Netflix Original #10 - The Incredible Jessica James

The Incredible Jessica James

Director - Jim Strouse

Writer - Jim Strouse

Starring - Jessica Williams, Chris O'Dowd, LaKeith Stanfield, Noel Wells

"I really like you."

"Yeah Boone, of course you do, everybody does, I'm frickin' dope"

This film exists for one reason and one reason only; to showcase the star power and comedic abilities of former Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams. Following in the footsteps of Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Rob Corddry and the rest of the illustrious alumni from The Daily Show, Jessica Williams makes her bid for advancing her career as The Incredible Jessica James. On this level the movie works phenomenally well. Williams is a magnetic presence holding this feathery-light romcom together and trying her best to elevate it with the help of a strong supporting cast.

Theatrical Experience - Operation Dynamo Edition - Dunkirk

Dunkirk

Director - Christopher Nolan

Writer - Christopher Nolan

Starring - Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Tom Glynn-Carney, Harry Styles

The evacuation of the British and French armies from the beaches of Dunkirk in the spring of 1940 is seen as a major turning point in World War II with a vast majority of the 400,000 men stranded on the beaches saved from the approaching German armies. Called a "miracle of deliverance" by British PM Winston Churchill these events, despite their historical importance, had not been fully realized in film before now. It is easy to see why this is. This is as uncinematic as war stories go. There is no battle. The action is simply a growing sense of dread on the beach with the climax being hundreds of thousands of men being ferried off to England. To present the events of Dunkirk Christopher Nolan delved into his bag of directorial tricks and brought out his old standby, meddling of the chronological order to craft his newest masterpiece.

Theatrical Experience - White Sheet Edition - A Ghost Story

A Ghost Story

Director - David Lowery

Writer - David Lowery

Starring - Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara

*Programming Note*
It is recommended that this film be watched as blind as possible. Plot details will be discussed as necessary in the review and many surprises will not be spoiled but it is still recommended that this be a blind viewing.
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A Ghost Story is a quiet, mournful, somber meditation on love, loss and legacy. It's a sublime experience. This largely dialogue free movie follows C (Affleck) as a recently deceased man who tries to connect with his wife, M (Mara) after his tragic death. His ghost form is the traditional ghost outfit of a white sheet and two eyeholes but instead of mining this outfit and scenario for humour and wacky hijinx, David Lowery delivers a timeless masterpiece of a film that is more akin to a tone poem that what one might expect.

Titillating Tease or: The 10 Best Things About the 9/11 Trailer

Charlie Sheen knows 9/11 was an inside job

A couple weeks ago a poster surfaced for a movie coming out this year that caught me eye. It promised Charlie Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, Luis Guzman, Gina Gershon and more in a movie simply titled 9/11. Oh boy was I excited. I was sure nothing could come close to taking the title of worst movie of 2017 from The Book of Henry but then this comes along. Today saw the release of the trailer and oh boy, it's something. It's so much something that I couldn't wait until it comes out to review it here. 9/11 gets special treatment. So without further ado, here's the 10 Best (Worst) Things About the 9/11 Trailer.

Netflix Original #9 - Deidra and Laney Rob a Train

Deidra and Laney Rob a Train

Director - Sydney Freeman

Writer - Shelby Farrell

Starring - Ashleigh Murray, Rachel Crow, Tim Blake Nelson, Sasheer Zamata, David Sullivan, Danielle Nicolet

"Shut up. You rob trains too so you need to stop whining."

Programming Note: This is not a "new" Netflix release. This has been on Netflix since March. If you've never heard of it, you weren't missing much.

Deidra and Laney is very similar to Rick Famuyiwa's 2015 film Dope. A black A-level high student is thrust into a life of crime that threatens their grades and way of life and goes to desperate lengths to come out of the whole ordeal successful while the film leans heavily on influences ranging from Wes Anderson to Quentin Tarantino to Spike Lee and ends up commenting on the societal influences leading black youth into the world of crime anchored by a terrific leading performance from an essentially unknown actor. The difference between Dope and Deidra and Laney is in the execution. While Dope is exhilarating breaking free of its influences to create one of the most memorable film experiences of the last few years (the Rewind Cue contains more style and substance than most movies have in their entire running time) Deidra and Laney uses the influences as crutches, propping up a mediocre story before ultimately settling into a mode than can best be described as Disney live-action children's film.

Netflix Original #8 - To the Bone

To the Bone

Director - Marti Noxon

Writer - Marti Noxon

Starring - Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp

"I'm sorry that I'm not a person anymore, I'm a problem."

To the Bone attempts a hard study of eating disorders in (primarily) young women receiving treatment at a group home. It is based on writer-director Marti Noxon's own experiences and largely feels true to life. At other times is feels contrived and quirky in ways that seem like Noxon didn't have the confidence to fully portray a down-to-earth story and instead felt the need to make it "movie-like". It should not be a surprise to say that all of these embellishments fail to be anywhere nearly as effective as the more low-key study on eating disorders and their effects not only on those suffering from them but their families as well.

Netflix Original #7 - Okja

Okja

Director - Bong Joon-ho

Writers - Bong Joon-ho and Jon Ronson

Starring - Ahn Seo-hyun, Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Giancarlo Esposito, Shirley Henderson

He's probably not going to get it but Jake Gyllenhaal deserves some Oscar love for this movie. He fully commits to an absolutely bonkers performance as Dr. Johnny Wilcox, the TV zoologist and face of the Mirando Corporation. He's so great as the sniveling, slimy, creepy, odd personality and then manages to pull a complete 180 when the cameras switch on and he becomes a professional, fun, outgoing TV personality. Gyllenhaal is at his best when playing characters that exist so far from reality (see Nightcrawler) and Okja gives him a perfect chance to display his talents.

Theatrical Experience - B-A-B-Y Baby Edition - Baby Driver

Baby Driver

Director - Edgar Wright

Writer - Edgar Wright

Starring - Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Edgar Wright has retired the car chase movie for his work here simply cannot be topped. Wright and company craft absolutely thrilling car chases completely choreographed to the songs Baby (Elgort) cues up on his iPod in a dazzling display of craftsmanship. Baby Driver opens on a heist and chase scene set to "Bellbottoms" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion setting the bar for the action to come over the next 100 minutes. And oh boy does it ever clear that bar with each subsequent chase. The action largely comes sparingly in the first two-thirds, occurring only when the story dictates they happen, before the large multi-faceted chase involving seemingly every character that takes the entire final third of the film.