NOTE: Sorry for my recent inactivity in my writing. I recently concluded my final semester of college and due to finals, was unable to write as frequently as before. But don’t worry, I’m back to my old ways.
February Movie Count: 56
2024 Movie Count: 183
5. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
For years, I’ve felt like watching and possibly liking The Devil Wears Prada would invalidate my imaginary street credit that I have in the film community. Then, I watched it and loved it. And I don’t particularly care who knows that I love it. It’s a killer film that carries similar themes to some of my all time favorite films like Whiplash and Black Swan as it circles the themes of being driven to the point of losing relationships because of passion and features a tyrannical person in the role of the main protagonists superior. The Devil Wears Prada just does it with more humor.
Meryl Streep, one of the most acclaimed actresses ever, delivers what I would call her best performance ever. Don’t get me wrong, she’s fantastic in The Deer Hunter and Adaptation, but she’s unbelievable here. As for Anne Hathaway, she’s okay. I’ve never found her to be an outstanding actress — more middle of the road, and that’s what she is here. What I will note is that it was refreshing to see Adrian Grenier in a role that wasn’t Vincent Chase. I’m a massive fan of Entourage, but when that’s all I knew him from, it was cool seeing him play a different character.
One final note I’ll add is that the soundtrack for this movie is awesome. When a film has a well thought out soundtrack with perfect needle drops, it gets a boost in my book. We get U2, Madonna, and Alanis Morissette tracks that hit with the scenes they accompany. An all-around great film that I’ll be rewatching soon.
4.5/5 Stars
4. Perfect Days (2024)
While I loved Dune: Part Two, my current favorite movie of 2024 is Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days. To start, I found the playlist used by Wenders to be enlightening. It struck the old man in me (pause) as I heard songs like Feeling Good by Nina Simone, Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground, Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding, and Perfect Day by Lou Reed play over moments of Hirayama driving or relaxing in his apartment. It added an extra layer of distinct calmness that the film possesses and makes the viewer feel at ease.
When watching Perfect Days, I saw how it’s not a divisive film, but one that people could deem to be boring because it highlights the muddled beauty in the mundane aspects of life. Hirayama wakes up every morning, brushes his teeth, changes, buys a coffee at the vending machine, goes to work, comes home, eats dinner, reads, and then goes to bed. We see this occur time after time and two things don’t change. His routine and his attitude towards this lifestyle. It’s not like Hirayama desires more in life or dreams of bigger and better. He’s so content with his life, that even his niece living with him in an upending way doesn’t make him change his style. I love that.
4.5/5 Stars
3. I Saw The Devil (2010)
Revenge cinema is a distinct genre that’s created some of my all-time favorite films: Oldboy, The Killer, Gladiator, Django Unchained. You get the gist. I Saw The Devil adds to my love for the genre as it’s a clear cut take on revenge. Party A, Kyung-chul, murders the fiance of Party B, Kim Soo-hyeon, and all hell breaks loose as Kim Soo-hyeon doesn’t just track down Kyung-chul, but he continuously tortures him in the process of this Korean cat and mouse game. In the same vein as Oldboy, I Saw The Devil is gruesome to the point where it’ll make your stomach turn as there’s be-headings, moments where characters walk on sharp objects, and a scene including the action of swallowing a tracker that’s embedded in my brain.
Pacing wise, Kim Jee-woon does a great job keeping the viewer roped into the film as there’s important moments at every turn that are equal parts pivotal and volatile in regards to the plot. At 144 minutes, I Saw The Devil feels like it flies by in the blink of an eye. You find yourself captivated by a characters’ desire to get vengeance and another characters lust for killing. It’s brilliant.
5/5 Stars
2. All That Jazz (1979)
I purchased the Criterion Collection version of All That Jazz a few months ago, but never got around to watching it. I’d look at it and say “I’ll watch it someday“, then pop Vision Quest or Do The Right Thing into my PS4 and rewatch them. In March, I got around to watching All That Jazz and was glad I did. Bob Fosse’s exploration of life and death through the under the auspices of addiction to your work and to a destructive lifestyle is a masterpiece film. It truly stands as a landmark film of the 70s.
The performance given by Roy Scheider, much like the film itself, was masterful. It’s one of my 10 or 15 favorite performances of all-time, and that’s a list filled with performances pertaining to obsession — Miles Teller in Whiplash, Natalie Portman in Black Swan. Scheider carries a raw charm and flare through his rugged confidence to the screen in this. Whether it’s him flirting with nurses on his deathbed or dancing with those auditioning for his plays, you felt his energy vibrate through your television. Coupling his performance with musical numbers, that truly walked for La La Land to run, and you have a film that feels almost comforting to me. While it remarks on death in an unsavory way, it feels almost relaxing to the soul.
5/5 Stars
1. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
What’s not to like about Everybody Wants Some!!? It’s Dazed and Confused with a college baseball team as the backdrop while needle drops from Pat Benatar, Dire Straits, The Knack, and The Sugarhill Gang play. Glen Powell smokes from a pipe. And Richard Linklater does an unbelievable job showcasing what it’s like to be on a college athletics team. He nails the debauchery of locker room antics and hits on what it’s like to have an upperclassmen take you under their wing as a freshman. Not many movies can be equal parts fun and portray a college athletics team as well as Everybody Wants Some!!.
With a runtime just south of two hours long, Linklater, much like he does in films like Fast Food Nation and School of Rock, assembles a large cast where each of the actors make an impact on the film. That makes it where if you asked ten viewers who their favorite character was, you’ll get ten different answers. That’s also because all of the characters are extremely different despite having the common denominator of being on this college baseball team. Wyatt Russell’s character is a stoner who loves his vinyls. Blake Jenner’s character is a wide-eyed freshman with huge aspirations. Juston Street plays an out of control, maniac bragger. Whoever you identify with, you’ll find a character in Everybody Wants Some!!.
5/5 Stars
