Tag Archives: 12 Years a Slave

2019, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Us (2019): Double Trouble

Leave a comment

Us is the story of a vacationing family that is visited by unwanted guests. Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and Winston Duke (Black Panther) play the Wilsons, a couple with two children going on a trip to their beach house in Northern California. One night, four masked strangers stand in front of their home. The people closely resemble each of the Wilsons and begin a murderous rampage as they attempt to kill their doubles. These intruders are known as the Tethered and the Wilsons have to escape and find out who these strange people are and why there are being attacked. The film is the second title from comedian-turned-director Jordan Peele (Get Out) and another entry into his particular brand of horror.

Peele tones down the social commentary in Us. His previous topic of race relations is barely touched upon and instead he focuses on wealth inequality. The demented doppelgangers are the have-nots to the main family’s haves and the disparity between their upbringings is mentioned in a monologue, but it never becomes the central theme.

For most of its runtime, Us is a slasher film. The initial encounter with the shadows is a great moment of tension. Peele weaves his camera through the hallways as the family frantically closes open windows and the other family invades with an relentless dedication reminiscent of a Terminator. Peele is not able to sustain this level of tension throughout the film. After the villains have been introduced and have explained their backgrounds, they lose their mystery and with it their menace. They still pose a clear physical threat to the main cast, but no longer have the fear of the unknown to accentuate their actions.

Nyong’o and the kids deliver great performances in their dual roles.

Horror films are rarely known for their logic, but Peele still makes an unsuccessful attempt. During an initial confrontation, the Tethered explain who they are and why they are hunting down the main cast. This proves to be a fatal mistake as the explanation raises several questions that reveal plot holes. Typically, it’s best not to think too critically about the mechanics of a horror villain, as was the case with Get Out, but Peele forces these issues into the limelight. As is the case with most horror films, the Tethered’s origins may have been more effective if only suggested rather than explicitly told.

Without consistent tension or an interesting social angle, Us is a step-down from Get Out. Get Out also had issues maintaining tension, but the commentary on racial prejudices provided enough substance to compensate. Peele is still a talented filmmaker though. He elegantly foreshadows later plot elements, even providing an early hint at the Tethered’s origins for genre film fans, and gets great performances out of actors. Nyong’o and the children are standouts playing both their regular selves and the Tethered. Duke, as the goofy dad, isn’t at the same level but does provide a good source of humor. Peele has the rare talent of being able to weave humor into a horror film without feeling unnatural and it continues to be his greatest strength has a director. Us doesn’t have the tension or narrative foundation needed to thrill, but Peele’s talents provide do some bright spots.

3/5 stars.

2018, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Widows (2018): Finishing the Job

Leave a comment

Coming off his best picture winning 12 Years a Slave, director Steve McQueen has made the switch to studio fare. Widows features a noticeably larger budget and higher-profile cast than his previous works. The film opens with four men attempting a heist, led by Liam Neeson (Taken), only for it to go horribly wrong. In the background of this heist, there is a contentious election for alderman of a poor Chicago district between the wealthy Jack Mulligan (Colin Farell; The Lobster), a man whose family has held the role for generations, and a local crime boss named Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry; Atlanta). Manning’s money was taken and destroyed in the failed heist so he and his enforcer (Daniel Kaluuya; Get Out) hold Neeson’s wife Veronica (Viola Davis; The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) responsible for the two million dollars. Veronica stumbles onto her husband’s plans for his next heist and rallies the wives of the other men who died to steal enough money to pay off Manning and support themselves.

The script, written by McQueen and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), emphasizes the cunning of each character and, in particular, the resourcefulness of the leading women. Despite their complete lack of criminal history the women are able to trick and manipulate others to get the tools they need, even with Manning’s threats looming over them. The logical leap from being in mourning of their husbands to committing armed robbery is never fully addressed, but the film moves quickly over this detail and lets the more exciting prep and execution take priority.

Davis manages to give her character a believable frailty beneath her hardened expressions.

Davis leads the cast in a commanding performance. As the ringleader of the would-be criminals, she is uncompromising in her demands. She organizes the heist with an iron fist, but is not unfeeling. McQueen balances her tough exterior with flashbacks to tender moments between her and her husband. Davis exemplifies both the grief of someone who has suddenly lost their partner as well as the harsh pragmatism of someone in a life or death scenario. Her strength is only rivalled by Kaluuya’s character. As Jamal’s brother, he does the dirty work his sibling can’t be associated with. Less sadistic than annoyed and impatient with the people preventing him from completing his goals, he is vicious with his actions. His cold brutality is repeatedly reinforced, but is best highlighted in a unexpectedly involving scene where he lets two failed henchmen continue rapping before exacting his punishment. The sole lemon is Farrell whose natural speaking voice cripples his best efforts. The bizarre result of his attempt at an American accent is continually distracting since his character is supposed to be a local, making him the most Irish sounding “6th generation Chicagoan” you’ll ever hear.

Never one to shy away from violence onscreen, McQueen brings a welcome intensity. The opening heist quickly establishes his knack for vivid set pieces when allowed a larger budget to work with. The film also greatly benefits from his and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt’s framings. Like in 12 Years a Slave, when an extreme scene is about to play out, be it a murder or a difficult conversation, the camera will often look away from action, letting our imaginations take over. This technique is more unsettling and effective than simply showing the action as it makes the viewer a participant and forces us to speculate on what must be happening just offscreen. It’s unlikely to win an Oscar due to its genre, but Steve McQueen’s Widows is a intense and exciting heist film led by a group of strong performances.

4/5 stars.

2013, Top Lists

Top 10 Films of 2013

Leave a comment

[BS Note: This list was originally written in early 2014]

With the Golden Globes behind us and the Oscars coming up this weekend, it is a great time to celebrate some of the year’s best films. 2013 was a great year for film-making it was difficult to bring this list down to ten entries, but these are the films that resonated.

10. In a World…

Lake Bell (No Strings Attached) makes her feature writing and directing debut with In a World…, a comedy about a vocal coach, Carol (Bell), failing to find a place in the male dominated voice-over industry. Bell smartly mixes humor with the realities of attempting to break the glass ceiling, elevating the film from lighthearted comedy to sharp societal commentary.

Streaming options

9. Gravity

Gravity, like other films on this list, is about survival. Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) plays a medical engineer on her first trip to space when a catastrophe occurs. Enough cannot be said about the way this film looks. The computer generated visual effects are stunning and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s (The Tree of Life) long takes with precise direction from Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) make the Gravity a gripping thrill ride in space.

Streaming options

8. 12 Years a Slave

It would be easy to look at the story of 12 Years a Slave and think that it is Oscar bait. A film based on a true story about a free man kidnapped from the North and sold into slavery in the South? The Academy should love that. But the movie is directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) and he has no interest in the sentimental. The films depicts the horrific realities of life as a slave. What is most frightening is how common these acts were. Each brutality is accepted as a part of the natural order. The film’s traumatic imagery ensures that this period of US history and the film itself will not be forgotten.

Streaming options

7. Her

Set in a slightly futuristic Los Angeles, Her follows Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) playing Theodore Twombly, a man who writes heartfelt letters on behalf of strangers unable to do so. He is separated and lonely until he falls in love with an artificial intelligence named Samantha played by Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers). Director Spike Jonze (Adaptation) uses Samantha’s lack of a body to emphasize the emotional connection craved by Theodore. He lives in a crowded city but feels isolated from the people around him. The film shows each phase of their relationship and how Theodore changes as it progresses. Her succeeds by making a romance with a disembodied voice feel remarkably human.

Streaming options

6. The Hunt

The Hunt is probably the most aggravating film of the year. In a good way. Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) plays a kind, well-liked preschool teacher falsely accused of a terrible crime. The film follows him as he is ostracized out of every part of his small town. Because of the nature of the accusation his former friends and colleagues immediately abandon him. Innocent until proven guilty? Not for this crime. His descent continues as the film shows just how easily even the strongest relationships can shatter when someone cries wolf.

Streaming options

5. The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines is really a triptych: three stories linked by one key event. The first story is about a stunt motorcyclist turned bank robber played by Ryan Gosling (Drive). The second is about the cop that tries to catch him played by Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and the third is about the sons of the two. Directed by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), the film is at its best during small moments. The character interactions have a raw intensity that make them feel honest and real. The film shows that each action has its consequences and how each generation deals with the aftermath of the pervious.

Streaming options

4. The Past

The Past is a companion piece to Asghar Farhadi’s previous Oscar-winning film A Separation. Both films are about a divorce, but The Past is about characters dealing with the ramifications of their previous actions. It is a film that presents a relatively simple situation, a long separated couple finally filing the paperwork for divorce so the woman can marry her new boyfriend, and peels back layer after layer revealing the complicated, morally ambiguous chaos underneath. Farhadi manages to do this without creating “good” or “bad” characters. Everyone acts in a realistic, understandable way but also commit tragic mistakes that make the situation even thornier and his even-handed direction causes your sympathies to shift with each new revelation.

Streaming options

3. All is Lost

All is Lost is a demonstration of how great acting can carry a film. Robert Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men) plays a nameless man on a solo voyage through the Indian Ocean whose boat springs a leak. His performance, under the direction of J.C. Chandor (Margin Call), expresses feeling through subtle actions. A grimace or sigh conveys the struggles of the protagonist more than most voiceovers in other films. Despite containing no dialogue and only a few spoken words, it commands attention. The continued determination and resourcefulness of an elderly, but experienced sailor in the face of possible death make the film a tense and affecting adventure.

Streaming options

2. Inside Llewyn Davis

With Inside Llewyn Davis, the Coen brothers (No Country for Old Men, True Grit) have made yet another excellent film containing their signature dark humor and sardonic wit. Starring Oscar Isaac (Drive), the film has something unusual for the Coens: sincerity. The film is about a folk singer, Llewyn Davis, who wanders from gig to gig trying to find a record deal. He is mean to most of his friends and dismissive of other singers as sell-outs, but his quest for artistic purity gives the film an earnestness that elevates it above most of the Coen brothers’ works. Despite him being more or less detestable, the film creates empathy for the character because he is unwilling to compromise his beliefs even if that means he is never successful.

Streaming options

1. Before Midnight

The experience of watching Before Midnight is like reconnecting with two friends you have known for decades. Friends that will squabble, joke, and ramble about anything and everything. But that’s the best part: listening to them talk. Set 9 years after Before Sunset and 18 years after Before Sunrise, the Before series continues its tradition of charmingly garrulous dialogue, yet it surpasses its—already excellent—predecessors by confronting the struggles of long term relationships. The warmth of a perfect connection from the previous films is still present but so are the cracks of reality that affect even the best relationships. This allows the film to continue to feel new and fresh while retaining the affection built up in earlier installments. The series, like love at its best, has grown stronger over time. Before Sunrise is great, Before Sunset is even better, and Before Midnight is incredible. It is, in my opinion, the best example of a sequel done right and easily the best film of the year.

Streaming options

Honorable Mentions: Enough Said, Nebraska, Captain Phillips, The Wolf of Wall Street.