Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Non-Spoiler review. I'm gonna do a more spoilery review in a few days.

Okay, lets get this out of the way. I've already seen it more than once, and I loved it more the second time. Granted, it's probably still only the the third best Star Wars film, but that's not a bad thing. It kills all of the prequels (there were prequels?) by a long shot. The Force Awakens might as well been called "The Faith Restored". Thank you JJ Abrams for being the Star Wars fan I thought you were.

I've heard this is a Star Wars movie that can be seen by someone that's never seen a Star War before and still enjoy it, and that's definitely true. The Force Awakens has a short learning curve.

I'll get the bad out of the way first. The main issue I had with the film is that it recycles a lot of plot points from previous Star Wars films, but I look at that as if you're gonna try to restore faith and recapture a lost audience, might as well start from a safe place. Even with the basic Star Wars plot, it leaves a lot of questions open where you can see potential places where the sequels may go. It's not completely obvious where the next films will go. My only other real disappointment in the film is that the score wasn't all that remarkable. It has the old Star Wars musical cues we all know, but I didn't hear anything new that blew me away.

On to the light side. The new characters are fantastic! I wasn't sure how the new guys would play, but they totally carry the movie and you care about each of them. They succeed in bringing a new generation of fans to the franchise. Finn is a great, funny, original character. Rey is the new, upgraded Leia for the next generation. Poe wasn't in the movie all that much, but he just became the Star Wars character I'd most like to have a beer with. Kylo Ren plays the intimidating, conflicted villain that the series needs. I can't wait to see what they all do in the rest of the series.

The action is great and the film is shot beautifully. If you're worried about JJ Abrams lense-flare, then worry not. It's non-existent. There's a lot of creative and interesting shots that we've never seen in a Star Wars movie before. None of the long, walking exposition shots to be found here, nor any of the shot/reverse-shot style of dialog. The film is paced beautifully. I don't think I took a breath the first 30 minutes of the movie either time I saw it.

It's easily the funniest Star Wars film as well. JJ Abrams nails the humor and character interaction. The dialog is a vast improvement over anything the the prequels. The stunted dialog and robotic behavior is completely gone! It's an emotional film, too! I got choked up a few times the first time I saw it, but even more so the second time when seeing my nephews react to it. This is the nostalgia I needed.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the Star Wars movie you're looking for. While derivative, it delivers the fun, action and humor fans craved. It successfully restores faith in the franchise, and gives it the kick in the pants it needed. This is fun for the whole family!

5 (out of 5) Death Stars - Yes, I'm grading on a curve. It's a flawed movie. I don't care!

Mind Blown!

While We're Young (2015)

As it began, I really identified with how Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts feel isolated or disconnected from their friends as they move into parenthood and that chapter of their lives. They've chosen to focus on their careers and not have kids, and it seems that their friends resent that they haven't grown up.

When they meet a young couple (played by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried), they are captivated by their energy. They form a friendship and it helps them recapture their zest for life. You could tell they were in a rut and happy to get out of it. The younger couple is impressed by what the older couple has accomplished. It's a mutual admiration society. To their older friends, they look like hipster dinks.

This is all fun to watch for about two-thirds of the film, then it decides to shoehorn a plot that just didn't do anything for the experience. It was almost confusing trying to follow what was going on. This didn't need a weird conspiracy angle thrown in.

Adam Driver is great though. He's perfect for films like this. I'm really curious to see how he's going to play as a villain in The Force Awakens though. It might be a real inspired casting choice. Anyway, it's also nice to see Amanda Seyfried in something good. I can't think of too many films she's been in that I've enjoyed. I don't know what it is about Ben Stiller that he always seems to play a character that you end up having no sympathy for. I don't know if it's the roles he chooses, or the way he chooses to play them. Maybe he's just one of those people that come off as unlikable.

Overall, I still thought it was a fun date-type movie. I just wish the third act had been a little stronger. Worth a rental.

3 (out of) 5 Death Stars

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

I look forward to Coen Brother's films as much as any other cinephile does, but Inside Llewyn Davis was one of the few I wasn't all that wild about seeing.  It's mainly because I've never been that into folk music.  Was I going to be able to enjoy a film set around an era and style of music I've never been into, and starring an actor I don't think I had heard of?  Well it turns out they managed to make a movie that made me like and care about folk music.  That's the true genius of the Coen Brothers, not their great storytelling and unusual characters and situations, but that they made me care about folk music.  Okay, I'm kidding about that last part, but the Joel and Ethan Coen continue to prove time and time again that they are brilliant filmmakers and storytellers.

One thing you'll notice is that Inside Llewyn Davis isn't quite as quirky or as unusual as other Coen Brothers offerings.  While there are a few funny things here and there, this plays as a pretty straight forward character piece, following a few days in the life of Llewyn Davis.  Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is a struggling folk musician in New York.  He had a more successful act with his former partner, but he recently committed suicide, forcing Llewyn to try to make it as a solo act.  Effectively homeless, Llewyn crashes on the couches of people that can't say no to him even though he seems to overstay his welcome.  Llewyn isn't exactly the easiest guy to root for, it appears he has a habit of either straining or shitting on relationships.  He's not completely unlikeable though.

As the songs were all performed live in the movie, rather than lip-synched, it really added to the authenticity.  If I wasn't aware of many of the actors outside of the film, I would have thought they were all established folk singers.  Granted it's no surprise Justin Timberlake can sing, but I was impressed with Carey Mulligan's voice.  I am so generally clueless about the folk scene that I didn't even realize that most of these songs have been around for a long time.  I thought they were all originals.  Despite my reservations about the music, I ended up enjoying most of it, either tapping hands and feet along with it, or wanting to join in the singing myself.

I wondered if I actually knew about Oscar Issac from anything else, but then realized he was the best thing about 10 Years  He's actually been in a ton of stuff, but mainly supporting roles and he's one of those guys that seems to blend in.  In addition to being a great singer, he delivers a deep, soulful performance that lets you know he's moving on to bigger things in the acting world.  There's a scene where he's auditioning for Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham) that actually gave me the chills, and it's such an honest and vulnerable moment that I was moved to tears.  When Grossman gives his feedback, it's heartbreaking and I was concerned that Llewyn was moving towards a dark outcome, but was relieved when the story circles back.  His final performance also brought chills as it's powerful moment that shows you that Llewyn may be coming out of his funk.

As far as the rest of the performances, Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake were funny.  John Goodman's character really stands out as one of most memorable of the film despite his limited time on screen.  He's paired with Garrett Hedlund, who could have been played by a mute for all the dialog he had.  Nothing against Hedlund, mind you, but I think he said like 5 words all film.

I also found an interesting parallel to complaints I heard about modern music.  Llewyn is a talented, frustrated artist that's having a hard time getting his music sold, even heard.  When Bud Grossman tells him, "I don't see a lot of money here," you see that anger and frustration in Llewyn's face.  Meanwhile, a catchier, radio friendly song seems to be headed towards hit status.  When about to perform it, he asks, "Who wrote this?"  It's clear he thinks it's a ridiculous song, and Jim Berkey (Timberlake) looks hurt by the question.

We only hang out with Llewyn Davis for a short period of time, but it's a journey worth taking.  Inside Llewyn Davis is a gloomy tale about a frustrated artist, but still has enough humor and heart that it's not depressing.  Oscar Issac surprised me with one of the better performances of the year, and I can say the same about the Coen's surprising me with the movie.  If anything, it kind of makes me want to get a cat, and I don't even like cats.

5 (out of 5) Death Stars

Frances Ha (2013)

I kind of feel odd writing this review.  I actually saw Frances Ha several weeks ago. and for some reason really struggled to get any notes down about it.  Even as I write this, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to write much.  I think this is mainly due to the fact that I don't have a critique of Frances Ha.  I've often said in conversation that sometimes when I really like a film, I don't have much more to say about it than, "I really liked it!"  France Ha is a movie that's stuck with me in the weeks since seeing it, and it's likely to end up in my top 10 best films of 2013.  Hell, it's probably in my top 5 so far.

Another reason I had time getting my thoughts down about it is because like Seinfeld, Frances Ha is about nothing.  Well, not exactly "nothing", but it's not a plot driven story.  It's also set in New York, so I'm wondering if there's some kind of indie film rule that movies about single people in New York have to be character studies.

This isn't a bad thing as long as it's about an interesting or likeable character.  France Ha follows the life of a 20-something woman in New York as she deals with friendship, finding work and a place to stay, and just generally trying to find her place in the world.  Frances (Greta Gerwig) is a dancer, yet can't find work beyond teaching the occasional class.  She has money issues and difficulty with her living situation as a result.  As the film begins, Frances breaks up with her boyfriend, so there's that, too.  To her credit, she didn't really seem too into the guy and didn't dwell on their breakup, so I appreciate that.  Her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) on the other hand, is the opposite of this.  Her career is taking off, her relationship is getting more serious, and the two of them begin to drift apart.  Frances deals and struggles with all of these issues as the movie goes on.

Frances Ha is sometimes funny, sometimes uncomfortable, and sometimes it's both.  What makes it all work is that it's easy to relate to Frances, whether you know someone just like her, or see a lot of yourself in her.  Who hasn't dealt with money issues, or watching your friends drift away after getting serious in a relationship?  I know I've gone through some of these things over the course of my life.

At one point, Frances fibs her way through a conversation, and you want to be mad at her because she's full of shit and lying for no real reason, but then I can recall times when I've flubbed my way through a conversation to either save face or act like I knew what I was talking about.  Later, she takes an impulsive trip to Paris in an effort to catch up with someone.  While there, her best friend finally calls her and invites her to a party.  Frances tells her she can't make it, but never mentions she's in Paris.  Why doesn't she just tell her where she is?  When you see Frances do stuff like this, she comes off as that classic person that can't get out of their own way.

Despite all of this, Frances manages to be likeable.  It's not like she's mean or a bad person.  She'd be a fun person to hang around with, although there are other times you want to shake her violently in the hopes that it gets her to straighten up.  I had a love/hate relationship with Frances.  Much of the reason why you're able to still like Frances is due to the performance of Greta Gerwig.  If it had been a different actress, it might not have worked.  As the character isn't always flattering, I was surprised to see that Gerwig co-wrote the film with director Noah Baumbach.  You get the feeling that she put a little of her own life experience in Frances.  It's also her finest performance to date.  I've always thought she had an endearing awkwardness about her, and that's really on display here.  Let this be a lesson to Hollywood on why dramedies or romantic comedies starring people like Katherine Heigl don't work.  You have to actually believe the person in the role or have a reason to relate to them.  Being clumsy or eating junk food is not an endearing character trait.

Noah Baumbach seems to have a knack for making honest, funny, uncomfortable films that don't always feature the most likeable people.  I strongly recommend watching The Squid and the Whale if you haven't seen it yet.  He's becoming one of my favorite writer/directors out there.  I also really enjoyed the choice to film this in black and white.  Much like how I felt about it in Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, it really makes you focus on the dialog and emotion, rather than get caught up in the visuals.  Whether it was the use of black and white, the film's setting, or the music used, I also got a real Woody Allen vibe from the film.

Oscillating between hilarious, uncomfortable and frustrating, Frances Ha is always interesting.  One of the better films I've seen this year, it's a real and honest look at a woman struggling with friendship and transitioning into adulthood.  It's likely out of theaters by the time you read this, so I strongly recommend renting this.

4.5 (out of 5) Death Stars