Critical Film Studies (#1.13)

It's Movie Review Time!

Yes, in fact, I do occasionally go see movies and this weekend I went to THREE!!!  It's true.  On a long holiday weekend, I discovered that going to the movies alone can be quite fun and then I went a little overboard in my excitement and spent way too much money.  But now you get the pleasure of reading my thoughts on each of them, so I suppose more good than bad came of it.


On Friday, I went to see Young Adult.  And yesterday I first went to We Bought a Zoo in the afternoon and then later saw The Descendants.  All of these films have some hype surrounding them - for acting, directing, writing, etc.  Oscar season is upon us, after all.  And while all three of them certainly have their perks, I don't think I saw the best film of the year this weekend.  Anyway, here are my more specific thoughts and opinions on each of these films.

Young Adult

Starring Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, and Patrick Wilson

Written by Diablo Cody

Directed by Jason Reitman

Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a thirty-seven-year-old young adult book writer who, when we come into the story, decides to travel back to her hometown from the big city (aka Minneapolis) in order to win back her high school boyfriend, Buddy (Patrick Wilson, who happens to have just had a baby with his wife).  It's a terrible plan and she's told so on numerous occasions by Matt (Patton Oswalt), whose locker was right next to her throughout high school, but she never bothered to notice.  They become fast friends while under the influence of alcohol - the kind of friends they never could have been in high school.


Is it weird that I keep bringing up high school?  Yeah, it's weird when Mavis does it, too.  She's almost 20 years removed from it, but Mavis still very much acts like the petty and bitchy prom queen she was back then.  You'll hate her and pity her at the same time.  Because even though her life may seem glamorous and she treats everyone like she's cut from a better cloth, she is utterly and terribly alone.  Of course, her plans to win back Buddy go horribly awry and like witnessing an awful train wreck, you'll want to look away, but just can't.  It's funny how bad it gets, but the laughs don't happen out loud.


Theron (nominated for a Golden Globe) and Oswalt both give terrific performances that will make all the awkward and squeamish parts more bearable.  It's a somewhat uncomfortable film to watch, but that's a testament to Cody and Reitman.  And it will certainly make you grateful that you grew out of that high school mentality.  Or it will at least give you good reason to do so now, if you haven't.
Overall grade: B




* Side Note: Shout out to a fellow Jessica Kelly, credited with casting Young Adult.

We Bought a Zoo

Starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and Thomas Haden Church

Written by Cameron Crowe, Aline Brosh McKenna, and based on the book by Benjamin Mee

Directed by Cameron Crowe

If you don't catch the gist from the title, the main characters in this film buy a zoo.  Or more accurately, in an effort to find a fresh start, they buy a house that comes attached to a rundown wildlife park.  Matt Damon, as Benjamin Mee, has recently lost his wife and mother to his two children, Dylan (14) and Rosie (7).  They bond with the animals and the zoo's staff and come together to reopen a once-great establishment.


My snap judgment was this, in the form of a text to my mother, "Two hours of emotional manipulation.  But like in a super cute way."  This film has everything necessary for a complete movie of "awwww" - cute kids, adorable animals, a man still in love with his gone-too-soon wife, inspirational speeches, young love, and more.  I felt like I teetered back and forth between watering eyes and smiles.  But it was cute.  It was uplifting.  It was a great film to see with your family over the holiday weekend.


There were plenty of laughs, most of which were provided by Maggie Elizabeth Jones' young Rosie and Thomas Haden Church's disbelieving Uncle Duncan.  And as someone who usually groans when Scarlett Johansson shows up in anything, I found her surprisingly great.  I think my favorite part was the way they held back on the romance between her Kelly and Damon's Ben(jamin).  It didn't feel rushed or forced or like it took too much of the focus.  I'm not sure if I have any other way to describe it other than cute - charming? delightful? - but in this situation, I don't think that's such a bad thing.
Overall grade: B

The Descendants

Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, and Amara Miller

Written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash**

Directed by Alexander Payne

The Descendants is about a man whose wife has been forced into a coma by a boating accident.  And then he learns from his oldest daughter, Alex (Shailene Woodley), that this wife had been cheating on him in the weeks before the accident.  It's an impossibly tough situation made even worse.  This film is similar to We Bought a Zoo in that it revolves around a widower and his two children trying to deal with the loss of their wife and mother, but that is where the similarities end.  Matt's wife, Elizabeth, enters her coma amidst a heaping pile of anger and betrayal.  When everyone around the tragedy is offering words of hope and encouragement, it becomes hard for Matt, and especially Alex, to hold back the truth of her infidelity.  This is when they set out to find this guy, Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard), whose actions have caused them so much pain.

There is some humor, particularly involving the youngest daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller), but the real emotion of this film comes from how this family deals with this incredible situation.  Shailene Woodley has already received praise for her performance, although I'm not entirely convinced she didn't just luck into it.  Clooney is great, like always, and has already been nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for this role.  Additionally, I got a nice surprise on learning that Judy Greer was a part of the cast.  I already love her from her work on every comedy show ever, but she really showcased some dramatic chops in this one, as the wife of Mr. Speer.  The Descendants was much sadder than I had anticipated.  From the trailers, I think I was looking for something a little more goofy, maybe.  Nevertheless, it was pretty good.

Overall grade: B+

** Yes, Dean Pelton helped write The Descendants.

All in all, I saw some pretty good movies this weekend.  All were above average and worth seeing, although maybe just pick one to see in theaters.  It gets expensive!

I still feel like I haven't seen the best film of the year yet.  Or maybe I already saw it this summer with Bridesmaids or Crazy, Stupid, Love.  With these two, I left the theater amazed.  That didn't quite happen this weekend.  But we all know I prefer comedy, in general, so I may be a little biased.  Although I feel like I am fairly capable of separating what I like and what is good, if need be.

Anyway, if you've seen one (or more) of these films above, let me know what you thought!  What do you think is the best film of the year?

Fear Itself (#1.12)

I think it's about time I talk about American Horror Story.  I've mentioned it a few times before, but never in much detail.  It will be a challenge to talk about it without giving away any spoilers.  This is a show that throws a new twist each week.  But here I go anyway...

American Horror Story will finish its first season next week.  Airing on FX, it benefits from some of the freedoms from censoring allowed to cable networks.  And, boy, do they take advantage of it.  AHS is violent.  It's sexual.  It's creepy and downright pathological.  But it's also original and a completely new take on telling stories through dramatic television.  Of course, there have been scary TV shows.  And there are shows with horror elements to them.  But AHS is all horror, all psychological thriller.  It's like the scary movie that won't quit.  Every week there is a new development in the story.  And unlike most scary movies, the crazy killer on the loose isn't just a party of one.  Anyone could be the killer.  Hell, most of the characters are killers.

The basic story, or at least the one the audience starts with, is that of the Harmon family.  Newly relocated to Los Angeles from Boston, this family of three moves into a renovated mansion, unaware of its strange and sordid past as they look to move on from their own.

Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, and Taissa Farmiga

Ben (Dylan McDermott), the husband and father, is a psychiatrist with a recent case of infidelity on his record and a crazy ex-mistress on his tail.  Vivien (Connie Britton), his wife, wants to forgive him for the indiscretion and is hopeful that this change of scenery will do the trick.  And Violet (Taissa Farmiga) is their teenage daughter full of angst and darkness.  They are in a bad, bad place when they take over the house that we quickly learn is haunted.  Vivien is the first to suspect something funny, but there's no denying that this house is special.

Guest star Kate Mara

The house might be my favorite part.  It's old.  It has history.  It's full of secrets.  It has more ghosts than...well, someplace with a lot of ghosts.  It's got a creepy attic.  It's got an even creepier basement.  The lights flicker.  There is a super freaky mural hidden under the wallpaper in the den.  Name something you'd find in a haunted house and you'll find it here.

Doesn't it just look like the kind of house that could murder you?  If you're feeling brave, the real house, in Los Angeles, is actually now back on the market.  But really, in the show, this house has a dark power that captures the souls of those that perish on the premises.  Most of these lives are taken involuntarily, but it's a safe bet that if you die in that house, you stay in that house.  Forever.

Some of these souls are aware of themselves as ghosts.  Some of them are a little more clueless and confused as to why these newcomers are living in their house.  Most episodes start with a flashback to a former resident, revealing a little more about how these spirits came to be here.  There's Moira, the ever-present maid who was shot through the eyeball in 1984.  There's Nora and Charles Montgomery, the builders of the house in the 1920s (or something like that) - he with a Frankenstein complex and she in search of the baby she once lost.  The mysterious Man in Rubber.  The weird and obnoxious twin pre-teen boys.  The gay couple who last lived in the house.  Whatever is hiding out in that basement.  The list goes on and on, with more people getting added all the time (lots of death in this show).

Then there is Constance (Jessica Lange, just nominated for a Golden Globe for this role), the neighbor who once lived in the house and seems to have a connection with every ghost that shows up.  She walks about the house as if it still belongs to her, a habit that is unwelcome to Vivien and her family.  And Constance's (sort of) teenage son Tate (Evan Peters), who falls quickly in love with Violet, attempting to spend every waking moment with her.  Without revealing too much, I'll just say that the connections and pasts these characters have together are endless, the stories of which are told slowly, through flashbacks.

Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, and Frances Conroy

It's a slower pace than recent horror fans are used to and it's certainly a good thing.  On occasion, things will jump out to spook you; however, the real brilliance here is how AHS can get in your head.  The anticipation of terror is most torturous and I find myself thinking about it long after the episode has ended.  With AHS, you definitely get some substance with the style.  It's a well-done drama combined with a horror show.  The relationships are complex and there is real emotion with every death, no matter how easy a murder seems.  If at all possible, I like to watch this show during daylight hours and it is never the last thing I watch before going to bed.

It's definitely not a show for everyone.  But for those with a hankering for some horror, or in search of a new, intriguing drama, or maybe just someone with a thick stomach, American Horror Story delivers.  In general, I am not a fan of getting the crap scared out of me; however, this new series has me pretty well hooked.  Before my first viewing, I'd heard plenty of reviews criticizing Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for this newest endeavor.  I have to say I disagree.  At least through these first eleven episodes, I am enjoying this strange and freaky ride through what is truly an American horror story.  Yes, I said that.

Remedial Chaos Theory (#1.11)

I apologize for my absence.  Thanksgiving has come and gone and I haven't said anything since that opinionated post about Modern Family.  For the record, episodes since that post have only confirmed my beliefs and even prompted me to think about what other shows might be above Modern Family on that list as of late - How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, Suburgatory, and most definitely Happy Endings would move up.  But I am still holding out hope that MF will return to the greatness it once knew.

On a separate note, I realized this weekend that Eliza Coupe was the actress behind the Secret Service agent in Community that has the will-they, won't-they vibe with Abed in "Intro to Political Science."  Strange to think that when I saw this episode the first time around, I had not yet seen Scrubs or Happy Endings.  Now that I realize this connection, I think it makes me like Community and Ms. Coupe all the more.  I love it when shows and actors/actresses intersect in fun combinations.

Speaking of Community, I am incredibly disheartened that NBC will be taking it off the air for an undecided amount of time.  It's one of the few shows I have to watch the same night it airs and I think my life will be a little worse without it.  Still, I know this is a business that runs on viewership, so I can understand where they are coming from there.  It's just that Community is so strong creatively, I wish it were equally potent where viewers are concerned.  Although, isn't that frequently the case?  Seems like no one watches the really creative and original stuff.


Also, what is up with ABC cutting back their order on Cougar Town?  You may be aware that my sister is an intern for that show.  I don't have any inside information because of that connection, but I can promise that this is the worse-titled show on television and that it is really quite funny (actually, throw it up there above MF, too).

If you know nothing about this show, know that it has the same creator as Scrubs (the great Bill Lawrence).  And every week, Courteney Cox and Busy Phillips will make you baffle at how they've never been nominated for an Emmy.  If you do know the show, but don't watch, PLEASE give it a chance!  I know a lot of people reject it for its title.  Since when is it cool to judge a book by its cover?  Seriously though, it has nothing to do with cougars and more to do with some friends who hang out and drink wine.  And that is the entire premise.  If you know the show and like it, be patient - Cougar Town will return sometime in February or March and definitely be worth the wait!


P.S. The unique relationship between Community and Cougar Town is awesome and adorable.

Continuing my randoms thoughts on TV, I haven't talked too much about dramas in this blog.  It's not from a lack of watching them, I certainly love watching a great drama as much as the next guy.  I think my hesitation to critique them comes from the fact that I feel much more comfortable picking apart comedies.  But, there is never a better time than the present to tackle something new, so here are some thoughts on the dramas I have been into lately...


Violence.  Seems like a lot of cable and pay-cable dramas have been taking advantage of their more relaxed censors and diving head-first into portraying and adding violence beyond imagination.  Shows like The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, and American Horror Story have been taking every opportunity for gore, blood, and guts.  On The Walking Dead, the decaying of the zombies is likely the least disgusting thing that may be seen during an episode.  Boardwalk Empire slits more throats than anyone could count and American Horror Story aims for that special breed of mutilation mixed with sensuality.  I only saw the first episode of AMC's Hell on Wheels and the number of scalpings was beyond cringe-worthy.

WARNING: Some viewers might not be cool with this video, so beware!

Now, these things may gross me out, but I am not necessarily saying they're bad or inappropriate for these shows.  Sometimes violence is an important part of the time period or story.  Sometimes violence is needed to convey the extreme of emotion.  It's weird to imagine a time when committing multiple murders didn't really mean a whole lot unless someone saw you do it.  It's hard to picture a world in which one of your friends or family might come back from the dead in such a way that you'd be forced to shoot them through the head.  And ghosts that could easily take your life at any moment?  That's something I don't want to imagine.

This is more gross than violent.

Sometimes, it can get gratuitous.  In some cases, there is more gore than is needed to get a point across.  But I choose to trust the writers, directors, and showrunners to show me what they think is necessary in a given situation.  Although, of course, there is the theory that you shouldn't believe someone is dead until they are actually seen dead on screen - like when Charlie "shot" Gemma last week in Ringer.  Two scenes after he supposedly put a bullet in her, she hits him from behind with a crowbar.  This theory is sort of torn apart in American Horror Story, where anyone may be dead or alive at almost any moment.

I think I'm losing track of my point - dramas are becoming more violent, but I'm not entirely sure what that means.  Maybe it's for shock value.  Maybe it's pertinent for the stories we're telling today.


More random thoughts on dramas...


I miss Fringe when it's not on.  I can't wait for the return of Game of Thrones.  And I am super excited to watch Mad Men on TV for the first time (I caught up via Netflix).

As much as I love the holiday season, it usually means time for TV to take a break and I am not so excited about that.  The good news is that I will have more time for watching The West Wing and other shows I haven't seen before.  I just started Workaholics this weekend and it is pretty funny so far.


Seems like there are always more great shows to watch, old and new.  If you have any suggestions for what I should add to my list next, I'd love to hear them!  I am always game for more good TV.


Thanks for sticking with me through this odd mix of stuff!  Until next time...