Obvious Child

Obvious Child, on the surface, is just a simple and well-written indie comedy with charming performances and modest laughs. I walked out of the theatre with a smirk on my face and a slight (if awkward) skip in my step. I decided to hold off on writing a review until it could really marinate with me. My thoughts were essentially that it was “Good, but, nothing special”. Then, this whole fracas with the Supreme Court and the Hobby Lobby took centerstage in the news and on social media, and slowly, I came to the conclusion that: Even if Obvious Child might not be hilarious, it might just be one of the most important and groundbreaking little films in recent memory.

Obvious Child centers around Donna Stern (Jenny Slate), a struggling stand-up comedian who descends into a spiral of self-loathing and drunken voicemails after her cheating boyfriend dumps her in the bathroom of a bar right after one of her sets. After a particularly jarring and uncomfortably self-deprecating stand-up performance, she meets and goes home with Max. (Jake Lacy, or Plop from The Office). Max is an affable All-American type who just might be the sexual pick-me-up that Donna needs. Shortly after their drunken and dance-fueled one-night-stand, Donna discovers that she is pregnant and shortly comes to terms with the fact that the most responsible thing to do, is have an abortion.

This movie handles the touchy subject in a manner that I have not seen before. It is not meant or even suggested to be a source of political debate, it is not a set-up for a punchline, It isn’t even a source of personal confusion or conflict for Donna. She is confident and calm in her decision. The only concrete objection that she expresses is the procedure’s cost as compared to her monthly rent. This is not to say that Donna does not acknowledge the sensitivity of the topic. She does, but her misgivings come in the form of her struggle to inform the people she loves of her decision. Her best friend, Nellie (Gaby Hoffman, who is proving herself to be a goddess of indie comedies) is nothing but supportive of Donna, providing her with confidence informed by her own experience with abortion. Even her parents are understanding of her decision. Her main obstacle is whether or not to tell Max. Donna’s journey from her ultimate decision to the procedure is revolutionary in the sense that she is never portrayed as a victim of circumstance. She is in control of her life and of her body in every sense. With all of her neuroses and awkwardness, Donna is one of the strongest female characters in the realm of modern cinema. Abortion isn’t so much a theme of the movie as it is a plot-device. It is just a given circumstance that serves as a through-line for Donna’s quest for independence and self-assuredness.

The film astutely uses Donna’s stand-up sets as checkpoints for her journey to adulthood. Donna is not a great comedian, and her routines do not illicit a lot of big laughs from the audience (both onscreen and in the theatre). Donna’s comedy has more of a stream-of-consciousness feel to it, than actual set-ups and punchlines. A lot of her struggles as an artist come from her unwillingness to completely let go and be herself onstage. This is pretty fascinating, because as an actress, Slate is as down to earth and honest as it gets. She is truly wonderful and this performance will prove to be the first of many for this relatively new actress.

The film pulls a few punches with the ending. It all wraps up a little cliched and nicely, given the overall tone of the film and its subject matter. Also, at only 81 minutes, it all feels over way too soon. However, that speaks more of the film’s charm and watchability more than anything else.

I really hope that some of the more conservative fundamentalists of this country see this film. It has the power and potential to inspire a lot of empathy and understanding regarding this hot-button issue. We all have a Donna in our lives, and even the most cold-hearted of our species will be able to connect with Slate’s performance enough to quell their ignorance, if only for 81 minutes.

Filgrimage TOP TEN FILMS OF 2013

FILGRIMAGE TOP TEN

Here are some critically lauded movies that will not be in the Top Ten so get them out of your head now!

Gravity: Visually stunning, but dramatically unsatisfying
American Hustle: A good movie, but too frenetic and jumbled for me to appreciate it for more than that.
12 Years a Slave: Meh
Inside Llewyn Davis: Didn't see it
Nebraska: Didn't see it

Drumroll Please!.........no?......okay, then.

Honorable Mentions: Much Ado About Nothing, Man of Steel, Blue Jasmine, The Wolverine, The Spectacular Now, Iron Man 3

10. Captain Phillips

One of the most gripping and suspenseful movies I have seen in a long time. Captain Phillips managed to literally keep me on the edge of my seat for 90% of its total running time. A lot of credit has to be given to Paul Greengrass for creating tight and claustrophobic environments for his actors to sweat in, increasing the tension in every scene. Knowing the ending to the story before I sat down did absolutely nothing to ease my anxiety throughout the film, and that's pretty impressive. Anchored (Ha!) by great performances from both Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi, this movie was a true gem and one that I waited way too long to see.

9. Her

In the hands of another filmmaker, Her easily could have been a disaster. Its premise, a man falling in love with a computer program, is laughable on paper, and to make it into a concise and serious film is a daunting task. Luckily, Spike Jonze not only delivers a fantastic film with a haunting and reflective message, he also gives us one of the most beautifully honest love stories ever put to celluloid. Joaquin Phoenix's performance alone makes the movie worth gushing over, but its Jonze's script that lets this one take the cake. Jonze's writing has the ability to convey powerful emotions with simplistic dialogue and almost magical-realist universes that hold a funhouse mirror to our own existence. Let's hope he keeps getting more chances to entertain and enlighten us in the years to come.

8. Escape From Tomorrow

Filming a full-length psychological horror film film in Disney World? With handheld cameras? Without Disney employees knowing? Impossible, you say? Well, that's what I would have thought before I saw what was both the most terrifying and fascinating movie I saw all year. The film follows a recently unemployed father of two on his last day of a family trip to Disney World. Slowly, the constant barrage of cartoon faces and existential angst cause him to slowly lose his sanity, turning "The Happiest Place on Earth" into a nightmarish hellscape which he cannot escape from. Most of this film's appeal lies in its concept, that being, a movie shot entirely in secret in one of the most heavily surveillanced places in the country. That's what piqued my interest, however I was not expecting the film to be such an effective mindfuck. It's David Lynch-esque cinematography and it's deviously understated black and white color palette heighten the film's overall impishly disturbing tone. This movie will change the way you look at the idealized concept of Disneyworld, and family vacations in general, in a way that you never imagined, if only for a short while. An under the radar film that is truly chilling and fascinating, if nothing else.

7. Philomena

Heartwarming, to say the least. One of my favorite actors, Steve Coogan delivers both a hilariously understated performance as well as one of the year's best screenplays. Coogan plays a disgraced British journalist who decides to help an elderly Irish woman find her long-lost son. What could have been a sappy, manipulative tear-jerker turns out to be more like a classic "road movie". Both charming and surprisingly thought-provoking, Philomena was one of the most pleasant surprises of this year that doesn't seem to be going unnoticed, which is fantastic. Judi Dench gives my favorite performance of her long and distinguished career as Philomena Lee; A seemingly happy-go-lucky woman who is unfettered by modern social mores and has more than a few demons on her back. Dench is normally known for playing stern and focused authoritative figures, at least in the past few years of her career. Philomena Lee is anything but, she is fun loving, forgiving, and possibly the most likable character from any film this year.

6. Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese pulls no punches in this three-hour epic chronicling the career of convicted crooked stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. The movie feels less like a biopic and more like an epic historical saga. Everything about the film is excessive and unapologetic, and all of that is done for effect, despite what several fratboys you know might believe. The dialogue is filthy. The drugs and alcohol are free-flowing, and the nudity is........plentiful. Scorsese has a track record of showcasing morally questionable and even reprahensible characters without judging them. A good deal of people have taken the movie to task for seemingly celebrating greed, misogyny, and overall recklessness, but I believe that this is exactly why the movie works. By allowing the cast to truly live to their full raucous potential, the movie turns into a fascinating character study, rather than a fable of any sort. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers what I believe to be his greatest performance in this brilliant piece of cinema.

5. Fruitvale Station

Not an easy viewing experience at all. Fruitvale Station was a very transformative film for me, and one that I frankly needed to see. It changed the way that I viewed the Oscar Grant shooting of 2009. It changed the way I looked at police brutality in general. It changed me. Plain and simple. No movie in recent memory has hit me as hard as this one did. It is really a shame that this film went ignored by the Oscars as it is not only an impressive first feature effort from Ryan Coogler, but also has one of the most touching performances of the year from Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant, a young reformed convict with a heart of gold, but who is not without his flaws. It would have been really easy for Coogler to paint Oscar as a martyr, but instead he chooses to show his inherent flaws, in order for us to truly understand him as a man, rather than painting him as a complete saint in order to simply spark outrage during the film's climax. An essential film for anyone who remembers the anger and confusion that followed after that fateful New Year's Eve

4. Pacific Rim

Guierllmo Del Toro is one of the few true artists working in film today. A true creative behemoth, Del Toro never fails to disappoint in terms of creating fascinating new worlds and some of the coolest set and character designs around. This movie was not the most moving or thought-provoking film of the year. Not by a long shot. It was, however, the most fun I had at the movies all year. That counts for a lot in my book. I go to the movies, essentially, to be entertained. If I get enlightened or learn something along the way, that is awesome, but sometimes you just want to sit back, relax, and watch giant robots punch giants monsters in the face. Also, Ron Perlman's involvement in any project almost guarantees it a spot in my top 10.

3. Side Effects

It's a shame that Side Effects may very well be Steven Soderbergh's last theatrically released film, as it shows him at the top of his game. Side Effects is a taut and well-constructed thriller with a great cast and a surprisingly well-thought out script. A fascinating examination of the pharmaceutical industry and mental illness in general. I can't really say much more about it without giving too much away, but this movie is outstanding. It also got me to finally embrace Jude Law as a good actor, which is an uphill battle that went on for far too long.

2. Dallas Buyers Club

Perhaps the most important film to come out this year, Dallas Buyers Club is a brilliant story about intolerance and survival in the early years of the AIDS epidemic. This film does not pull any punches an to be honest, the first 45 minutes were so bleak and disheartening that I almost wanted to leave the theatre. Thankfully, I held back the sobs and watched the movie unfold into one of the greatest stories told on film in the past decade. You can't talk about this movie without mentioning the full-on acting clinic that McConaughey puts on as Ron Woodruff, a hard-drinking Texas degenerate who is told he has 30 days to live. McConaughey disappears into his role, an impressive feat given that for the better part of his career so far he basically played the same character in a string of half-hearted and forgettable rom-coms. He plays Woodruff with a pitch-perfect cocktail of gruffness and sensibility that I have not seen from him, or any other actor for that matter, in a long time. The movie rests squarely on his shoulders and he carries the shit out of it. This film is brutal and can be hard to sit through, but damn it all if It wasn't excellent



1. Kings of Summer

What can I say about this movie that I haven't said already. It's uproariously funny, genuinely heartfelt, and visually stunning. One of the best coming-of-age stories in recent memories. The film takes the simple storyline of three young men deciding to run away from home and building a house in the wilderness and turns it into so much more. This movie, rather than focusing on the freedom and carefree nature of being a teenager, decides to focus more on the selfishness and frustration of adolescent years. This approach turns what could have been a sappy and over sentimental fable into an honest story of what it means to truly grow up. Some of the finest young actors working today give enthralling and hilarious performances, and prove to the world that we should be seeing a lot more of them in the future. Not only the best film of the year, but one of my favorite movies of all time.

Filgrimage's Worst Movies of 2013

2013 was a pretty excellent year for movies. I saw a lot of stuff that I really liked, but as The Dalai Lama once said, "You can't have a sunny day without a few rainy days". There were a few truly awful films that were released this year, luckily not so many. My preliminary list only consisted of eight total films, which I then narrowed down to five. Here......We.......Go

FILGRIMAGE'S WORST MOVIES of 2013

5. World War Z

I am really torn about this one, because I really dug what this movie was going for. A more panoramic take on the zombie film. An attempt to focus more on the worldwide effects and implications of the zombie apocalypse trope, rather than the carnage and make-up effects. I was really excited for it. However, I ended up walking out about halfway through the third act. I have only walked out of a movie once before in my life. It was almost ten years ago and the movie was Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. So, that’s a big deal for me. I just didn’t care about what was going on at all. The stakes were high and the action was intense, but I gave ZERO fucks about what happened to any of the people on screen. There was nothing special or unique about any of the characters, giving the movie more of an unfeeling pseudo documentary vibe that really took away from what it was trying to do. This might be one of those movies that I like better if and when I see it again, but just from the one experience, it was one of the worst I saw all year

4. Gangster Squad

Last minute reshoots are never a good sign for a movie, and while I understand the producer’s decision to change the film’s climax due to its similarity to the Aurora Theatre Shooting of 2012, I can’t help but wonder if this movie would have been any better had we had seen it as it was originally meant to be seen. The truth is though, it probably would not have mattered much. This Los Angeles-based gangster fable doesn’t do anything that previous genre movies haven’t done better. It’s far too campy to be serious and too morose to be any fun. Couple that with a completely charmless leading man turn from Ryan Gosling and what probably will be remembered as Sean Penn’s WORST performance of all time.

3. Oblivion.

I completely forgot about this movie about three days after I saw it in theatres.  I never thought a big budget science fiction epic starring Tom Cruise and directed by the man who brought us Tron:Legacy could be so incredibly dull. It looks amazing, but unfortunately, other than the visuals, Oblivion never offers anything remotely interesting or memorable. The whole thing feels like a car commercial from the future. It is predictable and derivative of pretty much every great sci-fi movie. Very disappointing.

2. Only God Forgives

Oh, look who makes another appearance on the Worst Films list. Mr. Ryan Gosling. I have had it with this guy! I don’t care how handsome or aloof you are. Pick better projects, my friend!  Don’t you try that “Hey,Girl” shit on me! Whew! Sorry about that. Watching this film is really an exercise in masochism. I appreciated the simplicity of the film’s central story as well as some of the aesthetic choices, such as the lighting and the…...well, the lighting. The endless tide of gratuitous and indifferent violence in this film takes away from any meaning or message it set out to have. Indeed a spectacle, but a pointless one.

1. Now You See Me

(Sigh….) Where to begin: This movie holds the distinction of being the first film I’ve seen to actually make me physically angry with its awfulness. I was squirming in my seat and clenching my right fist. Having to deal with one absurd plot turn or unironically cheesy line after another…...after another…...after another. I had half a mind to punch a hole into the screen. If I didn’t have my trusty Coke Zero and Red Vines for comfort, I probably would have, and would be editing this list from a federally monitored computer lab in the Looney Bin. This movie’s failure as a whole can be explained in four subcatagories:

A) Absurd and Overall Poorly Written Script

The screenwriters take a promising concept and turn it into a joyless farce that sacrifices fun for a weirdly pious message about the “true art of illusion”

B) Lazily acted

When Dave Franco is the most charismatic actor in your film, especially in a cast that features the likes of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, and Mark Ruffalo, something has gone horribly wrong. Sorry, Dave.

C) Obscenely directed and edited

The whole movie feels frenetic and choppy. It’s too bright. It’s too loud, and the visuals never leave anything up to the imagination, which is….you know….sort of the point of magic…...right?

D) An ending that insults both the audience’s intelligence and the fabric of basic storytelling

Worst.Twist.Ever.  Most of the people who enjoyed this movie who I have talked to have cited the “Unpredictability” and “surprise” of the twist ending as one of the best parts of the film. Here’s the thing. I love a good twist as much as the next guy, but if its based in nothing but “GOTCHA!”, it’s not good. It’s cheap and horrible. If Forrest Gump ended with Forrest going on a killing spree at the local post office, that would have been a CRAZY twist, but it would have also made it a shitty movie.

I can’t stress how much I hated this movie. Please, avoid it.

The Filgrimage Top Ten will be posted at the end of the week, and it is going to be a doozy. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.