This weekend on Episode 290, we’ll be reviewing Lenny Abrahamson’s latest film The Little Stranger, starring Domhnall Gleeson. Using that film as inspiration for our poll, we thought it would be fun to talk about the best period horror films we’ve seen over the years. Whether you’re talking about classics such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula or recent masterpieces such as The Witch, the sub-genre has seen some great contenders.
With that said, what is your favorite period horror film?
This week on Episode 289 of the InSession Film Podcast, we discussed our predictions for the 2018 fall movie season. As we did for the summer, instead of simply naming the films that we are most anticipating, we decided to branch out and talk about the questions that are lingering for us as we head into the fall and how that translates to our predictions for the new season.
**Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections**
JD
1) This year’s Fall/Winter Movie Season will supplant 2018 as the objective best year for film this decade.
2) Shoplifters – will finally be the film to get Hirokazu Kore-eda an Oscar nomination (maybe even a win?).
3) A Star is Born – will be this year’s American Hustle or La La Land or The Revenant or Birdman, in the sense that it’s a good movie (potentially great movie) that becomes hated on Film Twitter for reasons that continue to baffle me.
4) The Other Side of the Wind – will prove that Orson Welles had one more hidden gem left in him.
5) Bumblebee – will prove that Transformers can exist and thrive outside of Michael Bay.
Brendan
1) This year’s Fall/Winter Movie Season will supplant 2018 as the objective best year for film this decade.
2) First Man and The Old Man with a Gun – will make Damien Chazelle and David Lowery 4-for-4 as directors.
3) The Favourite – will prove that The Academy is embracing weirdness in film.
4) Netflix will now be taken seriously as an Awards Season contender with films such as Roma, The Other Side of the Wind, 22 July, Hold the Dark, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Girl, and Happy as Lazzaro.
5) The fall/winter blockbusters will mostly disappoint.
Honorable Mentions (Combined)
Other films that we are highly anticipating – Widows, If Beale Street Could Talk, Beautiful Boy, Boy Erased, The Front Runner, Backseat, Under the Silver Lake, Wildlife, Mid90s, Cold War, Non-Fiction, Burning, Bad Times at the El Royale, The Sisters Brothers, Suspira, Halloween, Serenity, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Mary Magdalene, Madeline’s Madeline, High Life, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Creed II, Mary Poppins Returns, Loveling, Capernaum, Kindergarten Teacher, Destroyer, Vita and Virginia, Blaze
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. Clearly there are a lot of other films coming out this fall that we skipped over for one reason or another. That being said, what would be your Top 5? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
For the entire podcast, click here or listen below.
For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.
Directors: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Writer: Jonathan Hirschbein, Nick Saltrese
Stars: Joe Cole, Pornchanok Mabklang, Vithaya Pansringarm
Synopsis: The true story of an English boxer incarcerated in one of Thailand’s most notorious prisons as he fights in Muay Thai tournaments to earn his freedom.
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When you’re watching Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s A Prayer Before Dawn don’t blink, though you may feel the urge to. Otherwise you may miss one of the most unflinching and visceral visual experiences offered up this year. Based off a book written by Billy Moore surrounding the time he spent incarcerated in a Thai prison A Prayer Before Dawn brutally captures Moore’s time there and the toll it took on him mentally and physically. Joe Cole’s performance as Moore, an apathetic British boxer turned addict and thrown into a prison in a foreign land is phenomenal and one that deserves our attention.
A Prayer Before Dawn is gritty, violent and extremely emotional. Most of the film Moore prowls the screen with a silent expressionless gaze, the camera inches from his face, but there are moments when he is bursting with anger or/and despair. A potent energy saturates almost every moment and Sauvaire’s decision to film with a handheld magnifies the intensity and quite honestly is one of the most brilliant utilization of this technique I have ever seen. The cinematography is claustrophobic with tight shots, dark settings and discomforting angles. Throughout I couldn’t take my eyes of the screen and felt deeply disappointed that this film didn’t have a wider theatrical release as seeing it theaters would have made for an extraordinary experience.
The film has very little dialogue especially from Moore. Often times alongside the chaos on-screen the audio is filled with incoherent shouting or grunting and the sound of flesh on flesh pounding. Even the score compliments this at times as only an electric hum hanging over the inaudible dialogue or a tense rhythmic ticking. The film is brutal on every one of your senses. The dialogue that is spoken is primarily in Thai with no subtitles provided allowing the audience a conduit for the alienation and confusion felt by Moore. He easily stands out on-screen against the darker skinned Thai inmates many of whom are tattooed head-to-toe. This distinction, along with the constant language barrier, further accentuates his isolation not just conceptually but visually, like a pale dot against a black canvas. Although surrounded by others in a similar plight as himself, he is very much alone.
The supporting cast is magnificent although not much significant screen time is spent with them, the story and camera swing primarily around Moore. Still though even the small amount time they are given is eye-opening and provides a deeper sense of them as human beings. Pornchanok Mabklang as Fame is a love interest for Moore and short conversations with her not only give her character some depth but also allow us some insight into Moore’s life outside prison. There is also a short scene where Moore listens on as some of the other kick-boxers relate to him how they ended up there and one particular inmates story (an un-cast actor) is rather tragic. It provides an opportunity for him to connect with the other inmates and for us to see them as more than just enraged and weary souls. The scene is poignant and brief moment where the film allows itself to slow down.
The films primary weakness is the uncertainty around Moore’s background prior to his imprisonment. Prayer kicks off before Moore’s arrest giving us flashes of him boxing as well as his drug use but nothing more is provided. I was never certain what he was doing in Thailand, how long he had there, how long he had been boxing or taking drugs, whether the boxing was simply a means to expense his drug habit or something he considered professionally. None of this information is presented to the audience. Some of the gaps can be filled from subtle details or common sense deduction while some requires imagination and assumptions on the part of the viewer. This shouldn’t take away from the viewing experience but will leave those with curious minds wondering.
Not many films have the ability to touch you while at the same time showing you such horrible human brutality. A Prayer Before Dawn succeeds in this by allowing it to be more than just a prison film or a boxing film. It is a film about coping and finding your own form of salvation regardless of the severity of your circumstance. Sometimes that salvation will come in the form of violence or forgiveness and sometimes in a surprising companionship. Whatever the course part of the process is learning to live with decisions you have made. Accepting those decisions and putting them behind you is the first step in moving past the person you were and accepting the person you would like to become. The film captures this process as we witness Moore learning to accept his situation and make attempts to regain control his life and transform into a better form of himself physically and spiritually. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing A Prayer Before Dawn yet do your inner cinephile a favor and make this the next film you watch.
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This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we discuss Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey as it’s back in theaters for its 50th anniversary. We also preview the fall movie season with our Top 5 predictions for the films we’ll be seeing this fall (and December) to finish out the year.
This is the second year in a row that we’ve kicked off our Fall/Winter campaign by discussing a classic movie that recently celebrated a milestone, while also giving our predictions for the new season. Last year we talked about Close Encounters of the Third Kind before diving into the same Top 5, so maybe this will become a new tradition around here.
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
– Movie Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey (4:16)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
– Top 5 Predictions for Fall 2018 – Part 1 (1:01:24)
As we did for the summer earlier this year, instead of simply naming the films that we are most anticipating, we lay out a few predictions we have for the fall and winter movie season – which looks really promising this year.
Top 5 Sponsor: First Time Watchers Podcast
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– Top 5 Predictions for Fall 2018 – Part 2 (1:33:42)
For our final segment this week, we continue our fall predictions with our last two selections and we list some honorable mentions in regards to other films we’re very excited to see before year’s end.
On that note, what are your predictions for the 2018 fall movie season?
– Music
Also sprach Zarathustra – Richard Strauss
Bumblebee – Steve Jablonsky
Beautiful Boy – Simon de Voil
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson
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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 289
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Main Review: The Little Stranger
Top 3: TBD
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Directors: Chris Weitz
Writer: Matthew Orton
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Mélanie Laurent, Haley Lu Richardson
Synopsis: A team of secret agents set out to track down the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust.
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Chris Weitz’s Operation Finale is an engrossing look at the apprehension of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann who was hiding in Argentina. While Matthew Orton’s script does take some poetic license concerning the details involving the safe house, the film’s narrative brought out the best in Oscar Issac (who plays Mossad agent Peter Malkin) and Oscar Winner Ben Kingsley (who plays the aforementioned Eichmann). The exchanges between Issac and Kingsley are simply marvelous as they go back forth during a good portion of the second and third acts of the film. However, those of you who plan on seeing the film, please don’t go in expecting some military-centric tale. “Operation Finale” isn’t about the plan to snatch Eichmann (in fact that occurs towards the beginning of the film). Weitz’s film is about the psychological impact his apprehension had on Israel and the world.
The narrative of the film is relatively straightforward. Malkin (Issac) is a Mossad agent who has spent the better part of a few years tracking Nazi criminals and bringing them to justice. Sometimes, justice is delivered rather swiftly as they try and escape being captured. Israeli intelligence gets word of a possible location for Adolph Eichmann and can confirm that it is him rather quickly. A team of agents is then sent to Argentina to develop a plan to take him back to Israel where he will stand trial. They quickly realize that capturing a Nazi is easy but getting to a plane is proving to be somewhat tricky.
Operation Finale does strike some of the same notes found in Argo. A portion of the film is dedicated to Israel’s governmental bureaucracy which does slow down the pace of the piece. Operation Finale works when the focus is placed on the trauma rife throughout the Jewish community because of World War II. There wasn’t one person on that team of Mossad agents who didn’t want to put a bullet in Eichmann’s head. However, they had to show restraint or risk stooping to the level of their former oppressors.
Would have liked to have seen more instances of this conflict in the film. The only time that struggle was on display was when Malkin and Eichmann were in the same room. Kingsley was perfect playing the former high ranking Nazi Officer. He portrayed the infamous Nazi Officer as this seething, boiling cauldron of hate. While in hiding he’s had to repress who he is so he won’t draw attention to himself. Eichmann’s ego won’t allow him to be at peace with this. In his mind, he should be able to do as he wants. It’s not until he’s being interrogated at the safe house by Mossad agents that we get a glimpse of what made him a monster.
Issac is strong as Malkin, but one can’t help but wonder if there weren’t better options to play the infamous Mossad agent. Kingsley’s performance was magnificent. Alexander Desplat’s score hit all the right notes reflecting the pain of the Jewish community and their thirst for healing. Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography was effective but indeed could have been used more to heighten the tension of the piece.
Overall, Operation Finale is a fine film which easily could have been breathtaking. Needless exposition and the narrative going in odd directions (did we need to know more about Finkle’s ex-girlfriend?) really detracted from the overall quality of the piece. Should everyone see it? Yeah, Kingsley’s performance is well worth the price of admission.
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Hi folks! We’re only days away from the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, so it seems like an ideal time to introduce myself as your on the ground film critic for InSession Film for TIFF 2018.
This year’s festival runs for ten days from Thursday, September 6 through Sunday, September 16. This year, the festival programmers appear to be leaning more heavily than ever into big name, crowd-pleasing films (for the last few years, the TIFF People’s Choice winner has historically gone on to – at minimum – a best picture nomination). This means that many of the films on JD’s recent “Most Anticipated Films for Fall 2018” post are being screened, including films by directors such as Steve McQueen, Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle, Alfonso Cuarón, Bradley Cooper, Paul Dano, Jonah Hill, Joel Edgerton, David Lowery, Pawel Pawlikoswki, David Gordon Green, Claire Denis, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Jason Reitman.
Rather than repeat JD’s list, here are a few of the other films that I am most excited to check out:
I am completely obsessed with the work of German director Christian Petzold, who has the uncanny ability to tell personal stories embedded within large scale historical narratives. Transit is adapted from Anna Seghers’ Second World War refugee novel, and according to TIFF, “weaves a haunting tale of identity, exile, and emigration in this thrilling love story, set during an unspecified time that bears an eerie resemblance to the present day.”
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22 July
I don’t know much about Norway’s deadliest terrorist attack, “when 77 people were killed after a far-right extremist detonated a car bomb in Oslo before carrying out a mass shooting at a leadership camp for teens.” It sounds bleak, but I trust director Paul Greengrass – who helmed the similarly themed United 93 to great effect.
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Destroyer
The early reviews out of Venice are mixed for Karyn Kusama’s latest film (though they are rapturous for star Nicole Kidman’s lead performance). Considering the film’s noir influence and Kusama’s track record with Jennifer’s Body and The Invitation (possibly my favourite genre film of the last decade), Destroyer is a top 3 TIFF pick for me.
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Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema “adapts the award-winning two-woman play by Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava, about an aspiring writer attempting to reconcile her feminism with the conformist choices of her mother following her mother’s sudden death.” I’m really intrigued to see how Rozema adapts such a minimalist, emotionally-fueled narrative and whether the play’s power will translate to the big screen.
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Kursk
Kursk “recreate[s] the tragic final hours of the real-life nuclear submarine explosion that left the ship stranded at the bottom of the Barents Sea”. I know next to nothing about the famous tragedy, but the talent (Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux, and Colin Firth) and even more significantly the director (Thomas Vinterberg, The Hunt) make this a “Must See” at the festival.
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I’ll be covering these and many other films as part of my Daily Dispatches from TIFF. It will all kick off Thursday!
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Lucinda Coxon; Sarah Waters (novel)
Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter, Charlotte Rampling
Synopsis: After a doctor is called to visit a crumbling manor, strange things begin to occur.
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The Little Stranger could have been a winning haunting. Should have.
A capable cast? Check. Material about people trapped in restricted spaces to be handled by a filmmaker who’s pretty much well-versed in that department? Major check. Yet, the final product is so perplexingly unengaging that one will wonder whether Lenny Abrahamson has his heart in all this way, way more than whether if the establishment has an (alleged) unwelcoming-presence problem.
Hundreds Hall used to be pristine. This is where fêtes were held and the well-dressed gathered. Now it’s a dour, lavish prison for members of the family who lives there — matriarch Angela Ayres (Charlotte Rampling), daughter Caroline (Ruth Wilson) and son/younger brother Roderick (Will Poulter) — to listlessly live out the day, now and then think of a way out and, this being most often, to sense things that aren’t there. These darknesses are shared with Dr. Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson), who visits the Ayres often to treat Roderick’s war-induced PTSD. Little does everyone know, though, is that the doctor and the building is linked: When young, out of fascination with the estate, he snapped off an ornamental acorn as a souvenir. Flashbacks to this moment are often; it’s more or less the hall’s first step into decay…
So is the ghost in all this the metaphorical variant? What about Angela’s continuous claims that a disembodied “Susan” has been scribbling her initials behind her wardrobe and ringing all the servant’s bells in unison? It’s both in The Little Stranger, but the answer will not satisfy since Abrahamson doesn’t know how to deliver it.
For the former, he often displays indifference, making images brood at levels higher and lengths longer than necessary and bending the spotlight toward mood more than messages. It’s an outright betrayal to the effort writer Lucinda Coxon, who’s adapting this from author Sarah Waters’ 2009 book, has spent to sculpt the Ayres as shadows who believe that they still mean something today and will last tomorrow. The refusal to see where time has been zealously chipping at them — questionable mentality, declining fitness, eroding wealth and creaky dwelling — is astounding. While these ideas do get to speak, do know that Abrahamson will prevent them from reaching the ideal volume.
As for the latter, there are two sequences validating something supernatural in The Little Stranger — a bookcase that sets itself on fire while the narration suggests a person has done it; Angela is trapped in a room that shakes her into panic — that conjures legitimate uneasiness. From the freedom in the cutting to where the camera gets to be in the room, it seems Abrahamson is a liberated individual here. But since this isn’t the story’s focus, freedom is short-lived. Back toward over-expressed atmosphere we go. The chills from earlier, meanwhile, evaporate.
Had it not been for the performers — the properly utilized one, so apologies to Rampling and Poulter — the film would be a total loss. Though Gleeson is masterful at making Faraday an enigma we’ll always be compelled to decipher, it’s Wilson’s turn as Caroline that deserves your attention. With precise gazes and speech, she brings into view the growing weight on her shoulders, on her spirit from having to keep everything standing. Commendable, but the result won’t serve her.
And that’s how The Little Stranger grants you a sleepless night.
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Podcast review coming soon!
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Directors: Jesse Peretz
Writer: Phil Alden Robinson, Jim Taylor, Nick Hornby (based of the novel by)
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Dodds, Jimmy O. Yang
Synopsis: Juliet, Naked is the story of Annie (the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan) and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession.
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Jesse Peretz’s Juliet, Naked is a lovely tale about waking up from a listless existence and taking control of your life. This adaptation of the Nick Hornby challenges the audience to think about their own lives. What would you do if after twenty years there was still voids in your life? Would you power through the mistakes or try and make things right?
The film centers around the cult-like following of Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke) fans and how every moment of their lives is dedicated to knowing about his life. Most of the time these fans chat on message boards debating where he went into hiding after walking out on a gig in Minneapolis. One such fan is a middle-aged teacher of film and television studies named Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) who teachers at a University near the British coastal town of Sandcliff. When he’s not giving lectures about the brilliance of The Wire, he’s at home with his long-time girlfriend Annie (Rose Byrne) working on his shrine to Crowe. When the two were much younger, this was acceptable but not as they get older their needs have changed. Annie wants to have a family, and it appears Duncan needs more Crowe in his life. One morning a package arrives from Tucker’s old label addressed to Duncan. Annie opens it and a CD copy of Crowe’s biggest hit “Juliet” fall out. When she starts to play it, we immediately see that this is the original demo for the song. Of course, Duncan listens to the tape and immediately thinks that it’s a masterpiece while Annie thinks it is “flaccid.” Duncan posts his review online, and Annie submits her’s leading to a fascinating connection which could change everything.
What I found most enjoyable about the film is how the narrative isn’t constructed like your typical romantic comedy. Juliet, Naked isn’t really about anyone finding romance it’s more about the sense of loss each of these three has felt. Tucker is living in the garage of one his ex-lovers trying to finally be the father he hasn’t been for the last twenty years. Hawke has these moments on camera where the audience can see the anguish in his eyes over all those moments he just let slip away. Annie in the first quarter of the film seems to go along with whatever Duncan wants, and there comes the point early when she realizes this but doesn’t know how to handle it. Speaking of Duncan, Crowe’s biggest fan does get an opportunity in the film to share with Hawke’s character what his music has meant to him. However, the reaction he received from Hawke’s character was nothing short of heartbreaking.
The performances in Juliet, Naked were undoubtedly solid. The pacing of the film was effective as well (there was no need for the film to be much more than 93 minutes). Cinematography and musically is where Juliet, Naked seem to lag a little. Overall, the film is fine and indeed a safe date night film and one which will leave most audience members pleased.
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This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we have a *huge* announcement upfront before we review The Miseducation of Cameron Post and the documentary Minding the Gap!
No Brendan this week, but JD is back to join Ryan and Jay as we celebrate new beginnings and look forward to a brighter future. We cannot wait to see where this collaboration goes and we hope you (our awesome listeners) enjoy it as much as we will.
Have fun with this week’s Extra Film segment and as always let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!
– Movie Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post (8:47)
Director: Desiree Akhavan
Writer: Desiree Akhavan, Cecilia Frugiuele
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck
– Movie Review: Minding the Gap (43:02)
Director: Bing Liu
– Music
Don’t Wait For Us – BLOW
Minding the Gap Theme – Nathan Halpern, Chris Ruggiero
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson
We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.
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The Miseducation of Cameron Post / Minding the Gap – Extra Film
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Directors: Jonathan Baker, Josh Baker
Writer: Jonathan Baker (based on the short film “Bag Man” by), Josh Baker (based on the short film “Bag Man” by)
Stars: Myles Truitt, Jack Reynor, Dennis Quaid
Synopsis: Chased by a vengeful criminal, the feds and a gang of otherworldly soldiers, a recently released ex-con and his adopted teenage brother are forced to go on the run with a weapon of mysterious origin as their only protection.
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Johnathan and Josh Baker’s Kin suffers from a cinematic identity crisis. The film itself plods along for one hour and forty minutes attempting to morph into various types of film, none of which it does successfully. Is it a melodrama? Is it an action flick? Is it science fiction? The only thing which appears evident watching Kin is the Baker’s brothers (who wrote the film as well) don’t have a clue either. The end result is a storyline is equal parts meandering and contrived. Why would anyone willfully subject themselves to this?
Kin is based on the short film Bag Man. Eli (Myles Truitt) is a lonely African American child who while pulling copper wire from abandoned buildings stumbles upon a weapon which turns him into basically a superhero. His adoptive dad Hal (played by Dennis Quaid) works long hours at the construction site to put food on the plate for his son. Eli’s adoptive brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor) comes home after being in lockup for six years. From the moment he shows up on Hal’s doorstep, trouble has already begun. Jimmy is in deep with local crime boss Taylor Balik (James Franco) for protection services provided while in jail. If he doesn’t find $60,000 fast, he risks his whole family being killed. Faced with no options, he decides that the safest route is to rob his dad’s construction business (eye-roll). Tragedy strikes and the brothers are forced to go on the run. While hiding out in a local adult establishment, they manage to befriend Milly (Zoë Kravitz) who plays a stripper with a conscience. When trouble erupts at the bar (mainly because Jimmy is a hot-head), rather than hide out with the other dancers in the back, Milly decides that these brothers who she just met are trustworthy to run off as they make their way towards to Lake Tahoe. Meanwhile, Balik’s crew is in the midst of tracking down Jimmy so they can exact some revenge after what took place at Hal’s construction site. Oh! Did I mention two space soldiers are also attempting to track them down as well so that they can recover their weapon?
The Baker brothers have developed a tale which is chock full tropes which really have no rhyme or reason to them. Instead of going with the “less is more” approach, the writing team decided to throw in so much into the film that Kin just fell apart. As someone who actually sat through this film, I should be able to make at least some sense of what the film wanted to be, but it is still a mystery. Mark Day’s film editing was atrocious. There were actual moments where Hal and Jimmy were having a family moment and then inexplicably we’d cut to a part of the film which had little connection to what we had just seen. What were they hoping to accomplish with this?
The performances in the film Kin matched the source material which was lackluster at best. Zoë Kravitz’s character Milly didn’t have a real purpose in the film. Jack Reynor’s character Jimmy was supposed to be the most the most conflicted, and he came across as more spoiled than conflicted. The depth in Myles Truitt’s performance as Eli was superficial (and that’s being nice). The score was overmodulated, and the overabundance of synthesizer sounds was so irritating that it almost caused me just to leave the theater.
Overall, I can’t imagine a worse choice this weekend than having to sit through Kin. If anyone feels the burning desire to see this train wreck, then I urge you to follow these simple steps
– Open up a web browser
– Type in your local theater’s name and click on the showtimes
– Close your eyes
– Point at your screen without looking and slightly move your arm and down for 5 seconds
– Open your eyes and see which movie that you pointed at and go to that one instead of Kin
– If by some unfortunate circumstance you’ve picked Kin then repeat steps 1-5 until you haven’t
– Thank me later
Why subject yourself to a movie that undoubtedly will be on Red Box in a few weeks and in the dollar bin at Walmart in about a month.
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This week for our Episode 288 InSession Film Podcast: Bonus Content, Matt Neglia from Next Best Picture joins us to discuss the awards season for the films of 2006, as we tie in this discussion to our 2006 Retrospective. It was a lot of fun, check it out!
Listen to Episode 288 by clicking here.
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We offer our bonus content for free, but we do encourage and appreciate a small donation of $0.99 as a way to help support the show. Click on the PayPal button below to donate and thanks so much for your support. You can also hear all of our Bonus Content via our mobile apps. See the information at the bottom of the post for more details.
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Director: Bing Liu
Synopsis: Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust-Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
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I grew up playing team sports. Baseball, football, and basketball were the sports I participated in, competitively. Each of these sports require a player to be dependent on his or her teammates. I had no problem doing this because I had no problem relying on others in any facet of my life. For some, that is not the case. People who are afraid to give themselves to others, Minding the Gap posits, are geared more towards individual sports. Golf is expensive. It can be tough to find a place to play tennis (and even that requires another person). Skateboarding, however, is cheap and offers more individual freedom than any other sport. The world is your skatepark. The only thing restricting your tricks is your imagination (and the occasional security guard). In the industrial town of Rockford, Illinois, a small group of young men have found an escape from their abusive past and/or present in the form of kick flips and frontside grinds. But Minding the Gap is less a skateboarding film than a film about the modern state of masculinity, class, and race in modern America. What Bing Liu is able to accomplish in his directorial debut is astonishing. The scale of the commentary he is able to squeeze out of a story about him and his skateboarding buddies makes Liu a force to be reckoned with in the art of documentary filmmaking.
The subjects in the film are people Liu grew up with in Rockford. Zack is a constant drinker and soon-to-be father at the beginning of the film, resentful of the fact that the world wants him to fit into some broad mold. Between the drugs, the drinking, and the skating, it is clear that he wants to avoid the realities of adult life however he can. With a kid on the way, though, he is trying to get his act together (or as together as his act can get) for the sake of his son and girlfriend, Nina. Nina plays an increasingly important role as the film goes on, her arc embodying so many of the ideas brought forth in the film. There is also Keire, a slightly younger black man, who is the glue of the film. He is affable and goofy, a young man who wants more from his life but fundamentally isn’t sure how he can make that happen. He is the most talented skater and the only one that lives at home. The last major subject of the film is Bing Liu, himself. Liu was never the most talented skater of the bunch and he ended up becoming the videographer for the group’s skate sessions. This inspired him to become a filmmaker and that is the way he got out of Rockford, which very few do. It is clear that making this him was a very personal and often awkward experience for him. It is anything but fun for him to talk about his friends’ histories of abuse, but it is an endeavor that yields heartbreaking results that will move any viewer to their core.
Much of the brilliance of Minding the Gap stems from its structure. Like so many great docs, it begins as a smaller, more straightforward story before using that base to comment on larger issues. Rarely has this style been used more deftly than Liu uses it here. As the film carries on, more and more facts about the abusive histories of the film’s subjects come to light. As we find out more about the families the subjects grew up with and the city they grew up in, it is impossible to not feel sympathy for everyone involved. The film rides a steady incline of emotional resonance, leading to a crescendo at the end of the film that completely overwhelmed me. Minding the Gap was the first film of 2018 that made me cry, and that was just from viewing it at home on Hulu.
Zack and Keire veer in very directions over time. They treat trauma, the unifying element of the subjects’ lives, in remarkably different ways. There is almost no scene in the film where Zack doesn’t have either a beer or blunt in his hand. His business venture falls through and he blames everyone but himself. He can’t maintain a consistent relationship with his girlfriend and, by proxy, his son. There is even implied abuse (that becomes much less implied later in the film, during an interview with Zack) against his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Keire rolls his sleeves up and gets a job washing dishes at a restaurant, the first job he has ever had. He consistently talks about how badly he wants to get out of Rockford and steadily climbs the ladder at the restaurant, working his way to the front of the establishment.
Keire is the one who learns to rely on others. He is willing to give himself up to the process of the documentary and it is hard to deny that the film had an overwhelmingly positive influence on his life. Even as he continues to suffer heartbreak in the film (at the hands of his family, especially), he manages to maintain a positive attitude. Skateboarding is still an escape for him, but it is no longer his entire life. He begins to accept himself and his past from every perspective. The only major African-American subject in the film, Keire has an extra layer of identity-grappling to do, which comes to a head in a brilliant scene encapsulating the awkward racial situation modern pop culture is presenting in today’s environment. Meanwhile, Zack is unable to find any sort of center. His charisma is greatly outweighed by the increasingly questionable ideals he brings to the table.
One of the Minding the Gaps’s producers was acclaimed documentarian Steve James. Knowing that, it is hard not to compare James’ Hoop Dreams with Liu’s film. On a smaller scale, Minding the Gap captures a perfect snapshot of a certain slice of America (the Rust Belt in Minding the Gap and the inner city in Hoop Dreams), much like James’ magnum opus. Both films teem with life and flesh out the subjects with nuance and respect, no matter how despicable the characters may become in a given moment. Liu is thoughtful enough to approach every issue from all angles. This may be because Liu, himself, suffered a great deal of abuse as a child. He even interviews his own mother about why she was willing to turn a blind eye, to a certain extent, to the horrible violence being committed by Liu’s stepfather. Her response is all the more heartbreaking because her less-than-perfect English makes it doubly hard for her to articulate what is, probably, the greatest regret of her life.
There is a bravery to Minding the Gap that has not been matched by any film in 2018. The personal nature of the story for 24-year-old director (24!) Bing Liu makes it one of the most impactful films in recent memory. Can we escape our pasts? How do we rid ourselves of the tragedies we have experienced? Skateboarding certainly supplies a temporary reprieve but there is nothing stronger than the support of others and a willingness to accept love. It seems like Steve James is one of the people that has supported Liu and I think the future of documentary filmmaking is in good hands because of it.
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Last week I wrote a (at least for me) lengthy piece about how great summer 2018 was for film. At this point, we may be on a collision course for this being the best cinematic year of the decade, but we’ll have to see how the fall plays out before we can hand it any sort of crown. It, undoubtedly, will have some disappointments but the lineup on paper looks very, very good. The fall/winter season will include new films from Steve McQueen (his first since his Oscar winning 12 Years A Slave), Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle, Alfonso Cuarón, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper, Paul Dano, Jonah Hill, Joel Edgerton, David Lowery, Pawel Pawlikoswki, Luca Guadagnino, David Gordon Green, Claire Denis, the Coen bros (hopefully), Hirokazu Kore-eda, Jason Reitman, Jean-Luc Godard, and even Orson Welles. Yes, you read that correctly. We are getting a new film from the legendary Orson Welles, and I cannot wait. There are, of course, many more filmmakers I could list here that have potentially great films coming out in the next few months as well. We’ll see what happens, but the fall and winter could be equally as special as what the summer had to offer.
With that said, here are the films that I’m most anticipating as we lead into the fall movie season. (these are in no particular order)
Widows
From director Steve McQueen, Widows tells the story of four women who have seemingly nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. The film stars Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Carrie Coon, Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson, Jon Bernthal, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall among others. That’s one hell of a lineup. This may be McQueen’s most commercial film yet, but so far each of his other outings have made my Top 10 for their respective years, and I’m excited to see if Widows continues that trend.
First Man
If the reports from Venice are true, First Man seems to be another hit from Damien Chazelle. Given his work on Whiplash and La La Land, I am not surprised at all to hear those initial reactions. Chazelle has supplanted himself as the next great director that could end up having a Hall of Fame career, and it sounds as if First Man makes him a robust 3-for-3. It tells the story of Niel Armstrong and his mission to the moon in 2969, and stars Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Jason Clarke.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins is back coming off the heels from his Oscar-winning Moonlight. If Beale Street Could Talk is about a women in Harlem who desperately scrambles to prove her fiance is innocent of a crime. It is inspired from a book by James Baldwin, which I haven’t read, but knowing Baldwin’s works this sounds very enticing. It starts KiKi Layne, Stephan James and Regina King. The trailer looks great and I’m very eager to see what Jenkins does with this material – despite some of the initial test screenings reportedly not going very well. I have faith in Jenkins though, and I think in the end this will be a satisfying experience.
Roma
Alfonso Cuarón is back and I could not be more excited! Gravity seems like ages ago and Children of Men feels like a lifetime. To be fair, while Cuarón takes his time in between projects, the results are usually spectacular. Both Gravity and Children of Men made my Top 10 for their respective years, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is easily one of the best Potter films. Let’s also not forget Y Tu Mamá También, which was also great when it came out in 2001. That is to say, I’m very excited for Roma purely because it’s Alfonso Cuarón. I’m also eager because it’s a black and white film that takes Cuarón back to his Mexican roots as it takes place in Mexico City in the 1970’s.
A Star is Born
I cannot get enough of this trailer. A Star is Born could falter and become a trite musician struggle story, but there’s something about the heart of that trailer that keeps me optimistic. This is, of course, Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut so it’s hard to fully gauge where it’s going to go. But if the film is at all what the trailer suggests, I think it’s going to be something special – regardless of its Oscar play. Bradley Cooper looks great as always (and if that is indeed his singing voice, kudos), but like most people I’m more intrigued by Lady Gaga. She looks so normal, and ironically that’s very strange to see. But there’s something about her normality that is striking to me in terms of the films ideas – as presented in the trailer anyway – on insecurity.
The Favourite
Yorgos Lanthimos may not be for everyone, but he is a (ahem) favorite director of mine. Dogtooth, Alps, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer are all good films that I at the very least enjoy. Dogtooth and The Lobster I absolutely adore despite their dark underbellies. The Favourite is interesting though because it’s garnered some Oscar buzz, and I don’t usually equate Lanthimos with the Academy Awards. His films tend to be black comedies that aren’t exactly in the Academy’s wheelhouse, so this has an extra level of excitement to it. It stars Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Delves and Emma Stone. Sign me up!
Ralph Breaks the Internet
How about a change of pace? I *loved* Wreck-It Ralph when it came out in 2012 and was severely disappointed when it lost the Oscar to a rather mediocre Brave. Ralph was funny, clever, warming and surprisingly thematically rich. To say that I’m excited for this sequel is putting it mildly. And that trailer, wow, taking these characters to the internet seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun. The gags relating to parenthood and young children are all too relatable, the Disney princesses is brilliant and the digital aesthetics look spot-on.
The Old Man and the Gun
The Old Man and the Gun is compelling to me for a couple of reasons. One, David Lowery is a director that is quietly creating a very strong resume. Pete’s Dragon was well reviewed, but mostly went under the radar. A Ghost Story and Ain’t Them Body Saints were two great indies that absolutely went under the radar for most people – cinephiles excluded (but even among cinephiles there were certain sects that overlooked them). The Old Man and the Gun very well could be his most commercial yet and hopefully it launches Lowery more into the mainstream. Beyond that though, this is one of Robert Redford’s last performances since he announced his retirement. So enjoy this people. It very well may be the last time you see this legend on the big screen. The film also stars Sissy Spacek, who hasn’t done any film acting since Deadfall in 2012.
Beautiful Boy
I cannot watch this trailer without becoming a waterfall. Maybe it’s subjective since I’m a relatively new father (my son is two), but every time I see this trailer I can’t help but sympathize heavily with wanting to “save” your son. Steve Carrell looks great and his chemistry with Timothée Chalamet seems palpable. Felix Van Groeningen isn’t a director that most people will know, but The Broken Circle Breakdown is really good and deserved its Oscar-nomination back in 2013. So, I’m excited to see what he does with an American setting and American actors. It could be schmaltzy, but it gives me all the feels and that’s what I’m here for.
Under the Silver Lake
Despite what my co-host says, It Follows is a great horror film that ambiguously asks some profound questions – both within the context of the film’s premise but also the humanities at the center of that film. It doesn’t matter what David Robert Mitchell was going to do next, I was going to be on board regardless. Under the Silver Lake is about a young man who discovers a mysterious woman in his pool one night, only for her to disappear without a trace. So, as a young man would, he sets off to find out what happened to her. It stars Topher Grace, Sydney Sweeney and Riley Keough.
Wildlife
Here’s another directorial debut, this time from Paul Dano, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Zoe Kazan (who starred in last year’s The Big Sick). Wildlife tells the story of a young boy who witnesses the falling out of his parents’ marriage. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan and Ed Oxenbould among others. From all accounts, Gyllenhaal and Mulligan will be major Oscar contenders for their respective categories. Beyond that though, I’m just thrilled to see great performances from these two actors that I love. I’m perhaps more eager for Mulligan, as we haven’t seen her as much lately and I’m dying for more Carey Mulligan in my life. Reviews from earlier in the year suggest that Dano’s direction is very good as well.
Shoplifters
I noted above that these are in no particular order, but if I was ranking these, Shoplifters is probably my #1 most anticipated film of the fall/winter season. Hirokazu Koreeda is one of my favorite filmmakers working today and this Palm d’Or winner sounds like a film tailor-made just for me. It’s about a family who takes in a child they find on the street. This has pathos written all over it. If you’re not familiar with Koreeda, he’s a filmmaker that loves to relish in emotion and subtlety, lingering on the small ticks that make humans human. If this moved David Ehrlich in extreme ways (and I say that as a fan of David, but he tends to be a harsher critic than me), I am screwed. But I look forward to being emotionally destroyed by Koreeda.
Cold War
Granted, I haven’t seen everything from Pawel Pawilkowski, but Ida was sooooo good that I can’t help but be excited for Cold War. It’s about a passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, set against the backdrop of the Cold War in 1950s Poland. So, there’s some clear symbolism going on there, but it still sounds enticing. The reviews from the festival circuits are excellent as well, amplifying my anticipation.
The Other Side of the Wind
Guys, we are getting a *new* film from Orsen Welles this fall. In 2018. A new film from the master himself. How is this a reality? Originally filmed between 1970-1976, The Other Side of the Wind had reportedly finished its principal photography, but couldn’t finish its post-production and editing due to financial problems. Eventually Netflix purchased the rights and worked feverishly to finish the film, and here we are. It tells the story of a Hollywood director who emerges from semi-exile with plans to complete a new innovative feature. It stars John Huston (you know, one of the best directors of his time, so that’s appropriate), Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg and others.
No doubt I could write about another dozen films or so that I’m looking forward to this fall season. There is so much to look forward too as we come down the stretch in 2018. Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale looks great. David Gordon Green’s Halloween looks to be a great revival for that franchise. The Jacques Audiard films The Sisters Brothers looks really funny, especially when you pair John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix. Speaking of Phoenix, it’d be nice if we get Garth Davis’ Mary Magdalene, also starring Rooney Mara. Steven Knight is back in the director’s chair with Serenity after making my favorite film from 2014 in Locke. Marielle Heller is back with Can You Ever Forgive Me? starring Melissa McCarthy, who looks really good in that role.
We’re also getting The Little Stranger from Room director Lenny Abrahamson. We’ll get another directorial debut in Mid 90’s from Jonah Hill, and I dug that initial trailer quite a bit. High Life from Claire Denis looks appealing as well. Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria looks to be the year’s best “wtf” experience, and I can’t wait for that. Speaking of, films such as Mandy and Madeline’s Madeline will give Suspira a run for its money if the reviews are to be trusted.
Lastly, a few mainstream honorable mentions for me. Aquaman could end up being the funnest film in the DCEU thus far. I’m looking forward to Mary Poppins Returns as a big fan of Emily Blunt and I’m curious what music Lin Manuel-Miranda brings to the film. But more than any other mainstream fall film, Bumblebee has my attention. Travis Knight directed one of the best animated films of the decade so far in Kubo and the Two Strings, and Bumblebee looks like a great continuation of what I loved about Kubo. Hopefully it works as a great reboot for that franchise.
What about you though? What films are you most anticipating this fall season?
“Somebody told me that what I do is good because it tells people that it’s okay to be weird. I’ve been weird my entire life. I tried to be normal and it doesn’t work. I tried to be anything that I’m not and it doesn’t work.” – Sawyer Matheny
The person who I just quoted is a YouTuber I casually check on for his videos because I like what he says as he and his best friend ooze confidence and charisma and are more open about their lives. I’m not because I’m a coward and never been forthcoming and just camera shy. I also associate as myself as someone who is weird personally with because of various little knacks and this neuroticism I feature for the most random things. My mind does not think like others and my style and personality is not compatible with certain places and things and I always feel out of place with other people.
What does any of that have to with Chaplin and Tati, or Fellini and Hitchcock? Well…nothing. But, at least in my mind, everything. Why and how?
Well, the quote was said this year but these films were made decades ago, yet the quote might as well give some theme to the stories and its main characters. In an era of the jerk where people feel the need to be flagrantly rude instead of being there each other, to me, rewatching films about what it is like to be alone and be taken advantage of because you’re not “normal” is a reminder of what it means to really be human. It can be utilized as a tragedy or as a comedy. Social media did not exist back then and the best way to inspire life was through stories like this to stir human emotions and bring sparks of madness. My liking for various movies is because it filled a void in my life and had a relationship with me that being eccentric is okay.
As I write this stream-of-consciousness piece of something rather different within my personal/cinema psychology, I go back to the past with the first iconic characters we have seen. Chaplin’s The Tramp and Harold Lloyd’s “Glasses” qualify as weird figures, one who rebels against the norms of society and another who takes himself too seriously in order to succeed in life. Conformity is not part of their ideology and neither have I been part of conformity but it has come at a social price. Movies, along with the creativity that comes out of it, is collected from the weird, the non-conforming, the livers of mild/wild hearts.
I will start with the eccentric Jacques Tati who also created the famous, memorable Monsieur Hulot. He is probably my favorite slapstick, oddball character because of his throwback to a more silent stance in comedy made in a closely more contemporary style. Hulot is a tall, lumbering figure with his large overcoat, trousers too short, striped socks, and old-school pipe who uses physicality and modernity to showcase the singularity and the ridiculousness of a changing world. The expansive use of technology for every little thing and its malfunctions are played out so extensively that it requires a long stare to capture everything. He’s a man with no formal job (he is a car designer in Trafic but what did he do before that), no formal home (he lives in an old stone building in old Paris in Mon Oncle), and no specific origin or first name – just Hulot. He rarely speaks and when he does it is distant and he gets into conflict with the new world on holiday or on the job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUTY0QrKJSQ
I relate personally because I am usually behind the curb on social media; I have a vacated Instagram account from 4 years ago because it’s too much social media and I reluctantly joined Facebook and Twitter. And the YouTube personality was not known to me until late 2016 when they’ve been around since YouTube inception. Music? It’s through one ear and out the other for me because my tastes are old-fashioned and the news of upcoming movies is a little late to me because I’m focused on the classics. Plus, I like physical Blu-Rays than digital films (because of my growing eye strain) and champion celluloid over digital film. Hulot is a man still trying to adjust in the consumerist life after the war from the 50s through the 70s and I’m a millennial who prefers some traditional things.
Let me use another character but from a single movie as an example; La Strada from the great Federico Fellini featuring his wife, Giulietta Masina, as the credulous, naive woman, Gelsomina, who is sold by her mother to be the clown for a street performer, Zampano. Zampano previously had Gelsomina’s sister as the clown who has died; we don’t know of what. But Gelsomina goes into the job with enthusiasm and soon finds Zampano as cruel and abusive who demands his playful new clown to be obedient and perfect in performing the way she should. After taking the abuse, she runs away and finds another performer, the Fool, a man with the same zest for life as Gelsomina who interferes with Zampano’s business. The final result is two deaths: one of a person, and the other of the spirit. It is a downer of an ending and a fable to what can happen when the brute comes out on top, then realize the damage he has done.
Gelsomina is still young at heart and can only question the difficulties he is having with such a credulous woman. “Why do you want me?” Gelsomina asks Zampano. She is not musically talented even though she plays the drum and trumpet for the audience and she is not necessarily attractive. Zampano is a jerk, like many that are out there, who use their time to intimidate the more lively but vulnerable Gelsomina. But Gelsomina is not one who will fall in line and is not intimidated very much. But for her to witness tragedy after hearing it about her sister, it is a double death that emotionally blunts her. Her weirdness (and the Fool’s) was worth to enforce emotional and physical blunt force trauma. You hate Zampano, but you do feel emotional about the final scene of him on the beach, drunk, and realizing how his actions are cowardly and explanatory of him being worthless and alone. And to Fellini, it was his world starting to leak from his mind, one that led to a breakdown mentally during the shoot and almost never finished it.
Here’s another example but with a more upbeat manner and ending. Peter Sellers was known for his colorful, strange characters and may have given his best performance towards the end of his life with Being There. It is a dramedy about chance and a man named Chance, a simple-minded, one-dimensional figure who is forced out into the open from his bubbled home in middle age. His old-fashioned, courtly behavior is not fitted with 1979, but chance has him a run into a wealthy businessman and advisor to the President of the United States. Chance, or “Chauncey” as they misheard him, gives his own advice though gardening tips, which is interpreted as legitimate and metaphorical. The miscommunication of his personality and ways leads to funny gags that make things more human and, in the end, gives us a simple explanation of what is life: “Life is a state of mind.”
This movie is a satire on the politics of the times and the anxieties the country fashed with our culture, “innocence, cynicism, and limitless credulity,” as written by Mark Harris. It is very much like today thanks to social media, just like the expansion of the television image that beams into homes all over. “I like to watch,” Chance says in a noted scene with Shirley MacLaine, and we like to watch the walking car crashes people can on TV and social media. There is no tone in his voice at all and voice means everything now in a presentation. Chance’s chance encounter is like real life where all you need to move onward with the gracious support of others. By the end, the viewer may take a piece from it and find ourselves more enlightened and care for those who we may encounter.
So, back to the quote that I started this piece with Sawyer, the YouTuber: what does that have to do with these characters and films referenced? Again, nothing, yet, as it was important to him and his feelings of being weird, it can relate to others who watch just like how these films related to me and inspired me to live, to keep going, take risks, and never change your ways. It’s okay to be weird and different because that is what life is about, especially when it comes to self-expression and helping others in our own way. It is one of the reasons I adored The Shape of Water and why it was my favorite film of 2017 (I will defend its honor and not let be the “fish banging movie”). Amelie is an enriching tale about helping others through astonishing ways, even with the odd curiosities of the titular character, while directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles were larger than life men who created fluid stories and colorful, real characters to perfection and added flair in their self-promotion within the filmography.
With all of this, it examines life as beautiful even in scenes of ugliness and, even in black & white and in another language, these movies are influential in the heart and soul of being a human in general regardless of age, setting, and personality. Being weird is living in a positive state of mind.
Follow me on Twitter: @BrianSusbielles (Cine-A-Man)
Director: Marc Turtletaub
Writers: Polly Mann, Oren Moverman
Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Irrfan Khan, David Denman
Synopsis: Agnes, taken for granted as a suburban mother, discovers a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles which unexpectedly draws her into a new world – where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined.
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Puzzle is a 2018 remake of an Argentine film titled Rompecabezas (or translated from Spanish to English: Puzzle) originally directed by Natalia Smirnoff and released in 2010. Unfortunately the original I have not had the opportunity to watch yet so currently I am unable to draw comparisons between the two pieces of work. This newer version is directed by Marc Turtletaub, a new name for me, and essentially keeps the same story as the original. The plot centers around Agnes (Kelly MacDonald) a conventional stay at home mom who takes care of her family, attends church on a regular basis and is fixed in her daily routine and leading a very simple life. After receiving a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift she discovers something she both enjoys and has a talent for. This leads to a journey that has her redefining herself in new ways and having to cope with how her family reacts to the person she has become.
First off I am new to MacDonald’s work so I have no baseline but as far her performance in Puzzle she is magnificent. She is captivating as Agnes and is quite convincing as a woman who has simply fallen into the roles of dutiful wife and loving mother and even more convincing as one who goes through a powerful transformation. The film also provides adequate context for Agnes to make her character believable and allow the audience to connect with her plight in some way. But unfortunately this is where most of the praise for Puzzle ends. MacDonald has a quality supporting cast with Agnes’s husband Louie played well by David Denman and Irffan Khan as Robert a fellow lover of puzzles and a catalyst for the changes she goes through. Both men play important roles in Agnes’s life and Denman and Khan, in general, do a decent job in their roles but the writing for their characters is lacking. As the story unravels there is an expectation on the audience to accept certain aspects of their disposition but not enough complexity is provided to reach these conclusions. Although Agnes is the protagonist to fully accept her transition requires a certain amount of acceptance of how those around Agnes connect and respond to her. This proves difficult with Puzzle as the peripheral characters haven’t been properly fleshed out.
Additionally I found myself unable to buy into the relationship between Robert and Agnes. On paper I can see how these individuals could form a connection as they both feel a certain absence in their lives and the time the spend together can in ways feel intimate, but on-screen the chemistry between Khan and MacDonald is almost absent. After each encounter I questioned the direction that the film was going and based on the culmination of certain events it seemed apparent but I just didn’t buy it and frankly it felt forced. This may have something to do with the writing but Khan’s performance when interacting with Agnes was also off the mark. As the character of Robert I found him interesting and somewhat quirky yet gentlemanly, but the conversations with Agnes felt awkward and each encounter was so brief it was difficult to believe an intense connection could develop out of them. There is a moment in the film where Robert asks Agnes if he could kiss her and instead of it feeling sweet and endearing it came off clumsy and creepy. When it occurred I had no clue how Agnes felt about it and was confused on how the scene even lead into it.
Watching Puzzle can be a bit of a strange experience. The story is interesting and I wanted to follow along Agnes’s journey to see how it all played out. The messiness of the script aside I did feel for her character as Agnes is a person I am sure we all know in our lives. It is difficult to watch someone we care about float through their life unfulfilled especially when you can see they long for something more. Even more so a film like Puzzle makes you question your own life and look back at the decision you made and how they led you to where you are now. In this way Puzzle has something compelling to say and can be appreciated for the attempt. And again MacDonald’s performance is superb and she has such a powerful onscreen presence. Agnes can appear timid yet you can still sense this reservoir of strength under the surface. But aside from Agnes I spent most of the film confused regarding the remaining character intentions and actions. This is the case primarily with Louie and Robert, we get bits and pieces of their identities and but not enough depth. Their characters feel very hollow and play out on-screen like cliché’s placed there purely to tell Agnes’ story. By the film’s end I had no sense of who they were and didn’t buy into their actions. It’s disappointing because beneath it all I can see there is a good story to tell about how those around us fit into our lives and about self-discovery and the hidden possibilities we all harbor inside. But as it is Puzzle is too messy and patchy in its storytelling to recommend. On a positive note however it was a pleasure watching MacDonald perform and I do look forward to seeing her onscreen again.
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This week for our poll, inspired by the re-release of 2001: A Space Odyssey in theaters as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, we thought it would be appropriate to talk about its creator. Stanley Kubrick is a legend in the world of cinema, and for good reason. His canon is among the best of all-time, many consider 2001 to be his very best. But…we’re going to let you have your say on the matter.
What is your favorite Kubrick film? Vote now!
Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Writers: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian
Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee
Synopsis: After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her.
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Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching is a deftly constructed thriller which is cleverly written, contains strong performances, and contains a Hitchcockian twist which will blow your mind.
Now, this might seem like a bit of an oversell for a film released in late August but let’s examine the facts. First off, Searching is framed entirely on electronic screens (laptops, cell phones, and even security cameras). Now for some, this might seem like a bit of a gimmick, but in the context of this narrative, it’s certainly reflective of our society. What’s remarkable is how seamless it felt watching the story unfold through various devices. Chaganty indeed took a risk, and it resulted in one the more relatable thrillers in quite some time. What parent isn’t always telling their children to stay off their phone or tablet? We are continually monitoring whom our children chat with, but what happens when our worst fears come true?
The narrative centers around David Kim (John Cho) who is desperately searching for his daughter, Margot (Michelle La), who disappeared after a night of studying with friends. Using clues acquired by hacking into every social media account his daughter has, he tracks down false lead after false lead resulting in escalating frustration. Friends suggest that Kim should reach out to his daughter’s friends, but he doesn’t even know where to start. How can a father and daughter appear to be so close but no little about one another? Searching certainly makes a massive statement about social media. While Kim indeed uses social media to get the word out about his daughter, Chaganty’s film showcases the evils associated with the services. In the midst of his search, he encounters dead end after dead end (because people tend to hide who they are online).
What stood out to me most in Searching was the use of quick edits. Chaganty quickly cuts in out of various mediums allowing not a single moment in the film to feel wasteful and for the audience to not get sucked into the novelty of how the film is framed. The pacing of the film is fantastic allowing the tension to reach a fever pitch. Cho is outstanding as the father desperate for answers and the man who regrets not being involved with his daughter. Debra Messing plays Detective Vick (the officer assigned to their case) and delivers a nuanced performance as well. Cho and Messing are dynamite on screen. Each seems hell-bent on bringing a resolution to this case. Overall, the cast is strong, but Cho and Messing certainly stand out.
The lesson to be learned in Searching is no one should ever sacrifice good storytelling for the sake of a gimmick or a unique narrative device. Whether the film is framed on a computer screen or FaceTime, nothing should ever supersede the action. It was that commitment which allowed Searching to reach its full potential. Overall, I can’t imagine a more creative and pulse-pounding time at the movies than Searching.
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Hear our podcast review, coming soon on Extra Film.
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This week on Episode 288 of the InSession Film Podcast, we continued our year-by-year retrospective series by taking a look at 2006, a pretty great year for film despite a lack of consistency. It may have been slightly top heavy with films such as Children of Men, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Letters from Iwo Jima – films that will go down as some of the very best of all-time in their respective genres – but there were also some great hidden gems. So, this exercise was still a great challenge. However we were ultimately very satisfied with our selections and we hope you enjoy them as well.
NOTE: On #288 we only discussed our Top 5 movies of 2006, so be sure to listen to the show to hear us discuss why these particular films were the very best of that year. However, as you’ll see below, we have listed our full Top 20 lists from 2006.
JD
1) Pan’s Labyrinth
2) Children of Men
3) United 93
4) Man Push Cart
5) Letters from Iwo Jima
6) Brick
7) Half Nelson
8) L’Enfant
9) The Proposition
10) Stranger Than Fiction
11) Old Joy
12) The Prestige
13) Mission: Impossible III
14) Babel
15) The Devil and Daniel Johnston
16) Casino Royale
17) A Scanner Darkly
18) Shortbus
19) Little Miss Sunshine
20) Volver
Brendan
1) Brick
2) Children of Men
3) Volver
4) The Proposition
5) Letters from Iwo Jima
6) Pan’s Labyrinth
7) The Fountain
8) The Descent
9) The Science of Sleep
10) Bug
11) United 93
12) L’Enfant
13) Man Push Cart
14) Half Nelson
15) Stranger Than Fiction
16) Little Miss Sunshine
17) The Prestige
18) Casino Royale
19) Marie Antoinette
20) Old Joy
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. Clearly there are a lot of other contenders from 2006 that battled for our lists, that just missed the cut. That being said, what would be your Top 10? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
For the entire podcast, click here or listen below.
For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.
This week’s episode is brought to you by Patreon and our awesome listener’s like you. Sign up today and get some awesome rewards!
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we continue our year-by-year retrospective series by reviewing Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and discussing our Top 5 movies of 2006!
While 2006 had arguably more defining films such as The Departed, Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth, we wanted to steer away from those for reasons we talk about on the show. Sacha Baron Cohen is a unique figure and Borat is arguably still his best work to date, and it’s a film that in many ways helps characterize 2006. At any rate, we hope you enjoy our reminiscing and the discussion we had on these great films.
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
– Movie Review: Borat (3:57)
Director: Larry Charles
Writer: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian
– Top 5 Movies of 2006 – Picks #5 / #4 / #3 (37:11)
2006 may have been slightly top heavy, but overall it was still a very good year. In fact, some of these films will go down as some of the very best of all-time in their respective genres. It may not have been a consistent year, but it was anything but lacking so this exercise was still a great challenge. However we were ultimately very satisfied with our selections and we hope you enjoy them as well.
Top 5 Sponsor: First Time Watchers Podcast
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RELATED: Listen to Episode 236 of the InSession Film Podcast where we discussed There Will Be Blood and our Top 5 Movies of 2007!
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– Top 5 Movies of 2006 – Picks #2 / #1 (1:28:36)
To finish our 2006 retrospective, we discussed our favorite films films of that year in this last segment. We also discussed our 6-20 selections, rounding out our Top 20.
On that note, what would be your top 10 movies of 2006?
– Music
Kazakhstan You Very Nice Place – Borat Soundtrack
The Winner Is – DeVotchKa
Pan’s Labyrinth Lulliby – Javier Navarrete
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson
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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 288
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Main Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey
2018 Fall Movie Preview
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If you want to help support us, there are several ways you can help us and we’d absolutely appreciate it. Every penny goes directly back into supporting the show and we are truly honored and grateful. Thanks for your support and for listening to the InSession Film Podcast!
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Director: Susan Johnson
Writers: Sofia Alvarez (screenplay by), Jenny Han (based on the novel by)
Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish
Synopsis: A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.
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No matter how hard we try as moviegoers, I think it’s impossible to keep from sizing up a movie before you see it. Whether it’s from a trailer, a poster, or simply word-of-mouth, I think we all come in with preconceived notions when we go to watch a film for the first time. That’s why I enjoy when a movie understands this, and tries to keep us guessing. I think Netflix’s new film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before does exactly that.
Lana Condor plays lead character, Lara Jean. She is in high school, and she is very close to her two sisters – the younger Kitty (Anna Cathcart) and the older Margot (Janel Parrish). Margot is about to head off to college in Scotland. Before she leaves, she breaks up with her boyfriend Josh (Israel Broussard) who also happens to be the family’s neighbor. Josh and Lara Jean were friends even before he began dating her sister, so the new development throws a wrench into their relationship as well. But Lara Jean is about to (accidentally) throw an even bigger wrench into things.
The film does a wonderful job of setting up Lara Jean’s character. Like so many high school students, she is struggling to find her voice. She feels like an outsider, something her quiet, innocent nature exacerbates in the competitive nature of the high school hallways. She also loves to write, and it is there where she pours out her heart and soul. Both have been injured by heartbreak, romantic and familial. You see, Lara Jean’s mother is not in the picture.
One pet peeve I have with movies is the constant need to tell us everything about our main character. I think characters should be allowed to have lives outside of what we see on the screen. If we don’t know everything about them, they feel more fully-realized. This film does just that with the storyline surrounding Lara Jean’s mother. At first, we aren’t really sure what happened. We may even assume that her father (played by John Corbett) and mother divorced, or that she simply left. But, as the film progresses, it is clear that Lara Jean’s mother has died. But we never really learn what happened, only the effects it has had on the family left behind. You see, it was their mother who told Margot that she shouldn’t go to college with a boyfriend, and that’s what pushed her to break up with Josh. And Lara Jean keeps her letters in the hatbox her mother gave her, the place where she pours out her heart and soul.
These letters are extremely personal to Lara Jean. They are written and addressed to the five boys she’s ever had a crush on. One of them happens to be Josh, something she would never dare tell Josh or Margot. Another is Peter (Noah Centineo), who is dating Lara Jean’s former best friend, Gen (Emilija Baranac) at the time the movie begins.
After Margot leaves for college, Kitty realizes that Lara Jean is depressed. And so, without Lara Jean’s knowledge, she sends out each letter. The boys, thinking the letters to be the outpouring of Lara Jean’s current feelings for them, begin coming up to her. She is mortified, but an opportunity arises from the initial embarrassment. Even though her feelings for Josh are real, she certainly cannot let him or Margot find out. But, at the same time that the letters are released, Peter and Gen break up. He wants to win her back, and Lara Jean wants to keep part of her secret still secret. So they devise a plan to fake a dating relationship together, and the foundation for the film’s plot is set.
Now, even that initial plot summary may sound like one thing to you. But if you think this is your average teen comedy, think again. First of all, there are technical components here that you probably aren’t used to seeing from a film like this. The cinematography by Michael Fimognari bears mentioning here at the outset. He has an eye for striking visual setups in the high school hallways and adjoining athletic fields. One shot, for instance, of Lara Jean and Peter standing in a doorway each in their own separate “box” is a fantastic example of how the film uses visual cues to support its narrative. The camerawork here is impressive as well. There are even a few Scorsesian touches of overhead shots and active camera movement that take the film to another level.
Also, one must mention the performance by Condor. Her comedic timing is perfect, but more than that, she really embodies this character who is coming into her own and starting to find her voice. As the film begins, Lara Jean never really speaks up for herself. Her only outlet for her own feelings are these letters, and those aren’t even released on her terms. But, as the film progresses, she does begin to speak on her own terms, and the transformation is embodied wonderfully by Condor.
My main gripe with this film is with the script and its use of exposition. Especially in the beginning of the film, so much of the plot is told to us by Lara Jean through voice-over. Now, this strategy can work beautifully if there is a reason given to us later on for Lara Jean to be telling us all these things. This film had a unique opportunity to do just that. For instance, it could have had Lara Jean writing letters to her mother later on in the film telling her about everything that had happened. But nothing of the sort occurs, and we are simply left with being spoon-fed many important plot points. Especially in the beginning when Lara Jean is more quiet and reserved, there is no reason to think her character would do such a thing. It certainly pulled me out of the film a bit, but not to the point where I was unable to appreciate what the film had to offer the rest of the way.
I won’t spoil the rest of the plot, except to reiterate that this is a film that keeps you on your toes. For all the script’s overuse of exposition, it really does a nice job of setting us up to think one thing then taking a turn to keep us guessing. The performances are incredibly charming, especially Condor in the lead role. This film is available for streaming now on Netflix, and if you’re looking for a teen comedy that is more than just a teen comedy, don’t hesitate to pick this one.
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