By their nature, all films are voyeuristic, but the really good ones pull us into the world as we feel a desire to know as much as possible and become a part of the story. “Call Me By Your Name” brings this voyeurism to life in Elio (Timothee Chalamet), as he initially judges & observes his family’s American guest Oliver (Armie Hammer). As the film moves along it delicately evolves this relationship while Elio realizes his true feelings, and the fact that he wants to be a part of Oliver’s story. At its core this is a pretty standard love story, and aside from the performances, it takes a while to elevate it beyond that. However, the final act really brings it all together not because of a wonderful plot turn, but as the characters take time to reflect.
The film is set in northern Italy during the summer of 1983, as Elio’s family vacations at their home there. His father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is an academic/researcher who mentors a student each year during the break. This year that student is Oliver, and Elio is critical of him before the guy even arrives. As an incredibly intelligent 17 year old and talented musician, you can just imagine Elio’s expectations for this summer, like coming back to camp and showing off to all the women from last year (at the very least, it’s clear he plans to lose his virginity). In those circumstances, who wouldn’t be jealous of the American who comes in and immediately gets the attention of all those women, especially when that man is a rare intellectual equal.
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“The Last Jedi” is the best-made film in the entire Star Wars saga by a significant margin, and as of right now it's also my favorite. Whether it will be your favorite entry is a different question, but I believe wholeheartedly that the direction, acting, and risky storytelling decisions (that mostly pay off) are the best they have ever been.
“The Force Awakens” was exactly the type of story episode VII needed to be - returning us to a world we love, introducing compelling new characters, and starting a new chapter, while also treading in familiar territory. JJ Abrams was the perfect guy to come in and do that, as he was able to echo what had come before, while updating it with a modern vision. Rian Johnson was the perfect guy to come in for Episode VIII to prove this world can still subvert expectations and evolve in surprising ways. He takes a lot of chances with the script, nailing about 92% of it (a very calculated number, I promise). While there are a few things I did not love, I appreciated the fact that this film does not rest on its laurels and play it safe as “The Force Awakens” did. It is also the most interestingly directed of the bunch, which isn’t that surprising considering Johnson’s existing work compared to that of previous franchise directors. 'The Shape of Water' is a modern day fairy tale that's overflowing with charm and chemistry between the characters. As with any film by Guillermo Del Toro, fantasy elements play a large part, but it is how well that fantasy is weaved into the character work that makes this his best film to date (although 'Pan's Labyrinth' is close). My biggest concern going into this was that the love story would teeter on the edge of cheesiness, but I could not have been more wrong, and those incorrect assumptions helped make this one of my favorite film experiences of the year.
On the surface, the story follows a mute woman, Elisa (Sally Hawkins) in the 1960's, who works as a janitor at a government laboratory. The laboratory's immediate concern is the space race and their newest "asset" (a human-adjacent fish creature played by Doug Jones) could provide insight into how men would survive in previously unknown conditions. It's quickly apparent that this is no creature, but a being capable of emotion, intelligence, and thought. Unsurprisingly, his handler Strickland (Michael Shannon) is incapable of seeing anything other than an assignment that must be contained & controlled by any means necessary. To the military, this thing is simply a means to an end, but Elisa quickly sees (and brings out) more. |
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