I think it's safe for me to say that every single movie blogger out there has already talked about those 2018 movies he/she thinks were the best of the year. It's almost April, after all. Then there's me who has been trying, for the past couple of months, to watch all those 2018 releases that, for a reason or another, slipped under her radar, and then has kept postponing writing because watching movies and binging new series required so much less energy.
Anyways, I decided to focus on the positive things this year so, instead of my usual best & worst of the year post, I'm doing a best ofthe year post only. Moreover, bad films and bad performances don't deserve extra attention.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 films of 2018
PS It was so difficult to do this this year because I've seen so many very good films but very little great ones.
I was pretty excited about this because of half-naked Chris Hemsworth and the intriguing promotional material. The reviews weren't that good though so when I finally watched it I was expecting to dislike it. On the contrary, I loved it. The twists and turns aren't always surprising but overall the story is compelling and engaging, so are the characters and the performances, and the cinematography is gorgeous.
I was not planning on seeing this as I'm not a fan of horrors, but I eventually checked it out because of the great reviews. And I loved it. Although the ending did not satisfy me, overall the story is so engaging and compelling, that turn really wowed me —Milly Shapiro's performance has been praised so much I was expecting her to be around more. And it has some of the year's best performances, Toni Collette and Alex Wolff's.
Young Adult, the other Jason Reitman film starring Charlize Theron, was not my cup of tea. I decided to check out this anyway because Theron is a great actress and I was not disappointed. It's not only Theron though that does a wonderful job here as Mackenzie Davis also gives a terrific performance, and the dialogue is so clever and humorous.
I'm not the greatest fan of action flicks and yet I love the Mission: Impossible franchise. I don't know how they do it, but every time they make a new film, it's always better, greater than its predecessor, and this is no different. It's got a complex plot, especially for an action flick, the character of Ethan Hunt is developed even further, the action is spectacular, and Tom Cruise yet again proves he is immortal.
I don't know why, but this wasn't promoted at all in my country. I first heard of it on Twitter and checked for the release date only to find out it already was in cinemas and went as soon as I could. And I'm glad I did because it's literally impossible to have silence in my place so I'm yet to rewatch this. Anyways, this is such a thrilling and suspenseful horror that focuses on the human characters instead of the monsters. And for the first time ever, I cared about horror movie characters. I was so invested in them, I cried.
I love Damien Chazelle but I had some reservations about it because of the not so interesting lot and the negative reviews I had read. Needless to say, I loved it. It is a fantastic character study of a man who isolated himself from the world and Ryan Gosling gives such a vulnerable performance filled with pain and feelings. Also, it's visually stunning and Justin Hurwitz's score is perfect.
I added this on my watchlist because of Ethan Hawke but I would have probably never watched it if it wasn't for Big Screen Small Words. Anyways, this is such a charming little film with clever and witty dialogue, relatable drama, terrific performances, and, most of all, a sweet love story that also deals with parenting, second chances and finding one's true self.
The foreign language movie that deserved the Best Picture nominee instead of BoreRoma, this is the most thought-provoking 2018 release I've seen. It's a complex film that really delves into the nature versus nurture debate, that explores ethical doubts and delivers the real meaning of family and love.
Western is another genre I'm not the biggest fan of and yet here it is, a western anthology in second place. What can I tell you, the Coen brothers know what they are doing. The six stories are so diverse —some are very humorous, some others are dark and dramatic— and yet all beautifully told and engaging. The characters are shallow and yet they feel real, the performances are great, and Tim Blake Nelson sings some pretty catchy songs.
I was not planning on watching this as it looked so cheesy from the trailer and I'm not into musicals anyways. But it got so many positive reviews, even from people who didn't like the trailer, so I gave it a chance. And boy, I'm glad I did because this is one of the most devastating films I've seen. Sure, the story is predictable but it's so powerful, the performances are spectacular, the chemistry between Cooper and Gaga is terrific, and the soundtrack is fantastic. Also, it made me cry. For ten minutes. And I'm not even a crier.
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Cooper gives the performance of his career as Jackson Maine and captures the struggles, pain and jelousy of a once-great musician in decline because of alcohol and drugs to perfection.
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Her performance is so sweet, charming and genuine, you instantly fall in love with Allie. Her singing is flawless, of course, but it's at providing the character with emotional depth that she really excels.
Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
With a character that doesn't have a lot of depth and development, Grant' gives an incredibly charismatic, genuine and believable performance as he embodies the insecure agent of chaos to perfection and steals the show from McCarthy.
Best Supporting Actress: Toni Collette, Hereditary
Collette's performance is so intense, it gets scary. But she also shows so much vulnerability.
Paul Dano's directorial debut, co-written with his wife Zoe Kazan, it's a gripping coming-of-age as well as a great portrayal of a woman's existential crisis, with great characters, great performances, and gorgeous cinematography.
Best line: Shoplifters
Giving birth automatically makes you a mother? - Nobuyo (Sakura Ando)
I was about eight when I first heard of Eminem and fell in love with his music. I didn't understand the lyrics as I didn't speak English at the time, but I loved them nevertheless. So I was pretty excited when 8 Mile aired on TV a year later —no way my parents would bring me to see this. Also, I doubt my tiny town showed this— and I loved it. I rewatched it many times over the years, I rewatched it now and I still love it.
Set in 1995 Detroit, the story follows Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem), a young, unhappy white blue-collar worker who, after breaking up with his girlfriend (Taryn Manning), returns to his mother's (Kim Basinger) trailer park home and her young boyfriend (Michael Shannon). While struggling in every single aspect of his life, he tries to make a name for himself in the African-American dominated underworld hip-hop world.
There's no secret that this is a loose adaptation of Eminem's rise from the ghetto of Detroit as there are many parallels between the rapper's roots and aspirations and that of Jimmy. That said, it's still a fictional story, an interesting, compelling and rather inspirational one about dreams and hard work and not settling for what you can have because it's easier but fight for what you want. It still has its flaws as it's pretty formulaic and predictable and the romantic subplot involving Brittany Murphy doesn't really go anywhere, but overall it's gripping and enjoyable.
The characters, on the other hand, are a bit of a letdown. In fact, while Jimmy is decently written and comes across as a decent, regular guy who is trying to survive and make his dream come true, and his alcoholic, miserable and abusive mother, Stephanie, has more humanity and likeability than expected and their crumbling relationship is quite compelling, the rest of the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes with no development whatsoever —the member of the rival gang led by Anthony Mackie's Papa Doc are completely devoid of personality. Brittany Murphy's Alex does have a bit more dimension and depth but the way they developed the character is awful. Also, it makes no sense for Jimmy's ex-girlfriend, Janeane, to be in the film.
Universal Pictures
As for the performances, Kim Basinger gives a solid performance as the white trash mother, and Michael Shannon kind of steals the show as Stephenie's lazy boyfriend, but the standout, believe it or not, is Eminem. While it's not an Oscar-worthy performance as he's basically playing a fictionalized version of himself, he gives the character depth and complexity and makes him likeable.
L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson does a nice job as he infuses the film with a gritty, dark atmosphere and the cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto enhances it and gives the film more authenticity. The soundtrack, which includes Oscar-winning "Lose Yourself", is fantastic —but of course, you have to like the genre to enjoy it.
February is always a light month due to TCM's annual 31 Days of Oscar. I decided to do a little counting and discovered that out of the 319 films shown this month I have already seen 122 films, I am not interested (at least at this time) in watching 126 films, I want to (eventually) see 71 films, and out of those films I watched 15 of them.
A Free Soul (1931) - Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard
Morning Glory (1933) - Katharine Hepburn, Adolph Menjou, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Lost Horizon (1937) - Ronald Colman & Jane Wyatt, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton
The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) - Gary Cooper & Merle Oberon, Patsy Kelly, Walter Brennan
Gulliver's Travels (1939) - Sam Parker, Tedd Pierce, Jack Mercer, Pinto Colvig
Brother Orchid (1940) - Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sothern, Humphrey Bogart, Ralph Bellamy, Donald Crisp, Cecil Kellaway
Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) - Martha Scott, Marsha Hunt
*Random Harvest (1942) - Ronald Colman & Greer Garson, Susan Peters
The Yellow Cab Man (1950) - Red Skelton, Edward Arnold, James Gleason
*We’re No Angels (1955) - Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Basil Rathbone, Joan Bennett
Sayonara (1957) - Marlon Brando, Red Buttons, James Garner, Kent Smith, Martha Scott
The Mating Game (1959) - Debbie Reynolds & Tony Randall, Paul Douglas, Una Merkel
The Grass is Greener (1960) - Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Cary Grant
Big Red (1962) - Walter Pidgeon
Billy Budd (1962) - Peter Ustinov, Robert Ryan, Terence Stamp
The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1974) - Jack Lemmon & Ann Bancroft
Notes: The Cowboy and the Lady was delightful - loved the charade scene at the new house, I wasn't wild on The Mating Game though I liked Randall in it, The Grass is Greener was pretty disappointing for such a stellar cast, the kid in Big Red was kind of annoying, and Terence Stamp was great as Billy Budd.
One of the films I was excited about was Sadie Thompson (1928) starring Gloria Swanson. Swanson is one of those actresses you feel you know but have only seen in one iconic film. I recently watched the movie she made prior to Sunset Boulevard (1950), Father Takes a Wife (1941), after being away from films for 7 years. I felt I needed to see her in a Silent film. I have already seen the 1953 version with Rita Hayworth so I was already familiar with the story. It was a tad slow at first but I got really into it near the end and was a little frustrated that the climax was lost and had to be conveyed through stills and dialogue frames. Swanson gave an incredible performance and I highly encourage all of you to keep an eye out for it.
My biggest obsession of the month has been Lost Horizon (1937) and with it a new appreciation for Ronald Colman. I also discovered that Lost Horizon was based on a book of the same name written by James Hilton who also wrote the books upon which the films Random Harvest (1942) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) were based, both of which I love. And so of course I had to rewatch Random Harvest and then check out all three books from the library. I read Mr. Chips in an evening as it's very short. Lost Horizon, though it had some character changes, was every bit as good as the book (helped by the fact that I could hear Colman's voice as I read it). And now I'm reading Random Harvest. It's a little confusing as the first part has a different character as narrator and it's in a different order than the movie, but so far I'm enjoying it as well. I've discovered also that Knight Without Armour (1937) is based on a Hilton book but to read it I will have to buy it. I also learned that there are two more movies based on Hilton books that I will be keeping and eye out for. He also wrote a biography on Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, which I can surprisingly get from my library. I probably should have just done a whole post on James Hilton... :)
Three years ago, when Virginie of The Wonderful World of Cinema and Crystal of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood hosted the first ever Marathon Stars Blogathon, I struggled to think of movie stars that I had seen less than three films in. There were of course a few stars that I, at the time, had no interest in that I could have chosen, but I wanted my marathon to be enjoyable and not a chore. And so, as a Classic Movie Fan who hadn't yet seen Gone With the Wind in its entirety, I chose Vivien Leigh.
The blogathon however had started me thinking and I made as thorough a list as possible of stars I had seen only three films are less. This is what I came up with in 2016:
Since then I have crossed off many names as well as added more stars as they came to my attention. You may notice there are few stars known primarily for Silent Movies. However, they are mostly the big name ones that have remained in the public's mind for close to a century. There are of course many more that I have never heard of but, at some point and time, surely will whenever I begin to delve more deeply into that period of filmmaking (which may be soon as I've discovered several of William Powell's and Ronald Colman's silent films online). And so, here is the list as it appears today:
When Virginie and Crystal announced the Second Annual Marathon Stars Blogathon, now also joined by Samantha of Musings of a Classic Film Addict, I pulled out my handy chart and decided who it was that I wanted to explore and whose films I had fast access too. Since I already had one Douglas Fairbanks Jr. film in my TCM queue, and since I was planning on checking out The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) for my current Ronald Colman obsession (sadly/not sadly I had already seen 4+ films of Colmans), I knew who my subject would be.
"Oh I think you'll discover that I'm much more than a pretty face!"
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was under the 2 Films category: the classic Gunga Din (1939) and Having Wonderful Time (1938). I love Gunga Din but it is definitely Cary Grant's movie. I watched Having Wonderful Time last year and enjoyed it but it didn't make any kind of impression on me. However, from the first two films I watched for this marathon, I immediately came to appreciate the acting ability of DFJ (as I will refer to him for the rest of the post), and see him in a variety of genre's and roles. Here are the films in the order I viewed them in (I'm focusing on DFJ's performance rather than the plots):
Morning Glory (1933) - This film is really about Katharine Hepburn (she won her first Oscar for her performance) but DFJ holds his own against the new star with his tender, quiet, and thoughtful performance.
Here are some DFJ's memories of the film (from I Know Where I'm Going: Katharine Hepburn, a Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler):
"They showed me some photos of her [Hepburn], saying she had very unconventional looks. They said it rather apologetically, because she certainly didn't look like everyone else, or even anyone else. I thought she was beautiful. I hoped it wouldn't just be an example of those touched-up pictures the studio specialized in. I hoped she would look just like those pictures when I met her. Well, she didn't look just like them. She was even more beautiful.
"The moment I met Kate, I fell madly in love with her. In those days I fell madly in love rather easily. I found her adorable and I adored her.
"There were some people who said she wasn't beautiful. Well, they needed vision tests and new glasses.
"Adolphe Menjou and I were with her in the film, and we were asked to help her out as much as we could. She won the Oscar.
"The original script for Morning Glory, included the fantasy dream sequence in which Miss Hepburn and I would play at least two scenes, and possibly a third, of the greatest scenes between Romeo and Juliet. That certainly intrigued and tempted me. It seemed a unique opportunity for me to play Romeo, a dream part.
"She was wonderful to play with in our Romeo and Juliet scenes. Every time I tried to work my thin frame into my tights, I wasn't certain I'd make it. I tried to stop eating much. Then, I tried to stop eating at all. Unfortunately, the more I tried to stop eating, the hungrier I felt and the more I thought about not eating, the more I ate and the tighter my tights got. I tried every position to enter them, including lying on the floor with my legs in the air. There was no lock on the door, and I got caught once. Someone opened the door, but I was too busy trying to extricate myself from one leg of the tights to see who it was. The person was too embarrassed by the sight to linger.
"We did the scenes from Romeo and Juliet for small invited audiences, and we both felt we were 'of the theater.' "
Kate's memories on her favorite scene:
"a great scene in the film which no one saw because it was cut out. It's my favorite and it's Douglas's too. It was from Romeo and Juliet. Douglas was Romeo and one guess who was Juliet.
"It was done like a dream. We were both very good, but Douglas was better than I. He looked more like Romeo than I looked like Juliet.
"I like the picture, but the most wonderful thing I got out of it was Douglas, a dear, dear friend throughout my life."
I certainly wish that scene had been left in the picture! There was a scene where the two recite a few lines and it was one of the best parts of the film (see a snippet above). And the fact that DFJ was in love with Hepburn but she didn't really love him back in the same way, really came across in their scenes together in the film. My favorite moment is when Hepburn's character touches his hand and walks away, and he tenderly touches his hand where hers had been. You can watch it below.
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) - I've already seen the shot-for-shot 1952 remake starring Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, and James Mason (I've never understood the appeal of Granger - most of his films I've seen were viewed for his leading ladies). While it was very good I enjoyed this one, starring Ronald Colman and Madeleine Carroll, much more.
DFJ was absolutely perfect for the role of the swashbuckling villain. He wasn't sure he wanted to be a supporting player to Colman so he sought out his famous father's advise. Douglas Fairbanks Sr. told him that ""not only is The Prisoner of Zenda one of the best romances written in a hundred years and always a success, but Rupert of Hentzau is probably one of the best villains ever written" (The Salad Days: An Autobiography, DFJ). DFJ's devil-may-care approach to the character makes his the showiest part of the film. See all my screenshots on my blog facebook page.
The Power of the Press (1928) - I wanted to make sure I covered a wider selection of DFJ's filmography so I was happy to find The Power of the Press (1928) directed by Frank Capra online. It shouldn't surprise anyone that a Capra film is set at a newspaper office. DFJ writes the weather for the paper but wants to do more. There's a humorous scene where he writes a flowery description of the weather and shows it to the editor saying, "If you change a word of it you'll ruin it." The editor then proceeds to cross out everything but the initial forecast.
DFJ's chance comes when the paper gets a call about the murder of the District Attorney and there are no other reporters in the office to send to the scene of the crime. DFJ gets a scoop and is a big man at the office until it is proven wrong. He is fired but doesn't let that stop him from solving the crime himself.
There's a fascinating sequence that shows how the front page is changed when a scoop comes through, from typewriter to printed paper. It is very Capra (as well as his last silent film). In Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success by Joseph McBride, it mentions that "former paperboy and Los Angeles Times stuffer" DFJ was able to "indulge vicariously his fleeting youthful ambition of becoming a reporter (201)."
A brief biography:
Born Dec. 9, 1909. Son of famous actor Douglas Fairbanks (he added narration to one of father's silent films). His stepmother was famous silent actress Mary Pickford. Pickford and Fairbanks instituted the Academy Awards. Married to Joan Crawford from 1929-1934 (divorce, no children). He held the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit with V for valor in combat device from the U.S. government for his combat service in PT boats and gunboats. Was awarded the British Distinguished Service Cross, the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre with Palm for his services during World War II. Created an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1949. Has 100 acting credits. Died May 7, 2000 of a heart attack.
The New Year has started off with some pretty good movies! Here's my usual list and, if you keep scrolling I've written mini-reviews for some of the films (was going to do all of them as I went along but got "behind")!
Dust Be My Destiny (1939) - John Garfield & Priscilla Lane
Over the Moon (1940) - Merle Oberon & Rex Harrison
Midnight Shadow (1940) - Frances Redd, Buck Woods, Richard Bates (all African American cast)
The Body Disappears (1941) - Jeffrey Lynn & Jane Wyman, Edward Everett Horton
Keeper of the Flame (1942) - Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Daryl Hickman
In Our Time (1944) - Paul Henreid & Ida Lupino
The Sea of Grass (1947) - Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Melvyn Douglas, Harry Carey, Robert Walker, Phyllis Thaxter
Big City (1948) - Margaret O’Brien, George Murphy, Danny Thomas
John Loves Mary (1949) - Ronald Reagan & Patricia Neal, Jack Carson, Edward Arnold, Wayne Morris
*Battleground (1949) Van Johnson, Marshall Thompson, George Murphy, Ricardo Montalban
Border Incident (1949) - Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy
Right Cross (1950) - Ricardo Montalban & June Allyson, Dick Powell, Lionel Barrymore, Marilyn Monroe
The Tall Target (1951) - Dick Powell, Adolph Menjou, Marshall Thompson
Macao (1952) - Robert Mitchum & Jane Russell, William Bendix
The Caine Mutiny (1954) - Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray
Gaby (1956) - Leslie Caron & John Kerr
Operation Mad Ball (1957) - Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs
The Proud Rebel (1958) - Alan Ladd, David Ladd, Olivia de Havilland, Dean Jagger, Cecil Kellaway
Cactus Flower (1969) - Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn
Catlow (1971) - Yul Bryner, Richard Crenna, Leonard Nimoy
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) - Brendan Frasier
The Little Mermaid (2018) - William Moseley, Shirley MacLaine, Claire Crosby
James Stewart, Robert Mitchum: The Two Faces of America (2017) - documentary (very good!)
A few notes: the lead actress in Midnight Shadow was the worst actor in the entire movie, The Body Disappears was surprisingly delightful, Ida Lupino was a strange choice for In Our Time - it was much more a Joan Fontaine type of role, Patricia Neal's performance in John Loves Mary made me think of Eleanor Parker, finally got my brother to watch Battleground, Border Incident definitely gives one food for thought, Gaby lacked the emotional impact of Waterloo Bridge, The Proud Rebel made me weep, I LOVED Bergman in Cactus Flower - definitely doing "the dentist" at my next dance, the third Mummy movie desperately needed Rachel Weisz and once the yeti appeared I was done...
Mini-Reviews
1. The Tall Target (1951) - When it's a Caftan Woman recommendation you know it's going to be good. While aboard a train Dick Powell tries to stop an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln who is on his way to give his inaugural address. It reminded me of something that could happen on Timeless (if you follow me on twitter you're definitely aware of the twice-cancelled show saved by the fans to a satisfying conclusion wrap-up movie) but without the time travel. I thought the way it was filmed was interesting, especially the tracking shots following Powell up and down the train. Look out for Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver) as a passenger!
2. Right Cross (1950) - Last year I watched Battleground (1949) and Mystery Street (1950) for the first time and discovered that Ricardo Montalban was more than just a "Latin Lover." When I saw he was in this movie and that there was boxing involved - I'm a big fan of Rocky (1976) - I thought I'd give it a go. Up until the match at the end was pretty good - a rare on-screen inter-racial romance, a secret and probably career-ending injury, and a mind battle between racial prejudices. The main weak link for me was June Allyson as Montalban's chemistry. They had no chemistry and she just didn't quite seem right for the role, except in her scenes with real-life husband Dick Powell - no lack of chemistry in those scenes! The thing that made the film change from fair to wow for me was the final boxing match. I'm no expert but I thought it was masterfully choreographed and shot and it appears that it was actually Montalban throughout the entire scene. It was well worth a watch. Montalban looked pretty good too ;)
3. Keeper of the Flame (1942) - A public figure beloved the world over dies in a freak car accident. Spencer Tracy, an investigative reporter, comes back from covering the war in Germany to write the story of his life. He finds difficulty in trying to see the widow, Mrs. Forrestt (Katharine Hepburn), yet once inside finds the atmosphere to be very mysterious. Everyone seems to be hiding something, from Mrs. Forrestt herself to the gatekeeper. The film is engrossing, moody, full of suspicions and queer characters. Throw in a little WWII propaganda and you've got yourself a top-notch film.
It's a pity how easily people can be fooled.
4. The Sea of Grass (1947) - Another Tracy/Hepburn film. The first half was interesting, the second half was tiresome (bull-headed Tracy is my least favorite Tracy), and the end had me in tears.
5. The Little Mermaid (2018) - Knew about this film from my favorite Youtube family, the Crosbys. Their oldest daughter Claire, who has been on the Ellen DeGeneres Show multiple times, is an amazing little singer and her and her siblings are adorable. She has a very small part in this film, which had an intriguing premise but not the best acting - the villain wasn't scary at all. Shirley MacLaine was in it though! It's on Netflix.
6. Catlow (1971) - I didn't watch a single film from the 70s last year but I was intrigued with the cast of this Western: Richard Crenna (Our Miss Brooks) and Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, with Yul Brynner in the title role. The first 30 minutes felt very much like a John Wayne movie. However, there were a lot of different things going on in the movie which made it feel somewhat episodic: stolen mavericks, Indian attacks, a party with a grateful Mexican family, gold, and a bounty hunter. WARNING: There was scene in which Nimoy was completely nude, which I did not know going into the movie. However, I was able to guess when it was about to happen and, when you're watching on an ipad it's easy to cover the screen with your hands ;)
I wrote a few more reviews by hand but no longer feel like typing them up...
I don't remember why I was drawn to Little Miss Sunshine when I first watched —it was probably on some list featuring dark comedies—, all I know is that I ended up loving this quirky road trip indie movie, and I loved it every single other time I watched it over the years. It's quite embarrassing that I've never written about it, so here it is.
Just in case you are not familiar with this —I'm judging you if you are not though—, the story follows the Hoovers, a dysfunctional family composed of Richard (Greg Kinnear), his wife, Sheryl (Toni Collette), his father, Edwin (Alan Arkin), his brother-in-law, Frank (Steve Carell), his step-son, Dwayne (Paul Dano), and his daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin). When Olive qualifies for the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, the family goes on a road trip on their old Volkswagen bus to take her to the contest.
The story certainly wouldn't be as effective, engaging and entertaining if it wasn't for the characters though, which is by far the aspect of Little Miss Sunshine I love the most. First, there's no main character, no one is more important than the other, and, while they share the same goal, each out of them has his/her own arc. Second, they all have a distinctive personality and quirks that make them unique and memorable —Richard is a neurotic motivational speaker who hates losers; Sheryl is a chain-smoking wife who tries to make everybody happy but she is fed up with her husband's optimistic crap; Edwin is the foul-mouthed, heroin-snorting grandfather; Frank is the depressed gay uncle who has just attempted to commit suicide because his lover left him for his rival professor; Dwayne is a moody teenager who has taken a vow of silence until he gets into the Airforce; and Olive is a little girl who is exactly the opposite of what beauty pageant encourage young girls/women to be. No matter how stereotyped they are, these characters are interesting, believable and you care about them.
Fox Searchlighting Pictures
The actors all do a fantastic job, but there still are a few standouts. While Alan Arkin is the one who won an Oscar for his sharp, sarcastic, hilarious performance as the grandpa, and Abigail Breslin got a deserved nomination as she gives a charming, full-of-heart performance and brings quite a spark to the film, Steve Carell and Paul Dano are those, in my opinion, who deserved the awards. Although unknown at the time the Little Miss Sunshine was filmed —at some point, the filmmakers weren't even sure about him because of this—, Carell proves he is more than a comedian with a serious, subtle performance as the brilliant professor; Dano, who has to rely on his body language and facial expressions only for most of the film's running time, carries the role of the troubled teenager effortlessly and delivers some of the film's most emotional and touching moments.
Ultimately, Little Miss Sunshine is a charming, dark, funny and touching film, with great jokes, memorable moments —Olive performing at the beauty pageant sure will stick with you—, and a commentary on the futility of beauty pageants.
After reading Cinematic Corner's Forgotten, underrated and unseen erotic thrillers from the 90s last Friday —yes, it's embarrassing that it took me so long to read it—, I noticed Netflix had just added one of the movies in that post, Single White Female, and decided to check it out.
The story follows Allison "Allie" Jones (Bridget Fonda), a young New York businesswoman who is looking for a new roommate after breaking up with her boyfriend, Sam (Steven Weber). After meeting several candidates, she picks Hedra "Hedy" Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leight), a sweet and shy young woman who seems like the perfect roommate. And she is the perfect roommate, until Allie and Sam get back together.
The plot is very simple and rather predictable as you know what's going to happen in advance, there are too many conveniences to move the story forward, and there are probably too many subplots involved that take away the focus from the main storyline, and yet it’s compelling and gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat from its entire running time.
And the performances are just as compelling. Bridget Fonda doesn't have much to do, but she really does wonders with the little she's given and shines as the independent, confident and yet naive Allie. Jennifer Jason Leigh is terrific in the role of mousy, neurotic Hedy, her performance being genuinely scary and creepy.
Columbia Pictures
The supporting characters, on the other hand, are nothing but stereotypes —the gay friend, the boyfriend who just can't keep it in his pants, the molesting boss—, but the actors still provide decent support, the standout being Peter Friedman as the gay friend who unfortunately isn't around much.
Ultimately, while it's not a perfect movie, Single White Female is a pretty tense thriller with an over-the-top and yet effective climax and plenty of unrealistic situations, splatter and out-of-place moments —Allie watching Hedy masturbating doesn't feel quite right. It would make way more sense the other way around.
