Monsters University (2013) - Dan Scanlon

I don’t shy away from telling people that Pixar is the most magical, inspirational production company working in film today. In our post 90s-Disney world, someone has to step up and put all of the pointless sequels and movies based on children’s toys (I’m talking to you, The Lego Movie) and TV shows that are before its own target audience’s time (Smurfs) to shame. And Pixar fills that role time and time again.

Now I know what you’re thinking, Pixar is in a slump of unnecessary sequels and some “meh” movies. Cars 2 was a disgrace (I’ve never even seen it), and I still hold the belief that Disney forced them to make it. Brave was pretty and heartwarming but a bit of a mess in terms of having a coherent story. So without having made a great movie since 2010’s Toy Story 3, Pixar had a lot riding on their first prequel. And that’s why I went in with a lot of expectations, but also why I walked out trying to wipe the tears from my face before the two other families in the theater with very young kids saw me in the light.

I’m not saying the film was perfect. In fact it had an almost identical formula as two other films about college, Sydney White and House Bunny, where a well-intentioned hero turns a group of ragtag fratbros/sorority sisters into popular winners through a lot of trial and error, plus transformation montages. But unlike Despicable Me 2, which I saw three days before, the film had what Pixar repeatedly proves it has, and that’s heart. Cue corny music. 

One thing I loved about the film is that they turned Mike from this funny egomaniac that you just laughed at in the first film into a fully developed, hardworking underdog. I found him so inspirational and courageous that you just root for him from the first scene, where, on a school field trip, he sneaks into a door on the scare floor and sees a real scarer in action. He is forever changed and works incessantly until he has earned his place at the top scaring school, Monsters University. Which is great, because it proves that no amount of difference (he’s made fun of for being so small and not scary) can keep you from accomplishing your dreams.

And yes he’s still lovable and these little easter eggs that reference the first film are magical when you see them. And once at school, Mike meets James P. Sullivan, the self-righteous legacy who got in only because of the merits of his father, Bill Sullivan. Sulley is naturally talented, unlike the intuitive and book-smart Mike, and the two dislike each other from the get-go. But when fate leads them to have to join the least popular fraternity and win a campus-wide scaring competition to prove their worth and not lose everything they had worked for, the two learn to understand each other’s differences and combine assets to make a great team. The film is relatable, touching, and teaches the value of friendship. Also it has a college setting, which is a nice touch considering the first film came out 12 years ago, so most of the target audience then is now in college.

FYI this is just a shot from the teaser trailer and isn’t in the film. So aside from Pixar being the studio that touches hearts around the world, they are also successful enough to afford a quirky and talented cast of voice actors. There’s Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sulley again, and Bonnie Hunt (I’m not sure if Pixar secretly owns her or she just loves working for them, because she did Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Cars, Cars 2, Toy Story 3, and Monsters University) who plays Mike’s elementary school teacher. They also got Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Safety Not Guaranteed) to play an unattached, goth announcer for the Scare Games, but I guess you could have figured that out.

They also got Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Horrible Bosses) to play a new age philosophy major named Art, who basically has all of the best one liners in the film because of how strange he is.

Overall, Monsters University isn’t one of the many unnecessary sequels that fill the younger generation’s heads with animated garbage. Pixar has made 14 films, all premiering at number one at the box office, and 7 have won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Out of those films, 4 are not original stories (Cars 2, Toy Story 2 and 3, and Monsters University). Also Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo, is on the horizon. Before that, they had two original films coming up, The Good Dinosaur, and Inside Out. In my opinion, Pixar has earned the right to a few sequels, because aside from Cars 2, they understand that sequels are more than just quick money, but that they can also further a story so beautiful that it needed to be revisited.

The Big Lebowski (1998) - Joel Coen

I knew I had gone too long without seeing The Big Lebowski when I got to college and random references to “the Dude” and “abiding” started popping up left and right. Also, after seeing two previous Coen brothers’ films, Miller’s Crossing (1990) and No Country For Old Men (2007) in the past year, I knew it was time for me to see IMDb #130.

The story follows the Jeffrey Lebowski, known as the Dude (Jeff Bridges), who is mistaken for the millionaire by the same name. Some thugs come to the Dude’s house, beat him up saying that his wife owes their boss money, pee on his rug, and leave. The Dude goes to the real Jeffrey Lebowski’s house and claims that he owes the Dude a new rug. Later, when Mr. Lebowski’s wife is kidnapped and being ransomed for $1 million, he hires the Dude to deliver the million to her kidnappers and get her back. That fails, and the Dude slowly uncovers a bigger mystery involving scandal, embezzlement, and the cutting off of a poor woman’s pinky toe.

Now that I’ve seen three Coen brothers’ films, I have a strong sense of their writing style and directorial choices. The Coen brothers obviously love old films, as Miller’s Crossing was based on a Dashiell Hammett crime story, and No Country For Old Men is an homage to the western genre. The Big Lebowski can be read as both of these genres together. There is the problem of a man caught up in a scandal of warring factions (in this case Mr. Lebowski and his wife’s kidnappers), and must outwit everyone above him in order to survive. The Coen brothers even stated that the film is loosely inspired by Raymond Chandler stories, known for his complex crime novels. On the other hand, it involves a man rising up, going on an adventure, and becoming a hero in order to keep the peace and return back to his world of solitude. Not to mention it’s narrated by famous Western star, Sam Elliott.

In any sense, the film is a nonstop hilarious adventure story, and has achieved a cult-like status over the past decade. Most attribute this to its use of zany-dream sequences (shown above), and the stoner attitude of the main character, the Dude. Probably one of the funniest parts of the film is the Dude and his friend’s obsession with bowling. Even when faced with death, several of the most dramatic scenes are intercut with scenes of the Dude and his friends competing in their bowling tournament. John Goodman (Monsters Inc., Argo) plays the Dude’s best friend Walter Sobchak, a Vietnam war veteran who takes the Sabbath very seriously, even though he only converted to Judaism for his now ex-wife. Here Walter ironically points a gun at their bowling adversary for insisting that he did not step over the line during his roll.

This gif is also the source of the famous “Am I the only one who…” meme. Overall, I thought everything about the movie was great, and I was blown away by how many people I loved were in the movie, including some Miller’s Crossing cast-members (Steve Buscemi). I love John Goodman and Jeff Bridges, but I think I was happiest seeing Julianne Moore in her role as Maude Lebowski.

She was British and amazing. This is also my new favorite gif. But aside from Maude, the Dude is the most enjoyable character in the movie. He even loves two of my favorite things, bowling and White Russians. Watching him lazily try to skim the surface was the main source of comedy, and Jeff Bridges did a great job in portraying that pitiful sloth-like sense of not caring about anything. 

 

I highly recommend the film to anyone who enjoys a high-stakes adventure and a hilarious comedy in one.

Argo (2012) - Ben Affleck

So I’ve seen Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Les Miz. I’ve decided that none of them are in the running to win Best Picture tomorrow night, so I decided to finally sit myself down and watch the real frontrunner, Argo.

I don’t know what it is about this movie. It won Best Drama at the Golden Globes, Best Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, it won the Director’s Guild Award, the Producer’s Guild Award, Best Picture at the BAFTAs, and the Critics Choice Awards Best Picture. This film is DOMINATING Awards Season. It’s a clear favorite for the Academy Awards, and I don’t think anything can stop its momentum. I feel bad for the other movies, but who knows, anything can happen at the Oscars. But if any of the other films win, Ben Affleck will run on stage and say this line:

I thought Argo was going to be specifically about the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis. I thought, why on earth would I want to watch a historical movie about political turmoil in the middle east? (I didn’t want to watch Lincoln either, and I still haven’t seen Zero Dark Thirty). But the film actually specifically follows the “Canadian Caper,” a popularized name for the CIA operation in which six U.S. diplomats who had escaped the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran on the day the Iranian Hostage Crisis began were saved by CIA agent Tony Mendez because of a fake movie he used to get them out, entitled “Argo.” Now that my run-on sentences are over, I can talk about my opinion of the movie.

The story is compelling, intense, and entertaining, which didn’t surprise me at all considering how many awards it has already won. Ben Affleck manages to make an event that is probably still sensitive to some Americans (not Zero Dark Thirty sensitive, but still, controversial) and turn it into a fictionalized drama that has you on the edge of your seat. For the first half of the movie, the film stresses “this mission is extremely dangerous.” The CIA considers a plethora of ideas on how to get the diplomats out of Iran. Weirdly enough, the film hardly cares to follow the 52 Americans that were held captive in the American Embassy in Tehran for a STAGGERING 444 days by Iranian students and militants (yeah I do my research). But I think this specific mission gave the film a lighter, more goal-oriented tone. And I liked that.

Another thing I loved is that the film had John Goodman. You probably recognize him as this.

Another awesome thing about John Goodman is that if Argo wins, he’ll have been in two Best Picture winners in a row (he played Al Zimmer in The Artist). Good for him!

Anyway, the film was much more entertaining than I expected, and it also goes into the crazy stuff involved in making a film! Affleck’s character uses Goodman’s character as well as another character played by Alan Arkin to be the Hollywood producers to help him plan the film out. They have a real script, a real producer, and use real marketing to make the film as legitimate as possible for the Iranian government to believe them. Affleck goes in with stories and identities for each of the six diplomats, and the seven of them leave together as a film crew that is scouting a science fiction film in Iran. The whole process is nail-biting, jaw-dropping, and even funny at times. But I am not kidding when I say you will look like this the entire movie.

And when they finally get on the plane to go home, but even more intense drama is thrown into the scene:

I had a great time watching it, and I’m glad I finally got around to it. Do I think it deserves Best Picture? Meh… I’ll accept it if it does, but I wouldn’t have voted for it myself.