vs. The World gets a four out of five. 

When Harry Met Sally Review

        I feel like with every generation in cinema, there must come a romance movie that makes it feel totally unique. When Harry Met Sally… is one of those films that came out in the tail end of the 80s. Typically, most romantic comedies have a distinct formula of how the story and characters are going to be dictated. It’s not usually a bad thing, but it’s the typical trope where the films if viewed in a marathon start to feel the same. Here, this movie does an interesting thing and subverted the genre on its head. Paving the way for more films to be experimental in a way to freshen up the genre. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Not Your Usual Film

        I heard about the film when I was perusing the YouTube channel “Lessons from the Screenplay”. It mostly analyzed what it did different with the genre’s formula. Watching it for the first time, I completely understood that this wouldn’t be the standard rom-com film. Harry, played by Billy Crystal drives with Sally, played by Meg Ryan drive to New York City as Harry is moving there. 

        During the ride, they talk to pass the time and Harry asks Sally some personal questions about her relationships. He posits that a man and a woman can’t truly be friends since they have to have sex. Sally doesn’t believe it. After they go their separate ways, we meet them again. In two various points of the ‘80s, both characters meet each other and spark up a friendly relationship. Easily they steal the show through their synergy and time getting comfortable with each other. 

        The film acts like a play since it’s mostly dialogue heavy film. It’s one of those films that dare to be subversive and flip the tropes that is the usual standard. Such as when the duo talks about the film Casablanca and splice in shots of them group exercising to throwing cards to a hat. Usually when things are going south, we’d see them doing their bits. We get to see the moments that are teases where we think they are about to finally get together and are just split. 

        What the film is doing is such a radical way is basically ask this simple question, “Can Harry and Sally work as a couple?”. When they’re having dinner or just having talks, they banter like a couple. Even their personal talks are something you’d hear if you’re the third wheel when being hearing a couple next to you. As well as arguing since they’ve been close for so much that the idea of actually committing is scary to them. It was engaging since, there's a fear that they could work as just platonic friends. I find it hilarious that they want their friends to date Harry and Sally, but unintentionally fall in love.

2. Couple Interviews

        In between the moments when we follow Harry and Sally, seven interviews recount how the couples shown have met. It’s charming to say the least. The overall thing is how completely different each couple has met each other and managed to stay together. Big picture wise is that every couple fell in love in various and unique circumstances and we’re seeing just how complicated Harry and Sally’s relationship develop in a matter of time. 

It works as a good and bad thing. Good for what I just stated right now. Bad in a sense that it kind of drags the film down. Since, when hearing the fourth interview of how they met, we can infer that with the interviews being presented. We are along for seeing if Harry and Sally can possibly make it work. Some may like it, and I do for the most part. It just gets repetitive for the most part. Thinking about it more, it’s more of a positive. Just forget this whole paragraph. 

3. Overall 

        With all that, it’s a genuine classic. Rob Reiner has subverted a genre that probably didn’t need to be revitalized but have enough of a plot shaking thing where any film can base its story on this film. It’s charming and is one of those films that is timeless.

        When Harry Met Sally… gets a four out of five. 

The Big Sick Review

 

        When it was first advertised, it was going to be an Amazon Prime exclusive, and seeing how I was a paying member, I thought I’d check it out. It’s probably one of the best films that I’ve seen in the 2010s. The entire story is original which I’ll delve more into. As well as being a more nuanced romantic comedic movie that manages to be different and subvert most of the genre’s tropes. This is one of those films where I actually want to have a physical copy to have in my collection, it’s that great. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. A True Story

        As I mentioned in the introduction, the story is actually original. Since it did happen. Kumail Nanjiani co-wrote with his wife and starred as himself. It retells how he met his wife. And how he manages to juggle his ethnic’s notion of romance with him being in love with Emily. The highlight is him unintentionally saving her life. One would think that it would be pretty out there that the events being presented actually happened, and it did. Albeit, with some creative liberties. 

        It’s such a new way to tackle romance since Kumail gives her parents company and really understands their idea of romance. The whole movie without the story is about being in love. I’ll elaborate more on the parent’s side of things since I feel that that’s the big thing in the movie. Other than that, the film is pretty hilarious. The film is littered with comedians not just Nanjiani and Romano, including some like Bo Burnham and Aidy Bryant to name a few. 

        With the comedy, it doesn’t feel forced in the most bit. It’s utilized as a way to break the tension when something is happening to Emily or Kumail. I really want to know if Kumail and Emily actually ran the script with the comedians to see if it was funny enough or balanced enough where the moments that are emotional are just right. Regardless, the film absolutely deserved to be one of the best films of 2017.

2. Emily

        Zoe Kazan has to be the luckiest actress to have the role as Emily since for most of the film has her character be under a medically induced coma. It’s an easy paycheck. Not to smear her role but when she’s with Kumail it’s the most charming parts in the film. They have that chemistry that doesn’t feel forced or just not connectable to us. I like the part where she starts as a heckler and they immediately hit it off. I thought when they first broke up, it would be the last time we’ve seen her. 

        When she’s in the hospital, Kumail manages to save her life. It was interesting since, it was an move that he did that was instantaneous. When she wakes up, I thought that they would finally make up. Refreshingly, she wanted nothing to do with him. That was a gutsy move since it’s unheard of for the love interest to still have the same mindset before being MIA. I was surprised that she wanted to move on. That was short lived when she eventually warms up to him. 

I would’ve liked more scenes or a montage of her seeing the standup of Kumail. Such as when she sees his bombed standup when he’s crying that his ex might die. That montage would’ve worked to actually convince her that Kumail did the right thing and saved her from a potential death. Other than that, her actually visiting his stand up in New York was a happy ending to the movie. 

3. Parents

        Aside from the romantic aspect, the parents of both the main stars is also one of the highlights in the film. Since Kumail comes from a Pakistani background, their culture prefers arranged marriages instead of just finding someone. It started out with just comedic timing when the mom would introduce Kumail with a potential wife and then cut to him placing the pictures in a special box. 

        Whereas when Kumail spends time with Emily parents, they’re a dysfunctional couple that sleeps in different beds. I feel that the moments that Kumail is either with his parents and with Emily’s shows us just how complicated the idea of love is. He tries to be honest with Emily about him being hesitant on introducing her to his family. As well as seeing a marriage almost fall apart. He sees this as routes with what he wants to do.

        Eventually he chooses what he wants but is met with scorn from his parents. I feel that the moment when his family disowns him feels a bit exaggerated. His mom did actually disown him, but what the film was doing, I felt that the scene could’ve been just played straight instead of just having it for dramas sake. Although, his brother actually sees his one man act which makes the whole disownment thing moot. 

4. Overall

        Another short review, not that this film has little to work with, but it’s one of those films where there’s so little to talk about how great it is. I feel it reenergized the genre by having a unique spin in the rom-com style. Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon deserved the academy award for best original screenplay. Their story of how they met is the most heartfelt and just original that it is the stuff that Hollywood is made for. 

        The Big Sick gets a four out of five. 

Friday Night Lights Review

        In the state of Texas, Football is king in every corner and facet of the Lone Star State. In 1990, H.G. Bissinger wrote Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, which was a documentation about Permian High School’s football program and the impact it had in the city of Odessa and the players in the team. It was a basis for the film that was released back in 2004, loosely based on the Permian Panthers season in 1988. I think out of all the football films that has been released in the past. Friday Night Lights is up there with the best sports movies of all time. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. The State of Football

        Without a doubt, the film just screams Texas since the state is known for its high school football. I’m going to not focus on the story, but on everything in the film that makes it one of a kind. Something about it has that authentic feel, like the players actually look like they are teenagers instead of the usual obvious 20 somethings trying to act like high schoolers. There’s equal focus on everyone and not just on one specific player. 

        Very early in the film, we assume that the film will about High School Football legend “Boobie” Miles. He is very animated as he is the team’s star athlete. As well as a good talker since he taunts his teammates, such as when he mocks his backups cleats for not being like everyone else’s in the team. Right as they start the practice, the whole team gets that star treatment with the local news networks interviewing them on their upcoming season. As far as I know, we never see that and it can be taboo since anyone who isn’t in the state would find it weird. 

        It’s understandable that the film has Odessa be covered with Permian Panthers signs in the front yard to signs in the stores saying that they’re closed during the game. The town’s pride is the school’s football program to win the state championship. The whole book touches on this part specifically, especially when the cheerleaders make gifts for the players. Now, as far as I know in my part of the state, I never saw that. Or it did happen. 

2. Showing a Different Side

        The strongest part of this film is that it doesn’t hold back from showing the side of the sport that people aren’t aware of. Such as showing just how much the whole sport means to the players and coaches. Every scene is inundated with talk shows of the city folk talking about how the team has to win and how the coach is messing up the team. We have moments where we see the coach here the commentary, but he mostly just powers on forward. 

        One thing that isn’t shown is anyone who gets injured. “Boobie” gets hurt, I think it was shown as karma, but in the context of the sport, it’s inevitable. He is the crucial part of the team, and they start to lose. The coach tries to motivate the team by saying that “Boobie” is fine, but when he leaves is probably the best expression shift I’ve seen. Like, you can’t tell them that he’s done, just tell them he’ll be okay. 

        I feel that it was done to show just how the sport affects everyone. Especially with the quarterback living with his drunk dad. Who used to be a former player who won a championship for the school. Now, is just a has been who berates his son’s performance on practice and in the must win games. I thought the Dad was one note and he changed since he had a hard time telling his son that he has to cherish this moment since it’s temporary. 

3. My Favorite Scene

        This is one of the few instances where I actually talk about my favorite scene. I think it just symbolizes Football in general. After “Boobie” gets to play, he reinjures his knee. Effectively ending his football career. He cleans out his locker and his teammates just feel sorry about him. They don’t say anything, but Miles is just weirded out by it. He then meets his uncle in the car and just bawls like a baby. 

        It’s gut wrenching not to feel sorry for him. With what was established earlier as he was reading college offers, he couldn’t read. When he is crying and his uncle comforting him, he said that the sport was supposed to be his future. The shot that really nails right down is the exterior shot of the stadium. With the car still in the parking lot and the assistants walking into the stadium as business as usual. You can’t find that in any sport film. That is football, the game moves on.

4. The Other Story

        As I was reading the story, the chapter concerning Permian’s opponent Dallas Carter High School deserves its own movie. The film makes them out to be the villain, by having their players be bigger and stronger than the guys we’ve been following in the film. Now, there is a movie about the drama surrounding that team, but I would have liked if we get to see Dallas Carter be more humanized instead of having them be the Goliath for our David. 

5. Overall

        Aside from the creative liberties the film takes in terms of equipment, stadiums, and college logos when the recruiters come to see Permian, the film is one of the best football and sports films that I have seen. By no means is it preachy or try to say something but give the realities of high school football and the real gritty truth that comes with it. The book is a must read as it goes deeper with accounts about the players, city, and everything. Friday Night Lights is the gold standard for doing a football movie, not just in Texas, but in the country. 

        Friday Night Lights gets a four out of five.

Groundhog Day Review

        Out of all the holiday films, why on Earth would anyone make a Groundhog Day film? Well, Harold Ramis found a way and made a film that is very endearing. This is the fifth time that Bill Murray and Ramis made a film together such as Caddyshack and Ghostbusters. It could’ve been a daunting task to make a holiday film where it’s only relevant to the civilians of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This is probably one of the best comedies that came out in the 90s. SPOILERS will appear in the review.

1. Story

        We actually start in Pittsburgh, as weatherman Phil Connors explains to the viewers that a potential blizzard will not happen in their part of the state. His team Rita, played by Andie MacDowell and Larry, played by Chris Elliot are assigned to cover the annual event of Groundhog Day. Phil hates the idea, so much so that he ridicules the people by demeaning them to be just yokels. 

        Eventually, the crew make it to the town on February 2nd and Phil does a half-assed report on the famous animal. For those who don’t know, if the Groundhog sees it shadow, it extends the winter season by six more weeks. I’m not going to divulge the history since you people have phones. Anyways, the crew drive back to Pittsburgh but are stopped by a blizzard. Which makes Phil look like a jackass since he announced that one wasn’t supposed to hit. 

        They stay at the town to weather the blizzard. Phil wakes up, but he thinks somethings amiss since he hears the same radio broadcast, meet the same people with the same conversations. He realizes that he’s reliving Groundhog Day and tries various and hilarious ways to get himself back to normal. Since this is probably the first and only film to have the holiday be the backdrop, Ramis could’ve taken the idea any other way. 

2. Time Loop 

        Some have interpreted the film’s use of the time loop differently, how I see it is through the idea of D.A.B.D.A. Or the five stages of grief. It works in tandem with Phil’s character arc since he starts out as a jerk, then transition to him being cynical when he tries to flirt with a woman by lying about being in her high school class. He gets bored by his approach and tries to find other ways to stop the day from repeating, such as killing himself. 

        Seeing Phil realize and just plainly grow up throughout the film gives him sympathy since he tries to be friendly with the townspeople, given the circumstances. I like the moment when he tries to flirt with Rita on two separate occasions. The first time is when he tries to get to know her and make her fall in love with him but realizes that her day was too perfect, and Phil try to explain what’s happening to him. The second time, he’s just honest and tries again to flirt with her. 

        The moment when he tries to do good is the sincere part since he tried everything including suicide by electrocution, he might as well do some good deeds. Such as feeding a homeless priest some food. Like I mentioned earlier, the plot device is perfect to go along with Phil’s character since he ultimately comes out of the loop a completely different person. 

3. Overall

        Just by length of the review, I loved it and its my second shortest review. The other being The Thing back in October. This is one of the best comedies of the 90s. I know that the time loop has been used in other films in varyingly degrees such as Edge of Tomorrow and Happy Death Day. Check this one out, since it’s probably the best and only film to take place during an odd American holiday. 

Groundhog Day gets a four out of five. 

State From The Top #7

     After a month of mediocrity, I want to review some quality films for once. With February coming close, I want to review some great romantic films. With Valentines Day being the day when I review When Harry Met Sally. The coming month is where I want to be experimental. Since Groundhog Day and the Super Bowl are happening, I'll be reviewing Bill Murray in Groundhog Day and Friday Night Lights. With the rest of the month being dedicated to the best romantic films. So with all that, here's the list for February. 

Groundhog Day 2/2/2021

Friday Night Lights 2/7/2021

The Big Sick 2/10/2021

When Harry Met Sally 2/14/2021

Underrated Gems: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 2/17/2021

10 Things I Hate About You 2/24/2021

Hitch 2/27/2021