(Dir. Lucas Guadagnino 2018)
R, This movie is visually stunning and beautiful, but keep in mind what it is about before you decide to go see it. This is not something you want to walk into blind. Call Me By Your Name is a coming of age story that depicts the relationship between Elio and Oliver, a grad student of Elio's father. The story takes place entirely from Elio's point of view and is set in the Italian countryside in the 1980s. Before I get into anything else I'll address the age difference between Elio and Oliver. I can definitely see why the age difference causes concern in people and honestly I'd be worried if someone didn't find the age difference concerning. The full first half of this movie basically covers this struggle. Within the film, Oliver goes through those same concerns and inner turmoil, though they are very toned down due to the fact that the film is from Elio's point of view. To Elio, the age difference is not that big of a deal. He willfully ignores Oliver's struggles over the morality of the relationship. Part of this I think is due to Elio wanting to be an adult and to be viewed as an adult. His relationship with Oliver is his final step into the realm of adulthood and is a demand from him to be seen as an adult by others. The other part I think is a cultural difference. The age of consent in Italy is much younger than the US. I'm not saying that a relationship with a young child is ok just because it's legal, but it is indicative of a culture that is much more tolerant of age differences in a relationship. I would also like to note that at no point is the relationship between the two abusive in any way. The relationship between the two is definitely awkward at times. As an audience, expect to feel awkward and uncomfortable at times. This movie does not shy away from the clumsiness of a new relationship and is very honest about it. I would not call this movie a loss of innocence as much as a loss of naivety. Elio has been raised in a household that is very loving and accepting. Oliver comments how jealous he is of the relationship that Elio has with his family. Again, the audience doesn't get the full picture of this, as the film is from Elio's point of view, but it is heavily implied here that Oliver's family is much less accepting. I'm not sure how much of this is cultural, considering that Oliver is American and Elio is Italian, or if it is just Elio's family in particular. ***Spoilers***This also explains David's call at the end of the film and his decision to get married. At this point he has left the bubble of safety and acceptance that surrounds Elio in his home and is now back to trying to live up to his family's expectations. This is where the loss of naivety comes in for Elio. He has now been introduced to life outside his bubble. The other more universal experience Elio faces here is the loss of his first love. Elio's father covers this perfectly in a very moving speech he gives to Elio after Oliver leaves. Essentially his father tells him not to close himself off to new love after experiencing his first heartbreak. These emotions hurt, but it is better to have them than to feel nothing. The movie's overall message is about how first love tends to be the purest kinds. When you love without ever having had your heartbroken or experienced the difficult parts of a relationship, it is easy to love completely and wholeheartedly. After one experiences this however, it is hard to fully open yourself up to someone again. What Elio's father tells him is to not fear that openness despite the possible heartbreak. Sort of "it is better to have loved and lost" sort of thing. The cinematography of this film is absolutely stunning. It was filmed in Crema in the Italian countryside, which is absolutely gorgeous to begin with and I would love to visit there. Call Me By Your name was shot on 35 mm film, which makes it look almost like it's from the eighties, but it does not compromise the quality of the film. I haven't found anything about this yet, but it seems to me like a majority of this film was done using natural light. The sun almost becomes another character with how bright and pervasive it is. It's hard to believe that this was filmed during the rainiest summer in Italy in a century. Talk about bad luck. I generally hate the eighties, this movie made me like it. The old Italian cars and the general aesthetic of this movie is absolutely amazing and lends itself to the plot so well. Every scene in this movie could honestly be a painting, it's all so gorgeous. It's so fitting that Sufjan Stevens wrote music for this movie because it honestly feels like one of his songs made into a film. Beautiful and bright, but melancholic at the same time.
1 Comment
(Jake Kasdan 2017)
PG-13: There is crude humor and some language, but its very very slight This is a great movie to watch with your family, provided there are no very young children. Not to sound like a prude, but you really don't want them to see this, more for your sake than theirs. The kind of humor in this can definitely be appreciated by adults and teens, but if you show it to somebody too young it's going to be something they're never going to stop repeating and it will drive you bonkers. I have young cousins so I know what it's like and I am helping you out here. Do not go into this movie expecting it to be like the Robin Williams one. It carries the same basic plot elements, but other than that it is totally different. I personally liked that it was different, but my younger sister who really liked the original Jumanji did not. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is much more light hearted and humorous than the original, which I just found straight up scary when I watched it. I absolutely adored all the characters. The film definitely took its time in developing the characters and giving them heart to hearts. I really appreciated the relationship between the two main girl parts, even though one of them was technically a guy. I'm pretty sure this film quasi-passes the Bechdel test. On that note, Jack Black playing a Pretty Girl stuck in his body is hilarious and he played the part so well. I liked it so much better than the rebellious man child character he usually plays. The Rock and Kevin Hart pull their classic Big Guy Little Guy schtick, which I still find hilarious. The opening ten minutes or so is a little boring. The use this to set up all the classic high school character tropes, the nerd, the jock, the pretty girl, etc. You can't be too mad at it though because it is necessary to the plot and there's really no way around it. This is not a movie to see if you're expecting a pretentious oscar worthy piece, but I found it very funny and enjoyable. Definitely worth the price of the tickets and it's something that you can go see with a group and have everyone enjoy it. (Dir. Renoir 1939)
NR If you are interested in fast paced action, then this is not the film for you. La Regles du jeu is of a more philosophical nature and is meant to satirize the French elite at the time. That being said, the last thirty minutes of this film is a RIDE, especially when compared to the first hour and a half. This is also where the satirization can be most felt and at the end of the movie the hilarity is balanced by a rather alarming sentiment. After seeing the main characters in this film make and execute multiple poor and immoral decisions, the consequences are covered up in a very elegant way. The guests see through the cover up, though, and, despite knowing that a man was murdered in cold blood, praise the cover up as a rare instance of class and decorum. At the very end, you see exactly what cultural issue that Renoir was remarking upon. Genuine goodness is no longer expected, one can engage in whatever immoral or harmful act they please, as long as they do it with a decorum that keeps up the facade of goodness. In addition to this very poignant commentary, the film contains amazing sequences. I thought the hunting scene made an excellent addition to the movie in terms of being composed of interesting shots as well as adding to the main philosophy of the film. I would also like to say at this point that I am fairly certain animals were harmed in the making of this film. In case that's a deal breaker for you. Overall I do recommend this film, especially if you are a fan of French culture. Though when you watch it I would keep in mind that it is definitely a product of its time and bear with it. If you have the choice, I would also watch Renoir's introduction before starting the film. It gives a lot of cultural context that greatly adds to the understanding of the film's philosophies. (Dir Michael Dowse 2013)
Rated PG-13 I usually cannot watch rom-coms at all. There's typically too much awkwardness and I get second hand embarrassment and I just can't do it. This movie successfully kept the awkwardness of the situation, but kept it light and humorous enough that I didn't feel like cringing into my seat the entire time. Is this movie guilty of being of having a stereotypical manic pixie dream girl (though personally I think she has a little more depth to her than that) as the love interest? Yes. Do I love it anyway? Yes. Here's the situation: Wallace and Chantry meet at a party, instant connection, the issue? Chantry has a boyfriend and just wants to be friends. From here on to the movie focuses around the question, can men and women just be friends? This movie didn't shy away from that idea. Wallace and his roommate, who also happens to be Chantry's cousin, spend a lot of time discussing the situation and what one can even do. The options, as presented by them, are: be pathetic, be manipulative, or move on. If a person tries to be friends with someone they have feelings for, is there any way they can do that without somewhat becoming the bad guy? Either you become the pathetic piner, you know the "nice guy" who constantly wonders why the girl will only date jerks and just waits for the girl to notice that you're actually perfect for her. Or you become manipulative and try to break the girl up with her boyfriend so that she will date you. OR you move on, stop torturing yourself and distance yourself from her. This movie wrestles with these ideas, as Wallace doesn't want to choose any of the options. It also doesn't shy away from either of the character's flaws or mistakes in this situation. This serious emotional turmoil is kept light-hearted by the meddling of comical friends and hilarious situations making it enjoyable to all. This is an amazing movie to watch if you need something light, but still amazingly executed and thought provoking. If you liked the Big Sick, you will also like What If. You actually may notice that the actress who plays Chantry, Zoe Kazan, also plays the female lead in the Big Sick. The actors in this movie were amazing. This is the kind of role that Adam Driver was meant to play, a comical, crass, but good hearted guy. Not whatever kind of neo-nazi situation they have him doing in Star Wars. Despite how much I hate his character in Star Wars, honestly it just shows how good of an actor he is. He can successfully play a character I absolutely despise, but also turn around and play a character I love. Daniel Radcliffe is, unsurprisingly, spectacular. They don't shy away from his background and don't try to make him play an American, which I loved. It's terrible when a good movie is ruined by a just not quite convincing accent, plus it honestly added to his character. Honestly though, Daniel Radcliffe probably could've pulled it off, but I'm glad they didn't take the risk. I loved all the characters in the movie, everyone has their flaws, but it never tries to demonize anyone, which made the movie feel more honest than a lot of other movies with this scenario. Overall I had a great time watching this movie, but it's a movie I'd feel vulnerable recommending to people. It definitely is kind of guilty of what a lot of rom-com movies are with the whole dream girl/nice guy situation. Personally, I think that this movie is kind of above that because of the honesty what the honesty with which it presented the situation. I think the idea of trying to be friends with someone who is in a relationship and you have feelings for is something a lot of people can sympathize with. The movie makes the case for it without unnecessarily demonizing anyone which makes it feel much more true to life than many other films with this same scenario. So personally, I think the movie rises above other movies like it. |
Aubrey KirchhoffI'm just screaming into the void and somehow getting graded on it. Archives
April 2018
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