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This Is the End (2013)
This is the End Review
"This is the End" is a movie based on a short story titled "Seth and Jay vs. the Apocalypse" that one can only assume was concocted under the influence of sensory enlightening drugs. The story involves a group of comedy stars who play themselves as they attempt to survive the sudden onset of
uh
oh who cares? As long as we understand that some threat has forced guys such as Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, etc. to barricade themselves within Franco's new mansion. This of course provides the majority of the comedy fodder.
The actors all play cinematic versions of themselves which I believe provides a comedic charm for "This is the End." Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg loosely wrote the screenplay, forcing the actors to improvise a good majority of their dialogue. This functions splendidly in that it allows for guys like McBride and Rogen to fulfill their normal on-screen personalities. And have no fear, the raunchy vulgarity comes full force in a series of scenes involving characters forced to confront each other in hilariously crude arguments.
What makes the movie's vulgarity funny and not offensive is that it is motivated vulgarity rather than vulgarity for its own sake. Consider the situation of the characters. They've locked themselves inside a house with limited supplies. Their arguments revolve around their surviving this unknown threat that has attacked the world. Their jokes and jibes come in the context of survival, in which they would say or do anything to avoid their death, or I suppose damnation in this case. It is crudeness with purpose and reason behind it.
For much of the film the characters are isolated from the world, in fact the only evidence of the apocalypse we view is reduced to snippets of Los Angeles on fire. But Rogen and Goldberg realize the strength of their script lies not so much in story or plot so much as its characters and their interactions with each other, hence much of what we see focuses on the characters in isolation with each other, in which they claw at each other's throats through crude mockery. Fortunately, there is just enough of both story and plot, which is the key to any successful raunchy comedy. Who cares about the strength of the story in a movie that does not require an intricate plot? As long as some form of backbone exists within the movie to carry the gags, the entertainment factor is there. Much credit for the film I believe goes to its actors, who each deliver performances that deprecate themselves and each other to the point of hilarity, where we overlook perceived flaws involving the mechanics of the movie.
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Miller's Crossing
Miller's Crossing is a film containing characters of the gangster genre occupying a noir-style world. Visually, the film holds up with other Coen Brother films in terms of its style, which includes elaborate set designs, costumes, landscapes, etc. Visually, the film is magnificent and eye-catching.
Where the film falters lies in its dialogue. A staple of Coen Brothers' scripts, particularly their earlier films, involves characters who possess an uncharacteristically sharp tongue and wide vocabulary. Miller's Crossing is no different. Don't get me wrong, the dialogue is well-written, but at times too well-written. Characters speak so fluently in wise-cracking threats that their eloquence undermines their threats. The audience, rather than invest care in the characters, instead marvels at their wit and articulacy. But again, this isn't to say that the dialogue is bad. In fact, most will probably find the characters and dialogue appealing.
The plot does not become apparent until after the credits roll. For the beginning of the film, characters speak swiftly back and forth, referencing off-screen characters nobody in the audience has yet seen. This may lead to some confusion regarding what in tarnation is happening, which subsequently may lead to a lack of emotion or care invested into the story by the viewer(s). Ultimately, Miller's Crossing is one of those films you're going to have consider in retrospect in order to piece it together.
Albert Finney and Jon Polito offer tremendous performances as respective racketeer bosses. Gabriel Byre successfully plays Tom Reagan, a man caught in the middle of the warring mobsters. The wonderfully gifted John Turturro plays the two-timing Bernie Bernbaum. For this role, the Coens couldn't have scripted anyone better than Turturro, who in one instance can seem sputtering and weak 'til the next scene in which he confidently points a gun in someone's face.
Overall, Miller's Crossing is a good film that possesses many reasons to watch it; though ultimately you may find yourself having to watch it again.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Oh what a breath of fresh air when on his first try, an unknown director produces something as superb as "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Benh Zeitlin in his first feature film, which he co-wrote with Lucy Alibar, remarkably creates a stunning, and imaginative world for viewers where characters must learn survival and courage through isolation from the world.
The majority of the film takes place in a Louisiana bayou called the "Bathtub," which sits separate from the rest of the industrialized world by the use of levees. Initially, determining when or where the Bathtub exists remains difficult, but over time I steadily discovered it lies somewhere off the coast of Louisiana. But I ultimately decided that the "when" does not truly matter, for realizing that the Bathtub exists in its own unique time suffices. The community of the Bathtub seems that of a post-apocalyptic environment, and on top of that, an unforgiving storm of definite doom adjusts its route right for them. Some residents leave, some don't. Those who stay do so out of a collective hope between themselves and a stubborn loyalty to their beloved Bathtub.
It's here that the resourceful six-year old girl Hushpuppy lives with her ill-tempered father, Wink. For about the first hour or so the film takes place in the Bathtub, where Hushpuppy and Wink rely on scraps, discarded parts swept away from the dry lands, and the very environment in which they live. They build houses on top of the flood and construct an astounding boat assembled from a truck bed and various motor parts.
To say that Hushpuppy steals the show would indulge in the act of understating. She robs the entire film studio. Hushpuppy operates with an inner-resourcefulness that would have John Rambo himself taking notes. She displays uncanny bravery as she survives for the most part on her own accord in the Bathtub. She breaks crabs open with her bare hands and learns to catch fish with, you guessed it, her bare hands. Of course, the credit belongs to the remarkable performance of Quvenzhane Wallis. She portrays Hushpuppy with such energy and fierceness that even I myself would follow her out into the wild. In fact it makes me ponder, could any other actor have filled that role? Most of me says absolutely not. Wallis, like every other actor in the film, had never previously acted before and thus brings a child's literalness to the role. She accepts everything in life as a true child would, exactly how it appears. Because she acts so genuine and true to herself, her character grows all the more captivating and convincing.
The unknown Dwight Henry, who also never has acted, convincingly plays Hushpuppy's father Wink. He loves his daughter, though in a harsh, sometimes physically aggressive manner. He shows her the ways of survival in the abandoned wilderness but displays no issues when it comes to smacking Hushpuppy upside the head in order to teach her a lesson. Gradually I came to view their relationship as not one built around father-daughter affection, but an instinctive survival-based dedication to each other and their natural habitat.
Presumably Hushpuppy's mother skipped out years before the story. But she left behind clothing which Hushpuppy engages in conversation with, as if she still wore the clothes. We only see the mother in a brief flashback where, with a shotgun, she kills dinner in the form of a swamp gator. Every now and then though, Hushpuppy screams out for her mother to the world around her. Other notable performances include Miss Bathsheba (Gina Montana), who teaches the children of the Bathtub about the melting ice caps and the beastly "aurochs" within them.
Undoubtedly "Beasts of the Southern Wild" will inspire numerous allegorical allusions to modern civilization, such as the bravery of depending on the natural world versus an industrially-inspired society. I however see "Beasts of the Southern Wild" as a specific world within some specific time that can't broaden into more general terms.
And needless to say much credit goes to Zeitlin and Alibar for splendid direction and wonderful ingenuity in writing. They have not simply created a bayou community, but a group of people who resiliently defend the optimism they possess for their lives and the future of the Bathtub. Rarely has a director delivered this amazing of a film on his first feature. The future looks bright for the relatively young and unknown Benh Zeitlin, previously unknown that is.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
A Silver Lining to the Rom-Com Genre
After enjoying the best directorial success of his career with "The Fighter," David O. Russell continues his success with his new romantic comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," which he wrote and directed. But unlike your standard Hollywood rom-com, Russell adds dimensions to his characters and their relationships at a level that crafts them not as mindless characters who answer to the screenwriters, but as real people with real emotions.
Having said that, this film undoubtedly belongs to its eccentric characters and the actors that portray them. The film only goes as far as Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence can take it. Fortunately, they both deliver outstanding performances that earned both of them Oscar nods from the Academy. Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a bipolar fellow who recently suffered a breakdown after discovering his wife Nikki cheating on him. Lawrence portrays Tiffany Maxwell, who like Pat, also suffers emotionally after the death of her husband. Both Cooper and Lawrence give performances that differ from their normal roles, requiring each to depict individuals who externally display their psychological and emotional issues and possess internal disarray as well.
We follow Pat Solitano as he struggles to accept his failed marriage with Nikki. He attempts to remain positive in order to discover a silver lining in his life, but really only in the hopes that it may lead him to a reunification with Nikki. Actually he winds up meeting Tiffany, with whom he agrees to participate in a dance competition in exchange for delivering letters to Nikki. Throughout their relationship, we see Pat struggle with his desire to reconcile with his wife and his developing feelings for Tiffany at the same time. The true joy of watching the budding relationship between Pat and Tiffany comes from the acting and the dialogue. Russell does not have them spew out thin, ordinary lines but rather complicates them and makes their dialogues intriguing and indirect.
Pat also must deal with the existing relationship between his superstitious father Pat Sr., Robert De Niro, and himself. Pat Sr. possesses psychological issues of his own in his obsessive compulsive behavior when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles. He turns television remotes in unusual positions, always carries his handkerchief, and incessantly begs Pat to watch the game with him. The complex relationship between Pat Sr. and Pat revolves around the struggle of each to deal with the others psychological problems.
A lesser film might mishandle the relationship between Pat Sr. and Pat and have it come off as one dimensional. Russell does the opposite, however. He superbly handles their scenes and through excellent writing adds depth and layers to his characters and story. One particular scene I'm thinking of involves Pat Sr. waking up Pat to go to the Eagles- Giants game and telling him "I want to do anything I can to get you back up on your feet. That's the whole point." Perhaps Pat Sr. does not simply view Pat as a good luck charm but rather desires to spend time with his boy in order to help him through his troubles. This father-son moment adds another dimension to the relationship between Pat and his father that works to emotionally enthrall the audience.
Now does this mean "Silver Linings Playbook" avoids any romantic comedy clichés? No. The film does play to certain conventions of classic Hollywood cinema. But that fails to outweigh the strong, captivating dialogue, the multi-dimensional relationships at work, the tremendous, heartfelt performances, and the overall splendid direction of David O. Russell.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction
Perhaps no other director places the entertainment value over essentially everything else than the quirky Quentin Tarantino. As long as people laugh, smile, and share in a cinematically glorious viewing experience of idiosyncratic dialogue, wacky story lines, who honestly can find it within themselves to give a hollerin' hoot about anything else? After his directorial debut of "Reservoir Dogs", Tarantino proved he possesses the talent to craft a screenplay and ultimately a film. Though a daring debut, "Reservoir Dogs" left out a majority of its action and subsequently more for the viewer to desire. With "Pulp Fiction", Tarantino delivers not only his best ever film, but a milestone in the delicate dexterity of original storytelling.
In this film we see three interweaving stories involving hit men, a bank-robbing couple, a rogue boxer, and a near-fatal blind date. The two hit men, Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega, played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta respectively, provide the two most outstanding performances. Samuel L. Jackson dominates the screen with his thunderous voice and unwavering demeanor in his portrayal of a "cool- cat" gangster. His partner in crime, John Travolta, also provides an intriguing and convincing performance that most assuredly rescued his career from the D-list depths of the "Look Who's Talking" series.
Like "Reservoir Dogs", dialogue stands as the driving force behind the plot and characters of "Pulp Fiction". And not one line in the script lacks Tarantino's stamp of wit and cleverness. Characters speak fluently in wise-crack and tough guy throughout the plot, much like the cold-hearted noir heroes of the 40s such as Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe (both played by the late Humphrey Bogart). In one particular scene of retribution, the big man Marsellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames, having endured the sexually unthinkable, promises to "Go to work on the homes with a pair of pliers and a blow torch [
] I'ma get medieval on you're a**." Goodness knows what "medieval" may imply, but safe to say the guy's got a bit of pain lying in his future.
Bruce Willis, who plays the down and out boxer, fails to throw a fight and thus suffers the pursuit of Marsellus and his gangsters. Eventually Marsellus and Willis wind up in a truly bizarre scene of mouth gags and homosexual perversion. Somehow Willis manages to find a way to escape the dastardly situation and get Marsellus off his back all at once. Wacky and uncanny? Indeed, but like the rest of the film, Tarantino tells it with such fun and enthusiasm that one can feel the entertainment buzzing like a jet engine.
Most of the dialogue stands in stark contrast to the majority of Hollywood writing which functions simply to further along the plot. Characters continually engage each other with conversations in which we might find ourselves conversing, making it all the more convincing. Tarantino's dialogue reveals character and dimension. It does not offer standard, thin lines that reveal only what the audience already knows. This works to provide the feeling that we eavesdrop on the characters as they chit chat about miscellaneous topics such as the nomenclature of hamburgers, the sexual implications of foot massages, piercings, etc. Though the dialogue may at first glance appear obscure and irrelevant, it obliquely implies events to come later in the unfolding of the plot. For instance, the talk of fast-food cheeseburgers does not stop in Vincent's car; rather we see the hamburgers return in the next scene as Jules and Vincent interrupt the uneasy Brett and gang as they dine on Big Kahuna burgers. We don't simply hear the dialogue, but we see a clever reprisal of the dialogue. It functions to the lay the comical and violence-tempering groundwork for future scenes.
The unusual discussion between Jules and Vincent about what exactly a foot massage signifies between a man and a woman most notably lays the groundwork for the tension throughout the long sequence between Vincent and Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman. Before their blind date, we learn that Marsellus Wallace threw a man off a balcony for merely giving his wife a foot massage. So if Marsellus Wallace nearly kills a man for touching his wife's feet, imagine what he would do if someone happened to accidentally, oh I don't know, kill his wife. Thus the problem Vincent faces on his date-gone awry with Mia Wallace. Marsellus just might go "medieval" again. Vincent knows this but most importantly the audience knows this. Tarantino cleverly crafts his dialogue to heighten the tension and anxiety of the scene, keeping our attention like a light trap and a fly.
By the end, which I shan't ruin for it serves better to hear and watch than read, the film comes back around in full circle, ending where it started. The events in "Pulp Fiction" arrive jumbled and for the most part out of order, which undoubtedly helped inspire the increased number of non-linear narratives that pervade throughout Hollywood today. The different plot lines of "Pulp Fiction" connect in some way, but each possesses a life of its own and can thrive individually. Because of this no better title could serve the film quite like "Pulp Fiction" does. The dictionary describes the phrase"Pulp Fiction" as "fiction dealing with lurid or sensational subjects." Tarantino delivers sensation and he does so with smart dialogue, exuberant direction, and an array of actors that perform with just the right mixture of tough-guy wit and comedy.