Icarus (2017)

Bryan Fogel had some extraordinary timing. Fogel began by making a film about doping in sports and in the course of his experiment, he is introduced to Grigory Rodchenkov (a reference that suggests Don Catlin was aware of Russia's systemic doping). Rodchenkov admits to some unbelievable things on camera. He is extremely candid with Fogel, and the two of them develop a relatively close relationship. As time goes by, the international community begins to further investigate new allegations into Russia's state sponsored doping program and Rodchenkov finds himself in the middle of the investigation. And then the core of the film really begins. Fogel is instrumental in helping Rodchenkov escape Russia and blow the whistle on the Russian program he had helped to implement. Rodchenkov toes the line between perpetrator and mastermind and our opinion of him changes over the course of the film. The allegations are wild. The movie is suspenseful, engaging and downright incredible. Fogel and Rodchenkov find a brilliant metaphor in George Orwell's 1984, not coincidentally a dystopian portrait of the Soviet Union. It's a really well made documentary, a searing indictment of our system of drug testing.

L'avventura (1960)

I think it's fair to say that I didn't get it. L'avventura is a misnomer. The Adventure implies that there will be some action, but there is none. And I typically don't mind a film that just wanders for a bit, but I had a hard time empathizing with these older upper class Italians. Is the affair the adventure? I think that's sort of misleading.

The premise is that Anna and her lover and their friends go on a cruise to the Aeolian Islands and Sicily, and while they're on this rock of an island, Anna disappears (spoiler alert: never to be found again). They spend a good deal of time looking for her to no avail, but there's a point in the movie, where they basically just give up and that's that. The plot is abandoned for a new plot, with the old plot serving only as pretext to the new one. Look, I get it. She gets replaced by Claudia. But quite frankly, I'm left unconvinced. She is so distraught at losing her friend one moment, and the next she's falling in love with her friend's lover (which I think happens to abruptly), and then abandons the search. They don't follow all the clues they're given. They forget Anna. Sure, I understand that he's highlighting the emptiness and aimlessness of the bourgeoisie, maybe too rich for their own good. I just have a hard time feeling bad for them. I think La Dolce Vita plays with these existentialist themes in a more engaging way.

That is not to detract from Monica Vitti, who is divine. Her character is emotionally complex and she shows it well. Visually, the movie is beautiful.  I know it's a really big deal. Maybe it requires a second viewing. Maybe I just haven't lived enough yet to fully appreciate it. Or maybe I need to join the ranks of the aristocrats to really get it.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Magnificent. It is an epic three hour artistic feast. It is a visually stunning movie, surely to win the long overdue master Roger Deakins an Oscar. The colors! The futuristic production design that borrows from and yet somehow also modernizes the original. The epicness of each frame is enough to take your breath away. If you can't tell, I loved the look of the movie.

But of course, the strength and beauty of Blade Runner (perhaps of science fiction generally) is its ability to ask the tough questions. What does it mean to be human? In my opinion, this movie is a very natural sequel to the original. It builds off the established themes and pushes the boundary to the next logical steps. The character, less obviously but very effectively, advances this question of humanity. She is a computer program, pure software. She obeys orders. She is made to order. But does her capacity to love make her human? Does the capacity to love make a replicant more human? Does the ability to reproduce make you human? Is there a more abstract idea of a soul that makes us human? It asks the tough philosophical questions.

Denis Villeneuve has proven himself a phenomenal director of science fiction following Arrival. And in the same style, he has a way with reveals that shocks the audience. I won't give that bit away, but the reveal allows the viewer to discover another theme, and that is insignificance. We may find ourselves very important, but is it possible that our stories are insignificant in the arc of history? It's this willingness to tackle grandiose ideas that makes this sweeping movie a pure epic.

The Big Sick (2017)

There's a few really great things going on in The Big Sick that just make you smile. Let's start with the obvious, we need more Asian-American stories in American cinema. South Asian men like Kumail Nanjiani and Aziz Ansari have broken the white stranglehold on rom-coms. Kumail is a fully developed character who must navigate his own heritage and underlying racism to get the girl. I think part of the reason the film lands so well with the audience is that it is based on a real, honest, autobiographical story. It is believable because it is never trying to simply make a statement. It's not a soapbox movie about racism, it's a love story. Kumail is likable, relatable, desirable--so the audience easily empathizes with him. The movie is intelligent and it brings freshness to the rather staid genre. It is rounded out by excellent performances from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano (it's nice to see him again). 

Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes (2017)

Mike Birbiglia is a pretty funny guy. I was prompted to watch his latest stand up special because Michelle invited me to see him live at the Warner Theater. He's quite good in person. He has very good timing. And his special makes me laugh. He does a bit about being late; the punch line is that there is an infinite amount of time you can be on time, so there is really no excuse to be late (we were almost late, of course). The bit extends the whole set, and he muses that humanity is divided between on-time people and late people. He's a good story teller. And he's quite likable. He's not my favorite, that title belongs to John Mulaney and Tig Notaro, but I'm excited to see what he does next.