Miles Teller (Whiplash, Bleed for This) is an actor that I find myself liking more and more with each passing role. Since arriving on the scene in 2010 with memorable roles in Rabbit Hole and the well-made remake of Footloose, Teller has starred in the forgettable 21 and Over, Two Night Stand, and That Awkward Moment. Furthermore, his time has been consumed with the Veronica Roth Divergent / Insurgent / Allegiant franchise, a series that fell way short of the fantastic Hunger Games franchise as well as the lesser The Maze Runner series. Now, I’m not going to knock a guy for picking movies that are going to bring him a hefty paycheck, especially if there’s part of me that believes he’s doing it so that he can take lesser money in independent movies that can showcase his skill, evoke emotion, and that I can enjoy. Nonetheless, these three movies probably took the better part of a year and a half to make (just guessing). It’s something I think about when an actor that I really like does reoccurring roles in movies that I really don’t like. Now I’m not saying that Teller is Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Gosling, or Emma Stone, but still. Also, for as much love as The Spectacular Now got both with critics, I was not a fan at all. And mostly, it was because of him. As much as I’m starting to like I’m, I don’t see him as A) a leading man or B) a heartthrob. And I thought his character was a complete douche in The Spectacular Now because he was a douche. They made his character out to be this big player, and it just didn’t work for me. Now with that said, I absolutely would see this movie again. I have a different take on Teller than when The Spectacular Now came out five years ago. Of course, everyone knows about Whiplash and the incredible counter-performance he gave to J.K. Simmons, the eventual Oscar-winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role that year. But, he has also impressed with Bleed for This (a pretty good movie with a pretty good performance that was overshadowed by the breadth of amazing boxing movies that have been made over the years), Only the Brave and, now, Jason Hall’s (screenwriter for American Sniper) directorial debut Thank You For Your Service.
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Category Archives: 2017
The Disaster Artist (2017)
Each year there is at least one movie that I think I will absolutely hate that I end up loving. Some years, it is much easier to pinpoint that movie than in other years. Not in 2017. Based on the trailers and the movie’s premise, I thought I would absolutely hate James Franco’s (Child of God, As I Lay Dying) The Disaster Artist. I will say that I knew nothing about Tommy Wiseau or the cult status of his movie The Room. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised and impressed by how effective this movie was. This movie had quite a bit of Oscar buzz heading into awards season. Actually, it netted Franco a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Unfortunately (for him), he was hit up with some sexual misconduct claims right around this time, and it very well could have cost him a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. I actually think this was the sixth-best performance of the year. As mentioned in previous posts, I would have gone with four nominated, minus Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel Esq.), and replaced him with Jake Gyllenhaal (Stronger). After seeing this movie, I would have knocked Washington’s performance down to seventh and inserted Franco’s performance as the best performance not to be recognized with a nomination. His performance was very good. I think the movie would still have been good had he directed it and cast someone else as the lead, but casting himself was the right call for sure.
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The Hero (2017)
When I randomly clicked “add to queue” when Netflix prompted me with this and five or six other movies based on a movie I did want to see, I really don’t remember anything strikingly vivid about the description other than reading it was a man who turned to drugs to deal with his pain. It was enough to earn a yes-click from me. I don’t even think the description had any of the actors’ names in it. So when the disc showed up in the mail, I tossed it to the side for a few days while watching other movies in my queue and some of my favorite shows. Then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to give the movie a chance. I never thought it would be one that I would write about. In all honesty, I probably only review about 30-35% of the movies that I see. I require myself to review the ones that I think will be up for Oscar nominations and then pick and choose the other ones. I would say that more frequently than not, I avoid reviewing the big blockbusters. Director Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You in My Dreams, Hearts Beat Loud) 2017 The Hero was neither an Oscar contender nor a big blockbuster. And it was a movie that we’ve seen on screen many times (including two times a decade ago that earned their lead actors Oscar nominations) which would be another reason for me not to review it as I’m big on originality. But this movie kept me interested and invested in the characters while keeping me away from my phone, computer, or other distractions. When a movie can do that, I’ll often give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a review.
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Battle of the Sexes (2017)
2017 will go down as a year of very underwhelming movies. The nine films nominated for Best Picture were, by far, the poorest collection since 2009, when a decision was made that up to 10 movies could be nominated for Best Picture if they got enough votes. My Top 10 list has three of the nine movies for Best Picture (#5 The Shape of Water, #6 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, #10 Get Out). So it’s hard for me to make a case for my Top 3 (Wind River, Hostiles, Life) receiving a Best Picture Nomination. While great, these movies differ from what the Academy is looking for. But Battle of the Sexes (co-directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) has everything the Academy looks for in a Best Picture nominee. It’s a period piece that looks very much like a period piece. It’s based on a true story and follows that story extremely closely. It has a definite protagonist and a definite antagonist. It has fantastic acting by its leads. It has a strong ensemble cast. It has a little bit of comedy, quite a bit of drama, and quite a bit of unexpected suspense. And its true story changed the course of history. It’s easily the most deserving movie that was not picked by The Academy (most say I, Tonya was the biggest snub), and it’s better and more deserving, in my opinion than all of the selections.
Hostiles (2017)
The very first scene of Scott Cooper’s (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace) under the radar Hostiles lets you know one thing right off the bat. We get a good 10-minute scene of a four-person group of Comanche warriors comes rolling out of nowhere, attacks a family of five in the brutalist of fashions before burning down the ranch and taking off with their horses. After this scene, we get the title Hostiles pop up on the screen, and we know quickly we are in for something different than Will Smith’s Wild Wild West. This movie is not for the weak at heart. If you do not like tragedy, this film is not for you. If you have the stomach for, sometimes, senseless killing, characters who carry anger so deep that it burns their souls, and guilt so heavy that it tears lives apart, then this movie could be for you. If you crave a good old-fashioned western, then this movie surely will suffice. And if you want to see A-listers like Christian Bale (The Fighter, The Dark Knight Rises), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, A United Kingdom), Jesse Plemons (The Post, Other People), Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird) and Ben Foster (Hell or High Water, Lone Survivor) continue to cement their names in Hollywood then you can’t go wrong with Hostiles, easily one of the five best movies of 2017. Though it’s unlikely to dethrone Wind River for me, it’s doing its best to make a case in the 11th hour.
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