With occasional reflection on the perpetual absurdity/intrigue of life and society in general.

Monday, March 21, 2022

150 Films/150 Days #06: Films 36-44

To open the new year, I began this series, 150 Films in 150 Days, as a means of returning to my screening habits of old. Click the link to read the Series Introduction.  The general idea is to return to my film school roots of obsessively watching all the films from all the places all the time.  

The Comprised List is over 150 films deep with integral films missed from the past 10 years and beyond, as well as a few just for popcorn giggles.

I'll be making regular posts of 5-10 films at a time, including my screening notes, random and unedited.  Each film will be listed with the release date, relevant creative contributors, the means of screening, and a written response.

After the screening, I will assign a level of recommendation to each film as follows: 
HR-highly recommended, R-recommended, N-neutral, F-failings too extensive to appreciate (hopefully never or rare).

The first film watched was February 1, and the final day will be June 30 (exactly 5 months).  
All are welcome to watch along.


Films 36-44:  

Note:  Films 19-54 are predominately from 2021, as we have simultaneously been comprising our 
Top Films of the Year List.  The first 50 films of the Series, in large, have been pointed toward recent releases and contemporary films, with a few cult classics sprinkled in.  Moving forward, we will broaden the range of cinema explored and grow back thru time, as well as continue with current films.

36.  Creed II (2018):  Watched on Hulu, 03/08.  Directed by Steven Caple Jr, Performances by Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Executive Producer Ryan Coogler. 

Screening Notes - Scratch notes from pen to paper to you, no edits:
Of course I saw the first Creed - it was Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan teaming up again and breaking into big budgets.  I would have followed Coogler anywhere after Fruitvale Station, and for the most part Creed did not disappoint.  Coogler didn't direct this one, as he was busy with a little film called Black Panther, but he was involved as an Executive Producer.
I unapologetically admit that I have a thing for Rocky movies and grew up watching them.  Rocky (1976, original) is the only one I defend in earnest, but I'm a sucker for all.  My dad took us to see Rocky 4 in the theater when I was way young and I remember full on cheering and screaming from the late-cold-war infused audience.  I didn't have a clue about the politics or the shameless fear-mongering of the Reagan propaganda machine, but it was an exhilarating cinematic experience for this young'n.  It imprinted the power of cinema in my mind.
Creed II being a throwback to Rocky 4, and current circumstances considered (it opens in Kviv, Ukraine), seemed appropriate to watch.  I needed a good ole Rocky movie, and, yep, that was a Rocky Movie thru and thru - thoroughly enjoyed.  Quality lineage to R4, and more responsible with the politics and social ethics - only vague hints of nationalist propaganda, ha.
Recommendation Level:  R (especially for Rocky fans)

37.  White God (2014):   Watched on Apple TV (rent), 03/09.  Hungarian Indie film Written and Directed by Kornel Mundruczo.


Screening Notes:  Won Prize UnCertain Regard at 2014 Cannes Film Fest.  This was my most anticipated film that year, much like Titane this year, and somehow just put it off this long.  
The film concept alone is personally striking to me on two notes:  1. I'm a bully dog/pitbull rescue advocate and my furry partner/best friend is a pitty rescue, so...  2. The first short script I wrote in Film School touched on a similar concept concerning a pack of escaped urban strays, and still the basis of a feature narrative idea in my lil screenwriting journal.
- (30 mins in) So much my kind of film, but this is going to tear me up.  Horrific.  The Girl and dog Hagen are F'n fantastic together.
- I can't believe the wranglers got the dogs to do some of this - they are acting.
- Not a flawless film, but exceptional and I wouldn't change a thing.  I love this film and everything about it.

Note:  272 actual dogs were used in shooting the film.  An extraordinary ethical disclaimer appears in text at the opening - "All of the untrained dogs who perform in this film were rescued from the streets or shelters and placed in homes with help from an adoption program."
Recommendation Level:  HR (to say the least)

38.  WeWork:  Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (doc, 2021):  Watched on Hulu, 03/10.  Directed by Jed Rothstein, Appearances by (with great shame for all) Ashton Kushner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rebekah Paltrow, Adam Neumann, A Hulu Production.

Screening Notes:  Not bad as a traditional style doc, necessary story to tell, and very hard for me to watch and relate generationally and socio-economically.  Nice way of saying these folks are all utterly ridiculous to me, and grotesquely egocentric to the level of doing great harm - clowns and privileged brats with infinite financial means.  Welcome to the 21st Century boom.
Definitely feeds into and enlightens all the weakest and most confused elements of the young, socially-challenged generation behind me.  This is the great Millenial Tragedy, on repeat and homogeny included.  A generation lost in time between the before and the after of the Technological Revolution - hard empathy but empathy nonetheless.  
Recommendation Level:  R

39.  The Batman (2022):   
Watched at Alamo Drafthouse, C'ville, 03/13.  Directed by Matt Reeves, Performances by an insanely gifted cast that tried real hard to carry a weak script (Zoe Kravitz was not necessarily a strong link in that chan).

Screening Notes:  Eh, that was that.  I saw it and won't be getting those 3 hrs back.  I think Matt Reeves and I have a very different cinematic and social world view.  It is worth noting the generic "white male American" perspective that Reeves reinforces and slips in with a not-so-slight of hand. 
He appears to think the victimized poor, homeless, and addicts are the problem and need eradicated - pretty simplistic and irresponsible.  I'm disappointed not to see this aspect discussed more, but perhaps the lack of depth in the film just has folks forgetting to consider the filmmaker's social messaging.
Plenty of candy and some cool visual stuff, even a few cool directorial decisions.  
Damn good cinematography.  By the middle and even more by the end, I just couldn't care less what happened, and the good candy wasn't nearly enough to carry.  
Note to Reeves - 'Save the Cat'.  No intro and five endings - hmm?  Can't imagine why the storytelling felt so labored and the viewing so tedious.  
Recommendation Level:  N

40.  Silver Linings Playbook (2012):  Watched on Netflix, 03/14.  Directed by David O Russel, Performances by Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro. 

Screening Notes:  O'Russel is a skilled filmmaker, but always seems a notch overrated.  Never quite as good as his acclaim.  That comment can carry over to the two lead actors as well.
This was an Academy darling and 'that' pretend-indie of the year that became the singular indie buzz of award season.  Hence, I never watched it quite purposely.  I just needed a decade for it to come down to earth.  
- Boy o boy, that big W (TWC) coming up on the screen sure doesn't conjure what it once did.  
- Seems pretty respectful to the topic for most part.  Perhaps a bit playful at wrong times, and underdeveloped reality. Constant trash bag is a bit much and largely ignores the illness past the beginning.  Room for ethics of filmmaking discussion.
- Pleasant, charming, well shot.  Not reinventing the wheel for sure, but aware filmmaking.  More comedic than expected, which is probably a good thing, but inconsistent tone as it progresses.  
- Witty 'odd couple' movie - good characters, pretty good performances.  Kinda like Jerry Maguire for the 2010's ;
- O'Russel likes dysfunctional families and is good at it, but some scenes with family toward the end just too silly to work.
- Same as I feel about other O'Russel films - good movie, not great.  Overhyped and devolved as it went on, but still enjoyed.  I get the appeal.  Easy watching that's still relatively substantive.  
Recommendation Level:  R

41.  Promising Young Woman (2021):  Watched on HBO, 03/15.  Directed by Emerald Fennel, Performances by Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie.

Screening Notes:  Buzzy indie fem revenge film that I'm hoping fulfills it's promise.  
- Campy, heavy handed, unapologetic, and I think it works.  Some nice 80's throwback shots, stylistically - a little Heathers-esque. 
- Somewhat lo-fi production style, done well.
- Nice nods to cinema of the past.  
- Romantic parts intentionally cheesy, but charming.  I don't like romance montages, even mocking. 
- Clever dialogue at times, but a lot of near hits and misses.  Just not quite as clever or smart as it tries.
- Bo Burnham Performance?  Cliche dialogue and narrative trajectory, even beyond the parody.
- Good concept, good premise, and fulfills promise at moments.  Maybe trying to be too many things at once.  Seems to lose it's bite at times, switch pace and tone a bit stumbly.  
- 3rd Act redeems and brings it all back around - it fooled me good.  Ha.  Shite.  I really like.  Wicked.  Harsh twist but exactly right.  That's what I wanted to see, and very much invested.  
- The end got harsh and twisted.  Did Not see it coming - the kind of twist end that makes me reevaluate the whole film.  Well done.

Recommendation Level:  R

42.  Parallel Mothers (2021):  Watched on Apple TV, 03/16.  Written and Directed by Pedro Almodovar, Performances by Penelope Cruz, Milena Smit. 

Screening Notes:  I am very much an Almodovar fan and at one point was particularly smitten by his work and thoroughly explore his early filmography.  I consider him one of the true originals and great auteurs of our time.  I haven't been as drawn to his more recent films for whatever reason, and haven't seen his films for the past decade or so - time to catch up.  
- Insanely good Production Design/color palettes, of course.  Love it.  It's a return to his bold notorious decor and design of old.  Feels like home cinematic home.
- Oh the tricky subtle brilliance of his shots and style.  His frames are unlike any other - Angles, Depth! Small creative camera moves.
- Cruz gives an extraordinary performance.  
- Almost forgot how good and original his stories are, and he continues be the champion of alternative families.  Interesting themes of ancestry. 
- Almodovar had something to say quite specific and bold, politically.  Awesome.  Relevant to Spain - need to research the Spanish history and injustice referenced.
- Common technology difficult to shoot and integrate into cinematic storytelling.  Almodovar did it heavy and extremely well.  Dude can make anything interesting.  
- Almodovar of old in an updated world - F'n fantastic.

Recommendation Level:  HR

43.  Drive My Car (2021):  Watched on Hulu, 03/17.  Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Performances by Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Reika Kirishima.

Screening Notes:  Competed at Cannes 2021, which was its world premier, and won 3 awards.  Won Academy award for Best Foreign Film.  I don't know much about the film or filmmaker other than seemingly consensus acclaim.
- Slow, poetic and beautifully shot.  I get why and how it garnered much critical attention.
- A whole lotta dialogue and bedtime/sexual storytelling.  Not usually by cup of tea.  Boy/Girl relations of this sort (the marriage) bore me - we'll see.  The Driver girl relationship is very interesting.
- 30 mins. into a 3 hr film and already looking for a way out.  Are we sure this isn't a French Cafe Film?
- Driving montage and motif?  eh.  Sooo many parking garages.
- Nice, subtle soundscape - amplified buzzing.
- I find the pace and runtime of this to be a bit audacious.  I knew I should have been suspicious after it became an Academy darling, ha. 
- The narrative beats are way too convenient. 
- Rewards patience, which I appreciate.
- Lovely film with great performances all around, that I just couldn't connect to.
- Very good film.  Overrated by critics and awards, but good.  The film is like the subject and the text - meticulous and tedious but sort of beautiful.

Recommendation Level:  R (if you have 3 slow hours to spare)

44.  This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection (2021):  Watched on Apple TV, 03/17.  Directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Performance by Mary Twala, Jerry Mofokeng

Screening Notes:  I'm not sure when this film first came on my radar, as it has garnered numerous awards and attention at notable festivals, including Hong Kong IFF, Sundance, Montreal, and more.  Looking forward to this one.
- Full on from the tradition of art/experimental cinema through beginning.  More lo-fi and transparent digital shooting than expected, but gorgeous and innovative use of that aesthetic.  
- Brutally slow push-in dollies, and break fourth wall.  Love love the opening shot (pre-title).  
- Eerie good soundscape - hollow essence of new meets old.
-Traditional storyteller framework.  Ancestry, spirituality, and colonial impact. 
- Not the easiest of experimental narrative styles for me to connect to, but intrigued.
- Lighting - wow!  Worth watching for the imagery alone - spectacular cinematography at times.
- It works its way into a more traditional narrative.  Less experimental as it goes on.  Familiar narrative beats - not sure I love the shift.
- Requires a conscious meditative giving of oneself to the film, but offers appealing trance-like bridges.
- Hmm?  Challenging and legit original, well made, potent, poetic.

Recommendation Level:  R (for folks interested in Art Cinema and International Cinema - not so much for others)

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