Imagine it's the year 2001 and you've just seen the fantastic Point Break rip off The Fast and The Furious. Now imagine someone says the movie will spawn 7 sequels plus a spin off starring The Rock and that British dude from Snatch.
I guess sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
Allow me to speak my truth: I loved The Fast and The Furious. Cars, Vin, Paul Walker doing his best Keanu impersonation...it all just worked. That's, of course, why it became so popular in the summer of '01 and only grew in popularity as it went on to take advantage of the then peaking DVD release patterns of the early 2000's.
It became apparent a sequel was not just inevitable, but wanted. So we got a John Singleton Fast & Furious movie. Hello to Tyrese - welcome addition to the fold. Goodbye (for now) to Vin - unwelcome departure.
To sum up the rest of the journey: Tokyo Drift - I thought it was the nail in the coffin of the franchise, as did everyone. Huge surprise in 2009 - they brought back the original cast! That movie (Fast & Furious, no "the") was average at best. It led to Fast 5 - which is arguably the franchise high point. Fast 6 wasn't as good. Furious 7 was sad (a very poignant good bye to Paul Walker that holds up). Fate of the Furious was just awful. The worst one in my opinion. Over the top action needs to be fun or it's worthless. This one is just worthless.
So now we get Hobbs and Shaw. It's about what you would expect. I mean, I fell asleep during a couple of parts, so I missed a few things, but it has some entertaining moments. The Rock is an entertaining guy - but his shtick is about 3 movies past it's prime for me. Statham is cool and doesn't seem to age much - so that's neat.
Seriously though, it's a big, showy summer movie made to be loud and proud and to look good on the biggest screen available. Sometimes that's enough for a fun evening (or afternoon matinee).
I think this franchise is at it's best when it's focusing on the family of friends, and not necessarily in saving the world mode (which is still hilarious to think). I mean, they were hoodlums that were stealing electronics in the first movie - now they save the world? How did we get here?
It's best not to think about it. If you want to see Hobbs & Shaw, that's awesome. I sure did. And I'll line up for Fast 9. But I'm really hoping they start to turn this ship around with a slightly more down to earth take - wouldn't that be a breath of fresh air?!
Monday, October 21, 2019
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Joker (2019)
Movies were the first love of my life. As long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the thrill of watching a good movie. There's an energy I'm left with. A longing to repeat that experience.
Having been born in 1976, I grew up in an age where quality cinema was defined as Spielberg, Coppola, DePalma (sometimes), and Scorsese. Especially Scorsese. What Spielberg did for mass entertainment, Scorsese did for cinema as high art. Growing up, I knew Scorsese was one of the best, if not THE best, filmmaker you could find. Whether focused on New York, the Mob, or deep Religious views, his films have always demanded and deserved attention.
So, I was excited by the prospect of Joker for several reasons.
1. Todd Phillips was very open about wanting to model the film off of the gritty Scorsese classics such as King of Comedy and Taxi Driver.
2. Taxi Driver was released the year I was born. So the fact that it's relevant today is specifically interesting to me, and a bit concerning considering that this alignment with tone for Joker essentially says "history repeats itself", which is a running theme in a lot of ways today.
3. Joaquin Phoenix would be the perfect actor to put a fresh and different spin on the classic Joker character. In films from Gladiator to the recent You Were Never Really Here, he's been particularly great in roles where characters are taken to their breaking point and beyond. He has eyes and a stare that hold the screen.
4. The character of Joker is always interesting. He's becoming less a character and more a cautionary tale. What does a person behave like when they are truly not bound by any rules but their own? Joker has become a multi-faceted exploration of this concept.
5. If they are modeling classic Scorsese, how bad can it be?
Well, it's not bad at all. In fact, it ranks as one of the best films of the year for me. This movie is not for children. This is not a comic book, superhero movie. This is an exploration of mental illness in our society and culture. It's tough to watch, yet impossible not to appreciate the performance by Phoenix. I completely understand the mixed reviews the film is receiving. It's a very, intentionally, polarizing look into what might drive a person to make the choices this character inevitably makes. I didn't feel the intent was to create sympathy for this devil, but to explain how plausible it is for evil to cultivate as a result of ongoing abuse, years of trauma, and lack of care. I was close to tears several times in the movie. It's a dark and somber film.
To address the controversy swarming around the movie, it's just my opinion, but I did not see this as a film that glorifies the character and his choices. Much like Taxi Driver did in 1976, this puts a lens on uncomfortable aspects of modern day life, our modern class system, and the fear we now live with in normal situations and crowds. It boiled down to a simple moral lesson to me "treat others as you would want to be treated".
At the end, I felt less like I'd seen a movie about the classic Batman character Joker, and more like I'd watched a modern day cautionary tale. Similar to Seven (a personal favorite of mine), this is a reminder that the world is not a fine place...but worth fighting for.
The music and sound was crucial to the film, and it was very well done. The acting was superb. The direction was admirably restrained. I left the theatre wanting to watch it again immediately, primarily to see Joaquin's transfixing performance one more time. It was a rush.
Having been born in 1976, I grew up in an age where quality cinema was defined as Spielberg, Coppola, DePalma (sometimes), and Scorsese. Especially Scorsese. What Spielberg did for mass entertainment, Scorsese did for cinema as high art. Growing up, I knew Scorsese was one of the best, if not THE best, filmmaker you could find. Whether focused on New York, the Mob, or deep Religious views, his films have always demanded and deserved attention.
So, I was excited by the prospect of Joker for several reasons.
1. Todd Phillips was very open about wanting to model the film off of the gritty Scorsese classics such as King of Comedy and Taxi Driver.
2. Taxi Driver was released the year I was born. So the fact that it's relevant today is specifically interesting to me, and a bit concerning considering that this alignment with tone for Joker essentially says "history repeats itself", which is a running theme in a lot of ways today.
3. Joaquin Phoenix would be the perfect actor to put a fresh and different spin on the classic Joker character. In films from Gladiator to the recent You Were Never Really Here, he's been particularly great in roles where characters are taken to their breaking point and beyond. He has eyes and a stare that hold the screen.
4. The character of Joker is always interesting. He's becoming less a character and more a cautionary tale. What does a person behave like when they are truly not bound by any rules but their own? Joker has become a multi-faceted exploration of this concept.
5. If they are modeling classic Scorsese, how bad can it be?
Well, it's not bad at all. In fact, it ranks as one of the best films of the year for me. This movie is not for children. This is not a comic book, superhero movie. This is an exploration of mental illness in our society and culture. It's tough to watch, yet impossible not to appreciate the performance by Phoenix. I completely understand the mixed reviews the film is receiving. It's a very, intentionally, polarizing look into what might drive a person to make the choices this character inevitably makes. I didn't feel the intent was to create sympathy for this devil, but to explain how plausible it is for evil to cultivate as a result of ongoing abuse, years of trauma, and lack of care. I was close to tears several times in the movie. It's a dark and somber film.
To address the controversy swarming around the movie, it's just my opinion, but I did not see this as a film that glorifies the character and his choices. Much like Taxi Driver did in 1976, this puts a lens on uncomfortable aspects of modern day life, our modern class system, and the fear we now live with in normal situations and crowds. It boiled down to a simple moral lesson to me "treat others as you would want to be treated".
At the end, I felt less like I'd seen a movie about the classic Batman character Joker, and more like I'd watched a modern day cautionary tale. Similar to Seven (a personal favorite of mine), this is a reminder that the world is not a fine place...but worth fighting for.
The music and sound was crucial to the film, and it was very well done. The acting was superb. The direction was admirably restrained. I left the theatre wanting to watch it again immediately, primarily to see Joaquin's transfixing performance one more time. It was a rush.
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