23
OCTOBER ENTERTAINMENT
the hawkeye
Blade runner 2049
Reviews Blade Runner 2049 Delivers an Impressive and Indelible Experience by ANISH TAMHANEY Co-Editor-in-Chief I am stunned. Overwhelmed. I’m in awe of a delicate balance between wonder and poignance that few films achieve. “Blade Runner 2049”, directed by Denis Villeneuve, the auteur behind other masterpieces such as “Arrival” and “Sicario,” is unforgettable on every level. Starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto, the cast’s performance exceeded my expectations, even for featuring such reputable members. The movie centers around Agent K (Ryan Gosling), a Blade Runner for the Los Angeles Police department. His job is to hunt down and decommission androids called Replicants, who are indistinguishable from humans. Villeneuve crafts this universe with remarkable deftness and sufficient homage to the the film’s predecessor. The atmosphere is consistent yet multifaceted, flowing naturally from the hazy orange of a dessert to the almost suffocating black sky of technological dystopia. The experience immersed me fully, every frame eye catching and mesmerizing. Roger Deakins, the iconic cinematographer behind “The Shawshank Redemption” and “No Country for Old Men,” among a host of other works, fills his role perfectly. He expertly captures the motif of existential duality throughout the film through panned out, lingering shots and ingenious camera angles. Just like in the original Blade Runner, the film’s score is ambient and an intrinsic. Hans Zimmer, the bombastic composer who wrote the soundtracks of
The Florida Project is a unique suprise by MAXIMILLIAN HELFMAN Co-Editor-in-Chief The Florida Project is a beautiful, ironically innocent film about the world of poverty in America. Directed By NYU graduate Sean Baker, it follows 6 - year old Moonee over the course of a summer, and the trouble she find herself in while living in a motel with her rebellious yet caring mother. A24 produced the film, which is the powerhouse indie distribution company responsible for The Disaster Artist, The Lobster, and many more. Paired up with the phenomenal actor Willem Dafoe, giving his best performance of his career, The Florida Project delivers a beautiful film seen through the lens of children. The child actors in the film are adorable, funny, and better yet believable. Brooklyn Prince, the main character, is perfect, mirroring Jacob Tremblay in Room. Her many friends throughout the films work as well, giving believable, and purposeful, performances to aid in the development of Moonee’s character. The mother of Moonee, Bria Vinaite, was fantastic, creating a trashy, dirty, yet caring mother in the situation that they are in. And that situation is the motel, with the duo moving from room to room over the summer because they can’t afford anything else. The setting was perfect, and the cinematography aided that. With the stand out settings being the ice cream parlor, the grocery store, the golf club, and the motel down the street, Baker has the children interact with them in a way that makes the world of “The Florida Project” seem like a world. The overall tone of The Florida Project, that being a whimsical children’s film in the drama filled world of adults, help to shape an enjoyable movie going experience for the viewer. I saw the film in a theatre with four other people, and a movie of this quality needs more viewers. Other than the ending which took me out of the film and almost ruined the film for me (not going to say why due to spoilers) I would highly recommend The Florida Project. With The Oscars right around the corner, Willem Dafoe has a real chance at Best Supporting Actor. You can see The Florida Project now playing at The Maple Theater.
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“Gladiator,” “Interstellar,” and the Dark Knight trilogy, brings out the best of his talent here. He makes most of drawn out, echoing electronic whispers while shifting to his more typical intensity at the perfect moments. When the main Blade Runner theme played, I smiled knowingly. Yet the score forms its own identity, refusing to become engulfed in Vangelis’s original work. While “2049” clocked in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, exceptional pacing granted the film gritty momentum and inward contemplation simultaneously. Agent K’s journey never lulled; the agonizingly patient unravelling of the movie’s central mystery kept me constantly engaged. I wasn’t just watching a man discover profound human truths. I was discovering them myself. And perhaps that is why this film instantly delighted me. The cinematography, the score, and the atmosphere prompt fundamental questions about human existence, questions that mankind has pondered eternally. I gazed at the last frame with a earnest yearning to answer find these truths and to understand what makes one human. The best movies are the kind that articulate their messages on a universal level, and “2049” is no exception. I implore those reading to find the biggest screen and the loudest speakers possible to see this movie. I am utterly amazed by its technical proficiency and thematic potency. “Blade Runner: 2049” is not just entertaining or eye-opening, it is an emotional, prophetic experience that defines skillful storytelling.
Happy Death Day delivers a fun movie going experience by BEN MUTZ Guest Writer
“Happy Death Day.” Shockingly not a scary movie. This movie is not scary, and yes it is supposed to be, but the lack of horror in this film does not make it a bad movie. It succeeds without the labels of genres. In the film, main character Tree Gelbman played by Jessica Rothe, is a stuck up college student who is hostile to everyone around her. But, when an unknown killer strikes Tree as their victim, she finds she is stuck in the same day over and over again until she finds out who killed her. I walked into the theatre expecting to view a movie in which I would constantly have to cover my eyes in fear, but I actually watched a feel-good film that will make you want to embrace the life lessons that we learn throughout the movie. Among these are, actions have consequences for yourself and others, tomorrow is not guaranteed, and my favorite of all, each new day is an opportunity to be somebody better. Compared to recent horror movies such as “Annabelle Creation” released on August 11th of 2017 and the hit film “IT” released on September 8th of 2017, “Happy Death Day” lacks the pop-up scariness that is a focal point in these two other films. Rather, the film falls closer to the 1993 drama “Groundhog Day” in which Phil, played by Bill Murray relives the same day over again until he becomes the man he needs to in order to make the love of his life love him back. In general I enjoyed this movie. The fact that the horror factor wasn’t there was not a huge turn-off for me because I felt the movie was saved by a recurring lesson that I easily was connected to: each new day is a fresh start. If you’re like me, an open minded movie goer, this movie will be money well spent, however if you are an adrenaline seeker, horror film enthusiast or simply just looking to watch something scary in the spirit of Halloween, look elsewhere. “Happy Death Day” came out on October the 13th and is in theatres virtually everywhere. Local theatres showing the movie are Birmingham 8 down woodward and MJR Grand Digital Cinema on the corner of East Maple Rd. and Livernois. Tickets should be no more than $12 and no less than seven.
Great performances stand out in true story Battle of the Sexes by GEORGIA ZIMMERMAN Guest Writer I’m not a fan of sports movies. My genuine disinterest for all things sports related is borderline impressive. So, upon walking into the theatre for the Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris helmed biopic entitled Battle of the Sexes, my expectations weren’t high, but they weren’t necessarily low either. The aforementioned pair had previously directed the Oscar winning Little Miss Sunshine, and had proven through other projects their ability to tell a story. The film stars Emma Stone as Billie Jean King, a now former World No. 1 tennis player, and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs, a World No. 1 champion in the 1930’s and ‘40’s, and the real tennis match that happened between them in 1973, crowned “The Battle of the Sexes”. What impressed me most about this movie was the approach it took to telling the story. I feel as though movies of that genre can tend to lose the humanity behind the person, and focus more on the competitive aspect to the film. This was not the case for Battle of the Sexes. It managed to strike a balance: fleshing out the personal narrative that culminated in the final event of the tennis match. They got you invested in the characters so you’d in turn be invested in the game they were playing, making you understand through this what the stakes were on both ends. By the end, during the match of its namesake, I’ll admit, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, even though I knew who the winners were. The film visually set itself apart from others of it’s genre, in that it took a semi-artistic approach. The framing of the shots and cinematography lent itself to an unapologetically 1970’s vibe, a much more aesthetically pleasing alternative to the usual starkness of sports movies. By tackling the era in a very subtle way, it sidestepped the cliched traps that could have been set in the plot due to the time period. It should also be noted at this front that the costumes played a crucial role in the film, as would be expected for any bygone era movie. The costumes truly made it feel like another time. Next to the cinematography, it can be argued that the costumes set the scene more than anything else. Though there are many praises to be sung about this movie, it wasn’t perfect. The most glaring issue I had with the film was the soundtrack, which took a primarily instrumental route, missing a seemingly perfect opportunity to insert a bit of pop culture. 1970’s music is iconic, and while some Elton John and George Harrison make a brief appearance, the music in the film fades into obscurity. Music aside, the lead and supporting performances delivered were solid, especially given the challenge of portraying a real person that was presented to the actors. Stone gives layers to the competitive and unapologetically strong King, who was dealing with the questioning of her sexuality, media pressure, and an unending battle for women’s rights in an era of abundant social and political change. Carell’s character, at least for the first half of the movie, serves as the source of comedy, albeit ignorant, sexist comedy that you laugh at because of his idiosyncrasies. As the movie builds, his layers unravel, and you see the person inside fueling all this male chauvinist propaganda. This movie is worth seeing for the historical aspect alone, but it’s made truly enjoyable through strong performances, eye pleasing cinematography, and strong technical and artistic direction.