Sully (2016)

I really like that the film is not all about the landing on the Hudson. It's not even really a pivotal point of the movie. We start after the incident. And see it only in flashbacks, albeit several times. The bulk of the movie is in the unglamorous, no frills NTSB hearings. The movie is more properly about Sully than about the Miracle on the Hudson. It is about the internal struggle he faces post-trauma. Tom Hanks portrays a calm, low-key everyday hero, reminding me of Captain Philips. It is very much a Tom Hanks-kind of character. He does good ole American hero well. 

The Jungle Book (2016)

I feel like this film is the next era in computer graphics. Disney did it in 1946 bringing the animated characters in Song of the South to the live-action world. Here, they place Mowgli in a computer-generated jungle full of computer-generated animals and wonders. Nothing else in this movie is real, but you wouldn't be able to tell. In that respect, The Jungle Book is very impressive.

Favreau creates his own enthralling world such that he doesn't need to hearken back to the original. It is all his own, though he sometimes tries to remind us. This Jungle Book is a lot scarier and less fun than the one I remember. And Mowgli is a lot more annoying than I remember, too. I kind of couldn't get over it. The iconic Bare Necessities sequence was strange to put it plainly with Bill Murray as Baloo. Actually, his portrayal of Baloo and his relationship with Mowgli reminded me of St. Vincent. Don't think that was intentional, but Murray sort of plays it the same way.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

This has been an excellent year for animation, and in an off-year for Pixar at that (Finding Dory was good but uninspiring). And amid all these excellent animations, this one is surely the most beautifully done. This stop motion has some very impressive visuals, and it is rightly on the shortlist for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects It plays on the theme of origami and you could only imagine how difficult it must be to do stop motion in origami. There is a seamless combination with computer generation that you legitimately cannot even tell the difference.

On top of that, I love the music. Kubo plays his two-stringed instrument with magic powers. The Italian translation incorrectly titles the film Kubo and the Magic Sword, but it's not about the sword at all. What makes it so special is that his weapon is a beautiful cultural instrument. This film embraces Japanese culture and puts it on display in a beautiful homage.

The imaginative story is wonderfully complex, and unexpectedly sad and powerful. The range of emotion is Pixar-level, bombarding these kids with more than might understand. Maybe Laika will pick up the torch of creativity where Pixar left it and become the new cornerstone for the medium.

Snowden (2016)

Edward Snowden's saga has been well documented, thanks to the efforts of Snowden himself. It will be redone many times. It's an enthralling tale. I don't think any account will match up to Citizenfour. But this dramatization does an excellent job of painting Snowden as a patriot. Having seen all these different accounts over the last several years, I've gone back and forth on the issue. I constantly ask myself, would I be able to work for the NSA, or for the intelligence community generally? And I honestly have not arrived at an answer yet. I am really unsure about how I feel about the NSA's questionable efforts to enhance our safety. This film actually had the opposite effect of what I imagine was intended. It gives the impression that Snowden did the right thing and it did that. But I actually felt more inclined to join the intelligence community. It looked like they were doing important, cutting edge work. Some methods are better than others, but on the whole it is positive. Even if their morals are debatable, Stone does not undercut the work that the NSA does, in my view (though he might've been trying to). And although he disagrees with their methods, we know that Snowden has always maintained that it was for the public to decide, they simply had the right to know and make an educated decision. He's a humble bragger--that certainly comes across. Well done, JGL.

The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) (2013)

Paolo Sorrentino's Oscar-winner is beautiful as always. He knows how to take breathtaking shots. The typical criticism of his films is that though they are gorgeous, they are empty, void of meaning. This film does not have that problem. There is definitely something there, though that something is, ironically enough, emptiness. It is not always immediately clear to me though. This film supposedly captured the contemporary zeitgeist of Berlusconi's glamorous Rome. In that sense it is almost pseudo-anthropological in that it captures the essence a people in a specific period, but it is made up. That being said, I appreciate that it is a beautiful, well-made film. Did I enjoy watching it though? It was 2.5 hours! To be honest, it was an overload to the senses, if you ask me. 

Show Me a Hero (2016)

This miniseries from the master David Simon is gripping. He exceeds at crafting and developing characters on all ends of the spectrum. He depicts life in Yonkers from the upper-class white side to the lower-class black side in public housing and then the integrated neighborhoods with the new contentious public housing. It matters that Simon's stories are inspired by real life. He is depicting a real slice of life in America, at times mundane but always real. When people want to see raw everyday America, they would do well to turn to Simon.

The choice of music is very fitting. For the most part, it's not performed music (diagetic) like in Treme. But it features lots of Bruce Springsteen in the Oscar Isaac scenes. And period hip hop in the projects scenes.

It is a timely story about race. They always are about race, actually. But this is very explicit. It is a true story about opposition to building federally mandated public housing in Yonkers, NY in the late 80s. Yes, recent racism in NY. It existed and exists today. You are made to see everyone's side of the story. Oscar Isaac plays the young mayor. He is always excellent, really inhabiting the life of this "hero." My favorite were the first few episodes with the nitty gritty local politics. But the development of Catherine Keener's character was also really engaging. The opening scene is also the ending scene, and while I kind of saw it coming, I was genuinely shaken by it. 

Sing Street (2016)

John Carney is really just magical. He knows how to make charming musicals about making music. They're always really touching. His depiction of love is beautiful and real. It's about hope and joy and taking chances and being young.  And the original music is genuinely good. "Drive It Like You Stole It" is in my playlist now. The cast is lovable, their 80s Dublin costumes are hilarious, and you really root for them. At the end, I found myself inexplicably attached to these characters. I must admit that I wasn't even really paying much attention while watching this movie, but somehow they still hooked me. 

Suspiria (1977)

We watched Suspiria as the first screening in our Cinema Society at SAIS Europe. Without knowing anything about the film, it was abundantly clear that this movie was the inspiration for Neon Demon, which I saw at Cannes. Neon Demon was terrible, but the one thing I remember that I liked about it was its use of color and light. And it borrows that directly from Argento. He uses colored lights to create this artificial look that enhances the horror. I don't really like horror, and I still don't really like horror, but I appreciate style. And while the plot is thin and shallow, it is certainly stylish. The production design of this ballet academy is so distinctive with the solid colors. It is a gory film, so there's obviously lots of red. The creepy musical theme is still haunting me.

One really bizarre thing for me was the dubbing. It is in Italian but the actors aren't all Italian, so the film is dubbed into Italian, despite being a native Italian film. I really can't get over the dubbing. I can accept it in animations when you don't have real mouths, but it just looks so unnatural. 

Inferno (2016)

We saw Inferno at the Cineteca di Bologna, because unlike in the rest of Italy where they dub foreign films, they show films in their original language there. They have some respect for movies there. The Cineteca is world renowned for its film restoration and its rich film archive. It's also really cheap to see a movie there. Even though it's clear on the other side of the city, it's worth going there.

Inferno opened in Italy before it opened in the US, presumably because it was all filmed in Italy. And it is very evident. The movie is basically an extended tourism commercial for Florence. And when I went to Florence a few weeks ago, I was walking around recognizing places from the movie. And it's beautiful and lovely. So...it worked!

The movie itself was alright if you can get over the whole product placement thing. I felt like there was some inconsistency with the plot. The treasure hunt clues were certainly not as airtight as National Treasure. I haven't seen DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons, but I'm going to assume those have consistent treasure maps too. Who left these clues for whom and how did we find them? Did we really need that middle clue? Then without spoiling too much, there is a big reveal at the end of the book (according to Will) that does not play out in the movie, though it is sort of hinted to if you've read the book and can pick up on it. And that reveal sort of gives some reasoning and thoughtfulness that was otherwise missing.

They also must've wasted a hell of a lot of money on special effects for the opening scene depicting Inferno. It is wholly unnecessary and adds absolutely nothing to the plot. 

Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping (2016)

It was pretty funny, but nowadays there is so much great stand-up that doesn't just rely on crudeness and sex that this was really nothing special. It definitely should not have won the Emmy over Jon Mulaney and Tig Notaro, my two personal favorites that have genuinely funny material. Especially when there is some really boundary pushing comedy out there, like Amy Schumer, how could Patton Oswalt's tired comedy win? It's funny but we've seen it before. I guess it was the safe/comfortable vote.

Captain Fantastic (2016)

I missed this one when I was at Cannes. And I'm very glad I finally got around to it, because it is incredible. Viggo Mortensen plays the anti-capitalist patriarch of a family that lives deep in the wilderness. They have survival skills and in-depth knowledge about very specific things, including philosophy and the US Constitution. But they struggle to reintegrate into society lacking "normalcy." Is normalcy a good thing? With a thought provoking screenplay and commanding performances, it is an excellent film. And there is a big splash of family drama and emotion to make you feel for these characters. It's really touching.

13th (2016)

This much needed documentary is very well done. It is a documentary for our contentious times. Ava Duvernay's direction is evident in the beautifully shot talking head interviews. They are sometimes in the traditional rule of thirds, and sometimes dead in the center staring straight down the camera. And they are accompanied by well-made, non-cheesy graphics.  She speaks to some of the most eminent scholars and activists to tell the story of African Americans. One of the scholars she features is Michelle Alexander and rightly so, because the film is essentially a film version of  her seminal work: "The New Jim Crow." I read that book in my sophomore year and it completely enlightened my outlook on race in America. What Duvernay adds to the conversation is the last six years of history, of damning evidence. Alexander's book was published in 2010. And to put it plainly, a lot has happened since then. 

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

It was not as mind-blowing as the two previous installments of the reboot, but this is still a very good effort. JJ Abrams can do no wrong. The writing was excellent. It was quite humorous (thanks to Simon Pegg) and also really complex. Being a student of international relations, I have been taking Theories of International Relations. And the plot of this film is essentially the classical debate between realism and liberalism. Of course, the Federation is an interplanetary institution meant to reduce conflict between planets. They are the liberals. That interplanetary organization (and the intricate leadership structure of each starship) is my favorite part of Star Trek. And Idris Elba is the realist. He believes that power is everything. The Federation doesn't work. What's more realist than that?  Spoiler alert: the liberal galactic order wins.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Did we really need this sequel? No, not really. Tim Burton created an amazing vision of Wonderland in the first film. Then he stepped away and the world Disney re-created just wasn't quite as impressive or imaginative. Time Burton created an original story with familiar characters in the first one. The story culminated in an epic battle and was well done. This one just doesn't match up. Even the actors don't seem quite as invested in the project. No one asked for this sequel.

Money Monster (2016)

So I was generally in the same vicinity as George Clooney when I was at Cannes, but I couldn't get in to the premiere screening and I didn't see him but I know he was somewhere there! The movie has a promising premise. A man threatens to kill George Clooney, a Jim Cramer-type character, on live TV after a stock pick he makes collapses. And they slowly, too slowly for a thriller, unravel a conspiracy. I didn't really like the resolution of the film. It was almost satisfying but ultimately the ending was disappointing after the whole buildup.

The Nice Guys (2016)

I missed the premiere screening of The Nice Guys at Cannes, but it got a pretty good reception, if I remember correctly. It's a pretty funny buddy cop mystery movie. It has a sometimes inappropriate, but witty, script. It's better than a Judd Apatow kind of inappropriate, though I can't quite explain why. The movie hearkens back to the 70s with an appropriately fun soundtrack and ridiculous costumes. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have a great buddy chemistry. I guess Ryan Gosling just has good chemistry with everyone. 

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

This movie was pleasantly hilarious. Meryl Streep can basically do no wrong, you can always count on her (Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg are pretty funny too). She plays a rich patron of the arts who thinks she can sing and no one has the heart or the guts to tell her that she can't. Her lack of operatic abilities is astounding. She is so bad that the audience in the film can't help but laugh. And that laughter is infectious. 

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

I saw this movie a couple of months ago. I guess the fact that I can't really remember anything about it is a testament to its mediocrity. I'm getting kind of sick of these Marvel Avengers movies. They are all more or less the same--this one is 2.5 hours of the same. There are just too many superheroes in this movie. It's kind of difficult to care about any one of them when they are so numerous. They introduced a couple characters without any explanation. I'm sure the comic book geeks understood their presence no problem, but I was looking for some introduction. And quite frankly, I don't remember the previous films well enough to follow all of the other story lines either. It's all a big fight. Some cool special effects I guess. I know I had more to say about it two months ago, but I just can't remember anymore.