SAVAGE SCORECARD 2013-PART FOUR: MY TOP TEN FAVORITE FILMS OF 2013

With one week to go before the Academy Awards telecast, I am just getting this one in under the wire!

Yes, dear readers, we have now reached the mountaintop, or at least my personal mountain top as I am finally set to reveal my Top Ten favorite films of 2013. So, without any further hesitation...

10.5 "THE BLUE UMBRELLA" Directed by Saschka Unseld

Every so often, my personal lists do happen to contain what could be considered to be a "cheat," but as I always say, it's my list and I can do with it whatever I please. And in the case of this absolute stunner, I felt compelled to add it to the top ten list...sort of. As with all features from Pixar, there is an animated short feature that precedes the main feature and when I saw the wholly underwhelming, uninspired and money grabbing "Monsters University," one thing that also kept that film at an extreme arms length was the fact that "The Blue Umbrella" outshone it from top to bottom and in a fraction of the time. This beautifully simplistic yet visual euphoria is easily the finest Pixar short feature to date and it is also the best film Pixar has released since "Up" (2009). The gentle story of a blue umbrella pursuing his true love, which exists in the form of a red umbrella, during an urban rainstorm is the most visually forward looking feature Pixar has accomplished in far too long and fully represents why we fell in love with Pixar in the first place. This is not a film designed to sell lunchboxes and toys and nor should it be. Featuring a lovely score by Jon Brion and nearly Chaplin-esque in its presentation, Writer/Director Saschka Unseld has delivered a joyously conceived feature that shows what can happen when inspiration and imagination fuel creativity and not the bottom line at the box office. This film could actually represent a new and rapturous period in Pixar's future...should they want it.
(Originally reviewed July 2013)

10. "SOUND CITY" Directed by Dave Grohl

This was the very first film of 2013 to which I awarded four stars and throughout the year, I just knew that it would remain in the final Top Ten. Musician Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, in his directorial feature debut, has helmed a supremely confident and highly emotional documentary that begins to be about a titular and beloved recording studio but transcends its own subject matter to speak directly towards the importance of maintaining the human touch in our increasingly impersonal technological age. Gorgeously filmed but with a passionate purpose and intent, "Sound City" is an elegiac yet hopeful experience that skillfully merges realized musical fantasies with urgent torch carrying and the communal spirit that is a necessity for our souls as well as our art.  
(Originally reviewed March 2013)

9. "FRUITVALE STATION" Directed by Ryan Coogler

It hardly gets more up to the minute than this film when thinking abut the status of the African American male in 21st century society as well as the concept of being truly free actually means. Featuring a stirringly naturalistic leading performance by Michael B. Jordan, "Fruitvale Station" chronicles the final 24 hours in the life of Oscar Julius Grant III before he was unjustly gunned down by police at the titular Boston train station. Utilizing a quiet, moody, matter-of-fact directorial hand, Director Ryan Coogler explores our current racial/social/economic landscape through the lens of the mundane and everyday only to show how instantaneously life upends itself into unspeakable and senseless tragedy. "Fruitvale Station" is a profoundly empathetic and humane character portrait of a young, Black man during an era in which young Black men are once again and overtly being seen as being less than human. A subtlety devastating piece of work.
(Originally reviewed July 2013)

8. "THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" Directed by Francis Lawrence

The second installment in "The Hunger Games" film series not only improves upon the original and terrific first film, it broadens its canvas and deepens its own landscape, themes and concepts making for a dark and disturbing experience that transcends far beyond existing as a popcorn event movie. "The  Hunger Games: Catching Fire" explores the issues of totalitarianism, oligarchy, the politics of war and most importantly fear, plus further issues of rebellion, revolution, sacrifice, survival, our culture's relationship with violence, the soul numbing nature of "reality" television and our ever increasing and equally soul crushing obsession with fame at the expense of our collective humanity. As reluctant heroine Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence again provides a sensational leading performance in a film that confidently straddles the precarious line of providing the requisite action thrills and set pieces while also maintaining the core morality of the story.  This is superbly compelling and exciting filmmaking on display in a film and genre that did not have to aim its sights so highly whatsoever.
(Originally reviewed December 2013)

7. "INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS" Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

The Coen Brothers have triumphed once again with this prickly and often bleak character portrait of a struggling folk singer in the early 1960's New York folk scene. This is a wintry film, frigidly atmospheric and contains a visual plate that has seemingly been informed by the album covers of the era the Coen Brothers are depicting. But furthermore, what I think they achieved so masterfully is through the construction of their story and the actions and collective of characters and emotions we view and feel, what we are witnessing is essentially the Coen Brothers' version of a folk song--a song that is grim, haunting, and like an actual record, the film forms a continuous cycle of misery from which our struggling folk singer may never escape. As always, the Coen brothers have created their own film universe with "Inside Llewyn Davis," and while there is no lack of empathy, there is not even one saccharine or cloying moment to be found. And thankfully so.
(Originally reviewed January 2014)

6. "BLUE JASMINE" Directed by Woody Allen

Woody Allen is again working at the top of his game with "Blue Jasmine" easily his most volatile film since "Husbands And Wives" (1992). In an almost frightening, high wire of performance by Cate Blanchett, we are given a front row seat to the unraveling of a woman's mind as the life she thought she knew has crumbled completely around her feet. From grim statements and explorations about economic disparity, shattered dreams, a society's over-reliance upon alcohol, and debilitating mental illness, this is a non-judgmental and brutally uncompromising film that is often riveting, rattling and definitely leaves harsh bruises.

(Originally reviewed September 2013)

  

5. "GRAVITY" Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

What else can I say about this movie that has not already been said? With "Gravity," Director Alfonso Cuaron has created a titanic piece of filmmaking and easily his greatest filmmaking achievement to date with a white knuckle experience that leaves us gasping for air, much like Sandra Bullock (in a wallop of a performance) as she spirals end over end through the cold darkness of space straining for survival. Through flawless special effects and a level of tension that was often approached the unbearable, "Gravity" shows us all exactly and brilliantly what a film experience should be during a time when every major motion picture claims to be an experience. This is the real deal and then some...and certainly crashed any possible dreams I had ever housed for voyaging into space. I'll happily keep my feet upon the ground.
(Originally reviewed October 2013)

4. "BEFORE MIDNIGHT" Directed by Richard Linklater

For the third installment in the expanding love story of Jesse and Celine (beautifully portrayed by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy), Director Richard Linklater gave us not only the best film of this series but also one of his finest works to date. "Before Midnight" is that extremely rare film that explores the ebb and flow of love during middle age, when that reckless abandon of your 20's turns to emotional caution in your 40s, all the while figuring out how to stay as blissfully in love as you have ever been. As with the two previous entries, this is also a film that explores a world of themes through the art of conversation and the conversations in this installment are the most riveting, captivating, provocative and unnerving to date. I hope to catch up with these two again nine years from now. 

(Originally reviewed June 2013)

3. "THE WOLF OF WALL STREET" Directed by Martin Scorsese

At the age of 71, master filmmaker Martin Scorsese has given us one of his most incendiary films with "The Wolf Of Wall Street," a three hour Bacchanalian extravaganza starring the great Leonardo DiCaprio in what may be his most feverishly unhinged and intense performance of his entire illustrious career. This is two-fisted, take no prisoners filmmaking and while there has been much controversy over its depictions of mega excess and unlimited debauchery, there is not one moment presented without purpose as Scorsese is pointing his severely critical eye at all of us in society who have all allowed and have remained complicit with an economic system that has long lost its soul and an environment in which the pursuit of endless fame and riches has sadly eroded our collective humanity. This film is not a morality play against the life of an arrogant stock broker who has successfully gamed the system. This is a stinging cultural critique in which we are all to blame. "The Wolf Of Wall Street" is unapologetically fearless, ferocious filmmaking.  
(Originally reviewed December 2014)

2. "HER" Directed by Spike Jonze

Director Spike Jonze has delivered his finest film to date with a disturbing and painful look at interpersonal relationships and how they have transformed into the very relationships we have with technology in "Her," a film set in an unnamed future but speaks precisely to this point in time in the 21st century. Joaquin Phoenix gives a compassionately recognizable performance as a man who falls in love with the voice of his new computer operating system (tremendously performed by Scarlett Johansson) and their relationship provides the fuel for a film that explores our increased fear of taking emotional risks with other human beings, therefore leading to a growing sense of societal isolation as we retreat into our machinery. Grueling, emotionally exhausting and profoundly sad, "Her" is as impassioned a plea for our humanity as I have ever seen. This film would have easily been my number 1 favorite film of 2013 if not for the following...
(Originally reviewed January 2014)

1. "12 YEARS A SLAVE" Directed by Steve McQueen

I said it back in November and I am saying it again emphatically, Director Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave" is the movie of the year, hands down. Based upon the true story of Solomon Northrup (played with haunting power by the great Chiwetel Ejiofor), an educated, elegant, and born free African-American family man and accomplished musician who is tricked, captured and placed into slavery for the duration of the film's title, "12 Years A Slave" is a poetic and agonizingly harrowing experience that, alongside "Fruitvale Station" and Director Lee Daniels' "The Butler," creates a portrait of he Black man in America during a specific historical time period and compares and contrasts it with today.

"12 Years A Slave," besides focusing so powerfully upon the African-American holocaust, focuses even moreso upon the true nature of what freedom means and how quickly that very freedom can be extinguished, leaving us trapped in worlds we never created for ourselves. Although this film is set in 1841, it speaks precisely to the 21st century as constitutional and human rights are being vigorously stripped away by the powerful few, and I seriously hope that this film forces each and every single one of us to perform some serious self-examination of ourselves, our country and our collective humanity to truly discover exactly what kind of a world do we wish to live in.

"12 Years A Slave" is indeed brutally difficult viewing as well as it should be as no film about slavery and dehumanization should be a comfortable experience. Again, this film creates a portrait of a time that I wish to believe that most of us would think to be unimaginable, but this happened and we cannot be afraid to confront our past in order to not repeat it. This is essential viewing, created with completely artistic filmmaking power and no other film of 2013 spoke directly to our souls than this one as we are forced to face down our individual prejudices, and discover that all human beings are deserving of tolerance, empathy and compassion.
(Originally reviewed November 2013)

And there you have it!!!! One week from tonight, we will see which films Oscar grants the cinematic crown, which means I have to crank out my Oscar predictions post haste!!! Stay tuned!

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2013-PART THREE: THE BAD, THE WORSE AND THE ABSOLUTELY AWFUL

For Part Three of the Savage Scorecard series, it is time for the gloves to come off for just one final time against the films I loathed in 2013.

As I have stated in the past, 2013 was not the greatest year for movies and definitely took a stumble when compared to the excellence spread throughout 2012. While I am not entirely certain, I think this is the first year since the inception of Savage Cinema where I actually have ten full films, or at least this is the first time I am arranging them in this fashion, with #10 existing as the weakest offender to #1 obviously being the worst film of the year. Let's get started so I don't have to think about these movies anymore,, shall we?

10. "MAN OF STEEL" (the final third) Directed by Zack Snyder

Now, I have to explain this one as I did award this film three stars and I still stand by that assessment. As difficult it is to imagine a new film version of "Superman," especially as the first two installments that starred Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder are so iconic but I do think that the first two thirds of Producer Christopher Nolan and Director Zack Snyder's "Man Of Steel" took bold and brave risks ensuring that their film could stand on its own feet and out of the massive Christopher Reeve shadow. I did love how the film was a gritty, episodic, non-linear version of the origin story and peppered it with some equally risky and overt religious allegory as we were witnessing the journey not of Superman or even Clark Kent, but of the the alien Kal-El (played by Henry Cavill), all elements that made "Man Of Steel" darkly riveting to view.

But then, we get to what ultimately upended the film and that was the gargantuan and endless bludgeoning that was the film's entire final third, the war between Kal-El and General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his minions. This final third undid everything that would have otherwise made "Man O Steel" quite possibly one of the finest films of the year as it completely descended into a quagmire of the same old overdone CGI maelstrom in a fashion that was as dishearteningly exhausting as it was ugly to regard. Just a barrage of explosions, falling buildings, people screaming and cataclysm beyond cataclysm all leading to the moment where Snyder's heavy hand played with the core mythology of Superman so disturbingly cavalier that it defiled the exact nature of who Superman actually is and what he will and will not do (if you have seen the film, then you know exactly what I am writing about). So even though my three star rating essentially split the difference between the good and bad elements of the film, it was indeed that final third that left such an awful taste in my mouth and has also stopped me from even desiring to see this film again...ever.
(Originally reviewed June 2013)

9. "OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL" Directed by Sam Raimi

This film was another case of CGI effects gone amok and all utilized in a fashion that created no sense of awe, wonder, terror, mystification, joy or any other emotion other than a two hour extended yawn. And if you are bothering to take audiences on a journey to the land of Oz and not give us an experience that feels like our very own dreams and nightmares have been magically projected upon the silver screen, then why bother? Director Sam Raimi gave us a soulless, passionless, emotionless presentation led by a completely miscast James Franco who looked as if he were mocking the entire proceedings with hipster irony from one end to the other. Yes, following in the iconic footsteps of "The Wizard Of Oz" (1939) is a daunting and some would say impossible feat to be sure. But if you are going to take this one, did it have to be so flat, generic, and empty?
(Originally reviewed March 2013)

8. "IN A WORLD..." Directed by Lake Bell

For actress Lake Bell's Writing and Directorial debut feature, I do believe that she has the filmmaking goods to make a fine film and I am more than anxious to see what she will devise for her second time at bat. She obviously has a lot to say but if only she would just say them. "In A World..." finds Bell (who also stars) as a voice over performer in the male dominated field, especially for narrating motion picture trailers, who finds herself competing against her legendary Father (played very unctuously by Fred Melamed ) for a coveted new mega-budgeted feature. While Bell shows she has a gift for sharp Hollywood insider satire, a compelling Father/daughter dynamic as well as some seriously pointed barbs against 21st century women who speak in that high-pitched, pseudo sexual squeak that diminishes any chances of being taken seriously in any industry, Bell nearly jettisons ALL of those elements for severely extended and torpidly paced romantic comedy cliches that really have nothing to do with she claims her film to be about. This was truly a wasted opportunity, but better luck next time.
(Originally reviewed September 2013)

7. "ADMISSION" Directed by Paul Weitz

Tina Fey knows better!!!! I just know that she knows better than to align herself with characters and films that are so obviously beneath her comedic and satiric brilliance, intelligence and imagination and yet she keeps doing it again and again with her film roles, and "Admission" is just the latest dull dud to darken her, but mostly our, doorsteps. With this film, Fey portrays a Princeton Admissions Officer who is confronted with a most painful decision from her past which then forces her to face down her present and potential future, in regards to her career and closest relationships with her long term boyfriend, feminist Mother (Lily Tomlin) and a possible new love interest (Paul Rudd). All of this would be just well and good if the film at any point decided to truly explore these characters as human beings and their situations with the spark, wit, flash and that sharply unpredictable quality that had endeared us to Tina Fey in the first place. But no. Let's just pad the film with tired, canned and contrived situations that sail right down the middle of the cinematic road making for a film that is sadly and regrettably boring, toothless, bloodless and cliched. "Admission" is the very type of film that Tina Fey would parody rather than star in and it is so forgettable that it is not worth your time at all, and barely worth the time for me to pound upon it once again.
(Originally reviewed October 2013)

6. "MONSTERS UNIVERSITY" Directed by Dan Scanlon

I have been beating up on the steeply declining quality of the animated films from Pixar for a few years now and the prequel "Monsters University" was not the film to return Pixar to my good graces in the least. Yes, it is visually sumptuous but visual splendor alone is not what made all of us respond to the films of Pixar in the first place and it is definitely not what has made those films endure. I guess witnessing our beloved monsters Mike Wazowski (still winningly voiced by Billy Crystal) and James "Sully" Sulivan (John Goodman) during their college years is a clever idea but why bog them down in a morass of cliched and totally recycled jokes from every campus comedy you have ever seen? It's just so, so sad because the filmmakers of Pixar were once true artists as far as I am concerned. These were people that somehow and always found that bridge and balance between art and commerce by consistently making films that were daring, unpredictable, risky and at times decidedly and unapologetically not geared towards children. These were films for the ages that challenged as well as entertained as they are classics to be viewed over and again. But now, and at a time when Pixar has absolutely no need whatsoever to chase the dollar, that is exactly what they have succumbed to doing by creating one unimaginative film after another that feels designed to sell lunch boxes, toys and all other promotional material rather than exist as a great piece of art. Let's face it, I am quite certain that 10 years from now, you will all still be watching the original and outstanding "Monsters, Inc." (2001). Conversely, in 10 years, I would be hard pressed to believe that any of you will be anxious to view this completely subpar, shamelessly money grabbing follow up.
(Originally reviewed July 2013)  

5. "FRANCES HA" Directed by Noah Baumbach

And now we are getting down to the nitty gritty as you truly have no idea of how much I HATED, HATED, HATED this film!! I don't care how many critical accolades it received (and there were many). I do not care how many Ten Best lists the film arrived upon (there are quite a few). But for me, Noah Baumbach's latest film was precisely the type of film that would make people resistant to independent cinema resist it all the more and for those of us that do love independent films as I do, it was just an embarrassment as if suffered from the very qualities that damage independent films and sometimes make me want to hate them as well. "Frances Ha" told the story of a wayward twenty-something trying to find herself in New York City in the most superficial, plastic, erroneous, smug and self-congratulatory fashion as it wore its French New Wave/Francois Truffaut/Woody Allen's "Manhattan" (1979) influences and hipster attitude upon its cinematic sleeves with such a supreme sense of ironic superiority that would have been flat out insulting if it weren't so painfully obvious, cloying and prefabricated. Worst of all was the insufferable, irritating and self-consciously "adorable" leading performance of Greta Gerwig, who is not nearly as charming or nearly as ingratiating as she and Baumbach possibly think she is. The whole film felt to be placed inside a set of quotation marks, thus making for a film that never felt authentic or emotionally true and could only pretend to be about its subject matter rather than fully realize it.
(Originally reviewed June 2013)

4. "A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD" Directed by John Moore

For a film series that really should have ended with the first and best installment, the original 1988 "Die Hard," I have to say that I have been surprised with the durability of the series starring Bruce Willis as the endlessly intrepid Detective John McLaine. Despite some flaws here and there, the subsequent three follow up films have just gotten the job done through well thought out predicaments to place McLaine into and sequenced with inventive, imaginative action sequences that even at their wildest, are somehow grounded with Willis' salt-of-the-Earth presence, physicality and well timed quips. But for this improbable fifth installment, the series hits rock bottom and perhaps even underneath that level with a film so stupid, nonsensical and just completely defiant in its belief that if it just keeps hurling explosions and gunfire at you, the movie will just inherently get better. Trust me, dear readers, it never even approaches "watchable." Beyond that, Bruce Willis has shown once again that he is one of our laziest and most mercenary of actors as "A Good Day To Die Hard" shows explicitly that he is just so willing to sell out his signature character for his $20 million paycheck. My God!! Willis does absolutely NOTHING in this film but utter variations of "I'm on vacation!!!" which doesn't make the least bit of sense as John McLaine is not travelling to Russia for a vacation but purely to rescue his son. And yet that is simply the tip of the iceberg of problems this film has. I am sorry, for a film that exists with the pedigree that "Die Hard" happens to have, it is just INEXCUSABLE to make a movie this powerfully inept and sloppy. A blank screen with no sound is more compelling.
(Originally reviewed February 2013)  

3. "OBLIVION" Directed by Joseph Kosinski

This film really pissed me off! Tom Cruise stars in a would-be science fiction epic in which he is essentially the last man on Earth trapped in a story that completely steals from practically every science fiction film that you have seen over the last 45 years and tries to pass itself off as new. It just made me so angry that Director Joseph Kosinski didn't even bother to try and make his obvious influences merge into something unique and like a kid who just copies his homework off of the smarter classmate, "Oblivion" is ultimately a film that is (again) inexcusably disingenuous, unimaginative, unoriginal and flat out lazy. Trust me, do not waste your time as this fiasco is nothing more than cinematic plagiarism.
(Originally reviewed April 2013)

2. "AMERICAN HUSTLE" Directed by David O. Russell

And speaking of disingenuous films, there was none more disingenuous than David O. Russell's "American Hustle," a film that I have made no secret as to how much I hated it, especially as I am strongly feeling that it is on its way to winning the Oscar for Best Picture. Look, dear readers, perhaps I can explain my loathing in this manner. Just the other day, one of my co-workers approached me and told me that she saw the film and enjoyed it very much. She expressed that she liked the costumes, the soundtrack, and the period design and she even loved how Russell used the vintage studio logo to open his film. It made her feel as if she was watching a film from the time period rather than seeing a film set within the time period. OK. But, there was something very notable and crucial about the reasons why she liked "American Hustle" so much. She never once mentioned the characters or the story. And that's why I hated this film so damn much because, like "Oblivion," I feel as if David O. Russell is trying to pull a fast one over the audience. That if he just loads his movie with stars, dresses them up in 70's clothing and provides a killer soundtrack, then that's all there is to his movie and Lord help me, his ploy has indeed worked due to the ocean of accolades and awards the film has already attained. But, I'm sorry. I was not fooled for one solitary moment as "American Hustle" is a barely conceived, barely written, barely edited, sloppy, sluggish, superficially glitzy mess of a movie that stranded nearly all of its actors (especially Jennifer Lawrence) with barely any characters to play or any motivations to play them. If this film does indeed win the Oscar for Best Picture, I feel that it will be the worst Best picture winner in a long, loooong time. Don't believe the hype!!!!!!!!!!
(Originally reviewed December 2013)

1. "OLDBOY" Directed by Spike Lee

I truly never thought that I would see this day when I would have Spike Lee, one of my favorite and one of the finest American filmmakers working today, sitting in this spot of delivering the worst film of 2013, but unfortunately here he is. Look, I have read the industry news that the studio severely re-edited the film, cut out nearly an hour of footage and Lee and star Josh Brolin are extremely unhappy with the results, so much so that Lee removed his trademark credit "A Spike Lee Joint" and his 40 Acres And A Mule production logo from the film entirely. Even so, I have to comment upon what I saw and what I saw was the most repugnant, filthy, nastiest piece of trash I saw. Now the story line of a man imprisoned by an unknown tormentor for 20 years and who is then released and embarks upon a revenge filled journey of uncovering the mystery of his capture is indeed compelling but it is a film that is entirely devoid of any purpose or soul other than depicting ruthless acts of ultra-violence at its grisliest. Simply stated, "Oldboy" is an ugly film about ugly people that is vacant of any sense of social value on any conceivable level making this experience nothing more than a snuff film with a big budget. I am positive that Spike Lee will return to his trademark level of excellence once again but he first needs to profoundly wash the stink of this exercise off of him. I'm still trying to wash it off of myself for having viewed it.
(Originally reviewed December 2013)

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! I already feel better. Stay tuned for my Top Ten Favorite Films of 2013!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAVAGE CINEMA REVISITS-VALENTINE'S DAY EDITION: "THE SURE THING" (1985)

"THE SURE THING" (1985)
Screenplay Written by Steven L. Bloom & Jonathan Roberts
Directed by Rob Reiner

In the past two years, I think that we have witnessed a resurgence with true romance in the genre of romantic comedies. As you all know very well, this particular genre is not and has never been a cherished film genre for my personal tastes and sensibilities for two reasons: 1. I am typically not that swept away by movie love stories. and 2. Most of them, due to the preponderance of characters and situations that are completely unrecognizable to the ways real human beings behave and most importantly feel, just to keep the wheels of the romantic comedy formula creaking onwards.

Now I do have to say that I do not harbor any negative feelings towards movie formulas just for the sake of doing so. I honestly do not mind movies that are formulaic if they are able to engage me and tell their stories as best as they are able, ensuring that I am buying the fantasy sufficiently. When formulas work at their very best, you can almost not even see them occurring right in front of your eyes and at this time, and for a special Valentine's Day edition of my "Savage Cinema Revisits" series, I wish to turn your attention to a truly wonderful film that I think remains one of the finest romantic comedies I have seen in my lifetime and that film is Rob Reiner's "The Sure Thing."

For whatever reasons that are completely inexplicable to me, "The Sure Thing" is a film I think has fallen through the cracks so supremely that it is now largely forgotten. You will not see it playing on cable channels and it is typically not even mentioned when reading articles about Reiner's illustrious film career, which is even more surprising as "The Sure Thing" is not only Reiner's second directorial effort, it is nestled right in between his iconic rockumentary satire "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984) and equally iconic and nostalgic ode to boyhood and friendship "Stand By Me" (1986). Even Reiner himself, during the DVD commentary track for this film, acknowledges that most people have forgotten that he directed "The Sure Thing." And again, to me, it is all so inexplicable as "The Sure Thing" is as honestly funny, mature, insightful, romantic, heartfelt and as memorable as any of his films during his highly impressive streak that also includes "The Princess Bride" (1987), "Misery" (1990), "A Few Good Men" (1992) and of course, his romantic comedy classic, "When Harry Met Sally" (1989).

Now truth be told, it is possible to imagine that "The Sure Thing" could have been lost in the teen film shuffle of the 1980s as the glut of adolescent related releases combined with its potentially lascivious title could make people feel as if it was just another forgettable teen sex comedy not worth anyone's time of day. Additionally, "The Sure Thing" was originally released just a few mere weeks after Writer/Director John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" (1985) and perhaps Hughes now iconic and definitive statement about the lives and spirits of teenagers maybe stole some of Reiner's thunder. But trust me, dear readers, I firmly believe that the characters of Rob Reiner's film are not terribly far removed from Hughes' high schoolers. In fact, the characters from "The Sure Thing" could possibly have been the older/college age siblings of those high schoolers due to their similar traits and foibles. Regardless of the hows and whys of the film's disappearance from public consciousness, I now feel it to be my duty to perform what I am able to maybe bring "The Sure Thing" back into focus as its intelligence, charm, effortless humor and urgent romance make this film perfect viewing for not only Valentine's Day but for any day of any year.

Granted, the opening credits sequence of "The Sure Thing," much like the erotic opening sequence of Writer/Director Paul Brickman's extraordinary "Risky Business" (1983), may have you wondering if Rob Reiner did actually concede to make one of those forgettable teen sex films as we are presented with the images of male driven, bikini clad, soft core fantasy cleverly set to Rod Stewart's "Infatuation." 

"The Sure Thing" properly begins with a downwards camera pan from a starry night sky onto the scene of an outdoor end-of-the-year high school Senior party, with the heartbeat sounds sounds of Huey Lewis and the News' "The Heart Of Rock And Roll" perfectly echoing the rambunctious emotions percolating through the teenage crowd. We are then and immediately introduced to Walter "Gib" Gibson (an outstanding starmaking performance by John Cusack) who is engaged in the middle of an outrageously literate and completely sophomoric soliloquy/come on towards a prospective sexual conquest which concludes with the hysterical line, "How would you like a sexual encounter so intense that it could conceivably change your political views?" Of course, Gib fails in his attempts.

Lost in rejection, Gib then takes in the counsel of his best friend, the coarse, quick witted and high partying Lance (Anthony Edwards) who is set to attend UCLA. After a playfully frank discussion of their sexual successes, failures and future hopes, Gib begins his college career in New England, where his luck in carnal matters does not improve despite the amorous activity that seems to be steadily occurring around him. Even so, Gib finds himself instantly attracted to the sharply acerbic, conservative, a bit chilly and otherwise romantically involved Alison Bradbury (a wonderful Daphne Zuniga) in his English class. Despite Gib's so-called best attempts to win her over (and possibly have sex with her), he and Alison frequently clash and his duplicitous actions ultimately and understandably infuriate and alienate her.

Gib's luck seems to be destined to change for the better after receiving a phone call from Lance, who now attends UCLA and presents Gib with the sexual opportunity of his young lifetime: to travel to California over Christmas break and be hooked up with a sexual "sure thing" (played by Nicolette Sheridan)--no strings attached, no questions asked and no guilt involved. But Gib's prurient pilgrimage is soon profoundly complicated by the surprising presence of Alison, who is unexpectedly travelling in the same ride share as Gib, also to California and to rendezvous with her long time boyfriend Jason (Boyd Gaines).

As Gib and Alison make their way to California, they are faced with a variety of obstacles from roadside abandonment (after being dumped on the side of the road by the four corners "square" and highly irritated Tim Robbins), foul weather, lack of food and money, a variety of transportation issues and conflicts, a barrage of show tunes, one creepy and sleazy trucker, dicey sleeping arrangements and most crucially, their growing attraction towards each other and the feelings of emotional conflict that confound each of them.  

For everything that I have written upon this site in celebration of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe, I have to express to you that for me, Rob Reiner's "The Sure Thing" stands as tall as anything Hughes and Crowe produced during the same period. Also like he films of Hughes and Crowe, "The Sure Thing" was a film that I watched and re-watched religiously, memorizing passages of dialogue verbatim and also allowing it to inspire me greatly once I began exploring and attempting my own creative writing. Watching it now, after not having viewed it for many, many years, I was terribly impressed to witness how, also just like the films from John Hughes and Cameron Crowe, Rob Reiner devised an experience that was simultaneously contemporary and completely in tune with mid 1980's college life, and it was also decidedly old fashioned in regards to its emphasis of romance over sex, as well as its commitment to characters over gimmicks and convoluted plots. In fact, the film "The Sure Thing" most resembles is Frank Capra's classic romantic comedy "It Happened One Night" (1934) as Reiner and his screenwriters have devised a road movie, emphasizing that actual journey--the emotional as well as the physical journey--over the final destination. And with the presence of John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga, Rob Reiner gave us the very best travelling companions we could wish to have.

I have often wondered what the trajectory of John Cusack's film career would have been if he had not taken this particular role and indeed ended up in the role he was just this close to grabbing--the role of John Bender in "The Breakfast Club," which he, of course lost to Judd Nelson! But, his loss became his, as well as our, gain as his performance as Walter "Gib" Gibson is a testament to an actor taking his leading man opportunities with ferocity, commitment, unabashed creativity and unpredictability. It is a comic tour de force performance that shows that he was not about to waste one moment of this grand opportunity.

As I stated earlier, I had many of his monologues completely memorized and as I watched the film now, I surprised myself to discover how much of those monologues have retained themselves in my memory, nearly 30 years later. One particular favorite occurs during an early scene where Gib, attempting to obtain Alison as a tutor for their shared English class, devises a ridiculous scenario of what may happen to his life should she not assist him and he subsequently flunks the class. While recounting his wild tale, which involves dead end jobs, failed drug smuggling, imprisonment and a future existence as a hobo "living in a flop house with no job, no upward mobility,...very few teeth," Gib rapidly and relentlessly paces back and forth down the length of a swimming pool in which Alison is swimming laps, desperately trying to ignore him, and concludes with throwing himself into the pool...only to have Alison sternly swim past him.

Nearly its equal is a later sequence, when Gib, now hitchhiking and pretending to be an escaped psycho, rescues the hitchhiking Alison from the clutches of a older, lonely and lascivious truck driver. In this sequence, Reiner and Cusack forge comic explosiveness tinged with a slightly darker tone as we begin to see the undercurrents of Gib's true nature, as he (and we) realize that Alison is doomed to be raped if he had not used his street smarts and was also honestly concerned and caring for her well being on the road. This is the magic of John Cusack, an actor who can effortlessly elicit a savage sardonic nature while also presenting a deep romanticism, the perfect qualities for the character and journey of Gib.

While he may announce that “I’m the kind of guy who likes to live on the edge,” as a tossed off quip, we can also see that Gib is a much deeper individual and most definitely, a much more romantic and even philosophical individual than he thinks he is and throughout “The Sure Thing,” the film gives us his journey to discovering the more mature, thoughtful, sensitive version of himself, without sacrificing his more reckless, spontaneous, carefree style. The film contains several dream sequences of Gib enjoying the illicit company of his sure thing but what they truly reveal to him is the realization of exactly what romantic realities can actually be if he just only opens himself up to embodying the romantic being he actually is rather than the sexual being he perceives himself to be.

I also really enjoyed the film's astronomical motifs as they relate to the character of Gib. Certainly the stars represent the "star crossed lovers" aspect of the overall storyline but the stars also fully represent Gib at his most sincere and earnest, attributes he downplays along with his intelligence, and creativity. Even in his Engish class, where he first writes an essay about pizza, shows how creative and skilled he is but he hides those qualities completely away in a sea of sarcastic, ironic glibness, male bravado and flat-out sloppiness ("It's all wrong. There's no punctuation. It's all one sentence," complains Alison after reading his paper.)

Walter "Gib" Gibson is a romantic hero not because he gets the girl but because he truly questions whether he should or even deserves to get he girl based upon how he views himself. "The Sure Thing" shows a young man consistently subverting his own potential until he finally begins to recognize it for himself. It is a debut starring performance unlike many I have seen throughout my life. Through his blazing comedic skills, sardonic wit and a recognizable vulnerability, John Cusack's work in "The Sure Thing" was truly one of the very finest of the 1980s teen film genre and perfectly paved the way for the very roles that have been cherished and celebrated, most notably in Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything..." (1989) and Stephen Frears "High Fidelity" (2000). But Rob Reiner had Cusack first and showed us all how deeply this actor had the goods.

In a role that was reportedly written for, and was just this close to being given to Ally Sheedy, who, of course, turned the part down to take the role of another "Alison" in "The Breakfast Club," Daphne Zuniga supremely makes the role her own so successfully that it is still difficult for me to picture Sheedy or anyone else in the part. Besides the fact that her chemistry with Cusack is natural and filled with sublime perfection, Zuniga accomplished a truly titanic feat during an era in which substantive female roles in the teen film genre were depressingly few and only really began to see an evolution with the frequency of John Hughes' films. Her performance of Alison truly felt as if this was precisely the type of girl I knew in my real life in high school, as well as college and she was a character audiences were asked to accept as a full human being to be viewed by her attributes and failings and not through her looks or sexual prowess. Certainly Daphne Zuniga is a lovely looking actress but her attractiveness is not used to define the character of Alison and just by accomplishing that feat alone, made just the sight of Alison Bradbury a revelation in 1985.

Alison Bradbury is a serious, focused, intelligent, gifted and studious young woman. But like Gib, the film takes her on her respective journey as she is also one who subverts her own potential to fully experiencing and embracing the fullness of life by creating such a boxed-in life path for herself, to which she has rigidly adhered. In one of the film's later, quieter scenes, Alison expresses to Gib her desires out of life, especially as they relate to her longtime boyfriend Jason. She hopes to become a lawyer with him and maybe even open up a practice together in Vermont. She professes that her boyfriend's directness and ability as an "achiever" is everything a girl could ever want. But then, and slowly, her own sense of romanticism reveals itself when she speaks of her desire to one day own an old farm house which she would renovate and live. Where her boyfriend thinks of it as a "good investment," she begins to soften as she just wants a place that is warm, cozy and home to Basset Hounds.

For a young woman who, at the beginning of the film, feels so sure, so unshakably certain about herself, "The Sure Thing" gives her an experience designed to make her truly ask difficult questions concerning what she truly desires and also, if she is selling herself somewhat short, especially, as she is only 18 years old and there is a world she has not yet even tasted. There is a wonderful moment set in her English class when her dynamic teacher, Professer Taub (played by veteran stage actress, the late Viveca Lindfors), informs her that while she too is a gifted writer, her paper is unfortunately very dry. And then, Taub unleashes perceptive, knowing, powerfully affectionate advice to Alison and her entire class. Additionally, her words could be the film's mission statement and it is as follows:

 "Loosen up. Have some fun. Sleep when you feel like it. Not when you think you should. Eat food that is bad for you just once in a while. Have conversations with people whose clothes are not color coordinated. MAKE LOVE IN A HAMMOCK!! Life is the ultimate experience. And you have to experience it in order to write about it."

"The Sure Thing" completely places Alison well out of her element, well out of her depth and when forced to sink or swim, she discovers just how resilient, adaptable, unpredictable, and yes, spontaneous she can actually be also without sacrificing her intelligence, ethics, and overall sense of morality plus seeing shades of love and romance that she had never quite allowed herself to touch. Daphne Zuniga conveys an elegant warmth that emanates through her intimidating visage and at times brittle personality. And over the course of the film, Reiner and Zuniga shows us not only how Alison and Gib complement each other through their differences but most importantly, just how similar they actually are.

All of those qualities are exactly what makes "The Sure Thing" exist as so much more than an "opposites attract" movie as it upholds the very best qualities of the traditional romantic comedy and nearly transcends them as well. Rob Reiner utilizes "The Sure Thing" to represent his own ruminations on the similarities and differences between men and women, how they relate, come together, fall apart and reach new levels of understanding. In fact, this film is essentially the beginning of what Reiner himself deemed as an unofficial trilogy within his own filmography as "The Sure Thing" is a precursor to "When Harry Met Sally" and Reiner's later (and I'm afraid to say, truly awful, awful film) film "The Story Of Us" (1999). Dear readers, I know that you ALL know "When Harry Met Sally" backwards and forwards. I also know that "The Story Of Us" is not worth your time and effort at all. So, that leaves "The Sure Thing" as the film to revisit or introduce yourself to as I am certain you will be as charmed, entertained and as moved as I still am.

"The Sure Thing," in addition to being a romantic comedy and love story is indeed a coming of age story, a college film and road movie all rolled into one. While filled from one end to the other with witty and entirely quotable dialogue, it is a film that is firmly rooted in an emotional reality that anchors any sense of romantic fantasy. It is a film that champions the sensibilities of young, verbose, intelligent, funny, literate, studious, playful, sexually inquisitive and most importantly, romantically fueled individuals and in doing so, the film never for an instant feels formulaic. Indeed, this film is so indebted to ensuring the two leading characters exist in the real world that you essentially do not even see the romantic comedy formula occurring in front of your eyes--as well as it should not.

You want to believe in Gib and Alison. You want to root for their love to connect and endure and that is what makes "The Sure Thing" a love story that still works so very effectively to this day and should be essential viewing by new filmmakers as a lesson to how to make movies like this sing as well as to audiences raised on much lesser romantic comedy films.

Rob Reiner's "The Sure Thing" is the real thing and on this Valentine's Day, I enthusiastically urge you to seek this film out with that special someone.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: a review of "The LEGO Movie"

"THE LEGO MOVIE"
Story by Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
Screenplay Written and Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
***1/2 (three and a half stars)

If this is a sign of good cinematic visions to come in 2014, then bring them on!

Dear readers, I just have to tell you right up front that I initially had absolutely,positively, undeniably no plans whatsoever in seeing "The LEGO Movie," as my knee-jerk responses to all advertisements and trailers were wholly negative. I feared and fretted that this movie would just be one more day-glo colored, self-congratulatory hip, hellzapoppin' and emotionally empty piece of crap for children that typically litters our theaters and the fact that it seemed to be nothing more than a commercial for LEGOs truly ensured that I would stay away. And then, the major film reviews, which were all overwhelmingly positive to flat out raves came out, a collection of endorsement that indeed forced me to head out to my local theater and see this thing for myself.

Now having returned home, I will first openly admit to how extremely wrong i was with my initial fears concerning this film as "The LEGO Movie"  is by no means a self congratulatory hip and emotionally empty piece of crap for children. It is actually and precisely the type of animated film, like Directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders' magnificent "How To Train Your Dragon" (2010), that should have the animators and brain trust of Pixar shaking in their boots. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have nearly beaten Pixar at its own game of creating a film that is a virtual feast for the eyes and filled with an audio/visual wonderment that make you often wonder aloud, "How did they do that?" And while "The LEGO Movie" is indeed lusciously day-glo colored and enthusiastically (and almost defiantly) hellzapoppin, the emotional core of the film is a deeply passionate one. When making films that are designed for children, I firmly believe that the world sof art and commerce can, and should , intertwine as greatly as possible as even the smallest of children deserve the highest quality that we are capable of delivering to them. "The LEGO Movie" scales those heights with confidence, skill, hilarity and a big heart.

Chris Pratt voices the unlikely hero of "The LEGO Movie," Emmett Brickowski, a happy-go-lucky yet completely non-descript construction worker LEGO mini-figure, who literally stumbles into a life altering adventure that in which the fate of the entire LEGO universe is held in the balance. As prophesied by the wizard Vitruvius (a very sly Morgan Freeman), a savior known as "The Special" will one day rise to battle the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell), a malevolent figure who wishes to utilize a weapon known as "The Kragle" to immobilize all of the LEGO realms into eternally "perfect" place. To stop Lord Business, "The Special" needs to find the"Piece Of Resistance," which is actually one lone orange LEGO block, and save the universe from destruction.

Emmett, who finds surprisingly finds the "Piece Of Resistance," finds himself joined by Vitruvius, the pirate Metal Beard (Nick Offerman), the unicorn/anime kitten hybrid Uni-Kitty (Alison Brie), the "1980s something space guy" Benny (Charlie Day), Batman (Will Arnett) and his girlfriend, the tech savvy fight girl with the LEGO dyed hair streaks Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks)--also with whom Emmett falls in love--as they all band together to stop the nefarious plans of Lord Business and his henchmen led by Bad Cop (Liam Neeson). But can poor Emmett, who has been bred and raised to be a completely homogenized, obedient and most crucially, a non-thinking member of LEGO society find it within himself to truly be "The Special" and discover the sheer and unabashed ingenuity to save the day?

With regards to filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, discovering a sense of ingenuity is a problem that neither of them lack as "The LEGO Movie" is practically bursting at the celluloid seams with ingenuity that is superbly playful. The film is flat-out dazzling to regard visually and merged with the screenplay plus the film's rocket fueled pacing, Lord and Miller have created an experience that is impossible--I mean, IMPOSSIBLE--to fully digest in one sitting. From all of the one-liners within the dialogue to the resplendent visual panorama, "The LEGO Movie" is so incredibly detailed and designed that it indeed demands to be experienced more than once...and I am quite certain that those of you with children will be doing just that, especially once the film is released on the home video formats. It is a film universe filled with a wonderwall of astonishment and joyful awe that illustrates perfect just how inventive special effects can be in just the right hands. Even if I could fully describe to you the sights of "The LEGO Movie," I would refrain as I just would refuse to do so as I would want for yo to experience the film as freshly as I did. And while I did often wonder aloud to myself "How did they do that?" I also just do not want to know as the imagination presented to me was sincerely golden.

Even the aspect of product placement is entirely subverted as what could have existed as a nearly two hour commercial does, in the hands of Lord and Miller, become an actual movie, filled with characters, story and so much deliriously presented fun that the sharp satire goes down so easily that your little ones won't even notice it and the adults can chuckle with recognition. It truly is quite the masterstroke of an achievement as well as an accomplishment, the likes of which I have not seen since the deeply underrated and just plain terrific satire that was--believe it or not--the live action adaptation of "Josie And The Pussycats" (2001), where Directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan voluntarily used product placements in nearly every scene of the film to fuel their satire of subliminal advertising and corporate cultural domination. In "The LEGO Movie," as Lord Business makes his address to the LEGO nation and as we have our first full view of Emmett's daily life, in which all businesses and media airwaves (complete with ingratiating and innocuously catchy television shows and pop songs) are owned by one entity and nothing, not even a single thought is accomplished without having an instruction manual at the ready, we can see that Lord and Miller are holding up a somewhat sinister mirror to our real world society for us to pay more attention towards.

And here is where "The LEGO Movie" attains its highest achievements. In many ways, the film, even as meticulously designed as it is, miraculously feels as if it is being made up on the spot, giving us an experience that is kind of like we have purchased a ticket inside the mind of a child armed with every LEGO imaginable and we are witness to this child completely at play and completely at the mercy of every single childlike whim that emerges during unencumbered play. Frankly, this is actually the exact element that makes the actual storyline of "The LEGO Movie" so thoughtful and heartfelt as the film is indeed an ode to the process and gift of imagination and creativity as well as existing as a passionate plea to retain one's purity of spirited imagination and exude creativity, especially when the world around you is doing all that it can to stifle something so beautiful and necessary for human fulfillment and even enlightenment.

Even further, I have to say that I do find it quite odd when a major motion picture studio produces a film that houses highly subversive subject matter, as when Pixar, which is of course owned by Disney, released the wonderful "Wall-E" (2008), a film which presented a grim science fiction future while delivering an undeniably anti-corporate message. "The LEGO Movie" is no exception, and in some ways, even stretches further than "Wall-E," as this film is not only anti-corporate, it is also anti-establishment and anti-conformity while praising individuality and the populist themes of teamwork through a sense of rebellion and uprising. And this arrives to us from the under the corporate monolith that is Warner Brothers, who also gave us equally subversive anti-establishment messages in The Wachowski's 'The Matrix" trilogy (1999/2003) as well as "V For Vendetta" (2005). Who knows? If your children leave the theater singing that aforementioned ingratiating and innocuous pop song of the film entitled "Everything Is Awesome!" but later emerge singing John Lennon's "Power To The People" or Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up," perhaps you will know where those seeds had been planted!

Even with all of my praise, I did not think that "The LEGO Movie" was quite the masterpiece that a number of critics are expressing and that is due to...let's just say...a plot development that occurs late in the film. Now, as always, I will not produce spoilers but I will say that I did not have any issue with the actual development itself. I had an issue with how it was handled. It felt to me that the messages of the film were not only easily digestible but also easily understandable, even to some of the smallest children in the theater. So much so, that I just felt that perhaps Lord and Miller overplayed their hand a bit with expressing and explaining their messages even more explicitly than they needed to do, therefore giving me a bit of a feeling of hard sold overkill. That said, it did not derail the movie at all. t just stopped it from going over the top for me.

But with a film that is as successful as "The LEGO Movie," a film that is indeed swinging for the fences and just nearly gets there by ensuring that we in the audience are just as enormously entertained watching it as the filmmakers were making it, that is a cinematic triumph as far as I am concerned.

If most of the films of 2014 are to be as creative, earnest, inventive, imaginative and as profoundly thoughtful and purposeful in its conception and presentation as "The LEGO Movie" is, then this will be a movie year to cherish. I hope that happens!!!

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2013-PART TWO: "NUMBER 11"

The Savage Scorecard series continues with the second installment during which I reveal the films of 2013 which I awarded four stars but just did not quite make the final Top Ten list but are all jockeying together at the mythical "Number 11" slot.

As always, all full reviews are still available for you to peruse upon this site and I will inform you where to find them at the conclusion of each entry.

1. "THE GREAT GATSBY" Directed by Baz Luhrmann

As we have already witnessed with his now classic films, "Strictly Ballroom" (1992), "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) and "Moulin Rouge!" (2001), Director Baz Luhrmann makes motion pictures that are full-on EXPERIENCES unlike any other, and his visually and emotionally resplendent adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel is no exception as it was one of the most unique films I saw in 2013. Grandiose, dazzling and heroically opulent, "The Great Gatsby" presents a risky and boldly kaleidoscopic carnival of riches that shows just how a filmmaker is able to make special effects truly special, personal, purposeful and entirely individualistic. Baz Luhrmann works his cinematic canvas like a master painter!
(Originally reviewed May 2013)

2. "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING" Directed by Joss Whedon

At the opposite end of the visual spectrum, but just as equally individualistic and resplendent is Joss Whedon's wonderful and effortless adaptation of William Shakespeare's eternal play. Light, frothy, enormously entertaining, undeniably romantic, completely artful and filled top to bottom with some of the finest words ever conceived, "Much Ado About Nothing" is elegant minimalism that is amorously urgent yet flows as naturally as a languid summer's breeze.
(Originally reviewed July 2013)

3. "THE SPECTACULAR NOW" Directed by James Ponsoldt

Clearly inspired by the iconic 1980's films of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything..." (1989), as well as strongly standing alongside Will Gluck's "Easy A" (2010) and Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" (2012) this film is a leisurely paced, beautifully acted end of high school/on the edge of the future teen love story between a quiet introvert and a popular extrovert and alcoholic. Both Miles Terrier and Shailene Woodley elicit luxuriously aching three dimensional and star making performances as the young couple in a film that explores whether we are destined to live inside of a pre-conceived box or are we able to evolve into a potentially new and better existence. Undeniably graceful and more mature than most movie love stories featuring either teenagers or adults.
(Originally reviewed September 2013)

4. "STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS"  Directed by J.J. Abrams

The grammatical errors of the title notwithstanding, I still feel that J.J. Abrams fully delivered the goods with his second installment in the newly revamped "Star Trek" film series. Now that all of the secrets of the film are widely known, I feel that I can freely speak to the issues that plagued quite a hefty number of movie-goers, so much so that some felt that this installment was the worst "Star Trek" film to date--a criticism that I cannot take very seriously whatsoever if you really want me to believe that this film was somehow worse than "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989).

At any rate, as I said in my original review, I strongly feel that J.J. Abrams weaved a most appropriately dark film which mirrored the very dark political times in which we live in the real world. "Star Trek Into Darkness" was political commentary as well as a war movie, cautionary tale and even a parable about the insidious and dangerous nature of hubris. Most specifically, this film was Abrams' most clever deconstruction of the character of Captain James T. Kirk (played with riveting swagger by Chris Pine) and how his brashness, impulsiveness and recklessness is ultimately his undoing. This is a film where nearly every single choice Kirk makes is precisely the wrong choice and how those consequences lead him all the way to the controversial climax which purposefully mirrors the classic "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" (1982). This element, in particular, was not a case of Hollywood being creatively bankrupt. It was a purposeful, meaningful choice that fully addressed the alternate time-line concept introduced in Abrams' first film of this new series and also worked conceptually and emotionally in this tale of Kirk's battle against Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). Look, if you were truly that bothered by this film, there's nothing I can say that will change your mind. But, I stand firm with my own assessment of this film which left me enthralled, excited, awed, thrilled, challenged and superbly entertained.
(Originally reviewed May 2013)

5. "THIS IS THE END" Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Without question, this was the most riotously funny film of the year by a long shot. Furthermore, the debut directorial feature from writing partners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, about a collective of famous movie stars (playing exaggerated versions of themselves) facing down a Rapture induced Armageddon, contained more rule breaking inventiveness, more consistently ruthless and gleefully profane hilarity, and more completely defied expectations than any other film of the year. "This Is The End" is unquestionably a film that boldly and proudly exists within its own universe but also comfortably sits confidently alongside cinematic comedic gold mines like "Monty Python's Life Of Brian" (1979) and Kevin Smith's "Dogma" (1999), while also mining sharp theological debates and even some honest horror film surprises, shocks and graphic gory violence. If you somehow merged "The Exorcist" (1973)," with "Ghostbusters" (1984) and the current state of "reality" television, you may end up with something like this film...but to its immense credit, there was NOTHING else like it all year long.
(Originally reviewed July 2013)

6. "THE WORLD'S END" Directed by Edgar Wright

Never did I think that I would ever see two apocalyptic themed comedies in the same year and that both of them would be uniformly excellent as well as entirely unique experiences; not only from each other but also from most movies released in the same year. The third film in the so-called "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy,"--a series which includes "Shaun Of The Dead" (2004) and "Hot Fuzz" (2007)--about a collective of middle aged friends attempting to complete the failed 12 bar pub crawl of their youth, only to discover that the end of the world is nigh, was an awesomely vibrant, ferociously fast paced, visually stunning comedy that owed as much to comic book and video game aesthetics as it did to presenting a sharp social critique and deeply perceptive ode to the dangers of living and existing within one's own sense of nostalgia. With its relentless pace, dynamically choreographed fight sequences and head spinning verbal gymnastics, "The World's End" is also a film that very surprisingly contained a dark pathos and existential rage that cuts to the core of arrested development, failure and the pain of growing older. In a year when so many films don't even seem to want to try anymore, "The World's End" was fearlessly creative and so confidently blazed its own path.
(Originally reviewed August 2013)  

COMING SOON...PART THREE..."THE BAD, THE WORSE, AND THE ABSOLUTELY AWFUL"!!!!

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2013-PART ONE: THE HONOR ROLL

The time has arrived once again to give my final celebrations and last minute pummeling and poundings to the films of 2013 with my annual four part Savage Scorecard series!

Unlike the cinematic year of 2012, which was uniformly excellent, 2013 was a bit of an odd duck. It was a year when major, big budgeted films tended to show an increasing lack of imagination and creativity, settling for the same tired old CGI tricks of the trade and a disturbing trend in emotional emptiness. It was also a year in which some established and esteemed filmmakers presented works that were undeniably terrible, and fell so tremendously far from their previously greater artistic heights. While I did indeed award quite a number of films with my highest rating of four stars, for much of the year, those films tended to be the ones that were smaller, more intimate and stemmed from more independent sources.

At this time, I am happy to bring to you the first installment of the Savage Scorecard series with "The Honor Roll," a short compilation of the films I awarded the rating of three and a half stars.

1. "THE BLING RING" Directed by Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola's sharp, stylish, satirical docudrama about a collective of uber-rich Hollywood teens breaking into and stealing from a variety of Hollywood celebrities was a knowing, matter-of-fact cultural commentary that could exist as a close cousin to Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf Of Wall Street." Coppola deftly presents her material in a fashion that some found detached but I thought was very wise and perceptive as the film does not moralize but powerfully explores our increasingly soulless obsession with celebrity culture and evolving narcissism at the expense of our collective sense of humanity. And yet somehow, Coppola does give us a sly thrill with creeping into the homes of the rich and famous and special mention must be given to Emma Watson, who clearly had a wickedly fun blast playing essentially the polar opposite of the intelligent and virtuous Hermione Granger.
(Originally reviewed June 2013)

2. "THE BUTLER" Directed by Lee Daniels

I still cannot believe that this film did not receive even one Oscar nomination.

While some of the stunt casting (Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan?! John Cusack as Richard Nixon?!) fell completely flat and some of the sequences felt to be a tad rushed here and there, Lee Daniels' "The Butler" was a deeper, richer, more subtle and provocative film experience than I believe that it was ever given credit for. In addition to existing as a biopic, a historical travelogue and a film that is actually about the butler and not the white people who helped the butler, I think what Daniels accomplish most beautifully was to actually deconstruct what the concept of "history" actually is. That "history" is not the sole property of the key players that find their ways and names into our history books. "History" is the complete and collective experience of every single individual who has lived through a particular period of time, in this case, as exemplified by the titular butler. Furthermore, I believe that Daniels has also fashioned a stirring film devoted to the concept of empowerment, either of the self or through an entire ethnic group, and how in pursuit of that empowerment there are many roads up the same mountain. This film has stayed with me since I saw it last summer, and what gripped me the most was the astonishing, transformative performance by Forest Whitaker, who embodied his role so completely, that I honestly never saw Forest Whitaker on the screen. There was only the character of Cecil Gaines. Ignoring Whitaker's outstanding work is a cinematic crime, as far as I am concerned, Oscar. You should be ashamed!
(Originally reviewed August 2013)

3. "ELYSIUM" Directed by Neill Blomkamp

While this follow-up to "District 9" (2009), did not enthrall me quite as completely as that film, Neill Blomkamp's brutal, bloody, pummeling and deeply disturbing science fiction epic would feel like the most hollow form of ultra-violence if Blomkamp did not have something so passionately upon his mind and spirit to examine and express for us. Working as an allegory to immigration and our continuous precarious class warfare between the 99% and 1%, "Elysium" is film that simultaneously looks backwards to science fiction's past, where the merging of ideas and holding up a mirror to present day society fuels the storyline and also looks forwards with its stunning usage of photo-realistic CGI effects and relentlessly bare knuckled, two-fisted action sequences. And to those who complained that the plot point of a child nearly losing her life to Leukemia as she is denied a crucial Med Pod was gratuitous, look around our country right now in 2014 and then tell me if that plot point was not so far fetched. "Elysium" is happening right now.
(Originally reviewed August 2013)

4. "ENOUGH SAID" Directed by Nicole Holofcener

This was one of the loveliest, most bittersweet films of the year. An adult romantic comedy made by and for adults that treated people as three dimensional human beings with real emotions, desires, fears, lusts, regrets and failings. The wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus gave one of her most fluid and richest performances as a lonely, divorced, masseuse who is dreading the departure of her 18 year old daughter for college and who soon falls in love with the late, great James Gandolfini, a lonely, divorced Father, also dreading the departure of his daughter for college. The unlikely chemistry between Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini made for one of the most honest, heartfelt on-screen romances of the entire year as "Enough Said" explored not only how the perceptions of outsiders can influence our own when it comes to building a relationship but also the exquisite pain of middle age and the serious soul searching that comes with growing older.
(Originally reviewed October 2013)

5. "IRON MAN 3" Directed by Shane Black

My favorite superhero film of the year and a most worthy successor to Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" (2012), "Iron Man 3" greatly succeeded not only through its high flying style and the still engaging, firecracker performance of Robert Downey Jr. but also because this was a rare sequel that dared to take some serious risks, especially with the controversial re-imagining of the terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). But what I loved most about the film is that it bothered to continue exploring the evolution of Tony Stark as he deals not only with the psychological fallout of his adventures with The Avengers, he is forced to take a hard, disturbing at himself and discover just who he is as a man and not as an iron clad superhero, a level of pathos that made the film more dramatic and even claustrophobic. With that, there is excitement and the aerial sequence where Iron Man has to miraculously save thirteen people ejected from an exploding airplane was downright sensational!
(Originally reviewed May 2013)

6. "TRANCE" Directed by Danny Boyle

While this blistering, jet-propelled, hallucinogenic thriller did not quite scale the artistic heights of Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting" (1996), "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008) or "127 Hours" (2010), this was still a wildly kinetic ride unlike any other I saw in 2013. This madhouse tale of art thieves and hypnotherapy is merely a launching point for Boyle's endlessly inventive filmmaking, which is often so breathless to behold that you may find yourself grabbing onto the arms of your theater seats just to ensure that you will not be whisked away! While I realize that a film like this is not for everybody tastes, the jigsaw puzzle nature of this story which falls into dreamscapes, memoirs and filled with all manner of duplicitous characters with duplicitous motives all set to the beat of a throbbing electronic film score sailed right up my alley.
(Originally reviewed April 2013)

Stay tuned for PART TWO!

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 2014

We have now truly reached somewhat of a cinematic wasteland.

February marks the time of year when notable new movie releases are far and few and yet, for this month, I will actually take that as a bit of a blessing. By not attending new theatrical feature films, that will actually give me time to devote this month to creating and posting my annual four part Savage Scorecard series, which encapsulates my favorite and least favorite films of 2013 and just in time before the Oscar telecast at the beginning of March 2014.

Just as in previous years, the Savage Scorecard series is presented in the following fashion...

PART ONE: THE HONOR ROLL
-This list contains all of the films to which I awarded three and a half stars.

PART TWO: "NUMBER 11"
-This is a short list of all of the films to which I awarded four stars but did not find themselves on the final Top Ten list.   

PART THREE: THE BAD, THE WORSE AND THE ABSOLUTELY AWFUL
-Just as it appears, I get to take my gloves off one last time for the films I hated in 2013.

PART FOUR-MY TOP TEN
-'Nuff said.

Making that series will keep me more than busy enough throughout the month and while I do have two more ideas in my head, just let me see how quickly I can get the Scorecard series underway.

So...as always, I'll see you when the house lights go down!!