If Alfred Hitchcock were still making films today, what would they be like? An auteur that manipulated the fears of men and society like a puppetmaster, showcasing flawed, broken people in unnerving and relentlessly thrilling scenarios. Now imagine that element set in modern society, especially since we live in an age where our every action and thought becomes immortal and criticized through the internet and social media, for better and worse. We see so many more sides to people through a computer screen, sides that we may not want to see. At some point, they may not even seem like the same person.
Hitchcock would have had a fear field day if he ever got a Twitter account.
This is what makes "Searching" such a moving yet thrilling experience that should not be missed. It delves into the depths of social media and the questionable life choices we make on there; how what we say or do on these sites shows shades that we'd rather forget, much less acknowledge.
While I would first describe "Searching" as if "Gone Girl" was done in the style of "Unfriended" - a thriller about a missing girl shown entirely from the perspective of her father's (John Cho) computer screen - it has more in common with "Rear Window" in its themes of voyeurism and fixed perspective. Yet the film is surprisingly poignant about how our limited point-of-view through social media can skew and cloud our judgment. Yet put in a similar situation, we all would act like the father.
But despite these prevailing themes, "Searching" is still an effective and unique thriller, going through a roller coaster of emotions and using its computer screen point-of-view to the fullest. This film exemplifies "less is more" without ever sacrificing the scope of this heart-wrenching story about timely fears.
Final Grade: A
I've been convinced that Doris Day can do no wrong. In "Pillow Talk," Day plays a independent interior decorator who shares a party-line with a playboy song writer (Rock Hudson), as they continually butt heads over control of the phone and each others' private lives. While the film sets the stage for many mistaken identity romantic comedies, it is the strength of Day's performance as a witty, outspoken woman that knows what she wants and isn't afraid to step on some toes to get there, leading to some great comedy and chemistry with the brick wall that is Rock Hudson.
Final Grade: B+
Why is it that Gene Kelly keeps playing creepy, unsettling jerks in every movie, besides "Singin' in the Rain"? In "The Pirate," Kelly plays a traveling performer in the Caribbean, always trying to put the moves on every woman he sees, until he meets Manuela (Judy Garland) and tries to hypnotize her to fall in love with him, despite Manuela rejecting his offers every time. While the lengths that he goes to forcibly wins this girls' heart are absurdly entertaining, his whole act of wowing her felt chauvinistic and disgusting, making "The Pirate" overwhelmingly unsettling. It is incredibly out-dated.
Final Grade: C-
Despite Spike Lee's bizarre career filled with decisive and polarizing films, sometimes of questionable quality, Lee has always been a filmmaker that's worn his emotions on his sleeves and has never shied away from using cinema as a way to tell us how he feels about the world we live in. Films like "Do the Right Thing" and "25th Hour" are both raw, fiery, unfiltered looks at the tensions and fears everyone was feeling at the time, one looking at a racial divide turning into hate, while the other comes to terms with an insecure country after the events of 9/11. His films are strangely timely timeless films - stuck in a particularly tough moment in time, yet delivering a powerful message about racial (in)equality which resonates forever.
Spike Lee continues this trend of timely timeless cinema with his newest film, "BlacKkKlansman," as he delivers far more than just a compelling crime thriller about a black cop infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan and the game of cat-and-mouse that ensues. Lee never once shies away from how the vile and hate of these Klansmen hasn't gone away to this day, and that the world is still filled with unrelenting prejudice that we shouldn't stand for. This makes "BlacKkKlansman" not only the most important movie of the summer, but one of the most important movies in years, made by one of the most important filmmakers of our time.
One aspect worth noting about "BlacKkKlansman" is that principal shooting and photography was completed well over a year ago. Lee's intent was to tell a true story about the first African-American detective in the 1970s and his tense job to befriend members of the KKK that delivers a thrilling ride built on the pillars of racial indifference.
Then the hateful and tragic white supremacist rally in Charlottesville happened, changing the course of this movie. It wasn't just that the morals and philosophies of the KKK still exist today, but that this racist, repulsive way of thinking feels safe and protected when the leader of the free world doesn't condone it. These acts of violence and racial divide will only continue if our leaders won't stand against it and even outright applaud this behavior.
Like Lee's many other films, it is this unbridled energy to showcase the hate in the world that serves as the driving force for "BlacKkKlansman." Despite being accurately set in the 1970s, the film is very much about our modern society. Lee gives strength to those voices that would normally be silenced and turns the spotlight on a world that needs to be reminded what love, acceptance and power really looks like. Through stellar performances from John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace, plus a very in-your-face visual style that Lee is known for, we get a film that invokes the best and worst in humanity.
With films like "BlacKkKlansman," "Sorry to Bother You" and "Black Panther" being released this year, and so many others like "Get Out" and "Selma" in last few years, it is safe to say we have entered a new era of filmmaking that isn't afraid of making a bold statement about racial inequality and the need to tell new stories from different perspectives than audiences are used to. These films are helmed by stylish, diverse filmmakers that want to use cinema as a way to not only entertain and entrance, but to reflect. I, for one, am honored to be take part in this new age of diverse filmmaking and feel that "BlacKkKlansman" is one of the high points of this age.
Final Grade: A
What makes Hollywood in the 1940s so fascinating from my perspective is the way morally taboo subject matters are addressed without ever even hinting at them. The strict Hayes code was in full force at this point, which included not showing a man and woman in bed together and a single kiss not lasting any longer than three seconds. Yet the era was still ripe with sexual tension and often feels more authentic and palpable than the movies of today, especially in film noirs such as "Double Indemnity," "The Big Sleep" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice" that serve as the backbone of the film noir genre.
"Postman" has a rather similar plot to "Double Indemnity" - a gullible naïve man falls for a beautiful blonde woman who convinces him that the only way they can be together is if he helps kill her husband. The difference in "Postman" is that this act of murder is more passionate and raw, done out of longing-ness for these two young lovers to be together, while "Double Indemnity" is done more with the money in mind, especially for the femme fatale.
Lana Turner plays Cora, a young woman who has had men chase her around her whole life and finally decides to settle down with a much older man who runs a diner in the middle of nowhere, Turner's vibrant yet subtle acting hinting that these two are in a one-sided relationship. The moment another man, Frank Chambers (John Garfield), shows her any sort of affection and kindness, she's ready to run off with him. Turner tows the line between seductive and alluring yet sympathetic and lonely, making her feel honest in her goal to be someone yet naïve enough to think that she's in control of her damaged life.
And yet, through all of this sexual tension, "Postman" hardly ever hints that Cora and Frank are intimate, turning their relationship into more longing and pining for each other rather than a fire and ice romance or even the sharp, witty dialogue of "Double Indemnity." Garfield and Turner create a relationship that seems to live in permanent limbo, both genuine in their affection but frustrated that it can't be more. Garfield is confused and always on-edge, while Turner is pitiful and vain, making for alluring yet volatile chemistry.
Overall, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a staple of 1940s film noir and is captivating in how raw and emotional its journey of toxic love can get. The performances from Turner and Garfield are sizzling with sexual tension, while the atmosphere is as shady and dark as they come. If you're looking for a similar experience to "Double Indemnity" but played more sympathetically, this is just as satisfying and savory.
Final Grade: A-
To be honest, the only reason I went to see "The Spy Who Dumped Me" is because I genuinely find Kate McKinnon to be hilarious in everything she does and because of my celebrity crush on Mila Kunis. On paper, this film seems like a winner - a funny yet tense thriller in the same vein as "Spy," with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon running around the globe. Yet this film finds a way to take all the fun and appeal of these two lovely actresses and turns it into a tedious, mean-spirited waste of time.
The biggest problem with "The Spy Who Dumped Me" is that it doesn't know what it wants to do with its two main leads, switching wildly between dead-serious spy action sequences and dirty toilet humor while never stopping to give these girls some traits or personality. Kunis plays Audrey and the only thing we learn about her is that she never finishes anything, while McKinnon plays Morgan who is like if Daffy Duck was reincarnated in the body of a woman and was way too personal with everyone she met. Beyond these quirks and tiny snippets of character, the film never offers a reason for why they act this way or why they would go all around Europe, aside from the script telling them to.
Another problem is the whiplash between its constant genre switching. It's not just that the action and comedy don't compliment each other, like they do in "Spy," but that they're both so off-putting when done back to back. It's night and day between its gritty, gruesome action sequences and fourth-grade level humor, and it's hard to get a read on what this film was going for.
The only thing the action and comedy have in common is that both are unbelievably mean-spirited. In every action sequence, blood and violence is used in extremely graphic detail, while many characters are beat-up or killed for no reason other than to have a body count. The comedy doesn't fair much better, as Audrey and Morgan ruin as many lives as they can throughout Europe without any concern for others. It comes across as the filmmakers having no respect for humanity, especially when our heroes are just as despicable as the villains.
It's hard to get invested in any of this movie when there's more bloodshed than a slasher flick, worse humor than an Adam Sandler comedy, and no redeeming qualities to its cast of characters or their journey.
Even if you like Mila Kunis or Kate McKinnon like me, don't waste your money and time on "The Spy Who Dumped Me." This is a dull, unremarkable film that can't make up its mind on what genre it wants to be and doesn't bother to give its leads any character. While Kunis and McKinnon do well with what they're given, this is overshadowed by how ugly and horrific this film can be, always to unnecessary levels. If you want a good spy thriller, save your breath on this one and go see "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" again.
Final Grade: D+
We all remember our adolescence, for better or worse. For most people, it's that unbelievably awkward and confusing time where the innocence of childhood comes crashing down but we're not quite ready to grow up or even know how to grow up into equally awkward teenagers. Emphasis on the word "awkward." It is a time of insecurity, anxiety and coming face-to-face with the kind of person you wish to be against the person you actually are. This is made even more awkward and difficult in today's society of social media and instant access to information, where teens have to develop a social identity quickly or be left behind.
This is what makes Bo Burnham's "Eighth Grade" so enlightening, speaking to that adolescence in all of us and playing the hopes and fears we all experienced at that age with brutal honest. The film is surprisingly relatable with how truthful it rings to these experiences, not pretending to be anything other than a modern coming-of-age story in all of its awkwardly glorious charm. The fact that Burnham casts real eighth-graders in these roles speaks to the honest nature of the movie, truly capturing what it means to be that age and learning about the real world.
The film follows Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), a shy and unconfident teen in her last week of middle school. Kayla creates YouTube videos about self-improvement and confidence that get very few views, while also struggling to make new friends or even talk to other people at school, getting voted "Most Quiet" by her classmates. But with middle school coming to an end, Kayla is intent on making the most of it, hoping to follow her own YouTube advice and do something with her life.
"Eighth Grade" is the most honest yet awkward film of the year, perfectly emulating the feeling of being that age again without sugarcoating a second of it. This is the age of social insecurity, pimples and sexual awakening and Burnham knows that. The film reminds us of that time and how much we've grown since then, yet at the same time how much we've stayed the same. Elsie Fisher's performance perfectly teeters between that awkwardly uncertain stage where she wants to be confident and certain but doesn't know the best way to make others see it.
And believe me when I say this film is awkward. Every other moment has something cringey or out-of-place that makes the situation weird. Yet the film embraces that side of growing up, reminding us of that very same pain that we went through. "Eighth Grade" certainly reminded me of how I wasn't all that different from Kayla growing up, uncertain and trying to impress others, but also reminded me that we'll all grow up to be more confident and self-respecting, turning this coming-of-age tale in on itself as it's just much about the audience as it is about Kayla.
Overall, "Eighth Grade" perfectly encapsulates a time in our lives that we may want to forget, but probably defined us more than any other point in our lives. With pitch-perfect casting and beautifully awkward pacing and humor, this film rings true to everyone who sees it. It is brutally honest without ever shying away from the harsh anxieties of growing up in a new-age of self discovery.
Final Grade: A-
