Twelve Years A Slave

Down 'N Dirty: A tragic, captivating, gut-wrenching, and world-class film about slavery.

Big Names: Every single person in the film.

I'd like to start this out with a WARNING: This movie is absolutely not for the faint of heart. There are multiple scenes of gratuitous violence. These violent scenes are usually 1-part disturbing because of the realistic art, make-up, and animations; 2-parts disturbing because of the psychological damage that each character endures from being mercilessly abused by another person (treated as an "animal," if you look at it from their perspective) or mercilessly abusing others; and 3-parts disturbing because this film has been so excellently crafted that each member of the audience is forced into the view-point of enslavement. I say forced because that's what it is--you have no option but to understand why each character behaves as they do, and it is often times sickening. 

There is also a lot of hang time, or what some might call 'needlessly long shots,' for each scene in this film. This choice, made by a director who clearly knows what they are doing, allows the audience to really get to think about what they are witnessing; the audience is there before the atrocities happen and must stay there afterwards to live through them, resulting in beautiful cinematography that is both purposeful and artistic. The sun is only shown behind a barricade of tree branches, which is a symbol of captivity from the light and freedom our main character has already known. Certain songs last longer than others because they carry more weight with what is visually happening on the screen, or are perhaps cut short/mid frame to heighten a drastic shift in mood. There are close ups to emphasize certain details when needed and long-range shots used to put the smaller events into the larger perspectives when needed. Again, each of the stylistic techniques used are much more than "trying to be artsy," they all convey meaning and contribute to the audience's subconscious reactions and emotions throughout the film. 

After beginning this review with words that might deter people away from viewing it, I now challenge all of you to see this film. I have never seen a slave-related anything that was so powerful. This is the best movie I've seen in years. It is the second time in my entire life that the final credits started rolling and I could not get out of my seat; I just sat there and thought about everything I had just witnessed--me and my buddy cannot stop talking about it and it's been three days since we saw it now.

More than anything else, this is a very important movie to see. And, honestly, it is important for white people to see. I think this movie does a good job at helping anybody of any color understand why racial tensions are still high... it shows how this sort of thing gets passed down from generation to generation to generation and cannot be forgotten over time because it must not be forgotten over time. Slavery is not something that's worth pretending never happened. This was our country's Holocaust, possibly even worse. Everyone should see this film and whoever does so will be a better human being for it. Even if you don't think about it ever again--if it get's lost in the back of your brain until the day you die--this movie will still be in the back of your brain because it will have an effect on you; the sort of effect that will make you want to hold the door open for someone else or start a conversation the next time you're in an elevator. It unifies man-kind; through these despicable actions of hatred, the audience sees how similar we all are.

On top of all that, this movie made me feel like a dumb-ass for enjoying Tarantino's "Django Unchained" that came out last year. This movie also made Tarantino look like a five year old with too much money. "Twelve Years A Slave" will force you to remember that slavery was not cool, or funny, or a great time, or something that people need to lighten up about. Slavery was absolutely horrible. It is not an action comedy. 

I could write about this movie all night, but I'd like to finish this post by saying this movie is absolutely fantastic despite it's content matter. Slavery is a subject that invokes a multitude of different emotions in each and every one of us, and any subject matter that can do that makes for a great background in any dramatic narrative. Every film-related aspect of "Twelve Years A Slave" was top-notch. The acting was phenomenal, the script was phenomenal, the camerawork was phenomenal, and that all means that the directing was too. There will be many Oscar nods in this movie's direction in the near future.

Brace yourselves before you leave home, and then go see this movie. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Down and Dirty: Must See Sequel

Director: Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Constantine, Water for Elephants)

Big Names: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson

What are the best sequels you can think of off the top of your head? A few come to mind for me: LOTR: The Two Towers, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight. All of those films succeeded in carrying on the essence of their franchise while changing the feel completely. Many take on a more serious tone. The foundation has been laid, now everything gets real. Catching Fire aligns with this trend and belongs on that list without a single doubt in my mind. It is the bridge between the casual child slaughtering ritual and the reality of class warfare.

The premise of this series is a subversive one. Collins wrote the novels hoping to showcase two ideas: we, as a society, have become extraordinarily numb to brutality and violence; and we knowingly embrace an incredibly damaging caste system. This first idea is illustrated well in the first film. The visceral deaths in the games are not glorified, nor are they dwelled on, they simply occur. It catches the audience off guard how seemingly banal it all feels. This notion is shown in the second film, but not nearly as much. Instead, Catching Fire serves as the walkway between the two major ideas that Collins perpetuates. As Katniss Everdeen travels, disillusioned districts start vocalizing their concerns as class warfare rears its ugly head. The games still take place, but only as a necessary transition to the real war that lies on the horizon.

From a plot standpoint, it is a rather simple track. It mirrors the first film, while tracking the political atmosphere in the greater state of Panem. But it is the characters that make this second entry so fantastic. My brother made a rather perceptive insight when he explained to me that what made the first book so much better than the movie is that it allows you inside Katniss’ head. No matter how good of an actress Jennifer Lawrence is, you lose out on those mental notes in the film. However, in Catching Fire, Katniss spends much more time interacting with people than she did previously. We don’t need the mental notes because she is so impulsive and vocal that she's constantly expressing these things outwardly. All we need to see are the key moments of dialogue that best illustrate such notions, the killing we’ve grown numb to, and the lack of emotional commitment that fuels the fire of the love triangle. J-Law knows this and runs with it. She is utterly captivating as the reluctant/ignorant savior of the working class, caught between two young men who care for her very dearly. She owns the role. Lawrence’s recent success as a film star has undoubtedly given her the confidence to carry the weight of the franchise and all of Panem. I believe her when she can’t decide who to trust, who to love, or who to kill. We’ve all been there right?

But in all seriousness, the cast of characters really carries the story. Why should you care about the fictional working class people of fantasy-land District 12? For two reasons. One, it tends to parallel our current nation state and hypothesizes about the very real dangers of class distinction. Two, you know the characters (Katniss, Prim, Gale, Peeta, Haymitch) who call it home; and each of the actors representing those characters make you care. They sell it. The melodrama doesn’t even feel like melodrama. It feels genuine. This is the kind of sequel that gets you so invested in each of the characters that when it ends you yell, “What the hell! We need more!” Director Francis Lawrence knows this. He draws you in with enticing action sequences and touching moments and then leaves you salivating. His previous work is criminally underrated. I thought I was going to hate Water for Elephants. This was another film that had melodrama written all over it with the guy from Twilight; and yet, it was a captivating, emotional tale of love and what we will do on its behalf. I Am Legend had some of the most visually exciting CGI I’d ever seen. Francis Lawrence made sure to showcase Will Smith killing zombies and made it look extra badass. In my opinion, both of those films gave him very different elements that he then blended together to develop the perfect cinematic tone for Catching Fire.

This is one of those rare sequels that surpass the first film. Go see it.

Thor: The Dark World

Also known as Thor 2: The Second Thor Movie

Down and Dirty: Solid action movie. If you enjoy fantasy/sci-fi, you’ll enjoy this.

Director: Alan Taylor

Big Names: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins

Do you remember when CGI started to look good a handful of years ago? As in truly believable, to the point where you couldn’t tell what was green screen and what wasn’t? Well we’ve reached that point…and totally surpassed it. Thor: The Dark World is an exploration in fictional storytelling. Ten years ago, this film simply would not have been able to be made. The setting of the movie, the fantastical world of Asgard, feels eerily real thanks to the high quality production. Almost like it’s a possible exotic vacation destination you are seeing an advert for. The cinematography is gorgeous. Crisp colors, seamless panoramic shots, and versatile environments pop up often with extraordinary ease. Director Alan Taylor has captured the most important part of the Thor franchise: the grandeur of the setting. Without perfecting this aspect, the film would probably break down the second the characters leave Earth. Thankfully this doesn’t happen. In fact, the entire time the characters were on Earth I was wondering when we were going to get back to the action on the fascinating and beautiful outer realms of the universe. This film is a prime example of how CGI technology can bring imagination to life. See for yourself, the sprawling wonder of Asgard is pictured below.

Apart from being a beautiful movie though, The Dark World is extremely entertaining. Do not be turned off by the typical high fantasy introduction surrounding 'dark elves' and magic stones. These are merely the catalysts for all the cool action that is about to go down. High-strung battle sequences are bookended by quick, meaningful plot devices. The characters are interesting, funny, and lovable (except the evil elf lord, no one could love him). I expected the Norse dialogue to be longwinded with distracting accents, but honestly it is witty, concise, and occasionally hilarious. As Thor, Chris Hemsworth literally throws his weight around on screen and it is delightful to watch him break stuff. Natalie Portman is just your typical American chick, working on her thesis, dealing with interns, and getting emotionally invested with a Norse god. Kat Dennings, Portman’s assistant, provides poignant comic relief as she observes the unusual relationship. And she does it in such a way that it becomes clear the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. I think these comedic moments help bridge the gap for viewers who aren’t diehard fantasy fans, as they can simply appreciate a good laugh alongside the comic book fanboys.

On paper, this film really shouldn’t be that good. It seems like a lot of recycled material from both the fantasy and science fiction genres. You won’t find anything terribly new here from a story standpoint, but the film knows what it is and proceeds accordingly.  It’s just a fun ride. Despite being a fantasy/ science fiction crossover with lots of cliché artifacts and elvish lore, it still feels original. Nothing feels unnecessary or overused and I found myself super entertained throughout. Alan Taylor is known for his directorial work on TV, but he made quite a splash here with his first big-budget action film. If you want to go enjoy a fun action movie with a lot of fantasy elements, this is for you.

P.S. Stick around after the credits for an incredibly weird scene featuring Benicio Del Toro with blonde hair.

Vulnerability with Composure

(or Grace Under Pressure meets Fragility, a reflection on emotional acting)

Recent films Gravity and Captain Phillips have revealed to me a very distinct quality in the most talented of actors, and that is the ability to show vulnerability with composure. These two movies focus on how humans choose to react in extraordinary situations. At the core of these stories, the characters are just everyday people trying to do their job. Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and I’d even argue that George Clooney all deliver breathtaking performances in two very good films, which isn’t all that surprising once you consider some of the facts. Namely, that both films are essentially a story of human triumph being told with master craftsmen of emotional interpretation and presentation.

Occupational hazard is something we choose to live with when we are doing a job that we love. What we rarely consider is how we would actually react if that worst-case scenario ever became a reality. In Gravity and Captain Phillips, that question is asked and promptly answered. Whether it is Sandra Bullock, the astronaut in space, or Tom Hanks, the captain at sea, these characters are people who are just trying to accomplish the task that they love when a twist of fate forces their ‘vulnerability with composure’ to surface.  

We, by nature, often feel compelled to bottle our emotions to reduce the risk of painful experience. However, from my own experience I have found that the times I make myself the most vulnerable are the times when I learn and grow the most. These three actors do an incredible job of expressing the notion of growth through vulnerability on screen. But whereas I am typically stumbling over my wordy expressions, they do it with grace and composure. In moments of extreme vulnerability, they do not become ‘Carrie-level’ maniacal  (shouts out to Homeland). Instead they are calculating, collected, and most importantly loving. Normally you hear the word calculating and think of the phrase ‘cold and calculating.’ Not here. These characters are calculating because they want to help others while remaining a beacon of hope and stability. All three actors have an innate ability to express this.  Despite being scared or vulnerable, each of them makes heart-wrenching sacrifices for the good of those they are surrounded by. Although they are sometimes visibly shaken, they often reveal their fear and pain in a much more subtle fashion. They seemingly know when to bury emotion beneath a calm countenance or audibly bolster faux confidence, giving the audience credit for understanding their distress and revealing only a clue to their internal state. It is in this way that they separate themselves from their peers. Granted some of this is due to the script they are given (Captain Phillips), but not always (Gravity). Other actors might feel the need to blatantly express that naked fragility to the viewer, but to us that would simply feel concocted (because it is) and in turn remove us from the experience. Instead, we prefer to watch elite actors and actresses slowly melt into the notion of grace under pressure. We want to see these characters steadily become human triumph in the face of overwhelming emotional distress. We want to believe that we too could hold it together in that moment of truth.

None of this is to say that these films and characters are devoid of moments in which pure emotion comes pouring out. We all reach the point where nothing can express what’s going on inside of us except streaking tears. The question is whether or not we reach the breaking point before the job is finished. Bullock, Clooney, and Hanks have each completed the task at hand, and they’ve done so while illustrating the value of vulnerability with composure. Watch these movies once and enjoy the story. Watch them again to truly appreciate the evocative acting abilities of those involved. Their performances become visions of human capability and compassion on the biggest stage. That’s star power.