Inside Llewyn Davis

Spoilers are marked.

In this 2013 film, the Coen Brothers Joel and Ethan take us on a musical tour of a week in the life of a downtrodden folk singer named Llewyn Davis in 1961 New York.

"Llewyn and the Orange Tabby" new band name, called it!

Llewyn used to be part of a duet, but now he must try to make it as a solo act, and it's not going well. He is played by Oscar Isaac with enormous amounts of melancholy, and real talent on the guitar and vocals. He probably sings more words than he speaks in the whole movie, but watching him silently plow through a very bad week isn't as depressing as it might seem to be. The script and Isaac's performance puts us and our understanding right where the title promises us we'll be, with masterful subtlety.

The supporting cast is full of acting and singing talent too. Carey Mulligan plays the meanest character I've ever seen her do, and she's not subtle about her antagonism either like she is in Northanger Abbey. I was surprised and impressed. But I shouldn't have been surprised, because everything she does is pretty impressive. Justin Timberlake is there too, and incidentally, I finally have an answer for if I'm ever asked what my favorite song of his is.

"We... are not amused."

John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and Adam Driver all make small appearances too, but with no less fully developed characters. There's also a cat, and the most talented cat-actor I've seen (not to mention very cute) and I'm not even kidding. That cat was brilliant -- or perhaps rather the directors did a fantastic job getting what they wanted out of it.

There were two main things I liked very much about this film. The second I didn't really realize until after the movie was over, but the first I got full enjoyment out of while it still ran: the music. Folk music, actually performed by the actors who appeared to be performing it. As a Coen Brothers movie, it's no surprise that this film might have very good music to it, but this one even more so than others because it really was a musical -- in the most realistic way a movie can be a musical -- there was a song sung in the film at least every ten minutes by a wide variety of characters and they were the most easily enjoyable parts of the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them, but this one below was just too funny and stuck out so much that I have to share it -- though the more serious songs are definitely better musically:



The second thing, that I only truly enjoyed once the film was over, was the symbolism. There is some very fascinating symbolism in this movie -- and not only for the audience, because we are inside Llewyn Davis, the symbolism is something he sees too, and is, in retrospect, a very important part of the film. 

This going to take some Spoilers to explain, so skip over this next paragraph if you wish to avoid them.

Llewyn's singing partner committed suicide before the film even began, and the plot revolves around Llewyn trying to move on from that -- trying to become a solo act. But more than that, he is trying to make peace with his friend's suicide, and trying to understand him, because he realizes he didn't really. Llewyn is accidentally stuck with his friend's parent's cat, and that orange tabby becomes a symbol of Llewyn's misunderstanding of his friend, and the baggage his death left him with. That's why when he goes to Chicago to try and land a solo gig, he feels that he must leave the cat behind, and then while driving there hits (or imagines to hit) and injure a (the) cat -- feeling like he's betraying his friend by trying to move on. And that's why, once the cat is safe back with its owners, and Llewyn finally finds out what its name is, he suddenly has closure and begins to come into his own as a solo artist.

Great cinematography.

For the most part this film moves along unassumingly with absolutely no pomp or circumstance and no obvious purpose, but then, the way it ended was quite unexpected and made all that previous uneventfulness suddenly leave a large impression on me. That rather outstanding wrap-up, combined with my better understanding of the meaning of the film afterwards raised a film that was undoubtedly well made, and pretty interesting, and pretty entertaining, up to a fantastically unique and invitingly thoughtful film that made me think and get more and more out of it, hours after the credits had rolled and the last tune had been sung. And that's a movie and a mind I can appreciate being inside of.

Hollywood Hitmen

Hollywood Hitmen is a 30-minute, one-episode comedy web-series that you can watch on YouTube -- or just below, for your convenience -- about two L.A. based hitmen and their adventures of finding, keeping, and, well, executing jobs. Starring Agent Carter's Enver Gjokaj, and Maximilian Osinski.

Also created by them.

It's a bit like Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog in that it's not quite a TV show, but way more than just a YouTube sketch. It's also similar to Dr. Horrible in that it's totally hilarious and original. There are so many great jokes and gags packed into these thirty minutes. The sense of humor is light in tone (but sometimes dark in style) silly, very satirical, and the perfect amount of aware and self-deprecating. I could go on for paragraphs listing all my favorite moments, but that's probably not a good idea; just watch it and see for yourself.

If it were rated it would definitely get an R for a high language count, which was a negative for me, but the first and last of the whole thing. It was made over a weekend, the script was improvised, and everyone in it is obviously having a fantastic time, and it really comes out in the finished product, and rubs off infectiously.

Here it is: Hollywood Hitmen: 30 minutes of sharp, quick, funny fun!



Okay, I can't resist, so here are five favorite moments off the top of my head (Spoilers):

Pushing grass out of the way in slow-mo.

Asking directions in a disguised voice.

The "action movie" moment, complete with theatrical screen dimensions.

"To be continued... Right now."

Mexican standoff put on pause to talk about girls.

R.I.P. Underappreciated MCU Characters

This list is of dead characters of Marvel movies and TV shows, so obviously, there are spoilers within -- Spoilers for Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Daredevil, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man. (Since Ant-Man is a new movie, and least likely to have been watched by some, I put that entry eighth and last.)

They didn't die saving the world, or even destroying it; they just died in the crossfire. Here are some of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe characters who died thankless deaths, afterthought deaths, or just plain died too soon:

Antoine Triplett
Played by B.J. Britt
In Agents of SHIELD
Agent Triplett showed up on AOS at the halfway point in the first season -- and was gone at the halfway point of the second. Besides his turning into stone and then crumbling away being overshadowed by Skye and Raina turning into Inhumans, Triplett's death is sad because he was a lighthearted character that had easy and fun chemistry with the other agents -- especially Skye -- and it seems a waste to kill of a descendant of a Howling Commando with so little pomp and circumstance.

Roger Dooley
Played by Shea Whigham
In Agent Carter 
Chief Dooley's death was built up to be a sucker punch, but wound up being underwhelming as everyone else hardly stopped for a breath before moving quickly on to their saving the world duties, and I even forgot that he had died at all. It was just poor timing on his part.

James Wesley 
Played by Toby Leonard Moore
In Marvel's Daredevil
"We don't say his name." Wesley is the faithful servant of Wilson Fisk; mysterious and well-characterized, even as a side character. I would have happily watched him stay by Fisk's side as long as Fisk ruled Hell's Kitchen, but, sadly, he underestimated Karen way too much, and it got him a few unfortunate holes in his chest. Wesley is a prime example of a character dying too soon, but, to his credit, his death is what pushed him over the edge of being an interesting character, to being a great and memorable character, and a favorite of mine.

Jasper Sitwell
Played by Maximiliano Hernandez
In Thor, The Avengers, Agents of SHIELD and Captain America: The Winter Solider
Agent Sitwell is a particularly sad case, because after being around and assisting Coulson ever since Thor, and even starring in a Marvel One-Shot, he suddenly is revealed to be a Hydra agent in The Winter Solider. After being kicked off a building by Black Widow and saved by Falcon as a humorous interrogation technique, he is unceremoniously pulled out the window of a speeding car. Just goes to show you what happens when you join Hydra... but at least two more heads grow in his place.

The Other
Played by Alexis Denisof
In The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy
The strange bluish guy who speaks for Thanos and has two thumbs on each hand seemed to be pretty powerful guy in The Avengers while he was threatening Loki. Not many people can do that so confidently and get away with it. So maybe his death was a long time coming, but I admit that when Ronan breaks his neck without a second thought in Guardians, I was much more sad and disappointed than I was supposed to be.

Pietro Maximoff
Played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson
In Avengers: Age of Ultron
He certainly wins most heroic death of the bunch for saving Hawkeye and a little boy, but Pietro's death was way too soon for me after he was a bad guy for most of his one film. I suppose it is the best way around his being so overpowered, but I and Wanda will miss him dearly. (Any chance of his coming back somehow?)

J.A.R.V.I.S
Played by Paul Bettany
In Iron Man 1, 2, and 3, The Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron
He appeared in the most Marvel films before his death, and yes, I know that Vision effectively is JARVIS, but technically, he is not. The computer program JARVIS is no more, evidenced by Tony using a program called FRIDAY at the end of Ultron. Sadness of this this is dispersed fairly well though, because Vision not only sounds like Paul Bettany, but he looks like him too. Still, a moment of silence for everyone's favorite snarky computer should be in order.

Anthony
Played by an ant/CGI
In Ant-Man
The flying ant who serves as Scott's miniature ride hardly even gets his name before he's shot out of the air by a bullet meant for his rider. There is short pause in the action to commemorate his untimely demise, and we are left confident that Scott feels as sad over his death as we do, but once things move on, we're not supposed to look back. But we will never forget you, Anthony!

R.I.P

Which of these characters will/do you miss? And did I overlook anyone? With these types of characters it certainly is an easy thing to do!

Ant-Man

This review is Spoiler-free.

Don't worry; I'll refrain from the size jokes.

Ant-Man is the newest Marvel flick, and it's been a while since we've seen a solo introductory Marvel film. The solo film's style should reflect accurately the character of the hero it features, and it's an important task to get right as it sets the tone for that character for the rest of his movie career. In that, and in many, many other things, Ant-Man knocks it out of the park.

Standing in the tub trying to get the full view in the bathroom mirror. Things we can all relate to.

Scott Lang is a burglar. He very strictly only does non-violent crimes of sneaky thieving and even takes cues from Robin Hood. But he still gets caught. We pick up as he's just finishing his three-year stint in prison, and he's determined to go straight -- for his daughter. That doesn't work so well though, and eventually he decides to take just one last job -- for his daughter. But this job of burgling one Dr. Hank Pym's house gets him way more than he ever asked for, and exactly what he needs; a chance to become the good guy, save the world, and be a good dad -- for his daughter.

"Save the world" sounds exactly like what you'd expect from a Marvel flick, and it's true that the fate of the world hangs in the balance in this plot, but, it hangs in the background. There's no immediate danger of aliens or robots actively destroying the world. I say this not because it features a guy who shrinks, but because it's true; Ant-Man is just plain on a smaller scale than any Marvel film so far. And I love it. 

A smaller scale never means there's any less heart.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a superhero spy movie; Guardians of the Galaxy was a superhero space movie; Ant-Man is a fantastic superhero heist movie. And heist movies, by definition, do not make a lot of noise. It was wonderfully refreshing to not see massive destruction and hordes of casualties in this one; but at the same time, when, say, a suitcase, or a miniature city gets completely obliterated, it gives the impression of the superhero destruction and delivers on all the visual thrills that entails -- just without all those bothersome consequences.

Paul Rudd at the lead of this film is just as cool and charming as you would expect out of the newest Marvel movie superhero, but his Scott Lang has a lot more to him that I did not expect; being a new and determined convert to the ranks of "family man" for one. For Scott it's more about his daughter than anything else, and that's a particularly sweet thing to see in a movie like this. He also gives the impression of just being a regular guy better than any of his super predecessors. His hard work and determination makes him worthy of his superhero status, and his charm and humor makes him a lovable lead for the film.

He was also automatically cool, as a burglar... but he probably would have been cool anyway.

Michael Douglas is the resident movie veteran, so of course he is great. Dr. Pym is the creator of the Ant-Man suit, and is Scott's mentor and trainer, but he has plenty of his own character development to worry about, and some of may be a bit contrived, but he handles it all like the pro he is. Evangeline Lily is Pym's daughter; source of much snark and cynicism, and the general greatness we've come to expect out of her. She is fun and involving and lovely, and a little bit deadly. The villain is Corey Stoll, and he does a fantastic job with what he has, but doesn't get to go quite as crazy as he is capable of and I was hoping for. Still he was a classically sinister kind of villain which was great, and was very well-dressed.

When you look this good, you really should rule the world.

And Judy Greer was there, as Scott's ex-wife and mother of his daughter, and I liked her so much I felt kind of sad that there didn't seem to be any chance of their getting back together. Bobby Cannavale was her fiancé and a cop, so of course there's clashing between him and Scott which helped makes things more personal and closer to home. Hayley Atwell and John Slattery also make appearances as their Peggy Carter and Howard Stark. Plus there's one very fun surprise appearance that I won't ruin.

Evangeline, hard to recognize under that hair.

Scott's team of fellow burglars is Luis (Michael Peña) Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (T.I.) Used mostly for comic relief, they were all funny, and helpful to the plot to boot, but Michael Peña stands out for miles and miles with his scene-stealing and hilarious character. At least a little bit of the credit for his hilarity though, has to go to the writers for writing that one awesome gag and knowing who to give it to for the best effect. There were several writers -- Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, the great Edgar Wright and even Paul Rudd himself -- so I don't know who gets credit for that bit, but I get the feeling it goes to Wright. The director Peyton Reed also certainly deserves props here too.

Three funny dudes.

I knew I'd love this movie, and I was right, but what I couldn't predict was why, and how differently I love it from the way I love other Marvel flicks. This movie reminded me of what I loved about movies as a kid, and made me feel like I was that little kid again; being thrilled by the sheer inventiveness and involved in the classic, old-fashioned-type plot events. I was even slightly more shocked at the little language and slightly disturbing violence than I normally would have been. Things that I would normally find too silly I suddenly found easy to forgive as well, and even sometimes quite easy to accept and enjoy, just because the movie itself embraced and wasn't ashamed of the silliness. I feel sentimental about this movie, like it's a childhood favorite, and I only saw it yesterday.

One cool thing I didn't expect was how much the ants were used. They were totally helpful and unique, and yes, pretty darned cute too.

This film is one of the more family-friendly, and definitely the most family-oriented Marvel films to date, but don't think that means it leaves our more refined adult side bored and wanting. It easily holds its own against the plethora of more obviously enticing and effortlessly marketable superhero flicks already in existence -- with its tongue in its cheek, its head held high, and its sights focused on its own sky-high goals. Goals that are reached with heart and humor and a determined effort. Ant-Man is a fun and fantastic caper that caters to the child in all of us. And let's be honest; if we're watching a superhero movie, we already have a child inside, just waiting to be catered to.

9 New Nerdy SDCC Trailers

The massive entertainment event called the San Diego Comic Con spurred the (in one case unwilling) release of many new trailers videos for upcoming, highly anticipated films and TV shows. I shared the first one I saw, the Doctor Who Series 9 trailer in a separate post, but then they started coming so fast they overwhelmed me so that I could barely form a coherent thought about one before the next showed up! But now the Comic Con is over and things are settling down, so now I'm just going to share all the trailers I found interesting all together, right here, right now:

Doctor Who
Click here for my original post on this, but the gist of it is this: I love Doctor Who. I didn't love the last season. I'm still hoping to love this one. This trailer does nothing to weaken that hope. Peter Capaldi's hair finally remembered that it's the hair of a Doctor and has acted accordingly.



Sherlock
This is less a trailer and more a first-look clip. And as long as the setting of the late 1800's is explained reasonably, it doesn't seem like this Sherlock one-off special will be any less awesome than the past three seasons have been. They certainly are taking full advantage of the setting by having Cumberbatch's characterization match the Sherlock Holmes of the books exactly. And he delivers that first line just as brilliantly as he ever has delivered a line. John's mustache is fantastic, and Mrs. Hudson is the land-lady, and not a plot device. Everything appears to be in order, and the game is on! Or, should I say "afoot"?




Con-Man
I don't know if I'll ever see this, but I love the idea of it so, SO much. Alan Tudyk writes directs and stars along with Nathan Fillion, and the rest of the Firefly cast have cameos. It's about a man who starred on a tragically cancelled sci-fi series (sound familiar?) and since hasn't been able to do anything better, but just goes to sci-fi conventions, signs autographs, and bemoans his terrible fate. I don't know how appropriate the Vimo web-series will be, but it looks pretty funny at least, and I love that it's not even subtle about it's Firefly references. Language Warning for the trailer:




The Man in the High Castle
This is an Amazon series. It's an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick 1962 science fiction novel about what would have happened if America had lost the second World War. Philip K. Dick is the author of the stories that were adapted into Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, The Adjustment Bureau, and several more, and that is a huge appeal to me. The trailer is extremely dark though, and it may end up proving to be too much, but I really really want to give it a shot, and the pilot episode is available for streaming right now...




Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Or as I fondly refer to it: Bateman v Superbman: Down of Justice. This is probably the trailer that had the biggest impact on the general crowd of movie fans. And it had a pretty big impact on me too; I've never experienced the sensation of feeling anger towards a movie trailer before. Now I'm trying to decide if I should attempt to explain all the ways it angered me or not... oh, why not -- rant time!

First of all, Superman's character is still being cruelly whittled away into a sad pile of distorted and discarded goodness. He's still the man who let thousands of people die by hesitating to kill one evil man, but now he doesn't even seem to know what he should do anymore -- he won't even defend himself from masses of people who worship him as a god! The best thing to do about the Man of Steel casualty count was to ignore it, not exploit it, but I guess that's the only way they could figure to rile up the Bat. Batman is slightly better. When people he knows die from Supes indecision problem, he comes out of retirement for revenge. And if one single person dies from the resulting battle, he'll be a complete hypocrite.

The joyless, "real-life" serious tone set promises to bore with unending relentless and forced lifelessness masquerading as drama. And speaking of "relentless", the battle sequences promise that too. I love the stylized look of those scenes with the dark endless piles of rubble lit with random little fires that fill the screen with floating embers and will undoubtedly look epic in 3D... a clue: no. (I've been watching BBC's Robin Hood.) I'm trying to figure why people say that this is the best trailer they've ever seen, and I think it boils down to one thing: the magnificent music. ... Never mind, I'm not going to comment on that. I think I'm done. I'll just add that if you like this trailer, or even think it's the best you've ever seen, I'm not trying to dissuade you or say you're wrong. Opinions; to each their own!




Suicide Squad
Now THIS is how to do a inviting DC movie trailer! I know next to nothing about these characters and this story, but this trailer make me want to watch the movie it advertizes. Very much. Everything about this trailer just oozes with a slick and unforced darkly cool style. It has twice the required dosage of DC darkness but still feels unmistakeably fun. And I wonder if it will even go so far as to get an R rating? I wouldn't be surprised, but I would be disappointed if the content reached a level that I wouldn't want to see, because right now I really want to see this. This seems like DC's best chance at a "Guardians of the Galaxy" -- that seems like high praise I know, but that's just in comparison with DC's rebooted film record so far: Man of Steel and the trailer I just finished bashing. Almost anything would be an improvement.




The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
And HERE is a Henry Cavill movie I can actually get excited about! This trailer is 5 minutes of snappy snazzy slick vintage fun, and I am left with no doubt that the film it advertizes will be exactly the same. Need I say more? I think not. Don't believe me? Just watch:




Fantastic Four
On the side of Marvel Superheroes, things continue to be solid, and this new F4 trailer that features Reed Richards as a kid stays firmly in that vein. This movie is looking very solid. I was interested in it the moment I saw Jamie Bell and Miles Teller in the cast, but beyond that, it really is looking like a well-done reboot, steering away from the cheesiness of the last effort, but still remembering to be exciting and fun. Definitely looking forward to this one's upcoming release.




Star Wars
And this isn't a trailer, but a behind-the-scenes featurette for the making of The Force Awakens, the main point of which, I believe is just to reassure fans once again that this franchise is in good and loving hands. And it does a great job being convincing of that fact. All the people involved in this love this world as much as any of us, and are obviously invested in making it as great as they possibly can. And they seem to be having a blast doing it. I have every confidence in this film, and can't wait to see the finished product!

The Rewrite

This review is Spoiler-free.

A washed-up has-been one-hit Hollywood screenwriter takes a job teaching a screenwriting class at an upstate New York college, and in doing so, gives his life an unexpected and much-needed rewrite.

This Marc Lawrence written and directed comedy stars Hugh Grant as said screenwriter, Keith. Marisa Tomei is the charming and spunky grown woman who is going back to college and gets in his class. J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, and Chris Elliott are his college co-workers. Hugh Grant is his usual charming and witty self, helped out by an often funny and even rarely hilarious script, and his character takes the tried-and-true arc route of "from down, cynical, and selfish, to hero who deserves that happy ending."

They had some great banter.

Tomei is endearingly and unfailingly optimistic -- but done is a totally realistic way -- and as such is a great match for Grant's dry British ways. Allison Janney is always great, and her, as the Jane Austen-obsessed stick-in-the-mud professor, she is, of course, no different. I loved J. K. Simmons who lives in a family of five women and pretends to hate it -- then never fails to cry within a few seconds of talking about them. I also have to mention Steven Kaplan who was quite funny with his nerdy hypochondriac character (though that didn't play out as much as it could have). Keith helping him refine and sell a truly good screenplay was my favorite side plot, and a great segue into what I liked most about this film...

The love of writing and movies. Indeed, with a theme like that, how could I possibly not like this movie? It doesn't give any huge, reality-altering insights into the writing or film worlds, but a love for the art is clearly present. It's sentimental about the craft it puts on display, and encouraging to anyone dreaming of pursuing life in that direction, saying that talent can be learned, and hard work and dedication always pays off in the end.

Who needs college? You can learn everything from movies!

Also, it's funny. There are, perhaps two scenes that go plainly into cliched awkward-comedy territory, and as good as Grant may be in that particular area, it's still pretty painful to watch. But it was pretty consistently funny, and a few times had me cracking up unexpectedly hard. Some plot lines were more enjoyable than others, and I thought the third act began to falter and slow alarmingly for a bit, but it regained it's footing for the end and left on a pleasant, balanced, artistic and satisfying high note.

I know a musical reference for the end of this review for a movie about writing is not ideal -- maybe I should take a class from Keith Micheals -- that guy who wrote that really great movie "Paradise Misplaced." I'm sure I could learn a lot from him.

Doctor Who series 9 - trailer!

Here's the first trailer for the 9th Doctor Who season, airing on September 19th. I didn't enjoy the 8th season (review) as much as I have other Doctor Who seasons, but I'm still excited to see if this one will improve now that the new Doctor has settled in. His hair certainly has found a groove! The only thing that I'm not at all looking forward to is Missy. Ugh. Otherwise, this teaser looks promising to me, with plenty of wibbly-wobbly sci-fi thrills.

Take a look, then tell me what you think! Are you looking forward to the new season?