The Revenant (2015)

The Revenant

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Written by Mark L. Smith and Alejandro G. Iñárritu,

based in part on the novel by Michael Punke

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter

What gives us the will to survive?

Most of us—Most people in the modern world have not needed to resort to very much in order to survive. We have been born into a world where a society has already been built for us and we need just minimal instincts to stay alive.

But what happens when you take that all away? How many of us would last?

In Alejandro Iñárritu’s follow up to his ground breaking and Oscar Winning “Birdman”, a film rich in thematic elements, both emotional and psychological, he breaks that all down and opts to showcase only one. The will to survive. “The Revenant” tells the story of Hugh Glass, an American Folklore hero who was less of a legend that one might think.

The internet has an annoying around of trailer reviews for this

and this was the only one I could find....

The scale of this film is so incredibly large, that I am literally struggling to find the words to describe it. While viewing the film in it’s entirety, it’s impossible to tell that the production was delayed so often. It flows seamlessly from one scene to the other thanks to the actors and the beautiful cinematography of Emmanuel Lebezki.

It’s easy to see that this film was shot with no artificial lighting. Each and every shot feels real and unaltered and showcases the beauty that can be created just in nature. I have never felt so strongly that a film should win an award for the cinematography category as much as I do for this one. I will be truly upset if anything, including “The Hateful 8” wins.

Unfortunately for DiCaprio, Tom Hardy outshines the internet favorite in their performances. While Leo’s role was obviously more physically taxing, the transformation of Tom Hardy to play Fitzgerald was complete down to every single nuance and pronunciation of dialogue.

It really is impossible for me to find anymore words without sounding more uneducated than I already do. In the end, it is a film that everyone has to see for themselves. Will everyone like it? I’m not sure. It’s 2 hours and 40 minutes running time doesn’t help it’s case for the casual moviegoer. But for me, it felt as though it went by in an instant. I was in awe from beginning to end with it’s intensity and un apologetic brutality.

Go and see it for yourself.

My Rating: 9/10

Goodnight Mommy (2015 - Austria)

(German Title: Ich Seh Ich She)

Directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz

Written by Veronica Franz and Severin Fiala

Starring Lukas and Elias Schwartz and Susanne Wuest

Throughout the world, different cultures make for different tastes in many themes and genres. For instance, a film that American’s might find funny and entertaining may fly right over the heads of audiences in Great Britain. It’s not that either is wrong or right, but rather than comedy is purely subjective. And what one person might find relatable, another person from another country might find it random. Comedy is not Universal.

On the other end of the spectrum is the horror genre. Horror transcends cultures and terrifies us all regardless of where we’re from or what language we speak. We are all afraid of what goes “bump” in the night. Regardless of one’s background, it is near impossible to not feel a sense of unease when presented with the unknown. And, apparently creepy little kids.

In this Austrian film, a pair of identical twin boys, Lukas and Elias, struggle to settle back home when their Mother returns home from having cosmetic surgery. Her face hidden by bandages, her increasingly odd behavior fuels the boys’ nightmares. Their fear and paranoia takes control as they seek to find out the true identity of the woman beneath the gauze.

In a film that could just as easily rely on loud noises and quick cuts to cause the viewers heart rate to rise, on the contrary, the filmmakers opt for slow moving shots and force you to listen to the silence for clues. A delicately constructed film, you more or less need to watch every frame in order to see and understand every little nuance created for the story. “Goodnight Mommy” won’t scare you, per say. But it will certainly make you feel uneasy straight away.

This film was very difficult to review because there is so much to say. Yet saying anything more would give too much away.

In order to understand the films true story and not just the one presented in the trailer, you need to see it for yourself. It is so much more than it lets on.

My Rating: 8/10

Joy (2015)

Directed by David O. Russell

Written by David O. Russell

Story by Ann Mumolo and David O. Russell

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Nero, Edgar Ramírez and Bradley Cooper

When you view a trailer for the first time, you instantly get an expectation for a film. There is no avoiding it. That expectation can either help or hurt your opinion of the film in question, should you choose to buy a ticket or rent it when it’s released.

My exact expectation for David O. Russell’s “Joy” was that of familiarity. But not in a positive sense. I had loved his rock star cast of Bradley Cooper, Robert De Nero and Jennifer Lawrence in 2012’s “Silver Lining’s Playbook”. It had spoken to me in a way David O. Russell was unable to do with his previous films. Then when “American Hustle” came out one year later with the same rock star cast, I was left disappointed. But more importantly I was left with a major sense of annoyance and boredom. Somehow, Russell had failed to hit any mark that made “Silver Lining’s Playbook” a success in my mind. And no Oscar nomination was going to change my opinion of that.

So, six months ago, when I saw the first trailer for “Joy”, I just rolled my eyes. Same actors playing seemingly the same characters for the same director. Perhaps this initial thought ultimately helped me enjoy his third film with this rock star cast.

Joy tells the story of a single mother of two, who has found herself as the only financial and emotional support her family has. Unhappy with her life and feeling as if she is in a downward spiral, she begins pursuing the idea for an invention. Consumed by her new passion, she attempts to claw herself out of the rut life has thrown her into as everything around her tries to get in her way.

As I sat in the theater, waiting for the feature to begin, my expectation was to see a film much like “American Hustle”. A flat, uneventful, boring film with undoubtedly great acting. But ultimately a movie I would not enjoy, regardless of it’s quality performances. This is where poor expectations for a film can actually help.

What was presented to be instead was a story with significantly more character depth than initially anticipated and a story more relatable than I imagined after the short two minutes and change trailer. This was a story of strength and perseverance. A self made woman trying to reclaim her own life from those who had inadvertently taken control of it.

As always is the case with David O. Russell, in any of his films, good or bad, amazing performances drove this picture and added depth in unexpected places. Jennifer Lawrence, while more subdued and natural than her two previous films with the acclaimed director, proved to be a powerhouse that could carry the entire film.

While I would not go so far as to say that this is one of the best films of the year (although it could be nominated), and isn’t even in my personal top ten of 2015, this film exceeded my expectations. And caused me to utter three words that I rarely say regarding movies.

I was wrong.

My Rating: 7/10

The Wolfpack (2015)

Directed by Crystal Moselle
Starring the Angulo Family

Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed, 'The Wolfpack,' the brothers spend their childhood reenacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes. Their world is shaken up when one of the brothers escapes and everything changes.

Never in my life have I seen a documentary that told a story so open-mindedly, so detached from the usual "GOTCHA!" journalism and so honest as the one Crystal Moselle has told in this documentary. Even with a story that is so one-sided and obvious as to what's right and what's wrong, she reveals the opinion of everyone involved without cutting and splicing what they say to fit her agenda.

The true power of movies is revealed with this family-- a group of sons that have no reason to enjoy life, yet discover themselves in the films they watch. It was truly inspiring to see the excitement they have for life and the world which is still very new to them.

I expected to find nothing but heart break and darkness in the lives of these young men. But rather, I was shown how their bond pushed them past the obstacles they faced together and gave them hope. This is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible stories ever told.

My Rating: 10/10