Ep. 31: GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946)

   In this episode The Criterionist takes a look at David Lean's GREAT EXPECTATIONS.  He talks about how it may not be for him but he appreciates the filmmaking.

Ep. 31: GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946)

If this episode is not available anymore just E-mail me at darincriterion14@yahoo.com I'll be glad to send it to you as well as other episodes.

The RoseBuns - Ep 58 - Food

    In this episode the RoseBuns take over for the week and talk all about food.  Some delicious, others not so much.  They also go step by step of what they get at Chipolte.

Episode 58 - Food (The RoseBuns)

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WE ARE THE BEST!

By Darin Skaggs

     Lukas Moodysson’s We Are The Best! is a coming of age story that really works more as an anti-coming of age story.  It is about three thirteen year old girls from the early 1980’s who decide to start a punk band despite everyone around them saying punk is dead.  They pursue this new dream all while dealing with parents, school and trying to find out what love is.  While they do go through all of this, including fights among themselves, they don’t learn to respect their mothers nor vice versa.  They do not learn what love is from some nice guy.  They are only thirteen, they learn to love life, themselves and some real rock and roll music.

     The girls start off as sad, introvert Bobo (Mira Barkhammar), rebellious, carefree Klara (Mira Grosin) and hardcore Christian child Hedvig (Live LeMoyne).  Slowly they begin to find themselves with the music they play.  Bobo and Klara while working on a school project hear some older boys playing some music in a rec center practice room.  They immediately knock it off as garbage; sign up for practice and after a little argument get the room.  They don’t know in the slightest idea of what they are doing, but for the first time in the film they look comfortable in their own skin.  During a talent show they see Hedvig who plays the same song every year and gets ridicule for the religious content.  Bobo has the idea to enlist her to teach them how to play instruments.  After a little bit of arguing and some fun the three become best of friends.

     The three main girls are absolutely brilliant.  They are fully realized characters due to Coco Mooysson’s script and their acting.  They are all different people who, in real life, might never get along but they do through the power of music.  A big theme in the film is music can help you though the tough times.  It does not proclaim that music will fix all your problems, sometimes it might even make life harder, but it will help you find out who you are and where you belong.  The group is never really good as a whole piece but they know what they love and do not give up on their dream.

     The feel of the film is grounded in reality.  Bobo’s mother doesn’t have one man in her life for Bobo to call father and when her dad is there it is uncomfortable to be around.  You feel that these kids are in an odd place in their life like most thirteen year olds.  They believe what their parents tell them like Hedvig’s mother forcing Christianity on her or the loving yet aphetic attitude of Klara’s parents makes her do or say whatever she wants to anyone.  Also the film is really funny, the shyness of the kids makes for some hilariously awkward moments.  The musical parts are absolutely amazing.  The girls commit to their song, “Abort the Sport” which they came up with after their gym teacher made them run laps for not playing right. 

     After all the learning about each other and themselves the film ends on a hysterical note after the band gets booed at their first performance.  You get to sit and wonder if they grew up at all or did they just get through life using the band?  Whichever it may be We Are The Best! is a hugely entertaining film that you can’t help but proclaim as the best.

CHEF

By Darin Skaggs

     The father spending too much time with his work troupe has been brutally beaten to death.  It stands to reason for being a plausible situation in real life but so many family movies have attempted the dad learning to think about family first.  Thankfully Jon Favreau’s Chef, which he stars in as well, gives a breath of fresh air to this concept.

     Chef tells the tale of Carl Casper (Favreau), renowned chef at a high class restaurant.  After a hard night of trying to impress a proclaimed food critic, they restaurant still gets a bad review.  A few words are thrown around via social media, after a quick Twitter lesson from his son Percy (Emjay Anthony).  This leads to Carl having a few viral blowups and getting fired.  The rest of the film he tries to reconcile with his family and decides to start a food truck.

     It’s a pretty simple story and nothing new presented but Favreau has such a clear vision and it seems to be personal for him as well.  The dialogue in the film has just enough realistic conversation and the way people talk in films that it makes it relatable and helps it flow well.  The amount of melodrama is at a minimal and the humor is relatable and pretty funny.  It is clear Favreau knows what he is doing, there are only a few moments that don’t entirely work.  He cast a bunch of his friends, who also happen to be high class actors.  Most of the casting choices work like Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo.  Others don’t work so well and just seem to have roles written into this solid drama just so they can have some camera time like Robert Downy Jr, Sofia Vergara.

     A major theme in the film is family is precious, but again Favreau takes it one step ahead of the rest and also makes it about food and art in general.  He spends time filming the process of making the food and has the characters talk about how to make the food so good.  This film even seems like a metaphor for what happened with him and Marvel, he stops working with the big company and now he has to do independent type work.  He comes out positive with this attitude so much so the conclusions all work themselves out a little too well.  Chef is a fun time at the movies.  It won’t change your life but it is still worth your time.

The RoseBuds - Ep 57 - Our 5 Favorite Songs By Bands We Don't Like

   In this episode of The RoseBuds the gang countdown their favorite songs from bands they are not really a fan of.  Also they talk about Chopped.

Episode 57 - Our 5 Favorite Songs By Bands We Don't Like

If this episode is not available any more just E-mail us at therosebuds13@gmail.com and well send it to you. And if you wish go subscribe to The RoseBuds on iTunes.

The Criterionist - Ep. 30: M (1931)

   In this episode The Criterionist is joined by his wife to talk Fritz Lang's M.  They talk about the judicial system and how this film makes you sympathize with the child murderer.

Ep. 30: M (1931)

 If this episode is not available anymore just E-mail me at darincriterion14@yahoo.com I'll be glad to send it to you as well as other episodes.

THE DOUBLE

By Darin Skaggs

     The Double is a film directed by Richard Ayoade, whose previous film was the superb coming-of-age story, Submarine.  This time around he has made a strange film.  The film is about Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) who works in some kind of office.  There it is gloomy, run down and dimly lit.  His personality is microscopic.  He has worked there seven years, yet few people know who he is.  He is crushing on a girl named Hannah (Mia Wasikowska) but his confidence is smaller than his personality and is always too shy to ask her out.  Things are not going well for Simon.  They go worse when James Simon comes to work for them.  He is the polar opposite of Simon; he is charming, charismatic and filled with self-confidence.  Also he looks identical to Simon due to the fact he is also played by Eissenberg.  Trouble ensues and the inevitable confusion sets in.

     The film has a fun plot and Ayoade knows it.  Despite having a gloomy set that is barely lit at times the film is extremely funny.  Somehow Ayoade made it so that every time someone doesn’t recognize Simon it is kind of funny, as well as sad.  Even when James comes into the picture people do not recognize him to resemble Simon because of his lack of persona.  Even that fact Simon’s counterpart’s name is just his first and last named switched.

     The challenge of a film like this is which character is which.  Eissenberg plays both roles, as does so extremely well.  We know who is who; Simon is sad and hunched over while James is standing straight up always with an arrogant smirk on his face.  This is for sure one of Eissenberg’s best film to date.  With these two performances let us not undersell Wasikowska.  She does great as one of the only people who notices Simon, which is until James shows up.  She plays cute but sad just like all the other characters in the film.

     As said before this is absolutely hilarious but a deeper look into the film it is also very dark.  Simon at one point witnesses a suicide.  The suicide squad comes, Simon is saddened that all these people do is pick up people who have killed themselves and after a short discussion the squad puts him on the “Maybe list” for if he’ll kill himself or not.  With all the pity we feel for Simon we are also allowed not to like him.  He is too shy to ask Hannah out but still uses a telescope to watch her across the street in his apartment.

     With all the dark humor and confusion when it really comes down to it the film is about self-confidence.  Simon and James look the same but people treat them different because of their posture and how they communicate with others.  Like Ayoade’s previous film this one feels personal.  Our hero doesn’t really learn to be better, we see it is hard to be so confident and what Simon does near the end of the film is just a grab for attention.  No lesson is learned, it is like Ayoade is using the film to get through his own troubles and also relating with his audience.  The film is filled with nasty characters with great actors behind them.  It is so funny and yet so dark and makes you excited for what Ayoade has next.

OBVIOUS CHILD

By Darin Skaggs

     For what Gillian Robespierre’s Obvious Child is trying to do, it might do it perfectly.  It is all about a stand-up comedian, Donna Stern (Jenny Slate), who struggles with life after her boyfriend breaks up with her and the bookstore she works at starts the process of going out of business.  Her sarcastic attitude mixed with her rotten life makes for an enjoyable dramatic comedy.  With this tone set for the film, Robespierre’s bigger point can come through and it makes it easier to swallow.  Donna, with all her problems, goes out to drink and runs into a good looking guy.  After flirting a while they spend the night together.  Donna wakes up and runs off to go deal with her life.  A few weeks pass and Donna finds out she is pregnant.  Then the film goes into controversial territory because Donna decides to get an abortion.

     Robespierre picked the perfect tone to talk about this controversial topic.  She uses humor and real life problems to almost soften the blow for its skeptical viewers.  Donna treats this situation as equal to the rest of the problems going on in her life.  Her sarcastic remarks make it seem like she doesn’t care, but because of the writing and wonderful performance by Slate you can see that these problems bother her.  Robespierre may use a comedy to discuss her position on the subject, but she takes it completely seriously.  No matter your view on the issue, you will feel for Donna, not pity, but sympathy.

     The film is a comedy but no one is going to fall on the floor because a banana peel got in their way.  It is more a real life comedy; it feels like all of these interactions could happen in our world.  The film is so perfectly grounded in our reality it just sheds more light on the issue.  The acting is some of the best of the year, Slate giving such a realistic performance and also the father of the child, Max, who is played by Jake Lacy does a great job as well.  The film also has so many great supporting characters.  Gaby Hoffman, Richard Kind and Polly Draper are all great as friends and family to Donna.

     The film is sure to be controversial because of the subject.  That doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable, delightful comedy.  It is the perfect mix of hilarious comedy and hard hitting real life.