Elvis and Nixon is a very funny film built on a basis as light and loose as a comedy prompts to be. Though, it may be a little too loose when you consider the incredibly serious and heavy handed ideals that the film adopts at times, so it all seems like a contradiction. Seriously, one could have a field day calling out the thematic and acting contradictions that this movie presents at face value. Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey never look close to how the president and the rockstar actually looked (Spacey lacks the wide-eyes/nose combo, and Shannon is a little too wrinkled in the face). But, the performances are wonderfully well researched with the mannerisms and outlandish natures the men fully represented shining through. It leaves a parallel to real life that seems broken and yet absolutely hilarious in its own right. One could even say that the impersonations are SO good that they almost push the spirit of the two men, given both impersonations have become unanimous in pop culture (Think Point Break for Nixon and the prevalence of Elvis impersonators for Elvis). The hilariocity is especially pushed through a scene in which Shannon’s Elvis runs into two mocking Elvis impersonators. The men still don’t look like Elvis and Nixon though, which leads to the ever so slight rupture between the film and the audience. To top it all off, the screenplay goes and does the same thing. The events that are taking place seem like they should ultimately carry weight as Elvis goes on a madcap journey to gain a Federal Badge, but everything isn’t played one bit straight. The offices that Elvis struts into are the offices of important people who make real decisions, but in front of a man so famous he could be recognized half a world over, the sense of professional courtesy goes out the window. It almost seems to adopt the structure of watching Elvis walk up to a powerful person and seeing if they will break under the excitement of being next to him. That’s an odd and almost schizophrenic structure to attack in this movie, but it never fails to be funny, watching big men in important rooms gawk over this one man who almost seems like a simpleton compared to them. One such person is Colin Hanks, as Egil Krogh. He’s basically Nixon’s glorified secretary, and his performance accentuates how the film becomes more interesting when a character that almost doesn’t take any of Elvis’s shit clashes with the King. Hanks is as good an actor like his father (Tom Hanks), and plays the role as a man swirling in all the excitement of meeting Elvis, but not being able to control him. The film’s stand out funniest moments come from two instances of Hanks simply saying one word (guess what it is?) that is both funny and sharp. That said, the use of strong language popping up liberally does bring to mind how sachrinne the rest of the film’s design is crafted. Everything has an early 70’s pop to it; a manufactured sense that seems like it fits a less silly and vulgar movie. Yet, the whole thing is hilarious enough to keep chugging along for 86 minutes until the obligatory, but somehow unnecessary “This happened to this person later in life” biopic scrawls happen. Shannon and Spacey can’t be understated, and are not wasted. The film succeeds at being the comedy that it is, but might embrace that comedic touch a little too much. I give Elvis and Nixon a 7.5 out of 10. NOTE: If you’re wondering why there’s no review of The Jungle Book, it’s not because I didn’t see it. It’s because it’s a good movie that ultimately has no thematic ideals that are worth discussing. It’s a great looking and inspired piece of work, but there’s not much to actually talk about. The Huntsman: Winters War steals verbatim from numerous sources like Frozen and The Lord of the Rings, but at the very least, it steals from sources that are interesting and good. That stuff is still just as good too, even though it lacks the thematic depth (this is a Huntsman movie after all). But, the middle act is mainly focused on exactly what could make those movies worth your time in the first place. The Huntsman: Winters War is not really all that special, but at least its sources were. The first 20 minutes of Huntsman is expositional tripe. As the well composed scenes play out, the deep voice of a narrator blows in and robs the scenes of any of their intended weight (not that any of this actually has any weight). It’s just over the top fantasy schlock that kind of works when the film levels the heck out and just coasts on being funny, but the beginning of the film is almost excruciating. You have some charismatic actors (Chris Hemsworth), and some downright great actors (Jessica Chastain), but instead you’re going to have a guy explain the story? When the film finally does let all these actors do their thing, the film actually gets pretty fun. Sure, it’s just recycled stuff (no really there are sets and dialogue so close to Lord of the Rings that Universal should be lawyering up), but it’s good recycled stuff, as the corny nature of the characters pretty easily comes out and makes the film really hilarious to watch. It also takes some time to make some interesting (and subtly racist) creature design for some goblins that proves for a pretty fun action sequence. Nick Frost, Sheridan Smith, and Rob Brydon show up as dwarves, and keep the film rolling through sheer wit. The middle of this film doesn’t feel cheap, and if the film didn’t fall into campy disposability by the end this movie, it could have been a solid 7. But, soon a finale does have to happen, and Charlize Theron has to show up. Theron is awkwardly pushed into this film, and watching her act against Emily Blunt is akin to magnets trying to come together, but are inevitably pushed apart. The only purpose for Theron to be here is for franchise building. And, the purpose of that franchise isn’t even there anymore. This is a sequel (despite what the marketing tells you) to Snow White and the Huntsman, but the main character of this universe, Snow White, is almost nowhere to be seen. The purpose for this film’s existence is non-existent, unfortunately, and with nothing thematically to hold onto, the inevitable fade into obscurity will come. The Huntsman: Winters War is a briefly entertaining piece of fantasy action that ultimately fails because it lacks sense of purpose and feels forced. It’s worth a late night viewing, but nothing too expensive. I give The Huntsman: Winters War a 5.5 out of 10 Everybody Wants Some is one of those triumphantly great movies invoking the feeling of something like A New Hope. It’s a film whose sole goal is to throw everything onto the screen and take 80’s college kids back to the time when they were young, along with new and younger minded people. Everybody Wants Some for sure succeeds at taking people who didn’t experience that era back to that era. Everybody Wants Some is about a college baseball team, but more specifically what happens to one of its members Jake (Blake Jenner) on the 3.5 days leading up to the start of class. It has all the college movie tropes you’d expect, and it’s just as funny as one might guess. Though, the true power in Everybody Wants Some comes from the intense nostalgia the 1980’s can offer. The Cold War was tapering out, and for the normal Texas baseball player, the world didn’t have any worries to offer other than the straightforward goal of getting laid a lot. However, one full culture shock decade and a few wars later, maybe what we really need is a reminder of how good those times were. Everybody Wants Some succeeds on the merit that it presents a world where ultimately there isn’t a whole lot to worry about, and lets an audience experiencing the stresses of the world indulge delightfully in that existing world. You want a brass tax reason why this is a great movie? Because it gives people the greatest catharsis in the world. It lets them know that the world they live in, with all its chaos, can have meaning and direction. Linklater has always been the director best at analyzing why the good times were so good, but it’s simple. There was a meaning, and there was a relief from stress. That’s why Boyhood works so well as a movie. Linklater tailers tough situations around moments when everything can finally be ok, making them all the more satisfying. Everybody Wants Some is a movie simply running on the “everything’s okay, nothing matters, just experience life and culture as fast as you can” mentality. So, while it doesn’t have the staying power, it is still an excellent and entertaining ride. It helps that the competitive “screw everyone else” nature of most of its characters fits so well with the hedonistic mentality of the whole movie. The competition to have better and better times leads to the ultimate beating heart of the movie. Now, living in the modern day, it seems as if Linklater has baked his own desperate need to get back to a time like the 1980’s in his movies, and that desperation is both relatable and cathartic. Every character is competing to make this the best time of their lives because, eventually, it’s not going to be as good. And oh boy do they. If Everybody Wants Some was just a party movie, then it would be one of the more inventive ones; it excels at showing a bit more than just the frat party. There’s a party near the ending of the film that has to do with arts and crafts people that is something most people probably haven’t seen before. The actors, much like in Boyhood, aren’t really actors in this movie. These are people bound together so well that immediately the film feels intoxicating. It’s based almost entirely on watching these guys mess around and try to find meaning in a real world where eventually they are going to have to take off their rose colored glasses off and face. Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Glen Powell and J. Quinton Johnson aren’t themselves in this movie. They are these players, and Jenner and Powell get a huge chance to shine. The movie, as it goes on, almost becomes a character film about how all these guys use the simple “it’s ok” mentality to grow and understand the world. How using supposed freedom can ultimately improve how you interpret everything. Bottom line: Everybody Wants Some is an intimate achievement, miles better than any other party movie because of the emotions it brings to the table and the way it transports its audience into a more easygoing state of mind. In achieving this, it becomes a film that will live with us, always there to teach us that everybody wants and needs happiness and meaning. I give Everybody Wants Some a 10 out of 10. I Saw the Light is just as tired and old as it needs to be. Its subject, Hank Williams, was much the same way, and props to the film for using the tone of the man to guide the movie. Those who don’t like the uneven and more deflated tone will probably be less inclined to enjoy this film though. Heck, most critics have kicked it to the curb. It’s just an exhausting movie, but it’s plain and simple. There’s no crime against filmmaking or acting here. In fact, the acting in I Saw the Light is so mindbogglingly perfect for this particular film that it’s difficult to think of it getting anything lower than average. It really sweeps you up, and lets everything seep in about Hank Williams. There’s an intense emotion to grab onto as the film dives into the worry that Williams must have felt while living a life of extravagant flaming out. That’s another thing that the critics might not really enjoy about the movie that I actually found surprisingly refreshing. I Saw the Light does not have the happiness that Walk the Line provides when everything eventually ends up ok. Sure, that makes the movie anticlimactic. In fact, it doesn’t really have a climax, but it’s still engaging for a long while. Plus, the pitch perfect tone and acting really makes up for it. Tom Hiddleston is a great actor, but hasn’t really gotten a great dramatic role (unless you count Crimson Peak, but nobody saw that when they should have). But, Hiddleston is offered a role that almost bulldozes anything else he’s done previously. His interpretation of Hank Williams is startlingly clear, and his performances of the songs are very realistic. Elizabeth Olsen is also on great display here, but her whole non-existent arch is where the film takes its major misstep. I Saw the Light has got a pretty hacked up structure. The trailers sell it as Williams’s relationship with his first wife (Olsen), but that’s only a good two thirds of the movie. The next good third of the movie is about other relationships that Williams had, and while it does boast the film’s best scene, it’s a scattered and broken third act that seems to just be killing time until the movie can kill off Williams offscreen. Overall, the film is much better than it’s being given credit for, and overall probably better than the other musical biopic that I saw this week too. Move it on over to the theatre. I give I Saw the Light a 7 out of 10. |
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |