1981 - Random Cinematic Year in Review

 A Random Cinematic Year In Review

1981

Preface: I have decided to write this series at least in part because I don't make it out to see new films very often and I've found that I spent too much time at the end of the year attempting to see all the big releases (many of which I'm not even interested in) for no other reason than to make an obligatory 'year end list'... This is a way that I can continue writing about films without feeling the pressure to see a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't otherwise take the time to. I'll still see most of them eventually, just on my own time. I use a random number generator to pick a year and I use letterboxd.com to determine the actual release year.

By: Emery Martin-Snyder

The most important thing to happen in the year 1981 is so blatantly obvious that I won’t spend much time on it. It is said that spring is a time of rebirth. In my case, the spring of ’81 was a time of regular birth.  Luckily, my generation has finally been put on the map. Enter the Xennials. That’s right, we’ve always been too young to be considered Gen-Xers but we’re still old enough to remember the very distinct sound that a 56K modem makes. Does anybody know how to spell that sound? We would rewind VHS tapes and researching an article like this one would usually entail something known as the Dewey Decimal System and Encyclopedias and Almanacs… These were dark times.

The world was witness to its fair share of turmoil in 1981. In Iran, after 444 days of being held hostage, 52 Americans were released. In the UK, Irish Republican Army member, Bobby Sands, would begin a hunger strike in prison demanding status for IRA members as political prisoners instead of criminals. This strike would end in his death of starvation 66 days later. Meanwhile, in Poland, the People’s Republic of Poland instituted martial law in an attempt to quell political opposition. This would last for a year in a half but its aftermath would ripple throughout the remainder of the decade, adding more fuel to the fire that would eventually end communist rule in the region.

“Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll” – John Lack

Back here in the States, we had much bigger fish to fry. We were reinventing the music industry, whether we knew it or not. In August of 1981, Viacom introduced a brand new cable television network known as Music Television (MTV). This was a channel devoted to airing music videos. It was like radio on TV. They even called the hosts of these programs “video jockeys”.

This new television format as well as its success had an unmeasurable impact on the music industry. The music video became an industry in itself while record labels were simultaneously attempting to exploit them as a promotional tool for the recording artists. These facts invariably added a brand new dimension to an art form that was previously primarily aural. Over time, what a recording artist looked like became infinitely more and more important. In previous years, a catchy tune could catapult a singer/songwriter into pop-stardom on the FM band. Songwriting gave way to dance choreography and singing gave way to visual production value. In the coming years, the music video would introduce us to a new wave of stars. And it piped these stars right into our living room, “On Cable, In Stereo”.

These days, the channel has changed significantly. There’s a lot less focus on music and a lot more on the attempt to define and redefine youth culture. A popular rapper can use the network to redefine his career. Xzibit went from “Stay on top but remaining in the underground” to “pimping” people’s rides. And Ludacris has traded in his “Rollout” to host the network’s newest iteration of “Fear Factor”. The first music video that MTV aired was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”. I doubt anyone had any idea just how prophetic this actually was.

MTV has had a profound impact on the cinematic industry as well. The music video medium evolved from bare bones concert like performances to a mini narrative short films inspired by the song. This aesthetic has increasingly found its way into films. Musical montages have become a staple plug-in to show the passage of time in everything from romantic comedies to action flicks. Montages actually predate MTV but they became far more common in the mid to late 1980’s.

The quick-cut and jump-cut editing style of filmmakers like Guy Ritchie and Edgar Wright could also give some credit to the influence of the music video medium. When done well, there is a rhythm to the cuts that keeps time with the tone of the scene. You could also point to the sleek aesthetic found in films by Michael Mann or the late Tony Scott. This was a generation of auteurism that was born in the 80’s and was immediately chastised as a bastardization of New American Cinema. This look would later evolve into its own brand of cinema that now boasts its own unique cluster of films and filmmakers.

None of this should come as a surprise considering how many of today’s most prolific directors got their start making music videos. HER director Spike Jonze got his start making videos for The Beastie Boy and Bjork. Twenty years before THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher directed Madonna’s video for “Vogue”. Before Jack Sparrow was doing his best Keith Richards impression, director Gore Verbinski directed Bad Religion’s “21st Century Digital Boy”. And remember that Meatloaf video for “I Would Do Anything for Love” that blatantly ripped off scenes from Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA? Well, that monstrosity was done by the one and only Michael Bay. The list goes on and on. Michel Gondry, Jonathan Glazer, Gus Van Sant, Sofia Coppola and Spike Lee are really just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the big budget music video was essentially invented by a director that I’ll be speaking of a little later in my list… So let’s get to it.

SIDE NOTE: 1981 may just have been the greatest year for genre films in the history of cinema.

EMERY’S NOTABLE 10

10 – BLOW OUT  (Directed by Brian De Palma)

I’m somewhat of a De Palma fan. But I actually think SISTERS and DRESSED TO KILL are better works than this one. What’s so impressive to me here is the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. The split focus is used here to an amazing effect. It adds a level of ‘clued in’ visuals for the audience to follow everything that’s going on.

9 – THE BEYOND (Directed by Lucio Fulci)

This is my favorite Fulci film. It’s actually one of three films that he released in 1981. And while I enjoy his very loose adaptation of Poe’s THE BLACK CAT as well as his haunted house flick, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, this film takes the gore cake for me. There are moments in every Fulci film that you can pinpoint that make me such a fanboy of his work. Moments that other filmmakers would have cut just a split second earlier. These are the precious milliseconds that he would make sure to capture on film just before cutting to the shot with the prosthetic or the special effect. In all honesty, I imagine that he absolutely terrified his actors. But it was all for the greater good, that being my personal entertainment. Fabio Frizzi’s score is the icing on the aforementioned gore cake.

8 – RAIDER OF THE LOST ARK (Directed by Stephen Spielberg)

I recently rewatched this film in its entirety for the first time in probably more than 20 years. I wasn’t sure how well it would actually hold up. First, I was surprised how much of this film I could still quote from memory verbatim. This was one of the few movies I had growing up. For the record, it was taped from a family friend’s HBO. I’m pretty sure that BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED was on the same VHS. I’m happy to report that this iconic action/adventure flick from my yesteryear more than holds up. RAIDERS is full of iconic moments, tied together with high production value and an adorable Karen Allen. What’s not to love?

7 – SCANNERS (Directed by David Cronenberg)

I wish every X-Men movie was like this. This film is full of some of the best practical effects ever assembled. The Godfather of special makeup effects, Dick Smith, came into this project and elevated it to a whole new level. Cronenberg would go on to great acclaim in the realm of body horror but 36 years later, SCANNERS still stands out as one of the finest accomplishments in his filmography.

6 – THIEF (Directed by Michael Mann)

Watching this flick is kind of like witnessing the birth of an auteur’s vision. His work in both television and film has proven to be extremely distinct. James Caan was a big star in 1981 and his rugged and minimalist performance here shows why. Like others on this list, I think Mann went on to make better films afterwards. I think MANHUNTER is an 80’s masterpiece. But this heist flick has such a great flare to it.

5 – THE EVIL DEAD (Directed by Sam Raimi)

Just because I prefer EVIL DEAD 2 doesn’t mean that I don’t like this one as well. I watch both of them regularly. What I appreciate here is pretty much the same thing that I just said about THIEF. Over the years, Sam Raimi has worked on a lot of films in various genres. But his work is always recognizable as his own. His films are always filled with a very frenzied creativity, especially in their camerawork. This film is a great way to see the beginning of an amazing career.

4 – MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (Directed by George Miller)

Before Furiosa graced us with her presence in 2015, this was the best of the Mad Max franchise. It seems like this movie was on TV all the time as I was growing up. I don’t think I ever watched it without commercials until I bought the blu-ray 5 or 6 years ago. But similar to RAIDERS, this is one of the films that helped raise me. Miller’s action sequences are unbelievably kinetic and stylized. Imagine some of the best choreographed fight scenes, now imagine them taking place on a convoy of metal and rubber barreling down an open highway at 70 mph.

3 – MY DINNER WITH ANDRE (Directed by Louis Malle)

Sometimes you need to take a break from all of this hyper-stylized genre action and horror and just settle in for a nice meal and watch Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn talk for 110 minutes. If this idea sounds boring or obtuse to you, you haven’t seen Louis Malle’s 1981 masterpiece. Malle had already spent over two full decades making a name for himself as one of the most creative purveyors of the French New Wave movement. I don’t find this film to be challenging or a chore to watch at all. It somehow manages breezy and engrossing simultaneously. What you end up with an easy watch that keeps you thinking about it long afterwards.

2 – POSSESSION (Directed by Andrzej Żuławski)

I want to watch this film as the 2nd part of a triple feature that starts with Roman Polanski’s REPULSION and ends with David Cronenberg’s THE BROOD. But I think this may be my favorite of those 3. Isabelle Adjani and Sam Niell give perfect performances in this cyclical conflict rolling around in their relationship. His apathy feeds into her paranoia and vice-versa. Żuławski’s direction is spot on here along with Bruno Nuytten’s cinematography. The wide angles and deep focus of a divided Berlin are often filling the frames with the saddest of all blue shades. The sadness is a veil attempt to hide the film’s underlying sense of dread that will soon enough come to fruition.

1 – AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (Directed by Jonathan Landis)

David: “Don’t I need a silver bullet or something?”

Jack: “Oh, be serious, would you…?”

I told you I’d get back to music video directors. Jonathan Landis directed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Jackson’s career, MTV, and the entire music video industry was changed forever. But I digress. A year earlier, Landis released this masterpiece of movie monster magic. He clearly wanted to distance this film from classic Hollywood’s previous imaginings of the wolf man lore. I mentioned Dick Smith’s work on SCANNERS earlier but Rick Baker’s special effects work here was revolutionary. 36 years later and this is still the best werewolf transformation to ever be committed to film. He also worked on Joe Dante’s underrated THE HOWLING the same year but the meticulous time and effort put into this film elevates it to something so much more special. This is by far Landis’ best film and much like Spielberg’s JAWS, it’s a film I revisit often. It works as an afternoon distraction, Friday night feature, or as part of a Halloween marathon.

Good Time Review

Good Time

Dir: Benny and Josh Safdie

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Taliah Webster, Barkhad Abdi, Necro, and Jennifer Jason Leigh

If you are going to make bad choices, it's important to stay a step ahead of them. Directors Benny and Josh Safdie make the most of this method in the new film "Good Time". Starting with a bank heist gone sideways, The Safdie's move through a manic and murky night on the streets of Queens accompanying a slimy purveyor of bad choices portrayed by Robert Pattinson. "Good Time" will keep you anxious of every single choice that is made.

Connie (Robert Pattinson) and Nick (Benny Safdie) are brothers. Nick is mentally disabled and Connie is, simply put, a terrible person. Connie coerces Nick into helping him rob a bank, things don't go as planned and Nick is snatched by the cops. Connie doesn't seem very concerned in the moment about his brother's well being, though he does work to pay for bail after the fact. In an effort to save his brother from jail time, Connie spends a night doing everything he can to free his brother.

The Safdie's are crafty filmmakers, seemingly influenced by director Michael Mann's style of nighttime photography and the sense of momentum found in films like "Thief" and "Collateral". The directors create a breakneck pulse for their film; from the jittery motion of the camera during frantic chase scenes, to the unfocused nature of photography during conversations, and the floating camera that offers a bird's eye view of the journey on the streets, the imagery throughout jumps and cuts with aggression. Add to this one of the best soundtracks of 2017, a synth driven punch of energy from Oneohtrix Point Never aka Daniel Lopatin, and "Good Time" does everything it can to consume you.

Still, in a film with so much life, it's hard to find compassion with many of the characters in the film. They are all flawed and unlikable most of the time. Still, Connie is provided an inkling of heart amidst all the terrible and damaging characteristics that compose his personality. Watching Connie fly by the seat of his pants makes it hard to root for this character, mostly because of his consistent selfishness but also because he makes the worst choices. In one moment he seems like a caring brother and the next he abandons the familial bond, in another he talks with care for his girlfriend and the next he manipulates her feelings for his own devices, it's consistently frustrating. Nick is the pawn in the whole game, watching him cling to the prospect that Connie will do something to help him is heartbreaking at times. Though in these moments, when Connie actual shows some heart, the viewer is given a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of redemption that may be on the horizon. 

The composition of Connie is fascinating, part of the reason the film remains so interesting and engaging is because of Mr. Pattinson's energetic yet poised performance. The actor is proving himself capable of doing a variety of complicated things in film, look no further than David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis" and David Michod's "Rover" for examples. Mr. Pattinson, still a striking movie star even underneath the unkept hair and dirty fingernails, is doing his best to make you forget about the sparkling vampire from the "Twilight" series. 

"Good Time", in all its pulsing and vibrant life, is a story about brotherhood. You can feel this aspect from the first moments in the film. Though it's hard to support these characters, the directing Safdie siblings work to compose this bond and then utilize it to exploit the lengths that brotherhood will take you after you rob a bank, find a bottle of LSD, and end up in an amusement park all in one night. 

Monte's Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

Logan Lucky Review

Logan Lucky

Dir: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Katie Holmes, Riley Keough, Seth MacFarlane, Katherine Waterston, Sebastian Stan, Hilary Swank, and Daniel Craig 

Director Steven Soderbergh retired about four years ago, citing that the Hollywood system has done nothing but treat filmmakers in increasingly “horrible” ways. While Mr. Soderbergh parted ways with Hollywood, he didn’t leave the creative seat; the director transitioned to the medium that has become more appealing to filmmakers, television. He directed all twenty episodes of Cinemax’s “The Knick” and served as executive producer of Starz’s “The Girlfriend Experience”. Soderbergh returns from the short-lived retirement with a hillbilly heist film that feels perfectly suited for his creative style. 

Boasting a star-studded cast, one that features Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Daniel Craig, “Logan Lucky” is a familiar return for the director but the process of bringing this film to theaters is different than in his past. Using an experimental method of distribution, one that the director formed himself, the plan could offer an alternative for filmmakers looking for more freedom and control in their art. If “Logan Lucky” is the first example of what we will get from the director when allowed to work on his own terms, viewers are in for a great time.

Jimmy (Channing Tatum) has just been laid off from a construction job; it’s the final straw in a life that has consistently come up short. Jimmy has a daughter, Sadie (Farrah Mackenzie), who lives with his ex-wife (Katie Holmes) in West Virginia. Wanting to change the course of his life, and keep his daughter close to him, Jimmy recruits his brother Clyde (Adam Driver) and sister Mellie (Riley Keough) to help him with a robbery of the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600.

Mr. Soderbergh has a way of establishing an environment and crafting characters that fit the mold; in “Ocean’s Eleven” he swaggered a Hollywood roster into a Rat Pack influenced heist film in Las Vegas and in “Magic Mike” he took Channing Tatum into the sordid backstage world of male strippers in Florida. In “Logan Lucky” the director does something similar, taking another group of recognizable Hollywood faces and making them proud West Virginians using all the resources they have to pull off something much bigger than they should ever attempt. It’s Soderbergh doing what he does best, and for much of the film the combination of interesting characters and caper constructing storytelling works quite well. 

“Logan Lucky” feels familiar to some of Soderbergh’s work however it’s also somewhat different. Where “Ocean’s Eleven” and the subsequent sequels strived for entertainment and coolness, “Logan Lucky” seems to be making more of a statement about the state of the world even though it never directly implies it with dialog. The “steal from the rich and give to the poor” motif works well here, it also adds a few moments of comedy as The Logan family doesn't seem to be the brightest group of thieves capable of concocting such a complicated robbery plan. 

The film is supported by strong performances from Adam Driver, playing a war veteran who is missing an arm and worries about a family curse, and Daniel Craig, giving a knock-out performance as a prison inmate with a specific set of criminal skills. But the standout of the film is Channing Tatum, playing a working class man driven to tough decisions. Mr. Tatum displays a quality here that is as much dimwitted as it is sincere, sometimes at the same time. It’s seen clearly in every moment with his daughter but also in smaller moments, like in one scene involving his brother’s lost prosthetic arm. 

There is a moment in the film when John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” plays; everyone in the scene begins to sing. It’s an interesting moment that defines the film, an anthem for a group of people that means something significant, specifically to them. It doesn’t matter at this point if anyone else understands it, because the moment in the film has enough honesty and heart to make it mean something. That’s what Mr. Soderbergh does best in “Logan Lucky”, he makes this southern charged heist film mean something more than the silly premise might imply.  Hopefully we continue to see more from the talented director in the future.

Monte’s Rating

3.75 out of 5.00

Step Review

Step

Dir: Amanda Lipitz

Starring: Paula Dofat, Blessin Giraldo, Cori Grainger, and Tayla Solomon

“Step”, an inspiring story about a group of young women from Baltimore on a step-dancing team, is less about dancing and more about the determination to pursue the future. Taking the “fly-on-the-wall” approach to this documentary, director Amanda Lipitz simply watches as personalities mold and clash throughout the senior year for the inaugural class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.

The school was established in 2009 with a mission of sending every one of the students, most of them from low-income families, to an opportunity in college. The struggles of high school life, the drama, the homework, the obligation to the team, are further complicated by troubles at home, the family issues, the lack of money, the struggles of a city divided in the wake of the suspicious death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. “Step” teems with personality and a sense of joy, even when it makes all the turns that you’d expect a film like this to make. You’ll still want these young women to succeed in everything they do, in both their journey to become champions of their hobby and their future. 

The Lethal Ladies of BLSYW, that’s their step-dance team name, are a fierce group of young women together but also individually. The film looks specifically at a few young women on the team. 

Cori Grainger is the brain of the bunch, an impressive young mind who has high ambitions of getting into Johns Hopkins on a “full-ride” scholarship. Her family, always supportive but realistic of the costs associated with higher education, worry about how they are going to make it all work. Cori worries too. 

Tayla Solomon has an authority about her; she’s confident and passionate, many times challenging her teammates with attitude. Makes sense considering her mother is a strong willed corrections officer determined to give a better life to her children. 

The personality of the group is Blessin Giraldo, the team captain and motivator of the group. Blessin is complicated, her family life is complicated, and this makes her academic career complicated just before graduation.

For these young women dance is an escape from their hectic and stress filled lives, but just because it’s an escape doesn’t make them any less passionate about it. “Step” watches the progression of a team on their way to the final state event. Along the way we see them grow as a team, we see them on good days and bad days, we see them struggle and achieve. It’s truthful in its portrayal of team dynamics, being the best isn’t easy and you can feel that aspect during their practices.

“Step” does a great job of showcasing how a team can reveal character within an individual, how it builds character to achieve high expectations, and how it shapes character to deal with obstacles that will arise in the future. All of this comes together in the film’s highlight performance, a beautiful piece of resistance, confidence, and determination. It’s a joyous thing to witness.

Monte’s Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

Annabelle: Creation Review

Annabelle: Creation

Dir: David Sandberg

Starring: Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Lulu Wilson, Talitha Bateman, Philippa Coulthard, Samara Lee, Grace Fulton, Tayler Buck, and Anthony LaPaglia

Horror filmmakers are working really hard to make creepy clowns and demonic dolls scary again. We still have to wait a few more weeks for the clown nightmares to come back again, but this weekend the disturbing doll from “The Conjuring” saga returns to theaters in director David Sandberg’s newest chiller.

“Annabelle: Creation” is the third outing for the demon inhabiting doll, this time serving as a prequel to a prequel to the original film it was featured in. Mr. Sandberg made a splash in the horror genre last year with “Light’s Out”, a film that displayed the director’s interesting touch with composing a jump scare. You can feel that influence in “Annabelle: Creation”, a film that aims to do more than it’s predecessor did with a scare while also providing more crumbs to feed the appetite of those looking for the origin story behind the Annabelle doll.

A doll maker (Anthony LaPaglia) and his family live a peaceful life in the 1940’s until a tragic accident takes the life of their only daughter. 12 years later the doll maker and his wife are trying to move on with their lives, they open their large home to a nun (Stephanie Sigman) and a group of orphaned girls. It doesn’t take long for strange things to happen, leading one inquisitive girl to a closet lined with pages from the Bible. Inside is a terrifying doll with a connection to a family secret.

Mr. Sandberg moves quickly, letting the scares take control of the story early and watching the audience squirm with anticipation of the next creepy fright coming from a dark hallway, under a bed sheet, or with a child’s toy gun. Some of the scares are cheap, mostly jump scares that horror audiences have seen better in numerous films. Still, Mr. Sandberg has skill in composing these moments, and when he does achieve a great fright it’s because of techniques like framing and composition of the environment. There are far more genuinely creepy moments here than in the original “Annabelle” film that came out in 2014.

Some nice performances exist in the film when the narrative provides the opportunity for a piece of character development to come through. Anthony LaPaglia’s tormented father is an interesting character, but aside from the actor walking around looking angry there isn’t much room to fit him into the framework of why evil lives in his home. The young women in the film compose some nice chemistry when they get a moment to interact with one another, though most of the film they are alone walking into dark rooms or running from scary noises.

One of the reasons the scares are better here is because there are more opportunities to incorporate them. The lack of emphasis on the torn family dynamic, the background of the children, the reason the evil exists for this family and why it utilizes the doll, isn’t given too much attention aside from a film quick scene to try to tie everything together. Still, for genre fans looking for something a little creepy or for just a few jump scares, “Annabelle: Creation” will do the job.

Monte’s Rating

3.00 out of 5.00

The Dark Tower Review

The Dark Tower

Dir: Nikolaj Arcel

Starring: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Abbey Lee, Dennis Haysbert, and Jackie Earle Haley

Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” was in the development trenches for some time, with filmmakers like J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard in the seat to make the book series come to life.  All that time and attention unfortunately didn’t help the final version of this film, even with the capable cast lead by the stoic, heroic Idris Elba and the talent of a villainous Matthew McConaughey “The Dark Tower” is an incoherent mess. 

Three of Stephen King’s stories will be seen in some way throughout the year. “The Mist” television show has already premiered and later next month the new version of “It” will float into theaters. With “The Dark Tower”, one of Mr. King’s more complex novels, the film adaptation focuses less on the story from the books and more on a continuation of sorts. 

Jake (Tom Taylor) is having nightmares about otherworldly happenings that consist of a battle between good and evil and a plot to destroy a tower that keeps evil out of Earth, referred to by characters in the film as Keystone Earth. Protecting the realm, known as Mid-World, is a gunslinger named Roland (Idris Elba) who comes from a lineage of brave protectors who once fought the good fight long ago. Evil is winning and leading the charge to destroy the tower is the man in black, otherwise known as Walter (Matthew McConaughey). It is up to Jake and Roland to battle this evil force and protect the realm of Earth.

Idris Elba is the best thing about this film; the actor is a sullen loner who journeys across the different realms in search for vengeance. Mr. Elba has an appealing quality that shines through his otherwise downtrodden character’s personality. Matthew McConaughey mostly wanders into scenes, waves his hands, and whispers things like “stop breathing” to everyone that gets in his way. In small moments you can see what this film may have been trying to do, there is potential in the characterizations but the film never develops it.

The narrative is a complete clutter of ideas that don’t add up to anything more than cheap hero journey clichés. The movie attempts to build momentum towards some kind of conclusion, but the beginning and middle meander from the Mid-World to Keystone Earth, from foggy forests to the commotion of New York City with only a vague plot line of defeating an evil threat. We are introduced to characters that offer information about the journey only to have them disappear from the story. Jake’s family is given a small role to promote his future heroism, but the relationship with them is never really established with any kind of meaning. From scene to scene the movie progressively makes less sense.

For fans of Stephen King’s stories it may be a fun distraction to look for all the telling nods to the author’s works, the world here is trying to pay some kind of homage to the stories crafted by the author. Aside from a few qualities found in the lead performance, there isn’t much to really appreciate about this film. That’s a shame because “The Dark Tower” deserved better. 

Monte’s Rating

1.00 out of 5.00

Detroit Review

Detroit

Dir: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Will Poulter, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack Reynor, and Ben O’ Toole

In the summer of 1967 in Detroit, race issues between Black Americans and authority figures divided the city; turning it into a war zone of military patrolled streets filled with angry and frustrated protestors. Things were escalating for some time in Detroit before the rioting and looting began, and this was only the beginning as merely a year later Dr. Martin Luther King would be assassinated further escalating the fight for equality in America.

50 years later and the fight is still being fought; portraits of Black Americans and uniformed authority figures still flash in the media with headlines that echo sentiments of justice and injustice for a divided world.  It places director Kathryn Bigelow’s film “Detroit” in an all too pertinent place in history, one which is similar to the world we live in today in both emotion and context. Ms. Bigelow’s film takes a snap shot moment from the Detroit riots and transports the viewer into an uncomfortable yet insightful place, it’s not an entertaining film but rather a bold expression of emotions that compose many of the social concerns that have and are still relevant in the world today.

“Detroit” focuses its attention on a single night, with a group of people at the Algiers motel on the west side of the city. Musician Larry (Algee Smith) and his friend Fred (Jacob Latimore) are staying at the motel, escaping the chaos of the city after a failed performance earlier in the night. The young men meet two girls, Karen (Kaitlyn Dever) and Julie (Hannah Murray), and join them at a party with some other hotel guests. Things take a terrifying turn when three local policemen, one of them still working after fatally shooting an unarmed looting suspect, and a patrol of National Guardsmen respond to reports of sniper gunfire coming from the motel. 

Ms. Bigelow takes the events of the Algiers Motel incident and turns it into something similar to a horror film. For a large majority of the film the viewer is placed in the middle of unrelenting terror. The interrogation of a group of black men, but also two white women, is disturbing; events escalate from harsh language, to physical abuse, to mental torture, and ultimately death. Ms. Bigelow and writer Mark Boal aren’t too concerned with providing surprise developments, ingenious plot structuring, or even much of a historical lesson, instead they focus on the raw emotion of the moment, the fear that motivates action, and the individualized perception of how people remember a significant situation. While this method allows the filmmaker the opportunity to burrow into the feelings of the viewer within the specific moment, it also at times prevents the film from displaying why this moment meant so much for the city of Detroit and the civil rights movement. 

“Detroit” is shot in a very specific way, with an emphasis on the feeling of chaos and uncertainty. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, who’s credits include “The Hurt Locker” and “United 93”, takes the camera and puts it in the middle of all the action and in the face of the characters. You can see the ignorance and blind compliance many of the people within the film are experiencing. The city burns and smolders in the background as the camera walks with characters and tightly frames them within terrible situations, in an essence trapping the viewer within the experience. It’s a technique that has been done before in cinema but the sturdy direction of a talent like Ms. Bigelow really makes this technical choice shine.

As the film ventures further into the tragic events of the evening, the film begins to lose its way. Instead of developing the situation and characters in delicate and subtle ways, like they do with the relationship of two friends or with the motives of a security guard (John Boyega) trying to promote peaceful relationships, the film resorts to a disordered commentary promoted by violence and brutality. 

“Detroit” is many times an observant look at a complicated, appalling situation. The opening of the film sets the precedent that issues in Detroit, but also in America, were at a boiling point; it was a progression of events highlighted by discrimination, segregation, and the abuse of authority and it slowly happened over decades of time. While the narrative never encapsulates the point of how rebellion led to change or how this change played a role in shaping American sentiments at the time, it does painfully display how familiar the past can look in the present. 

Monte’s Rating

3.75 out of 5.00

Streamathon - Reunions (August 2017)

Streamathon

August 2017 - Reunions

Preface: This is part of an ongoing blog series of curated movie marathons that are thematically or otherwise tied together. The other common factor tying these films together will be their availability to watch them all from the comfort of your own home on various streaming platforms. The goal is that writing this blog will somehow justify the excessive number of streaming platforms I subscribe to. The films will be found on some combination of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Mubi, FilmStruck, and/or Fandor. These titles will be available for the month that the blog is published. All of these subscriptions offer free trials so feel free to dive in and follow along… Have fun. Just don’t message me for my login information.

By: Emery Martin-Snyder

REUNIONS – What better setting for a film than a reunion? Old friends, families, lovers, enemies and casual acquaintances all come with their own baggage and backstories. Maybe we’re watching a couple of blond bombshells try to convince their old high school classmates that they invented “Post-It Notes” in David Mirkin’s ROMY & MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (1997). Or we spend another night with Jesse & Celine as they reunite nine years after their European romance in Richard Linklater’s BEFORE SUNSET (2004). Either way, there’s a common rush of emotional anticipation that accompanies the set. What’s old becomes new, what’s familiar becomes awkward and what’s safe begins to terrify. Here’s a list of films that you can put on when you’re trying to avoid talking to the people you’ve recently been reunited with.

The Stream

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS (1996) 

Directed by Ted Demme – Streaming on FilmStruck

Timothy Hutton’s character Willie shows us why we can never go home again. He shows back up in his hometown to essentially give up on his dream of being a professional musician. Willie’s old friends are less than enthusiastic at the idea of not being able to live vicariously through him any longer. But they all have their own problems to deal with as well. For all intents and purposes, this is an ensemble piece with a cast list that reads like a 90’s who’s who of talent. Some performances are better than others, but I particularly like Michael Rappaport here as Paul.

THE BIG CHILL (1983) 

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan – Streaming on Hulu

Lawrence Kasdan is better known as a screenwriter than a director. He was responsible, or at least co-responsible, for some really big screenplays during the 80’s including RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. He is currently working with J.J. Abrams to extend the STAR WARS universe. In 1983, he co-wrote and directed this little Oscar nominated gem about a group of college friends reunited for a funeral. Now older, the group reminisces about their revolutionary years at the university and wrestle with the notion that they have grown up and out of their principals. They get drunk, high, argue about philosophies and hook up with each other. I actually think that this is a great time capsule film. The characters perfectly portray the type of upper crust thirty-somethings that you would likely find in the early 80’s. The baby-boomers were working hard to ensure that their liberal social principals wouldn’t clash with their conservative economics. Cocaine helps.

CHEAP THRILLS (2013) 

Directed by E.L. Katz – Streaming on Netflix

Craig (Pat Healy) and Vince (Ethan Embry) are a couple of old punk rock friends that reconnect at a bar after Craig, now settled down, has lost his job and faces an eviction. They happen to meet up with an eccentric couple that introduces them to what turns out to be a potentially lucrative opportunity. All that it will cost them is any sense of decency or morals that they may have left. This film is a lot of fun. Watch it with an old buddy.   

IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD (2016) 

Directed by Xavier Dolan – Streaming on Netflix

Xavier Dolan has a magical habit of directing small family melodramas as though they’re Hitchcockian thrillers. He’s kind of like the anti-Ozu. His filmmaking is manipulative and overwrought and beautiful and at times transcendent. This is one of those times. This film got very understandably mixed reviews. For some reason, those seem to frequently be my favorites.

LAST TRAIN HOME (2009) 

Directed by Lixin Fan – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

There are 130,000,000 migrant workers in China. And they all want to head home to be with their families to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This is exactly the logistical nightmare you would expect for a mass public transit system. Director Lixin Fan takes us on this journey with one family year after year in this heartbreaking documentary. The reunions are short and bittersweet at best, usually more bitter than sweet. Watch this film the next time you start feeling sorry for yourself.

PEPPERMINT CANDY (1999) 

Directed by Lee Chang-dong – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

The reunion here takes place at the beginning of this film but at the end of its story. It is a character piece that is told in reverse chronology by one of my favorite Korean filmmakers. We first see its tragic end, and then we witness all the events that led to our main character’s ultimate demise. This is a very effective way to show how we should feel empathy for Earth’s fellow inhabitants. Someone who may seem calloused and heartless probably wasn’t born that way.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (2008) 

Directed by Jonathan Demme – Streaming on Hulu

Rachel, the titular character of this film, is not the main character. And that is part of the problem. It’s supposed to be her big day but her little sister Kim (Anne Hathaway) has come home from rehab to attend the event. Emotions that the family had been working so hard to suppress seem to have so easily found their way back to the surface. BEAUTIFUL GIRLS director Ted Demme was the nephew of this film’s more prolific filmmaker, Jonathan Demme. Ted passed away back in ’02. Unfortunately, we lost Jonathan earlier this year. If you’re not familiar with his work, this is as good of a place as any to start.

TOKYO STORY (1953) 

Directed by Yasujirō Ozu – Streaming on FilmStruck

This is probably the mother of all art-house family melodramas. An elderly couple comes to visit their children and grandchildren as they enter the twilight of their lives. They find their children to be much less receptive and compassionate than they were hoping for. This film, like much of Ozu’s work, beautifully illustrates how values will always change generationally and just how finite the time we spend with our loved ones can be.