This Is a Movie Review: Elle

December 4, 2016

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elle-isabelle-huppert-ax

Elle opens with Michèle (Isabelle Huppert) enduring a sexual assault from a home invader. This scene is revisited multiple times, both mentally and in actuality, as the assailant continues to strike. These repetitions play with your head, partly because it is sickening to watch the scene play out over and over again and partly because Michèle is so seemingly calm when coming to terms with it. She eventually unmasks her attacker and gets her own twisted revenge. Meanwhile, she is dedicated to her job at a videogame company developing an aggressively sexist World of Warcraft-style game, so score one for thematic consistency. Also, weirdly, there is also an acidic family dramedy going on, which certainly can realistically exist alongside the nastiness, but surprise, surprise: its ordinariness may actually be the film’s most button-pushing quality.

I give Elle 8 Pants Around 10 Ankles.

This Is a Movie Review: Jackie

December 4, 2016

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jackie_natalie_portman_red_dress

This review was originally published on News Cult in December 2016.

Starring: Natalie Portman, Billy Crudup, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, John Hurt

Director: Pablo Larraín

Running Time: 99 Minutes

Rating: R for an Alarming Recreation

Release Date: December 2, 2016 (Limited)

The strongest biopics often take the most intimate approaches, and it does not get much more intimate than Jackie. In terms of chronology, cinematography, music, dialogue, and everything else, Pablo Larraín’s portrait of the iconic Mrs. Kennedy is razor sharp in focus. The opening shot, and essentially every shot thereafter, is a tight close-up of Natalie Portman as the First Lady. She is told, in the wake of her husband’s assassination, “the world has gone mad.” But this has been so ever since she has taken residence in the White House. The relentless gaze she endures in such an existence makes it so.

Jackie is constructed around four key relationships. The framing device is an interview conducted by a persistent, but plainly frustrated Billy Crudup (supposedly playing historian Theodore H. White, but credited only as “The Journalist”). Jackie welcomes him into her home, but insists that he is prohibited from printing basically everything she reveals to him. He seeks truth, whereas she only offers stories. Yet, her film is filled with details, and in the wake of tragedy, she latches onto them for some semblance of survival.

Bobby Kennedy (Peter Sarsgaard) is in full-on family mode, as he attempts to anchor his sister-in-law back to reality. Does our knowledge of the tragic fate that awaits him suggest that her buzzing, restless psyche is the better response to all this madness? Social Secretary Nancy Tuckerman (Greta Gerwig) is a constant, near-silent presence, practically a friendly neighborhood specter propping up Jackie’s decorum and fabulousness. And then there is a priest (John Hurt), who only offers answers wrapped in ambiguity. (Or is it the other way around?)

The teams on sound and design assemble it all to give you the front-row seat that is almost too disturbing to bear. Indeed, its boldness in key moments may in fact be too much for some audiences to handle. Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine understands that the medium is the message. His Super 16 photography is a mix of grainy distortion/clarity and that old soap opera-style intimacy. Mica Levi’s avant-garde score is unnerving, yet somehow comforting, and therefore unnerving to think that such a tragedy could ever be comforting. A constant string phrase sounds like the THX theme being drained of life. Like all of Jackie, it is indelible.

Jackie is Recommended If You Like: The Tree of Life, Under the Skin, Black Swan

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 Bloodstains That Are Hard to Wash Off

 

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of December 10, 2016

December 4, 2016

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Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – Heathens”
2. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
3. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
4. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
5. John Mayer – “Love on the Weekend”
6. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
7. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
8. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
9. The xx – “On Hold”
10. Kings of Leon – “Waste a Moment”
11. The Lumineers – “Sleep on the Floor”
12. Zach Williams – “Chain Breaker”
13. Bastille – “Good Grief”
14. The Lumineers – “Cleopatra”
15. Highly Suspect – “My Name is Human”
16. Metallica – “Atlas, Rise!”
17. Metallica – “Hardwired”
18. Metallica – “Moth Into Flame”
19. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
20. The Head and the Heart – “All We Ever Knew”
21. Leonard Cohen – “Hallelujah”
22. twenty one pilots – “Cancer”
23. Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah”
24. Five Finger Death Punch – “I Apologize”
25. Green Day – “Still Breathing”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
2. My Name is Human
3. Unsteady
4. On Hold
5. Ride
6. Good Grief
7. Moth Into Flame
8. Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)
9. Atlas, Rise!
10. Ophelia
11. Heathens
12. Waste a Moment
13. Cleopatra
14. Take It All Back
15. Cancer
16. Hymn for the Weekend
17. I Apologize
18. Sleep on the Floor
19. Hardwired
20. All We Ever Knew
21. Still Breathing
22. HandClap
23. Love on the Weekend
24. Sucker for the Pain
25. Chain Breaker

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of December 10, 2016

December 4, 2016

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles”
2. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
3. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “Starboy”
4. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
5. Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall – “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
6. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side to Side”
7. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
8. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
9. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
10. Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Don’t Wanna Know”
11. Drake – “Fake Love”
12. Aminé – “Caroline”
13. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – “Starving”
14. gnash ft. Olivia O’Brien – “i hate u, i love u”
15. Alessia Cara – “Scars to Your Beautiful”
16. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water”
17. Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better”
18. Sia ft. Kendrick Lamar – “The Greatest”
19. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
20. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. The Greatest
2. Starboy
3. Scars to Your Beautiful
4. Black Beatles
5. Side to Side
6. Cold Water
7. Unsteady
8. Broccoli
9. Closer
10. 24K Magic
11. i hate u, i love u
12. Starving
13. Heathens
14. Let Me Love You
15. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
16. Caroline
17. Fake Love
18. Don’t Wanna Know
19. Treat You Better
20. Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)

What Won TV? – November 20-November 26, 2016

November 27, 2016

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In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.

search_party_alia_shawkat_closeup

Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – People of Earth
Tuesday – Billy on the Street has contributed so much comedy to this world, and if nothing else, it’s made people laugh, and that’s obviously a beautiful thing because if we didn’t have laughter, the world would suck a whole lot.
Wednesday – Search Party
Thursday – Search Party
Friday – Search Party … finds what it’s looking for?
Saturday – Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency comes into its own.

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of December 3, 2016

November 27, 2016

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Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange that top 25 based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
2. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
3. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
4. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
5. Leonard Cohen – “Hallelujah”
6. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
7. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
8. Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence”
9. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
10. Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah”
11. The xx – “On Hold”
12. John Mayer – “Love on the Weekend”
13. Zach Williams – “Chain Breaker”
14. Bastille – “Good Grief”
15. Kings of Leon – “Waste a Moment”
16. Rufus Wainwright – “Hallelujah”
17. Skillet – “Feel Invincible”
18. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
19. The Head and the Heart – “All We Ever Knew”
20. Highly Suspect – “My Name is Human”
21. The Lumineers – “Cleopatra”
22. Leonard Cohen – “You Want It Darker”
23. twenty one pilots – “Cancer”
24. blink-182 – “She’s Out of Her Mind”
25. Leonard Cohen – “Suzanne”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
2. You Want It Darker
3. My Name is Human
4. Unsteady
5. On Hold
6. Ride
7. Good Grief
8. Suzanne
9. Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)
10. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
11. Ophelia
12. Heathens
13. Waste a Moment
14. Cleopatra
15. Take It All Back
16. Cancer
17. Hymn for the Weekend
18. All We Ever Knew
19. The Sound of Silence
20. She’s Out of Her Mind
21. HandClap
22. Love on the Weekend
23. Feel Invincible
24. Sucker for Pain
25. Chain Breaker

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of December 3, 2016

November 27, 2016

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles”
2. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
3. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “Starboy”
4. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side to Side”
5. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
6. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
7. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
8. Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall – “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
9. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
10. Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Don’t Wanna Know”
11. gnash ft. Olivia O’Brien – “i hate u, i love u”
12. Aminé – “Caroline”
13. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water”
14. Drake – “Fake Love”
15. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – “Starving”
16. Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better”
17. Alessia Cara – “Scars to Your Beautiful”
18. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
19. Sia ft. Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
20. Sia ft. Kendrick Lamar – “The Greatest”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. The Greatest
2. Starboy
3. Scars to Your Beautiful
4. Cheap Thrills
5. Black Beatles
6. Side to Side
7. Cold Water
8. Broccoli
9. Closer
10. 24K Magic
11. i hate u, i love u
12. Starving
13. Heathens
14. Let Me Love You
15. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
16. Caroline
17. Fake Love
18. Don’t Wanna Know
19. Treat You Better
20. Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)

This Is a Movie Review: Always Shine

November 26, 2016

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , 1 Comment

always-shine-mackenize-davis-caitlin-fitzgerald

This review was originally published on News Cult in November 2016.

Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Caitlin FitzGerald

Director: Sophia Takal

Running Time: 85 Minutes

Rating: Unrated, But Keep an Eye Out for the Psychosexual Drama

Release Date: November 25, 2016 (Limited)

In the psychological thriller Always Shine, two actor friends (MacKenzie Davis, Caitlin FitzGerald) take a coastal weekend trip to Big Sur, but the real journey is in their heads. For hardcore cinephiles, this simple premise is worth getting excited about due to its similarity to Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 classic Persona. In both films, two women vacationing essentially fuse into one identity, both through psychological attachment and the suggestion of cinematic visual language. In Persona, the two are an actress fallen ill and her attending nurse; Always Shine is like a postmodern update (of what was already a postmodern concept), since its vacation buddies are both actors. The multiple layers of performativity pile up and swallow each other.

A pair of introduction scenes set the tone for Always Shine. Both consist of intimate, practically invasive close-ups of the two leads as they converse with a man off-screen. Beth (FitzGerald) nervously survives an audition for a role that requires nudity. She kind of knew that might be a possibility, and the director gives her a perfunctory assurance that she will be treated appropriately, but her face betrays every disappearance of dignity. Anna’s (Davis) scene is both more intense and more mundane. She fights an unfair bill from a mechanic, insisting that she will not pay for it. She gives the performance every ounce of energy, but in fact this is not an audition. She really is having car troubles, and her commanding energy is being wasted on the indignities of daily life.

Davis gives the better performance of the two, but to be fair, much of that has to do with her playing the better actor. It is worth considering the possibility that FitzGerald is worse on purpose. If so, she is admirable for sacrificing herself for the greater good of the film as a whole.

Always Shine is a tiny release, but it feels like it could be hugely influential because of how directly it tackles the state of women in film. Thus, I recommend that everyone with the means to do so seek it out, if only to just provide support and thereby prevent folks like Mackenzie Davis and Caitlin FitzGerald from devouring each other in real life.

Always Shine is Recommended If You Like: Persona, Single White Female, Mulholland Drive

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Jealous Scowls

The Simpsons 28.8 Review: “Dad Behavior”

November 21, 2016

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THE SIMPSONS: Homer finds a new app that makes his life much easier and outsources his father-son bonding in the all-new “Dad Behavior” episode of THE SIMPSONS airing Sunday, Nov. 20 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT). THE SIMPSONS ™ and © 2016 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CR:FOX

This episode looks back to a time “before throwing your baby into the sun was considered child abuse.” http://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-the-simpsons-dad-behavior/

This Is a Movie Review: Warren Beatty’s Howard Hughes Passion Project ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ is a Strange Hot Mess

November 21, 2016

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rules_dont_apply_alden_ehrenreich_warren_beatty

This review was originally published on News Cult in November 2016.

Starring: Warren Beatty, Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening

Director: Warren Beatty

Running Time: 126 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for a Few Snafus Involving Alcohol and Bodily Fluids

Release Date: November 23, 2016

Rules Don’t Apply has four credited editors and 16 credited producers, and the entire of all of their handiwork can be felt onscreen. Warren Beatty’s passion project about the ’50s Hollywood goings-on in billionaire producer/aviator Howard Hughes’ empire has about as many approaches as it does characters, and it has A LOT of characters. The two main ones are virginal aspiring actress Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins) and her driver, aspiring businessman Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich). The pair’s flirtatiousness is doomed by Hughes’ rule prohibiting romance between any of his employees and also by the film losing track of their story. Joining them is a who’s who of the friends that Beatty has made over the years, most of them flitting in and out for a hot second.

While the wild shifts in pacing and tone prevent Rules Don’t Apply from amounting to much, there are plenty of details scattered around that are worth some pleasures (and if corralled more efficiently, could have made for a much more accomplished end product). Much of this is to do with some oft-repeated, almost mantra-like bits of dialogue. After Howard tells Marla where their H2O is from, she wonders aloud, sounding as if she is learning for the first time either the entire concept of liquids or how to speak English, “Hmm. Water. From Maine.” Also contributing to the lack of experience of living as a human is Howard’s bizarre insistence on a very particular ice cream flavor. Perhaps that same whimsy explains all the alliteration in the character names.

Hidden beneath this weird mess of nominal satire is a fascinating performance from Beatty. “Hidden” is the optimum word here, both because this film is hard to make sense of and because Beatty often shoots himself in the shadows, with Howard an enigmatic presence taking care of most of his business behind closed doors and via middlemen. But his inscrutable ways are commanding. The chaos surrounding him serves this svengali’s arc well. It is almost as if Beatty figured out exactly the movie he wanted to make but forgot to tell everyone else. To be fair, that is understandable when you have four editors and 16 producers.

Rules Don’t Apply is Recommended If You Like: Being Confused

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Bowls of Banana Nut Ice Cream

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