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jakelace · 6 years

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2017 IN FILM - PART 5 (40-31)

40. Happy Death Day

“So I’m supposed to keep dying until I figure out who my killer is?”

Happy Death Day’s most unforgivable sin is that it doesn’t use 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’ even though it was prominently featured in the trailer. That’s a joke, really…mostly. But it does speak to my enjoyment of the film that that is one of the few complaints I have with it, with my others being that it is fairly predictable and doesn’t have a satisfying ending. Outside of that though, this slasher romp is an entertaining twist on the Groundhog’s Day formula. Much like with 2014′s Live. Die. Repeat. the addition of this plot thread mixed with another genre left me with a refreshed feeling. While its central idea isn’t very original, its send-up of genre tropes and cliches while also making a vaguely compelling story of its own is pretty admirable. The icing on the proverbial birthday cake though is Jessica Rothe’s performance as our lead. Rothe believably sells the amount of trauma dying brutally every single day would have on a person. I just wish all slasher films had the sense of fun this one does…get it? Wish? Like a candle on a birthday cake? Never mind.

39. Atomic Blonde

“You know those movies where the picture just starts to slow down and melt…then catch fire? Well, that’s Berlin.”

Atomic Blonde’s story is pretty dumb. I don’t know why I’m starting today’s mini-reviews with all the things I didn’t like about a film, but here we are. Yes, Atomic Blonde’s story is not only the aforementioned dumb, but it also is told in such a disorienting and nonsensical way that if this were any other film, I probably would have tuned out pretty quickly. But this isn’t any other film, this is Atomic Blonde we’re talking about here. The story itself is nothing more than a vessel used to carry us between action sequences where Charlize Theron beats dudes senseless and is also just an all-around badass. If that’s what you’re looking for, then I’m certain you won’t be disappointed. It also helps to have David Leitch in the director’s chair though. Leitch has such a sublime eye for action set pieces and every moment is carefully shot with as few cuts as possible, which is so needed in the modern action film landscape. I left this viewing with a newfound confidence in Deadpool 2′s quality and a need to see more from Theron in this role.

38. It Comes at Night

“You can’t trust anyone but family.”

I wrote at length about my feelings on this film in a review that you can read here, and my thoughts haven’t really changed, so I’ll keep my this mini-review extra mini. While at times it can seem like a retread of other recent horror films, It Comes at Night offers a well crafted look at anxiety and paranoia. I still can’t think about that long hallway shot without getting chills. Yikes.

37. Better Watch Out

“What delusional infant thinks a break-in is going to get you to second base?”

I don’t want to talk about Better Watch Out. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, I did quite a bit. I don’t want to talk about it because its very existence and my enjoyment hinges on knowing as little as possible going into it. Now, that being said, I’ll do my best to describe what I liked about it without giving anything away. What originally intrigued me about Better Watch Out is that it was a twist on the tried and true home invasion sub-genre of film. In this regard, the film knocks it out of the park. Chris Peckover’s holiday themed horror-comedy blends its genres so well while also paying homage to home invasion films that came before it that its honestly pretty impressive, and its take-down of toxic masculinity didn’t go unnoticed by me either. Unfortunately the only thing keeping this from being an instant recommend are the opening twenty minutes which are painfully bland.

36. Mr. Roosevelt

“Eric is taking a break from music right now. He’s getting his real estate license.”

“I love houses.”

There is something about films like Grosse Pointe Blank where the main character returns home after years of being away that really gets me. Mr. Roosevelt, Noël Wells’ directing and writing debut, is no different. The story follows Emily (also played by Wells) who returns to her ex-boyfriend’s home when she gets news that the cat that they had bought together has become sick. Wells’ performance here is what instantly endeared me to her character and the film overall. I know that when I say this I’m definitely going to sound like a #millennial (I hate myself for typing this), but Emily’s struggle to find where her life is going while also balancing the influence of where she came from spoke to me and impacted me more than it probably should have. Also, let me just say that the idea to shoot this on 16mm made this look way more gorgeous than it has any right to be.

35. Spider-Man: Homecoming

“Don’t mess with me. Because I will kill you, and everybody you love.”

Spider-Man. Spider-Man. He’s in the MCU and that’s pretty grand. He can joke. Also kinda flies. Too bad the action hurts my eyes. Look out! Here comes Tom Holland as the best Spider-Maaaaan.

If you didn’t read that in the tune of the 1960′s Spider-Man Theme, then you should get on that. And if you want to read my original review on Spider-Man: Homecoming you can do so here.

34. The LEGO Batman Movie

“My name’s Richard Grayson, but all the kids at the orphanage call me Dick.”

“Well, children can be cruel.”

Nanananananananananananana Batmaaaan…alright, sorry, I’ll stop. Who would have guessed that the best iteration of the Caped Crusader in years would come in an adorable LEGO form? The LEGO Batman movie is everything Ninjago wishes it could be. It perfectly embraces the history of the character while also providing a brand new story all its own. Will Arnett reprises his role as Batman from the original LEGO movie and does so with just as much comedic timing and laugh-out-loud moments, but the voice talent who steals the show here is Michael Cera as Robin. Cera’s interpretation of Robin as a doe-eyed orphan who finds inexplicable joy in everything stands to be my favorite adaptation of the classic character yet. However, the true hero here is director Chris McKay who uses all of his prior knowledge from Robot Chicken to side-splitting effect. The zany and fast-paced comedy that McKay is so obviously well-versed in fits perfectly with a child friendly tone without losing its punch. Here’s hoping that the rest of the inevitable LEGO movies can have as much hilarity and heart as this one.

33. Free Fire

“Hey, I like your cardboard armor.”

“It’s protection from infection.”

If you told me a year ago that a movie all about a bunch of idiotic criminals having a shoot-out in an abandoned warehouse would be as funny as this is…I probably would have believed you, that just sounds amazing. And while the end product is less than amazing, Free Fire still manages to be some of the most fun I had at a theater in 2017. It takes a while for it to get there, but once it really ramps up, every line spoken, every scream released, and every stray bullet fired got a big laugh out of me. If that isn’t enough to sell you, then maybe the fantastic cast including Brie Larson and Cillian Murphy will. And hey, if you watch this at home you won’t even have to deal with an elderly couple talking really loudly in front of you before they were ejected for stealing a collectable popcorn bucket from the front of the theater. That happened.

32. My Life as a Zucchini

“Your mum is no longer here, Icare.”

My Life as a Zucchini, also known as Heartbreak: The Movie, does what so few children’s films have the guts to do. It teaches real world issues like death and abuse in a way that is easy for kids to understand and yet not over overly graphic. There is a specific scene where Zucchini is told each child in the orphanage’s backstory and if you aren’t welling up with tears by the end of that, then I’m pretty certain you have no soul. In its entire 70 minute runtime I never felt as though the filmmakers were talking down to the audience and because of that I was able to become fully engrossed in the world and characters that were being presented to me in adorable, claymation form. The voice actors are great, the story is heart-breaking and funny, and let’s all be honest with ourselves, this should have won Best Animated Feature over Zootopia at the Oscars last year.

31. Logan Lucky

“Is it twenty or is it thirty? We are dealing with science here!”

After my initial viewing of Logan Lucky’s trailer, I was pretty certain this film was going to be trash. Thankfully enough, Steven Soderbergh’s first heist movie since Ocean’s 13 turned out pretty well. While there are certainly problems, particularly with Seth McFarlane’s bafflingly horrible performance and a strangely paced third act that shoehorns Hilary Swank into the picture, Logan Lucky is still great fun in spite of them. The film works, in part, due to some really great comedic turns from stellar actors like Adam Driver and Daniel Craig who can make just about any line funny. But it wouldn’t be a heist movie without…well…a heist, and writer Rebecca Blunt delivers on that front with heist that is equal parts intelligent (well, as intelligent as some of these characters can get) and thrilling. And while this isn’t my favorite movie heist of 2017, there is something to be said for how unbelievably satisfying it is watching it all get pulled off, and that’s really all you can ask for.

That’s all for today, but join me tomorrow as I discuss four superhero films, three period pieces, two supernatural Criterion films, and one touching love story.

#Happy Death Day #Atomic Blonde #it comes at night #Better Watch Out #spider-man: homecoming #mr. roosevelt #The LEGO Batman Movie #Free Fire #My Life as a Zucchini #Logan Lucky #2017 #Movies #Film

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