'The Long Dumb Road' Review: Jason Mantzoukas Makes "Dumb" Fun [WATCH]
The "buddy comedy" and "road movie" genre has always connected with audiences for the stories of personal growth that they inherently tell.
Previously comfortable or complacent characters who are met with obstacles that force them to recognize personal flaws, and by doing so grow from them, are movies that have a lot to offer audiences. Updating this template for the millennial generation, writer/director Hannah Fidell, whose last feature film was the steamy young love study 6 Years, takes this framework and adds a winning ingredient – funnyman Jason Mantzoukas as an unemployable drifter – to make the charming, delightful and heart-warming film The Long Dumb Road.
Taking his family’s mini-van across state lines to begin art school in Los Angeles, incoming freshman Nathan (Tony Revelori) expects nothing more than a nice drive where he can pull over and rattle off some photos on his film camera on his way to orientation, but plans change when his car breaks down. The first person Nathan meets is a very recently unemployed (quite literally quitting his job in hilariously theatrical fashion when we meet him) Richard (Mantzoukas), who puts the “manic” in “mechanic.” Nathan agrees to take Richard to his newly chosen destination – Las Vegas – as it's on the way to art school, and some company would be appreciated.
Nathan is an intelligent kid with his wits about him, collected and measured enough to bet that offering Richard a ride wouldn’t be a threat to him. The number of road beers and joints that Richard sparks, coupled with his overly braggadocios demeanor, only reveals his good-natured easy-goingness, something that Nathan realizes he could use a little more of in his own life. Of course, a number of not so enlightening incidents occur during the new friends’ journey through the American Southwest: an "almost" bar fight; disastrously reuniting with a lost love; overstepping boundaries with new flirty acquaintances (Taissa Farmiga, Grace Gummer), and getting set back by an old friend of Richard’s in a very inconveniencing way.
As he did in The Grand Budapest Hotel and more recently Spider-Man: Homecoming, Revolori shows that he’s able to hold his own against heavy-weight presences, but this time as just a young, earnest millennial without any character dressings. It's Mantzoukas who is the fuel of this movie, each of his impulsive and poor decisions more entertaining than the last. It’s a joy to see Mantzoukas, who always elevates any production he’s in as a supporting role, buddy up with a sort of adopted brother dynamic to play to his strengths as a leading man.
Whereas the artfully-eyed yet heavy-handed 6 Years saw Fidell explore the somber notes that young people’s mutually exclusive relationships can bring, The Long Dumb Road (as can probably be inferred by its title alone) has almost one-hundred percent less seriousness in it (a final act triumph includes Mantzoukas attempting to defecate on an enemy’s lawn), and it’s all the more watchable for it. At a tight ninety minutes, The Long Dumb Road, co-written by Carson Mell, sees Fidell exploring her own new world– comedy. It is a much looser style then we’ve seen her embrace before, which reminds us that sometimes the best thing we can learn is to not take ourselves too seriously.
This review originally ran on February 12, 2018, during the Sundance Film Festival
90 min. 'The Long Dumb Road' is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content and some drug use. Opening this Friday at
'Suspiria' Channels the Manic, Feminine Mystique
It's been said that life is all about balance: light and dark, order and chaos, good and evil.
In allegorical terms, it's clear to see how these qualities have been portrayed in gender senses. The idea of God and government is seen as having a masculine, "male" energy. Its opposite – temptation and unpredictability – has been embodied as feminine, "female" energy, as life itself offers dark uncertainty. Male-dominated hierarchies have long been apprehensive of women, fearing "the unknown." Which is all to say, Suspiria – the all-female coven horror film from director Luca Guadagnino– is the perfect film to offer haunting and electric feminine energy for these times.
A remake of the 1977 technicolor art-house horror flick, Suspiria follows an all-female dance academy where mysterious things are thought to occur inside the compound’s walls. There’s certainly danger in the politically-charged 1980’s in East Berlin where this movie takes place, the compound itself sitting just on the other side of the oppressive Berlin wall. The dance academy has been around for decades and is run by Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) and her legion of ladies. The women not only maintain order in violent and unstable times but also run one of the most prestigious dance academies in the world. It’s where American transplant Susie (Dakota Johnson) arrives from her small-town in Ohio – coincidentally, as several lead girls crumble under the academy’s pressure (imagined or real?) – and impresses them all by dancing the lead solo on her first day of auditions, which results in everyone questioning who she is.
As Susie rises higher and higher, fellow dancer Sara (Mia Goth) grows highly suspicious of the oddities that seem to occur during Susie’s lead performances. Luca Guadagnino, who last year directed Timotheé Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name, makes this movie an art house exercise that operates with more mystery than on pure horror. He builds an atmosphere of unease into the academy’s walls, not unlike the eeriness of The Shining and because of this, at best, Suspiria will be polarizing and at worst, underwhelming.
...powerful thrusts and quick choreographed moves are set to inhalations and exhalations that ebb and flow to build to a symphony of senses and orchestration of evil.
What separates this remake from the 1977 version directed by Dario Argento is Guadagnino’s filming of the dance at the center of the film. Guadagnino is certainly one for understanding how senses play to the audience. Here, he fully orchestrates evil with a primal and animalistic expression compared to the ballet scene of the original film, where powerful thrusts and quick choreographed moves are set to the ebb and flow of inhalations and exhalations, building to a symphony of senses and an orchestration of evil. But it’s the time in-between these moments– a politically uninteresting side story, and a barely motivated Dr. Josef Klemperer (look closer at “his” makeup and re-look at Tilda Swinton’s credits in the film) that had me wishing Suspiria would’ve left me even more breathless.
Suspiria is an overall fascination for the senses, with its details and artful moments, but it lacks some of the core ingredients that make horror movies fun. It’s undeniably expertly crafted, and when it goes off the rails in the film’s head-spinning (or head-exploding) ending, it’s quite simply one of the most bizarre moments in movies this year. But even with that, Suspiria is not as shocking as it could be, making me think these ladies may not be entirely satisfied.
152 min. 'Suspiria' is rated R for disturbing content involving ritualistic violence, bloody images, and graphic nudity, and for some language including sexual references. Now playing in theaters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY6QKRl56Ok
'First Man' Review: Sailor of the Stars
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" - Robert Browning
The moon, perched high in the sky, sits magisterially and quietly dignified. Like a watchful mother keeping eyes over her children that run around in the backyard of a grown-ups' dinner party, her protecting presence observes all. In director Damien Chazelle's eyes – and as he portrays in his latest film, First Man – this celestial entity is a shared spiritual ancestor to the first man to ever set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Just as silently solemn, we see a man who was a brilliant engineer, loving father, and lonely sailor of the stars.
First Man sets out to be many things. Telling the story of the eight years prior to the famed moon landing – including early tests and unsuccessful trials that weighed heavy on all involved – it's a wonderfully exacted and historically accurate period piece dense with action-adventure elements that are captured with stunning practical effects and visionary camerawork. However, the real survival story that Chazelle focuses on is on the ground where Armstrong navigates the tragedies of life, including the early loss of his youngest child to cancer.
This is where the film's center is- a small character drama grounded not only by gravity but in the realities of life that surround him. It is Chazelle's and screenwriter Josh Singer's (Spotlight, The Post) interest and focus on this smaller side of history that characterizes Armstrong, but also what challenges the film. Armstrong is no space cowboy, but rather an engineer who thinks physics is "neat". To this end, I wish that Chazelle and company would have gotten more swept up into the romance of the cosmos.
With 'First Man', [Damien Chazelle's] third major release, he once again explores a young man's ambitions of greatness and the things he sacrifices to get it.
As this "first man," Ryan Gosling offers his quietly powerful persona to this real-life stoic man of few words, bringing steadfast commitment and beautiful restraint to the role. It's the enigmatic Claire Foy as Janet Armstrong who adds the necessary pulse and life force to the film, putting those "boys" at NASA in check in moments that put her husband in danger. A fantastic supporting cast, including Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Christopher Abbott, and Corey Stoll, round out the film by adding virtuoso performances.
Damien Chazelle has always been a man of ambition. With First Man, his third major release, he once again explores a young man's ambitions of greatness and the things he sacrifices to get it. Chazelle naturally brings the cinema of life to the big screen with clear and incalculable vision. He is, after all, the youngest person ever to win the Best Director Oscar for last year's La La Land. To this end, perhaps First Man's overall effect would be even more impressionable and felt if seen in IMAX. In this setting, the 16mm film transforms into IMAX during the moon sequences, which Chazelle states that was intended to be his "Wizard of Oz moment."
At the end of the day, audiences will either cherish First Man for offering a contemplative inward journey or feel that it held itself too restrained. Overall, I would have liked to feel Armstrong be a little more awestruck, even if this was intentionally absent so as to faithfully show his brilliance as an engineer and devoted father whose still waters ran deep. Nonetheless, First Man is a brilliant work of art and dutiful historical document that no doubt furthers Chazelle's, Gosling's, and the rest of the creative company's artistry, as well as adds to the story of Armstrong and those who dare to find themselves amongst the stars.
141 min. 'First Man' is rated PG-13 for some thematic content involving peril, and brief strong language. Now playing in theaters everywhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4GtJB5WAlQ
'Galveston' Review: The Allure of Life on the Run
Living life on-the-run is a romantic idea, as made popular by the thriller genre.
It's certainly a tried-and-true storyline of the pulp-novel variety. But there's a problem in pulpy-writing: it's the same story, the same familiar tropes, characters and storylines that are recycled over and over. A movie like No Country for Old Men is perhaps the most brilliantly realized version of this country western crime thriller with its artistic sub-text. Or the intelligent character portrayal of the brothers in the recent filmHell or High Water with its great bank-heist story. But beyond these features, a film can be plagued if the story is lacking, as in the new movie Galveston.
Based on the novel by Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective, Galveston is another entry into the hit-man-on-the-run genre. The film stars Ben Foster as Roy, a murderer-for-hire who becomes the hunted when he's set-up by his boss (Beau Bridges). When the job goes south, he's left with young Raquel, played by Elle Fanning, "Rocky," as she calls herself, who wants to escape a life of selling herself as a call-girl. The relationship could certainly set itself up for a romantic pairing, but Roy's demons, including an ailment that has put an expiration date on his life, leaves Roy emotionally cut-off. Foster and Fanning always bring something special to the big screen and they share a sort of chemistry with the characters that live a bit too on-the-page.
Maybe it’s the reaction to the knowledge that impending doom is so close, so every moment makes us feel alive.
In an interesting move, this is the latest film directed by multi-hyphenate Mélanie Laurent, who audiences will know from such on-screen work as Beginners and Inglorious Basterds. Laurent adds artful introspection to what is the promise of redemption for Raquel and Roy's ever-consuming darkness. What's interesting here is that the French-born actress, singer, pianist, screenwriter, and now director takes on this American genre movie, which perhaps hearkens back to the idea that forging your own destiny against all odds is a particularly American tale.
Ultimately, Galveston's story of living life on the run is an alluring one, and maybe it will always continue to be alluring. Maybe it’s the reaction to the knowledge that impending doom is so close, so every moment makes us feel alive. Or maybe it's because, at some time or another, we all feel that we're running from something that we don't want to confront.
91 min. 'Galveston' is not yet rated. Opening at Laemmle Monica Film Center and VOD on this Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82UWW1bJdl0
'Beautiful Boy' Review: A Son, Astray
It’s a heartbreaking thing to sit helpless watching a loved one struggle with inner turmoil and grief.
And short of that person being oneself or a family member, watching two of the big screen’s most beloved stars – Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet – play out this heart-wrenching story as father and son, is a not easy to watch without letting your emotions surface.
Carell and Chalamet star in Beautiful Boy, the new film based on the pair of memoirs written by David and Nic Sheff, a father and son whose stories show the painful perspectives of a son’s ongoing struggle with drug addiction. Beautiful Boy depicts David’s desperate determination and Nic’s recurring relapses, revealing there may be no escape from rescuing someone from something as merciless and addictive as harrowing chemical dependencies.
It’s nothing short of expert casting to see these actors inhabit these real-life roles – you might even wish Carell and Chalamet were part of your own family. Few other actors could make you feel as crushed as seeing a heartbroken Steve Carell playing a forlorn father figure. And which other young actors could make you feel as torn up inside as Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, Timothée Chalamet, throwing his promising life away?
There have been other films about the consuming nature of drugs and addiction, and there are familiar notes to Beautiful Boy that don’t exactly differentiate themselves from those other films. But what distinguishes Beautiful Boy, making it so moving and impactful, is its ability to show how addiction affects more than just the drug user, but the user’s larger circle as well. Other stories of addiction might have focused solely on Nic and his journey of substance abuse, but in seeing his father David, meandering around his son’s empty bedroom consumed in thought and worry, we see the fractures from all sides. David calls the police to report his son as a missing person early on but eventually is resigned to accept that Nic’s reliable absence signals that he is no longer missing, but altogether lost.
David and Nic’s stories of recovery, relapse, and the hope for redemption paint a poignant picture of what makes life so beautiful.
What distinguishes Beautiful Boy further is that we see the moments where Nic momentarily recovers, rather than portraying him in a total downward spiral. Short-term stints of sobriety are an honest part of the experience. Nic rides the waves as best he can until he is all but swallowed up by the sea. Seeing a strung-out Nic at the end of the film at his absolute worst stands as one of the most tear-jerking moments I’ve had this year.
There is such heart brought to this adaptation by director Felix van Groeningen. It’s felt in the chemistry of its stars, which also includes Maura Tierney and Amy Ryan as Nic’s worried step-mother and mother (whose contributions in the film are effective but largely underutilized, being a story of father and son grief). The flashbacks of Carell as David with the younger Nic (Kue Lawrence, Jack Dylan Grazer) paint the entire picture of this family’s story even more affecting.
Beautiful Boy is a powerful, heart-wrenching story that offers the most sympathetic portrait of addiction that I’ve seen in recent times. David and Nic’s stories of recovery, relapse, and the hope for redemption paint a poignant picture of what makes life so beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y23HyopQxEg
'hillbilly' and 'Behind the Curve' Reviews: Fringe Groups Seeking to be Seen
One of the things that bubbled up during the 2016 Presidential campaign and then all but burst afterward was the talk of a deep cultural divide in America.
This divide might be explained by a few things. Minority groups, whose voices had previously not been heard, have risen and social movements have gained nation-wide attention in true democratic fashion ushered in by the digital age. People's stories are being told and shared to the larger masses easier than ever before, both online and in media representation. Being open to hearing other sides of arguments can be an uncomfortable thing. Educational nonetheless. In order to run the country in a civilized and democratic fashion, we should be open to understanding the effects of harmful stereotypes minorities face, and we should be open-minded when we hear people say that the Earth is not round, but flat.
Well, perhaps not the latter.
At this year's LA Film Festival, two documentaries examined people who are trying to be seen as legitimate groups in American society. hillbilly, directed by Sally Rubin and Ashley York, follows the progressive feminist filmmaker York as she returns to her hometown on the eve of the 2016 Presidential election. Here, she examines the harmful stereotype of hillbillies that she and her family and friends have had, and still have, to endure for decades. hillbilly is an example of a social documentary where the filmmaker seeks to re-appropriate the harmful stereotype while showing how the longlasting effects on those ostracized have led to marginalized political voices.
Of course, where a film like hillbilly seeks to actively re-frame harmful stereotypes, the documentary Behind the Curve, directed by Daniel J. Clark, is a light-hearted look at showing the quirkier folks who believe in a flat-earth. Now I wouldn't want to undermine my entire argument that these flat-earthers should be made fun of, but as Clark so deftly shows in his movie, it requires an incredulously naive person to believe these people. Where a conspiracy theory movie could have easily played like a hard-nosed investigative take-down, Behind the Curve is successful because it's more of a curious, almost empathic look at this group of people who are oddballs in their own right. Among a community of fellow weirdos, these flat-earthers feel a sense of rightness and belonging.
Hearing things that go against our natural inclination can be hard. We might feel a personal attack on ourselves, and I'd be lying if I, a young Californian kid whose vote didn't go toward the current President of our country, didn't feel that hillbilly was initially not a sad story, especially compared to the more wronged minority groups that Black Lives Matter or #MeToo have positioned themselves to be. But co-director Ashley York is the perfect person to bring this story to light, being a progressive filmmaker who couldn't be more different than her "MAGA" family. But York proudly identifies as a hillbilly, while simultaneously getting her family to open up to what they see as Coastal elitism devaluing the Appalachian people and their ways of life. It's comical to see the image of the hillbilly in popular culture – straw hat, toothless, and illiterate – but York shows that this ignorant representation also does harm by undermining these people's civil and political rights.
It's not as hard to hear conflicting information presented by Flat-earthers, because – truly, objectively – it's such a funny concept. And the people that make up this community, while distrustful of popular ideas and historical events, have a streak of animation to them. They are show people, proudly defiant of being on the fringe. A spectrum of people differs in terms of what a "flat earth" exactly that means – some believe that the sky is a dome covering, some believe that they're in infinite space that expands upwards, and variations beyond that. These conspiracy theorists even differ with themselves, thinking that some of their own are operatives and undercover. But what Clark does so well is explain how astrophysicists and scientists need to re-position their arguments better so that they don't alienate others on the outside.
Both documentaries are more than educational and worth your time. We need to continue to highlight the stories of people whose stories may differ from our own. Even if we are worlds away... and however flat those worlds may be.
'hillbilly' is not rated. 87 minutes.
'Behind the Curve' is not rated. 96 minutes.
'The Song of Sway Lake' Review: Desires Lie in the Depths of the Lake
Going back in time can be a romantic idea.
Sometimes, it's movies or music that helps us transport back to a more peaceful time. In The Song of Sway Lake, it's a piece of music that gets two young men to go back to an old family house looking for a rare family record- the titular "Song of Sway Lake" which, along with its value, holds family memories and secrets that must also be confronted.
The Song of Sway Lake follows Ollie (Rory Culkin) who brings his Russian vagabond friend Nikolai (Robert Sheehan) to his old family house to help him search through records and photographs for a rare family record they are trying to pawn off. They break into the house and have a general sense of unsupervised fun, but what starts as a private looting turns into a family affair when his grandmother Charlie (Mary Beth Peil) arrives with her caretaker (Elizabeth Peña, in her final film role), who is also there to find the family record. The lake house brings to the surface a collective of wants and desires. Ollie catches the eye of purple-haired Isadora (Isabelle McNally) who soon consumes his thoughts, and Charlie, when not reading old correspondences from her late husband, stares vacantly out at sea still shaken over his death and a general longing for time.
[Ari] Gold mixes in a sprinkling of secrecy and mystery to the lake where dreamy and surreal visual sequences that manifest themselves elevate the film beyond more than just a summer coming-of-age movie.
The Song of Sway Lake is a juxtaposition of old and new, between the timeless and the modern, which stylistically brings about a mixture of tones throughout the film. The upper-class heirs of yesteryear that Charlie recounts when socialites went to vacation stands in opposition to Ollie's attitude, his own long hair, and quiet defiance. But together they share a consuming level of introspection that the remote lake house brings, forcing Ollie to confront the death of his father who took his life by walking into the thin ice of Sway Lake while Charlie grows ever more silent.
To this end, there's a consuming, haunted undertone to The Song of Sway Lake that director Ari Gold, who co-wrote the movie with Elizabeth Bull, brings to the film. Gold mixes in a sprinkling of secrecy and mystery to the lake where dreamy and surreal visual sequences that manifest themselves elevate the film beyond more than just a summer coming-of-age movie. The Song of Sway Lake will make you consider what the price of holding onto the past costs, and the infinite boundless depths where things lie at the bottom of the lake.
100 min. 'The Song of Sway Lake' is rated R for language, graphic nudity, and some sexual content. Now playing at Laemmle’s Music Hall, available On Digital and On Demand on September 25, 2018
https://youtu.be/oR6PhWYz_9Q
'Hal' Review: The Hippie Who Disrupted Hollywood
The story of American cinema in the 70's is often dominated by your Scorsese's, your DePalma's and Coppola's, but where does the name Hal Ashby fit in?
Ashby is often not listed first in these conversations, and I myself haven't seen enough of Hal Ashby's movies to have his name top of mind, aside from watching Harold and Maude in a high school psychology class. I didn't remember much from that initial viewing, certainly not that the running gag of the film is fantasy suicide sequences of a depressed youth. Watching again, in clip form, made me realize that this was one small slice of a larger artistic mind (and a very funny one at that). Seeing these clips as well as the rest of Ashby's prolific repertoire in the new documentary Hal made me realize, I am woefully and embarrassingly under-informed of this Oscar-winning director's work.
A documentary about a film director is largely going to be a movie about his movies, and Hal discusses all of them. We see that Ashby is responsible for such classics beyond Harold and Maude, including Shampoo, The Last Detail, Bound For Glory, and more. All of his films share a common thread that is weaved throughout, which is the honest depiction of humanity or the human condition. In films like The Landlord starring a young Beau Bridges, that truth is in civil rights and the African-American experience. In Being There, it is the absurdist comedy of Peter Sellers that was a critique of celebrity and political influence of society. It's this sharp and authentic running through-line that makes it obvious that Hal Ashby was a man with a story to tell.
It's this sharp and authentic running through-line that makes it obvious that Hal Ashby was a man with a story to tell.
A large takeaway I learned after watching Hal was that he was both an open-hearted hippie who loved people dearly, and also a rebellious and defiant artist who would butt heads with Hollywood and the studio system. Which is to say, he was a guy that wouldn't compromise from the ideals that he held, which included social filmmaking themes of civil rights. Anarchic peaceholder is the warring balance of his artistry, and his defiantly non-commercial sensibilities produced a body of work that made him who he is, one of our greatest directors.
Hal's story is told in a variety of mixed media with interviews from his peers, including revered directors Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, Judd Apatow, and Norman Jewison – the director who hired Hal as an associate editor for In the Heat of the Night. Ashby is described as somebody who, for a defiantly punk rock hippie, challenged Hollywood and made the art he wanted to make.
Now, time to watch some more of his movies.
90 min. 'Hal' is not rated. Opening this Friday at the Nuart Theatre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBGfKan2qAg
'American Animals': Achieve Greatness, Steal a Masterpiece
It's an intrinsically American thing, the feeling of wanting to leave behind some sort of legacy after we're gone.
To the impressionable young person, it's a pressure that can drive them to the most extreme of actions. Sure, one can strive to leave behind their own legacy through hard work. But if one were smart enough – or just young and foolish enough – couldn't one also just steal it?
This impressionable young-person-sets-out-to-steal-greatness is the story of American Animals (now available to watch digitally and On Demand), an enthralling and electrifying film that derives its plot from true events. Based on the real-life story of a group of friends who, feeling the monotony and complacency of their small-town Kentucky undergraduate lives, devise a plan to steal some of the rarest artifacts of this country's history. Complete with costumes, makeup, and prosthetics, the boys- Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan), Warren Lipka (Evan Peters), Eric Borsuk (Jared Abrahamson) and Chas Allen (Blake Jenner)- make American Animals one of the most stylish films to come out this year.
Think 'Ocean's Eleven' meets 'The Social Network.'
American Animals is a unique viewing experience for the different genres that it brings together, which I was certainly not expecting. It's a devilishly fun heist movie, bringing the most heart-pounding and suspenseful sequences when it needs to. But it's clear that Animals' writer and director Bart Layton is interested in exploring the psychology of young person's head, specifically the question of: what would make these misguided and impressionable people go through with a plan like this? Think Ocean's Eleven meets The Social Network.
The stylistic hybrid filmmaking comes into play with Layton's inclusion of interviews from the real-life heisters themselves. As they comment on what was going on in their heads, the film cuts between the narrative of the friends planning, performing, and living with the consequences of their heist. These stylistic touches won't be too surprising if you've seen Layton's previous work, the critically-acclaimed documentary The Imposter, in which Layton brought the story of a real-life identity-assuming person to the big screen with cinematic flair.
To this end, American Animals also brings forward larger and more conceptual ideas that Layton is concerned with: authenticity, deception, perception, and memory. These themes are all explored with editing and story tricks – for example, the real-life characters will walk into frame as one of the background actors. Plus, blink-and-you'll-miss-it editing puts the viewer into off-ground, which is a fun place to be in the hands of Layton, who very clearly enjoys throwing the audience off the trail.
If you're looking for a film that will offer some of the most visually and narratively interesting ideas of this year, look no further than American Animals.
116 min. 'American Animals' is rated R for language throughout, some drug use and brief crude/sexual material. Available to rent on Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube Movies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKvPVvy2Kn8
'Eighth Grade' Review: Coming of Age in the Digital Age
Bo Burnham is an eighth-grade girl.
Well, it would be more accurate to say that not only is he an eighth-grade girl – although his understanding and portrayal of this confusing time in adolescent life is astoundingly spot-on – but reveals that we all are eighth-grade girls, or once were. Which is to say that at one time or another, we've all felt the same shared sense of awkwardness, that of identity confusion and a general longing for love that unites us all, no matter our gender, age, or generation.
The directorial debut of comedian Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade is, on the surface, a modest movie. Essentially, we follow a teen in the last week of her middle school year, along with all of the important and trivial life events that pop up. But that would be like saying last year's Best Picture nominee Lady Bird was just a movie about a high school senior (Eighth Grade was also produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush). Specifically, what these movies have in common is a theme that is most noticeable: one of authenticity, identity, and the general nature of who we are by how we choose to live.
Perhaps no one knows this better than Burnham himself, who dealt with crafting an identity in the age of the internet, cultivating a fanbase by creating pop piano hits on YouTube that eventually resulted in a successful standup comedian relationship with Netflix specials and tours. So yes, this movie is about Kayla (Elsie Fisher), an introverted and reserved eighth grader without a best friend, and whose superlative awarded by her class is "Most Quiet." But below that, it's really about identity and insecurities that we all have, and are never more relevant than at this time, in this age of social media and online living.
Where Bo Burnham's directorial effort, which he also wrote, truly shines most, is the examination of the duality of "being yourself."
Eighth Grade shines a light on the anxieties of growing up in the social media generation like a front-facing flash of a camera selfie. It's not news that the suffocating artificiality of pop consumerism is such a large part of kids' lives. The content they take in is then re-created and re-stylized in a feedback loop that results in being either so out of touch with reality or hyper-in touch with a false one. This is what stirs Kayla, who is introverted and reserved at school, but comes to life online making inspirational and self-help videos to an audience of none.
It's successful because Bo has the eye and mind and insecurities of Kayla, and it doesn't ring false or sappy – it just feels like he gets it! Eighth Grade is not just a simple trip down nostalgia lane as we skirt uncomfortable issues (the film is rated R for a reason). When the movie touches on the subjects of school shootings and oral sex, the older people in the screening room seemed to grow noticeably uncomfortable, which goes to show how in touch Bo is with the way kids talk these days.
There is a confidence portrayed in his directing as well. We see strong visual sequences where long shots are held to either build tension or, when set to musical moments, feel dreamy and transporting. The synth score is energetic and uplifting as is his forte.
Where Bo Burnham's directorial effort truly shines most, which he also wrote, is the examination of the duality of "being yourself." Burnham's stand up specials – the prolific what. and Make Happy, showcase the young millennial, all of twenty seven-years-old himself, as a meta-maddening, self-aware artist consumed by the idea of creating who you are, as well as living naturally to the rest of society's confirmations.
Eighth Grade is 94 minutes. Rated R for language and some sexual material. Now playing at Arclight Hollywood and the Landmark.
'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot' Review: A Cartoonist Finds a Second Life
I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of American indie icon and film director Gus Van Sant’s newest film, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Based on the memoir of the same name, Van Sant brings the real-life story of John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) to the big screen. Callahan, the late cartoonist whose early battle with alcohol addiction eventually led to a drunk driving incident that would leave him in near full-body paralysis and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, would use the limited mobility of his arms to go on to find catharsis in drawing cartoons – single panel comics whose humor would come from illustrating the often wincingly dark absurdities of life. Van Sant mixes Callahan’s humor with a painfully honest journey to make a beautiful portrait of how one finds solace in the face of tragedy, giving credence to the old saying that tragedy is just comedy plus time.
Van Sant, who wrote the screenplay of the film as well, gives Callahan’s story an impressionistic wash, intercutting wheelchair Callahan’s present-day wheelchair-confinement with the earlier chapters of his life through flashback form. We see a younger Callahan guzzling booze straight from the bottle, moments of the drunk driving incident with friend and enabler Dexter (Jack Black), his physical therapy exercises with would-be lover Annu (Rooney Mara), as well as the story of Callahan entering a support group for his alcohol addiction. The re-occurring support group scenes prove to be the emotional core of the movie and lift the movie from standard bio-pic to a character study in therapeutic discovery and healing.
Joaquin Phoenix once again proves a mastery in being able to shape-shift into and humanize the oddball characters that he inhabits.
Bringing Callahan to the big screen in fearless form is Joaquin Phoenix, who once again proves a mastery in being able to shape-shift into and humanize the oddball characters that he inhabits. Phoenix as the irreverent Callahan plays both sides of the aisle in a character whose devil-may-care benders evoke those of Hunter S. Thompson’s. He’s silly and funny, evoking his hippie stoner of Inherent Vice, but also drifts into the emotionally conflicted soldier returned from war as seen in The Master. Phoenix in full-body paralysis is forced to confront his demons while attending addiction groups led by group sponsor Donnie (Jonah Hill), and it’s here that the film finds its counter-balance to Callahan’s reckless, untamed nature. Donnie, with long flowing spiritually enlightened blonde locks, is both sagely and sympathetic to the group, and especially Callahan, whose scenes together prove master classes in performance. It’s exciting to see Jonah Hill continue to surprise audiences with his film choices, as this performance is as equally fearless and honest to Phoenix’s.
It should be known that Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot is somewhat of a difficult watch. Not in a disturbing way – which some thematic elements are – but more that the film feels very much feels like a labor of love, particularly and intentionally laborious. The emotional heft and weight that the movie brings can only be assumed to honor both Callahan as well as the person who first brought the project to Van Sant to star in back in the nineties. The late Robin Williams, who previously starred in Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, was also a comedian battling his own demons, and the film would remain in development for twenty years until Williams’ untimely passing. Van Sant honors the artist’s emotional journeys of the struggle to find meaning in the wake of tragedy (the film is dedicated to Williams) and shows that through self-forgiveness and circumstances acceptance, life is best lived not with grief, but with a grin.
This review originally ran on January 23, 2018, during the Sundance Film Festival
113 minutes. 'Don't Worry He Won't Get Far On Foot' is rated R for language throughout, sexual content, some nudity, and alcohol abuse. In select theaters this Friday.
Boots Riley's 'Sorry to Bother You' is Brash, Ballsy, and Flat-out Bonkers
This review originally ran on February 6, 2018, during the Sundance Film Festival
Sorry to Bother You may sound apologetic, but it's every bit as brash, ballsy, and bonkers a movie that I've seen in a directorial debut.
Sorry to Bother You may sound apologetic, but as a directorial debut, it's every bit as brash, ballsy, and bonkers of any movie I've seen. First-time filmmaker Boots Riley’s satirical film captures the level of selling out that people will stoop to in the pursuit of success. This zany comedy, which is set in an alternate present-day Oakland, portrays a young man of color who takes a telemarketing job and, in an effort to increase his sales, literally adopts a "white dialect" to speak to his customers. This could have been the extent of where the movie settles, to explore this concept more thoroughly, but Riley’s unbridled creativity continues to seep in and we find that this storyline is just the beginning.
Lakeith Stanfield plays Cassius 'Cash' Green, a young man whose objective is to line his pockets with a little extra money. After starting the new job as an entry-level telemarketer, he takes the advice from senior co-worker, Langston (Danny Glover), to adopt a "white voice" (voiced by David Cross), in order to connect with his customers during cold calls. In hilarious fashion, when Stanfield opens his mouth, Cross' voice is overdubbed, and the movie has fun inserting a “square dialect” into Stanfield's soulfully visual performance. It's this sort of playful comedy that makes Sorry to Bother You a fun time, and its comparison to the result of a Spike Jonze and Spike Lee lovechild are accurate.
Boots Riley is equally interested in fostering a message of activism in addition to the investment of strong comedic elements. Cash realizes that his newfound success comes at a price when his new status puts him at odds with the lesser established co-workers. It gets to a point where Cash must decide to cross a picket line made up of his bohemian girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson), and best friend, Squeeze (Steven Yeun). The decision of who chooses to assist him in getting to work each day, creates an emotional hardship that he weighs against his large paycheck.
The film ends with one of the most head-spinning twists that would be less fun to spoil here, even though it could use a little more editing in its final act before it makes you do a double take.
All of this is put on the highest stage when Cash rises in the ranks to become one of the agency's best employees and into the inner circle of the company's CEO Steve Lift (Armie Hammer). This is when a dark secret that the company is harboring comes to light. The film ends with one of the most head-spinning twists that would be less fun to spoil here, even though it could use a little more editing in its final act before it makes you do a double take.
Sorry to Bother You is commanding; it is either making you laugh or making you think. Riley does a very good job pulling in all elements, specifically the production design by Jason Kisvarday, in which everything is so detailed it creates a visually rich movie. The ensemble cast does well, with Stanfield carrying the movie on his back, Tessa Thompson delivers another fierce and unwavering performance, Armie Hammer has fun as the bat-shit CEO, and David Cross and Patton Oswalt's "white voices" are a huge part of the laughs. Sorry to Bother You will find success with audiences willing to have a good time and entertain new visual thoughts. The film was picked up by Annapurna Pictures after making its world premiere at Sundance this year for a reported seven figures.
105 mins. 'Sorry to Bother You' is rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use. Opening this Friday at ArcLight Hollywood.
'Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town' Review: A Riot Grrrl Gets Across LA in a Day
This review originally ran on July 20, 2017, during the LA Film Festival
"You know, it's a little bit more of a fun movie than most indie films are, and I think we've lost some of that. You don't see a lot of the Swingers anymore, and we need a little bit more of that. We need more fun indie films instead of it always been something dramatic." So says writer and director Christian Papierniak, talking about his directorial debut, the punk-soaked Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town.
Making its premiere at this year's LA Film Festival, "Izzy" is a road movie about a girl (Mackenzie Davis) who, after learning of her ex's recent engagement, takes to hauling ass across town to try and win him back. Told in chronicles of each neighboring city that are chaptered between Mar Vista to Los Feliz, Izzy's day is a mess, and we're along for the fun of it all that Papierniak crafts in loose, punk-rock influenced mayhem.
Izzy enters the movie as a gal who still appears to not have her shit together, waking up from a hook up's (Lakeith Stanfield) bedroom, and throwing on her white bloody tux – a visual that Papierniak says he came up with around ten or fifteen years ago, stating, "This idea just stuck in my head of this girl in a bloody tux. A bloody white tux. And I just saw this image of her sitting in the back of a taxi cab, and I was like, 'Well that seems interesting. How do I create a story around that?'"
For our exclusive interview with Christian Papierniak, click here.
This is where the fun spools out from – Izzy hopping from one friend to the next with the hopes of cashing in favors to get ever closer to the other side of town in one day's time. Among the colorful characters that pop up is Alia Shawkat and Haley Joel-Osment who lend fun to the movie.
[Mackenzie Davis] commands the movie with her fiery manic-onwards energy, while also being able to lend the softer insecurities-driven side...
Fueling the movie is a rocking soundtrack that emphasizes the Riot Grrrl culture that Izzy embodies. Tracks from Corin Tucker (of Sleater-Kinney fame) and her previous band Heavens to Betsy, are deployed in each chapter's connecting title card and in the background, including a cover of "Axeman" by Izzy and her sister, Virginia (Carrie Coon).
Mackenzie Davis, who audiences may recognize from her fantastic work on the AMC television series Halt and Catch Fire or her bit-role in The Martian, gets a proper vehicle to showcase her star status. She commands the movie with her fiery manic-onwards energy, while also being able to lend the softer insecurities-driven side that dizzies Izzy as she continues to confront why she is running across town. Is the person she is running to only be an excuse to run from herself and her own life's issues?
On its premiere night at LAFF, Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town was packed, with some two-hundred people getting turned away. It was "like a rock concert," as Papierniak remembers. "That's kind of what the movie's all about, so we wanted it to be that kind of feel." While the film is now seeking distribution, keep an eye out for this movie that is both rough around the edges while retaining a fun loose vibe.
86 minutes. 'Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town' is currently not rated. Now playing in select theaters.
'Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town' Director Christian Papierniak Talks Riot Grrrl Inspiration
Shortly after making its premiere at the 2017 LA Film Festival, I had the opportunity to speak exclusively with Christian Papierniak, who directed the new movie "Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town" – and who was also a former professor of mine when I attended Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts as an undergrad.
We spoke about his current full-time job – directing video games motion-capture scenes–, casting Mackenzie Davis as his riot grrrl lead, and what needs to change in the film industry.
It's good to talk to you again. It's been a few years.
Yep, a few years, absolutely. Under my tutelage.
You just premiered your directorial debut, "Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town" at LA Film Festival. How was the premiere?
It was chaotic, in a good way.
It was certainly a packed house.
For our review of "Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town", click here.
Packed house, it was chaotic, without a doubt. I mean, you were there. You saw the first, or the fifteen minutes leading up to the movie actually rolling was just, chaos. And there were people everywhere, you know? There were no seats, and people thought they had seats and people lost seats... my parents had to sit in the front row. They told me that they turned away almost two hundred people.
So you know, that was what we wanted. We wanted it to turn into like a rock concert. That's kind of what the movie's all about, so we wanted it to be that kind of feel.
Your more recent projects as a director are with video games, specifically the NBA 2K franchise. What goes into directing that?
In a video game, the difference is we're rendering every single angle, every conceivable, possible angle, at every second, because when you shoot motion capture, you just have actors in suits with cameras capturing their face. They wear a helmet that has a camera that kind of sticks out away from their face and captures their facial movement at the same time. And there are hundreds of cameras all around the room. And it's a big white room, there's nothing sexy or fancy about it, and the actors act very much like they would in a play.
So, it's a little bit different because, in a movie, you can do a pickup. But in a video game, you have to commit to one four. And that's it. Every other take has to get dumped because there's too much information. The computers can't handle that much rendering to keep multiple takes. And so it's expensive for all that storage.
What do you think are the qualities in video game directing that map over the best to making a film?
Just to be clear, the stuff I do in NBA 2K is not guys dunking and guys dribbling. You know, I do do some of that, but what we do is a fully immersive story where you create your own player. It's called "My Career" and you navigate your NBA life. It's a sort of choose-your-own adventure.
Because there's no camera work, and you do the editing all in retrospect with the animators, the emphasis is all on acting. Your focus is one-thousand percent on the acting purely and the movement of the characters with each other. In that way it's totally freeing because you have to think about nothing else besides, Is what they're doing truthful or genuine or authentic, or whatever. You don't have to worry about like, Oh did that dolly shot also work? Or, Did that crane shot also time out at the right time, did we lose focus?
[Izzy] is a mess, she's a punk, she's all this stuff, so the movie kind of had to have that thing, and yeah, it was great because it was that complete sort of "anti-video game" thing.
Was going from a controlled environment of the video game setting to a looser, grittier style something you were looking forward to making as your first feature film?
Yeah, that was what we wanted. We wanted to make something that looked like a nineties indie movie. It had to be that thing, it had to be rough at certain points and it had to be a little bit, almost like, purposefully not slick. We wanted the style of the movie to represent who the character is. [Izzy] is a mess, she's a punk, she's all this stuff, so the movie kind of had to have that thing, and yeah, it was great because it was that complete sort of "anti-video game" thing. This was pure old school film-making, running around shooting stuff.
And the difference between NBA 2K is that gigantic franchise. I'm honored to be somebody who is a shepherd of this part of the game but in terms of my personal authorship, I don't have that on the game. "Izzy" is something that I wrote, so I have a personal connection to the material... that's what independent film is for.
At the LA Film Festival, you said that you got the idea for this movie from an image of a girl in a bloody tuxedo. How did the story follow?
When I write, I usually start with a character. I just kick characters around in my mind. Different ideas, different visual concepts, just different things. About ten or fifteen years ago, this idea just stuck in my head of this girl in a bloody tux. A bloody white tux. And I just saw this image of her sitting in the back of a taxi cab, and I was like, Well that seems interesting – like, How do I then create a story around that?
I always kind of had the idea for "Izzy Get the F*ck Across Town" in my head but I got busy with so much other stuff and didn't have a chance to loop back around to it. I also had some short stories that I wrote during that time frame as well that never really went anywhere. I just had them on my computer and thought, Oh you know, wouldn't it be interesting, if I took some pieces from those short stories and put it in with this girl in this bloody tux.
I am from San Francisco, so I am Izzy. I was the transplant that knew nothing about LA, that was like, "Where the fuck am I? Where do I go? What is Los Feliz?"
You were saying that this was a road movie, as it takes place from the beach cities of Mar Vista to East LA. Are you from Los Angeles?
I am not, I am from San Francisco, so I am Izzy. I was the transplant that knew nothing about LA, that was like, Where the fuck am I? Where do I go? What is Los Feliz? There's a joke [in the film] that's only people in LA will get, where she struggles with the name Los Feliz – she's like, Los Feliz? "No, it's Los Feliz."
There were some people I was sitting next to that must have felt compelled to correct the character's mispronunciation, as I heard them mutter to themselves exactly what you said during that part.
Yeah, that's what we do in Los Angeles. It's like, No you're not from here unless you understand that we've mangled these words. And we're going to correct you to mangle them like us.
But yeah, I'm totally Izzy, I'm totally the person that came here sort of broke, just trying to make my way. LA's a very difficult, confusing place if you have no money and you have to get from point A to point B, and that point B is far away. It may only say ten miles on the map, but that ten miles might as well be an ocean away.
Can you talk about Mackenzie Davis' involvement? She slips into the role so effortlessly, it's almost like the part was written for her.
What you're saying is the ultimate compliment to [Mackenzie] in terms of like, if you walk out of the movie feeling, Oh, this role is written for this person. That means they took so much personal authorship over the role that you can't separate the person from any other... there's no choice in your mind where you're like, Oh, this would have been interesting if so–and–so would've played it. No – you're like, Mackenzie definitely had to play this.
Mackenzie's one of those actors that doesn't take a second off. She's present in every second of every scene. And that extends to all her work, not just this one movie. And that's something that I've always respected about her before I even knew her.
In indie film, you're looking for the person who's about to break out, somebody that needs, or wants to play the lead in a movie. It is a good opportunity for somebody that's sort of on the verge of a breakout, which Mackenzie is, I mean, now she's got "Blade Runner (2049)" and all that, so she's gonna break out big. So that's what I was really looking for, somebody who can take on that sort of challenge.
What I really always respected about them, about Corin [Tucker], Carrie [Brownstein] and Sleater-Kinney in general, is that they embodied that idea of being true to themselves.
Our casting director had a relationship with Mackenzie's manager, so it was easy and quick to get her the script. Within twenty-four hours she had read it and said I want to get in on a Skype call. So, Mackenzie and I got on a Skype call, hit it off right away. And from the beginning, she was like, I want to be a producer on this movie. From the beginning, she just jumped in, didn't want to change the script. Isn't trying to meddle with anything. She loves the script as-is, so much so that she becomes like super protective of it and doesn't want anybody else to fuck with it either.
I know that the music is something personal for you. You have Corin Tucker and Heavens to Betsy to name a few...
Yes, good question, I will talk about this all day so stop me if I go too far!
When I was really young, a friend of mine gave me this Heavens to Betsy tape and he was like, Just check it out, it's really cool, you're going to like it. And I just fucking loved that thing. I wore that tape out til like it exploded. It was something that was always so influential to me. And then when Heavens to Betsy merged into what became Sleater-Kinney, I just absolutely loved them as well. There's always a Sleater-Kinney CD in my car.
Once you get into the sort of Riot Grrrl part of it, it's really just about a love for that music itself. What I really always respected about them, about Corin [Tucker], Carrie [Brownstein] and Sleater-Kinney in general, is that they embodied that idea of being true to themselves. And they never sold out, they always stayed honest to their belief system, and they never tried to commercialize themselves in some way that would poison the idea of what was at the heart of the band.
It's not in your face, [Izzy's] not talking about being a Riot Grrl or any of that kind of stuff. It's like background subtextual layers. And part of that subtext is making sure that the song that they sing in the movie is an authentic song of that era. I wanted this song "Axeman" cause I just love that song and I thought it was so perfect for the movie. So, we were like let's just try to get in touch with Corin Tucker. And so we did, we got in touch with her and she immediately got what we were trying to do, she completely understood the story, she completely understood the intent that we were going for, and she was like, That sounds great, I want to be apart of it. We're like, Ok, great! Well, we have no money...
She became a partner in the movie, so we gave her percentage of the backend. And then she gave us not only the rights to cover the song, but the original song (her version) is also in the movie. She's just been a great advocate for the movie. When we showed her parts of the movie that her pieces are in, she wrote me a letter saying how touched and honored she was. I got really emotional, it was really nice.
The script has to be great because there are a lot of people out there with scripts. And there are a lot of people out there with scripts that have money, and so you have to have a script that's great, and that people want to be in.
Izzy has a line in the movie that the movies "aren't even like 'the movies' anymore." What's your take on the current state of movies nowadays?
The schism and the gap have gotten so big, there's just gigantic movies and there are small movies. And there are so many small movies that the audience gets overwhelmed with choice.
I have relatives all around the country who want to see great stuff but they don't know how to get to it, and they're frustrated with big blockbuster movies because they're just not that good. Of course every once and a while there's a good one, but for the most part, they're not very good. I mean, Marvel does a great job with all their "Avengers" stuff, but by and large they're not good, so how does an audience member find the right stuff?
I don't know if there's an answer to any of it. But for myself, I'm fortunate enough that I have another job that pays me good money and that I love. So I'm not relying whole-hog on my next indie film. I would certainly like to, if they came along and said, Hey, do you want to make the next "King Kong 2" for a few million dollars?, you're hard-pressed to say no to that. The next thing I want to do is a genre- a detective movie because it's my favorite genre. I'd put my own spin on it with a female lead of course, and do something a little bit rockstar-y, punk, and just try to tap that genre from a different angle.
In some ways, I think "Izzy" is counter-programming to a lot of indie films. It's a little bit more of a fun movie than most indie films are, and I think we've lost some of that. We need more fun indie films instead of always something dramatic.
I was a student of yours in your Visual Storytelling class, is there anything you'd like to share with your students after having made your first feature film?
I think the thing I've learned from the beginning, ever since I stepped into the business, is that you have to have a good script. The script has to be great because there are a lot of people out there with scripts. And there are a lot of people out there with scripts that have money, and so you have to have a script that's great, and that people want to be in. That's really what it comes down to. And I think people kind of get a little ahead of themselves, try to get a movie going with a script that's not fully finished, or they don't really completely believe in themselves, and that's problematic. I think you have to write something, read it and go, "You know what, yeah, I one-hundred percent believe in every part of this script." Because if it goes out into the world and it gets rejected, then you at least say to yourself, Oh hey, I did my best. And that's all you can do.
If you don't do your best, which a lot of people do sadly, and you just try to get something made, you don't get the results. Because you're going to be asking people to pay, to work for no money, compared to working on a TV series or a bigger feature, so you have to say, What's attractive to an actor? I wrote a part that I cared a lot about, but I also knew it would be very attractive to a young female up-and-coming actor, because it's a meaty part that they often won't be offered by a studio movie or a TV show, sadly enough.
So, even though [an indie film] is for a little bit of money, and a couple weeks to shoot, they really get to act. Actors want to act in things they think are going to be good. So you can use that to your advantage, but you have to have a script that is meaningful.
“Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town is currently not rated and is awaiting distribution.
'The Yellow Birds' Review: Young American Soldiers Endure the Trauma of War
This review originally ran on February 2, 2017, during the Sundance Film Festival
As American military presence in the Iraq war has fallen out of the more day-to-day news cycle (perhaps the current news circuit might be focused on situations domestic instead of abroad), so too have war dramas in the cinematic space that continue to explore the traumatic effects war plays on those in the field.
In The Yellow Birds, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Kevin Powers and adapted by David Lowery (Pete's Dragon) and R.F.I. Porto, director Alexandre Moors (Blue Caprice) explores the traumas of war through the story of a disappeared soldier and his fellow comrade who must keep his mental health in check for the sake of his own freedom.
The Yellow Birds opens with weapons brandished soldiers wading their way through a barren Iraq landscape as silhouetted shadows, voiceover monologue describing how soldiers like these may already be dead long before they've been killed. Such ghosts are what two young soldiers, Brandon Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich), all of 21 years old, and Daniel Murphy (Tye Sheridan), an even younger 18, face as newly enlisted soldiers in the Army. When the two are deployed to Iraq, under the command of the steadily unhinged Sergeant Sterling (Jack Huston), the more hard-shelled "Bartle" takes to looking out for the more sensitive "Murph" in the war-torn landscape. Yet, as the stresses of war amount, where combat and killing become a more prevalent and consuming reality, cracks begin to show in the fragility of Murph's toughness. His mental stronghold begins to give, leading to physical and emotional instability that worries Bartle and company, which eventually becomes the root cause of his disappearance in the field.
'The Yellow Birds' opens with weapons brandished soldiers wading their way through a barren Iraq landscape as silhouetted shadows, voiceover monologue describing how soldiers like these may already be dead long before they've been killed.
What starts out as a war drama cuts back and forth from flashback to the present, as the wartime events in Iraq are cut in between Bartle's return back home. This creates a vacuum of a story in which Murph is disappeared, adding intrigue to the mysterious circumstances. It certainly alarms Murph's mother Maureen (Jennifer Aniston) who pleads her case to the Army. And a rattled Bartle is clearly shaken after returning home, which his mother Amy (Tony Collette) tries to reconcile. Bartle's depression soon becomes inescapable and all-consuming, leading him to his breaking point and finally addressing what happened overseas to the Army and Bartle's mom.
One of the strengths and most defining parts of The Yellow Birds is how it really gets into the heads of its characters. While it's a bit stilted in its mechanics of cutting back and forth, Ehrenreich gives a fine performance and Sheridan gives a quietly moving performance as well. The perspective of The Yellow Birds is an emotionally engaging one that offers a fresh, new look at wartime films from the perspective of young and impressionable soldiers.
'The Yellow Birds' is rated R for war violence, some grisly images, sexual material, and language throughout. 110 minutes. Opening this Friday at Laemmle's Royal Theatre.