Reporting Back

Hey guys. I have a little time, and thought I would tell you all about the movies I saw on my flight to Italy. I watched about four total, and enjoyed all of them for different reasons. Thought I would let you know about them, and see what you guys thought if you've seen them too. I'll go in order:

1. SHE SAID dir. by Maria Schraeder - 

As someone highly invested in the Weinstein controversies, far before he was ever ousted by Ronan Farrow or the NYT, I felt I should at least give this one a whirl. Though I had my skepticisms. It's definitely a rather pointed female version of All The President's Men, but without the depth, the understanding, and tension. It felt very procedural, well done for the most part, like an HBO film direct to tv. Good performances and all. Worth a viewing on a plane I'd say. My issues with it stem more from its lack of depth when it came to exploring it's topic. It relays information to you, spells it out, with little meaning derived from it in a greater context. Which is fine, but it left me wanting more. It glorifies certain institutions, such as The New York times while glossing over other controversies and hypocrisies through politics, Hollywood, and especially journalism, that desperately deserve to be exposed. The end result is a misguided symbol of heroism that is barely even half the story. What an interesting film it could be, if it muddied the waters as is often the situation in real life. But again...not surprised. It very carefully honors and addresses issues so as not to ruffle feathers. And I find the piece would've been far more interesting if it got more into the weeds of journalistic integrity or lack therof, and how it dramatically changes in a Trump world, and not just from a pointedly feministic or liberal institutional perspective. Because so much of the truth falls through the cracks as a result. Though again...not a bad film. Just one that is surface-y and misguided in terms of what it deems "heroic" in my view. Though...Samantha Morton gives a riveting performance, for the short time she is one screen. But I did enjoy it on a basic level, and I'm glad I saw it. Even as a piece of entertainment for a couple hours, it is a fascinating story. And if anything I was curious to see just how much the kid gloves were on with this one. Maybe one day, if and when biases cool down, a more layered film can exist, that isn't' so beholden to maintaining instutional reputations. 

2. M3GAN dir. by Gerard Johntone - 

Well damn ya'll....I had a lot of fun with this one. This is easily the most cohesive film I've seen in 2023. Not that I've seen many this year but...whatever. What a fantastic satire, with unexpected tonal shifts and a really bold point of view. In a time where the fear of AI takeover is very real, it wasn't some deep exploratory cautionary tale refreshingly. Kinda the anti Ex-Machina experience. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that film too. But this was a welcome departure I think we needed. It's...a comedy, a horror piece, and just a really concise balanced film. It's not boasting, it's not long winded, not taking itself too seriously, or weighing itself down. It makes its presence known and then casually sees itself out, like a badass. I admire its chutzpah. It will sink it's emotion into you and jerk you right out of it with something shocking, something brutal, something marvelously quirky, something laugh out loud hilarious, and it really keeps that confidence throughout. Admittedly I struggled with smaller aspects of it. Such as the Silicon Valley-esque tech company depictions, which weren't very funny or believable in the film. Didn't feel like the writers had a good enough grasp on that world in order to find the humor in it, that isn't already obvious. Allison Williams' boss for example, was a lame cartoon version of a character that could've been very funny. But really other than that, I was just pleasantly surprised by this one, and how dark it was willing to go while keeping it breezy simultaneously. Allison Williams for whatever reason, just really works in these kinds of roles as a someone so unlikeable, and yet I find myself still rooting for her to get her goddamn shit together. Because you know she has the capabilities, especially here. And Jesus Christ...Megan is a fantastic villain. Truly creepy and riveting from every angle. They filmmakers did a brilliant job with her look. I see it was a combination of CGI, puppetry, and a real actor to bring her to life. The combination of practical and digital is the key there to why it works so well. My kind of film. Good job.

3. ARMAGGEDON TIME dir. by James Gray- 

My goodness, what a film. I am a big James Gray fan, and I love the sophistication and maturity he brings to classical cinema that is desperately lacking in this time. I had missed this one initially due to a busy schedule in the fall, and had always felt a little sad about it. Well, I can safely say that this was just fantastic to me. It easily would've been on my top 10 of 2022 if I had to do it over again. It's so much more than what the trailer makes it out to be. From that, I feared a very simplistic depiction of racism similar to earlier 1960s films, such as Guess Who's Coming To Dinner...but not so. This is a magnificently layered film, about so many things. It's a formation of our political landscape, our times, our American life as we know it, through the systems that built us, and the unfortunate sacrifices we make through it. But it hones in on this young boy's coming of age story as the exploration of those themes. This is a film where the idea of class, race, etc. isn't so simplified as it is often depicted. I've always been of the belief that these things are much more rich historically than is often depicted in our narratives, and thus we often have distorted view of just how complex racism truly is. This film captures so many details of what it means to grow up in a world that is sometimes for you, sometimes against you, depending on your status, your connections, while also understanding that life can't make room for all of us. Our protagonist learns that the hard way, in a climactic scene that broke my heart to pieces. You can see it coming a mile away, and yet I was on my toes. I saw this section almost as a love story. Like West Side Story, but not a romantic story...a story of friendship, and that purity tarnished. Something that many of us can relate to from our own childhoods. The incidents we can't take back as kids, that haunt us, that formulate our views, not only our morals but the guilt we carry as it leaks into our ideologies. 

The detail, the thought put into it, the sharply acute sense of nuance of this world, the magnificent performances....I'm just in love with James Gray's work. He's cerebral and textural in his presentation, in a way that people may not appreciate now, but I hope they do someday. This film flew under the radar, and it's a real shame. I see it growing with viewings (hopefully), and I encourage you all to see it if you haven't already. 

4. 80 FOR BRADY dir. by Kyle Marvin- 

Yeah, yeah...I know. But hey.....hey.....I liked it! Now, is this the best film I saw on this plane flight? Absolutely not. In fact it was the weakest in my view from a "craft" perspective...but I had a lot more fun with this than I did the somewhat drab She Said. This is a product placement for the NFL sure. But they infuse this one with a lot of heart and charm. It's a movie barely held together by it's silly antics and gimmicks, and yet...I could tell the filmmakers and writers had fun with it. They wanted it to have heart, and I felt that truly. I genuinely wanted these old ladies to get to that Super Bowl. I suppose it reminded me of my grandmother, who recently passed, and her love of football that often got her going through hard times too, and I wish I could've watched this with her. I think she would've loved it. Made me a little teary. 

It's truly the work of the legendary acting ensemble at the center, that keeps this thing bubbly and poppin. Gosh they are fantastic. All of them. Not one weak link. Sure, it's a third-rate Golden Girls attempt, but I relished in it. Each lady had a distinct personality, an arc, and an emotional payoff that I felt worked fairly well. Sally Field as the high strung anxious one, loosening up while also realizing her life and who she is is important to her (a lovely little touch). Rita Moreno as a woman who misses her late husband terribly, but still has the spunk and fire in her to continue. Jane Fonda as the stand in for a Blanche Devereaux, and doing it well as only Jane can do. And of course Lilly Tomlin, the true emotional center of the film, hoping to have one last great experience, fearing her cancer may return. I enjoyed all their stories, and even if I often wanted some of these excursions to go further, they were funny enough. For example, the scene where they took edibles at the party made me cringe watching the previews of the film. But the actual sequence, ended up being one of my favorites in the film. I laughed a lot. Amazing how strong these ladies still are on camera. They all still got it in spades.

Not to mention...the cameos were great. Who knew Tom Brady would be so good at playing himself? He has some cinematic presence going for him. Is this a great film? Hell no. It's a plane movie. A movie to watch when you have nothing else to do. But hey...I admired the heart of it, and it really could've gone south. It could've been another condescending film to the elderly. And sure, maybe there's some of that. But fairly good taste. The intent of it felt genuine often enough. Good fun.