SAVAGE CINEMA TIME CAPSULE: TOP 50 FAVORITE FILMS 2010-2019-FILMS 40-31

I am so happy to present to you the second installment of my Time Capsule series detailing my top 50 favorite films from the decade of 2010-2019.

As before, the location of full reviews for each film are indicated at the end of each section should you wish to find and read them.

40. "THIS IS THE END"  DIRECTED BY SETH ROGEN & EVAN GOLDBERG (2013)
This "hanging around" movie, one copiously filled with an endless stream of proudly executed profanities and narcotically and scatologically filled vulgarities, was also one of the decade's most inventively raucous and hedonistic comedies.

Seth Rogen and Evan Golberg's ultra-meta film during which Rogen and his merry band of collaborators from the Judd Apatow universe and more, all play wildly exaggerated versions of themselves as they all confront the end of existence itself due to nothing less than The Rapture while holed up inside of James Franco's house is the brilliant brick launched through the stagnant motion picture window. It is a film that constantly surprises and defies expectations while constantly keeping you off guard through fall down on the theater floor comedy as well as legitimate terror and sharp theological debates, especially as Rogen and his friends all wonder why they did not ascend to Heaven and were left on Earth, which is engulfed in Armageddon.

Voluminously nasty, peppered with graphic violence and an honest existential crisis, "This Is The End" was a rarity indeed. It is rare to find a mainstream Hollywood film that is this riotously gleeful to subvert and downright break every possible convention, while also taking their film's concept all the way to the wall and beyond without blinking.
(Originally reviewed July 4, 2013)

39. "ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL"  DIRECTED BY ALFONSO GOMEZ-REJON (2015)
Fully circumventing all of the cliches and standard rhythms of a "disease tearjerker" film with deeply perceptive characters, a heaping amount of unsentimental wit and an emotional rawness that cut straight to the bone, this film let me shattered to the point where I could not move.

The story of an introverted, laconic, emotionally guarded high school Senior (played by Thomas Mann) and his friendships with the titular Earl (RJ Cyler) and his neighbor Rachel (Olivia Cooke), who is dying from Stage 4 Leukemia may seem like a well intentioned but overwrought teen soap  opera but on the contrary, is a scruffier, more acerbic and cinematically inventive affair complete with a non-linear narrative, movie parodies, stop-motion animation and a healthy amount of Brian Eno songs to augment the lives and times of this trio of intelligent, verbose teenagers all faced with a life altering and life ending event.

Yet for all of the razzle dazzle aesthetics, Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon also knows precisely when to strip any sense of artifice away and just allow the characters and story to breathe and subject itself to silences that are piercing, all the while presenting the painful act of wishing to disengage with life just at the moment life is desperately trying to engage with you.
(Originally reviewed July 3, 2015)

38. "CHI-RAQ"  DIRECTED BY SPIKE LEE (2015)
Tackling our nation's gun violence epidemic with a force and fury he hadn't displayed in ages, Spike Lee's audacious satire, which updates the Greek play Lysistrata to 2015 Chicago, was rightfully and righteously explosive.

With a concoction that was equal parts Stanley Kubrick, Milos Forman, Baz Lurhmann and even the 1970's output from Funkadelic, as well as dialogue that is told almost exclusively in verse no less, Lee utilizes his Lysistrata (an excellent Teyonah Parris) and her band of female army to enact a sex strike to hopefully end the gun violence, which at the film's start, has claimed the life of an 11 year old.

Overflowing with raw anger, a cinematic inventiveness that defied easy categorization, wildly bawdy humor and a wrenching mid-film extended monologue from the crusading neighborhood anti-gun activist, Roman Catholic priest, played by a towering John Cusack (who speaks himself nearly hoarse and does the soul of Chicago proud), Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq" is an over-the top film for our over-the top times and it is also thunderously essential viewing.
(Originally reviewed December 9, 2015)

37. "LIFE OF PI" DIRECTED BY ANG LEE (2012)
Magical, magnificent and majestic for the eyes, heart and soul, Ang Lee's metaphysical masterpiece (I love alliteration), adapted from Yann Martel's reportedly unfilmmable novel, is a timeless spiritual odyssey designed to be re-visited and re-experienced over and again.

Yes, the central survival story of young Pi (sensationally played by Suraj Sharma), lost at sea alongside an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and a tiger named "Richard Parker" is a visual astonishment, where the CGI technology is utilized at its most artistic, as the wonderment we witness is fully representative of Pi's shifting states of sanity and spiritual crisis. But, Lee never allows the technology to overshadow the emotional reach of his film which delves deeply into themes of inter-connectivity, the symbiotic nature between humans, animals and the environment and most importantly, especially as we now all exist in a world where nuance is discouraged, the inter-locked relationship between spirituality and science, for they exist inside of each other while also inspiring both ends of the spectrum.

Beyond even all of those accomplishments, Ang Lee has fashioned a story which is entirely about the art of storytelling itself, and how stories are designed to being essential forms of connective tissue binding us to each other, all living things as well as to our deepest inner selves. Absolutely remarkable, thrilling work that dazzles the eyes, invigorates the mind and satiates the soul
(Originally reviewed November 25, 2012)

36. "LOVE AND MERCY"  DIRECTED BY BILL POHLAD (2015)
A brilliant, multi-layered film housed with a tremendous empathy, Director Bill Pohlad's biopic of The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson fully transcends music as it celebrates Wilson's iconic songs and flies divinely into the heights and depths of the human spirit.

Completely eschewing with the standard "rise, fall and rise" narrative structure, we are given a cross-cutting exploration into Brian Wilson during two crucial periods of his life: the mid to late 1960's creative and chart topping heights and eventual mental breakdown (played in these sections by Paul Dano) and the late 1980's where an over medicated, depressed, psychologically damaged Wilson (played in these sections by John Cusack) is under the full control of of his duplicitous therapist (Paul Giamatti) and hopes to rebuild his life and sanity through the love of a car saleswoman (played by Elizabeth Banks).

The idea of having both Dano and Cusack portray Brian Wilson at different life stages was a masterstroke as each of them not only delivered two of the finest performances of their respective careers, it was truly eerie to see how well they played off of each other while never sharing a scene, completely merging two performances into one man. Even further, these two masterful performances are contained within Pohlad's masterful filmmaking, via stunning Cinematography by Robert Yeoman and Composer Atticus Ross' outstanding sound collage which creates the sensation of living inside of a Beach Boys soundscape, which flows effortlessly through time itself and throughout themes of imprisonment to empowerment, selfishness to selflessness, clarity to madness, the long ranging damages of physical and psychological abuse and the healing powers of love and acceptance.
(Originally reviewed June 12, 2015)

35. "CREED"  DIRECTED BY RYAN COOGLER (2015)
Believe me, I was of the mind that the world never needed another "Rocky" anything ever again, and so who knew that Director Ryan Coogler would enter Sylvester Stallone's conceptual arena and create what is nothing less than the finest installment since "Rocky II" (1979).

What a feat is was for Coogler, to step into the ring, so to speak, and then continue and re-invent the Rocky Balboa chronicles via the character of Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan), the illegitimate son of the long deceased Apollo Creed, who is wrestling with issues of self-discovery, identity, determining his place in the world and building a legacy while trying to understand the legacy he was born from and lives within the shadow of. Jordan, visibly hungry in this star-making role, turns in a ferocious performance, while Stallone, returning as Rocky, emits a wonderful piece of work as he had not been this natural, loose and honestly affecting in decades--his Oscar nomination was more than deserved.

But "Creed" in its entirety, is truly one of the most unlikely films to succeed so highly with me. As entertaining as it is, it is the honesty and authenticity of the proceedings that makes this film soar. There is not one moment of contrivance as Coogler ensures all of the emotions are as raw and as lived in to the point of being primal. Therefore, we re-connect to why we fell in love with Rocky Balboa in the first place while we simultaneously and instantly become invested in Adonis' journey as "Creed" pays homage and forges ahead with superior class and passion. 
(Originally reviewed December 13, 2015)

34. "CALL ME BY YOUR NAME"  DIRECTED BY LUCA  GUADAGNINO (2017)
This stunning, exquisite coming-of-age romance drama set "somewhere in Northern Italy" during the summer of 1983 is as lush and as languid as a warm, humid, lazy, long summer's day where possibilities seem endless and yet, time itself feels as if it has all but ceased entirely. It is also a film of transformative sexual awakening, fueled by all manner of emotional and existential ideas and ideals that clash, confound and congeal.

Although the film's central relationship between teenager Timothee Chalamet and older graduate student Armie Hammer is homosexual, "Call Me By Your Name" is not necessarily a "coming out coming of age" film. But it is one that will unearth deeply internalized desire(s) that may prove to be as revealing and as painful as they are for the characters. Guadagnino's story delves meticulously into intimate themes of sexuality from repression, confusion, concealment, exuberance, acceptance, anxiety and self-denial, which even then forces the characters, as well as ourselves, to ask the following: What is the truth of myself and what does it mean to deny myself that truth?

"Call Me By Your Name" is an aching, purposefully meandering film, one that invites you to luxuriate in memory and its resplendent sense of timelessness where self-discovery arrives like a puzzle finally completed, which each piece is a mental breadcrumb meant to be re-discovered, leading you to a newfound sense of home.
(Originally reviewed January 26, 2018)

33. "HUGO"  DIRECTED BY MARTIN SCORSESE (2011)
This film might seem to be an unlikely choice to place upon this list but as I remember it and the emotions it stirred, it felt more than natural that it should be included. Yes, indeed, none other than Martin Scorsese made this PG rated children's film but that being said, it is a film that never once plays to the lowest common denominator regarding entertainment directed at our youngest viewers. On the contrary, Scorsese, as would be expected from a filmmaker of his caliber and rightful legend, has created a film experience that is unapologetically artful, demanding and truthfully, a film that could conceivably grow with a young audience...that is, if given the chance to see it.

Based upon the novel by Brian Selznick, the 1930's set "Hugo" finds our titular hero (Asa Butterfield), orphaned, alone and secretly living within the walls of a massive Parisian train station who soon forges crucial relationships with Georges (Ben Kingsley), the mercurial proprietor of the station's toy shop, and the smart, voracious reader Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), who is also Georges' goddaughter.

Again, Scorsese has constructed an experience that informs audiences that even our smallest viewers deserve nothing less than the best we can provide for them and in terms of movies, he has delivered a sumptuous masterpiece that is superbly child friendly with a simple plot, gorgeously bold colors, stunning motifs of heart shaped keys and all manner of gears and lustrous moving parts, a child hero and heroine to root for and deeply emotional messages of community, friendship and family. Visually immersive and enchanting for certain but also profound in its love for art, literature, inspiration and dreams, to the point where this film also exists as Scorsese's voice to us as to why he became a filmmaker, "Hugo" is distinctly clean, pure of heart and spirit and elicits the spark to provide endless creativity. It is nothing less than Martin Scorsese's gift to us should we choose to open it.
(Originally reviewed November 25, 2011)

32. "YOUNG ADULT"  DIRECTED BY JASON REITMAN (2011)
This unrepentantly bitter comedy from Jason Reitman, scripted by Diablo Cody and starring Charlize Theron in a bruising performance as an unrepentantly unlikable character, a former high school mean girl and now a 37-year-old mean woman ghostwriter for a fading teen book series caught in the downward spiral of her life, who attends her school's class reunion, is a grim unforgiving effort that never strikes a false note.

In his very best work, Reitman has more than proven himself to being a masterful chronicler of modern 21st century American life, and "Young Adult" is no exception as his storytelling hand remains consistent, unforced and unafraid to reveal dark, uncomfortable truths and behaviors, which are indeed universal. Charlize Theron, in a decade of terrific performances, delivers one of her strongest as she acts from the inside out and with a complete lack of vanity. For as attractive as we know Theron clearly is, her performance perfectly reveals an ugliness which ultimately reflects her character's damaged inner being combined with her rampant alcoholism. It is a portrait of a raw arrested development of a woman attempting to still live her adult life through the prism of her cherished 1990's teen years, terrified to admit to herself that she is failing and therefore, unleashes her rage at the world. 

"Young Adult" is a painful ode to the realization of how middle age does not always mean that one has ascended to a newfound state of maturity. This is a film about adult adolescence and emotional paralysis.
(Originally reviewed  December 19, 2011)

31. "BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST"
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL RAPAPORT (2011)
One of the decade's best music documentaries arrived with this joyous, illuminating effort and filmmaking debut from actor Michael Rapaport, whose tribute to one of hip-hop's most influential, innovative and downright greatest groups richly enhanced and enlivened their untouchable artistic legacy.

Rapaport succinctly and lovingly performs the requisite duty of presenting the story of A Tribe Called Quest from formation to disbandment in vivid detail and featuring interviews with all four members, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Jarobi and the late Phife Dawg (who passed away years after the completion due to complications from diabetes), all of whom are loquacious, individualistic, fascinating men, each of whom are deserving of their own documentaries. Beyond that, the film scales tremendous heights as it details the band's intensely personal connections to the world that inspired them, from the neighborhoods in which they grew up and first met, to the local DJs and radio heroes and most certainly, to each other and like minded artists from the collectives of De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers and more.

Yet, the beating heart of the film is the then fractured, yin-yang relationship between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, and how these two men, these fluidly lyrical wordsmiths and magnetically compelling individuals and interview subjects were unable to simply speak their hearts to each other during this period and Rapaport presents this dichotomy with truth and eloquence.
(Originally reviewed September 17, 2011) 

COMING SOON...#30-21!!!

SAVAGE CINEMA TIME CAPSULE: TOP 50 FAVORITE FILMS 2010-2019-FILMS 50-41

I never thought that in my lifetime there would be a time when there were no more movie theaters.

Technically, there are still movie theaters but yes, due to this global pandemic, the theaters have all gone dark and as of this writing, there is no telling of when they will return or when it will be safe to venture out publicly again, without adhering to social distancing concerns. So while we are all ensconced in our homes, it felt like the perfect time to dive into something I had been meaning to begin but simply did not have the ample time to do so.

When I began Savage Cinema, it was the year 2009 and at that time, I had been seeing film critics and film magazine compiling their favorite films of the decade between 2000-2009. And so, I followed suit. Now that ten years has elapsed, it is time to do it again and unlike last time, when I did venture quite broadly, I am going to limit myself to 50 films that I would place into my personal time capsule celebrating the very best of what the movies gave to me.

Additionally, and during this time of social distancing, it is obvious that we are watching a lot of material these days, from television shows to movies. Perhaps this list/series can offer suggestions of things to either introduce yourselves to or to see again.

If you wish to read a review in full, I have indicated exactly where you will find it at the end of each entry. So...let's get started, shall we?

50. "SOUND CITY"  DIRECTED BY DAVE GROHL (2013)
Dave Grohl, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/former member of Nirvana and current leader of Foo Fighters delivered an exhilarating and supremely accomplished filmmaking debut with this outstanding documentary which chronicles the rise and fall of the titular recording studio which gave birth to now iconic albums by Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, as well as Nirvana's "Nevermind" (released September 24, 1991).

That story all by itself would make for riveting filmmaking due to all of the archival footage and interviews Grohl has amassed throughout from the artists themselves, to the actual Sound City staff, showcasing how it was always a sense of community behind the now beloved works we cherish and finally, a sensational final third during which we witness Grohl and a variety of musicians, including Sir Paul McCartney himself collaborating and creating together. Yet what made this film soar was how Grohl extended his narrative far beyond past the studio and music itself to create an impassioned statement about our need for continued collective humanity and to not allow that to erode due to increasing technological advances. And to that end, it is also an ode to the diligence, discipline and determination of work itself in our instant gratification society.

Dave Grohl's "Sound City" is a testament to boyhood fantasies realized, valiant torch carrying and the warm, urgent need to keep the human touch alive and kicking.
(Originally reviewed March 22, 2013)

49. "UNDER THE SKIN"  DIRECTED BY JONATHAN GLAZER (2014)
One of the strangest, more uncompromising, deeply unsettling films I saw during this past decade was this nightmarishly atmospheric, largely plot-less, mostly dialogue free science fiction thriller which starred Scarlett Johansson as a nameless alien who prowls the night time streets of Scotland to lure unsuspecting men with the promise of sex to her secret lair where she tricks them into being submerged into a dark pool, and finally, harvests their skins.

Director Jonathan Glazer, working brilliantly alongside Cinematographer Daniel Landin, Composer Mica Levi and an unforgettable performance from Johansson, who completely strips away any sense of her natural warmth, has created an extremely frigid film that more than effectively functions as a visual experience. Additionally, the film also contains the subtext of a cultural critique concerning the sexual attitudes of men and women, which then turns "Under The Skin" into a meditation about seduction, lust and possibly female driven revenge against male subjugation.

Poetic, impressionistic and designed to keep you at an arm's length, this film is a cinematic universe so foreign that returning to reality is deeply jarring.
(Originally reviewed April 18, 2014)

48. "THIS IS 40"  DIRECTED BY JUDD APATOW (2012)
No, this film is nowhere near as riotously funny as either "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (2005) or "Knocked Up" (2007), but the difficult, uncomfortable honestly that is a crucial quality to all of Judd Apatow's films, as well as quite a number of his productions, plunges deeply within this perceptive film which nails the turbulent and ever shifting physical and psychological landscape of middle age.

Serving as a spin off to "Knocked Up," "This Is 40" follows that film's supporting characters Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), as we regard their often volatile marriage, which ebbs more than it flows, especially as each of them reach the age of 40. Apatow weaves a sprawling, episodic narrative during which he uses his main characters to explore the stress of mounting adult responsibilities, the quandary of experiencing fading youth and therefore, fading dreams and oncoming mortality plus the shocking realizations that they quite possibly are not terribly good parents or adult children to their own parents, most likely because they were badly parented themselves.

While Apatow clearly possesses great affection for his characters, he is highly and rightfully critical of them as he does not shy away from their often intense self-centeredness. Yet, he displays tremendous empathy as their journey is obviously his own, which also makes it our journey, thus making the experience more melancholy and thought provoking that the light romp at the movies audiences may have wanted. But, "This Is 40" afforded Judd Apatow to inject a greater sense of poeticism and existential pain into his work and the effect resulted in a bittersweet, truthful tapestry. 
(Originally reviewed December 25, 2012)

47. "THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT"  DIRECTED BY LISA CHOLODENKO (2010)

An enormously entertaining comedy-drama where all of the family dynamics presented are executed richly, succinctly and in the raw and real rhythms of life as it is lived, Lisa Cholodenko's story of an upper middle class married couple (perfectly played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) with two teenaged children (played by Mia Wasiowska and Josh Hutcherson), whose lives are upended by the surprising arrival of the children's sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo). 

Blissfully blending the aesthetics of the standard Hollywood film and independent films, "The Kids Are All Right" never becomes a film that falls into anything prefabricated or inauthentic as it is indeed a film about behavior and the dance of intimacy, whether between married partners, siblings or parents and children. It is also a terrific love story that depicts the tribulations of staying in love, especially once the passage of time and unexpected catalysts unearth past desires, long resentments, and entrenched disappointments. 

Bening and Moore make for a wonderful pairing, completely presenting a relationship that feels lived in, firmly suggesting its history and particular credit belongs to them and Cholodenko for not making the central relationship in the film serve as a a poster board for LGBTQ issues, because the presentation of these people as people first and foremost is the grand statement to be made.     

(Originally reviewed July 26, 2010)

46. "HANNA"  DIRECTED BY JOE WRIGHT (2011)

Kinetic, hallucinogenic, brutal, surreal, scary and spectacular, Joe Wright's "Hanna" was a spectacular experience to witness early in this decade. 

Where his tale of an isolated 16 year old (played by Saoirse Ronan) trained to be an assassin by her Father (Eric Bana), a former CIA operative, as is relentlessly pursued by a treacherous, maniacal CIA analyst (Cate Blanchett) more than delivered the good with breathless, gorgeously filmed action sequences and set pieces, and propelled ferociously by a propulsive score from The Chemical Brothers, what gave this film an extra edge was Wright merging of the action thriller with nothing less than the aesthetics and touchstones of fairy tales, making "Hanna" often feel like Jason Bourne falling into a Grimm Brothers acid trip.

I know it sounds crazy but if you haven't seen the film, and if you haven't not for an extended period, trust me. Ronan's Hanna is essentially the Sleeping Beauty/Alice/Goldilocks ingenue born and raised in the woods only to enter a dark, violent world that threatens to unearth her inner resolve where Bana is the Woodsman or The Big Bad Wolf, leaving the fiery haired Blanchett as, of course, The Wicked Witch. Somehow, through this twisted lens, it all feels so perfectly fitting...that is, for a film about a teenaged psychopath.

One of the very best action films of the decade. 

(Originally reviewed April 10, 2011)

45. "THE PERKS OF BEING A WALFLOWER"  DIRECTED BY STEPHEN CHBOSKY (2012)

While the teen film genre is all but non-existent these days, the promise of what the late John Hughes began during the 1980's with his affectionate, sensitive, and honest depiction of teenagers played out during this past decade with quite a number of excellent, artful films aimed at a teenage audience. This film was one of the very best.

Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of his own novel was a fragile, aching portrait of the titular "wallflower,"(played by Logan Lerman) an aspiring writer, recovering from a personal tragedy as he enters high school and gradually finds himself accepted into a small band of classmate outcasts, including Emma Watson, with whom he falls in love. Utilizing a "year in the life" structure, the film is a moodier, darker, more serious affair than most teen films as it honestly and tenderly tackles issues from child/parent/romantic relationship abuses, closet homosexuality, bullying, debilitating depression, potential suicide, and crippling bouts of grief, guilt and mourning.

Yet, first and foremost, the core of Chbosky's film is the nature of friendship itself, from its artfulness to its precariousness, and how for some, the act and need for connection is nothing less than a lifeline. This is a sad, autumnal film tailor made for a quiet rainy day for certain. It is unquestionably an exceedingly lovely ad heartfelt film.

(Originally reviewed October 15, 2012)

44. "EASY A"  DIRECTED BY WILL GLUCK (2010)
To that end, Will Gluck's high spirited comedy feels like a complete tribute to John Hughes, Cameron Crowe and all of the other filmmakers who created the movies which made up what I like to think of as "The Golden Age Of Teen Films," during the 1980's, and frankly, for me, this film was completely of the exact same class.

Emma Stone delivers a star making performance as Olive Penderghast, the intelligent, empathetic, wonderfully witty, charmingly loquacious, raven haired, feline eyed, smoky voiced high school student who finds herself unfortunately caught within the deeply tangled web of insinuation, hallway rumor and a simultaneously soaring and crushing campus reputation as the school sexpot.

Armed with a sensationally sharp, insightful and downright funny screenplay by Bert V. Royal, which is filled end to end with the type and style of crackling, verbose and literate dialogue that was a John Hughes trademark, Gluck's film is an unabashed joyride. Brisk and breezy certainly but at its core "Easy A" is an honest exploration and upending/satire of a teenage girl's emerging sexuality and the frenzy it causes a community (and how a girl's emerging sexuality is presented in films in general).

And watching Olive discover and recover her identity, which, and always, was hers to begin with and forever more, made me smile wider and brighter than most films I saw this past decade.
(Originally reviewed September 23, 2010)

43. "RUBY SPARKS"  DIRECTED BY JONATHAN DAYTON & VALERIE FARIS (2012)
It was one of the rare films released during this past decade that felt to arrive from the ether completely untainted by any sense of hackneyed screenwriting cliches and therefore, soared highly and freely upon its own creative wings.

Scripted wondrously by actress Zoe Kazan, Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' "Ruby Sparks" weaves the tale of a supremely introverted 29-year-old writer (the excellent Paul Dano), who experienced major literary success with his debut novel at the age of 19, but is now drowning in writer's block. He eventually finds inspiration after waking from a dream in which he meets a young woman in a park (played by Kazan). He begins to write feverishly but is surprised when the woman from his dream literally arrives inside of his apartment...in the flesh and as real as life, thus confounding him further as he falls in love with his creation.

Not only does this film succeed as an ode to the creative process itself, "Ruby Sparks" miraculously combines whimsy and uncomfortable emotional honestly regarding hard fought relationship issues, the crumbling male ego, and the intense pressures to create something new when the shadow of past achievements only grows more impenetrable, making what begins as a flight of fantasy slowly becomes a psychological thriller about a writer's mental breakdown.

Superbly acted, written and directed, "Ruby Sparks" was a true original.
(Originally reviewed August 12 2012)

42. "THE LUNCHBOX"  DIRECTED BY RITESH BATRA (2014)
Do not allow the presence of subtitles and the lack of CGI pyrotechnics keep you away from this cinematic wonder, which will reward you handsomely with enveloping charm, perceptive insights into human nature and inter-connectivity, healthy amounts of sincere, honest romance and melancholy and it is undoubtedly enliven your taste buds!

Ritesh Batra's debut feature about a young wife and Mother (Nimrat Kaur), feeling lonely and ignored by her husband, who decides to prepare intricate and specialized lunch meals which will then be delivered to him via Mumbai's lunch delivery system. One day, the lunch intended for her husband, mistakenly arrives at the desk of Saajan (the excellent Irrfan Khan), a lonely government accountant, who eats the meal after being quizzically tempted by the delicious scents emanating from the lunchbox. After realizing that her husband did not receive the lunch, she begins to continue creating special lunches, now augmented with written notes, and sends them back to Saajan, thus beginning a life altering correspondence.

Taking what could've existed as a contrived romantic comedy plot, Batra uses "The Lunchbox" to create an intimate drama about two lost souls who miraculously find each other and forge a connection--yet where the emotions are conveyed in words and, most importantly the emotions placed inside of the food. The film is a celebration of that tactile experience in an increasingly virtual world as the human touch that constitutes handwritten notes and food preparation are the means in which we bind ourselves to one another, and with each note and meal both participants are forced to ask of themselves difficult questions concerning life, love, mortality, failure, disappointment and marriage. And even then, the film affords us a view of modern day middle class and working class life in Mumbai, where both classes often travel within the same circles and yet are never truly together.

"The Lunchbox" is a sumptuous, delicious film.
(Originally reviewed April 13, 2014)

 41. "THE ARTIST"  DIRECTED BY MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS (2011) 
It amazes me that this film, which indeed (and as far as I am concerned, rightfully) won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, has been all but forgotten. Which is a shame as Michel Hazanavicius' elegantly filmed, black and white silent movie was, and remains, a luscious love letter to the art and artistry of the movies themselves!

Our story, which begins in 1927, details the rise and fall and rise again silent movie actor George  Valetin (a sensational Jean Dujardin), his love affair with rising star actress Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) and his travails with the advent of sound technology to the movies. As promised, the film is advanced through the performances, visual cues, title cards and the terrific score by Composer Ludovic Bource, and presented with no audible dialogue or sound effects,...and trust me, you will not miss them whatsoever.  In fact, Hazanavicius's film is so effective that he nearly tricks you into thinking that you are hearing sounds when there are actually none to be found.

"The Artist" is by no means a twee film experiment or stodgy film school lesson. The storytelling and execution is top of the line, emotionally resonant and absolutely euphoric in its enormously invigorating, thrilling, elegantly filmed vision. It is a tribute to the innocence and rapture that is found when making an unexpected and amazing discovery.

Precisely the reason why we go to the movies.
(Originally reviewed December 23, 2011)

COMING SOON...#40-31!!!

FOR THE FANS: a review of "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot"

"JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT"
Written and Directed by Kevin Smith
** (two stars)
RATED R

Did the world really need another Jay and Silent Bob movie?

Now, dear readers, if you have been frequent visitors of this site over its 10 year duration, you will already know that I have been an adoring fan of Writer/Director Kevin Smith ever since "Clerks" (1994), his audacious, spectacularly foul mouthed and brilliantly written debut feature film entered the world. My affection only grew throughout his ever expanding self-described cinematic "View Askewniverse" starring his legion of inter-connected characters, stories, subplots and films overall, including his finest film to date, "Chasing Amy" (1997), his outstanding religious satire "Dogma" (1999) and the even more spectacularly foul mouthed yet surprisingly poignant "Clerks II" (2006).

Additionally, I have been a most enthusiastic supporter of his equally audacious forays into horror films, featuring his stark, brutal "Red State" (2011) and his unapologetically grotesque yet unexpectedly profound (yes, profound--I said it!) "Tusk" (2014).

Essentially, for my personal tastes and preferences, I have been enthralled with Smith the most when he operates at his most fearless, when he dives deeply into his own idiosyncratic skills and talents and doesn't undercut himself by allowing his sophomoric and overly scatological tendencies overtake his storytelling, a quality that has torpedoed several of his films, including "Zack And Miri Make A Porno" (2008) and honestly, the less said about the rightfully titles "Cop Out" (2010), the better.

When it comes to his signature drug dealing characters of the motor mouthed Jay and the aptly named Silent Bob,  it can really go either way for me because I do appreciate them more in small doses. That being said, Kevin Smith's "Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001) was a multi-layered, ingeniously written knockout.

Functioning precisely as the live-action cartoon a Jay and Silent Bob movie would actually be, Smith's road trip odyssey, during which our titular stoners make a cross-country trek to Hollywood to stop production of a feature film based upon the independent comic book that was in turn based upon themselves, served as an almost kaleidoscopic travelogue through the View Askeniverse's cavalcade of characters, as well as a sharp Hollywood satire, a vortex of vehemently profane humor and a healthy, heaping level of self-reflexive metatextuality that made the entire experience critic-proof as all of the bad reviews were weaved into the narrative and  the audience was not let off of the hook for even seeing it either. Loaded end to end with the very type of bodily function humor I typically cannot stand, I laughed myself sick the entire time while marveling that he even had the ability to put it all together at all.

Now, we arrive with Kevin Smith's "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot," his latest return to his cherished Salinger-esque cinematic playground as well as his take upon our rampant reboot culture that has overtaken Hollywood. While being a subject that feels more than ripe and ready for Smith to satirize, as well as to re-visit with old friends, unfortunately, the film is not as inspired as it should or could be or even as much as Smith might think that it actually is.

"Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" again stars Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as their trademark "hetero-life mate" characters as they are arrested outside of the Quick Stop convenience store, taken to court and subsequently lose a case to Saban Films (who actually distributed this film throughout the United States), the studio that is making "Bluntman V. Chronic," itself a reboot of the now nearly 20 year old film "Bluntman and Chronic." And to make matters worse, the twosome have also lost their naming right meaning that they are no longer allowed to self-identify as "Jay" or "Silent Bob."

Confused despondent, our heroes visit their friend from "Mallrats" (1995) comic book store owner Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee), who informs them of the reboot, which is being directed by Kevin Smith, and will be filming a climatic sequence at the annual fan convent ion of "Chronic-Con" in Los Angeles in a mere three days. Feeling determined once more, Jay and Silent Bob decide to take another cross country trek to stop the movie once again.

Yes, it's deja vu all over a gain save for one surprising and life-altering element. Arriving in Chicago top pay a visit to Jay's long lost love, former diamond thief Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) who informs Jay that unbeknownst to him, for all of these years, she has been raising...their daughter!

Yup, Jay is a Father and his daughter Millennium "Milly" Faulken (played by Smith's own daughter Harley Quinn Smith), is a hot-tempered, stupendously foul mouthed pot head (mmmm...hmmmm) who hijacks her way to Hollywood alongside our twosome, while Jay, as a promise to Justice, refuses to tell Milly who he really is.

Truth be told, this is all well and good as Kevin Smith's "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot" has certainly enough material to serve effectively as a live-action cartoon, a send-up of the reboot genre while also advancing the continuing narratives and lives of his core characters as they are now, like Smith himself, all deep into their 40's and even knocking on 50.

That being said, Kevin Smith does have this tendency, as previously mentioned, to sell himself and his work short. a quality which I think may be endearing to much of his fan base, as he does present himself as being a most loquacious everyman who just got lucky, signalling to us that we can achieve our dreams, whatever they may be, just as he has. As much as I do find that approach admirable, it also, frankly, irritates me because when Kevin Smith operates at is best, he demonstrates that he is a uniquely talented filmmaker and an often ingeniously gifted writer who possesses a storytelling voice unlike anyone else.

That is indeed what makes "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot" such a disappointment overall, ad one that inspired me to ask the question that began this review in the first place. Unlike "Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back," which had a go-for-broke velocity akin to the best of say John Landis' anarchic classics "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978) and "The Blues Brothers" (1980), "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot" is a downright lazy affair by comparison. The film carries (and barely at that) a sloppy, tossed off quality, as if Smith woke up, smoked a bowl, and impulsively decided to have a party at his house and then..filmed it.

There is a line of dialogue in the film that references Hal Needham's "The Cannonball Run" (1981), the Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise starring road race comedy that was a box office smash but notoriously pummeled by critics and is notable for being a barely scripted comedy that served as an excuse for the all star cast to hang out together and cajole each other...while making a fortune at the audience's expense.

Now, "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot" certainly doesn't feel remotely as mercenary but there is overall inside joke aesthetic that worked wonders for the prior film that just doesn't feel as inspired this time. Maybe since Smith, who had been working quite diligently with creating both a "Mallrats 2" and"Clerks III," both of which have hit road blocks, felt some sense of frustration or defeat with getting two passion projects off the ground, that he just funneled whatever residual energy into getting something...anything made that could just exist as a way to hang out and reunite with old friends, both real and invented, plus throw a bone to his fans. And since Jay and Silent Bob are his most recognizable creations...what the hell...

Yeah...it really didn't feel more impassioned that that.

It is not that he has seemingly lost any affection for his own cinematic universe or the fans that have supported him for over 25 years. It's also not that he possesses a lack of ideas either as he does throw quite a bit at Jay and Silent Bob during their latest adventure including the requisite character and celebrity cameos, a KKK cross burning, Russian spies, a multi-cultural quartet of pot smoking teenage girls who have formulated their own sub-culture of Fatherless .daughters, Kevin Smith in the dual role of Silent Bob and a wildly exaggerated version of himself, Fred Armisen's soft-spoken but beleaguered Uber-esque driver (named Ride Me Now--wink wink nudge nudge..yawn) and even more. But instead of being tightly woven together in the screenplay, it all feels like a drug addled stream of (barely) consciousness, making the entire film feel like a lengthy "and then this happened" escapade, which may be great for Smith and his friends. Yet, for the rest of us...

Now, not everything is wasteful within "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot." First of all, there is Jason Mewes' performance, which remains as full throttle and as committed as it has ever been. But, there are a couple of scenes that cut through the hazy noise and offered something surprisingly touching, poignant and regretful regarding his discovery of having a daughter. Perhaps he tapped into his own real life struggles with addiction, his longtime friendship with Kevin Smith and the birth of his real life daughter (a little one who makes an appearance in the film), but whatever it was, he went considerably deeper than he ever had or even needed to and arrived at some moments that were downright sincere and unquestionably moving.

Beyond that, as Brodie, Jason Lee has a pitch perfect monologue about the differences between remakes and reboots set within his comic book store, which has moved from its prior location to the site of a slowly dying mall, an especially sharp cultural critique which has the brilliance of  showcasing the struggles of a small business owner trying to stay alive in the 21st century. Additionally, his monologue also has the sly undercurrent of privileged White male animosity towards the more multi-cultural qualities that have emerged in the otherwise White male driven comic book and comic book film genres.

Finally, after all of these years, it was wonderful to witness a fine coda to "Chasing Amy" and both Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) both appear to give us an update on their lives, mostly arriving in a lengthy and again, touching, monologue delivered earnestly by Affleck.

These sequences showcase the level to which Kevin Smith's writing and filmmaking can rise when he wishes to do so and for that, this is why the film as a whole was such a disappointment for me. I was disappointed because I know Kevin Smith can do better. And I know he can do better because he has done better. And no matter how much he talks himself down, I know he IS better than that.

So, does the world need another Jay and Silent Bob anything? If Kevin Smith gets that fire in the belly, where he writes and directs to his very best, then certainly. But just making one for the fans and coasting on their affection to do so isn't gonna cut it next time.

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR APRIL 2020

 

And the theaters are now all closed. So...what now?

By now, to everyone who is able to read these postings or if you are frequent visitors to this blogsite, I am hoping that you are all safely ensconced at home, feeling as healthy as you are able, practicing social distancing and trying as best as possible to ride this wave for the duration.

As for myself, I am feeling as I would gather most to all of you are feeling to varying degrees. I am wavering between realms of calm and panic, truthfully. Being away from people has not been the difficult part for me. I am very much an introvert and in my real world career as a preschool teacher, I do recognize that being surrounded by people 40 hours a week is not a natural fit for me...and really, it never has been regardless of how fulfilling this life has been for me. So, the quiet of home has been good, in that respect and being forced to remain at home other than the necessity of strategically scheduled grocery shopping trips to curtail being around too many people (just stressful in its own right) has also allowed me to relax considerably.

Not rushing. Not being overwhelmed by the wants and needs of others constantly. The calm lives there. But, the anxiety...well, that rises and falls consistently as we are all facing the unknown and that is a place where I admittedly do not like to live. The aforementioned grocery store trips are anxiety inducing in and of themselves now, and in ways they have never existed before. More urgently there is my employment at a school that has now been forced to close its doors for this period, a stretch of time that is unknowable. Then, larger worries of how long this period will last and worrying over my own family and friends and just having a general sense of global empathy. 

It is draining. It is overwhelming. And I know you can understand.

Will there ever be a sense of normalcy again and what might that look like? This leads me to the movies, one of my life's greatest passions and now, they are gone..,hopefully, temporarily. And with  no movie theaters, what does this mean for activity upon Savage Cinema?

Well...I feel that my activities last month provides a window into this month's offerings. While at home, I have treated myself to free 30 day trials of  Hulu and Netflix, allowing me the time and opportunity to see shows and movies that I had previously been unable to see, including the surprisingly excellent re-invention of "High Fidelity" and Spike Lee's outstanding re-invention of his own "She's Gotta Have It," plus Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story" (2019), which did not play in any theater in Madison, WI.

I plan to continue in the vein for the time being and furthermore, I think that I will finally be able to really dive in to my Time Capsule series, detailing the movies I loved most during the decade of 2010-2019. Perhaps, that series will inspire you to check out some titles while you are at home too.

For now, all I have is hope. I hope you all remain healthy. I hope that you all remain safe. I h ope that can all emerge from this unprecedented period with a greater sense of perspective about what is truly important in the world regarding how we treat ourselves, each other and the world we have been given.

And I hope our movie theaters return...and when they do, I will be there again. I hope you will be there with me.