Review: ‘Frozen II’ is Gorgeous to See and Hear

Six years ago, Disney’s Frozen was released, and to say the least, it was an immediate success. Anna and Elsa merchandise flooded stores, exasperated parents endured repeat plays of “Let it Go,” and kids everywhere grew obsessed with the film. The New York Times listed Frozen as one of the top ten most influential films of the decade. Frozen set several records upon its release, including highest grossing musical film, highest grossing animated film, and highest grossing film of 2013. There was even a spike in babies named Elsa.

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Review: Gripping and Profound, ‘End of the Century’ is a Modern-Day Romance

Pensive, piquant, and provocative, Lucio Castro’s End of the Century is a vibrant drama that perfectly captures the shallow yet strangely intimate dynamic of modern romances. From his Airbnb balcony, Ocho (Juan Barberini) catches his eye on an attractive passerby, Javi (Ramon Pujol). The two feel an instant connection, and as they get to know each other, they realize they have met before. As the film explores their timeline, Ocho and Javi expose new facets of themselves and confront what they really want out of a human connection.

End of the Century is markedly realistic in the way the characters interact. The small talk, light jabs, and slight pauses in conversation that live on the brink of awkwardness are remarkably accurate in the interactions of new acquaintances. Barberini and Pujol are masters of subtlety, and both do a wonderful job of portraying the tempered chemistry between their characters, treading the gentle line between passion and nonchalance. Rather than displaying blazing passion from the get go, they put on a bravado of restraint that swells and wanes with desire. This dynamic provides an interesting and profound relationship that dissects how people become intimate with strangers.

Adding to the realistic acting style, the cinematography maintains a lifelike atmosphere. The rawness of the footage slides the viewer into the intimacy of Ocho’s daily life. The simplicity of the editing relaxes the mood of the film into a slow ebb of tranquility, almost to the point of stagnancy. The minimalist style places focus in the natural beauty of the setting. Expect to be enthralled by the gorgeous streets of Barcelona, from its peaceful beaches to the cozy street markets. On aesthetic alone, End of the Century has a lot to offer.

The primary romantic relationship in End of the Century is undoubtedly same sex. But the publicity management seems to market this element above all others, which can feel more like a warning instead of a tag. A lot of the advertising situates End of the Century among other LGBT films rather than broader world of film, keeping it in the bubble of a subgenre. While the gay marketing does help spread awareness, it does not necessarily normalize queer relationships. Films with heteronormative relationships do not have a tag attached to the title so why should films with gay and queer relationships? Though End of the Century is marketed as a gay film, the emphasis lies much more deeply in forming human connections and posing philosophical questions.

Castro dives deep into the philosophy that fuels and pervades our actions and thought processes. Notably, he anticipates the question of true freedom. Where is the line drawn between independence and codependence? How do we keep away from the monotony that inevitably dulls a long term relationship? How do we maintain commitment? A beautiful quote from a novel in the film likens commitment issues to the catharsis of reaching a destination. The author desires to be in a constant state of transit, which is where they believe true freedom lies. Reaching your goals can be burdensome in the eternal “What’s next?” question. After hitting your mark, the chapter closes, and the void that follows is consuming.

Though this is an excellent film, it is very sexually explicit and is definitely not suitable to any viewer under the age of 18. For adult audiences who feel queasy about erotic material, the sex scenes are not unnecessarily grotesque and somehow settle in the artistic gray area of actually supporting the plot without existing for the sake of shock value.

Albeit intentional, the pacing is slow and requires a lot of concentration to stay engaged with every plot point. The audience may have trouble piecing together the narrative as the timeline flips back and forth between the past and the present, as well as illusion and reality. Any viewer who needs closure at the resolution will likely not be pleased with the open-ended plot. But for those who enjoy the mind game, strap in for a beautiful, poignant story that leaves you with the thrilling yet depressing feeling of the end of a century.

5/5 STARS

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Review: ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ is a Perfect Biopic but Okay Film

“Fame is a four-letter word, like ‘tape’ or ‘zoom.’”

There is a frustrating paradox at the center of Marielle Heller’s new film. It’s the type of risky feature that feels warmly conventional and at other times radical – just like the man himself. It features soft-spoken sequences that have the cacophonous effect of a foghorn, sincerely and smartly ushering in a wave of complexity about Mr. Rogers, his message, his role, and how it connects the world in a time of disconnect and conflict. But the film also is consistently a droll film at times, using its radical edge to tell a dull story of a man with daddy issues. The third feature directed by the supremely talented Marielle Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, centers around Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), an investigative journalist for Esquire, who is assigned against his will to write a profile on the famous Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks). Lloyd, based on the real Esquire writer Tom Junod, must come to terms with conflicting elements in his life – his estranged father, his wife, his new baby, and everything in between.

Father issues are an inevitable part of cinema – for better or for worse. Just look at the best film of the year, Ad Astra, a film that combines the story of a man searching for salvation in the cosmos with a battle of toxic masculinity connected with his father. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood instead has Matthew Rhys stage intermittent panic and anger attacks with conventional rejection. Rhys, a welsh actor most notable for one of the best performances of the decade in The Americans, isn’t utilized to in his fullest compared to the former (a show that astutely lets his soft-spoken directness clash with innate primal anger). Heller initially plays the story of this man with no real interest, turning an accomplished thespian like Rhys into just another character actor who gets overshadowed by a legend (both in character and in real life). That legend is Hanks, who is so satisfying in this film, perfectly capturing the soft-spoken soul of the man at the film’s center. Hanks doesn’t go for an impressionistic appearance but one that is born out of tempo and feel. It is… remarkable. And ultimately, that’s where the film’s greatest strength lies. Heller perfectly pinpoints who Rogers was and isn’t afraid to show the tight rope that Rogers constantly walked on. He wasn’t a saint. He was a fallible man who worked profoundly hard to procure and maintain his core philosophy and ultimately his central sincere image.

Despite all of this, it isn’t until the film’s final stretch that the stark simplicity of Lloyd’s story reveals itself to be satisfying. This is a story that is directed to perfection by a woman who sees the whole picture and doesn’t get in the way of the truth. It’s a straightforward story that hatches and grows into a complex organism, one that illuminates the constant daily struggles of empathy and forgiveness. It’s a shame the interest arrives late but underneath all of the wry simplicity is a smart, soulful film that gets half of the equation right, elevated by the ethereal presence of Rogers, acting as a ghostly narrator looking over the complexities of the world and giving it a guiding voice.

3.5/5 STARS

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Review: There’s 21 Bridges You’ll Have to Cross Before Enjoying ’21 Bridges’

21 Bridges is a film with an intriguing concept that falls flat on its face when it comes to its execution. Chadwick Boseman plays a police detective who lost his father, who was also a cop, at a young age to street thugs. Now as a cop himself, Detective Andre Davis is known as “the cop who kills cop killers.” Thus, when a robbery goes wrong and leaves eight cops dead in the street following a deadly shootout, Andre is on the case. In an effort to make sure the burglars don’t escape, he orders officers to close off Manhattan from the rest of New York City, shutting down its 21 bridges.

The premise of the film is that the 21 bridges in and out of Manhattan are closed so that the police can catch the two criminals responsible for murdering eight police officers. However, the criminals are never really trapped as a result of the island being shut down. They can move about the borough freely the whole time and are never looking behind themselves or worried about getting off the island. At the same time, the detective’s sleuthing skills are only on display at the very beginning of the film. In a Sherlock Holmes style analysis, he decides the robbers haven’t left the island, but from then on, he is told where to go via phone calls. He follows the path of the plot rather than using his investigative abilities to figure out the criminals’ next move. He is an empty character who is moved by the plot rather than moving the plot himself.

Andre’s past and family history set up an interesting arc that doesn’t lead anywhere. The film spends too much time establishing the fact that he’s ‘the cop who kills bad guys.’ It brings it up repeatedly like it’s the only thing it’s trying to make sure you know about his character. The only time he doesn’t kill bad guys is when it serves the plot for him to not kill the bad guy. Regardless of the character building, Boseman’s performance is nothing special. The performance that disappoints the most was J.K. Simmons. It was almost as if Simmons was so sad the Batfleck film fell apart he took the role of a police captain in a different project and didn’t care enough to try.

The action scenes are well shot and the best part of the film. Shootouts in tight spaces feel claustrophobic and the action is fairly easy to follow. The chase scenes are also exciting and a fresh break from the sloppy narrative. One thing that makes the plot interesting is much of the film follows the criminals; they almost get as much screen time as Boseman. The film also makes one of the criminals a likeable character and gives him redeeming qualities, which is an interesting idea, but it doesn’t develop in a meaningful way.

21 Bridges is a dumb cop drama that can be enjoyed for what it is: a dumb cop drama. It sets up arcs and themes that lead to nothing, but the action sequences are a great to watch. If you’re at all interested in 21 Bridges, just wait until it’s airing on TNT in between Law and Order reruns, because it’s not worth a trip to the theater.

2.5/5 STARS

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Review: ‘Dark Waters’ is a Stirring and Often Infuriating Story

“I’m still here.”

Todd Haynes, mostly known for his striking art films, including one of the decade’s best, Carol, is remarkably restrained and in focus directing his new film Dark Waters. The elegant artistry that has defined his long and shockingly unprolific career is hardly detectable in the environmental thriller. Yet, the film, based on a true story, nonetheless offers a stirring and often infuriating story of the cyclical and corporate greed that affected West Virginia’s employees, neighbors, and even the world at large. The story centers around Cincinnati lawyer Rob Billot (Mark Ruffalo), a simple man who specializes in defending the very type of companies he eventually fights. When a West Virginia farmer, Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), brings evidence to Billot that shows a local DuPont plant is poisoning his herd of cattle, Rob battles the various conflicts in his life – his firm, his family, and his career as a result of taking the farmer’s case. The case, however, proves to be exponentially more complex and far-reaching than he initially thought.

Sometimes through it – and other times despite it – the conventionality of Dark Waters lets open a frequently stirring and meticulous story filled with all of the tropes of a strong narrative like this – obsession, corporate greed, socioeconomic grievances, home strife, and more. Hayne’s subdued touch most often shines in his attempts to de-Hollywoodize the film. Mark Ruffalo carries a bad haircut and a slouching, almost hunchback form. Anne Hathaway, the overt wrinkles of time showing in each scene, moves back and forth between frustration and empathy, with jealousy as the mediator. And Bill Camp, the film’s real star, let’s loose his broken southern accent and big bushy eyebrows as the film’s central metaphor – the everyday hard-working good guys always finish last. It is in Hayne’s systematic approach where the film ultimately succeeds. Rob’s painstaking detective work shows through complete detail, whether through methodical enactments of chemistry, public health, and regulatory law, that eventually, the personal price he pays in his decades-long battle against corporate stonewalling and delays is representative of the continuous fight we all suffer against our own personal Goliath.

This is less a story about Daniel winning than it is about Daniel persevering. Other underrated elements include Edward Lachman’s textured and gritty cinematography or even Tim Robbins and Bill Pullman as veteran attorneys who bring terrific character actor work that weigh the film down to its roots. But the film’s real intentions seem to show during after the final reel, highlighting the various cameos of the real people who suffered in this story, Tennant’s real-life brother among them. Even when the second half often strains for attention (you have seen this story 100 times before), Haynes elevates a typical job of a director-for-hire into another sturdy addition in the “you knew” genre.

3.5/5 STARS

Review: ‘In My Room’ is A New Take on the Disappearance of Humanity

In My Room is playing at Northwest Film Forum at 7pm on November 29th, 7pm on November 30th, and 7pm on December 1st.

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The apocalypse is something that has captivated the screen for a large part of the history of cinema. From massive natural disasters, to the zombie apocalypse, to unrelenting viral diseases that sweep the globe, many films have attempted to grab a quick buck from the inherent action, suspense, and tension that such events would undoubtedly carry with them. Most of the time, they are intentionally loud and dumb, pumped with inflated budgets in hopes of making a quick buck off some unwitting moviegoers, yet a select few have shown a preference for contemplation and precision that allows the sub-genre to remain interesting through which to view the human experience.

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UW Film Club Podcast #59 – Jojo Rabbit

“You’re not a podcaster, Jojo. You’re a ten year old kid who likes movies and wants to be a part of a club.”

Taika Waititi’s newest film, Jojo Rabbit, is an “anti-hate satire” taking the film world by storm! It won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF and already has a copious amount of Oscar buzz, so what better time to start talking about the film! In this podcast, we talk about Waititi’s comedic sensibilities, the film’s memorable characters, and its sensitivity in approaching the subject matter. Be the rabbit, and listen to the 59th episode of the UW Film Club Podcast now!

On this episode: Jim Saunders and Ajay Rawat

Ajay’s Review: http://students.washington.edu/film/2019/11/04/review-jojo-rabbit-is-an-emotional-roller-coaster/

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

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Review: ‘The Good Liar’ Confuses Instead of Shocks

After finishing a complicated movie, it is easy to feel a little lost and kind of unintelligent, but after a few hours or even days, it usually hits you. A eureka moment that makes your brain go “it all makes sense now.” Unfortunately, that never happened after I watched this movie. Bill Condon’s The Good Liar falls short of a notable film with its pointless distractions and shallow ending.

The Good Liar relies heavily on twists within its plot, so trying to summarize it without giving away any major plot points is like tip toeing around a minefield. Essentially, it features a widow named Roy Courtnay (Ian Mckellan) and a widower named Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) who meet on an online dating site. Upon their first date, they hit it off and gradually grow closer until Betty invites Roy to stay with her and her grandson, Steven (Russell Tovey), due to his injured knee. From the first time they meet, Steven is suspicious of Roy and tries his best to expose him for being a fraud, but Roy denies any sort of interrogation, creating a tension throughout this film.

From the start, this movie is a bit of a slow burner, but Condon does try to spice things up from time to time with some juxtaposed transition. For example, Roy’s transition from his bland lunch date with his future romantic interest, Betty McLeish, goes to a loud, colorful strip club for one of his business meetings. Ultimately, these smaller twists help make the first act a bit more bearable, but by no means are you on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next.

This final act of the film felt very undeserving. Throughout it all, Condon throws in twists and turns to throw off the audience, but in the end, there is no way to follow what is going to happen. One of the most satisfying parts of watching this kind of movie is dissecting the clues given and coming to a conclusion of your own. Thus, when this film’s final twist comes without any connection to the previously presented information, you can’t help but feel a little cheated. In order for this film to work, the plot must be airtight and everything needs to be connected for the audience to feel they have solved the mystery in the end. Relying on shock value for the same effect just cheapens the whole experience. Also, it’s not like you don’t see it coming either. From the beginning, you know something is fishy, which builds the tension, but the reveal just doesn’t add up. Movies like Fight Club or Memento allow for a better understanding on what is going on during a second viewing, but The Good Liar fails to even reward the viewer for paying attention.

I came into this movie with low expectations, and those expectations were met. By all means this is a watchable movie, but it fails to leave you in shock when walking out, instead only leaving confusion. What could have been a great film fell short in the last half, sealing the fate of this sloppy thriller.

2.5/5 STARS

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Review: ‘The Knight Before Christmas’ isn’t Masterful or Well Thought Out

The Knight Before Christmas is a holiday and medieval themed meet-cute directed by Monika Mitchell, starring a lovely Vanessa Hudgens and a charming Josh Whitehouse. As is tradition with rom-coms, specifically the newly evolving Christmas kind, a few friends and a light-hearted excitement for the season is required to enjoy this movie. I’m not going to lie, but a willingness to drown in Whitehouse’s eyes and swoon over his accent and curls doesn’t hurt either. However, Whitehouse’s Sir Cole wouldn’t be harmed by a visit to the gym.

Appearances aside, there were definitely some less physical aspects of the movies I enjoyed. I appreciated its attempts to expand the theme of the movie beyond the excitement of love, and into important, overlooked territory that is a knight’s commitment to his duty and the acceptable extent into which a lady can gracefully accept the unknown. Hudgen’s Brooke is a smart woman who initially encourages her middle-school students to focus on the concrete ambitions of their goals rather than an elusive “knight in shining armor.” However, she comes to believe and seek the abstract power of true love when she accidentally runs it over and takes it home with her and falls in love with its gallant ways. Sir Cole (Whitehouse) is pure of heart and hard-set on finding his quest as a knight. The fun medieval slang he brings into the modern world, such as “Bejabbers” and “Pip-Toodle”, as well as the time and backstory put into the knight’s character are delightful. It is also nice to have to wait for all the romantic moments, though some moments seemed a little too unrealistic for my liking.

However, many unanswered questions remain. Was it right of Brooke to play into Sir Cole’s fantasy if she initially believed him mentally ill, especially considering the deceivingly adorable man had a sword? Is there room for love in the selfless and noble road of a knight? Maybe some of these questions are meant to be pondered by the audience, but the message of the film seems to be a little wishy-washy. The movie first seemed to accept the realism of not expecting a “knight in shining armor” to show up and fix your life, but that’s exactly what happens, so it’s confusing as to why they bait you with some good cynicism in the first place. The plot was a little unnatural at times as well; both actors were likable, but it seemed a little strange that Brooke would trust this strange man to enter her home and interact with her family without some kind of further research into his background. Also, the time-traveling special effects were just inconsistent and not good.

Personally, I would not watch The Knight Before Christmas again, even though I did not hate it while I was watching it and was genuinely surprised by the interesting bits of unique ideas nestled into the formulaic structure of a rom-com. At best, I was pulled in by the romantic scenes and fawned over some cute moments. To summarize, it’s a nice Christmas movie to watch with friends and get a little bit of a holiday high with, something nice and predictable with just a little bit of spice to keep you interested. It’s not a good movie to watch if you want to devote your full attention to something masterful and well thought out, and it definitely could have focused on creating a more deliberate message to leave the audience less confused.

2/5 STARS

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Review: ‘The Report’ is Spotlight Crossed with Zero Dark Thirty

The Report tells the real story of senate staffer Daniel Jones and the Senate Intelligence Committee as they uncover the horrifying details about the CIA’s use of torture during the War on Terror. In 2012, Jones (Adam Driver) and his team created an over 6,000-page report that alleged that the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques were torture and resulted in no new information from prisoners. The report and its authors were faced with push back from the CIA and the White House as they tried to hide conclusions reached in the report.

When sitting down to watch The Report, I was expecting to see Spotlight crossed with Zero Dark Thirty, and in short, that is exactly what I got. First and foremost, The Report has all the pieces of an investigative journalism story like Spotlight. As we follow their investigation, we hear a healthy amount of the government jargon and acronyms that take a while to get used to and understand. Inter-cut throughout the film are flashbacks to 9/11 and the beginning of the War on Terror. Many of these flashbacks showed the torture of prisoners at CIA black sites. As the film progresses, the torture becomes more and more graphic, and yet it is never gratuitous. The flashbacks show how the prisoners where treated and emphasize why the work that Jones and his team is doing is so important.

Adam Driver gives a stellar performance as the leading man and further cements himself as an amazing actor who also happens to be in Star Wars and not the other way around. Annette Bening and Jon Hamm also give great supporting performances as Senator Dianne Feinstein and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, but both are easily outshined by Adam Driver.

As with most films based on a true story, they are a Hollywood dramatization of the real-life events. The Report is no exception to this commonality; there is bound to be a bias, especially since there are politics involved. However, in comparison, The Report actually seems to have very little bias, as the film tries to focus on only the facts, even though some of them are exaggerated a little to make them more interesting for the big screen. One thing that stands out in the cinematography is how the flashback sequences are presented. In the flashbacks, there is a noticeable change in lighting and color of the film to give it a hazy or fuzzy look, to emphasize the political ambiguity of the recounting of past events and how they are swayed to favor certain people.

The Report gives an account of real-life events that is not dry and boring, and yet it isn’t a political thriller either. If you’re interested in what happened with the CIA and their use of torture during the War on Terror, but don’t want to read the dry Wikipedia page, then check out The Report and Adam Driver will tell you all about it.

3/5 STARS