#When you find a way to dance in every movie Sam Rockwell

[gibelwho]

Top 5: Best Films of 2019

2019 was another momentous year for me - spent the first half of the year living at my in-laws house while we waited to move into our forever home, then spending the back half of the year doing house projects as we slowly unpacked. We weren’t consistently heading to the cinema, but we’ve done a race to fit in many more films before the Oscars, which was held this past weekend and where Parasite made history as the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. This is my second year in a row publishing my thoughts on ranking the past year in cinema, so despite the many life changes, excited to keep the tradition going.

Gibelwho Productions Presents Best Films of 2019

5. Marriage Story

4. Parasite

3. Little Women

2 Jojo Rabbit

1917

Marriage Story (November 2019): The film, written and directed by Noah Baumbach, explores the unraveling of a marriage, where the two people are navigating their way through divorce and must forge some sort of ongoing relationship for the sake of their son. The story is an exploration of identity - being part of a couple, emerging as an individual, surviving as a parent, and balancing one’s career. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver shine in their performances, finding the truth in each scene, displaying the humanity of flawed people, and really going at it during their epic meltdown fight. The supporting cast is stellar as well, delivering moments of humor, ugliness, and empowerment - notably Laura Dern’s speech about society’s different expectations placed on mothers and fathers. Filmed on location in New York and Los Angeles, the story casts a devastating eye on how two people who have separated can still retain some love in the face of heartbreaking agony.

Parasite (October 2019): A film that starts off as a comical exploration of a poor family slowly infiltrating the house of a rich family in Seoul, then shifts halfway through to become a suspenseful thriller with sequences of violence. Co-writer and director Bong Joon-ho explores the nature of the upstairs / downstairs dynamic, not only having the story center on those in service of the rich family, but also with the production design of the two houses featured in the film. The rich family lives far above the main streets in a multi-level home, with stairs that lead up to a beautifully manicured garden; the poor family’s living quarters is in the lower section of town, they live below the streets, and must contend with the danger of flooding. Avoiding spoilers, a third set of staircases hold a secret that ultimately spells danger for both families. This film has made Oscar history and has opened more people up to the world of International cinema; as Joon-ho said so eloquently in one of his acceptance speeches: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

Little Women (December 2019): Adapting a classic novel for the modern era, especially one that has been relatively recently brought to the silver screen, one must insist on bringing an original take - or why else bother. Writer and director Greta Gerwig not only took on that challenge, but elevated the material to a higher degree than has been achieved in previous adaptations. Splitting up the linear story into two timelines allowed a commentary on the past and present that gave more life to the characters and depth to their journeys. Having never read Little Women, I was enchanted by discovering these characters brought to life by a terrific ensemble, including Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothee Chalamet. Additionally, Gerwig pens an ambiguous ending that will satisfy book readers who felt betrayed by character turns that Louisa May Alcott felt pressured to deliver for publishers in 1868, but that didn’t feel true to her character’s spirit.

Jojo Rabbit (October 2019): Imagine writer and director Taika Waititi pitching his adapted screenplay to studio executives: a story that centers on a young boy growing up in Nazi Germany, who attends the Hitler Youth camp, and whose invisible friend is Adolf Hitler himself. Oh yes, and it will be a comedy, tragedy, hopeful, heartbreaking, hilarious, and shocking - dancing between the shades of tones and the audience will follow along with each beat. What makes this film succeed is the casting of Roman Griffin Davis, who despite his love for swastikas, steals the heart of the viewer with his earnest innocence and hilarious delivery, along with his interaction with his little friend Yorki (Archie Yates), his Hitler Youth leader (Sam Rockwell), and the Jewish girl he finds hidden in the upstairs bedroom (Thomasin McKenzie). Waititi is a genius filmmaker, who took all his Marvel Cinematic Universe clout and made a film about the dangers of youth growing up in the time of fascism, preaching an anti-hate message that the world needs to be reminded of in these nationalistic times.

1917 (December 2019): A film that centers on one technical conceit - that a full length feature film is constructed as one continuous shot - could fall under the weight of that enterprise, but 1917 delivers on all fronts - artistically, emotionally, and yes, technically. While the film is not actually one long shot, whole sequences are sustained for minutes on end, an environment more accustomed to theater actors than those working in film and one that brings a weight of reality to the character’s journey. Due to the story - two men must cross No Man’s Land to deliver an urgent message to a general that could save thousands of lives - the leads are constantly moving, through trenches, across the muddy no man’s land, through fields and streams, and finally the battlefield. The camera follows them through tight interior spaces and open fields, finding inventive ways to track their movements in the war zone. The two leads (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) deliver incredible performances as they slog through the countryside, encountering incredible British actors for short, yet powerful, scenes along the way. Co-writer and director Sam Mendes leads an incredible team that achieves cinematic glory and Roger Deakins proves for the second year in a row that he is producing the best work of his career. 1917 is not a traditional war film - through its formal choices, it endeavors to place the viewer directly inside the experience of soldiers in the First World War.

Honorable Mentions: 

Knives Out (November 2019): A classic whodunit that involves a twist of all twists - solving the mystery halfway through the film; what can the movie possibly spend the rest of the runtime on? This is the genius of writer and director Rian Johnson - he somehow manages to ratchet up the tension and reveal deeper twists and turns that subvert genre expectations. A stellar cast supports the murder mystery, led by Ana de Armas, a lighthearted Jamie Lee Curtis who is chewy the scenery, and a broad performance by Daniel Craig as the lead investigator. Chris Evans’ winter sweater became the breakout star of the film and the production design included an epic knives sculpture that plays a vital role in the climax of the film. 

Terminator: Dark Fate (November 2019): I am not a huge fan of the Terminator franchise - I’ve seen the first and second installments, but have skipped the rest of the sequels and never went for the television shows. I entered the viewing of this film with low expectations, and thus was pleasantly surprised by how feminist this film is. Linda Hamilton commands every moment of screen time, the enhanced human protector from the future was an incredible mix of strength and vulnerability, and even when Arnold enters the picture, he knows when to stand back when the women are in command. Yes, there is a totally ridiculous action sequence in a falling plane that defines reality and physics, but there are more moments of women communicating intelligently and emotionally and also women taking command and driving the action forward that fully impressed for what could have been a throwaway addition to the Terminator canon. 

Avengers Endgame (April 2019): With this film, the MCU has concluded its first major story arc, wrapping up a 10 years long buildup of the Avengers and affiliated heroes fighting the Mad Titan Thanos in an epic battle. Yes, the film does build up to a climactic final battle, but it takes it’s time getting there, choosing instead to focus on how the character’s we’ve grown to love over the past decade deal with the Snap that killed friends and family and left the world a broken place. The plot really gets moving when a time travel element is introduced and, in one of several lovely tributes to my beloved Star Trek, brings the viewer back through memorable moments in the MCU’s history, layering on meta commentary or radically changing the shape of the past. This film was a bold risk to focus on character over spectacle (at least for a while) and to craft a fitting tribute for the two titans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.

Apollo 11 (March 2019): The American space program of the 1960s has long held a fascination in our household and so we rushed out to see the documentary that promised new footage for the seminal event that landed a man on the moon. To our delight, the film revealed itself to be a cinematic achievement as well. Director Todd Douglas Miller chose not to narrate the film with an omniscient voice; rather, choosing to fill the audio landscape with diegetic sound from contemporary source material - journalists asking questions in a press conference, back and forth between the astronauts and NASA headquarters, and newscasters reporting the progress to the nation. Some of the shots included in this film, all archival footage and some newly released 70mm material, are so beautifully composed and complex shots; it's an astonishment that this thoughtful filmmaking was done to capture one of the nation’s greatest achievements and this documentary honors that effort on its 50th anniversary.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Charlie’s Angels (2000)

The idea of seeing Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz energetically jumping around in a variety of outfits solving crime initially had me... pretty excited, but Chalie’s Angels left me with weird, maybe even icky feelings. This is a movie that would have had me drooling back in 2000 when it was first released. I suspect many a 12 to 18-year olds will be very enthused by it. For everyone else, this hasn't much appeal. 

“Once upon a time, there were three very different little girls who grew up to be three very different women. Now they work for me. My name is Charlie." Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz), Dylan Sanders (Drew Barrymore), and Alex Munday (Lucy Liu) are the "Angels" who, under the supervision of Charlie's assistant, Bosley (Bill Murray) are assigned to find Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell), a software genius kidnapped by Roger Corwin (Tim Curry).

Everything about this movie screams “early 2000s, made for teenagers”. The soundtrack by Destiny’s child, the casting of Bill Murray as Bosley, the endless stream of innuendos, the ridiculous action... it’s a blast from the past. I can see the appeal to the recently pubescent. For the guys, there’s non-stop titillation, with Alex, Natalie, and Dylan have to seduce their way through many situations in cleavage-heavy outfits. There’s plenty of martial arts action. For the ladies, we have “strong female characters”, basically costume and fashion porn, and a romantic subplot for every Angel.

"But I'm not 16, what's here for me?"

For everyone else, I'd compare Charlie's Angels to a wish granted by an evil genie who takes advantage of poorly-worded statements. The idea of Cameron Diaz jumping around, shaking her ass and smiling at the camera in her underwear sounds awesome. Not so much when her character acts like a teenage girl. I felt like a father watching his barely legal daughter do a strip-tease for her boyfriend. The angels are beautiful, but they're ditzy little girls stuck inside the body of grown women with the fighting and detective abilities of Batman. It would have worked if my brain was still full of raging and contradicting hormones, but not anymore. There are funny moments and I have this weird image of Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz dressed as male business executives burned into my mind that I’m not sure what to do with. Those are fun moments but there aren't enough to balance overall tone. It's too juvenile, too obvious. The endless parade of innuendos, piled onto the obvious fan service of seeing these women jump around in sexy outfits and beating up legions of incompetent bad guys, it’s not for me.

Regardless of your age, this movie is a mixed bag. The jokes are so-so, the action is fun. The plot? it stinks. This is one of those films where the bad guys only have guns at convenient times, people who should be killed are instead imprisoned, consequences and repercussions don't exist, and where security systems are needlessly intricate, but not quite secure enough to allow our heroes to whip up some nonsensical way to get around whatever obstacles are placed around them. Why have a vault who's alarm is triggered when you set foot on the floor for more than a fraction of a second... instead of just never at all?

I don’t blame anyone under the age of even 18 for liking this movie, I’d even encourage them to check it. I had a good time more than I didn’t but by the time I saw Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu pretending to be Swiss milkmaids dancing around and spanking each other at the tone of some silly music, I'd had enough. Charlie’s Angels is dumb fun and I’m not criticizing it for that, I’m saying that at a certain point your maturity kicks in and you’ll leave it far behind. (Fullscreen version on DVD, November 11, 2014)

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

Lin-Manuel Miranda Tells Us How Fosse/Verdon Pulled Off His Secret Cameo

No one — and yet, perhaps everyone — expected Fosse/Verdon executive producer and live-tweeter Lin-Manuel Miranda to show up onscreen at some point during the show's run on FX. It took all eight weeks, but in last night's series finale, Miranda finally made an appearance. In one of the show's many layered twists, Miranda played Roy Scheider, the Oscar-nominated actor cast as Joe Gideon, Bob Fosse's screen alter ego, in Bob Fosse's non-biopic biopic All That Jazz. (Even he knows that's a lot to unpack.)

Truth be told, Miranda was determined take on a role — any role — at some point in the series. "My side joke was, 'Well, who am I playing? Kander? Schwartz?,'" Miranda said on the afternoon that the finale aired. "It was a general 'put me in, coach!,' like I do on any and all things." Ultimately, it was executive producer, director, and longtime Miranda cabinet member Thomas Kail who made the final decision. "Tommy looked me up and down and said, 'Maybe Scheider.' Cut to me getting measured for my sparkly top."

In the episode, we see Miranda as Scheider (and Miranda as Scheider as Gideon) in two different sequences. The first, a rehearsal, finds Gwen (Michelle Williams) and Nicole Fosse (Juliet Brett) watching Bob (Sam Rockwell) stage a scene where Gideon has a tender dance with his young daughter (in another twist, that role is played by Austyn Johnson, who played Michelle Williams's daughter in The Greatest Showman).

The real Nicole Fosse choreographed this small pas de deux, an aspect that Miranda calls "very meaningful." "The way Nicole describes it is, 'What we know as Fosse choreography was a language in my home that my mother, my father, and I spoke,'" Miranda explains. "To get to work with her directly was really amazing." (And in yet another touching moment, Nicole's real-life son Sean plays a production assistant who gets to shush his onscreen mother and grandmother.)

The second sequence is the filming of the movie's finale, Gideon's death song "Bye Bye Life." Unlike other re-creations of iconic numbers from Fosse's career, Miranda didn't have to learn the original choreography, "just the moment where he's going up and down the aisles." In the scene, Scheider encourages Bob to take an on-set bow for himself, and Miranda took that opportunity to give credit to his creative team. "I said, 'Give it up for Tommy Kail and Nicole Fosse!,' and they jumped up and danced up and down the aisles as everyone cheered." It was a special moment for Miranda to orchestrate and witness. "I'm sure people who didn't know who I was were like, 'How does this day player get to order around the director of the show?'"

That Fosse/Verdon has afforded Broadway geeks the chance to have "a weekly water cooler moment" where there never was a water cooler moment (at least since Smash) has given Miranda great pride, and it's been amplified by his weekly live tweeting. "It's a joy to get to connect with other people who love these musicals and love the work that this couple is responsible for. I saw my live tweeting as a 'produce-orial' task — as a producer, you'll do anything," he concludes. "Some days, that's just tweeting every Tuesday night, and some days, that's putting on a chest hair merkin." And a sequined button-up.

A few days before the episode aired, Miranda got on the phone to talk about his cameo — which he wasn’t even sure if people would catch. “I think most people are not going to notice because the work of our makeup and costume departments are so good they’re gonna think, Oh, some guy is playing Roy Scheider. When I watched the cut, I didn’t think it looked like me,” he said, laughing. “We didn’t ever want to go like, Oh, here’s a cameo! None of the people cast in this show have been like that, and we’ve got serious musical theater luminaries in there — you’ve got Bianca Marroquín as Chita [Rivera] and Ethan Slater as Joel Grey — but it’s never like, wink, nudge. It’s just that’s who’s playing the part. And I think this was in a similar vein.”

The appearance happened thanks to a “running joke that came to fruition,” Miranda explained. “There are so many theatrical heroes that pop up in the lives of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon — Hal Prince and John Kander and Stephen Schwartz, all people we genuinely love. So my running joke was, am I playing Schwartz? Am I playing Kander? It was sort of my way of nudging [director Tommy Kail], and then Tommy was like, ‘You don’t look unlike Roy Scheider.’” Once they settled on which parts of Jazz would make it on screen, though, Miranda faced a costume-centric challenge: “Cut to me realizing, oh, that ‘Bye Bye Life’ outfit is really tight… and then I got to the gym because I realized, crap, I have to be in ‘Roy Scheider in All That Jazz’ shape for the two scenes I’m doing!”

And here’s Tommy’s take:

And tell me how Lin-Manuel Miranda, your Hamilton collaborator, another executive producer on the show, wound up in the scene playing Roy Scheider.

Well, when I was first thinking about the show, I mean years ago, like when we were talking about Sam, I mean the next idea I had for casting—I was like, you kind of look like Roy Scheider. I mean, you’re not as attractive or sinewy, but we should do that. And he was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we kind of got closer and he was like, Hey, remember when you mentioned that? I was like, yeah, no, I remember. He’s like, well what do you think? And I was like, I don’t know. Do you have a SAG card? And so he did. So I made him read for the role.

Was that basically you auditioning him, like Bob is auditioning Ann to play herself in the movie?

That’s right. Um, no, Lin was offer only. So we also wanted to keep it a secret. We thought that’d be fun to have it sort of just be a part of the fabric of that last episode. But it felt like—you know, Lin loves musical theater in such a profound way. And so there was something really exciting about letting him participate as an actor. He obviously has these other skills and these other talents, but we loved letting him, you know, wear a chest merkin.

That wasn’t real?

That was not real. Chris Fulton and Debbie Zoller, hair and makeup. They really rocked it out, and the chest merkin lives on.

Is it in your possession?

I can’t talk about it too much on this particular podcast, but let’s just say it exists.

Well, I will look forward to when you’re on Chest Merkins Today, getting into the details.

That’s right. But we did break it here. We did break the news here. There’s the clickbait: “Miranda Wears Chest Merkin.”

[elcorhamletlive]

MCU Rewatch: Iron Man 2

(fair warning: this one got longer and more negative than I thought it would be)

I’m not sure if this is in the original dialogue, but the reproduction of the final scene of IM has Christine pointing out Tony hates bodyguards. That’s a nice info.

Fandom’s hot takes about Tony are always terrible, but looking at a guy who stands in front of a bunch of barely dressed women dancing in his honor and goes “I haven’t met anyone who’s man enough to go toe to toe with me on my best day” and saying “this character is female-coded”/”this character deconstructs toxic masculinity” is one serious “Delusion: Convince Yourself” moment.

That being said, I would be interested in reading a fic that ACTUALLY has Tony confront how much he projects toxic masculinity onto the world as a way to assure respect and how that shapes his relationships. If I go by canon, I can easily see Tony being more proprense to having a sexuality crisis/internalized homophobia than Steve, since the idea of being a “man” is so important to him. I’m not sure such a fic exists, though.

I’M SORRY I KNOW I’M HARPING ON THIS POINT but it just drives me MAD because the Iron Man franchise is by a mile the worst in the MCU when it comes to its treatment of its female characters so I want to bang my head against the wall when people act like, in terms of a gendered reading, Tony is meant to represent anything other than a very clear male fantasy. I mean, come on - the movie just cut through a few scenes from his pov and it actually had a close up on a random woman’s cleavage while Tony says “Oh, I remember you”. Like... COME ON.

This movie is like a walking argument against all my least favorite fanon!Tony tropes: where did people get that the media hates Tony?? It’s very clear that people like Christine are outliers, and the general public ADORES both him and Iron Man.

“I’ve successfullly privatized world peace” might be my least favorite Tony line ever, even more than the “I saw American citizens being killed” cringe-worthy moment in the first IM.

Okay, “if there’s one thing I’ve proven it’s that you can count on me to pleasure myself” is also a strong contender.

Tony going “oh yeah you should totally run the company WHAT AN AMAZING IDEA THAT HAS LITERALLY ONLY CROSSED MY MIND ONE SECOND AGO” and U immadiately showing up with a bottle of champagne and two glasses is absolutely adorable. Tony is totally an undercover romantic, even if his approach to it is terrible lol.

Tony searching for Natasha’s “qualifications” and enlarging a picture of her in lingerie is just... Wow. So many parts of this movie have aged very poorly.

Christine not moving her recorder when Hammer is like “maybe we should put this away” is amazing. lol One thing this rewatch is definitely giving me is a bigger appreciation for Christine in general.

Tony’s hair in this movie is just amazing. One of my favorites hairstyles of his for sure.

The case suit up is very cool, and the first battle with Vanko is pretty awesome, but I feel like the movie kind of sabotages itself because it spends so many scenes just building up Vanko and then when he actually attacks Tony stops him pretty easily, all things considered. I get that there’s a point to it, but it feels anticlimatic.

Oh Tony speaks french! I didn’t know that.

“I’ll send you a bar of soap.” So Tony making rape jokes it not just a Whedon thing. Welp.

Tony taking three hours to make an omelette is such a mood. lol

I kind of love the scene with Tony and Pepper on the plane. So much of this movie is Tony attempting to reach out to Pepper without ACTUALLY reaching out by telling her what’s going on, and it creates an interesting dynamic. He wants her, wants to be with her, but can’t bring himself to actually ask it, and therefore she can’t understand what he’s asking in order to accept it. This says a lot about how Tony handles love and feelings, I think.

I feel like this movie would have vastly improved if Vanko and Hammer had just been in cahoots from the beggining. So much time is wasted in setting up this alliance and it’s not like we learn anything about either character that we couldn’t have gathered otherwise. It’s like watching a version of IM with an extra half-hour of Obie allying himself to the Ten Rings.

Natasha breaking into a fighting stance the second shit gets real is a fantastic “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment.

Ngl I really dislike the fact that Rhodey’s first suit up is all about baby sitting Tony, and not about himself. We barely get to see any of his feelings about taking the role as War Machine. And I feel like the way he takes the suit sends such a confusing message, because Fury and Natasha confirm to us Tony let him take it, and yet in the party scene... he doesn’t? Like, he fights back pretty heavily and it doesn’t seem at all like something he’s planned. I don’t blame people for thinking Rhodey stole the suit, because the entire party scene before Fury shows up frames it as such.

It’s WILD that this movie frames Howard deporting a person back to the Soviet Union as Howard being noble because Anton Vanko was “in it for the money”. Just... Wild.

In fact, the whole framing of the Howard issue is so weird. Tony and Howard’s relationship only comes up when Fury shows up, and that’s halfway through the movie, and then it’s supposed to be the Big Solution even though... It wasn’t really a theme until this point? 

Tony’s FACE when he sees the shield... and then he uses it to make everything “perfectly level”................ MY HEART

Sam Rockwell is a delight lmao. I love his dance.

The way people clap when Tony arrives is a stark contrast with the lukewarm reception Hammer got. Again: the public loves Tony.

I live for Natasha taking down every security guard in the time Happy takes to subdue one guy. Her moves are great (also, her curls are great - this is a great movie for hairstyles).

This Pepperony kiss is like. SO unwarranted?? Pepper has just learned Tony has been dying and keeping it from her?? And we don’t get any sort of emotional reaction about this or resolution about Tony’s inability to express his feelings??? They just... kiss and it’s all right, I guess?

“Get a roof” does make chuckle, though.

Aaand it’s over. That... that was a rough one, if I’m gonna be honest. This was one of my least favorite MCU movies the first time I watched it, and I hoped the rewatch could make me enjoy it more, but... this really wasn’t the case. I feel like this movie could have raised a lot of themes with its elements, but it just... doesn’t? Like, a lot of stuff happens, but very little actually advances the characters or their relationships. So much time is spent on setting up Vanko as this super badass villain, and then not only he’s easily defeated, but the whole “he’s carrying his father’s legacy just as Tony is” thing never goes anywhere. Tony is DYING, and then halfway through he isn’t, and although while he’s dying he pushes away both of the people closest to him, neither of them get to really have a reaction to this? Rhodey never actually finds out??? It just doesn’t work for me. Like, there are fun moments, and I get these characters and cast are enjoyable to watch doing basically anything, but the movie in itself is just... Meh.

[amorningshadeofyellow-blog]

Suggestion O’Clock

As February ends and March begins, here’s a reflection of some things I’ve been listening to and watching. Everybody needs suggestions, take them as you need.

Music: I am a firm believer in Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists which automatically update themselves based on your listening patterns and what not. The BEST place to go for some handpicked tunes. However, here are a few I’ve come to love the past month.

• The Neighbourhood’s Hard To Imagine EP: Unlike the last three works they’ve put out, Hard To Imagine is something all it’s own. Very far from I Love You and Wiped Out!, HTI is full of songs that definitely reach outside of the usual boundaries they’d set for themselves. Though I am not a fan of the EP in its entirety, there are a few songs that make it worthwhile. ‘Void’ being in the top spot with that one lyric, “Wonder how I got by this week, only touched you once.” Just feels so smooth. Following in no definite order are Scary Love, Nervous (which dropped 5 days ago), You Get Me So High, and Roll Call. Honorable mention to 24/7 and Sadderdaze- both catchy, but in a way that will get old really fast. If there’s such a thing as dishonorable mention, Dust takes that. I could have gone the whole album without that.

• Sufjan Stevens- Visions of Gideon: Top Spot for WEEKS in the category of “Songs That Will Ruin My Day”. This is one of the most gutwrenching songs for me. So pretty, so smooth, so full of feeling. Sufjan is an artist that has definitely made more waves since the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack’s Oscar nomination he got for “Mystery of Love.” I hate to say that the Academy was wrong, but picking that over Visions of Gideon was nothing but wrong. Seriously, listen to this and tell me you didn’t cry.

• Viola Beach- Call You Up: The song I want to montage videos of myself dancing on a beach at sunset with a bottle of wine to. Definitely that annoying indie sounding voice, but it works for this. Lyrics you’d find in the diary of young people in some summer love. “I’ll call you up in the middle of the night in hopes that you want to hear from me. I just wanna know if you’re feeling alright.” It’s just so CATCHY you just gotta sway your head and hips and close your eyes when you sing it. Has a beachy feel. One of those in the middle sort of songs. Not a breakup song, not a love song. Takes a seat on the harshly drawn middle line. Just give it a listen, I can’t stop playing it in my car because it’s impossible to not sing along to.

• Manchester Orchestra- Colly Strings. I don’t know what they are, but I know this song makes me perform power house vocals in the shower. Definitely something the singer wrote to be specific to himself, but still vague enough to feel like it relates. Simple, heavily lyric focused, not technically impressive at all. Just really plain, but I love it. Listen to this on drives home. “CONFESSEDLY, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IVE LOVED YOU AND GOD, I MEAN IT. GOD, I MEAN IT. I HOPE THAT I MEAN IT. CAUSE LIKE DIANE YOUNG, IDOLS GET THE BEST OF ME. WELL, DONT STOP CALLING- YOURE THE REASON I LOVE LOSING SLEEP.” a... slammer. A true indie king. Strange that I’ve never liked Manchester Orchestra’s other songs.

• The Last Shadow Puppets- Miracle Aligner: IN CASE YOU ARENT AWARE, Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys is the front man of this band. Basically, its Arctic Monkeys music under a different band name. TLSP had Sweet Dreams, Tennessee which I learned about a summer or so ago and loved. How I never found Miracle Aligner baffles me. It’s got that same AM vibe that most of Alex Turner’s work does. Feels a bit like a background song for a 60’s feel good family show. This one’s upbeat for his fashion, but I dig it. Alex Turner is the man I’ve always wanted to meet. I cannot believe he is real. I’ve been convinced he’s sincerely an enigma.

• From the Dining Table- Harry Styles: OKAY, I know it‘s overdue. I didn’t give much listen to Harry’s album because it mimics so many British rock classics so closely that I just.. I didn’t want to. And I’m the biggest one direction stan alive. Sometimes, I cringe at the lyrics. Aside from that, it’s a song I’d fall asleep to and that’s why I like it. It’s something I would sing to put someone to sleep. After a minute and a half we can stop the song because the third verse/bridge/ whatever is so close to resembling Over the Rainbow in my head. Just throw it on your playlist if you’ve not already. I’m sure almost everyone has.

• Jamie T- Magnolia Melancholia: I AM SO MANY THINGS AFTER THIS SONG. First off, Jamie T has been around for a few years, and I’ve always liked some of his stuff. Don’t You Find, and Zombie were two that I definitely was like, huh, this is new. He’s one of those British singers that really actually sounds British. Most of it’s a little more spoken than sung. Anyway, outside of this- magnolia melancholia is very different compared to his other music. Almost similar to Dont You Find, but it’s the only thing close. The song is sincerely just so impactful to me because of the lyrics, but I think it’s a good song overall to have. Like I said, different. “Nice to meet ya, boy, I know your mama knows. I fell in love with her seven thousand summer ago. I was a runner, boy,” just something I think he stripped from my diary and made his own. Definitely really excited to have seen his name come back on my screen and feel something so personal and nostalgic. Really think he’s an underrated artist.

Films: Of course, it’s March when I’m writing this, so the Oscars have come and gone. However, Oscar nominees or not- these are the films I’ve seen, loved, and suggest.

• The Shape of Water- Winner of Best Picture, The Shape of Water is obviously something you look at and say, “Hm, I should probably see that.” TSOW is insanely creative, but there should be nothing less expected from its director. Following a black woman, gay man, and a mute woman’s romance with an amphibian man- it’s definitely up there in terms of diversity. In short, the feel of the film and its tenderness paired with intrinsic visual detail is stimulating in a multitude of ways. You leave the theater feeling something.

• Black Panther- I would literally pay the first person who reads this and hasn’t seen Black Panther $20. I’m pretty sure it’s like... the top grossing movie ever at this point. If you don’t care for superhero movies, just go for the complete bad-assery. And Michael B Jordan. Who I don’t think is a great actor, but I do find him almost as gorgeous as Lupita.

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Another Oscar nominee. Frances McDormand who plays the lead took home best actress while supporting actor went to her co star Sam Rockwell. Really, in all honesty, the thing that I think about when I explain the film is the character arc they gave San Rockwell’s character. Watching this man grow and change throughout the film was impressive both in the acting and the writing.

• Hostiles- ROSAMUND PIKE BEING A BADASS COLONIAL WOMAN!! CHRISTIAN BALE HAVING A GOOD HEART!!! SWEET ENDINGS!!!

• Atonement- Look, I’m just asking you to go on Netflix and add this to your Watch List for an afternoon when you’re laying in bed and want to cry. James McAvoy and Natalie Portman, a heart wrenching love story during war time, but still far more than that.

• The Warriors- We Love A Good 70/80’s film, and this is what that was. Based around gangs and a journey back home, this is full of companionship, unity, wit, and lots and lots of leather vests. (prime)

• Wonderstruck- Ultimately a feel good film that is unlike any other. Complex story line, wonderful depiction, just creative and free. Feels so sweet to see something so pure.

• Captain Fantastic- okay, everything I’ve deemed “creative” is subpar when it comes to Captain Fantastic. Surrounding the theme of family, mental illness, and exclusion- the film depicts a family living off grid with their dad after losing their mother to depression, the following days are full of humorous and heartfelt feats as they attempt to attend their mothers funeral despite the grandfathers wishes. The complete disconnect between the modern world and the world this family lives in puts them at no sort of disadvantage, and the theme of unity and pride of where you come from shines through.

• Blade Runner 2049- Rewatched it. Felt so happy to have my eyes glued to a screen. Genuinely equivalent to being induced into a coma because you’re not leaving your seat. And if you haven’t seen the original Blade Runner- do yourself and Harrison Ford a favor.

• Honorable Mention to Lady Bird, CMBYN, Dunkirk, Phantom Thread, and The Florida Project all of which will be included in an “Oscars in Review” post I have queued for next week

As far as music and movies go, that is a slight look into some of the things February and March have brought thus far. For every time Lauren needs a suggestion, I feel as though it’s necessary to compile a list for whoever else may need it.

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Jojo Rabbit Review: Satire With Heart

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Jojo Rabbit Review: Satire With Heart

“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. No feeling is final.” Jojo Rabbit ends on this quote by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. The entire film is an embodiment of these words as the main characters experience the conflicting emotions of joy and agony, hope and suffering, confidence, and terror, all under the control of Germany’s Third Reich.

The film follows Johannes “Jojo” Betzler, a 10-year-old boy dedicated to Hitler’s Nazi regime. Jojo’s blind nationalism has led him to be so obsessed with the Third Reich that he envisions Hitler as an imaginary friend who guides him through his everyday life. The film gets its title from an incident where Jojo is unable to kill a rabbit in the Hitler Youth Camp. He becomes a target for bullying and receives the nickname “Jojo Rabbit.” Imaginary Hitler tells him that rabbits can “outwit all of their enemies,” leading Jojo to try to impress the camp by running out into the middle of a field with a grenade. Disaster ensues, of course, leaving Jojo injured with a facial scar. The accident crushes Jojo’s dream of ever fighting for Germany. Shortly after his accident, Jojo discovers his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. This revelation threatens to turn Jojo’s entire belief system upside down.

There’s no doubt that Jojo Rabbit will be a polarizing film among audiences. This is satire, much like Inglourious Basterds or The Producers. The biting satire frames Nazis as bumbling idiots. Hitler is portrayed as an outlandish and moronic imaginary friend to the 10-year-old Jojo. Director Taika Waititi spoofs the tyrannical Hitler hilariously in the film. He’s both foolish and diabolical, attempting to get Jojo involved in terrible deeds. I don’t want to talk too much about his performance because it’s best to just see it for yourself. However, it’s important to note that Waititi is part Jewish himself and felt a Jewish man portraying the despicable Nazi dictator would be a slap in the face to Hitler.

Some critics have said the film doesn’t take its World War II subject matter seriously enough. However, it’s important to note that the entirety of Jojo Rabbit is viewed through the lens of a young child brainwashed by Nazi propaganda. Jojo is coming to terms with the fact that everything he’s been fed by his country is a lie. I honestly don’t see anything about the film that celebrates or condones Nazis. Whether the focus is on the regime’s insane youth training methods, book burning, or lack of basic human understanding, this film mocks the Nazis ferociously.

Taika Waititi directs Jojo Rabbit brilliantly with just the right balance of drama, humor, and heart. This is a coming-of-age film set in one of the darkest periods in history, yet Waititi still gives it so much humanity. If you’ve seen his previous films (Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok), you know he has a very creative directorial style filled with offbeat humor, standout characters, and stylistic visual flair. (The cinematography by Mihai Mālaimare Jr. is fantastic.) All of these elements are present in Jojo Rabbit to make up a dynamic cinematic experience that you won’t forget. Waititi also adapted the screenplay to Jojo Rabbit (based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens), which is endlessly entertaining. The film frequently shifts from dark comedy to affecting drama at a moment’s notice. Yet, these transitions are seamless. Little themes throughout the script about dancing and a character’s shoes end up packing an emotional punch when you least expect it. I went from laughing to tears multiple times, and I say that as someone who never cries at the movies. This is an emotional roller coaster.

Another thing that turns Jojo Rabbit into an emotional roller coaster is the phenomenal acting! Every single actor gives their all. Roman Griffin Davis has NEVER been in a movie before this, yet he’s fantastic as Jojo! He is convincing as a child nationalist clinging to the country’s Nazi regime. Instead of taking the time to be a kid, Jojo spends days volunteering for the Third Reich, hoping he can help Hitler win the war. He wants to be accepted and belong to something bigger than himself. But with each passing scene, the blinders fall as Jojo sees the horrors his country has committed. Davis portrays a wide range of emotions, including rage, joy, and unrelenting despair. He’s hilarious one moment and the next, utterly heartbreaking. I’ve seen very few child performances as moving as this one. He should be getting some awards season attention.

Scarlett Johansson is going to get nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. I’m marking it down now! If she doesn’t, I will be shocked. Her acting as Jojo’s mother, Rosie, is some of her best work to date. Rosie is the one constant in Jojo’s life. She attempts to show him that “love is the strongest thing in the world,” and her character lives by that quote. She raises Jojo fearlessly on her own and does everything she can to be a good mother. There’s a scene in the film where Rosie tries to act as both parents to Jojo. It is such a profoundly affecting moment. Not to mention, Rosie takes in Elsa because she wants to help others, even when her country turns a blind eye to the atrocities of war.

Thomasin McKenzie is great as Elsa, the Jewish teenage girl hiding out in Jojo’s house. Elsa is whip-smart and knows how to handle almost any situation thrown her way. I appreciate that even though Jojo Rabbit focuses on a young boy as the lead, it has a unique focus on two well-written female characters and how the war impacts them. Elsa’s relationship with Jojo is fascinating to watch, considering the two begin as enemies. As Elsa interacts with Jojo, she challenges his entire way of thinking to prove his fanatic Nazi beliefs are not only false but deeply dangerous. The more Jojo is around Elsa, the more he can see she is not the enemy. The title of the film works on a surface level to serve the plot of the story, but there’s a deeper symbolism at play with the rabbit that weaves through Elsa and Jojo’s storyline. McKenzie and Davis have wonderful chemistry in every scene they share.

Other celebrity standouts include Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf, Rebel Wilson as Fräulein Raum, and Archie Yates as Jojo’s best friend, Yorkie. Archie has never been in a movie before, but he’s hysterical! Seriously, what’s going on in this movie?! These talented children who have never been in anything before have some of the best acting skills I’ve seen all year! Archie steals every single one of his scenes. Way to go, Archie!

Nazi Germany is never an easy subject matter to tackle in filmmaking, especially when balancing different tones. Yet, Jojo Rabbit is a brilliant coming-of age-film that finds a way to balance satire, drama, and comedy. Taika Waititi directs a phenomenal cast in one of the year’s best films. My Rating: 10/10

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A couple of weeks ago, I showed my son National Treasure, and the whole time I kept thinking “damn, I really miss Nic Cage”. I knew that he was pretty much in the DTV world for the past 10 years, but I didn’t realize to what level. Turns out that Nicolas Cage made 29 direct-to-video movies in the 2010’s, and almost immediately, I was determined to watch every one of them. So I did. In no particular order:The Trust. 7/10.A not half-bad way to start things off. It's a little under-cooked at a brisk 90 minutes, but him and Elijah Wood play well of each other. Cage gives his character some quirky traits in the first half coming across as a likeable guy trying to do something he shouldn't, but quickly turns to full-on bad guy in the second half. There's a good story here but it's never fully realized. We are treated to a Cage Out though in the third act, which is always welcome. 1 down, 28 to go.Kill Chain. 8/10.This one was really enjoyable! It's sort-of 3 different stories or vignettes that all come together in the second half, which is where Cage enters the picture. He never Cage's Out, playing pretty restrained the whole time (though there is one moment where he comes close). The writing's a bit ham-fisted, and the characters are pure stereotype, but it's well crafted and a very entertaining 90 minutes. So far so good. With 27 to go, things are looking up!The Runner. 5/10.Unfocused and uneventful. It’s well cast and there’s a feeling of “this is a real movie” but it wants to be too many things. There’s a decent movie buried in here, but at a brisk 82 minutes, it’s hard to find. There’s no Cage Rage on display here, instead playing it very understated. It’s quality acting though. Three films into this little odyssey, and so far these are more than just paychecks for him, doing the best he can with what he’s given.Rage. 6/10.It’s OK, but it’s sloppy. The whole time I’m wondering why nothing seems to piece together, and it’s ultimately all in service of a shock ending that undermines everything that came before. Once again, Cage is solid in this. He keeps things entertaining where others may have had me checking out. One intense Cage Out, but I expected more based on the title and premise. Nevertheless, we journey forward. 4 down, 25 to go.Between Worlds. 10/10.I’m going to be fast and loose with the spoilers on this one. Joe is a down-on-his-luck truck driver who lost his wife and kid to a house fire some years prior. In the first 10 minutes of the movie, Joe is at a gas station pit stop where he finds Julie being choked out by some dude. Joe steps in and knocks him out, much to her dissatisfaction. Why? Because 1 hour prior, her daughter was in a motorcycle accident and is now in a coma, and because of a childhood incident, knows that if she is unconscious she can cross over to “the other side”. So her plan was to have some rando choke her in a rest stop bathroom so she could guide her daughter back to the land of the living. Joe interrupted the process, so he offers to give her a ride to the hospital. Once there, she asks Joe to choke her in the hallway so she can try again to reach her. “Something” goes wrong, and instead, Joe’s dead wife is brought back in the daughters body.The next 30 minutes see Joe moving in with Julie and playing house while dead-wife-in-daughter (DWID from this point on) slowly creeps around trying to seduce him. It’s the halfway point when Joe is made aware what is happening, and by extension Julie and the movies 1 other character. They all accept this very easily.It’s around this time that we get to a scene where Joe and DWID are fucking, interspersed with a scene where Joe and his wife before she died are also fucking. In both of these scenarios, his wife wants him to read poetry while they fuck. The poetry Joe proceeds to read in both scenes is from a book titled, I shit you not, “Memories by Nicolas Cage”.More stuff happens, and at the end of the movie, through various circumstances, Joe is doing a classic Cage scream-cry, one arm hugging a jack-in-the-box that presumably belonged to his daughter, and in the other, he is dousing himself in gasoline. He then lights a cigarette, which of course ignites his entire body, and he smokes in a completely normal manner while his body burns. This all happens while Leader of the Pack is playing, a song that holds absolutely no significance to anything that has come prior.Throughout, music that feels directly ripped from Twin Peaks is playing, and the whole atmosphere is begging to feel like David Lynch. Is the kind of movie you would find on Cinemax at 2am on a random Wednesday in 1995. It’s fucking glorious.At this particular moment in my life, my greatest fear is that with 24 films to go, I will never again reach these heights.Inconceivable. 7/10.It’s your typical nanny-isn’t-who-they-seem-to-be sort of deal, but it’s actually entertaining enough. It’s all pretty rote stuff, but there’s nothing offensively bad here. Cage gets 4th billing, with absolutely nothing to do other than play the can’t-see-what’s-really-going-on husband. He’s still decent at it, but this actually does feel like a paycheck movie for him, given that I can’t find any reason he would have looked at the script and thought he had something interesting he could do.The Humanity Bureau. 3/10.Lame, cheap, uninteresting near-future story that doesn’t have anything new to say that hasn’t already been said better in dozens of other movies. Cage is actually asleep at the wheel on this one, just kind of making his way through. In fairness, he isn’t given anything to do. Thus far, these movies have managed pretty decent supporting casts. Here though, it’s pretty much Canadian TV extras. Things are starting to feel rocky with 22 left.Outcast. 4/10.Meh. Anakin Skywalker is a 12th Century Knight escorting hunted royalty to safe haven. It’s surprisingly not as cheap as I expected, but it’s a completely unoriginal and boring movie. My only reason for watching, Sir Nicolas, does not even enter the picture until the final 30 minutes. He really hams it up with the old English accent, but he can’t save the movie at this point. Things are gonna need to start turning around soon. Maybe a Between Worlds injection every 3 movies.Primal. 6/10.A movie where a Jaguar, a killer and Nicolas Cage are all loose on a boat in the middle of the ocean should not be this dull. It’s no fault of Cage, who hurls some great insults throughout when not chomping on a cigar, and the rest of the cast seems game (except you, Jean Grey), so it really comes down to the film itself, which just doesn’t use its premise to the fullest. The whole thing is visually bland, too. It’s so muted it borders on black and white sometimes.I had high hopes going in, but thanks to this little journey of mine, I now know director Nick Powell from yesterday’s Outcast endeavor, and as soon as his name popped up in the opening credits, those hopes came crashing down.Running with the Devil. 7/10.Flawed and sloppily made, but still entertaining enough, mostly due to its surprisingly A-list cast that never gets to do much. It's not nearly as cool as it wants to be though. What Feast made a great joke about in its opening few minutes, this movie tries to do for real, to eye rolling effect. Cage is very low-key in this, with Laurence Fishburne of all people having the most fun. His characters sexual proclivities serve no purpose, and an early montage of them would be pointless if he wasn't so much fun to watch. Perhaps the biggest disappointment though is that Nicolas Cage and Adam Goldberg get some screen time together, and rather than take this opportunity to have them out-anxious each other, nothing comes of it. I'm so d-d-d-d-d-disappointed.A Score to Settle. 8/10.Went in expecting a typical revenge flick, but was pleasantly surprised to see something more. Cage is really great in this, and I'm more and more impressed by him with each movie. He really disappears into each role, never doing the same thing twice even if he sometimes is playing similar characters. There are a few moments of the Cage Madness here, much in the same way that Christopher Walken or Sam Rockwell try to dance in every movie they do, but the more subdued acting takes center stage.The Frozen Ground. 8/10.Tight cat-and-mouse type that focuses on the procedural more than the thriller aspect and is better for it. Cage is in top form, and Cusack ain't half bad either. Might I want to dip my toe into his DTV output next? Perhaps. 17 to go first.211. 1/10.Jesus Fucking Christ.Dying of the Light. 6/10.Dark. 7/10.As it exists in its official form, it’s a middling CIA thriller with an intriguing Cage performance being the most interesting part.In it’s “Director’s Cut”, which is even less of an actual movie than Donner’s Superman II, everything is much more intriguing, and had Schrader been able to make an actual final cut, this could have had the potential to be great. The concept of a dying CIA agent spending his last days trying to catch a dying terrorist is a solid one, but it isn’t fully realized in either version as is. Cage’s performance is a little manic in both, but more fleshed out and sympathetic in the later. CIA business aside, I’d have liked to watch 90 minutes of Cage just losing his mind. Actually that movie could be 3 hours long and still not be enough.Stolen. 9/10.A cheap Taken knock-off crossed with a heist movie that’s a stupid amount of fun. Josh Lucas is gloriously unhinged here, out Cage-ing the man himself. Can the remaining 14 keep up?Arsenal. 5/10.DTV mediocrity that tries too hard to be cool. Cage is hamming it up in a small-ish role, and certainly makes his scenes entertaining, but the rest of the DTV-All-Stars are bland.Seeking Justice. 8/10.It’s packaged as a revenge thriller, but it’s much more in line with 13 Sins/The Game/Nerve. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous, but it’s a lot of fun to watch. It doesn’t use its New Orleans setting as well as Stolen, but the two would make for a hell of a double feature.Dog Eat Dog. 7/10.Weird movie, but compellingly so. Shrader gets his editing jollies off that he couldn’t do on Dying of the Light, but I’m not sure it does much to add to a movie that is otherwise a pretty simple tale of low-level criminals wanting to hit it big. Cage and Dafoe is a great pairing, but it’s never fully utilized, outside of an odd, half-naked condiment fight.Vengeance: A Love Story. ?/10.After the first 10 minutes, where you can fill a card 100% while playing Cop Trope Bingo, you get the deformed child of two very different movies. In the first movie you have a fairly dark, if poorly constructed, movie about the aftermath of an assault and rape where any one aspect of which could have been explored, but instead the writer and director give us a Whitman's Sampler of plot threads with none of them fleshed out beyond the initial idea. Nicolas Cage is not in this movie.In the second movie however, Nicolas Cage stars in what I can only think to describe of as City of Angels 2. After tragically losing his dear Maggie to that damn logging truck, Seth moves out of LA and assumes the identity of John Drormoor, becoming a policeman who years later becomes involved in the lives of a mother and daughter in the aftermath of a violent attack. After what is obviously Seth/John trying to communicate with Cassiel at the edge of a waterfall for guidance, he is given a much warranted promotion from Angel to Avenging Angel, serving due justice to the duos attackers.These two movies have been edited together. I don't know how to give this a numbered rating. There are 10 remaining.USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. 3/10.A poorly made movie that plays like a work of complete fiction. The use of a famous quote 50 years before it was coined is particularly atrocious, as is Tom Sizemore, acting as though he were Tobias Fünke trying his best at an Academy Award. This is the first straight-up bad movie thus far. Up until this point they’ve either crossed over into so-bad-they’re-good or Cage has given a performance that keeps things entertaining and watchable. USS Indianapolis is just a lame movie across the board.Joe. 7/10.A solid movie with a really great performance by Cage, but I found its most engaging storyline sidelined by too many others that make the movie feel really long. There is no fun to be had here, and little worth revisiting down the road.Color Out of Space. 8/10.Delivered what I was hoping for on most accounts, but continues to prove that adapting Lovecraft, especially on a low budget, is very difficult. There are some real horrors on display though proving that practical effects are still king, and Cage is great, showing again his talent and desire to really put his all into every role.Grand Isle. 6/10.A came cast keeps things going for the first hour, which is essentially a single location play, but it all starts to fall apart in the third act. Grammer has about 10 minutes of collective screen time and only 30 seconds of those shared with Cage. KaDee Strickland is the most surprising here, matching Cage's enthusiasm and keeping the whole thing very entertaining, but it ultimately amounts to very little. The low-budget also doesn't help, constantly referencing a hurricane that is never seen. A shame really, cause you can see the potential for something greater here.Looking Glass. 5/10.A thriller without thrills, trying so hard to be mysterious and failing at each try. Cage is given nothing to do but walk around and look confused for 100 minutes. Things rarely happen, and when they do they make no sense by the end. There's a solid first act setup with some cool ideas, and every single one is wasted. I was hoping for something along the lines of 8MM, but this was not that.The final 5 remain.Mom and Dad. 8/10.A deranged concept which Cage is perfectly suited for, but like my issue with Nicholson in The Shining, he’s already a little crazy before he goes crazy. I love the tone set with the opening credits, but Taylor goes to frenetic too quickly, never letting us settle in before cranking things up to 11.All that aside, it’s a totally bonkers movie and watching Cage let loose is always 100% entertainment. As a whole it just lacks the finesse to bump this up to top tier.Trespass. 8/10.There’s more than a few stupid character decisions, and I don’t love the way the flashback structure is done, but the performances across the board are really good, and the intensity level is consistent throughout.Pay the Ghost. 7/10.A pretty decent spookfest that creates a moody atmosphere and some chilling imagery. While “Color Out of Space” falls in the horror genre, and Cage has done more than a few thrillers, this is the only actual scary movie he’s ever done. I’d like to see more.Army of One. 4/10.Cage sounds like he’s doing a Rain Man impression the entire time, and the movie is narrated in a Wake Up, Ron Burgundy style which is just awful. A very unfunny movie that is more annoying than anything else.Mandy. 10/10.There was no better way to end this journey. Cage is smartly restrained for a majority of the picture, but when the beast is let loose, THE BEAST IS LET LOOSE! A fever dream of a movie that delivers on all accounts, and something that will be re-watched in years to come.https://ift.tt/3aS7gqL In order to keep the title streamlined I said "direct-to-video". Perhaps what I should have said was "movies that did not have a nationwide theatrical release". via /r/movies