#i also tried out o brother where art thou as my very first movie because my classical literature prof recced it when I was in uni

[bogkeep]

i am used to long travel times by car or train, but i very rarely go on long flights (you'd be surprised how far you can get within 2-3 hours in europe), so getting to watch movies on a plane is a very fun and novel experience to me. it also presents a very good opportunity for me to watch them, because there is not much else to do and i HAVE to sit there for several hours anyway!! it's perfect!!! my flights also had a pretty good catalogue too, even if it got shaved down when i filtered by closed captions availability.

ANYWAY here's all the movies i watched on my trip

The Batman - i liked it, i think it did a good job of capturing the droopy depressed vibe thst i remember from an animated batman show i watched as a kid (not the most known one but one just called the batman i think????). creepy And wet. made a respectable attempt at being critical of cops and letting the antagonist have a point but i felt very "sweetie you're So close to getting it." alas it's a big franchise superhero movie so like. of course it won't say acab

Blue Thermal - sports anime movie about glider planes! the pacing was weird and i wish they had included more scenes of the protagonist actually flying and not just telling us about it, but i enjoyed the vibes. very immersive experience to watch on a plane

The Croods: A New Age - I BARELY GOT HALFWAY AND THE NEXT FLIGHT DIDN'T HAVE IT. TRAGIC. i was actually having a lot of fun with it, i do enjoy caricatures of Those Neighbours That Are So Much Better Than You In Every Way. it's fun to see what overly specific details get portrayed. also appreciate the Girl Friendship. i hope i can finish watching it sometime :')

the new thor movie uhh love and thunder something - i gave up maybe not even a third in. it was unbearable. i just wanted some easily digestible entertainment but the new flight catalogue had less options and i was like, i'll give this a go, i liked ragnarok. but no. it was unwatchable to me. not even the inclusion of norway saved it for me. actually that probably made it worse - it makes sense to have an american spelling and pronounciation of Åsgard!! but having to hear them say asgard asgard asgard repeatedly in the middle of tønsberg (was it real tønsberg? was it cgi tønsberg?) was just too much, in addition to make a constant mockery of norse mythology. bye

Mortal Engines - now THIS was a lot more fun. i know zero things about the books it was based on, but i thoroughly enjoyed how extremely YA the world-building and the character interactions were. like it was genuinely endearing to me!! this movie was also a very immersive experience to watch on a plane. honestly the most pleasant surprise out of all the movies i tried i was just so stoked about big scary city with a maw like a literal metaphor

Pitch Perfect 3 - uuuhhh i liked the singing? "i brought a cup" was my favourite joke from it. maybe the only joke that made me feel anything at all. had more US military propaganda (ew) and fight choreography (nice) than i expected.

started a rewatch of mitchells vs the machines for the last hour of the flight. it's a banger obviously

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Thank You for Your Pains

I’m on record as to being a fan of Shakespeare. I particularly enjoy adaptions their work. Modern updates or unique interpretations of those old timey prose always pique my interest. Real or not, genius or plagiarist, Bill Shakes really developed one hell of a bibliography it it’s lifetime. I’ve written at length about my love for the violent camp which define the Nineties take on Romeo and Juliet. I don’t care for that story overall but the style in which Baz Luhrmann tells that story is more than enough to make up for the very problematic narrative. It’s wild to think that, with a flair for the unique and an eye for the aesthetic, my entire perspective could change over something i objectively do not like. So what happens when that treatment is used on something i properly enjoy? Well, A24 decided to let Joel Coen do just that and we got The Tragedy of Macbeth.

The Outstanding

The very first thing which strikes you upon watching this film, is the sound design. I was immediately captivated by what i was hearing, long before any substantial image found the screen. What you hear really sets the tone for what you see because, and i say this with a reverence and accolades due, there isn’t much to actually see. That sound design needed to be impeachable because there are no real set pieces or traditional movie moments to really gripped an audience.

I spoke briefly about style and how it can alter one’s entire perspective about a work and this take on Macbeth definitely has that. There is a minimalist nature which defines this film, which informs and contrasts the narrative. Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare works. I know this story inside and out. To see it presented like this? F*cking genius. Macbeth is a story that lends itself to the gaudy. So much passion. So much rage. So much of everything. It is, in effect, melodramatic slop but not this version. This version is not that. This one is concise, to the point, and focused; A stark selection on the play, overall, but one hundred percent in line with the presentation.

Joel Coen is a master of his craft, man, and that sh*t is put on full display with Macbeth. He and his brother have made classics. Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, True Grit; The list is long and The Tragedy of Macbeth slides right in there. I can’t say it’s his strongest work but it’s up there. Joel really directed his ass off with this one. It’s never easy to put your own voice into Shakespeare but Coen has done that exceptionally well.

I also have to mention how he adapted this screenplay. Like, Joel wrote this sh*t. Dude’s hands are all over this movie and i think it’s that much better for it. I also know that no major studio would touch this f*cking thing, not in the way Coen wanted to make it anyway. I love Macbeth and i love Coen’s truncated spin on that tried and true tale. Not surprised i would because, again, The Big Lebowski and others exist but i am in awe

The camera work does a lot of he heavy lifting in this production. Everything is so small, so minimal, that you must find other ways to engage the audience. Sound design is one, the overall looks is another and camera work really goes a long way to simulating action. Macbeth isn’t really that action packed to begin with so  to have such dynamic camera move helps to fool the audience into thinking they’re not just watching a series of passionate monologues or exchanged for nearly two hours. This is a play, performed for a single man, shot like an Oscar worthy film.

Kind of hand-in-hand wit the camera work, the cinematography in Macbeth is some of the best I've seen in years. It’s wild to think that these sets are so small, that everything is so claustrophobic but, at the same time, they all feel so very epic. That has everything to do with the framing and shot composition. That has everything to do with the cinematography. This movie is f*cking gorgeous.

The editing, too, is high quality. I mentioned this being a stage play with movie sensibilities? Yeah, that caries over to the editing, too. I was very surprised by how well this film was cut. There’s no fat on this rind. Coen wants to tell you a story and he he does just that, getting you to every scenes that is absolutely necessary. This makes for a tight, well paced, viewing experience which makes sense because the choice to keep the Old English dialogue can be near impenetrable by audiences who don’t want to engage.

This movie is a whole ass technical marvel. Every aspect that would be used to construct a film, is executed at the highest level. I haven’t seen this much love for a production, this much skill in it’s construction, in some time.

This list is already pretty substantial and i haven't even gotten to the performances. Oh, the performances. So man stand outs. Such great acting displayed. This entire cast really give their all, every second they’re on screen. Alex Hassell was surprisingly decent as Ross. Kind of puts his Vicious in a terrible f*cking light, actually. Harry Melling, too, does a great job as Malcolm. The younger Dursley continued to impress post-Potter. Brenden Gleason, Kathryn Hunter, and Moses Ingram also really do their thing, even if they aren’t on screen for as long as I'd like but this movie is, for sure, driven by Denzel and Frances.

Frances McDormand never turns in a bad performance. There’s a reason she’s in anything the Coens make. I mean, she’s married to Joel but it’s more than that. Frances is really f*cking good at her job and she really proves that with her take on Lady Macbeth. There is emotion and nuance and regret laced throughout this performance and i was captivated by every second of it.

McDormand had a fantastic foil, someone to really elevate her own performance, in Denzel Washington. It was a bit jarring to see him portray Lord Macbeth at first. I’ve never seen Washington do Shakespeare before but he was brilliant in the role. All of the things that make him a movie star The charisma, the swagger, that smirk, the intensity; It’s all here. It’s never too much but it is a lot, exactly how a man spiraling into madness would be. I am a fan of Denzel the movie star but this is the first time i can say i was impressed by Denzel the actor.

I have to say, the chemistry between Washington and McDormand is something really special. I wrote an entire essay about how impressive it was to see an age appropriate love interest for Washington but their energy together is really compatible. I really believed their relationship and it was dope that paring was properly old.

The Verdict

I f*cking loved this movie, man. Of course i did. Washing and McDormand are two of my favorite all-time actors. Joel Coen is one of my favorite directors. Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. A24 is my favorite studio. This thing was tailor-made for me to gush about and gush i for sure did. The Tragedy of Macbeth is an amazing film the a lot of people will absolutely write off because of the choices made to bring this production to life. It;s a shame because those who will pass on this, will pass on one of the best films of the last half decade. The Tragedy of Macbeth is a movie for movie fans. The performances are stupid strong, the direction is even stronger and the the overall aesthetic is something more than lovely. Every aspect of this film is top tier creativity at it’s finest. It’s art house, for sure, but it’s also an A4 film. You know what you’re getting into when a movie drops from that studio and this thing might be the most A24 I've seen since Under the Skin, another oft maligned masterpiece. People will teach this movie in the future, it’s just that good. The Tragedy of Macbeth is a masterpiece. I beg you to sideline your bias and really let this film get it’s hooks into you. I promise you won’t regret it.

[introvertguide]

Sullivan’s Travels (1941); AFI #61

The current movie under review is one of my surprise favorites from the AFI list, Sullivan’s Travels (1941). It was written and directed by Preston Sturges, who was writer/director for five films on the AFI 100 Funniest Films. The story is an elaboration of how Sturges was feeling as a director during the Great Depression. The film did not do especially well as far as accolades, but it was well received by critics and audiences. The film is also one of the first for Veronica Lake when she was barely 18 years old. Let’s take care of some business before discussing further and go over the plot of the movie. Of course that means...

SPOILER ALERT!!! THIS IS A SURPRISINGLY GREAT MOVIE SO DON’T LET ME RUIN THE SURPRISE!!! WATCH THE FILM FIRST THEN COME BACK AND CHECK OUT THE REVIEW!!!

The film is set in Hollywood during the Great Depression, and John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) is a Hollywood director who has made a lot of money off of directing light comedies. He is worried that his movies are shallow in the face of all the tragedy in the country and he decides that he wants to make a serious film based on a novel about the downtrodden called O Brother, Where Art Thou? The studio heads want him to direct another lucrative comedy instead, but Sullivan refuses to budge and decides he needs to discover what it is like to be poor. His butler and valet help him dress up in an appropriate hobo outfit, then Sullivan sets out with a dime in his pocket. 

In one of the funniest progression of events in a film I have ever witnessed, Sullivan attempts to hitchhike out of Hollywood with his entire staff (secretary, cook, personal assistant, press manager) following right behind him in a giant bus. Sullivan does not like this arrangement, but it was the only way the studio would allow him to try this stunt. After a beautiful pan of a lonely hobo walking back to a beautiful bus which is an office on wheels, the movie decides that Sullivan needs to break away. This is accomplished in the form of a twelve year old driving a make shift car, so Sullivan jumps in and the two speed off with the office bus in pursuit. The wacky car chase ends at a restaurant and Sullivan tells his crew that he will meet up with them in Las Vegas. In the meantime, he goes into the diner to get some food.

Inside, he meets a young struggling actress (Veronica Lake) who is just about to give up and go home. She believes that Sullivan is a tramp and buys him a breakfast of ham and eggs. In return for her kindness, Sullivan retrieves his car from his estate and gives her a lift under the pretense that he borrowed it from a friend. He does not tell anyone that he is taking his own car, so his staff report it stolen and he and the girl are arrested. He is released into the care of his valet and the Girl goes with him. Because of the mansion and chauffeured car, it becomes apparent that Sullivan is not who he said he was. After seeing how wealthy he is, the Girl pushes him into his enormous swimming pool for deceiving her. However, when he insists on trying his hobo project again, she goes with him disguised as a boy.

Sullivan and the Girl do finally get some experience in suffering, but keep returning to Hollywood when things get too overwhelming. They both spend some time riding in a boxcar, eating at a soup kitchen, and sleeping in a homeless shelter (where another hobo steals his shoes into which the butler has sown a business card). His experiment is publicized by the studio as a huge success. The Girl wants to stay with Sullivan and presumably marry him, but this cannot be since he was already married on the advice of his business manager in an attempt for Sullivan to lower his taxes. It turns out, however, that Sullivan was tricked and his wife cost him double what he saved. Also, she is in love with his business manager.

For more promotion for his project, Sullivan decides to thank the homeless by handing out $5 bills. Everyone knows that carrying a wad of cash around desperate people is dumb, and one hobo ambushes Sullivan and steals the money. Sullivan is knocked unconscious and put in a boxcar leaving the city and the thief gets run over and killed by another train while trying to pick up the money he dropped while escaping. When the mangled body is found, it turns out that this was the hobo who stole Sullivan's shoes, and a special identification card sewn into them identifies him as Sullivan.

Meanwhile, the real Sullivan wakes up in another city with no memory of who he is or how he got there. A train boss finds him and berates Sullivan for illegally entering the rail yard. In his confused state, Sullivan hits the man with a rock and is sentenced to six years in a labor camp. He gradually regains his memory and tries to find a way to escape. In one of most progressive scenes of the time, an all black church allows the white convicts to join them for a showing of some cartoons to lighten everyone’s spirits. It is a showing of Walt Disney's 1934 Playful Pluto cartoon and Sullivan is surprised to find himself laughing along with the other inmates.

Unable to convince anybody that he is Sullivan or communicate with the outside world, he comes up with a solution: after seeing his unsolved "killing" on the front page of a newspaper, he confesses to being his own killer. When his picture makes the front page, the Girl recognizes him and Sullivan is released. His "widow" had already married his business manager, so he realizes she will have to give him a divorce or be charged with bigamy. Sullivan's boss tells him he can make O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but Sullivan says that he has changed his mind. He wants to make comedies, having learned that they can do more good for the poor. 

It seem pretty apparent that Preston Sturges wrote this as a “what if” scenario when considering his own work. He was a director that was known for his screwball comedies and he sometimes craved for a chance to try more serious films. This was one of his more serious films and it was still very funny and showed his maturity in sticking what he was best at and brought his audience the most joy. Sturges is known in Hollywood history as the first real writer/director and he established that reputation in style. He famously sold the story for one of his movies to Paramount for $1 on the condition that he would be allowed to direct the film. Quite the character.

As I have mentioned in all my articles on this movie, Veronica Lake was very young and very pregnant during the filming. She gave birth to her first child only a couple of months after wrapping up filming and had to hide her very pregnant body. She had a body double for some of the scenes, but she mostly hid her stomach in a variety of costumes. One thing I noticed, with the exception of a brief puff in the diner, she was not smoking nor was she around smoking in the film. It is also fun to look and see if you can “spot the belly” because it is definitely noticeable in some scenes.

A favorite scene of mine and one that was recognized by the NAACP was the church scene towards the end. Standard race roles were challenged on film as a church of black parishioners took pity on the apparently all white prison gang and allow the inmates to sit in front and join them in watching a movie. Black Americans were still being forced to sit in the back against their will and were often not given the same opportunities as White Americans. This scene reversed the standard racial stereotypes of the time and portrayed sympathetic and forgiving black church members giving permission to white criminals to join them. It was completely unheard of at the time and made for a great lesson for the character of Sullivan.

So, it is time for the standard questions. Does this film belong on the AFI list? Sure does. It is one of the first big roles of Veronica Lake, it is a master class of writing and directing by Preston Sturges, and the film is very enjoyable on all levels. Would I recommend it? Oh yeah. This movie is great. It is genuinely funny with great dialogue and represents a more subtle comedy that really stands out from the screwball counterparts of the time. I watched it three times over five days and I never checked the clock because it moves so well. I highly recommend it to see Veronica Lake at her finest and to enjoy fast moving dialogue that is ahead of its time. 

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Thank You for Your Pains

I’m on record as to being a fan of Shakespeare. I particularly enjoy adaptions their work. Modern updates or unique interpretations of those old timey prose always pique my interest. Real or not, genius or plagiarist, Bill Shakes really developed one hell of a bibliography it it’s lifetime. I’ve written at length about my love for the violent camp which define the Nineties take on Romeo and Juliet. I don’t care for that story overall but the style in which Baz Luhrmann tells that story is more than enough to make up for the very problematic narrative. It’s wild to think that, with a flair for the unique and an eye for the aesthetic, my entire perspective could change over something i objectively do not like. So what happens when that treatment is used on something i properly enjoy? Well, A24 decided to let Joel Coen do just that and we got The Tragedy of Macbeth.

The Outstanding

The very first thing which strikes you upon watching this film, is the sound design. I was immediately captivated by what i was hearing, long before any substantial image found the screen. What you hear really sets the tone for what you see because, and i say this with a reverence and accolades due, there isn’t much to actually see. That sound design needed to be impeachable because there are no real set pieces or traditional movie moments to really gripped an audience.

I spoke briefly about style and how it can alter one’s entire perspective about a work and this take on Macbeth definitely has that. There is a minimalist nature which defines this film, which informs and contrasts the narrative. Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare works. I know this story inside and out. To see it presented like this? F*cking genius. Macbeth is a story that lends itself to the gaudy. So much passion. So much rage. So much of everything. It is, in effect, melodramatic slop but not this version. This version is not that. This one is concise, to the point, and focused; A stark selection on the play, overall, but one hundred percent in line with the presentation.

Joel Coen is a master of his craft, man, and that sh*t is put on full display with Macbeth. He and his brother have made classics. Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, True Grit; The list is long and The Tragedy of Macbeth slides right in there. I can’t say it’s his strongest work but it’s up there. Joel really directed his ass off with this one. It’s never easy to put your own voice into Shakespeare but Coen has done that exceptionally well.

I also have to mention how he adapted this screenplay. Like, Joel wrote this sh*t. Dude’s hands are all over this movie and i think it’s that much better for it. I also know that no major studio would touch this f*cking thing, not in the way Coen wanted to make it anyway. I love Macbeth and i love Coen’s truncated spin on that tried and true tale. Not surprised i would because, again, The Big Lebowski and others exist but i am in awe

The camera work does a lot of he heavy lifting in this production. Everything is so small, so minimal, that you must find other ways to engage the audience. Sound design is one, the overall looks is another and camera work really goes a long way to simulating action. Macbeth isn’t really that action packed to begin with so  to have such dynamic camera move helps to fool the audience into thinking they’re not just watching a series of passionate monologues or exchanged for nearly two hours. This is a play, performed for a single man, shot like an Oscar worthy film.

Kind of hand-in-hand wit the camera work, the cinematography in Macbeth is some of the best I've seen in years. It’s wild to think that these sets are so small, that everything is so claustrophobic but, at the same time, they all feel so very epic. That has everything to do with the framing and shot composition. That has everything to do with the cinematography. This movie is f*cking gorgeous.

The editing, too, is high quality. I mentioned this being a stage play with movie sensibilities? Yeah, that caries over to the editing, too. I was very surprised by how well this film was cut. There’s no fat on this rind. Coen wants to tell you a story and he he does just that, getting you to every scenes that is absolutely necessary. This makes for a tight, well paced, viewing experience which makes sense because the choice to keep the Old English dialogue can be near impenetrable by audiences who don’t want to engage.

This movie is a whole ass technical marvel. Every aspect that would be used to construct a film, is executed at the highest level. I haven’t seen this much love for a production, this much skill in it’s construction, in some time.

This list is already pretty substantial and i haven't even gotten to the performances. Oh, the performances. So man stand outs. Such great acting displayed. This entire cast really give their all, every second they’re on screen. Alex Hassell was surprisingly decent as Ross. Kind of puts his Vicious in a terrible f*cking light, actually. Harry Melling, too, does a great job as Malcolm. The younger Dursley continued to impress post-Potter. Brenden Gleason, Kathryn Hunter, and Moses Ingram also really do their thing, even if they aren’t on screen for as long as I'd like but this movie is, for sure, driven by Denzel and Frances.

Frances McDormand never turns in a bad performance. There’s a reason she’s in anything the Coens make. I mean, she’s married to Joel but it’s more than that. Frances is really f*cking good at her job and she really proves that with her take on Lady Macbeth. There is emotion and nuance and regret laced throughout this performance and i was captivated by every second of it.

McDormand had a fantastic foil, someone to really elevate her own performance, in Denzel Washington. It was a bit jarring to see him portray Lord Macbeth at first. I’ve never seen Washington do Shakespeare before but he was brilliant in the role. All of the things that make him a movie star The charisma, the swagger, that smirk, the intensity; It’s all here. It’s never too much but it is a lot, exactly how a man spiraling into madness would be. I am a fan of Denzel the movie star but this is the first time i can say i was impressed by Denzel the actor.

I have to say, the chemistry between Washington and McDormand is something really special. I wrote an entire essay about how impressive it was to see an age appropriate love interest for Washington but their energy together is really compatible. I really believed their relationship and it was dope that paring was properly old.

The Verdict

I f*cking loved this movie, man. Of course i did. Washing and McDormand are two of my favorite all-time actors. Joel Coen is one of my favorite directors. Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. A24 is my favorite studio. This thing was tailor-made for me to gush about and gush i for sure did. The Tragedy of Macbeth is an amazing film the a lot of people will absolutely write off because of the choices made to bring this production to life. It;s a shame because those who will pass on this, will pass on one of the best films of the last half decade. The Tragedy of Macbeth is a movie for movie fans. The performances are stupid strong, the direction is even stronger and the the overall aesthetic is something more than lovely. Every aspect of this film is top tier creativity at it’s finest. It’s art house, for sure, but it’s also an A4 film. You know what you’re getting into when a movie drops from that studio and this thing might be the most A24 I've seen since Under the Skin, another oft maligned masterpiece. People will teach this movie in the future, it’s just that good. The Tragedy of Macbeth is a masterpiece. I beg you to sideline your bias and really let this film get it’s hooks into you. I promise you won’t regret it.