Each year, there is at least one movie that I think I will hate and 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 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 pleasantly surprised and impressed by this movie’s effectiveness. This movie had quite a bit of Oscar buzz heading into awards season. 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. 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 not to be recognized with a nomination. His performance was very good. 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.
Category Archives: Bryan Cranston
Argo (2012)
Ben Affleck continues to hone his craft as a masterful director while re-establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s leading men on the screen. After some misfires (Pearl Harbor, Daredevil) and downright flubs (Gigli, Surviving Christmas) during the early part of the decade, Affleck stepped to the other side of the camera for the first time and directed the critically acclaimed Gone Baby Gone. In 2010, he directed and starred in the stirring action-drama The Town. As great as both of those movies were, Affleck was not recognized for either with an Academy Award nomination. That will change this year as Argo is destined for Best Picture and Best Director Academy Award nominations.
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Drive (2011)
Original review – September 18, 2011 | Updated review August 12, 2013
Updated review****
This movie is a classic. I had a couple of original problems based on my initial view. The preview made it seem like it would be a completely different movie. I hadn’t prepared myself for the violence or all of the overlapping storylines that were going on. I thought I would watch Ryan Gosling drive bad guys around and avoid the police. The movie trailer is essentially the film’s first five minutes (nothing more, nothing less). I expected something different, which is why my initial review was lower than it is now.
I loved Gosling and Mulligan. I loved the way the unspoken attraction they had for one another. I loved how Gosling did everything he could, not getting attached to somebody he couldn’t just walk away from in five minutes, but how circumstances kept driving them together to the point where he would do anything to keep them happy and safe.