#64 - The Butterfly Effect (2004)

You know, just as I finished watching this film and googled it to check up on stuff like the date and actors, I found out the reviews for this film were pretty harsh. And I don't understand why. Ok, I admit it has some hiccups here and there but what movie doesn't? It is certainly beyond decent; pretty damn good if I say so myself. It isn't certainly the best film on the eponymous subject, since it just exploits it as a plot device rather than exploring, but it certailny isn't the worse either.

Probably every movie that deals with the subject of time travel EVER has featured the so called "Butterfly Effect", based on Chaos theory. In case you're not familiar with it (rewatch Jurassic Park right now), it states that small unpredicted events or changes in variables will eventually affect the results drastically. The film is entirely based around it: Ashton Kutcher plays Evan, a kid that suffers from a condition in which he blacks out and then wakes up with no memory of what just happened. As he grows up, Evan goes through several traumatic incidents, in particular:

- At age 7, He and his childhood sweetheart, Kayleigh, are forced into child porn by her father.

- At age 13, Kayleigh's sadistic brother, Tommy, forces Evan, Kayleigh and Lenny (a friend of Evan's), to blow up a neighbour's mailbox, accidentally killing a woman and her baby.

- Tommy kills Evan's dog after he starts dating his sister, after threatening Lenny not to do anything about it.

 

Props to Jesse James as Tommy, that was disturbingly believable.

Now in college, Evan discovers he can travel back in time to whenever he blacked out and change the events, altering his life. For instance, he goes back to the child porn bit and bullies Kayleigh's father into leaving her alone and disciplining Tommy, and he ends up dating her and becoming a frat boy. But everything has consequences, and Tommy ends up being abused by his father instead, leaving him psychotic and tries to kill Evan.

Thus, Evan changes the timeline again, this time asking Lenny to cut the rope holding his dog to make up for his guilt after killing the woman and the baby. He instead kills Tommy and is sent to a psychiatric institution, and Kayliegh becomes a whore... somehow. Every time he tries to change the past, everything still somehow messes up. The intricate timelines and overall plot are really clever and imaginative.

 

In another timeline Evan jumps into the mailbox... Yikes.

But the execution of these timelines isn't just as good. Some things, like the aforementioned whore thingy, doesn't really make a lot of sense. Plus, the consequences of Evan's time-travelling shenanigans are somewhat limited: they may severely change one character's life (Lenny goes from Kayliegh's boyfriend to a mental patient) but not the lives of the other characters. And they only seem to affect the four main characters (aside from Evan's mother in one timeline).

Aside those minor inconsistencies, the film has other problems. Ashton Kutcher's performance is pretty mediocre, and it is a shame because the rest of the acting is really good, particularly given all the different personalities the characters end up with. I have to give him credit for not, say, hyperventilating through the whole flick or going "oh, this can't be real" every five minutes, but I would have preferred other actor.

 

Derp! Jake Gyllenhaal is out, this film is too similar to Donnie Darko already.

In the end, I really, really liked this film, despite all its mistakes. Say what you want about being flung back and forward all the time with all the flashbacks, but I enjoyed it. If the mistakes in the plot were fixed and we didn't have the actor that ruined Two and a Half Men as the leading role (it wasn't that good of a show to begin with anyway), it would have been a fantastic film. Nonetheless, I highly recommend watching it.

#63 - From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

One thing I have mentioned more than once in this blog is how much I like Quentin Tarantino's personal style. With the exception of Kill Bill vol. 2 I loved every one of his films, hell, Pupl Fiction is one of my favorite movies of all time. But even when his films are intentionally violent in excess, there is always some cleverness or wit behind them. Now, Robert Rodriguez's films, that's is an entirely different story. They are pointlessly stupid and intentionally violent, cliche'd and cheesy. And I love that.

From Dusk Till Dawn starts out with two brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) wanted by the FBI. They kidnap a priest and his family (Harvey Keitel) to take their RV to Mexico and escape the police. A contact of them told them to meet up at dawn in a desolate stripper club. So far it sounds like a normal heist film, right? Oh yeah, turns out everyone in the strip club are vampires.

 

Wait, what?

Ok. That was one of the most weird transitions I have ever witnessed. Up until the film's tone was a little over the top, but it didn't have any fucking vampires. But is that really a bad thing? As long as they don't sparkle, vampires make any good action/crime film better. Particularly if they are brought to the screen with so intentionally terrible special effects. This isn't even B-movie quality, but you won't care.

So if it has such an incredibly stupid premise and the execution is so intentionally terrible in everything, why do I like it so much? Well, that sheer stupidity is what makes the film shine. Rodriguez is one of the best directors ever when it comes to making very good exploitation B-movies: it takes itself seriously enough to not become a full-on parody, but it still is goofy enough to remind you it's made like that intentionally.

I can't really recommend From Dusk Till Dawn in general, since it's such a stupid mess of a movie; but if you did like films like Machete or Grindhouse, then by all means watch this film, because you will like it just as much. If the absurdity of the premise instantly turns you down, do not watch it.

 

Dat codpiece.

#62 - The Truman Show (1998)

Well... I can't honestly say I'm dissapointed. After all, my expectations were incredibly low when I sat down to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last week. Eternal Sunshine was a fantastic film and I enjoyed every minute of it, and the fact that Jim Carrey's personal acting style (which I can barely stand) was extremely downplayed helped a lot. I'm not precisely saying I didn't like the Truman Show; I liked it, as a matter of fact, but Carrey's mannerisms and acting style got in the way.

Call me nitpicky, but it just pisses me off. You want to make a complete fool of yourself, Carrey? Then make another one of those mongoloid comedies you do all the time. This is a pretty dramatic film, so, really, is it so hard to take at least one fucking role seriously? Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man unaware of the fact that he lives in a giant dome and his entire life is one big reality show. And after a series of weird events he realizes there is something wrong and eventually discovers the truth.

The film doesn't necessarily try to be funny, so why cast Carrey in the first place? There are plenty of scenes in which he is supposed to be serious or shocked; and instead laughs it out hysterically (as if he just had a mental breakdown or something). I liked the character and the concept, but the performance didn't go well with the rest of the movie.

  

"Hey look I smile like a fucking retard all the time I'm so hilarious" No, you are not.

It's a shame, because I had next to no problems with the rest of the film. The idea of a massive reality show based on just one person is a great sattire of reality television. Is the "real life" of a person really worth watching? How did they get so many people interested in watching someone, say, go to work, or take a shit? How is it exciting after 30 years? I personally can't stand reality shows and that is the main reason of why The Truman Show appeals so much to me. The entire world is more invested in someone else's life rather than their own - that is the true message behind the film. And it's great.

I also really liked the little clues that eventually hint Truman into figuring out his life is a TV show. Particularly because they also satirize how reality shows are supposed to be as realistic as possible but only come out as commercial garbage. Truman's wife is always discussing a new product out fo the blue like she was advertising it, the way everything is a routine to the point that every passerby (aka extras) is actually walking in looped cycles around every block...

  

Forced product placement at its finest. I suddenly feel a massive urge to buy kitchen appliances.

The Truman show is not a bad film by any means, and I quite enjoyed it. I just wish another actor was cast. Tom Hanks? Anyway, if you're a mindless fan of Carrey (no offense, it just grinds my gears a lot) you will enjoy it and laugh like a moron whenever he opens his big stupid mouth (sorry again, I can't help it). If you are not, Jim's lovely mannerisms don't really get much in the way, to be honest, so it's still a very enjoyable movie.

#61 - There's Something about Mary (1998)

Remember that streak of romantic comedies in the early 2000's, with gross-out humor and plenty of awkward o embarrassing situations? I really like that kind of films, so the fact that I've never seen the film that started that trend is a little surprising. There's Something About Mary is incredibly enjoyable so if you like films like Meet the Parents, you should give it a watch.

Surprise, Ben Stiller plays Ted, and awkward, shy guy who runs into weird situations where minor misunderstandings lead to major catastrophes. Where have I seen this before...? Anyway, Ted has a small fixation on Mary (Cameron Diaz), whom he was about to take to prom before one of those wacky confusions led to his dick getting stuck in his zipper. Curious about her whereabouts, a friend of his recommends a private investigator to check on her. Turns out he falls in love with her, tells Ted Mary got fat and ugly and tries to seduce her by stalking her and prentending they like the same things. Ted finds out and goes to Florida to get Mary back.

      

Deep down the premise is nothing new, but some ideas are pretty original.

The film carries over all the clichés of a romantic comedy though. Ted is your usual shy and awkward underdog, and Mary is the perfect, flawless woman that falls in love with him. It kind of pisses me off that so many movies do this. "Hey loners, if you don't have any luck with women, don't worry, just be the sweet and sincere person you are and Cameron Diaz will totally want to fuck you." I could also include all the "it's all just a huge misunderstanding" or "everything gets messed up" scenes, but you could say that the movie was one of the first films to make that style popular. And they work so well you don't really care.

The biggest strength of the film are those parts, really. There might be only five or six of them, but they are long enough to make up for it. Other comedy films, like the Naked Gun series, for instance, have a couple of these tiny disasters and it works well but this film takes it to the extreme. It's not a just bunch of hiccups the characters move on once they are done, no, one mistake leads to another, ussually as the characters try to fix it, and things keep getting worse for five minutes. Like I said, it totally loses shock value after seeing films like Meet the Parents or Along Came Polly, but they are still very entertaining. The opening scene is by far my favorite, where everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. Then there's the visually simple but still incredibly funny interrogation part.

      

And this.

There's Something About Mary was very influential to the early 2000's comedies, so if you're into those films, you will have a good time with this film. It is a very funny movie, with a basic plot and characters that leave space for gag after gag. Totally worth two hours of your life.

#60 - A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Here's another classic. I know I've been hinting Gone with the Wind a dozen times already, but it's three and a half hours long and I'm a lazy shit. Nevertheless, I am more than satisfied with this one. A Streetcar Named Desire is an extremely influential film that holds up to this day as a great film to watch.

Vivien Leigh stars as Blanche Dubois, a rich lady that has to move into her sister Stella's apartment since the family estate has apparently been "lost", much to the intrigue of her sister. Stella lives in a blue collar neighbourhood in New Orleands with her abusive husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando). Blanche meets one of Stanley's friends, Mitch, who slowly starts to figure out her past. And tension keeps growing between Blanche and Stanley, as her presence disrupts his life with Stella.

  

Yay for domestic violence.

The film has plenty of interesting subplots, all of them handled perfectly. Er, ok, maybe the credit should go to the original writer, Tennessee Williams, but the adapted screenplay and perfect cast deserve just as much praise. Stella and Stanley's odd relationship, for instance, is incredibly interesting, with Stella giving up her social status and marrying an abusive husband just for the sex, and apparently it seems to work until Blanche comes in and ruins that balance. Blanche's true past, the way she tries to hide it, and how it is revealed; Stanley's wilderness and how he reacts to Blanche's presence and pretentiousness... it is all really well handled.

And of course none of it would be half as good if it weren't for the cast. Vivien Liegh's performance is perfect, always sounding convincing no matter how melodramatic the situation gets. Stella, played by Kim Hunter, is a surprisingly interesting character, torn between her sister and her upbringing, and her husband and her new lifestyle. But Marlon Brando, of course, steals the show as Stanley. His performance, in fact, is a freaking milestone in filmmaking history. Before this film, there were rude or cynical characters, of course, but they still showed some signs of politeness or charm. Stanley is raw, unkempt, even animalistic.

  

While many moments stand out, the drunk Stanley screaming for Stella is the most memorable.

So, if you think about it, that is the film's biggest achievement.  Everything I mentioned, Stella and Stanley's relationship, Blanche's promiscuous character, the animalistic attraction Stella feels for Stanley and, well, Stanley himself; all lead towards one common theme: lust. This is one of the first films to have the balls to adress the then-controversial topic so directly. Not to mention all the domestic violence.

A Streetcar Named Desire is an extremely influential and transgressive movie, and it's a crime to overlook it. I can't pinpoint anything it does wrong: the characters and performances are fantastic, the themes and the plot are only heightened by the audacity of the filmmakers. This 60 year old film has aged wonderfully and is still very worth watching.

#59 - The Squid and the Whale (2005)

The sole reason I watched this film was to just get it over with. A friend of mine recommended it and for a while he kept asking me if I had seen it already. "Maybe later." He eventually forgot it and so did I. Until today, when I decided to give it a shot. The film is nothing special, really, but I personally enjoyed it.

One of the first films I ticked off the list was Kramer vs. Kramer (actually it was the 12th... whatever), a movie about a recently divorced couple and how they handle their situation and the child support and all that.   The premise in the Squid and the Whale is similar: both parents get a divorce, but instead of fighting over the custody of the kids, the kids take sides by themselves, leading to a lot of conflictive situations. While the overall tone of Kramer vs. Kramer was lighthearted and optimistic, the Squid and the Whale takes a more realistic, bitter approach. It may get out of hand, or get a little too sex heavy, but it's a pretty realistic depiction of a divorce and the effect it has on the family.

    

Some parts are pretty exaggerated, though. The young sibling getting drunk and passing out comes to mind.

There movie as a very distinct indie flavor, particularly the characters. Except for the younger brother, every member of the family has this hipster-like artistic taste. The father (Jeff Daniels) is a novelist whose career has declined recently; he is extremely arrogant, you know, the kind of guy that thinks he is intellectually superior than the rest but comes out as an asshole. The mother is also an author whose recently published work is more successful than that of her husband, which just adds up to the tension. Oh, and she has also been cheating on him. More than once.

Jesse Eisenberg plays the 16 year old Walt, who sides up with the father, sharing his taste for, uh, hipstery vintage stuff, and plays the guitar quite well. His brother Frank (Owen Kline) sides up with the mother and starts doing stuff kids at that age usually do when facing a divorce. Jacking off at school and drinking beer. Yeah, it was quite disturbing. Walt is the protagonist here and the most developed and interesting character, but the overall amount of attention on every member of the family is very well balanced. And there's plenty of other supporting characters, too. Summing up, it has plenty to offer as a character-driven film.

    

Anna Paquin stands out as the father's (slutty) girlfriend, among others.

Like I said, the Squid and the Whale is not a film that particularly stands out to me. It has nice characters and the theme of divorce and family conflicts is well played. It's a good film and I enjoyed it, but it's pretty forgettable.

#58 - A Beautiful Mind (2001)

A running gag in my high school class involved us suggesting our Math teacher to watch a film in class to get two hours of sleepy time. She was not that stupid and never fell for it (she was quite a good teacher too), but she kept saying "If we ever watch something, A Beautiful Mind would be a good choice". Because, really, how many non-educational films can you come up with that could relate to Math? Sadly, high school was over and we never got to see it. So I put it on the list. And let me be totally honest with you: this film is very overrated. It is a very good film, but I don't think it deserves all the praise it got.

A Beautiful Mind is a biopic on John Nash, a Nobel Prize winning mathematician played by Russell Crowe. Nash is brilliant and smart beyond belief, getting a Princeton University scholarship, coming up with a governing dynamics principle by himself,  even being hired by the US department of defense to crack encrypted Soviet messages. He also has a good personal life, having plenty of friends and ending up marrying a student of his (Jennifer Conelly). But, there is a catch. Nash is an obsessive, paranoid schizofreniac. And everything goes downhill once he is diagnosed.

 

Scribbling notes on walls: clear sign of insanity.

Despite that kind of premise, A Beautiful Mind doesn't fall into your typical "rise and fall" kind of story. Nash goes through some crappy moments but he is always trying to pull himself together throughout the film. That's one of the things I felt the movie did best: it conveyed that idea of unstability very well. It also did a good job at keeping us guessing what was real and what wasn't. Er... I guess this is the point where I stop giving away the film.

I was surprised to see Russell Crowe pull off the role of John Nash so well. After enduring my brother's massive fanatism over Gladiator (one particular week he played it on the VCR more than once a day), I can't shake the role off of him. The character itself is very interesting too; as far as I know it doesn't stick to the actual John Nash very well, but it still works. Jennifer Connelly is also really good as John's wife, and how much she managed to do with such a basic role. I also liked Paul Bettany and Ed Harris's performances, as Nash's supportive roommate and his boss, respectively.

But, if I keep saying the film is so good, why do I say it is overrated? Well, it feels like Oscar bait. No kidding, I kept imagining the trailer describing the film as "the inspiring story of a brilliant but flawed man, trying to fulfill his dreams while facing self-inflicted adversity". It sounds like an intentionally melodramatic and romantic film we have seen a billion times. And it made it, 4 Academy Awards. Including best supporting actress for Jennifer Connelly. Wait, what? Connelly is a really good actress and delivers a solid performance here, but the role itself is incredibly uninteresting.

 

This is as archetypal as the victimized but supportive housewife cliché can get. It doesn't deserve an Oscar.

Don't get me wrong: it felt like the intentionally melodramatic, formulaic and inspirational stuff that keeps wetting every film reviewer's pants, but nonetheless it is a very good film.