Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread

A gorgeous film with brilliant acting and directing that slowly unfolds itself into a fascinating study of toxic relationships, and the many different forms they can take while still consuming the same two people.

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my very favorite filmmakers, and in some ways this is Paul Thomas Anderson's least Paul Thomas Andersonian film (there is no ensemble, it is almost entirely focused on two people; there is no violence or nudity, and hardly any language; it takes place in London instead of California, etc.), but it is still undoubtedly his work. It has the same underpinning darkness, anger and intensity, shifting power dynamics, strong characters, and well-defined world that are common in all of his films. The cinematography, pacing, and intimacy of both the world and characters specifically reflect that of The Master, as opposed to his earlier more fast-paced films, the tender nature of Punch-Drunk Love, the epic scope of There Will Be Blood, or the total incomprehensibility of Inherent Vice. It's definitely a unique addition to his oeuvre.

(I won't go into spoilers, but as the trailers suggest, this is a dark romance film. I'm not sure it's a spoiler to say the film goes in dark directions and there's power dynamic shifts, but it would be hard to have a Paul Thomas Anderson movie where this didn't happen. I'm not going to get into specifics, but I will say, as I just said, that things do take a dark turn.)

Daniel Day-Lewis says this is his last film, and if so, this is a really interesting note to go out on. This is by no means a complete transformation like that of Daniel Plainview or Abraham Lincoln, it's very clearly Day-Lewis on screen. He's by no means a hero or a villain, he's simply a perfectionist who, as the term would suggest, gets very frustrated when things aren't perfect. This can sometimes make him relatable and even funny, but also caustic and cruel. While is technically a romance, both he and Vicky Krieps are unhappy with each other and are constantly trying to manipulate the other into being who they want. He's not a monster like Plainview, but he's certainly inconsiderate, and Day-Lewis plays that angle very well.

This is my first time ever seeing Vicky Krieps, and boy does she stand her own against Day-Lewis. It's by no means an acting competition, but since these characters are manipulating each other, Krieps does have to find her own way of being effected by, and occasionally standing up to, Day-Lewis in their scenes together. Her character is meek and polite while Day-Lewis is used to being in control, so she begins as the audience surrogate, but eventually finds her own ways of trying to change him that are initially innocent, but then get into something much darker and stranger.

I love how each act is able to have a complete tonal shift while still feeling seamlessly consistent, like not noticing the steadily rising temperature of water until it's boiling. This is largely because of the world and the characters that Anderson presents. The film is able to take as much time as it wants in telling its story because there is so much to look at and think about after almost every scene. It's engaging purely through the power of both the filmmaking and the themes that it presents. It doesn't need any gimmicks, it's able to take unexpected turns without them ever feeling like "twists" that cheaply try to trick the audience, instead it's just smartly written.

I would absolutely recommend this film. It's not my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film, but I would absolutely want to visit this world again. The pacing is very deliberate and it covers a toxic relationship in a very real way, so as long as you're into that, you'll have a great time.

I, Tonya

I, Tonya

From the format to the performances to the insane source material to the incredibly fast pace, this is an undeniably entertaining movie from start to finish.

For anyone not familiar with the infamous story of Tonya Harding, she was the first female figure skater to successfully pull off two triple axels (spinning three and a half times in one jump) in one competition. Oh, and right before the 1994 Winter Olympics her competitor Nancy Kerrigan got her knee whacked by a guy that turned out to be a friend of a friend of Harding's ex-husband. That second part got a lot more press, and Harding became synonymous with sabotage, despite most people never really knowing whether or not Harding was actually involved in the attack.

I, Tonya opens by revealing it's entirely based off of interviews with Harding, her mother, her coach, her ex-husband, his bodyguard, and a guy from the magazine that first covered the Kerrigan story, so right away it's clear that the film is choosing a very personal (and more than likely biased) perspective on these events. This makes the movie all the more interesting and allows it to go really crazy with the storytelling, starting with all of the interviews being reenacted by the actors playing the real people who were being interviewed. The style definitely follows in the line of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short in terms of being a fast-paced, self-aware biopic, complete with characters looking into the camera and saying "This really happened." and funny fictional cutaways. This style can very easily come off as forced, but I think for the most part the movie does a good job of making it work. There's so much energy and passion for this story that it's hard not to have a great time, even when they're kind of making light of a vast amount of terrible that really happened, namely lots of physical abuse inflicted almost entirely on Tonya.

It feels like Margot Robbie has been wanting to play Tonya Harding her whole life, and this is her finally getting her wish fulfilled (she even produced the thing!). She's sympathetic, strong-willed, and has a natural charisma that makes her all the more likable when she's telling off everyone around her. They do a great job of emphasizing the fact that while Nancy Kerrigan (who's hardly in the film) is a typical American sweetheart, Tonya Harding is far more American in the truer sense of the word. She always sticks up for herself both verbally and physically, she's proud of her lower class status, and she's always out to prove herself to the world while simultaneously not even slightly caring about what anyone else thinks of her. Like her or not, she'll always be coming back in one form or another, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop her.

The rest of the cast is fantastic. Allison Janney, who's always been a personal favorite of mine, steals every scene she's in. She adores every second of playing this horrible monster of a mother, who justifies her actions by saying she's made Tonya a champion, which in some ways is hard to argue. She's an extreme, but still authentic, example of those crazy sports parents. Sebastian Stan is great at playing both young and old Jeff Gillooly, particularly at making him come across as innocent at first but then revealing that he's just as terrible as Tonya's mother without it feeling like he's playing a completely different character. He's a guy who has a spectrum that goes from gentle to psychotic and even when it spikes suddenly, it's clear he's the same guy. Paul Walter Hauser (who I'll always think of as the Juggalo high schooler in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) is hilarious as Shawn, Jeff's friend and "bodyguard", though he definitely just plays him dumb and doesn't necessarily bring a lot of humanity to him. All of these actors help bring alive the film's speedy and wild world by emphasizing the desperation that all of these people really felt and acted upon.

There's really only a couple gripes with the movie that I can muster up. It's clear when Margot Robbie's face is digitally plastered onto real skaters' faces, and can cause a slight uncanny valley effect. She definitely did some actual skating, but it's very obvious when it's no longer her. The film also features wall-to-wall classic rock songs, which at times can feel like a little much, like they're trying too hard to be Goodfellas or Boogie Nights (this also applies to a lot of the camera work, but I was fine with that because it worked). But that's honestly about it.

There's lots of people who still don't like Tonya Harding, either because they still think she's involved in Kerrigan's assault, which is fair, or because outspoken women with strong opinions annoy them, which is not as fair. Either way, this film is a reminder that she came from a very tough place and only ever wanted to be the best at what she did, no matter what it took. Love her or hate her, it's a fascinating American story that won't soon be forgotten.

Also, shout out to Sufjan Steven's incredible "Tonya Harding", which doesn't appear in the film, both because it's fun to mention him two reviews in a row, but also if it had appeared in the film it would probably have made him an Oscar-hopeful for two different films in the same year. Oh well.

Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name

A flowing, dream-like summer memory of messy, young love and the self-discovery that results from it.

Elio is an Italian-American-Jewish boy living with his family in Italy. When Oliver, a young Jewish-American scholar comes to visit, Elio finds himself going through the awkward trial and error of entering adulthood as a summer romance slowly blossoms between them.

Though this movie is set in 1983, it has a timeless quality to it, which might be its strongest feature. It never goes overtly 80's, with the biggest references being Elio wearing a Talking Heads shirt or the now-popular-again Psychedelic Furs song, but that's really it. A large part of its timelessness comes from how it takes its time in telling the story and allows scenes to breathe and sometimes not even really go anywhere (even though the most "pointless" scenes still develop characters or help create an atmosphere). I've never read the book, but friends of mine who have consider it to be a great adaptation, which I would agree with simply because it feels novelistic without going out of its way to hit specific story beats. It's often easy to tell when a movie is based off a book because the film is rushing and stopping to make sure it hits each important part of the source material which causes off-beat pacing, but with Call Me By Your Name it flows smoothly and feels almost like a stream of consciousness. It definitely has the pacing of an Italian film as opposed to an American film, which makes sense, as this movie has essentially fooled the majority of awards season into thinking it's not a foreign film simply because most of it is in English and it stars three Americans.

Speaking of Italy, this film is gorgeously shot in Italy. I've never been there before, and this film only highlighted my regret of that continuing status. Most of the shots are static, which causes many scenes to look like moving photographs, adding to the summer-memory-feeling that the film as a whole creates. When the camera does move it's often in an incredibly long take, which feels less like an indulgent style choice and more like the film reflecting reality, as our lives are technically one unbroken shot. Except for when we sleep. Or blink. Actually never mind.

The music, with no original score (from what I could tell), is fantastic. From Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way" to three brand-new Sufjan Stevens songs, this is absolutely a soundtrack I would buy. Elio is also practicing to be a composer, so we get to see Timothy Chalemet play some music as well. The only non-diegetic music in the film are the Sufjan songs, which is a risky move in a period film because it could easily break the reality that they've set up, but luckily they absolutely work in the context of the film (but I'm madly in love with Suf's music, so I might be biased). The final song is what really seals the deal though, without going into spoilers.

Timothy Chalemet has been getting all sorts of critical praise for his performance, and it is damn well-deserved. He brings so much to this character who seems simultaneously lost yet incredibly confident in where he's going. He's able to convey so clearly what he's going through without having to push for more emotion than necessary and instead just being present. Armie Hammer is also quite good, giving his character a more alpha presence while still being charming and likable. Michael Stuhlbarg made me laugh at first with his slightly over-the-top cheeriness, but of course that really great monologue (you know the one) is delivered perfectly by him and gives his character an entirely new depth. Esther Garrel, who isn't getting anywhere near enough attention for this film, is so genuine and heartbreaking that she takes what could be a forgettable part and instead makes her unforgettable. Awards all around!

It's been about 24 hours since I saw the film and I'm still entranced by its atmosphere, music, and characters (24 hours might not sound like much, but there are films I've forgotten about while I was still watching them), so yes I would absolutely recommend this film. Just know that it has absolutely nothing to do with plot, but is instead about the emotions and the characters. Like the opposite of a Christopher Nolan movie.

Okay, one spoiler:



I like that nothing ends up working out for Elio. Both of the loves he attempts are fleeting, something that often happens to seventeen year-olds. Though these relationships could have turned out far worse (Oliver and Marzia could have been toxic and abusive but instead are both lovely and kind), he truly does experience heartbreak, which isn't always taken as seriously when young people go through it. The Sufjan song at the end accompanies his sadness in the most perfect way, and choosing to stay on that shot and have the credits roll next to him was a completely brilliant choice.

Also, Luco Guadagnino said he wants to do a sequel, which I could definitely see working in a Before trilogy kind of way, because these are interesting characters who would probably live a few different lives in the years ahead. Apparently the book talks about their later lives as well, so there you go.

Ingrid Goes West

Ingrid Goes West

This is a refreshingly different indie kinda-comedy-kinda-thriller that's written by someone who actually understands social media.

Ingrid is an Instagram stalker played by Aubrey Plaza. After striking out with her most recent Instagram obsession, she sets her eyes on up-and-coming Instagram star Taylor, who lives in LA. Ingrid moves to LA, and things escalate from there.

I've been a fan of Aubrey Plaza's since Funny People, and of course adored her on Parks and Rec, so getting to see her play a completely different kind of character was an absolute treat. She rides the line between scary and sympathetic at all times, while showcasing a wide range of emotions that will hopefully get her even more dynamic roles in the future. The rest of the cast is also quite good, particularly O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ingrid's screenwriting, Batman-obsessed landlord, getting way more laughs from me than I expected. Elizabeth Olsen plays her grounded part well, but since she's playing the somewhat "normal" character it's much more difficult for her to be memorable.

This film nails Instagram in both aesthetic and actual use. They use the perfect locations, fashion, color palette, and captions to make the movie feel like a real Instagram commercial, just a lot more unsettling. It's also a great example of using social media accurately in a film. Lots of modern movies that use social media are written by people who don't actively use it, and it often shows. But Ingrid Goes West not only knows exactly how Instagram works and what the people who get famous using it are often like, but how to use it as an effective tool in telling its story by essentially having it function as a tracking device.

My only complaint with this movie is the same one I always have: I wanted them to go further and crazier. The first half of the film is an excellent ramp-up that's smart and puts us exactly where we want to be in the story in ways that are both logical and interesting. But once it goes past a certain point, it needs to really escalate. Without going into spoilers, things start to go crazy with a fairly shocking event, but that ends up being the peak of the movie's insanity. Once they hit that point in the story they had free reign to go as far as they wanted, whether it be thrilling, hilarious, horrifying, or all of the above, but instead they chose to just have it come back down. While the ending is quite good and fitting for the theme of the film, it didn't feel very satisfying because the second and third acts didn't feel very eventful. I understand that the film was trying to be grounded, but it always seemed to have one foot in reality and the other in absurdity. My advice would have been to not keep both feet in the same place for the entire film, and instead have a steady shift from reality, to the line between reality and absurdity, to full-on Nightcrawler-level absurdity. It's riskier, but it would also create a much bigger payoff.

I'd recommend this movie to those looking for something new and different, and also to anyone who frequently uses social media as it's both an accurate representation and a fun cautionary tale. But if you're looking for something truly thrilling and crazy, you won't quite get it here.

Colossal

Colossal

Anne Hathaway is Gloria, a screw up with a drinking problem who gets dumped by her boyfriend and is forced to move back to her hometown. As if things couldn't get any worse, she then finds out she's subconsciously controlling a giant monster that's destroying the city of Seoul, South Korea.

This is a really wonderful premise that's very difficult to pull off because of its inherent indirectness, and overall the movie does a solid job of executing it. It's not necessarily great, but it's certainly not bad either.

Anne Hathaway is a very divisive actress, which I've always found to be bizarre because, at least from my point of view, she's consistently good and occasionally great. However, I don't think she was really right for this part. The burnt-out party girl sounds like something Anne Hathaway could potentially pull off, but for whatever reason she doesn't seem to add very much personality or charisma to this character. She plays Gloria as an awkward, stuttering mess when it would make more sense for her to be a flailing, spectacular mess. I'm sure this is what the director/writer Nacho Vigalondo wanted, perhaps to highlight her eventual arc, but I think it makes her a less interesting character and it ultimately dulls Hathaway's performance. The Red Letter Media guys suggested Gillian Jacobs might have been better for the part, and I agree that she'd nail it.

Jason Sudekis, on the other hand, is fantastic. I can't say why, because his performance is a spoiler in itself, but this is the best acting I've ever seen him do. Hopefully this'll get him more interesting gigs, because he definitely deserves it.

The other aspect I'm not big on in the film is the explanation of Gloria's connection to the monster. Not because it was a bad explanation, but because it fails to understand that there's a place for answers and there's a place for ambiguity. An example of a great place for answers is Breaking Bad, because it's so grounded in reality, and an example of a great place for ambiguity is literally anything by David Lynch. Some movies and shows get these things mixed up, like when It Follows give answers and rules to its premise when instead it should be shrouded in mystery, because that's far scarier and falls more in line with the ideas it's presenting. Colossal should be more ambiguous because it's entirely centered around a fantastical premise. No one needs to know the backstory of why Gloria controls the monster, because that's not the point.

The rest of the movie is a solid dramedy with a handful of really great, memorable moments. I'd say check it out if you're in the mood for something refreshingly different. It's not brilliant or mind-blowing, but it's a cool idea and it's fun to see it come to life.

The Trip to Spain

The Trip to Spain

This is the purest Trip movie so far.

For those who don't know what this is, this is the third in what I assume will be a continuing series of films centered around British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon going on holiday together. They do bits, impressions, and argue, but mainly they do all three at the same time. This time they go to Spain.

My issue with the previous two films is when they try to shove in dramatic plot and it causes the films to feel unbalanced. I like the Linklater-esque premise of just two middle-aged guys going on vacation together and having funny conversations and debates about life. There's no need to see how sad Steve Coogan is about not getting the job that he wants or having a flakey girlfriend, just focus on the relationship between these two friends. While this one does have a handful of dramatic moments that still come out of nowhere, it's far less distracting.

While I do love watching Brydon and Coogan argue and get angry at each other, this is them just having a good time together and it's every bit as fun. Their impressions are better than ever, and there's even some new ones (I had never heard a John Hurt impression before this, but Coogan's is definitive), and the bits that they do with their impressions are creative and genuinely funny.

The cinematography is gorgeous, and of course the whole film operates as a living brochure for visiting Spain. This is a country that I honestly know hardly anything about, so getting to see footage of the cities, nature, and people was both an educational and lovely experience.

This is another one I don't have much more to say about. Watch it if you're looking for something light, funny, and/or British.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

I don't have a whole lot to say about this one because I just enjoyed it.

The brilliant and underrated Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood (making this an unlikely but much-needed Over the Garden Wall reunion) star in this Netflix original film about a woman who just wants people to be good, and all the consequences that come of it. I won't give away much more than that plot-wise, because it's full of all sorts of funny, dark surprises.

Lynskey and Wood both play funny, distinct characters with unique personalities and clear goals, and they make a wonderfully weird duo together. All of the performances are delightfully strange and memorable, from good guys to bad guys to everyone in between.

The most specific thing I'll say about the movie is that Lynskey's character Ruth is deeply relatable. Her frustration and disgust with "people being assholes" has never been more universally felt than right now. I find myself ranting about negative human behavior far more often than I would ever want to these days, so seeing Ruth have those same thoughts and rants in this film makes me feel validated and far less crazy and alone. Ruth is every person in America who has empathy and can't fathom why anyone would go out of their way to treat others poorly. She's not a natural cynic a la Daria or April Ludgate, she's become deeply depressed and hopeless because of bad people. It makes her journey all the more engaging, because if she succeeds it means that there's hope in the universe and a concrete reason to live.

It's also important to point out that the whole film feels very much like a modern indie Coen Brothers movie. Some tropes include: atypical violence, a protagonist with one simple goal and is taken into the depths to achieve it, oddball bad guys, unexpected darkness, unexpected humor in said unexpected darkness, funny dialogue, taking place somewhere in middle America, some clever cinematography and editing, etc.

And...nope. Can't think of much more than that. Go watch it!