REWIND FALL 2019

Written by Dylan King

After another tantalizing season of Review Crew, the cast is anticipating development for Spring 2020. In the meantime, a recap of the 10 movies reviewed for our “in theaters” segment (On The Spot) would help summarize the 5+ hours of content we put out this season; for the folks who don’t have that kind of time. So, without further ado, let’s get into the recap!

September 2019:

The Crew started off the season with a segment on the stellar film: The Peanut Butter Falcon (PBF). Following the fictional story of Zak, PBF utilizes beautifully subdued cinematography and minimalistic editing to afford the actors room in characterizing the story of three outcasts coming together to wrestle their respective demons. A motif most recognizable through the story of Zac who spends the story seeking to manifest his inner strength through the freedom of a physical wrestling rink. Zac embarks on his mission accompanied by Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) and Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) who ultimately achieve strength and freedom for themselves in escaping the reductive labels assigned to them by their respective bosses and coworkers. In meeting Zak, the three realize their collective need and conclude the film as a family of sorts, having each become a wrestler in their own way. 

In addition to the masterclass in effective storytelling PBF presents, I am floored by its depiction of Down Syndrome. Though the main character, Zak, has DS, he is never reduced to a 2-dimensional character who’s only trait is a genetic disorder as is the status quo in many other films (see Motherless Brooklyn). 

Ultimately, I can’t recommend a viewing of this movie enough. Tune in for a heartwarming vignette with themes of discovering freedom and choosing one’s family.

The Peanut Butter Falcon: 9/10

Subsequent to PBF the Crew reviewed IT: Chapter 2. Okay, the first one was pretty great, right? What happened? Where’s the comradery in the Loser’s club? Although each actor brings a great deal of experience and talent to the production; the group lacks charisma overall and fails to deliver any meaningful interpretation of Stephen King’s musings on accepting mortality. About halfway into the film, we get stuck in this loop that sees each character fall into the same cycle of jumpscare-porn. They must collect a childhood relic, for some reason, it can only be found in a decrepit cesspool, the score swells before plunging into silence, and then.... jumpscare. That exact formula happens four times BACK TO BACK. 

Beyond clumsy handling of the story, the cinematography fails to deliver the same punch as the original. I’d attribute this to the fact that we’ve seen adults in horror situations nonstop since the slasher movies of the eighties. The magic in IT: Chapter 1 was that we saw Dairy through the perspective of a child. This allowed for some inventive framing (see the fridge scene). Yet in the sequel we are following a cast of matured, at least physically, adults and Pennywise has to contort to cartoonishly large sizes to gain the height advantage over the losers. 

General audiences should probably skip this one, but die-hard King fans will surely get a kick out of seeing their favorite losers on the big screen.

IT: Chapter 2: 5/10 

Nearing the end of September, Crew member Owen Hannanel and I made an executive decision that we didn’t want to coordinate another trip to the theater, so we opted instead to watch a classic movie from the comfort of Booth Hall. Tootsie is just that, a classic. With heavy influence from the stage, the camera often remains static and the shots lengthy, allowing for the actors to flex their talent. Even with a two-hour runtime, the story is structured impeccably and the viewer is rarely drawn out of it. 

Tootsie’s cast does the heavy lifting, carrying this movie through humorously convincing reenactments of a 1970s televised soap. Emphasis on the 1970’s part as certain themes of Tootsie have aged like ice cream in July. For one, the story, which hopes to point out the Weinstein-like toxic masculinity ingrained in the industry, left a bad taste in my mouth after the leading girl falls for her creepy stalker regardless of her disgust for his aforementioned stalking. Additionally, this film furthers a narrative of transphobia that suggests a definitive binary must prevail and every man who even so much as wears make-up will eventually have to reveal his true, masculine self. Ignoring that, as bad as it sounds, I was captured by how bleakly this film portrays the life of a struggling actor; and the comically depressing lengths one would go to in order to secure a role. 

If you can both enjoy the movie for what it is and recognize its inherent ignorance, I’d say Tootsie is worth a watch. 

Tootsie: 6-7/10

For the final review of September, the Crew saw Good Boys, an intriguing concept executed with the grace of, well, an execution. I’ll start with the good: the child actors all brought a level of believability and truly did the best that they could with downright cringe-worthy dialogue. Sprinkled into the overly-lit, plastic-looking visual direction were some genuinely motivating shots with stunning color and choreography (see the beer sipping and the chase through the park). My favorite part of the movie came in a scene between the three main actors and a police officer in an intrinsically humorous theft attempt that strayed from the normally stilted dialogue and actually managed to get a laugh from the audience. 

I’d go over the negative aspects of this film, but in doing so I’d be putting more effort into my critique than the screenwriters put into Good Boys’ story. Goodness gracious this thing blows. 

Watch Superbad instead. 

Good Boys: 3/10

October 2019:

Kicking off October with controversy, the Crew saw Joker, a Joaquin Phoenix production. I’m not joking about that, Phoenix really stole the show here. Aside from the acting, Joker is great eye candy. It’s shot to emulate 60mm film and presents a complex color palette that follows Arthur’s (the Joker) character arc. In retrospect, I’ve come to appreciate the mirroring of certain shots in the beginning and then end of the film. Whether the juxtaposition of Arthur on the bus then in a police car or the restrained dance after his first kill to the bombastic numbers on the stairs and asylum. 

Based on what I’ve said so far one might assume I loved this film, and I think I would’ve, but then Todd Phillips had to come along and ruin it. Basically, everything was spoiled for me when Phillips claimed that Arthur is supposed to be a relatable underdog in a battle with a cruel, unforgiving world. I simply can’t get on board with this idea. I don’t want to relate to Arthur, Arthur’s horrible, he does despicable things. There are still relatable aspects of his character but ultimately, he is a villain. Phillips’ claim that we should be rooting for Arthur, in my mind, simply glorifies the idea that it is acceptable for people to act out in violence towards those who oppose them. 

This movie doesn’t make the cultural impact that Phillips hoped for, it’s worth a watch for fans though. Go in with an open mind and Joker serves as an interesting addition to the Gotham City expanded universe and a lovely character study brought to life by Joaquin Phoenix .

Joker: 7/10

Next comes: El Camino, a continuation of the Breaking Bad finale. We begin directly after the events that conclude the series and follow Jesse Pinkman on a straightforward mission to head north and escape his misfortune-riddled life. Yes, this movie is wholly unnecessary, but I have a huge bias towards Vince Gilligan’s writing and directing so I found myself elated to once again be swept up in his world of arid vistas and unique characters. 

While the story is basic, there are some extremely bone-chilling scenes presented throughout. A standout example comes during a flashback around the midpoint wherein Jesse is forced by his captor to assist in the disposal of a recently deceased maid. Rarely is the body shown clearly, yet the disgust emoted by Aaron Paul shakes the audience and works to build empathy in Jesse’s hope of escaping. 

El Camino is not a monumental feat of storytelling by any means, but a great collection of interesting ideas that end up playing out more interestingly in my head. If you’re a Breaking Bad fan who has Netflix, definitely set some time aside for this one.

El Camino: 7-8/10

I didn’t watch Eli. Check out the review here.

Eli: ?/10

November 2019:

Hustlers: a super entertaining movie with spots of truly inventive storytelling and some pacing issues, but JLO could snap me like uncooked spaghetti so Imma have to give this one a 10/10. 

Hustlers: 7-8/10

Motherless Brooklyn is a detective/crime movie wherein the only mystery is if I would fall asleep before it ended. 

Motherless Brooklyn 4/10

One of JoJo Rabbit’s most unique aspects dually functions as one of its biggest turn-offs: blending lighthearted humor with the hate symbols and general putridity of nazism. Frankly, this narrative won’t work for some people; but for those who can push through its abrasive setting, JoJo Rabbit is a hilarious deconstruction of blind allegiance through the eyes of a child.

I’d argue that the historical situation is of little importance in the context of these themes and found myself easily captured by Taika Waititi as he weaves together scenes that leave the audience doubled over in laughter just before dropping the film’s emotional climax. All of this is still framed in Waititi’s kooky style with admittedly average use of score but stunning employment of JoJo’s shoe-tying abilities. 

Visually, Waititi balances the documentary-esque moving camera of What We Do In The Shadows with some Wes Anderson inspired sequences. However, neither approach detracts from JoJo Rabbits’ main purpose: its story.

If you’ve found my ratings agreeable thus far, give JoJo Rabbit a watch. Also check out Waititi’s previous work in: What We Do In The Shadows and Thor Ragnarok. 

Jojo Rabbit: 8-9/10

Overall, this season has yielded a varied group of mainstream films that scratch most any itch a viewer could possess. Tune in January 2020 for more Review Crew content (and maybe some Crew merchandise)! 

Average Movie Rating This Season: 6.56/10