jbroc62 Reviews

Room (I) (2015)

Room - Not the Story That I Was Expecting, But the One That This Film Deserved

[9/10 · 18 January 2016]

Room completely blew all of my initial expectations away with a very empathetic and human story with phenomenal performances from its two leads, as well as an incredible screenplay and fantastic direction.

Going into Room as someone who didn't read the book that this film was based on, I was expecting a mystery/thriller that centered around the escape/finding of the mom and son that the film focuses on. Instead, what I got was a very emotional, and very human look at the relationship between a mother and her son, as well as how these two are damaged by what they've experienced within a very confined space, and how they recover from and cope with said damage. Emma Donoghue, who wrote the book that this film is based on, did a beautiful job writing the screenplay, and part of that is because these characters she created felt like real people with real problems that pretty much anybody can relate to no matter who they are.

However, the characters wouldn't have been so realistic if it wasn't for the actors who play them. Brie Larson is an absolute revelation, and is, in my opinion, the front-runner for the Best Actress Oscar this February. I've always been a fan of her's, from her commercial work in films like Trainwreck, 21 Jump Street, or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, to her smaller work in films like Short Term 12 or Don Jon. Her performance in Room is some of the absolute best work I've ever seen from her, and this is because she portrays the shock and stress of returning to a world that's been snatched away from you for seven years so brilliantly. She captures the heartbreak, and sadness, and anger of this sobering situation perfectly, and it shows it the incredible transformation her character undergoes throughout the film.

As great as Larson is in this film though, it would be unfair to overlook her son played by Jacob Tremblay, who is as important as Larson is, possibly even more. This is because Jack is the character that the audience sees the film through; he's the person that guides us all through the events that take place. And that is absolutely fascinating to me, because essentially Jack is experiencing the world for the first time ever. So because of this, he is filled with wonder about this new world, especially in a fantastic scene involving him laying in the bed of a truck looking at the sky, and the score is just overwhelming the entire scene with how loud it is. And that's the other thing about him; he's overwhelmed and apprehensive about what the world holds, but he doesn't always understand why. And as an audience member, we're able to piece extra bits of the story together without being told, but instead shown what things are like. When you're able to understand something without having to explain it, that's great storytelling, and it makes the character of Jack one of the most fascinating of the entire year.

This film wouldn't be what it was without its director, Lenny Abrahamson. I've heard that Abrahamson took a lot of inspiration from learning how to raise a family for directing this film, and it really shows in every scene that he directs. You really get the sense that this was a film that was made with care, and love, and not just towards the respect that the book and its characters deserve, but in crafting something that felt genuine, that felt relatable to anyone who experienced growing up or raising their child. It feels like the director just wanted to tell a good, relatable story with the material that he was given, and he did just that.

Room is a movie that really affected me. I'm notorious for literally never crying in movies, but in Room, I cried for literally the entire second half of the film. And that's because the characters of Ma and Jack, what they go through, and particularly how this affects other people that Ma knew before being taken away from the world she once lived in, felt so real to me; I actually believed that these events actually happened. And when a film does that to me, it's film that I know that I'll be revisiting time and time again, and Room is exactly that kind of movie.

If I had seen this before the end of 2015, it would've been my favorite movie of the entire year. Without a doubt.

Spotlight (I) (2015)

Spotlight: A Realistic Movie That Treats Both its Audience and Reporters with Repsect

[9/10 · 10 December 2015]

Spotlight is a remarkably well-written and phenomenally acted film that tells a shocking and disturbing true story that just floored me.

First of all, I went into this film not really knowing anything. I knew it involved the Boston Globe, that there was some sort of scandal with the Catholic Church, and that it takes place in the early 2000's. That's all I knew, and as the film unfolded before me, and revealed bit by bit of it's amazing, astonishing story, I was completely blown away by how incredible the writing and acting in this film was.

Tom McCarthy both wrote and directed this film, and he did a phenomenal job on both ends. What he did when writing this screenplay is that he didn't make the reporters who are working on this case heroes. He made them who they truly are; reporters who care about their jobs, who care about the story, who care about justice being served to the right people. He makes them incredibly human, and through this, these characters become very relatable to the people who watch this film.

A lot of the way that Spotlight tells its story is so subdued to the point of brilliance. Sure, this is an Oscar movie, but there really aren't any "Oscar scenes" in this movie, save for one scene in which a character has an outburst of sorts. These actors are really holding back their dramatic chops in this film. For example, when you here bad news, do you throw a chair against a wall and go into a temper tantrum? No. In this film, as this case builds, and builds, and builds to the point where you're amazed that this is a true story, the characters in this film simply shake their head, sit back, and say things that actual people would say, like "Oh my goodness," or "Wow… This is not good." It's truly riveting stuff.

The entire cast in this film is spectacular. Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Brian d'Arcy James, and Stanley Tucci all do great work. Liev Schreiber is great in this movie as the new editor-in-chief at the Globe, and I loved seeing him in a more restrained dramatic role that I'm not accustomed to seeing him in. Michael Keaton is terrific in this movie, and I'm so glad that Birdman wasn't just a fluke for his career resurgence. He is truly subdued, and brilliant in this film. However, Mark Ruffalo is the standout in this film. He gives one of the best performances of his career in this film, and the voice he has in the movie really works with his character to the point where I didn't even see Mark Ruffalo. And honestly, that statement pretty much goes for every single actor/actress in this film, and that's because the story and the characters are so well-realized. And when you have well-known actors disappearing into their roles to the point where you don't recognize them, that deserves praise.

Spotlight is one of the best films of the year, and it deserves nothing less than that.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs: Not A Biopic About Steve Jobs, But A Look At Why Steve Jobs Was Steve Jobs

[8/10 · 4 November 2015]

Steve Jobs is one of the most interesting films of the year about one of the most innovative people of our time. This was made possible due to outstanding performances from a cast led by Michael Fassbender as Jobs, a very subtle and straightforward direction by Danny Boyle, and a classic Aaron Sorkin screenplay that doesn't explore exactly who Jobs was, but instead shows why Jobs was the person he was.

Danny Boyle, taking a more frank approach in his direction by allowing the acting and the writing to shine more, does a fantastic job directing this movie. But by far the best decision he made in terms of his direction was in the way it was filmed. For the 1984 segment, Boyle filmed it in 16mm film. Then in the 1988 segment, it was filmed in 35mm film. And finally for the 1998 segment, everything was filmed in digital. This brilliantly shows how Apple's technology evolved over the fourteen years depicted in Job's life.

This entire screenplay is classic Sorkin; its got the walk-and-talk dialogue, the two conversations going on simultaneously, it's all here. However, what Sorkin really got right in his writing was the emotional relationship between Jobs and his daughter. I really connected with the relationship Jobs had with her, and I thought that Sorkin didn't sugarcoat their relationship whatsoever. Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels, and Michael Stuhlbarg all do fantastic work, and their relationships with Jobs were extremely well- developed as the film continued to tell its story.

This is the literal definition of a dialogue movie; the entire film consists of Jobs having conversations with people just before three big product reveal conferences over a fourteen year period, and we get to see how Jobs matured as a person from product launch to product launch to product launch. All of these conversations are riveting because Michael Fassbender is the embodiment of who Steve Jobs was. People who are familiar with Jobs work know that he wasn't exactly decent, sometimes tyrannical, but no one could deny his creative genius. Through Fassbender's incredible performance, we're able to better understand why Jobs was the way he was during his life. At one point in the film, Steve Wozniak, played by Seth Rogan in what may be the best performance of his career, says to Jobs, "You're not an engineer. What do you do?" Jobs responds to him by saying, "Musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra." This illustrates that Jobs was an incredible innovator, sometimes too imaginative in his ideas for the technology that existed at the time. He couldn't always do things he wanted to do, but that's how innovators are, and that's how they should be.

Steve Jobs is not a biopic about Steve Jobs. Instead, Steve Jobs is a movie about why Jobs was the way he was, and it capture the person that Jobs was perfectly with the performances, the direction and the dialogue. If you love dialogue-driven movies, you can't find much better than Steve Jobs.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Beasts of No Nation: "One of the most haunting films that I've ever seen..."

[8/10 · 28 October 2015]

Beasts of No Nation is a bold, harrowing war story filled with incredible cinematography, excellent direction from True Detective director Cary Joji Fukunaga, and amazing performances from the film's incredibly talented cast.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best directed and shot movies of the entire year. Through his direction, writer-director Cary Fukunaga offers his audience an uncompromising look into not only the literal destruction of war, but brilliantly captures the psychological breakdown of the human spirit and its transformation from innocent to beast, hence the name of the film. Fukunaga isn't afraid to show this appalling process unfold, and the end result is magnificently haunting. Fukunaga also served as cinematographer on this film after his initial DP was injured, and the film is absolutely breathtaking to look at. It's incredibly atmospheric, and when combined with Dan Romer's engaging and moving score, the film is elevated to this sort of epic scale that you simply can't look away from.

Idris Elba does a fantastic job in this film as the Commandant of the army that the film centers around. His presence in the film is almost palpable, even when he isn't on screen. But while his influence on the film is absolutely magnetic, Abraham Attah, who plays a young boy taken into Elba's army, is an absolute revelation. This is his debut performance in a motion picture, and the way he symbolically captures the transition into a child soldier is absolutely extraordinary. Both deserve Oscar nominations for sure, but Abraham Attah gives what is, in my opinion, the most emotionally resonant performance of the year so far.

While this isn't an easy film to watch, Beasts of No Nation's is definitely a story that needed to be told. The way the story is told through following the perspective of a child soldier is a truly sobering experience, a horrific view of war that will stay with me for many years to come. That is the way this story needed to be told, and I thought it was very moving, very powerful, and one of the most haunting films that I've ever seen, and possibly will ever see, in my life.

The Martian (2015)

The Martian: "Cast Away" Meets "Apollo 13"

[9/10 · 7 October 2015]

The Martian is a new Ridley Scott classic, featuring his best work in years, the best performance I've ever seen from Matt Damon, an outstanding supporting cast, a surprisingly funny screenplay from Daredevil creator Drew Goddard, and a great narrative that ties the film together beautifully.

As expected with Ridley Scott films, the film itself is visually stunning. The landscape of Mars looks absolutely breathtaking, and the scenes aboard the Hermes and back on Earth are just as sharp in detail and scope. The way he chose to make this film made it almost seem like an exceptionally made biopic. Many times during this film, I legitimately believed that Mark Watney was a real, living person that was actually stranded on Mars for many months alone. It's Cast Away meets Apollo 13, and this marriage is crafted beautifully.

Matt Damon is absolutely brilliant in this film. He plays Watney with so much optimism that it actually makes the depressing aspect of the film not as depressing for me. However, when he has to put on his dramatic chops in certain scenes, he truly commits to the drama of the situation, and that right there is true Ridley Scott suspense for you. The supporting cast, everyone involved, all do great work as well. Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor. He is one of the best actors working today, and this movie and 12 Years a Slave shows how far he's come.

The most surprisingly element about this movie though was the screenplay. The film is hilarious in some parts, in fact I'd argue that it's funnier than most comedies that have come out this year. What makes to movie unique to me was Watney's optimistic point of view. He believes that he isn't going to die on Mars, and this transforms this rather depressing situation into something comical instead. But when you really think about it, this is a very personal film about some people coming together to save somebody. That's it. And in today's world, it's nice to hear an story about people coming together to save one of their own.

I have nothing bad to say about The Martian. It's the best film I've seen all year.

Sicario (2015)

"In Mexico, Sicario means hit-man."

[9/10 · 28 September 2015]

Sicario is one of the darkest experiences I've had with a film since watching Se7en for the first time. However, this is also one of the best directed films of the entire year with outstanding performances from its main cast, as well as lush cinematography throughout its two hour runtime.

This film was directed by Denis Villeneuve, the director of one of my top five favorite films of 2013, Prisoners. With Prisoners, Villeneuve proved how skillful he was with creating suspense through his direction. Here in Sicario, he solidifies himself as a master of tension. The film has an excellent buildup where scene-after-scene the film gets better, gets more suspenseful the longer the film runs.

One thing that struck me about the way Sicario looked was that nighttime actually looked like it was nighttime. Something very common with films is that there's always weird lighting on actor's faces whenever a nighttime shot is being filmed. In this movie though, I never thought that a single time. And that just shows how brilliant cinematographer Roger Deakins as director of photography. I don't know how he did it, but it its absolutely gorgeous.

Emily Blunt is spectacular as an idealistic FBI agent who is recruited to pursue the leader of a major cartel in Mexico. This is the best work I've seen from her. We experience the film from her perspective, and the shock and bewilderment we see her experience, from the environment she's in, to certain things that take place, is where the emotional core of the film sits with the viewer. Josh Brolin does great work as an extremely likable agent who likes to relax, maybe doesn't always play by the rules, but is very good at his job. However, Benicio Del Toro is the best part about this movie. I'm not going to say much about his character, but I will say that he is truly Oscar-worthy in this film, and his performance is absolutely magnetic.

Like Se7en, there is no hope to be found in Sicario. Everywhere you see these characters go, you're disgusted and haunted by what you see. Like the unknown land these characters cross into, you have no idea where the border is between right or wrong, black or white. Instead, everything falls into the gray area, and as a result, there are no limits on what these characters will do, and that is scary.

Sicario has some of the best performances of the year, incredible cinematography, and, in my opinion, shows that Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today, and now I can't wait for Blade Runner 2. This film goes into wide release this Friday, so go see it, because it's among the best films of the year so far.

Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man: Heroes Don't Get Any Bigger

[6/10 · 23 July 2015]

Ant-Man is a ton of fun as a movie. It offers up some of the biggest laughs of the summer, and it shows that Marvel can pull back from their iconic huge action spectacles, and tell a smaller story with just as much success as their other films.

The cast in this movie is literally perfect. Paul Rudd nails it as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. His performance in this movie is so charming, that you just can't help but like this newest addition to the MCU. But Michael Douglas… Oh my gosh. Michael Douglas as Hank Pym is absolutely perfect. However, this isn't just because Douglas gives a fantastic performance. It's because the writers gave Hank Pym such a cool and interesting back story that really gets the viewer invested in his character. Evangeline Lilly does a great job portraying Hank's daughter Hope in this film, and I love the how their relationship develops throughout the film. And Michael Pena, who plays Scott's friend Luis, brings exactly the right amount of comedy to the film whenever its needed. Every line out of his mouth is absolute comedy gold, and he was just rocking it in this movie from start to finish.

It should go without saying, since this IS a Marvel movie, that the visual effects are out of this world. The attention to detail with the CGI whenever Ant-Man shrinks is truly astounding, and I love how they blurred out everything else around him when he's small. This allowed me to focus on how this really small man is actually running through a bath tub, or underground, or in an air vent, and that just pushed the action scenes to be even more incredible than they could've been otherwise.

I also love how this movie ties in with other Marvel films. There's actually an explanation for why the Avengers can't come remedy every situation, and it makes perfect sense within the circumstances of the MCU. Also, I appreciate how this film is on a smaller scale compared to the Avengers, as its hero is also very small. This film understands exactly what it is, and Marvel just roles with it, and I love that.

I will say, the first twenty minutes of this film have a couple of conflicting tones; one is funny, and one is serious, and they don't exactly mesh. Also, while I really enjoyed Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket in this film, and I loved all of his action scenes, I thought that he paled in comparison to other villains in the MCU when compared to Loki, Ultron, the Winter Soldier, and Thanos. However, none of this detracts from my immense enjoyment of this film.

Despite the smaller-scale compared to Marvel's other films, Ant-Man is an absolute blast of a movie, and this film definitely solidifies its legacy among the rest Marvel's collection of heroes. It's a fantastic way to close out Phase 2 of the MCU, and I can't wait till next summer for Captain America: Civil War.

Also, there's two very awesome end-credit scenes at the end of the film, so don't forget to watch those.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: Proof That Laughter Can Help Ease the Pain of Dying

[8/10 · 8 July 2015]

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl offers a very accessible, honest, and humorous look at not only how someone deals with being diagnosed with cancer, but it also turns the clichés of the coming-of-age story on its nose, and the people behind this film are able to do that by finding the perfect balance between drama and comedy within this unfortunate tragedy.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl centers around Greg (Thomas Mann), a very sarcastic and self-loathing high school student going into his senior year. Greg believes that if he shuts everyone out of his life so that he won't have to deal with anything, then things will be okay, and this gives him a sort of self-gratification. So to uphold his philosophy, he doesn't try to be friends with anyone, but makes sure he's on low-key, good terms with everyone in his school. However, he does spend his time with his co-worker/"friend" Earl (RJ Cyler) making parodies of classic foreign cinema together. However, when Greg learns from his mother that a childhood friend of his, Rachel (Olivia Cooke) is diagnosed with Leukemia, Greg begins a blossoming friendship with Rachel; a friendship that would take him through the best of times, the worst of times, and eventually shape him into the person that he will become.

While this film definitely shares characteristics with 2014's The Fault in Our Stars (which is a pretty good movie in my opinion), this film to me is more heartfelt and inventive than TFiOS ever was. And most of this has to do with the brilliant screenplay written by Jesse Andrews, who happened to write the book that his film is adapted from. The way that Andrews addresses how to deal with this sickness is wonderfully human and clumsy; whether through comedy, wit, or drama, Andrews finds a way to make the whole scenario relate in some way, shape, or form to anyone and everyone.

The direction and cinematography are absolutely incredible. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who is known for his work on American Horror Story, and was a personal assistant to Martin Scorsese, shows not only his inventiveness, but his quirkiness as a director on this film. Gomez-Rejon shows his talent with stop motion animation, long panning shots, flashback sequences, and some very long takes that really allow the actors to give the best performances possible. There are even times when this feels like a Wes Anderson film, and this can also be contributed to the gorgeous cinematography. Chung-hoon Chung oozes with style behind the camera, and ultimately the film has a very vibrant look that gave the story being told so much life. These people tell this story with so much care and thought, it's evident that the filmmakers truly respected Andrews' work on the screenplay and wanted to do it the justice it deserves. And thankfully, we got it here.

The performances in this film are all magnetic. Every single one of these actors were able to hold their own on screen. The parents in the film, played by Molly Shannon, Connie Britton, and the always delightful Nick Offerman, all do fantastic work. Their relationships with their children are all very grounded in reality and realistically portrayed. Jon Bernthal is incredibly funny as Greg's history teacher, and is able to depict the "generic cool teacher who understands the main protagonist" in a different, refreshing light. However, the three leads all steal the show. RJ Cyler serves as a foil to Greg's character. Instead of BS-ing people in order to avoid any direct confrontation, Cyler's Earl is very frank with his language and emotions, and gets right to the core of the problem with Rachel. Olivia Cooke gives a very heartfelt and understated performance in this film, and watching her suffering through this sickness that's eating her up is truly heartbreaking to watch. However, the whole film rides on Thomas Mann's shoulders. His detached performance, and the way he handles Rachel's sickness is so realistically somber. His character actually reminds quite a bit of the characters Anthony Michael Hall played in older John Hughes films. He does a fantastic job with the darker comic moments in the film, and the way his character develops throughout the film is nothing short of stellar.

This film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival this past January, and it's not hard to see why. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a film filled with heartbreakingly realistic performances, quirky direction, gorgeous cinematography, and spectacular writing. Whether your an art-house fan, a fan of cinema in general, or just the casual moviegoer, there's something in this film that everyone can relate to. It's in wide release right now, so do yourself a favor and go see it, because it's one of the best films of the year.

Inside Out (I) (2015)

Inside Out: The Genius Answer to What Goes On Inside Our Heads

[9/10 · 19 June 2015]

I've been a fan of Pixar for a long time now, and they've made some of my favorite films ever: The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, just to name a few. However, Pixar has been falling behind the progress that Disney Animation Studios has been making as of late, and I was wondering if they had run out of the fresh, thought- provoking ideas that have consistently made their films so memorable. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Inside Out might the best film Pixar has ever made. And if it's not, it's definitely among their best films for sure.

Inside Out (directed and created by Pete Doctor, director and creator of Up and Monster's Inc.) centers on an eleven year-old girl named Riley and the emotions - Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness - that run around inside her head. When Riley's family decides to move from Minnesota to San Fransisco, with a new home, new school, and new friends, Riley's emotions conflict with each other on how Riley should feel about the situation. That's all you need to know going into this film, because knowing as little as possible about the film made my experience all the more memorable.

As with all other Pixar films, the animation is smooth and the production design is beautiful. This film meets all the technical expectations that all other Pixar films meet, and that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. All the acting in this film is fantastic; Amy Poehler (Joy), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger), Mindy Kaling (Disgust), and Phyllis Smith (Sadness) all do exceptional work.

But really, this film ended up being much more mature than I was anticipating. And I'm not going to lie, I don't usually cry in movies, but I cried twice in this film… twice. It really gets under the psyche of not only what it's really like going through adolescence as a young kid who finally realizes that the world is so much bigger than he/she once thought it was, but questions about all of these things that suddenly become possible in this new world; fear of what could happen, disgust at what they don't understand, anger when things don't go as planned, sadness when they're in the worst possible situation, and joy when they realize that what happens happens for a reason, and life continues to go on despite all of this.

Colorful, thought-provoking and emotionally resonant, Inside Out is a film the kids will love for the imaginative world created inside Riley's mind, but adults will appreciate even more for a mature, fascinating look at growing up and accepting that youth is only a temporary part of one's life. This film represents the best of what Pixar has to offer, what Pixar once was, and what Pixar still is today. Everyone should not only consider seeing this film, but everyone NEEDS to see this film, because Inside Out is the best film I've seen all year.