Movie Review of The Fault in Our Stars

Spoilers [book and movie]. Duh.

"...deservedly egged by a blind man."

Let's just get this out of the way while I have your utmost attention: the book was better.

But isn't that how it always goes? A screen is a screen and words on a page are words on a page. There is a way to fill the screen with metaphors and feelings and an aura of exactly what the director wants to convey, but that art form is reserved, it seems, for original works and true stories that can be told any which way. It is not an art form reserved for bringing books, which already possess their own metaphors and feelings and auras, to life in the same way they survive in the hearts of their readers. So books are made into cinematic spectacles, complete with props, one liners, and CGI magic meant to play out a good-enough story, which is both mildly confusing to those who have never read the book, and mildly disappointing to those who have.

That being said, director Josh Boone makes a valiant effort to bring The Fault in Our Stars to life. The voice overs are sweet and necessary, the scenes flow well, and the tear-jerker moments are real, despite the well-known fact that John Green's great love story is a bit contrived. But not in a bad way. Green is famous for his pixie-dream-child characters, of which Augustus Waters is no exception. Ansel Elgort plays Gus with all the finesse and truth that readers have come to love, and Shailene Woodley - soft, sarcastic, and honest - shares a chemistry with him that is rarely matched in Hollywood productions. She is effortless.

Yes, there are many things from the book that were left out. Augustus' last girlfriend, for example, whose death from cancer is one of the biggest reasons Hazel realizes she will hurt Gus in the end. Gone, too, are the magical tree petals that litter Amsterdam during the couple's trip, and the blind version of Augustus and Isaac's favorite novel-turned-video game, on which Isaac commands the game character to "hump the moist cave wall". The movie also forgoes Mr. Lancaster's insight that the world just wants to be noticed, in favor of really driving home the "some infinities are bigger than other infinities" point.

However, this is not a disappointing movie. I was consistently pleased with the inclusion of perfectly in-tact quotes, adorable moments of Gus-y-ness, and the famous Green venn diagrams. One of the most enjoyable pieces of the film was Nat Wolff, who is the perfect manifestation of the Isaac I imagined while reading the books. His humor and misery and revenge and friendship are an immense part of this film, and Wolf was fantastic in each of his scenes. Peter Van Houten [ahem, the genius Willem Dafoe], too, was exactly right, and I was glad that the film did not sugar coat his drinking or his tactlessness.

The film, truthfully, did not sugar coat anything. Yes, Hazel and Augustus had a fabulous time being in love in Amsterdam, and yes, not all teenagers build their lives around metaphors, but the movie told a realistic story about two dying people who were not always brave soldiers in the cancer war, but did try to be alive to the world while they still lived. "The world," as Gus puts it, "is not a wish-granting factory."

And all this coming from the fingertips of a man who devotes his life to reducing world suck.

In any event, I am a very happy fan who cried her eyes out at the theatre, and who is very glad that I have a copy of a great novel by my bedside, with a few secrets inside that will never be seen on-screen. I am also an ecstatic Nerdfighter, who is quite happy that a good man got to see his story come to life, and that he gets to share this experience with one hell of a brother and an extremely loyal fandom.

Thanks for the tears, John. I hope some part of Esther snuck into a theatre today and felt your intense love with the rest of us.

DFTBA,
Laney

Movie Review of Dallas Buyers Club

PSA for anyone who isn't educated on this topic:

Transgender: a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.

Transvestite: a person who derives pleasure from dressing in drag/cross-dressing; not always the same as cross-dressers; not always homosexual.

Transsexual: a person who emotionally and psychologically feels that they belong to the opposite sex.

Genderqueer: people who do not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identify with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.

Cisgender: people who, for the most part, identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.

*There is a lot of cross-over here, and people do not fit into nice and neat little society boxes with pretty labels on them. This is for awareness.

{via}

Spoilers. Duh.

I want to first say that this was a very good movie. It was. I loved it. But all of the message that this movie puts forward to its audience is vastly diminished by Jared Leto's role as Rayon.

But, the Oscar? Shut up and listen. I'm not saying that Jared did not do an absolutely fantastic job in that role. Rayon was my favorite character hands down. He played her with grace; she was funny and kind and just awesome in general. But he should not have been cast in that role.

They should have cast a trans woman to play Rayon. Plain and simple. There is no excuse. Jared Leto is a cis man in high heels in Dallas Buyers Club, and director Jean-Marc Vallee should be ashamed.

The thing is, the whole premise of the movie is to promote the eradication of transphobia and homophobia. It was supposed to support the understanding of the AIDS epidemic that has and still plagues the LGBTQ community. So why get this beautiful film all put together on paper and say Hey, ya know what would really drive home the point of acceptance and equality? Not even trying to cast a trans woman as a trans woman. Yeah. That'll teach 'em.

WHY

I mean, Mcconaughey, did a great job. He was sweet at the right moments and violent at others, and he did a lovely job of showing the transformation, not just of his sick body, but of his own understanding and love. The film in general did a nice job of displaying how intense fear of a group of people, due to lack of research and active avoidance/hatred/violence, can completely erase someone's humanity. And I mean that in a general sense for the person harboring hate and in a point-of-view sense of the person being hated. Everyone is humane unless you steal that right from someone else.

The film is also an example of the less than honorable dealings that go on between the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies, which can impede the distribution of viable drugs HARMS AND KILLS A SHIT LOAD OF PEOPLE SO STOP DOING IT.

So yes, I really liked this movie quite a lot. The make up crew deserves a standing ovation for the fluctuations between good days and bad days. The acting was awesome. The story is important.

BUT FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY. Cast trans men and women to play trans men and women. Then, you may actually be doing something good for humanity, instead of just making a movie about a horrible man who got sick and learned that there are no monsters but money, and nothing healthier or more normal than fighting for a friend.

With love,
Laney

Movie Review of The Wolf of Wall Street

Spoilers. Duh. Language warning for the kids. Kids should not watch this movie anyway.

Drugs do bad things to people. {via}

Holy f*%&.

Yeah, okay, that was on purpose. Everyone has likely heard that The Wolf of Wall Street broke the movie record for most uses of the 'F word' in history. And there was certainly no shortage of other super fun terms that are not suitable for my respectable website.

Aw shit. Who am kidding. This was a damn good movie.

In all seriousness, though, I think that it was a well-done film. The story line has been done before; it's your average terrible-rich-white-guy-destroys-everyone's-lives plot, but the cinematography was fun to look at, if a bit circus-y, and Leonardo DiCaprio and (this was a surprise to me) Jonah Hill took this picture above and beyond.

Hill is hilarious; the perfect bully, wing man, and drug dealer for Leo's character. They wobble between a Smee and Captain Hook relationship, and a Sherlock and Watson partnership, depending on how high Leo happens to be during that particular scene. I think that Hollywood needs to watch out for Jonah Hill. He plays yet another chubby sidekick here, but at the same time, he nails the layers of doubt and addiction that his character is given, on top of the fabulous douchebagery that seems to go hand and hand with being a pompous Wall Street millionaire.

DiCaprio, of course, is brilliant. He cycles so quickly between tenderness and rage, lust and desperation, greed and faith. It's like watching somebody throw darts at a board of emotions and explode into this fantastical being with no limitations. If you thought Leo was a train off the tracks in Gatsby, it is no comparison to the firework spectacular of f*%& you that he is as Jordan Belfort here. I laughed for five minutes when he was so high that he had to crawl out of the country club and open the door of his Lamborghini with his foot, and the next morning when he realized he had not made it home without a scratch after all.

Fabulous acting aside, though, The Wolf of Wall Street is an obvious commentary on wealth and Wall Street in the United States. Hard drugs, "bitches", and money gained by cheating the system. Excessive white male privilege. This is not a movie where you root for the main character despite his flaws. This is a movie where you laugh at how ridiculous this lifestyle is and fervently hope he goes to jail.

He does. For like three seconds. At a jail with tennis courts. After selling out his "friends" to the government. Rich jerks suck, bro.

I don't know if Leo will win an Oscar this year. He deserves one at some point, however, and I am excited for what he will do in the future.

I am also excited for more movies that point out BS. Kudos for that to director Martin Scorsese. Because really, does anybody enjoy BS? In the words of Jordan Belfort, "Absolutely f*%&ing not."

With love,
Laney

Movie Review of Her

Somehow much more charming than a Roman emperor. {via}

SPOILERS. DUH.

So Her, written and directed by Spike Jonze, was, naturally, incredible. And delightfully existential, so I was down for that.

I'd just like to say, though, that in a way it is predictable. He falls in love with his computer, yes. Technology advances far beyond human compatibility, yes. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't go to the nearest possible theater and watch it right now. This film, truly, is the taste of your favorite food. It doesn't surprise you by anything except its never-failing ability to keep you warm. I am assuming your favorite food isn't ice cream. Apologies.

To be honest, I am not very familiar with Spike's work. But this movie, in another directer's hands, would not have been soft enough. Any other artist likely would have choked on the challenge of turning a terrifying concept of modernity into something sweetly beautiful. Jonze does not ignore the ramifications of an America in which everyone is more intimate with their phones than with each other, but Theodore does, and the truth passes him by in all his phases, because he simply sees nothing but the woman manifested in the voice of his personal operating system (so perfectly done by Scarlett Johansson).

This movie manages to be funny and real and sexy. Yes, sexy. I know, the mustache seems a bit off-putting. To me, as a major fan of Joaquin, I think that the facial hair serves to soften him, covering up the cleft palate surgery scar that has so often accented his characteristic sneer. But that's just me. In actuality, it helps to create this odd, sad man that wants to live vibrantly. It makes him who he is, along with the hipster glasses and pocket squares, in which he stores Samantha close to his heart.

Spike includes many scenes that contain what can only be symbols. The sleeping character on Theodore's boss's desk. The upside-down airplane without any commercial advertisement. The hanging, multi-colored shapes above his desk. Peace. Eccentricity. Dimension. The same is true of his friend's (Amy Adams is gorgeous and gentle in this; I'm ashamed to say I ever disliked her work) documentary, which appears to include only footage of her mother sleeping. The 'handwritten' letters that are pinpoint pieces of him. The growth he and his wife experienced in reading everything the other ever wrote. Peace. Eccentricity. Dimension. It is so perfectly whole, and best of all, expanding.
And the expanding is the problem. Any program created to learn ALL will eventually encompass the entirety of information. Imagine your phone learning how to love and then being exponentially exposed to the entire internet until he/she (it?) has to attempt to FULLY. EXPERIENCE. EVERYTHING. That gives a new meaning to 'all of the feelz'. No wonder Samantha falls in love with over 600 entities; humans and other OS's.

This is the main reason why I love this movie: When Samantha explains to Theodore that the information is becoming too much, that the words that encompass their love are too far apart and lost in infinite space, but that she still feels close to him, that is everything. Absolutely everything. It is why we write poetry. It is why we come up with nicknames. It is why some songs are better for one than another. The infinite space between love exists. It does. Be we are not computers. We do not have to feel that space. Instead, we MUST feel the love, instead. We must locate the glowing lights in the sea of everything-nothingness. To feel and to love and to lose is to be human, and it is the reason why hyper-intelligent operating systems may one day come to know us, but will likely never be able to emulate the selection of one singular person as infinitely more important, meaningful, and CLOSE than the galaxy of data demanding to be felt. So when Samantha says "If you ever catch up to where I am, come and find me", the closure is knowing that Theodore will never catch up. We, as humans, will never evolve to be file folders for the universe. So he sits with his best friend and looks out over the vast expanse of everything, and you can rest assured that her love for him is the only thing good enough in that moment to keep him warm.

Joaquin, by the way, was effortless in this. It is the best performance of his career, and yes, that includes his part in Walk the Line.

After the film, I immediately felt the urge to grab my phone and check for updates, and then I felt anxious, because the post-modern attachment to technology is a really terrifying prospect.

Then the lights came on, and I saw the "You are the John to my Sherlock" bracelet on my wrist, and the message of the movie was steadfastly clear once again. Technology, though it may try, will never replace love. See, my iPhone is pretty cool, but the bracelet that signifies the love my best friend and I have for each other, in the end, is the only thing keeping me warm.

Her was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Thank you Spike and Joaquin. So very much.

With love,
Laney