Mike Goes To Movies

Us (2019) Yes, I am unfortunately a bit late to this party and, I only saw Jordan Peele's much-discussed, Us, last night... so, by this point, many of you have likely already read lots about this film. Nevertheless, I will try to elucidate the masses with my simple-minded thoughts on the film. My honest opinion is that, unless you enjoy a simple thriller for what it is, you will not board the Us-hype train until you have seen it more than once and read/talked about it for a length of time. That is my feeling at least. When I left the theatre after seeing the film, I had a lot of mixed thoughts rumbling around in my head and, surprisingly, none of them was that I loved the film. However, since coming home and beginning to sift through the myriad of opinion/analysis pieces out there and connecting them to the cryptic clues littered throughout the film, I am slowly getting on board the train. As most know, Us is about a middle-class American family that heads to their cottage ...

4. The Matrix (1999) I would say that The Matrix is hands-down one of the coolest films of recent time, however, the fact that it spawned a fashion movement that is, at best, unsettling to witness may slightly detract from the awesome impact of the film and its reception after release. In truth though, The Matrix inspired all action films and VFX that came after it in ways that cannot be understated. The revelation of the techno-mix of VFX kung-fu with bullet-dodging, gravity-warping fight scenes, was like nothing that had been seen on-screen before and a certain game changer for the sci-fi action genre. The plot itself, though dystopian like many other science fiction stories, subverts the usual tropes of its genre. Though it technically does take place in the future, it relates back to our own present time (then-1999). The film throws the audience for a complete spin by innovatively calling into question the complete reality that Neo (and, as a result, we, the audience) live ...

6. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2002) and Avengers (2012) Okay, so this one really isn't fair at all... But, what the hell, top 10's are tough so I'm just going to go ahead and cram a whole load into this one. To the fanboy in me all three of these franchises have been infinitely important and influential. I was a huge fan of LOTR and all things Marvel prior to the movies coming out and, as most will attest, it is incredible how well they have both translated on-screen. While Star Wars originated in film, it has since evolved into every other available medium, similar to the other two, and clearly become its own mammoth nerdustry. I am going to keep these blurbs briefer today as multiple films fall under the blanket of each of these titles as well the impacts for myself of each franchise, or the films within, could take up more time from your day than I deserve to steal away from you. However, I have chosen o...

Freddy Got Fingered (2001) Yes, I know this is a ridiculous movie. I watched it with a friend recently after having not seen it for probably fifteen or so years. I still remembered some of the in-famous scenes - the deer, the baby, sausages, etc... - and yes, they are as insane now as they were then. Although the film is utterly manic, thanks mainly due to Tom Green's completely unhinged performance, it still does have quite funny parts. What I find most interesting about this film though is based on a Vice interview Green had about the film recently. To note, Green also directed and wrote the film. In the interview, Green states that, as with many films nowadays, Freddy got completely cut-up prior to its release. As a result, a number of plotlines and characters integral to the film were excised completely or left in pieces leading to a number of nonsensical scenes. True, in other cases, he states that some of the gross-out moments were simply shortened. However, Green i...

7. Ex Machina (2014) The genre of science fiction is at its finest when the story acts as a reflection of our world, the direction it is (believed to be) headed in and the moral questions that arise from there. One particular sci-fi theme that is endlessly written about is humankind's continuous thirst for scientific discovery and power and where we draw the line stating that humans have gone too far. Often in these stories, the line is posited based on some kind of eventual ramification from the innovation. For example, the effect of the discovery may tangibly lead to death/harm to people, the environment and/or the planet. To the audience, the question is then asked - have we gone too far? Where the scientific discovery concerns matters of 'life' the question is sometimes posited in a more existential or, even, religious way such as - have humans gone beyond the bounds of what God intended for us? This is a theme that I personally find fascinating and you will see that...

8. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) The Royal Tenenbaums was the first Wes Anderson film I saw. This film was foundational in showing me that a movie can have its own distinctive style and voice. As most will probably agree, you can know you're watching a Wes Anderson film by watching it for only a scene or two. It's that clear. And, that, in my opinion, is pretty cool. There are those out there who are a bit 'over' or tired of Anderson's films, partially due to the fact that they are 'all similar' or evoke a similar style or feel. I don't agree with this and believe that most of his film's have a unique enough story to stand well on their own. The Royal Tenenbaums, in particular, has a character-depth and a darkness to it that many of his others do not possess. The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox I also hold in very high regard but Tenenbaums I still hold as my favourite. As with many of the best comedy-dramas, The Royal Tenenbaums...

9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) It's time that Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry work together again. It's as simple as that. It our unfortunate world, that will likely not happen as Kaufman seems to have obtained the confidence, and also the skill, to direct his own manic narratives since this film came out. And so, we will have to hold tightly onto their only child, Eternal Sunshine, and take it for all its got. There is no doubt that Eternal Sunshine remains an example of two of cinema's most idiosyncratic voices working in some kind of symbiotic / synergistic relationship to create a  film that is wholly unique and fun, absurdly creative, heart-wrenching and heart-warming and, above all else, memorable. As with many of Kaufman's scripts, this movie plays with the audience's expectations, subverting what we think is happening or where we think things are heading, based on our collective film-going experiences. The film is a story about a ma...

Today is the big day! For now, I am going to keep this post more positive and optimistic and simply talk about this year's nominations and my predictions and hopes. In another post I may discuss some of my disappointments with this past year's general output of quality films. I have now officially seen all of the Best Picture nominees as well as a healthy dose of other general nominees. Generally, I am going to predict all of the categories, even though, for some of the categories, I have not seen any of the nominations at all. Therefore, for a category such as Best Documentary Short, my thoughts will likely be quite arbitrary and possibly based on something as trivial as the name or subject of the piece... Jump further down the list for the 'bigger' awards. Short Film (Animated) Prediction - Bao Hope - Bao Short Film (Live) Prediction - Skin Hope - Fauve Production Design Prediction - First Man Hope - The Favourite Makeup and Hairstyling Predictio...

Green Book (2018) My first proper review! Last night, I finally got the chance to see the past year's hottest ticket, Green Book, ahead of its probable multiple winnings this coming Sunday. Expectations for the film have been fairly cemented in my mind since its premiere at TIFF this past fall where it won the festival's acclaimed People's Choice Award and, since its wide release, it has gone on to garner quite unanimously positive reviews. It's in these instances that my often pessimistic self likes to buck the trend and endeavour to find fault where most have been unable to, especially with a 'wholesome' type of film such that Green Book has been categorized as. It's for these reasons that, upon finishing Green Book, I was pleased to find that I had enjoyed the film and that it had met the high expectations I had for it. Yes, the movie is, in fact, quite the wholesome story and one who's plot does not contain much surprise. However, when a film ...

10. There Will Be Blood (2007) and No Country For Old Men (2007) Yes, right off the bat I am going to go ahead and cheat on my list... (hey, it's my list anyways, so lay off!). I place both of these films together because they resonate in similar ways for me, on top of the fact that they also do bear a number of factual similarities. Both were filmed in 2006 in the same vicinity of western Texas, released in 2007 and widely competed with each other for the highest accolades at the awards ceremonies that year. Both films take place in an arid, beautifully-shot, desert landscape, each following the machinations of a violent and unfailingly driven man. One is motivated by wealth and success, the other... well, it's not entirely known. In both, the filmmakers involved are without a doubt at the height of their crafts. Direction, writing, cinematography, editing, score and acting, among others, are all at their finest levels within these two films. It is unsurprising then t...

Mike's All-Time Top 10 To ease into things a bit, I thought I would be self-indulgent and list off some of my favourite films. This list may not be entirely accurate... Numbers 1 and 2 have been clear in my head for a long time in those respective positions. The rest of the list, however, I just thought up now, and so, they may be somewhat interchangeable with one another, and also, had I thought longer about this list, other films may actually more deservedly hold those spots. A few thoughts about this list: 1) Yes, I am still fairly childish; many of these films are genre films: horror/sci-fi/fantasy, they are simply ones that I grew up with, 2) I do not have any comedies here because I find that where I place them frequently changes over time (maybe I'll do a separate comedy list at some point), and 3) in some of these cases, I simply wanted to do service to a particular director and so I chose one that I thought represented them well. This list is of my favourite fil...