Mudbound is a heavy and brutal drama about how racism affects a white family and a Black family working side by side as farmers in WWII Mississippi. It is a little long, at nearly two and a half hours long, but is a tragic and sad story to watch.
I especially appreciated how writer/director Dee Rees characterized the strife of the Black woman as caregiver to her white boss’s children, being expected to be their live-in caregiver while being away from her own children. Mary J. Blige was excellent in showing the pain of being pushed to agree to an unfair deal made to support her family financially while sacrificing caring for her own kids to be there for a white family’s needs.
The film presented not only how devastating racism was to the Black family, but also how racism and classism infected the white family, as they had a hard time moving down from their middle class status to be rural farmers and kept expecting the Black family to be their support at every call, not thinking about how they were more equals than different in their social class.
I really liked Rees’ breakout indie Pariah from several years ago, about a teen girl struggling to come out as a lesbian to her conservative mother, and was happy to see her back again with a successful film. This is a sad movie to watch, but very realistic and honest.
Pottersville is a Christmas indie movie directed by Seth Henrikson starring Michael Shannon as a small town general store owner who, after reeling from the shock of his wife cheating on him, gets drunk and puts on a gorilla suit and runs around town at night hollering, only to be mistaken as Bigfoot and become a local media sensation, bringing tourism dollars to the struggling small town.
It is an offbeat movie, and I had my doubts about Shannon being able to convincingly play a nice and decent person, given that he has a crazy intensity in nearly all of his roles. But he dialed back the crazy to play a mild-mannered and likable guy who just wanted to make the townspeople happy, and he holds off on revealing the truth because he likes that “Bigfoot” is bringing everyone together in a fun community spirit.
The film has a stellar cast for a small holiday film: Shannon, Judy Greer, Ron Perlman, Thomas Lennon, Christina Hendricks, and Ian McShane. The movie is nice to watch for its funny story and talented cast.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
My Favorite Films of 2017
Logan - (directed by James Mangold) A mediation of a hard life long-lived, and the wear and tear of being a superhero and saving the world over and over again. It is a powerful Western that was stunning to watch, and it felt as if the audience had lived this journey with Logan.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women - (directed by Angela Robinson) A sexy, funny, and emotionally rich film about an unconventional poly relationship between three people, and the inspiration that led to the creation of Wonder Woman. I was very touched by this film, and believe it is one of the underrated gems of the year.
The Big Sick - (directed by Michael Showalter) While I didn’t like how this film portrayed Pakistani women in a very old fashioned “foreign” way compared to the liberal white girl lead, I still really enjoyed this film for its humor and its character development of Kumail and Emily’s complex relationship and shared chemistry, and their families as they struggled with sudden life changes and shifting views of their adult children. Holly Hunter was fantastic as a blunt mother determined to save her daughter’s life from a deadly illness, and Ray Romano showed more growth in drama as a caring and sympathetic father.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - (directed by Jon Watts) This movie was such a bright joy to watch. I loved how they portrayed Queens as a multicultural neighborhood of regular people, and it felt very warm. Michael Keaton was great as a villain, and incredibly chilling in one particular scene. I loved how Tom Holland portrayed this boyish excitement at being Spider-Man, he reminded me of a young Michael J. Fox. Along with an adorably hippie Marisa Tomei in granny glasses as Aunt May, it was just a wonderful film.
Good Time - (directed by Ben and Josh Safdie) A crazy night adventure of a film that felt like a scuzzy 80’s low-budget movie. I loved how bonkers it was, and its portrayal of a seedy underworld of Queens at night. It was just a really wild movie to watch.
Blade Runner 2049 - (directed by Denis Villeneuve) A stunning and gorgeous film that carried on the story as if there hadn’t been a 35-year old gap between films. I found the film fascinating and very engrossing in its mediations on humanity of “real” humans and androids. I loved how much the visuals brought so much atmosphere to the film, whether it was an expansive dry desert or a rainy dark city. It truly felt like a magnificent cinematic experience to watch this film.
Maudie - (directed by Aisling Walsh) This is a tough movie to recommend because it portrays domestic violence in a time where it wasn’t questioned, but I liked that the film was in part a portrayal of a marriage that came out of convenience and slowly grew into love. That unfortunately was a lot of women’s realities, when they had to marry for economic stability. Sally Hawkins was fantastic in this film, portraying Maudie with a sense of dignity and strength, and a determination to let her artistry shine through and not be held back by any limitations in life.
Paris Can Wait - (directed by Eleanor Coppola) This isn’t a great movie, but I enjoyed watching the charming and delightful Diane Lane traipse across France while drinking wine and eating cheese, so this was a lovely movie for me to watch.
I know there are tons of other movies that got great reviews and are on best-of lists, but I didn’t see them. I liked It, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Girls Trip, Mudbound, Wind River, Okja, Ingrid Goes West, and Three Billboards Across Missouri. So my list isn’t going to be as big as a professional film critic’s is, but I can’t afford to see tons of movies in theaters, so I likely missed a lot. So these were my favorites, though I may like more as I see them later on.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women - (directed by Angela Robinson) A sexy, funny, and emotionally rich film about an unconventional poly relationship between three people, and the inspiration that led to the creation of Wonder Woman. I was very touched by this film, and believe it is one of the underrated gems of the year.
The Big Sick - (directed by Michael Showalter) While I didn’t like how this film portrayed Pakistani women in a very old fashioned “foreign” way compared to the liberal white girl lead, I still really enjoyed this film for its humor and its character development of Kumail and Emily’s complex relationship and shared chemistry, and their families as they struggled with sudden life changes and shifting views of their adult children. Holly Hunter was fantastic as a blunt mother determined to save her daughter’s life from a deadly illness, and Ray Romano showed more growth in drama as a caring and sympathetic father.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - (directed by Jon Watts) This movie was such a bright joy to watch. I loved how they portrayed Queens as a multicultural neighborhood of regular people, and it felt very warm. Michael Keaton was great as a villain, and incredibly chilling in one particular scene. I loved how Tom Holland portrayed this boyish excitement at being Spider-Man, he reminded me of a young Michael J. Fox. Along with an adorably hippie Marisa Tomei in granny glasses as Aunt May, it was just a wonderful film.
Good Time - (directed by Ben and Josh Safdie) A crazy night adventure of a film that felt like a scuzzy 80’s low-budget movie. I loved how bonkers it was, and its portrayal of a seedy underworld of Queens at night. It was just a really wild movie to watch.
Blade Runner 2049 - (directed by Denis Villeneuve) A stunning and gorgeous film that carried on the story as if there hadn’t been a 35-year old gap between films. I found the film fascinating and very engrossing in its mediations on humanity of “real” humans and androids. I loved how much the visuals brought so much atmosphere to the film, whether it was an expansive dry desert or a rainy dark city. It truly felt like a magnificent cinematic experience to watch this film.
Maudie - (directed by Aisling Walsh) This is a tough movie to recommend because it portrays domestic violence in a time where it wasn’t questioned, but I liked that the film was in part a portrayal of a marriage that came out of convenience and slowly grew into love. That unfortunately was a lot of women’s realities, when they had to marry for economic stability. Sally Hawkins was fantastic in this film, portraying Maudie with a sense of dignity and strength, and a determination to let her artistry shine through and not be held back by any limitations in life.
Paris Can Wait - (directed by Eleanor Coppola) This isn’t a great movie, but I enjoyed watching the charming and delightful Diane Lane traipse across France while drinking wine and eating cheese, so this was a lovely movie for me to watch.
I know there are tons of other movies that got great reviews and are on best-of lists, but I didn’t see them. I liked It, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Girls Trip, Mudbound, Wind River, Okja, Ingrid Goes West, and Three Billboards Across Missouri. So my list isn’t going to be as big as a professional film critic’s is, but I can’t afford to see tons of movies in theaters, so I likely missed a lot. So these were my favorites, though I may like more as I see them later on.
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