The end of 2013 was really busy so I used the first weekend of 2014 to catch up on everything I've missed! It was equal parts entertaining and horrifying.
Update: It took me so long to post this that I had to add the date to each day. smh.
FRIDAY NIGHT (Jan. 3) - 7:15 p.m. - Her
Is Her my favorite movie of the year?! I think it might be! AHHHHHHHHHHH.
Spike Jonze's Her is one of the most spell-binding movies I've seen in a LONG time. It accomplishes this not with special effects or an enormous budget but with an ingenious idea and powerhouse performances. Set in futuristic (but not too futuristic) Los Angeles, the films captures a rather authentic look at where our society might be heading or maybe already is. Joaquin Phoenix gives the performance of a lifetime, but apparently not good enough for an Oscar nomination (ugh). Through sheer vulnerability, he's simultaneously sad and content with his life. He walks the streets alone but is still happy to see friends and family. He's a man in love with life and love but is currently going through a divorce and struggling to see the point of it all of anymore. He also wears killer high-wasted pants that I'll be shocked to not see catch on during some fashion week in the near future. Scarlett Johansson plays Samantha, the operating system Theodore falls for, and she's a revelation. With only her voice, she conveys so much emotion and such honest reactions and interest in Theodore's life. Towards the end of the film, once she's learned more and more about the real world, her revelations and decisions are truly heartbreaking. It's a shame she's not eligible for any awards recognition. A weird decision in my opinion.
In short, I love everything about this movie. Days later I still find myself thinking about it. The aesthetic and the music, brilliantly composed and executed by Arcade Fire, only aid in turning Her into one of the most intimate, yet grand, movie-going experiences I've ever had. It's a remarkably ingenious film. Sad, funny, kind of weird, optimistic. It speaks to the viewer. It's a beautiful love story, not just about relationships, but about coping with life's hardships and learning to live again.
Thank you, Spike Jonze for crafting something that I think will mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Truly a special piece of work.
FRIDAY NIGHT (Jan. 3) - 10:30 p.m. - Breaking Bad
This wasn't planned! Caught up with a few friends who just "happened" to be catching up on the final season of Breaking Bad which just "happens" to be my favorite show of all-time. We watched "To'hajiilee" and "Ozymandias" – or as Breaking Bad fans refer to them, "the one-two punch that nearly caused an unspeakable amount of panic attacks." These two episodes are SO good, SO well-calculated, and just simply masterful television leading up to the series final two episodes. "Ozymandias" may be the best episode of the show — ever. This of course led to some great conversation breaking down all the various beats of the episodes and series as a whole. Seriously, I could talk about BrBa for days on end and not get tired of it. It's always fun to see someone experience it all for the first time as well. Basically, this show is everything.
SATURDAY MORNING (Jan. 4) - 10:00 a.m. - The Wolf of Wall Street
I saw this at 10:00 a.m. because it's three hours long and would have consumed my entire day if I didn't plan accordingly. A lot of old people see movies at 10:00 a.m.
I think it's safe to call The Wolf of Wall Street one of the more controversial movies of the year. Prior to the film's release, probably not, but thousands of opinion pieces and open letters later – it seems Martin Scorsese and co. have found themselves in a little bit of a pickle. Sure helps the box office numbers, though!
Overall, I thought it was one hell of an entertaining movie. Clocking in at 179 minutes, it's WAY too long, but the fact that there weren't any glaring stalled moments throughout, is an accomplishment in itself. The film is non-stop. Non-stop everything. From the opening cocaine binge to the last cocaine binge - it's one big, long, fever dream of sex, debauchery, drugs and deals. It's a dirty movie and one that doesn't really apologize for it. Leonardo DiCaprio owns the entire picture as per usual. He commands attention and somehow manages to charm despite playing one of the biggest douche bags to ever hit the silver screen. Jonah Hill adds another great performance to his roster (and is now a two-time Oscar nominee!) as Leo's right hand man. Seriously, who would of thought the kid from Superbad would amount to one of Hollywood's brightest young stars?
Essentially, The Wolf of Wall Street boils down to a story about addiction. Not drugs or alcohol – even though there is plenty of it to go around – but an obsessive addiction to money and the power that comes along with it. Slowly, the Jordan Belfort we meet in the early goings of the film erodes into a legitimately awful person with little to no awareness of the damage he is doing to those around him. Had it not been for Scorsese's darkly comedic touch (and the true story's outrageously over-the-top details) The Wolf of Wall Street could have easily made for a deeply depressing experience – and hey, it still kind of is!
I'll avoid touching upon the "controversy" surrounding the glorification of the films "protagonist" since that's an entire post in and of itself. Over at BuzzFeed, Jordan Zakarin shared his opinion on the subject and to put it simply, I agree with him!
SATURDAY AFTERNOON (Jan. 4) - 2:45 p.m. - Masters of Sex (4 remaining episodes from Season 1)
In its final stretch of episodes, Masters of Sex proves its standing as the best new drama of the season.
I don't know how I fell behind on the Masters of Sex. The show is practically flawless. It benefits mainly by taking its time to get where it wants to go. When you have a show that doesn't stress too heavily on game changing twists or crazy cliffhanger endings, it lets the material breathe. In a way, the story becomes much richer and the moments of small drama often become heightened in the moment because they feel authentic and true. This final stretch turned out some of the shows best episodes and continued the general idea that Masters of Sex is really a show about a bunch of people who just aren't all that happy in their current state of life.
Michael Sheen continues to be a shoe-in for an Emmy nomination. He was nominated for a Golden Globe this past weekend, and for good reason! Never has a performance been laced with such a determined sadness. On the flip side, Lizzy Caplan is a revelation. She commands attention in every scene and remains one of the biggest reasons the show works. Additionally, Allison Janney deserves attention for her brace, hopeless performance as the wife married to a closeted gay man, all while being out of the loop. Fascinating stuff.
It'll be really interesting to see where the show heads in Season 2. With Bill and his study now tossed out of the hospital, Ethan basically proposing to Virginia, and Caitlin giving birth, there are several plot threads left dangling. Bill showing up at Virginia's doorstep in the rain — while his wife is giving birth — is the show digging into its soapier elements to great results. I hope it clicks with people over its hiatus and returns bigger than ever for Season 2.
SATURDAY NIGHT (Jan. 4) - 7:30 p.m. - Saving Mr. Banks
As a Disney freak, I went into Saving Mr. Banks with sky-high expectations. For the most part, they were met!
Some have said that Saving Mr. Banks is simply Disney finding yet another way to shove the brand down the audiences collective throat. Others have said, though the movie was enjoyable, it sugar coats the darker moments of the Walt Disney's career causing the movie to ring false. I strongly disagree with the first opinion and I guess I don't really have enough knowledge to fully form an opinion on the second. I think Walt Disney is one of the most innovative, imaginative, and fascinating people that has ever lived and I love that Disney (the company) is still honoring his legacy as faithful as possible in 2014. In Saving Mr. Banks, the company honors one of its biggest hits in Mary Poppins and the tragic story of P.L. Travers, the author of the book the film was based on, in a delightful live-action family film, which has really become something of a rarity these days.
The most satisfying portions of Saving Mr. Banks occur in Los Angeles in 1961, where author P.L. Travers – an incredible Emma Thompson – reluctantly spends two weeks refusing Walt Disney – Tom Hanks, because of course – the rights to turn her beloved character into a bubbly, happy, animated Disney film. The reason as to why the character is so incredibly dear to her, aside from the obvious reasons, is one of the film's biggest questions. These Hollywood segments crackle with a fantastic retro vibe. It's here where we get to spend the most time with supporting performers Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak as the films brotherly songwriting duo, and Bradley Whitford as the film's screenwriter. They all look like they are having a blast and when Emma Thompson joins in on the fun, it's impossible not to get swept up in the film's emotional joy.
The film splits its time between present day and flashbacks to P.L. Travers' young life, growing up in Australia with an imaginative, but alcoholic, father. It's here where Saving Mr. Banks stumbles a bit. The story told during these flashbacks is great. Colin Farrell does some great work and every scene is acted with emotional weight and tenderness. The problem with these flashbacks (and flashbacks in general) is that they cutaway quite abruptly and usually at a moment where you'd rather stay in the present. Emma Thompson looks longingly out a window - cue flashback! It's sunny in present day Los Angeles - cut to a sunny day in Australia! It causes the first half of the film to feel rather choppy and forced, as these flashbacks occur literally every 5 minutes. Then, just when the scenes from the past become more intriguing and complex, they are used sparingly and wrap the story up quickly. For instance, Rachel Griffiths is criminally underused as the figure who inspired the character of Mary Poppins. I think she's in two scenes, maybe three total. It was odd to me that such an iconic figure was introduced and then had really very little to do. Overall, were they necessary? Definitely. Could they have been done more gracefully and made a greater impact on the story overall? Absolutely.
Flashbacks aside, I sincerely enjoyed Saving Mr. Banks. It was full of wonder, joy, sadness and the story itself (which I had never really learned much about) was quite interesting. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson make for one hell of a duo. One scene towards the end of the film, packs quite an emotional punch purely off their masterful performances. Honestly, I just think it's nice that Disney had the guts to make a family film that didn't shy away from dark material or pander to a more youthful audience. My Mom always says that they're no good family films anymore, so when one comes along that she approves of, I know Hollywood hasn't completely lost its touch. And that is magical stuff, indeed.
SUNDAY MORNING (Jan. 5) - 10:30 a.m. - Homeland (3 remaining episodes from Season 3)
Ugh, I think I'm done. Muddled, boring, strained are just a few words I would use to describe the final stretch of episodes from Homeland's third season. A season that saw a fairly strong backlash and for good reason. The bait and switch at the end of the fourth episode – that basically asked the audience to forget everything they had just spent 4 hours of their life watching – caused many viewers, myself included, to lose faith in the creative team behind the series. I do think Showtime played a big part in keeping Brody around for Season 3 and that's really unfortunate. Not killing him off – and by extension keeping the entire Brody family around – hindered any great potential the show had left. Not to mention, Carrie has kind of become caricature and is more frustrating than endearing these days.
Wasn't this the season that began with Dana Brody taking post-hookup selfies with a possible murderer?! And also, the season that produced one of the most painstakingly torturous episodes of television ever created in "Tower of David." It's all become so preposterous and forced. I will say, I still think Homeland has some interesting characters to play with, Quinn being the most fascinating, and I hope that with the Brody's now out of the picture, the show can place the focus back on some of their more complex figures. The question is, does anyone care enough to stick around and see if they do it? Actually, I know people will, the show's ratings continued to rise this season for inexplicable reasons. Personally, I think we all deserve better.
Here are things I thought in real time while watching #Homeland this season:
SUNDAY AFTERNOON (Jan. 5) - 5:30 p.m. - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
To round out the end of this ridiculously indulgent weekend, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
I knew I was going to like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty from the second the opening credits started rolling. The credits – brought to us via Kyle Cooper / Prologue Films – artfully place fold-face names on the sides of buildings and other urban sites throughout the great city of New York. It's quirky and colorful and charming, much like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty itself. Based on the short story by James Thurber about a man prone to fantastical daydreams, the film tells an adventurous story, with a simple message, in a bold, beautiful way.
The film revolves around Walter, a manager handling photo negatives for Life Magazine, who often conjures up fantasy based daydreams to escape the doldrums of his real life. Unfortunately for Walter, Life Magazine is moving to the web full-time. In the digital age, Walter is quickly becoming an unnecessary entity at his job spurring on even more sporadic and intense daydreams as he tries to escape his grim future in reality.
When a negative from star photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), the negative meant for the magazine’s final cover, goes missing. Walter, with help of his office crush Cheryl — the always perfect Kristen Wiig — springs into action on a quest to find the negative that leads him through Greenland, Iceland, Afghanistan and the Himalayas. Throughout this journey of self discovery, Walter rediscovers former passions, like skateboarding and hiking, and his constant daydreams become more and more unnecessary. Who needs to dream when they are living instead?
Many have said the film is a tad on the nose, and it might be, but there's something to be said about the pure honesty that rings true in Stiller's performance. There’s nothing forced in his depiction of Walter coming out of his shell, and nothing jarring about the transition. As we learn some of the reasons Walter lapsed into a life of daydreaming rather than dream fulfillment, Walter becomes a complete character rather than a chess piece at the screenwriter's disposal.
Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh deserves major props for his incredibly stunning work. The film has such a beautiful, artistic expression to it, it really feels more like an indie, art film than a $90 million mainstream release. Also notable is the soundtrack, with a roster of artists like Of Monsters and Men, and Arcade Fire that truly bolsters the viewing experience giving the entire film a bit of a hipster scene vibe without being annoying about it.
The message delivered is a rather obvious one and something we have all heard before: Many of our daydreams are just a hop, skip and skateboard away from being realities. With a simple message and an epic, grand execution, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty winds up being quite a heartwarming surprise.
BONUS POINTS: Patton Oswalt's cameo as Walter's eHarmony consultant. Any film featuring an extensive scene with two characters sharing Cinnabon in an airport is golden in my book.
Overall, a very successful weekend! A really diverse slate of movies that I enjoyed immensely, and some really great and not-so-great episodes of television.
The most important thing I learned over these two days is that one can not survive solely off food from movie theatre concessions.
