By disappointment media Staff Sean Boelman's Pick: Aldis Hodge, ClemencyAlthough leading actress Alfre Woodard is (rightfully) getting a majority of the awards attention for the film Clemency, supporting actor Aldis Hodge’s performance is integral to the film’s emotional crux. As the inmate causing Woodard’s warden to re-think the career she made out of executing death row prisoners, Hodge’s performance could have caused the film to break just as easily as It allowed it to succeed. Hodge brings so much humanity and emotion to the role that it would be nearly impossible to not be heartbroken by the character’s experiences. Although there have been plenty of films to expertly induce anxiety in 2019, Clemency is perhaps the most effective at making the viewer feel a sense of legitimate dread, largely thanks to Hodge’s wonderful turn. Camden Ferrell's Pick: Shia LaBeouf, Honey BoyShia LaBeouf’s performance in Honey Boy is one of the boldest acting choices of the year. In his semi-autobiographical film, he plays his own father in a role that is so tender yet simultaneously heartbreaking. He captures such a large range of emotions in his performance. He’s a very layered character that is thoroughly explored thanks to LaBeouf’s performance. We get to see him as he loves, supports, and also abuses his son Otis (played by Noah Jupe). It reminds us of the layered and complex relationships a lot of us have with our own parents. The movie doesn’t focus on his ability to hurt and be malicious, but his performance reminds us that everyone is capable of love. This is a role that transcends the screen and functions as a real-life catharsis for LaBeouf as well as those who watch. LaBeouf’s affecting portrayal of fatherhood is the best performance by a supporting actor of 2019. Dan Skip Allen's Pick: Joe Pesci, The IrishmanPesci's performance as Buffalino is more nuanced than the previous work he has done with both De Niro and Scorsese. His character was more subtle and he played him laid back and relaxed. He was very skeptical of the character because it was different than anything he has done before. The back-and-forth he has with Sheeran (De Niro) and Hoffa (Al Pacino) was spot-on. There is a reason Scorsese wanted him for this role, because it was so different than anything he has done before. I definitely think he should win his second best supporting actor Oscar for this character. He really came full circle from his work in Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Casino. What are your favorite performances of 2019? Let us know!
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By Camden Ferrell 20 years since its release, Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece Magnolia remains a remarkably affecting and ambitious piece of modern cinema. It is a film of intricately woven narratives that follows several characters as they search for meaning over the course of one fateful day. This is a film that has stood the test of time, and it is one that warrants and rewards those who choose to re-watch and dissect all of its beauty. Paul Thomas Anderson begins his film with one of the most original and expertly crafted opening sequences in film history. A narrator details three instances of unfathomable coincidence that set the stage for the film that unfolds thereafter. The narrator says these events are not just “something that happens”, and it segues into the start of the film by declaring that these strange occurrences happen all the time. Then, we are introduced to the large cast of characters in a genius and intricately assembled montage set to the melodic tunes of Aimee Mann. What’s impressive is how well developed, balanced, and interconnected each character is in this film. One of the main standouts of this film is Frank T. J. Mackey (Tom Cruise), a womanizing and sexist pickup artist. He is one of the most complex characters in this film, and he’s one that deserves a lot of attention. His introduction on the stage is to the larger than life sounds of Also Sprach Zarathustra. This captures the delusion of grandeur of his personality as well as the idolization he receives from his fervent fanbase. He is a hard character to really approach as a viewer due to his vulgar and provocative nature, but as we learn more about the character, he becomes more palatable. He’s a man who became successful by teaching other men how to claim and assert their dominance. However, we soon infer from a candid interview that this may be a result of the trauma and neglect he suffered as a kid at the hands of his father, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards). This brings us to Earl’s own network of characters. We meet him as he nears death at the hands of his caregiver, Phil Parma (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). It’s interesting to experience death through the lens of a dying man, and it’s one of the more existentially thought-provoking parts of the movie. He is in anguish, both physical and spiritual due to the transgressions he has committed in his life. This is also seen in the mentality and behavior of his wife, Linda (Julianne Moore). She too is overcome with the guilt of her actions that closely parallel her dying husband. Earl is the head of a studio that produces the hit game show What Do Kids Know? This long-running show featured Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) when he was a kid. As an adult, it’s almost heartbreaking to see his regressive schoolboy crush that he has on a brace-faced bartender. He’s emotionally stunted and even tries to get braces in an attempt to find love. In the present day, Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is a kid-genius who is competing on the same show. He is son to a self-absorbed father who uses his son’s celebrity to try and galvanize his acting career. It’s hard to watch his scenes as the love from his father is something to be earned not expected. The host of this game show is T.V. personality Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall). He is a terminally ill man who drinks to cope with his job, his regrets, and his troubled family life. Claudia (Melora Walters) is his drug-addicted daughter that can’t find it in herself to forgive him. We see her as she spirals through her life of recklessness all while looking for love with a well-meaning police officer (John C. Reilly).
This is a beautifully intertwined film that doesn’t waste a single second of screen time. It features naturally flowing cinematography and structure that enhance the viewing experience. It’s a risky film that crosses the three-hour mark that also contains a 9-way sing along and an unexpected twist so bizarre yet so powerful in context of the film. It’s a film about the past and what it means for your present. More than once, the film utters the line “We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us”. It’s a simple yet highly effective line that captures the nature of this movie perfectly. This movie features a lot of strained familial relationships in a way that is so profound yet deeply upsetting. Frank reluctantly comes to his father’s deathbed for a moment of catharsis that is so powerful due to Cruise’s raw emotion in the scene. Despite the neglect, Frank still can’t keep himself away from the source of all of his shortcomings in adulthood. Elsewhere, Claudia refuses to speak with her father due to her supposed molestation. It’s an emotional look at how abuse carries on into adulthood, and it’s a storyline that this film refuses to give any closure. It’s also incredibly upsetting to see how Stanley’s dad clearly didn’t care his son was missing all night. His geese had stopped laying eggs, so why should he care? Things often happen in pairs in this film. Two characters have cancer. Two are/were quiz kids. Two use drugs to cope with their problems. Two are simultaneously humiliated on television, and many lines are said twice throughout the film. Do these pairs offer the hope of empathy, or does it just reinforce its tragedy? Or can you chalk up these pairs to just being one of those “strange things” mentioned in the beginning? Magnolia stands strong after 20 years, and it remains Paul Thomas Anderson’s most accomplished film to date. It features masterful acting, profound writing and intent, and an enthralling execution seen seldom to never in cinema. This is a captivating film from start to finish, and it is a masterpiece worth checking out on its 20th anniversary. |
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