15. Mr. Robot, “eps3.5_kill-pr0cess.inc”
14. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “I Never Want to See Josh Again”
13. Veep, “Blurb”
The Top 15 Television Performances of 2017
1 Jan
I cheated with some of these.
15. TIE: Timothy Olyphant, “Santa Clarita Diet” and Andy Daly, “Review” – Daly would be much higher if he didn’t have only an hour of screen time this year, but I figured I’d still sneak him on here somehow. It may not seem like it at first, but he actually gives one of the most psychologically complex performances on television. As for Olyphant…I just love Olyphant, and he’s a ton of fun in “Santa Clarita Diet”.
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review
31 Dec
I have a fundamental problem with the very existence of these new Star Wars films. I simply don’t trust anyone to do right by this franchise…not in this day and age, not during a time defined by generic reboots and sequels, not during a time when nostalgia is nothing but a commodity repackaged into profit-guzzling machines. Maybe that’s cynical or unfair of me, but make no mistake: the three new films I’ve seen are decidedly not the Star Wars films I grew up with and loved (and I’ll even defend the prequels to the day I die). There’s a spark missing, a certain burst of originality and passion that’s sorely needed. Tell me: why haven’t we even seen a memorable lightsaber-on-lightsaber battle in three whole films? I’m not talking about Rey and Kylo Ren in a forest; I’m talking about Darth Maul’s double-sided lightsaber, or General Grievous’ four lightsabers, or Luke vs. Vader Round 1, or Luke vs. Vader Round 2, or Obi-wan vs. Anakin on a goddamn lava field. I’m talking about the visual thrill of cinema’s most iconic weapon. Where’s that magic?
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The Top 30 Albums of 2017
29 Dec
Welcome back for another round of year end lists. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing a bunch of television, film, and music lists. Hope you agree, disagree, and learn about new things.
Rules: EPs allowed, soundtracks not allowed, album has to be released in 2017 and entirely made up of new material (so no Sufjan, Beach House, Conor Oberst, Radiohead, etc. even though any new songs are eligible for the songs list)
30. The xx, “I See You”
29. Zola Jesus, “Okovi”
28. Vagabon, “Infinite Worlds”
27. Alex Cameron, “Forced Witness”
26. Jay-Z, “4:44”
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Phantom Thread Review
25 Dec
Every square inch of this film is meticulously constructed to such an extent that you’re just waiting for something to disrupt it. At times, it’s somehow dull and beautiful in equal measure, probably because each tiny, repetitive movement is shrouded in mystery but is simultaneously dangling at some type of palpable precipice. The bare-bones setup allows Anderson to slowly but surely tinker with expectations, playing with what these characters perceive to be well established as he works in and out of gothic romance, dark comedy, and impassioned drama. There are moments that linger too long and moments–especially regarding the relationship dynamics–that could use more gestation, but Anderson ultimately nails the atmosphere because he provides you just enough insight into the characters’ relationships to their environment. It’s like a psychoanalytical art project with the precision of a master chef. Jonny Greenwood’s score is haunting, evocative, an integral aspect of the mood and its own storyteller. It might just be the score of 2017.
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All the Money in the World Review
22 Dec
Unfortunately both stagnant as a thriller and underdeveloped as a drama. The premise is decently promising, with an interesting story somewhere to be told about the influence of power and money on not only the decisions made by the rich, but also on the presentation of that influence in the public eye. The problem here is that any supposed deconstruction of J. Paul Getty is missing for the most part, resulting in the film continually hitting the same character note (i.e. he’s super possessive of his money) in the hopes of building tension. When the film does attempt to go for more, it doesn’t have the needed impact. It’s evident that Getty is supposed to be seen here as an enigmatic recluse of sorts, but the film absolutely needs the dynamic between Williams’ Gail and Plummer’s Getty to be fleshed out in order for the kidnapping plot to be engaging. Instead, the two are kept at a distance throughout, with each interaction feeling cursory rather than urgent while Bland Master Mark Wahlberg waltzes around with plenty of screen time. The film also spends a considerable amount of time from the kidnapped son’s perspective, which isn’t inherently problematic aside from the fact that it relies heavily on a “sympathetic kidnapper” trope that isn’t really developed either. So, what we’re left with are several disparate storylines and characters that should in theory smoothly feed into each other, but in reality create a stilted, lazy narrative. Williams and Plummer are solid, but this is overall a lot of wasted potential.
GRADE: C+
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The Greatest Showman Review
20 Dec
…sure, why not?
Let’s get the bad out of the way first:
1) P.T. Barnum was a loathsome human being and the way the film celebrates and rewrites what he did is contemptible.
2) The story is pretty weak. There’s nothing wrong with a simple story, but a lot of the developments here feel inorganic. The film aggressively pushes an Efron-Zendaya romance right off the bat, but it never really coalesces into anything compelling.
3) The last act in particular features a flurry of plot points that occur at a hilariously rapid pace and are thus utterly nonsensical in terms of logical, meaningful story progression and development.
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Molly’s Game Review
14 Dec
Molly’s Game works as well as it does due to the sheer vitality of Jessica Chastain’s performance. As an actor, she isn’t the most overt emoter, and she doesn’t need to be. She manages to draw an incredible amount of empathy out of her characters, always in control but willing to let the cracks in the armor show. She is one of the most remarkably restrained, yet emotionally potent, actors in Hollywood. She excels at taking these strong, resolute women through hell and back, coming out stronger and more complex while being very aware of the gender dynamics of her characters. Molly Bloom is by necessity steely and crafty, but she is also a human being in a world that oftentimes has no regard for humanity. As Bloom, Chastain is a scorching force of nature. It’s easy to praise her more dramatic moments later in the film, but watch her every move during her initial rise to power. You want to root for Molly as she begins to learn, as she faces disrespect from her boss, as she gains more and more confidence.
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The Shape of Water Review
27 Nov
I’m not sure if this is a good film or if Guillermo del Toro is just good at endearing stylistic pizzazz. For instance, the central romance here should not be at all believable, and not necessarily because it’s a romance that involves a juiced up frog monster; rather, it’s simply a woefully underdeveloped dynamic that’s asked to carry the film. Furthermore, the shifts among genres really don’t work together well at all, with the Cold War angle only providing some tension because Michael Shannon is a really goddamn fun person to watch. The majority of the supporting characters are relatively isolated and thematically limp.
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Call Me By Your Name Review
14 Nov
Why is it that in a film so enthralled by the concepts of love and passion, there is surprisingly little of both to be felt throughout? You can certainly see that love and passion play out on screen, but there’s a difference between seeing and feeling. All the more power to those who have been able to do both for this film, to those who have found something to viscerally connect to. However, there’s something glaringly missing for me, a huge disconnect between the supposed emotional foundation and the execution of the romance. The interactions between Elio and Oliver feel overwhelmingly physical, something that in theory should be completely fine because sexual maturation is an important element of the story (interestingly enough, Guadagnino seems to shy away from actually showing them having sex). In practice, though, there is simply very little depth that feeds into the physicality, probably because the interactions between the two never truly become elevated beyond the simple push and pull of surface level attraction. We get a lot of scenes between them, but not enough time with them, if that makes sense.
Polar Bears Watch TV 