The Spectacular Now

       
     A teacher once told me that it's better to have a cliché idea and arrive at something original, than have an original idea and arrive at something cliché. This applies to a "The Spectacular Now", directed by James Ponsoldt, a director whose previous I work I don't know but am now curious about. It's a somewhat cliché coming of age story about a young man, Sutter, lost in life who fills his void with alcohol, and things start to change when me meets the nice and not-so-popular Aimee. It has other clichés, too. The popular cute girl, the dorky animé-reading other girl, the dead-beat father, the distant mother. And yet, it all comes together in a powerful yet subtle little movie.
             Sutter is a very strong character. Maybe I related to the movie as much as I did because I've dated Sutter in high-school. Twice. Sutter is the magnetic, charismatic, knows-everyone kid (even though he thinks he's a man) everyone met in high-school. He overcompensates his lack of direction in life being loud and drunk. And when he meets his father and he sees the man he will become if he doesn't change, he doesn't like what he sees.
             Aimee, however, was a character for me that lacked a little bit of an arch. She's realistic as the young somewhat insecure girl that has no idea how beautiful and smart she is. Throughout the movie, she is hurt over and over, physically, even, and never seems to learn from those experiences. That was a minor flaw for me in an other-wise very enjoyable movie.
             The chemistry between actors Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley jumps out at us on the screen. It is there throughout, but there are two scenes in particular that it shines. The first one is the sex scene between them. The actors felt very comfortable with each other, even though their characters didn't. The scene is simple, but beautifully written, acted and shot. The other scene is the one where Sutter sees his father, played by the always great Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor!), for the first time in a while. So much happens in this scene emotionally for the characters. Aimee understands better who her boyfriend is, and Sutter gets a glimpse of what his future will be like if he doesn't change, and he doesn't like what he sees. The scene ends with his father leaving the two teenagers to take care of the bill, and they scrap their wallets to do so. It's such a piercing way to end a scene. Kudos to the writers    Michael H. Weber and Scott Nestadter (from 500 Days of Summer, which actually made me feel like I wasn't going to like the movie. Yay for surprises!), I thought, only to read later that it was an improvised moment between   and     . The ending of the movie is somewhat predictable and... why not, cliché. But there's just honesty to it. You believe it. You feel their pain, their love, their fear and their hopes, making it the kind of movie that I just instantly fall for.

Looking - Pilot

     
   I decided to watch "Looking" after I saw my Facebook feed divided between people that thought it was so boring and people that thought it was the best thing since bottled water. As I recently heard, the only sin that art doesn't stand is it being insignificant, and I knew even before watching it, that insignificance would not be a problem for "Looking".
           Indeed it is not. "Looking" is a show that stays in your head for a long time after the credits roll. I didn't see it as a "gay show", whatever the hell that means. I saw it as a show about people, and these people happen to be gay men living in San Francisco. I know this sounds extremely P.C., but trust me when I say this, I'm not a P.C. person at all. But what I mean is that the crisis these men are going through are universal crisis, portrayed very well on screen, and anyone, straight, gay, bi, trans, can relate to those crisis. The twenty-nine year old man seeking for love and happiness based on his pre-established conditions of what he thinks he needs in someone else, only to have a chance encounter on the bus shake those pre-established conditions to the core, The forty year old man that is stuck in his dead end job while his ex is making millions selling condos in L.A.,  the couple that's moving in because that seems to be the next logical step in their relationship even though it seems that neither of them really desire it. Is it a unrealistic portrait of gay men living in San Francisco? I don't know! And I don't care. What I do care about is that the characters felt real, and so did their pain, their wants and their needs. I have a feeling that because this show focuses on gay men instead of someone who most people would call "main stream", people's expectations change. It's supposed to be "more gritty", or "more sexy" or less this, more that. To those people, I answer the following: it's a TV show. It's art made to entertain. And, to me, it was successful both artistically and in its entertainment value.
            I loved quite a few aspects of this pilot. I thought it was wonderfully shot, I thought the acting was spot on, and I can't remember any portrayal of a "bad date" to be done as well as the one that happens in the pilot, with the awkward interview process followed by the even more awkward split of the bill. At the same time,  I can understand how some people found it boring. There are, in fact, no grand plot points, no epic story line going on. But that was ok to me, because of what I said earlier about good characters and relatable situations. I believe that emotion sustains arts way better than logic or realism do. If something is emotionally honest, I - and I know this is a personal reaction to stories - am ready to forgive certain logic flaws or weak story lines. And that emotional honesty was there for me. None of these characters have found what they're seeking yet, but, hey, they're still looking. And I'm ready to tune in next week to help them find it.

Revenge S03E13 - Hatred

       

         Revenge is, by far, my favorite guilty pleasure. I love how unapologetically soap-y it is, and as far as B shows go, I give it an A+. I'm pleasantly surprised at how the writers come up with all these obstacles to stretch the show out for a couple seasons before Emily Thorne finally gets her revenge.
          This was a mid-season finale, even if it didn't feel finale-esque. But, boy, was it a good hour of television. Despite some odd choices from the costume design department - mostly Daniel's jackets and suits and Margot's way-too-pink-blouse, this was Revenge at it's finest. The show has really had fun with character evolution, particularly Daniel - more on him later - and, of course, Emily. But let me start with one of the show's best characters: Victoria Grayson.
         Victoria is going through a very interesting arc. For so long we saw her as the evil one, with absolutely no morals or layers, for that matter. That has changed. Victoria has had a terrible, terrible life growing up, and it didn't seem to get better after marrying Conrad. Patrick returning to her life brings out all these dug up memories, leading her to deliver one of the show's best scenes up to date, which was that monologue. That monologue!! Not even Justin Hartley's poor reaction shots killed that for me. For once, Victoria's motivations are actually genuine and relatable: she wants to protect her son from a woman who she knows (thinks) is a social climber. She knows Emily Thorne is not to be trusted, and also knows what a destructive force she is to her son. I think it's safe to say that we all, maybe for the first time, felt bad for Victoria.
           Also worth mentioning was the scene between Conrad, Margot and Daniel. I had always thought Margot to be a disposable character, only there to create another obstacle between Jack and Emily since Amanda Clark died. In this episode, however, she has finally succumbed to the evil energy that the Graysons just put out there. This makes her the newest player in their never ending scheming, even she thinks that her decision of throwing Daniel under the bus - something she doesn't hesitate to do and I love her for it -  will do the exact opposite.
         SPOILERS AHEAD!
Speaking of Daniel... His arc is probably one of my favorites. It's riveting to see how despicable his character has become, specially because we saw this happening step by step. He's hurt, he's lost, and he's a Grayson, and as much as he despises his father, it's Conrad he's turning into. I was on the edge of my seat during the last Daniel x Emily interaction. He's so angry at Emily that he can't contain it in himself anymore, making the scene of him pushing her on the bed ever so powerful. Yes, granted he has already shot her, but he is still able to hurt her even more by uttering one of the most evil, gut wrenching, soap-y, memorable lines this show has produced: "Me sterilizing you was my gift to the Universe." OUCH DANY! Which leads her to Emily. I thought the show has been handling her post-accident state of mind very well. She is still playing the part, but she is, deep down, a woman. Her not being able to bare children has had a deep impact on her, so when Daniel says those brutal words, she waits until he leaves and cries. It was a great character moment. And I can't wait to see what Conrad's latest scheme is. I highly doubt that Emily and Conrad actually did sleep together. It would take the show to the darkest place it's been to so far - which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I'm just not sure ABC is ready to go there.

Downton Abbey - S04E03

I've been enjoying this season of Downton Abbey way more than I imagined, and considerably more than I enjoyed the first few episodes of season three. As much as Matthew's death annoyed the hell out of me, and I'm pretty sure everyone - write better contracts, Julian Fellowes! -, it ended up giving a lot more material for story than if he had stayed alive, and the writing is not shying away from that.
I really appreciate how focused on the women this season has been, possible exception being Tom Branson, and his great struggle of not feeling part, or wanting to feel part of this strange section of society he married into. And now that the reason for him being in this part of society is gone - write better contracts, Julian Fellowes! - the awkwardness and the emptiness are just to strong for him not to ignore. But back to the women...
      Mary is now butting heads with her father as far as Downton and decisions that have to be made with the estate. I love Mary the business woman! She was born for that, and, even though we know that the great depression is right around the corner, I, for one, sided with her. Don't sell! Make the estate self sufficient! And, if that's not distraction enough, there's a new suitor in town and he falls head over heels over Mary, who isn't ready to officially give up Matthew. It's a beautiful arc, since we're right there with her. We, too, are not ready to move on Matthew, but we too know it's a decision that she will regret. Edith is affirming her independent spirit, even if she's caught in the act by... who's that lady again? Anyway, it's the same lady that gave a Lady Rose a hard time for dancing with the black singer, so, like Edith, we know her advice is one to pretty much ignore. And Anna, poor Anna! I usually feel that rape story lines are used by writers who have run out of ideas and need something to shock the audience. What's the worst possible thing that can happen to her? But here's it's handled very smartly. It's early 20th Century. There are no women's center for her to go to and hear she shouldn't feel guilty, although Mrs. Patmore's advice is of an experienced woman who knows what she's saying. And as much as we want her to tell her husband, we also know that she's right. He would kill the guy for it, and he would be hanged for it. Great stuff! And, let's not ignore the best flirting scene of the whole series, between Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Carson. Just get together, already! And, to finish, I would like to give Mr. Carson the "most quotable character of the week". My two favorites: "I always thing there's something rather foreign about high spirits at breakfast". Thanks, Carson. you just transformed my life's view into one sentence. And, this beautiful thought, which ties in so well with Mary's dilemma: "The business of life is the acquisition of memories, in the end, it's all there is."

Philomena

        My mother-in-law asked me once, not without a pang of annoyance, if being so analytical about movies took away the joy of watching them. My answer was something I read once in a obscure french screenwriting book: good movies grab you by the gut and you're so emotionally involved that all that annoying analysis flies out the window. Yes, the threshold for what I consider a "good movie" might be higher than the other person, but that experience, of total suspension of disbelief, happens from time to time, and when it does, it reminds me why I want to write and make movies in the first place.
         This phenomenon happened while watching Philomena. Yes, the writer in me was thinking about story beats and narrative choices for the first ten minutes or so, but what I remember thinking the most about is how embarrassing it would be to leave the theaters in tears. Stephen Frears has shown us the amazing ability to show someone's whole life and what it means to be that person by focusing on a particular event that person lived. That is clear in the masterful "The Queen", and equally present in Philomena.
        The screenplay, signed by Steve Coogan - who also stars, and has won my heart ever since the hysterically funny and melancholic The Trip  - and Jeff Pope is flawless. Never too much, never too little, fast paced and great pay offs. He creates a fun and deep dynamic between the wonderfully complex Philomena and the somewhat grumpy yet helpful and involved-more-than-he-wanted-to Martin. The movie does something seldom seen nowadays: it engages the audience in such a way one feels like screaming at the character on screen, and when we side with Martin during the final climactic exchange, it's us who Philomena is talking to when lecturing about love and forgiveness.

Shameless S04E02 - My Oldest Daughter

  I'm constantly surprised both at Shameless and at the fact that it isn't a show that everyone is talking about. It's an amazing ensemble piece delivering great stories and performances week after week. After a no more than OK season opening last week, this past episode reminded me why I love this show so much.
All the story lines worked for me, and not only that, they worked because all of these characters have been so well built over the last season. Deb is both eager and scared to grow up. She sees in both her period and in losing her virginity the objective ways of doing that, so she can't wait to get over both, not realizing that 'growing up' isn't something that happens from one day to the other. Karl, poor Karl. Karl is still too young to understand why nobody around him is trying to save his father. "He's dying!" he repeats a couple of times throughout the episode. It's so heartbreaking to see that he still hasn't been hurt by Frank, and therefore has a harder time giving up on him. It's a matter of time, Karl. Just wait and see. Fiona's storyline was probably my least favorite, although it's planting some interesting things for the future. Her new boyfriend, the boss, clearly likes her, but Fiona has no time, or patience for his insecurities, even though they sound kind of legit. I was glad Fiona mentioned her ex, even though I would like to see the show resolving Jimmy's death one way or the other. I also buy that Fiona would be a natural sales rep. She has to deal with so many different people under her roof that it's only natural that she easily aligns interests between two parties. Veronica and Kevin's story was funny and great. It felt obvious when V found out she was pregnant last week, but triplets? I laughed out loud with Kev's boasting of his magic penis.
By far, Lip's story line resonated the most with me. It was great to show how utterly lonely he feels without ever once spelling it out for us (see, Girls?!). I was particularly moved by his whole interaction with his tutor. He's upset when she ditches him, yes, but it's not because he fell in love with her in one second, or anything like that. It's because he saw in her possible high-quality company, and even a smart girl like her falls for the WASPy grad student with the plaid shirt. Him not wanting to hang up the phone with Karl was so sad, and spoke volumes.  That is what I love about this show. It talks about real, serious issues: single 'motherhood', alcoholism, puberty, growing up, being a fish out of water, daddy issues, but it never seems heavy. And with small, seemingly insignificant scenes, like Lip having crazy sex with some big-breasted stranger, have a lot to say about each of these characters.

Nebraska

      ""Nebraska" is the best movie I've watched in the last 10 years!" boasted my doctor when he realized he was in the presence of a movie buff. It was hard not to go watch immediately after.
Disclosure: I watched "Nebraska" last week, and not yesterday. This is relevant because Nebraska is a movie that gets better in hindsight.
      Knowing Alexander Payne and his work, I entered the theatre knowing I shouldn't expect epic story lines, major action sequences and fast paced story telling. And, true to my expectations, the story unfolded slowly, relying more on the strength of the characters involved than on major plot twists. The movie is very.... very... slow. Payne takes him time to tell this simple story, and while watching it, the word "boring" would sometimes pop in my head.
     However, something magical happens at the end of this movie. The emotional thread on which the movie is based on is so, so strong that when the movie comes to a close, even if the story itself seems a bit disappointing, it pays off, and pays off wonderfully. It's not a narrative pay off, mind you, but an emotional one.
     And here's the funny thing, which to me attests to the movie's quality: when remembering the movie, the word "boring" is nowhere to be seen. In fact, I see myself smiling remembering certain sequences and dialogues, and even though it wasn't the best movie I've seen in the last ten years, it was definitely one my recent favorites.

P.S: If the Oscars were about giving the prize to the best actor, and not the one that went through the biggest physical transformation - I'm talking to you, McConaughey! -, Bruce Dern would be taking it home.

HER

     

Her is Spike Jonze's latest movie and it's a story about a lonely man who falls in love with Siri, which, in this case, is called Samantha. It is the best possible movie given that premise. I liked "Her"a lot. I loved the vision of the new future the production design and costume design have created. Even though people will suddenly think that high-waist pants are SO COOL, the future looks a lot like the present does, but with better video games and cell phone reception on the subways. Joaquin Phoenix shows the best of his skills as Theodore, the lonely, letter-writing eccentric. The cinematography, done by Hoyte Van Hoytema (from the unforgettable Let the Right One In) is stunning. The last shot of the movie is one of my favorites in recent film history. But the story... well, the story is about a lonely man that falls in love with Siri and the complications, or lack thereof, that ensue when that happens.
      There was something missing for me in this movie. It wasn't particularly visionary - we all know that technology only gives the illusion of bringing us together when it, in facts, is making us more distant. No brilliant insight here! When Hal started lying in "2001" it was a scary - and revolutionary - thought: computers that are becoming smarter than the people that programmed them. It's the whole idea behind Free Will: yeah, God gave it to us (I'm talking theory here, not implying that you are a believer or anything), we're on our own. But in 2014, it's not revolutionary at all. It's, in fact, part of every day life. It wasn't particularly funny, or particularly sad, or particularly gritty. It took a not so safe concept and brought it to safe storytelling and filmmaking.
      It's still a memorable piece of art, though. Spike Jones has an incredible ability to take any strange concept and make it not only watchable, but unforgettable. Maybe Michel Gondry's crazy, creative and limitless mind would've given Her a little more 'punch', but that's just me being picky (this is Spike Jonze's first feature-length screenplay credit, if one excludes the Jackass films). Jones continues to be one of my favorite directors, constantly leaving his comfort zone - that is, if he has one - and taking us along with him.

Girls S03E03 - "She Said Ok"

      I will just preface by saying that I love "Girls". It took me half of the first season to actually fall in love with it, but eventually I did, and hard. The second season was a true tour de force, showing the real pain (and eventual joy) of being a twenty something girl. What I always loved about Girls is how "in your face" it actually was. It wasn't just about showing us uncomfortable and cringe-worthy situations, it was about taking us there too. Somehow the show removed that safety net that viewers have, where it makes it fun to watch other people in danger knowing you're in the comfort of your own home. It's the whole appeal of horror movies, right?
      I miss this lack of safety net this season so far. Girls has felt, over these last three episodes, very safe. Not safe for Lena and her gang, but safe for us. I know it's early in the season, but I have a hard time believing that this is a season that will go as dark as "Get on All Fours",  for example. Albeit the situations in the show being somewhat unrealistic (their apartments, for example, or that whole "my boss is sexually assaulting me so I'll offer him sex even though he's 102" situation), I always felt the characters and their emotional struggles to be very, very realistic and relatable. Exception possibly being Shosh, 'cause, like, no one really talks that way, and like, who has the time to take THAT much care of their hair? But I'm also lacking that this season. I mean, come on, Adam's sister? I couldn't find her remotely relatable, so I felt that she was only there to create a tension between Lena and Adam. Same thing with Hanna's publisher. Did anyone believe someone would act like that even for a second? Ok, I get that the whole idea is to contrast this young woman turning 25 (the big 1/4 century!!) acting more mature than the man that is almost her mentor and is supposed to be "the grown up", but maybe a more subtle approach would deliver the same message without banging it so hard on my head it almost hurt (sensing metaphor with Ray getting punched in the head?).
       But back to my first sentence: I love Girls. This is clearly a post from someone that loves something so much she wants it to be perfect every single time. I still love Girls and I think it is turning out to be one of my favorite stories in what is becoming a more and more common genre: the "twenty-something second coming of age story".

Wolf of Wall Street

         I was very excited about Martin Scorcese's latest film. Scorcese clearly has a good hand when it comes to dramatizing lives of criminals and other characters living on the edge of society  (need I give examples?). His movies show these characters' complex emotional layers, and he successfully shows the motivations behind what many times are deplorable people's actions without it feeling apologetic.
         This doesn't happen so much in "Wolf of Wall Street". Yes, performances are memorable - I, for one, am a big fan of Leo DiCaprio's work - and we are all thankful to be introduced to the world's most beautiful woman (sorry, Gisele!). But, at the same times, the characters portrayed are so over the top and one-dimensional that I'm not sure that these roles were very challenging to begin with.
          I couldn't help but leave the theatre thinking "why this story?". Yes, greed is a bad thing and destroys families. We all know that. People do a lot of cocaine in Wall Street and it's a dog eat dog world out there. We all know that. Society links a lot of money to success, when most of the time the people with a lot of money have broken lives and are unhappy. We all know that. By no means is it a bad movie. There are good scenes, sequences and actually a lot of humor, but it was impossible, knowing what the duo Marty+Leo are capable of doing, not to leave wanting more.