Video game adaptations: they often fail miserably. While I am more drawn in by the artistry of films as my main source of escapism, games have often been an alternative to this, even usurping my love of films at different points in my life. The problem with this devotion to such a mainstay in pop culture comes from the terrible to lackluster film adaptations. In the Nineties, we were subjected to terrible products in the likes of Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Double Dragon, etc. The stigma around such films seems to have changed in more recent times, however. Films such as Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog gave these avid fans hope for better adaptations. All this build-up I am establishing here is leading to the very film I’m talking about: Uncharted.
I can’t say I was ever excited about the prospect of a film adaptation of one my favorite franchises of the PS3-era. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all four mainline games, and have re-visited them on several occasions, enjoying the stories as Indiana Jones-like tales of adventure and action, mixed with some very cathartic shooter-action and parkour gameplay. The stories of all four games are all solid enough to work as films of their own, so a film just seems redundant. This film here, which has been stuck in development for quite some time, only had me more and more reluctant to watch. It reeked of heartless studio-made cynicism, and the casting of two actors that didn’t even feel close to the characters they were portraying, one of which was clearly due to Sony shilling out their biggest actor at the moment, had me in a flustered frustration. Perhaps my fears were misplaced, perhaps I was in for something fun and entertaining, something akin to any other big-action blockbuster…That is not the case. This is Ruben Fleischer’s Uncharted.
This “exciting” story of misadventure places its focus on young thief, Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), who works as a bartender, using his charm to pickpocket unsuspecting patrons of their jewelry. Nate’s life is thrown in a drastic direction when he encounters Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), who is hellbent on travelling round the world in effort to find the lost treasure that left behind by a group of explorers. Sully had befriend Nate’s older brother Sam, and persuades Nate to finish the adventure that the two of them had started. Nate agrees to this partnership, but is weary of Sully’s selfish means. The two eventually track down a golden cross that could mark the key to finding the gold, but are left fighting off against the money-hungry tycoon, Santiago (Antonio Banderas) and his accomplice, Braddock (Tati Gabrielle), who has a sordid history with Sully. After our two heroes attain the cross, they meet up with fellow treasure hunter, Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), who tries to double-cross the two. With Nate’s natural optimism, he manages to form a pact between the three so that they can all reach the treasure together. A high-stakes action film with puzzle-heavy scenarios? Sounds just like the games…right?
Trying to view this film separately from the games that inspired it is rather impossible. This movie does try its best to mash up story lines from across the four games, but it takes most of its inspiration from the fourth entry. There is certainly an attempt at replicating the feel of the games. I enjoyed the moments of investigation and mystery-solving, with small nods to the mechanics of the games, but in the context of the film, it felt very derivative. As it’s inspired by the Indian Jones films, these simply come across as lesser versions of that iconic franchise’s puzzles. I also found myself frustrated with how conveniently placed many of the solutions were; everything felt way too formulated, as a means to progress the story without much thought of subtlety. The dialogue was infuriatingly spoon-fed. Never have I had a film feel so expository. Each line out of the characters felt like they were reading off the script with no naturalism. Every time a long line of exposition arrived, I groaned and sunk into my seat further and further.
Something I really couldn’t fathom is why they decided to go for younger interpretations of the characters. Neither Nate or Sully feel like the game counterparts. This would not be an issue if it weren’t for how frequently they copy moments from the game, and by just how well-written the original versions are. The casting of Holland as Nathan Drake feels poorly chosen, seems as though Sony only wanted this due to his role as Spider-man, ignoring the fact he was cast as said superhero due to his young looks. Holland is trying his best, looking as though he’s having fun with the character, but he feels far too similar to his Peter Parker portrayal, being Nathan Drake in name only. Wahlberg simply plays himself: one-note mumbling with the acting range of a wind-up toy. There are moments in the film where attempts at the back-and-forth banter that games were infamous for, and there certainly are small moments that manages to get a light chuckle from me, but most felt poorly delivered an unnatural. There were some running jokes that simply fell off, ignoring the natural three-rule progression that any running joke should have. The whole ‘Sully gets a cat’ joke quickly disappears after the second mention.
An amazing feat that the director and writers have managed to achieve here is ability to make the two leads feel more interesting by making all their side character appear as bland, personality-less archetypes. Chloe’s character doesn’t feel even remotely necessary to the plot, only providing a minor halt in the story progression and as an obligatory, dated romantic interest for Nate. The acting from Ali also feels rather one-note (not to the fault of the actress herself, but rather the direction). The two villains are entirely forgettable. Banderas is noticeably baron of anything interesting to him, and the stand-in for Uncharted 4’s Naomi is simply ‘evil.’ Something I will always hold the Uncharted quadrilogy to high esteem on is its memorable villains, ones that heighten that high-action, fun feeling that made classic action movies so fun. This movie failed to capture that portrayal entirely.
I’ve been mostly negative throughout this entire review, but if there’s anything that is, mostly, consistently good, it’s probably the action. With the original games came ridiculous and outlandish action set pieces. Each game has their distinct moments, and this film does manage to deliver some of these moments, or at least the feel of them. The iconic scene from Uncharted 3, where Nate falls from a plane and performs insane aerial combat, is kept rather faithful, and adds some extra obstacles. I can see the average viewer feeling completely put off by this Fast and Furious type stunt, but I loved how over-the-top it all was. The entire final act is full some of the most ridiculous stunt-work, but it’s fun and captures the spirit of the games very well. Much of the hand-to-hand action is entertaining, but one scene ruins much of this by placing a huge Papa John’s advertisement in the middle of it all. I am not kidding when I say there is an entire fight scene that takes place in a Papa Johns. I wish there was more positivity I could spread here, but this film really lacks anything all that interesting.
To say that Uncharted was a disappointment would not be true: to be disappointed is to have higher expectations in the first place. One thing I never thought I’d say about the film is that it was plain ‘boring.’ I, at the very least, expected something either full of fun action moments with cheesy dialogue, or for a terrible mess of a film that has no idea what audiences want. I found myself sunken deep into the cinema seat as the film progressed, resting my head atop my closed fist, waiting for something interesting to happen, but these moments were sparse. This feels like the definition of a studio-made film with as little soul put into it as possible. The film looks ugly, the acting is subpar, the editing is shockingly terrible, it has little semblance to the source material, but at least the action could be fun, at times. You would have a much better time simply watching those cutscene compilations from the games on YouTube. This doesn’t stand on its own, nor will it appeal to hardcore fans. Skip on this one.
Side note: Fine. Here’s an actual picture from the movie:
This is not entirely film related. If you’ve looked at my blog and are expecting this to focus on some kind of analysis towards films of this particular year, then you might be put off by the fact that this is more of an honest look at my mental state in what I consider to be my most torturous year of my life so far. If you’re a tad skittish around the subject of mental health struggles, or don’t know me well enough to care, then you might want to wait till I do something film-specific next week, or look through my older reviews (shameless self-promotion.) I feel I am now at a point where I can speak openly about this, being something that evolved from a desire to write a book focusing on my past issues at the end of 2020. I could not have predicted what would happen in the following year. Strap in for some raw and honest revelations about one man’s struggle to keep himself tethered to his mortal coil.
I should probably preface those who don’t know me the kind of person I am. I’m somebody know for their quiet and awkward demeanor. I’ve always struggled with my anxiety issues, not the least of which were challenged terribly by being constantly bullied throughout high school. I went through a period of constant self-hatred, but managed to turn around my outlook completely after a monumental anxiety attack. I love movies, as is evident by this blog, and I adore nature. I do appreciate the simple things in life, but my overly dramatic attitude towards movies can contradict that perception. I also really like the Beatles and Muppets to an excessively annoying amount. With all that out of the way, get ready for some heavy information.
We all remember that terrifying, uncertain fear that was 2020. While I was certainly in an on-off state of worry about how the world would be with that dreaded virus making its rounds, my personal life was going, mostly, pretty well. I had made great strides in improving my long-standing anxiety issues in the year prior, and my introverted nature felt quite at home in a world that was living in isolation. Coming to work felt fun as it allowed me the one form of direct human contact, I could go home and enjoy my incessant film watching and the constant lockdowns didn’t stop me from continuing my blog. What I did not expect was what came about in the end of the year, as all that hard work of improving anxiety seemed like it was on a downwards spiral; a single piece pulled apart from an entire structure.
I won’t go into detail about what happened, specifically, as it would be going into more of mine and others’ personal lives, but a moment in late October caused me to have an unexpected mental breakdown. It was as if I had kept myself hidden from my emotions over a year and they finally bashed through that proverbial wall. I was in a complete state, making irrational decisions like trying to cut someone very close to me out of my life completely, and then festering in the guilt over that choice. I felt depressed. I didn’t feel like myself at all and this constant disappointment with myself for falling back into a state of mind I thought I’d long left behind just made me feel worse. A running thought would pop into my head that I never expected to happen: “just end it.”
While I’ve battled with depression in the past, suicide was never an option. I’ve always been strong enough to recognize the good things in my life and knew very much that suicide should never be an option. One of the great benefits of my mental turnaround in 2019 was becoming more open about my mental state, even to the point of making more closed-off people uncomfortable with that honesty. At this point in time, I told nobody about these extreme thoughts. I was scared. There was still that stronger part of me that was looking for an optimistic light, so I decided to let the thoughts pass.
November had been a struggle, but I was able to resolve the issues that I had talked about and my mental state was gradually improving, but then I was hit by Covid. Keep in mind, the stigma around Covid was very different in 2020, and I was still in the hot zone of mental health issues, this would only set it back substantially. Aside from my waning physical health, I had also felt an immense amount of guilt for going to work, unknowingly, with the illness, as well as being within a close vicinity of my grandparents only a day prior to finally getting tested. Work was in a state of people taking absences to get tested and I would become paranoid about the health of my grandparents. The guilt festered more and more, but reality sunk in when I had to spend Christmas on my own.
I was entering the new year with an immense feeling of sadness. My mental state was extremely fragile and I was finding myself with this immense sense of worry. The idea of simply sitting back and letting these feelings pass was not something I was mentally stable enough to do. I would worry constantly about whether I was going to recover, going each day with a sense of hopelessness. I didn’t know that it was my anxiety rearing its head again; I simply brushed it off as a deep depression. I made changes to my life in an effort to improve this: I added more to my rather limited diet, I started reading more and listening to music to keep myself calm (usually that of The Beatles and later seventies rock ballads), I even made sure to book some one-to-one therapy, but I was isolating myself from others because I couldn’t bare the thought of disappointing the people in my life who watched me go through that turnaround.
The entire start of the year saw me remaining idly quiet about my mental health issues as the stress took a toll on my physical health. I’m naturally very skinny, but I was losing even more weight. The thing about this was, I don’t think even I realized just how much of an impact this was having on me. I would go to work with constant thoughts of fear, worrying about every little thing, over-analyzing even the most basic day-to-day instances with a complete sense of dismay. I couldn’t distract my mind from anything without bringing on mild panic attacks and starting doing things like cutting out films for a while until I could recover. Bad memories from the past would return everywhere I went. I couldn’t stop associating locations with the bad parts of my history, remembering that miserable state of mind I was in when I left college in 2014 to 2018.
I was so disillusioned with the idea that I would get worse if I didn’t step back and let things pass that I was often batting back and forth each week. I would always worry about how each day would turn out that if I happened to have a particularly good week, I would take that as a sign that I had improved. One week, I was in such a good mood that I thought this was the end of it, and decided to ignore my upcoming therapy. I waited for it to pass so that I would no longer be eligible for it. I felt confident at the time, but as I sit back and reminisce, all I can remember is the terrible ignorance towards my greater issues. Things would take a drastic turn not long after this, however.
As a birthday gift for my sister, my mum had paid for a trip to the Harry Potter Studio tour, a place I’d been to two times prior. The last time I went was in 2017, and my mind was in quite a state of depression during this time-frame (this will be important, trust me.) When I met my mum in sister in Watford, my mum remarked that I looked like I’d lost a lot of weight, but I kept myself quiet on the matter and simply told her I was fine and that I just hadn’t eaten anything that day, the reality was setting in with how high I had my belt holstered up to my stomach. As we walked around the studio, I was overcome with those associated memories that I had battled with prior. I wasn’t enjoying the trip I wanted to, I was so overcome with memories of my mental state in 2017. I was on the verge of having a mental breakdown, but I said nothing to my mum or sister.
I left that day feeling defeated and mentally exhausted, but I was still in a state of denial. As I was trying to watch a film that night (Bullit), I was struggling terribly to focus on the film, questioning every little thought I had through the day. It all came to a massive close that night as I had a very tearful mental breakdown, begging the Well Being Centre to give me back my therapy, leaving dozens of emails with the threat of desperate measures. I rang mum later that night, telling her the entire truth of what I was going through, which opened me up to the rest of my family and friends. As terrible as I felt in myself, it was like a huge weight had been lifted. I could finally be open with everyone, and myself, and finally do something about this. I would like to say the story would end here, but we’re only in January. What follows may have you wondering why I did the things I did. Keep in mind, when you’re in such a state, it’s very difficult to think rationally, and it’s also very hard to explain exactly the feelings and thoughts I was experiencing during this never-ending year of psychological torture. I said this to both my mum and dad, so they know full-well what I was going through, so know that I am not this same person anymore. Get ready for some mind-manipulation, both mental and physical.
I was very lucky to be able to get the therapy right away. You have to wait six to nine months to even get this therapy, and it was very difficult in a Covid-laden world. The therapist was very understanding and I was relieved that I was still able to go through with it. Therapy is something I will always advocate for. It doesn’t make you weak to resort to this kind of help. I had to do these conversations over audio call (I hate doing video calls, you cannot get rid of my social anxiety that easily), but I did find myself going through self-realizations. I was able to piece together that I had moved past the depression phase and was now dealing with boatloads of anxiety.
Work became difficult, now that I knew what I was going through. I had this desire to control my emotional state whenever I felt the slightest bit of anxiety. Not telling my therapist, I was finding specific ways to stop myself from feeling worried. My coping mechanism was just to ignore my worries, not challenging them, but replacing them with trivial nonsense around things I enjoyed. What I ended up doing was creating this constant fear of actively trying to think of other things that have nothing to do with my mental health. This has had a long-term effect on me. I used to be able to bide my time at work by thinking about movies and games in a strangely sequential state of mind. Now, whenever I purposely try to distract myself with other thoughts, I can closely send myself into a panic attack. I can think of other things and distract myself by letting myself simply letting these thought pass, but I can no longer create scenarios on the spot without a strange sense of PTSD. It’s debilitating and these thoughts now come naturally to me, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss creating these specific thing in my head. I need things like this article here for my mind to be okay with this.
Negative and worrying thoughts became persistent, refusing to go away. It was like being bullied by myself. You think you know exactly how your mind works and how to get a solution a lot quicker, but when you’re that distressed, you lose all your grip on reality. Watching became impossible for me, not without the constant background thoughts. I became depressed over this; watching films was my core form of escapism, as well as something I’m deeply passionate about. Even the idea of losing that interest had me feeling like the world was about to end, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else in the future. I did try to numb the fear with games, but that became a chore in of itself. I even tried to fill days with visits to different places outside of my home town, visiting museums and zoos, but this was only short-lived and overshadowed by my constantly running mind.
The therapy wasn’t enough to change my emotions, however. Many at work would always recognize me as the quiet one, (which isn’t really new territory for me) but that I’m usually very nice. The constant strain on my mental health was changing me quite dramatically at this time. I was becoming more irate and would go off on co-workers. I would get myself into a frustrated mess over the smallest things. I was going through a huge identity crisis and was clawing for even the slightest bit of happiness. I tried asking somebody at work out, feeling like I had nothing to lose, and while that didn’t pan out, I did feel a temporary rush of pride for doing it. Even the younger, more confident Conor of 2019 didn’t have the courage to do that. As I said, however, this rush would only be temporary.
Doing day-to-day activities without thinking about that anxiety was impossible. Nothing I could do was making that anxiety go away. I tried to make social efforts by taking up any opportunity to meet with family, but it would just heighten the anxiety even more. I recall the three days that made up my birthday. I met with my dad and sisters on the actual day and had a minor panic attack that early morning. We met up for some food and I remember going to the bathroom to endure another panic attack right there. At the end of the day, as my dad was trying to get a picture of us all, I kept refusing, which seemed to annoy him, I started tearing up as I told him how I was feeling and took a walk as I waited for the next bus home trying to figure out what went wrong. I met my mum and my other siblings the next day for some pizza and went through the same anxiety, breaking down once again at the end of the day as the kids saw me in the most vulnerable state they ever had. The next day, I saw my grandparents, and had to walk away after getting unnecessarily agitated. I could tell me Nan was worried she had said something wrong, which made me feel terrible for even making her feel that way.
I tried a lot of things that my therapist suggested, one was to give an identity to this anxious part of me and try to rationalize with myself over specific fears. I gave it nickname “buddy” and began to really despise it. Two sides of me were battling for control: the budding optimist that I was from a year prior and the depressive personality that was “buddy.” It got so bad that I began to question my sanity. With all the anxious thoughts I had, it was causing me to talk about these issues more frequently. I switched over to keeping a diary of sorts, detailing the feelings I was going through, and you can really tell how much this was having on my more dramatic personality. Looking back at these entries, it reads like some sort of impassioned novella. “The road still has a ways to go” and “I must still remain vigilant” are certainly interesting ways of phrasing it, but I was very clearly heightened in emotion.
My therapist gave me the natural advice of trying to take up meditation and allowing myself the reality that is ‘things will improve in time, and not to rush it.’ I stuck to this initial mentality, meditating daily and letting the thoughts pass through. The problem with this was that my mind was not accepting this reality. I wanted desperately to believe that this was the right thing, doing everything that the therapist told me, but I was still left with this need to do more. I was now dealing with daily panic attacks. I would wake up feeling anxious and would go to bed with that same anxiety. I was struggling to sleep and I wasn’t enjoying my main forms of escapism. I felt like a husk, and I was questioning whether it was all worth enduring. This is when I did the most drastic thing I ever did…I was deperate.
Playing the waiting game was not working for this obsessive mind, and I was yearning to recover my older mindset. I hated that the negative, pessimistic thoughts wouldn’t stop: I felt like I was going crazy and I couldn’t stop breaking down in tears. I would disappear during my work to run to the toilet stalls to just cry and have full break downs, and then return quietly to my work like nothing happened. No one at work suspected this, or even noticed, but that’s what I wanted; the shame was making its way back in. Feeling like I was on my last legs, I decided to incorporate some physical means. I found that if I strained my head, I could stop the negative thoughts from coming in. I was so focused on manipulating the feeling of my head, that I could just block out the thoughts. I endured constant headaches and migraines, all so I could escape from this mental prison.
I managed to find a specific way of manipulating the wires in my head so that I could feel a relaxing stimulant-like feeling. It was like a cold sensation that would leave me feeling tired and almost zombie-like. I could still hear my natural self, so I didn’t question whether this was a bad thing to do. Whenever I would do this outrageous method, there was always a part of me that was terrified in what I was doing, screaming for me to stop. Again, it’s hard to convey the exact feeling of desperation I was going through, and I now can see how utterly stupid I was for thinking this was even remotely helpful, but I just wanted to be happy again. I would get frustrated when this strenuous method wouldn’t work and the panic attacks were still happening. I tried my best to watch movies and play games (a lot of time spent on Skyward Sword HD), but all of this was undercut by the pain I was going through. When I look back on the new movies I watched during this time, they’ll always associated with the torture I was putting myself through.
This ridiculous method wasn’t working. The reality that, at this point, I gone half a year with back-and-forth methods of trying to improve my mental health was setting in and I was beginning to see those suicidal thoughts resurfacing. One particular morning, I decided to simply let my thoughts pass through again. I struggled that entire morning, and when my break came about, I said to myself very bluntly: “I’m done. I’m going to kill myself.” There was no emotion behind it. I was exhausted and I had enough. I started cycling ideas in my head and how to go about telling family members and friends, thinking about how I could make amends with those I had fallen out with, but it was this lack of emotion which allowed me to make sense of it all: “just breathe.” I sat there, listening to words of Paul McCartney’s ‘Let it Be’ and started taking deep breathes. I knew I had to put my entire faith into this method, and it didn’t require any manipulation whatsoever.
This deep breathing method worked wonders for me. It hadn’t long before, but now that I was in a more hopeful state of mind, I could put my foolish physical methods behind me. I felt like myself again, only using these breathing exercises as a safety net when I would get especially stressed. It allowed me to enjoy movies and games again. I no longer struggled with it when talking to co-workers, seeing them as essential parts in my road to improvement, even if they didn’t realize it. For the first time in that terrible year, I felt as happy as I once did. I would like to say this is where the issues stopped, but the year is not yet finished, and I did not exaggerate when I said was a year I lost.
Amongst all of this mental improvement, things in my life were beginning to change. I don’t believe in God, but if there were one, that God was really putting my efforts to the test. Trying not to go too in-depth about this, I learnt of the passing of my grandmother (dad’s side.) I have a complicated history with this side of the family, so I having trouble processing exactly how I should feel about the entire thing. I was mentally preparing myself for the few days I would spend with my dad leading up to the funeral, though I did have brief panic attacks, especially when sitting in the church during the whole ordeal. I managed to get through it, but I felt more anxious afterwards. This breathing method became way more frequent, but at least I had co-workers that I treated as friends to keep me sedated during work…
Learning that the two co-workers I had gotten along with for four years were both leaving for other jobs left me feeling quite strange. I may be a huge introvert, but I do appreciate having that social aspect in my life. I was obviously quite melancholy about this, but I knew I could keep going on my own, it’s something I had done for practically my whole life, outside of the small group of friends I had. The reality dawned on me that had lost contact with many of my former friends over the years, and that loneliness was starting to set in. I struggle socially. It’s something that is inherently part of me and I don’t have the benefits of alcohol to improve that aspect, due to my persistence of not drinking. For the first time in my life, I truly knew what it meant to feel completely alone, but I didn’t notice how bad it was just yet.
Work became stressful after this, and I’m not talking about my social life here. With people leaving, I was pushed into being an unofficial leader of the department I worked. I despise being put into kind of leadership role, that comes with the anxiety, so I wasn’t handling the stress of it all. I became miserable in a very different way from earlier in the year, and I felt myself relying too much on the deep meditation. The breathing exercises would stop working, my mind couldn’t accept it anymore. I was left feeling existential, questioning my place on this earth. One particularly stressful day of work left me leaving in a state of emptiness. I took the next day off in an effort to relax, but I couldn’t shake that feeling. Almost immediately the next day, I felt different, like I was a completely different person. I felt similar to how I did at the beginning of the year. Nothing was working anymore. I couldn’t enjoy anything again. I was alone and exhausted. Those suicidal thoughts were louder than ever and the year wasn’t even over yet. I searched through my head for the answer, but nothing could come to me. I couldn’t stop crying as I had basically made my mind up. I sent what I wanted to be my final text to my mum, essentially a suicide note, and was ready to do the same for my dad later. I sat there for a good while before my mum called me, not really sure if I could really go through with it. I needed somebody to stop me from doing the worst possible thing I could do. Both my parents talked me down from it. With very little hope in my head, I decided to do something I said I would only do if I ever got to the worst possible state: taking antidepressants.
I’ve always been very dismissive of using medication for mental illnesses that are naturally controllable. I didn’t want to think I could be so desperate and truly believed I had it in me to manage on my own, but also said that about therapy in one point in time. I can’t say that confidence was boosted right away. I did confide in my family that I felt dehumanized by resorting to it, but I was going to keep with it anyway. I endured the next few weeks without trying to stop myself from feeling anxious, letting all the thoughts in and sticking to my forms of escapism. Change was obviously not immediate, but I was finding it easier to step back and let myself feel anxious. By the end of the year, I felt a lot better in myself. I wanted to go into the next year with some more optimism.
Where I currently am in my mental state right now might not be exactly where I was before all of this anguish, but I am happy. I’m still dealing with the aftershocks of all of my terrible efforts to control my mind, but the thoughts don’t last. I’m learning to take less responsibility over work and simply do what I’m expected to do. I’m joining film discussion groups in an effort to meet more people and I’ve managed to do more with this blog site than I was repeatedly doing in the past. This year has only started and I already feel like I’ve achieved more. Part of me wants to pretend like 2021 didn’t happen, and it’s best just to ignore it, but if I do that, then I’m never going to overcome these issues if they ever arise again. This year taught me that I still have some issues buried deep down, and it taught me of my limitations. I question a lot of the things I did, and probably made things worse, but I am trying to move forward. If you were even feeling a similar apprehension towards getting help for your own issues, or the reluctance to try medication, I implore you to try these things out. I don’t think I could reach the point I’m at without both. We’re fragile creatures, so we need to practice as much self-care as possible. It’s hard to fully encapsulate the experiences without droning on and on, but know this was over the course of an entire year. I wasn’t entirely unhappy, but all of this stress has defined that dreadful year for me.
Sorry to those that may have found this stuff very dark, but I’ll feel good if it manages to help people find some happiness themselves.
If you’re ever feeling suicidal, reach out to your loved ones, or seek out help: 0800 58 58 58
If this is the first article of mine you’re reading, this probably won’t mean much to you and should not be used as a reference point for my more in-depth reviews and analysis. I figured that I could re-purpose something I used to do more frequently on my Letterboxd account: my shorter ‘mini-reviews.’ I tend to watch a film each day, but it’s very rare that these films will inspire a new review, so I wanted to recap each month with these brief opinions on what I watched throughout said month. It’s more for a bit of fun. So, here are the thirty-one films I watched this month.
People, Places, Things(2015)
I decided to start off the year with a completely random pick from looking through the list of movies Netflix had shilled out some money to put on their platform. Can’t say it was a triumphant start to the year, but not a a complete thud either. Jermaine Clement is a comedian/actor that I’ve seen from time to time, but not enough to consider myself a fan. I loved his contribution to the film, What We Do in the Shadows, so I wanted to see how he would do in a leading role.
It certainly fits into that style of humor that Clement has honed: one of complete, improvised quirk, and there’s a lot of charm that makes up the movie, but it never really went anywhere to special for me. It steps away from the typical indie-darling humor that often nauseates me, which I was entirely expecting. As adult as the humor and subject matter is, there’s a charming family feel that does make for a pleasant watch. The image of a single dad trying to raise twin girls, while also trying to get over his ex-wife felt very real, but it does often fall into overdone tropes that decorate the single dad story-lines that comedy films can’t help but rely on. Not a particularly strong film, but it did manage to get a few hearty laughs out of me; it’s decent.
Roma(2018)
I could really annoy people with my opinion on this one. Looking for some potential additions to the Foreign Film Contemplation I made a couple of weeks ago, I felt compelled to watch the award-winning Mexican film, Roma, after sitting on the idea of it for months on end. Finally sitting down one morning and giving it the chance I felt I owed it, I felt a little disappointed. I appreciate the film immensely, especially on the merit of direction from Alfonso Cuaron alone, but I just couldn’t get that same sense of investment I expected.
The cinematography and soundtrack are both beautiful and the acting is spectacular in regards to all the side characters. It’s the story that left me yearning for more. I can enjoy a film with a purposeful slowness, but Roma pushes this to pretentious heights that left me either uninterested or rolling my eyes. The acting from lead actress, Yalitza Aparico, felt lacking. I understand she is purposely portrayed with little emotion, as if a bomb of sadness is about to explode, but I couldn’t get past her lack of comfortability on camera. I appreciated aspects of the story, but everytime I got close to being invested, I found myself losing focus.
I initially gave this movie a high 4/5 rating on Letterboxd, but I think that was more of a guilt rating than anything. It fell down to 3/5 the next day, but I feel my rating slowly falling as time goes on. It didn’t make my foreign film recommendations, but I know there are plenty more people out there that would put this high on their lists.
Le Quattro Volte (The Four Times) (2010)
Ready for the most ‘arthouse’ film I think I’ve ever watched. In another effort to broaden my foreign film library, I walked about the foreign section of HMV and stumbled upon this super-obscure Italian movie. Honestly, the thing that initially stood out to me was the ‘U’ age rating. Wondering if this could make my article, it took about fifteen minutes to realize that this was never going to make it, but I at least gave it a shout out at the end.
I found myself entranced by this film. It’s one of the least accessible films I’ve ever seen, and it’s mainly due to how incredibly minimalist the entire experience is. It’s just showing us the lives of four different forms of life in a completely natural way. There’s very little editing and the dialogue is practically non-existent, but there was never a moment where I wasn’t drawn in by seeing what would happen next. It left thinking about my own place on this world, which is obviously the intent, and how insignificant we humans are in the grand scheme of life, if there really is any. I know some would be angered at my high praise for this over the more beloved Roma, but I just find this so distinct and life-pondering.
Help! (1965)
After the Beatles documentary, Get Back, came out on Disney+, I, like many fans, was left with a huge Beatles kick. I’ve always been a fan of the band, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as enthralled in their entire identity than these past couple if months. Having only seen Yellow Submarine in the small category of Beatles-led films, I bought a copy of A Hard Day’s Night last year and followed that up with the remaining two films this year. Help! was one I was looking forward to, especially after seeing Hard Day’s director, Richard Lester, returning and the excitement of hearing that wonderful soundtrack. This was insanity in one of the best ways possible.
Help! may not have the charm of the first film, but it doubles that in insanity. The Beatles’ acting feels more honed than before and feel much more natural with the this ridiculous plot. There’s so many pointless detours and diversions, with elaborate sets and props that speak for the much grander budget. I’m not usually too partial towards the earlier music of the band, but Help!’s soundtrack is undeniably strong. If you’re not a Beatles fan, you most likely wouldn’t get much out of this, but I was enthralled in the pure insanity that I saw. It’s also very apparent that the lad were living on a weed/LSD diet through the whole thing at it’s simply brilliant.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople(2016)
I’ve had this movie sitting on my mind ever since I watched What We Do in the Shadows. I’ve slowly been appreciate Taika Waititi’s work, with Thor: Ragnarok being one of my favorites in the MCU, Jojo Rabbit being hilariously beautiful and the aforementioned Shadows being one my favorite sole-comedies. With all this, I really felt like this was a necessary watch. Sadly, I have to consider it my least favorite of the director’s works.
I will say that the comedy was very strong throughout the entire thing, wit Waititi’s improvised and dead-pan rambling being a never-ending source of belly-laughs, but I didn’t always resonate with the characters. Sam Neill’s disgruntled wild-life persona was made for a great contrast to Julian Dennison’s Ricky, but I found myself mostly uninterested with the plot progression. It is mostly a comedy-focused foray, so as long as it made me laugh, I suppose it’s solid, but I just found the film was lacking that emotional weight it’s trying to achieve at several moments. Not much else to say, just a decent comedy.
Pig(2021)
Right into the last week of 2021, I sort of compiled together a handful of films from that year that I had missed upon their arrival, Pig was one I desperately tried to fit in, but I was a little too late. Seeing so many people giving Nicolas Cage the credit he deserved for this film was both entirely great to see and frustrating that people are only doing this now. Pig is definitely a great example of Cage’s versatility as an actor, but older films like Raising Arizona, Wild at Heart and Adaptation were amongst some of my favorite films of all time. Regardless, I was highly anticipating this grittier, more genuine attempt for Cage to flaunt his acting chops.
I really had no idea what this film was going to be about, all I knew was that it starred Nicolas Cage and a pig, almost akin to his more usual work. I like to look at this film as ‘John Wick taken seriously.’ There’s a genuine feeling of earnest that makes up Cage’s character and his devotion to this pig. So much of his backstory is told as the film goes on; probably the best way to display exposition. Cage’s performance is so much more subdued than the manic feeling of every other role he’s done. It’s such a fascinating that doesn’t sound like it would work, but much like other A24 films, it’s superbly written. Though I would place those three previous films above Pig, I do think that this still excels above most things Cage has ever done.
Burning(2018)
Almost a very real last minute addition to my Foreign Films article was the South Korean movie, Burning. I had vague knowledge of this film beforehand, as Korean cinema has been endlessly fascinating to me for some time, but I really didn’t have much of an inclination towards the plot. Obviously, the film had quite the impact for me to be putting it into the article so late. Burning, as I think about it more and more, is slowly making its way into my top movies of all time.
This film smartly balances this very grounded story of love-fueled jealousy with surreal implications hiding beneath the surface. It’s a constant riddle that continues to unravel but never reaches its end. In a lot of ways, this is a mystery thriller that relies on the idea of interpretation rather than giving you an answer outright. It’s one of those films I plan on re-watching as soon as I get the time to, because I just know I’m going to find clues that point towards that implication. It’s dark, it’s unsettling and it’s one Korean film I know anyone will enjoy.
A film collection that I kept walking past on my many trips to HMV was a specific boxset situated around the works of Clint Eastwood, both directing and/or starring in. I have mixed opinions on Eastwood as both, but I was curious to give this a look at. I also wanted to broaden my Western library, as it’s one of my least favorite genres. The first movie in the collection that popped up was the classic sixties espionage-action film, Where Eagle Dare. It’s more of a Richard Burton vehicle than anything, with Clint taking more of a sidekick role.
Believe it or not, I hadn’t even heard of this film before owning the collection. Not knowing what to expect made for a brilliantly fun and entertaining time where I was never left bored. Burton is the shining star that has such a natural presence on screen, while Clint’s ‘hard-man’ role is something he’s perfected over time. The set pieces, especially for the sixties, are great to look at and there’s sense of reckless freedom when tackling the story. There are points in the film where I feel the plot becomes more convoluted than it has any right to be, but any plot contrivances I have are nullified by the complete joy I felt. The cable car scene is the obvious standout, being endlessly creative and tense, but the entire finale is really fun. Good fun.
My dad bought me this film separately and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d already seen it, not after the countless others. Sorry dad.
Ida (2013)
If there is one film in my foreign cinema catalog that I wish could’ve made my original article, Ida would’ve been an inevitable pick. I’m not very familiar with Polish cinema, it’s probably even more nuanced in the scheme of foreign cinema itself, but I heard rumblings of this award-winning film. This is another one where I went in completely blind and this was, for sure, the best way I could’ve experienced the story.
Ida’s story of having her entire religious lifestyle shaken up in mere moments as she discovers she is a Jewish woman among Catholics. Taking place not too long after the end of World War II, it becomes a journey of discovering where her parents are buried. The emotionally suppressed performance from Agata Trzebuchowska contrasts that of the bitter, agressive delivery of Agata Kulesza, giving us a cerebral take on the word forming around the main character. It uses the black and white aesthetic as a way to highlight the empty state of Ida’s emotions. This is phenomenal, being the clear highlight of the month. Adoration is all I have for this film and is one that I would love to do deeper analysis off, or possibly include it in a second Foreign Film Contemplation.
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
A noticeably sharp contrast to the previous film I just talked about, Boyz n the Hood has always peaked my interest, but I was never in a proper rush to watch it. I was always under the impression, for the longest time, that this was a comedy. Perhaps my wires were getting crossed with Friday, another Ice Cube film, but it could simply be my complete ignorance. This was a bit of a random pick for me, but am I ever glad I watched it.
The only film of worth that John Singleton has directed, what I got was not a simple pre-cursor to the likes of Friday, but rather, a compelling drama about oppression against the black communities of America. Though this concept is not exactly unique, the way Singleton portrays it is far greater than any of its contemporaries. I compared this a lot to many of Spike Lee’s anti-oppression films, but Boyz n the Hood excels above that. Performances are mesmerizing, especially from Laurence Fishburne as the the smart, calculating father to the main character. It’s a film that feels personal to Singleton and it’s very clear his passion for film is used as a conduit to spread a greater message. It’s lacking in subtlety, but in all the best ways.
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
I suppose watching Boyz n the Hood left me in some sort of Ice Cube mood, so I decided to revisit a film that I had only watched twenty minutes of from the year prior. I should preface this by saying that I am not to interested in most rap music; it’s just never quite reached me the way that it did for others of my generation. It’s because of this that I was reluctant to jump in this. Being familiar with only Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, I was venturing into unfamiliar territory. Probably one of the whitest things you can say about this film.
As far as music biopics go, Straight Outta Compton does mark off a few of the cliches and tropes that make up this tired genre, but it also manages to tell a story that feels specific to the fans. Even as someone who is much of an outsider to the N.W.A., I found myself fascinated with the main trio, with Dre being the obvious standout. The performances are very strong, with the stand outs being Ice Cube’s son playing his own father and Corey Hawkins’s portrayal of Dre. The iconic rap numbers feel well-integrated, but do suffer from the music biopic cliche of being created in more romanticized ways than their original conceptions. The anti-police message is very strong, if a little over-exaggerated. I suppose you need to reinforce the message, considering how essential it was for the nineties. While not particularly unique and rather trope-heavy, you can tell there was a labor of love put into the writing. Even as an outsider, I did enjoy the film quite a bit.
8 Mile(2002)
Continuing my urban kick, I moved onto a film that has garnered more than its fair share of acclaim, but one I was extremely cautious of. I don’t care for Eminem. I may be the only millennial out there that doesn’t care for Mr. Mathers’s work, but I was curious to see how his acting would fare. Unlike Straight Outta Compton, I really do think you need to have a connection to the rapper’s body of work to get the most out of it, which is bizarre, because this is a completely fictional movie.
I really want to start this off by talking about Eminem’s acting: it’s very inconsistent. He’s at his best when he’s playing it loose, often during the more comedic moments. Eminem has a natural ability to be funny, but whenever a more serious drama-fueled moments come in, he’s just too one-note, playing it constantly-aggro. Aside from this, I did at least enjoy the story that was told. It does follow the typical ‘dreamer’ tale, but I did at least find some enjoyment from the relationships around the main character, especially that of his mother and sister. The freestyle rapping can be entertaining, but my preferences interferes frequently. Overall, I just didn’t find much in the message, especially when it feels like they’re trying to put a white man in the position that black people go through far worse. It almost feels like a white-washing of sorts. Lose Yourself is still a banger.
Deliverance (1972)
Deliverance is one that I’ve been meaning to watch for quite some time now. Having been gifted to me as a Christmas gift, it’s not exactly one that fits with overall wholesomeness of the holiday. My introduction to this movie was through the South Park ‘Indiana Jones’ episode, as shameful as that sounds, but I’d learnt more about it over the years. Now that I’ve finally seen it, I’m glad to see it live up to my expectations.
Dark and consistently depressing, this is a film that probably would’ve left me feeling more haunted for some time, if it hadn’t been for how iconic the imagery is. There’s still so much to adore about the film, from it’s ingenious writing, to the excellent performances, not the least of which is Burt Reynolds in one of his breakout roles, and the way the soundtrack switches from a charming southern banjo ditty to a slowly fearful slow-plucking had me with a slightly sadistic grin throughout. I do have a strange fascination with dark, depressing movies, and this one never fails to scratch that bizarre itch. I was sold at the dueling banjos alone. A film that is far too iconic to add anything particularly new.
Kelly’s Heroes(1970)
Returning to the Eastwood collection I had bought, Kelly’s Heroes was another film I wasn’t really familiar with. Unlike Where Eagles Dare, this doesn’t appear to be quite as infamous. All I could gather from the film’s synopsis was that it was a scathing commentary on war, I didn’t expect it to be as satirical as it was.
Eastwood provides a great straight-man act to the clowning comedic caricatures around him in a nicely pulled back satire on the men leading this war. I compared it much to M*A*S*H, which was only more appropriate when you consider Donald Sutherland being in both, but it doesn’t quite have that politically incorrect brand of humor that the latter revels in. Even outside of the comedy, there’s a lot of great action pieces and props that make great use of the relatively high budget. All of the characters were incredibly entertaining and memorable, with Sutherland’s Oddball being the obvious highlight. Just a solid anti-war comedy.
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
In preparation for my next film lookback, I re-watched this Lars von Trier film that made Bjork into an actress. A beautiful, yet deeply depressing film, the second watch had me appreciating the very low budget more. As someone who is impartial towards musicals, this was one that felt tailored towards the type of audience I’m apart of. I won’t go into too much detail, here’s my analysis: https://conorjohnson1.wordpress.com/2022/01/17/film-lookback-dancer-in-the-dark-2000/
Magical Mystery Tour(1967)
Still wrapped up in my own, little Beatlemania, I made a trip into London during a week off. Having visited some major locations like Abbey Road and the Savile Row building, I also found a Beatles store. Getting caught up in all the merchandise, I bought a copy of Magical Mystery Tour. This was probably the Beatles film I knew the least about, only knowing of the fantastic album and that the plot is rather insane, but I felt I had to watch it after having done the other three. Mystery Tour is fifty-five minutes of pure nonsense in all the best ways.
It was difficult for me to even form an opinion on this “film”, as it’s mostly just the Fab Four riding around on a tour bus around England. There’s confusing sub-plot where wizards (played by the Beatles as well) are trying to orchestrate the tour, but their reasons for doing so are very vague. The fact that the band directed the movie themselves and the fact that the script was non-existent becomes evident at every turn. So many actors seem lost as their forced to improvise, the cinematography and editing is poorly done. All of this made for a hilarious experience. I kind of love how frantic the whole film is, and I especially love the soundtrack, being the best of the four films. It’s not a film that I would encourage non-Beatles fans to watch, but it definitely feels like something every fan owes themselves to watch.
George needed more screentime.
Dirty Harry Anthology
A big part of the Clint Eastwood collection is the presence of the five Dirty Harry movies. I already owned the first film, but I was always reluctant to pick up the others. The first movie works so expertly that I didn’t want to soil that view of the film with lesser sequels. Deciding to break up the order of films in the collection, I watched all five, one after the other. Re-watching the first film left me with a newfound respect, but what did I think of the other four?
-Dirty Harry (1971)
Re-watching for the first time since 2011 (due to having to watch for a college course), my opinions were bound to change. I was quite surprised at how much I remembered, but I also found myself appreciating the more subverted parts of the film. Eastwood’s performance of Harry Callaghan is wonderfully aggressive, while also having a more subdued sense of humor that balances out the darker elements of the story. The film is something akin to the Steve McQueen classic, Bullit, but it portrays Harry as more of an unpredictable vigilante who just so happens to be part of the law. I really liked the sadistic and insane villain that compliments the unexpected darkness that layers a movie that could’ve easily reveled in silliness. There are plenty of moments that are simply entertaining, with one-liners and gratuitous nudity, but I was caught off-guard by just how desolate and violent it could be. Even better on a re-watch.
-Magnum Force (1973)
All I knew about the sequels from audience opinions was that they become progressively weaker as they go along, so my excitement was non-existent. I surprised to find myself more into this one than the first film. I can easily say it’s my favorite in the franchise (not exactly promising going forward.) This less-than-subtle anti-police message that the first film has is accentuated more so here. The idea of the villains being vigilantes working within the system provided a great comparison to Harry’s methods. There’s a constant moral question over how far one can push their limitations for gaining peace. The film also doesn’t fall into a lot of the same traps that most sequels of the seventies tend to do: repeating exactly what the previous film did with only minor changes. There are similar beats, but there’s plenty here that warrants a sequel. I loved the red herring villain. Perhaps I was a little slow on the story, but I was genuinely caught off-guard by the reveal. Both as entertaining and as dark as the first, just narrowly pushes it out as my favorite.
-The Enforcer (1976)
The third entry in the series is one that I can best describe as the most forgettable of the bunch. This one is somewhat muddled in it’s political views, portraying the villains as disgruntled war veterans that speaks to the problem surrounding the Vietnam war, but is also relentless in its misogynistic take on women in the police force. I can tell they were trying to go for a ‘women can hold their own too’ message, but it feels so mismanaged that it comes across as far more demeaning. This movie also suffers with too much comedy and explosive action, distracting from the brilliant subversion of the previous two. I had trouble remembering this one, so I guess that says a lot about the quality of the movie.
-Sudden Impact (1983)
The fourth installment is the only entry that Clint, himself, directed. Casting his then partner, and frequent co-star, Sondora Locke in the role of the villain was something I was not prepared to be a running thing in future films. Sudden Impact is, by far, the darkest in the franchise with how the villain is set up, but it fails to capture that serious threat they’re going for. The film can’t help but place Harry in a convoluted romance with the villain, and her backstory is entirely undermined by this. In its efforts to tell a darker story, Locke’s performance falls flat. Harry also feels notoriously more aggressive here, being straight up unlikable on several occasions. The film isn’t all bad, especially on a technical aspect, with Eastwood’s eye for cinematography shining at moments. The acting, in general, is good overall. This whole film just feels like a distant cry from what came before.
-The Dead Pool (1988)
With my interest in this franchise progressively fading away with each film, there was absolutely no excitement for this final film; I am sad to say my expectations were met, but not entirely. Probably the most comedy heavy entry in the franchise, there were far too many moments where I was left feeling disconnected from the franchise. If it weren’t for the traditions and tropes that made it so iconic, this could easily be brushed off as weak Eastwood effort. Watching Eastwood attempt to play this character off the same way he did in his prime is kind of pathetic, and the forced romance feels very uninteresting as a result. The thing that kept me fascinated by the film was that bizarre final act. The villain of the film has a ton of meticulously planned out methods to complete his murders, the one that Harry must deal with comes from a remote-controlled car fused with a bomb. We get a ridiculous car chase that involves said car chasing down Harry’s actual car in a scene that is supposed to be taken seriously. I had myself laughing my arse off throughout the entire thing. If it weren’t for this final scene, I doubt I would remember this film at all. There’s a small appearance from a young Jim Carrey that makes for a small moment of entertainment, so I guess that was fun.
I can’t see myself ever going back to the last three movies in the franchise, and I don’t really feel like my worries about a sequel to a fantastic cop thriller were softened, but I do see myself going back to the first two if I want something incredibly entertaining.
The House(2022)
Animation has always been a medium I’ve admired for practically my whole life. I know a lot about animation history and the intricacies that go into making such wonderful pieces of art, despite my lack of actually wanting to be an animator. I wanted to an entire article surrounding the various types of animated films I enjoyed, but after watching the Netflix original, The House, I decided to streamline it into one about stop-motion. This was one on the the top of my to-do list for new films, and I went into much more detail about it in my Stop-Motion Contemplation, so I won’t talk too much here.
The short end of it was simply that I loved this film. The three short stories that make up this dark and unsettling tale may get progressively weaker, but all of them have a strong sense of uniqueness. The models are wonderfully uncanny and the way it uses anthropomorphism as an allegory for animal behaviors is genius. I liked the first short the most, with its creepy Victorian aesthetic and message towards valuing familial comfort over fortune is strongly portrayed. Check out my entire article here: https://conorjohnson1.wordpress.com/2022/01/31/conors-cinematic-contemplation-stop-motion-animation/
Licorice Pizza(2021)
I already did a much more in-depth review for this one, so I won’t go too much into discussing it here. I will say that the library of work that Paul Thomas Anderson has directed has been an almost entirely new journey fo r me. Last year I watched a handful of his works after having only seen There Will Be Blood. When this film popped up on my radar, I had to watch it. I really do love this movie, and I’m realizing that PTA has a pretty flawless track record. You can read my full review here: https://conorjohnson1.wordpress.com/2022/01/24/recent-review-licorice-pizza/
I Am Not a Witch(2017)
One of the more random purchases I’ve made, this is a movie I was completely unfamiliar with. It brushed past me on my active browsing. Considering how interesting everything surrounding the background of the film is, I expected to like this more than I did.
The thing I appreciate most about this is its allegorical message towards how women are treated in society. The main character being treated as a witch simply for not following the standards of women in her home country provides both a fascinating and humorous look at such a serious subject. I enjoyed the fact that the non-experienced actors were able to deliver their dialogue with genuine hilarity. I was’t expecting this to be even slightly comical, so the sense of humor made for a very uplifting story. Despite its African setting, the movie can be applied to any setting were woman a continually oppressed. What keeps me from rating it higher is just the slower moments feeling that much slower. Some of the direction feel aimless, if admirable. Not a great film, but one that I might see myself going back to, hopefully with a different outlook. I really want to love this movie.
The Gauntlet(1977)
Returning to that Eastwood collection again, The Gauntlet was one I was highly anticipating. I originally thought this was part of the Dirty Harry saga, and watching the film, one could be forgiven for actually thinking that. Eastwood donning the role of a ‘no-rules’ cop again is something that could feel derivative if done poorly, but this certainly isn’t the case.
The Gauntlet’s poster promises an exciting and insane adventure, and most film of this time would make these posters more extravagant than the film advertised; The Gauntlet is not one of those films. This is one of those films I could see myself going back to on several occasions. I look at it the same way I look at Die Hard, it’s just that fun. Eastwood plays a delightfully damaged protagonist with constantly unpredictable attitude. He balances well against his constant partner co-star, Locke, the best here as she plays a mentally unstable prostitute. There’s several thrilling chase scenes, large explosive action, great comedic moments and an ending that has a surprising amount of weight to it. If you’re looking for a wilder version of Dirty Harry, this film delivers.
The Which Way Duology
Returning to my Eastwood collection, we have a couple films that the actor simply starred in. I’d never heard of these film before, so upon looking up the first film and seeing a picture of Clint next to an orangutan sidekick, I was a little worried. As strange as these film seemed, I wasn’t pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed them…well, the first anyway.
-Every Which Way but Loose (1978)
If you’re unfamiliar with this film as well, allow me to show you the first image I saw of it. Supposedly, everyone told Clint not to accept this role. A wacky comedy that has Eastwood teaming up with an intelligent ape and going around punching Nazis while stalking a country singer, played by Sondra Locke; sounds like a fun time to me. With no expectations, I think that little fact amplified my enjoyment for this film. It’s entirely ridiculous and fully acknowledges it. Some of the jokes don’t land, but there’s so much innate goofiness that you can’t help but chuckle. Eastwood plays the role with such sincerity that it kind of caught me off-guard. I was also surprised at how sad I felt over the way the romance comes to an end, shockingly dark for a film like this. Shoutout to Manis for his incredible and uncanny performance as Clyde the ape.
-Any Which Way You Can (1980)
Everything you could think would go wrong with the first film, somewhat happens with this less-than-exciting sequel. Like a lot of sequel of the seventies and eighties, Any Which Way You Can is merely just a rehash of the first. There’s far more fist-fighting in this one, which felt more like a side-thing in the original, and the jokes just don’t land as well. I also don’t appreciate the attempts to make the neo-Nazis from the first films more likable. There’s not much else to say about this one, it’s very forgettable. Shoutout to C.J. (cool name) who took over the immense responsibility of playing the role of Clyde.
Not sure if I’ll ever return to these two films, but I’m glad I got to watch the first one at the very least. I feel like the novelty would ware off on the second watch.
Bronco Billy(1980)
Continuing, once again, with the Eastwood collection, Bronco Billy was another one that I overly familiar with. I was under impression that this was going to be a straight-up Western, but found myself subject to something more attributing to the genre. What appears to be Clint making a love letter to the genre that defined him, it was a difficult one for me to fully enjoy.
I will say that there is an admirable and child-like wonder to Clint’s love of Westerns. Watching him play this wannabe cowboy with no real self-awareness is funny, but it sometimes across as overly schmaltzy. There’s a nice message about giving people second chances and countless comparisons to mental health issues, but it feels as though Clint just can’t pick a tone to stick to. It feels very all-over-the-place in that regard and I had myself trying to wrap my head around the intended genre. I’m settling on it being a comedy with heavy moments of drama. It’s definitely a charming piece, but I couldn’t quite love this film as much as Eastwood wants me to. This may be Sondra Locke’s worst performance as well.
The MEN Who Knew Too Much
Way back in 2011, I had to do a college project centered around one of the most prolific directors of the Golden Age, Alfred Hitchcock. I became obsessed with his works, nagging at my mum to buy me as many films of his, ’cause I didn’t have a job to buy them myself. I have quite a sizable collection now, but one film that avoided me for so long was the original The Man Who Knew Too Much. For those who don’t know (likely a lot of you), Hitchcock was never satisfied with original thirties film that he made and decided to remake it himself in the fifties. I owned the remake since 2011, but I recently managed to find a copy of the original more recently. I decided to watch them (practically) back-to-back.
-The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
One of the things that can absolutely ruin my watching experience for a film is when I watch the remake before the original. Not to say that it makes the film bad, it’s just that I can’t stop comparing (the most notable example being Mel Brooks’s The Producers.) What made this easier to watch was both the fact that I hadn’t seen the remake in over a decade, and the fact that it was changed quite dramatically.
The thing I enjoyed most about this film is the obvious standout of Peter Lorre as the villain. Though a tad cartoonish, what with his horribly large facial scar, Lorre’s performance was delightfully sinister. The rest of the film feels very ‘thirties’ down to the performances and way things are edited. I still really enjoyed the film, however, with that Hitchcock trademark of gripping suspense in its early stages. I was very gripped by the second half, really enjoying the church scene and, naturally, the opera house scene. The film feels far too rushed at times, mainly due to the under ninety-minute runtime. It’s not one of Hitchcock’s greatest, being significantly better than most of his work before, but I can understand the need to remake it, even if I feel there are far worse films he could’ve done.
-The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
As mentioned, I hadn’t seen this film in over a decade, but I had been planning to re-watch the film for quite some time, especially after I bought the Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection. One of the many greats to come out of Hitchcock’s golden era of the fifties, I wasn’t sure if my opinion would shift about; I was happy to see myself enjoying it more.
James Stewart and Doris Day provide much stronger performances than the previous two actors, who were largely overshadowed by Peter Lorre. The setup feels so much smarter and doesn’t feel rushed. There’s a subtle genius that made up Hitchcock’s best works here, with how slowly it builds upon each reveal. I always really appreciate that the wife character isn’t simply pushed to a minor role like the previous, taking the spot that was originally given to the main character’s friend. The villains aren’t quite as memorable as the first film’s, but I did enjoy there’s implementation. The use of Que Sera gives us a brilliant example of Hitchcock’s eye for great writing. There’s some slightly outdated race politics here and there, but if you can remind yourself of the time it came out, this is up there with the likes of Rear Window and Vertigo.
To Die For (1995)
Time for another completely blind purchase. I somehow managed to completely miss the existence of this film up until recently. I only bring this up because it speaks so much to my love of late nineties comedies. All I saw was a Blu-Ray cover with Nicole Kidman on the front that looked like some kind of horror film, only to find the plot outline to describe something much more tongue-in-cheek, as well as a story that was surprisingly based on a true story that I just randomly suggested the idea of as the film went on.
A story of a budding news anchor that killed her husband in a conceded effort to grab the limelight seems like the story to a ridiculous murder mystery novel. As true as the story that the film is based on is, this re-telling leans heavily on that sadistic irony, portraying Kidman’s character as a manipulative airhead that only cares about her looks. The story being framed through re-told memories of the people in her life is a brilliant way to do this. The writers are also not afraid to portray a sexual manipulator and pedophile as a woman. Yes, it is the factual background of the situation, but it’s not something that most media portrays. Kidman is sexualized, but to a specific reason. I do feel the film felt incredibly rushed and could be very predictable, but it was shockingly good.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
My distaste with Westerns has always made me reluctant to watch one of the most iconic Westerns of all time, Once Upon a Time in the West. I wanted to see if this film would shake up that pre-conception the same way that the Man with No Name trilogy had just a year prior. Being gifted this film, it provided the perfect opportunity to scratch it off the bucket list.
There’s many aspects of this movie that I very much admire, right down to Sergio Leone’s stunning eye for direction, the bustling western frontiers, the superb cinematography and score, but it’s the story that failed to capture my interest. Perhaps it’s due to the amount of films (western or not) that took heavy inspiration from this very film, but I couldn’t help but find myself rather bored at many points. I did really like the villain of the story, with Henry Fonda balancing this great mixture of menace and charisma. I just couldn’t find myself too interested in any of the other characters. Bronson’s ominous wanderer is fun to watch, but by the time his backstory is revealed, I found myself not caring too much. I did like the big reveal, but I just couldn’t much of the other story beats. Not a bad movie by any means, just not my thing.
City of God (2002)
The final movie that rounded up my month of incessant film watching was one that I had wanted to watch since my college days, I even thought I had seen it before, confusing it with the film Amores Perros. In a sense, this was a continuation of my foreign film binge that appeared at the beginning of the month. I don’t think I’d ever include this in a ‘part II’ article, given its popularity, but it is something that I could see myself doing a separate review for.
City of God is a brilliant biographical tale of the rampant street warfare that plagued Brazil in the seventies. Through the lens of a budding photographer, we are left to witness these unspeakable acts of violence as if we were there. The dirty, terrifying feeling of the film is nicely complimented by those frequent moments of humor, jokes that actually feel like a natural addition, rather than some sort of contrived need to relieve us of the darker moments. Every character has some sort of appeal, certainly not the least of which is the main villain, Li’l Ze, who’s unpredictability adds so much to this world. It’s emotional beats are perfectly executed and the visual representation is stunning. I look at this film as one of those ‘best movies ever made,’ even if it doesn’t reach me on a personal level. I can’t think of a better film to end this month on.
The spookiest time of the year is creeping up on us once again: Valentine’s Day. Whenever I’ve talked about Romance films, I always go for the more unique ventures, ones that take the overblown genre and do something more unique with it. The Shape of Water is a film I’ve been sitting on for quite some time. It’s a film that takes this overly-cliched genre and sticks to many of said cliches, but with the twist of a love between a mute woman and a gill-man. There is much more to this film, however, than that bizarre, inter-species mingling. What makes this film so beautifully layered is it allegorical message towards prejudice and discrimination. Whether you want to look at it as one of the most unique takes on romance or as a unique take on the constant discrimination issue that has persisted for countless decades, there’s a lot that goes into this film. This is Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.
Set in the 1960’s, this film focuses on a mute janitor named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) that works for a mysterious government facility led by a ruthless and spiteful man named Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), who leads the life of a typical American family man. Elisa, mostly, lives a rather solemn life, living with her middle-aged, gay roommate, Giles (Richard Jenkins), and having a strong friendship with her co-worker, Zelda (Octavia Spencer), who is also a woman of color. Elisa’s curios nature becomes her defining trait when the facility begins to act suspiciously. As she begins to investigate further and further, she soon learns that they are now housing a terrifying fish-man hybrid (played in costume by Doug Jones.) Elisa slowly begins to bond with the creature, and begins to formulate a plan to free it from its captivity. With the help of Zelda and Giles, they keep the monster within the confines of Elisa’s apartment. Strickland begins to suspect our protagonist, all the while, becoming intoxicated by our speechless heroine.
I mentioned in the plot synopsis the specific identities of the of the lead group of characters. Elisa being mute works exceptionally well as a way to embody that running theme of discrimination. Hawkins gives us a performance that is entirely spoken through sign language. Already, we’re given a more unconventional protagonist than most films. It is through Eliza that we begin to see the world through her eyes, one that overshadows the darker aesthetic of the film; she is happy with her life and looks curiously for imperfections. Adding to this is a friend of both older age and homosexuality, with another being a black woman. Considering this is set in the sixties, open discrimination is going to be much higher than you would get from a more modern setting. To add to all of this, our main love interest is a mutant fish-man, the most marginalized of the group.
There wasn’t a single character I wasn’t fascinated by. Sally Hawkins is exceptional in her performance, never saying a single audible word, but delivering so much emotion and snarky wit. I also greatly enjoyed Giles and Zelda’s side-stories. Giles’s excitement at possibly finding a lover, only to have that person turn out to be extremely homophobic was soul-crushing, and Zelda’s desperate efforts to raise a family in a time when black people were treated as low-class citizens will never not be relevant enough to believe. As singular as the story appears to be, there’s so much I enjoyed about the word-building.
Very brilliantly, del Toro’s love of sympathetic creatures is used as a way to highlight the hypocrisy of bigoted behavior. Strickland is portrayed as a truly awful human being, disliking Elisa and Zelda for being “imperfect.” He has that idealized life that many Americans of the sixties aspired for: a beautiful home with a loving wife and a young son, but there is no real humanity in his personality. What I love so much about this portrayal is the double-sided nature of Strickland. He revels in the idea of white perfection, but he also can’t help but be tantalized by all the imperfections of Elisa. It’s as if we’re seeing a projection of many bigoted people: that hatred simply stemming from what they were raised to believe, but the never-ending curiosity of something unique being more and more intriguing.
The very thing that everyone knows about this film is the, somewhat, controversial angle that the film took with its romantic story. Portraying a human-monster love story could almost be akin to bestiality for some, but this film ingeniously crafts a story that makes the allegorical message comprehensible to even the most casual of movie-goers. What we have here are two social outcasts, looked down upon for their imperfections. The gill-man is even stated as being found in a lake within the amazon jungle, captured and lured to a prison facility. It’s in this segregation that they find love in one another. The movie spends more than enough time establishing these two that it feels natural when they eventual love-making happens. In a sense, we are like the villain: being presented with something that challenges our perception, but being fascinated with what we’re seeing.
As someone who usually groans at contrived romance plots, I found myself hooked at every faucet of this relationship. It’s a testament to the writing, if anything. I also greatly admired how human the gill-man felt. Doug Jones is phenomenal at bringing these alien creatures to life and, much like Hawkins, says so much without actually saying a single word. I adore the fact that you can understand their fascination with each other through simple expressions and hand movements. Watching Creature From the Black Lagoon after this has given me even more of an appreciation for del Toro’s vision. Clearly being the main source of inspiration, it works as a nice ‘what if’ scenario of that classic monster movie.
Something I was entirely enamored with was the technical aspects. I don’t usually like to talk that intricately about these aspects, I’m much more of a narrative-focused person. All that said, this film visual style is one that may blend with other del Toro films, but I’ve never seen it used as well as here. The dark, unsaturated look of the film creates this sense of menace and is only really used during scenes in the facility. Whenever we watch the blossoming romance of the lead two characters, the world feels much brighter. The underwater shots are particularly mesmerizing. The soundtrack flutters back and forth between beautiful orchestral compositions and imposing brass melodies for the more tense situations. There’s rarely ever a moment where I wasn’t fascinated by the visuals and music.
The Shape of Water, for the longest time, was my favorite film from Guillermo del Toro, but after watching Pan’s Labyrinth, it petered down to a close second; that’s a VERY close second. My hesitance to cover this movie mainly came from the fact that it’s already so acclaimed. I ended up talking about it due to my rising fascination with the Mexican director, and the relevance of the upcoming holiday. I’ve typically been very critical of del Toro’s work in the past, but the more I see, the more I feel regretful of my past cynicism. You can tell this film is very personal to him. Combining his love of the sympathetic monster with the segregation he has most likely felt in his own life, there’s a wonderful personality to it that many can find themselves in. I may be privileged enough to be in biggest majority of them all, but I can easily notice the strife that minority groups go through, and how this film brilliantly executes that message. You’ve probably seen this one, but check it out anyway.
Side note: Once had a co-worker describe how he saw this film drunk and the only thing he could remember was Elisa explaining how the fish-penis worked.