Rockwell

Because procrastinating in a coffee shop is where I get my thrills. That and the humungous chocolate doughnut I just ate.

So Sam Rockwell has finally earned his first Academy Award Nomination, in a film which I frankly have mixed feelings about. To be fair, it's a good performance but it's not even in the top 10 Sam Rockwell performances.  I'm including Galaxy Quest in my definitive list. Obviously my opinion has very little bearing on how the world continues to conduct it's affairs.

I've wondered what makes Sam Rockwell such a compelling actor and in my mind it's that he will commit to a role with gusto and charisma. He will inevitably elevate flat scripts and worrisome characters with his charm and talent. Of course I'd be ever so slightly in love with him. Plus he dances very well, exceedingly well.

Over the past few days I've watched a few films, Charlie's Angels was one of them. Wow that film did not age well but there are some fun moments. People getting shot out of windows, Bill Murray, Sam Rockwell, Crispin Glover! All the girls! Hang on... Where was I?

The films I intended to talk about! Say When (across the pond known as Laggies which is such a better name, I can't imagine why British audiences wouldn't have loved that) and Mr Right.

Both featured Sam Rockwell utilising his specific charm in different scenarios. He gets to smooch women who are considerably younger than him and present himself as an ideal romantic partner for both. This gave me the opportunity to work through my unimaginative crush in a safe environment - hunting the man down with a butterfly net and gaffer tape seemed like too much effort.

Say When
Keira Knightley is suffering from the familiar ennui people close to 30 and still feel like they're closer to 17 go through. I certainly still feel like I have one leg trapped in my teen years as I limp towards what should be deemed adulthood. The lava is creeping forward but moving away seems too difficult when you have no plan or direction.

Keira's just a bit lost and sad but happy to vacillate waiting for someone to point her in the right direction, any direction. Her friends from high school are of the impression that they'll forever be in the same 'class' and follow the same route but Keira isn't all together fond of that but doesn't know what to do without those training wheels still attached. So like any kid, she acts out and ignores her problems.

Enter Chloe Moretz doing teenager very well and Sam Rockwell as her Dad. Keira imposes on their life and Sam does the whole 'cool' but a bit lonely single dad routine very well. He gets some decent jokes in here and there but is essentially there to fall passionately in love with Keira and give her something to jolt her out of her spiral.

Unfortunately in real life we can't all hide in Sam Rockwell's house and drunkenly fall onto his couch. I mean, it would be nice. I think she comes to the decision on her own but having someone like Sam around to cushion to fall certainly improves everything. But in the end it was a romantic comedy so that's how these things happen.

Mr Right

Now to the weirder one. Anna Kendrick plays a version of herself but slightly more deranged (I hope). Sam plays himself if he was an assassin (the universe is laughing at me). They fall in love and he tells her she is special and people get murdered. I can't really go much further into because... well that's the plot. Tim Roth is there too but I don't think even he cares what is going on.

I want to say something positive, the direction was well done, some of the wide shots were good (some were not so good...) and the fight sequences were stylish. Anna's cat ears and general attire was adorable in a student kind of way. Plus we will always have this....

I feel like I must ask, did anyone believe in the romance in this film? Did anyone actually notice that while both of these actors have some delightful charisma, this does not equate to any kind of believable chemistry. He's touching 50, she's touching 30 and looks and behaves like she's 21. Obviously if a weirdo assassin lavishes his attention on a young woman they will fall at his feet. If it were anyone but Sam Rockwell it would not work. I can't imagine anyone else succeeding in making that role not creepy and even with him there it's still pretty borderline.

So what have we learned?

Sam Rockwell, when placed with younger female leads does not make a compelling romantic comedy partner. It's just kind of uncomfortable. If they were closer to his age and he actually used tongue when kissing it might be different. (I have had way too much sugar.) What hurts most is that these women represent my age group. Does this make me fancy him any less? Well yeah, it kind of does. But the more you know about Hollywood, the less easy it is to fall in love with the people who are beholden to it. Well, the more you learn about the world at large.

Does the man deserve an Oscar? Of course he does. Three Billboards is the film the Academy has lavished it's attention on given the current cultural climate. This has finally given them the opportunity to award him to make up for his past performances which have been tragically overlooked. I'm not under any illusion that his previous performances were overlooked due to the lack of campaigning and buzz around his films but that is what makes him a fascinating and excellent actor. He certainly should have been recognised before this

Now perhaps he won't have to slum it kissing younger women in awkwardly conceived scripts. Or maybe that's what he's into. You never know.

And to finish

Sam Rockwell's Top 10 Performances (in my humblest of opinions)

10. Cowboys & Aliens (the only good thing in a terrible terrible film)
9. Green Mile (suitably sinister)
8. Gentlemen Broncos (especially the camp bits)
7. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ( ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX - rubbish second head...)
6. Choke (the less known Chuck Palahniuk film, saved it from being terrible)
5. Galaxy Quest (for sheer commitment)
4. Seven Psychopaths (the shit eating grin)
3. The Way, Way, Back (charisma personified)
2. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (the range, plus he was young!)
1. Moon (two for the price of one)

Films of 2017

Ha, I know! It's almost the end of January. Like most normal people, I was lazy in this most depressing of months and chose to spend my time ignoring whatever resolutions I made, ignoring whatever plans I made and eating the remainder of my Christmas chocolate.

Maybe this the year where I will finally prove to be productive?

I watched a lot of films in 2017 but, as ever, I forgot to write them down. Now here's the part where I try to remember which ones I really liked. Well... liked is probably a strong word.

Star Wars - The Last Jedi

So this provoked a big sensation across the internet. Upon viewing it for the first time I spent the whole run time waiting desperately to see what happens next. This is not a mature or edifying way to watch a film. The run time crawled by and characters consistently failed or fell apart and I was left feeling bewildered and a little bit underwhelmed upon leaving the cinema. So, as is tradition, I went to see the Star Wars film at the cinema again. This time alone with no one to side eye to ensure they were still watching and being entertained.

On my second viewing time just slowed down, the characters suddenly made sense. As it turned out, the film was quite an intense character study for all involved. The film was not only a deconstruction of what I expected from not only a Star Wars movie, but what I expected of a big overblown Hollywood extravaganza. They took my money and left me confused that first time, but that was all because of the story they were telling.

To create a film with such complexity and for it to appear on the surface as popcorn fodder was quite impressive. Love is a strong word, admire seems more accurate. Through that admiration, after my third viewing I was very much enamoured. That's probably because anything which inspires hatred immediately wins my fascination.

Mother!

That reminds me! I saw Mother! That certainly provoked a reaction.

The film seemed to take everything that was Aaronofsky has pretty much been obsessed with throughout his career and mix them into an allegory. The guy has an interest in religion, idolisation of women, indelible imagery, the curse/pain of the artist and... well trying to be as opaque as can be within a cinematic world. He really doesn't care if you don't get it, he relishes it.
So, to the uninitiated, or the uninterested, the film was about Jennifer Lawrence with her perfectly smooth face playing Mother Nature whilst married to Javier Bardem who lets all those messy humans into their shared home and the place essentially gets totally wrecked.
All I can honestly say is that the film was experience. Having sat through Aaronofsky oeuvre, it felt like I had to know what he had done next because, without a doubt, his films are gorgeous and knotty. I can safely say, the guy has serious issues and should seek help. I also have no intention of watching that again.

The Square

A Swedish film about a myopic museum curator with some questionable morals. The film repeatedly presents you with a quandary, 'What would you do?' and you spend most of it thinking, the absolute opposite of that guy. Also the centre piece in which a fella who is pretty much aping a room full of rich people at an elaborate dinner went on for an uncomfortable long time and presented the same question again and again. Are these people insane? Should we continue to laugh at them or just pity the state of the world?

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

This is sweeping up around awards season and it's probably due to the prescience of the subject matter rather than the quality of the film itself.

I feel like I can safely say in my heart of hearts, In Bruges is Martin McDonagh's best film and it's his first. Everything since has felt ever-so slightly derivative of the initial spark which made Bruges so good. There's a brutal reality in his stories which I like. He also seems to acknowledge that people's stories and how their stories are perceived by those around them can be quite compelling.

In Seven Psychopaths he stretched this as far as it would go for what felt like his own amusement. But he tried to have his cake and eat it to by acknowledging the plight of the female characters in such films and then failing to present a remotely compelling female character. So to fix this he made 3 Billboards which plays out as a morality play involving deeply damaged people.

I love Frances McDormand and her role as Marge in Fargo is not only delightful but it's a powerful example of how a female character can be compelling and smart without losing any of her femininity or identity.

Frances McDormand's character in 3 Billboards could be gender-swapped without a bat of an eyelid. Perhaps I shouldn't complain and I should be happy with such roles in which a 'badass' flawed female character takes centre stage but to be perfectly honest, it didn't sit right. The rest of the female characters were an embarrassment or underutilised. It didn't fix the problem, it just highlighted how few genuinely good roles there are for women.

Don't get me started on racist Sam Rockwell.

Killing of a Sacred Deer

Oh Colin Farrell... I missed you. Apparently this film was based on the tale of Agamemnon. I know I spelt that wrong.

It's a Greek tragedy told with gorgeous camera angles, stilted dialogue and bizarre human interactions. I don't think I can say much about this one but it made me laugh far more than it should have done.

Baby Driver

Without a doubt quite possibly the most perfectly edited constructed film I've ever seen with an absolutely banging soundtrack. And that's just the first 6 minutes. Might have lagged a little after that...

Proselytising about Edgar Wright seems redundant, especially after all the mean things I said about the World's End... The guy is the definition of auteur and has a specific vision and talent which can drive his work beyond what a viewer can expect. Ha I said drive.

Perhaps the characters were one note and their motivations were one dimensional, there was a distinct lag in the story when there wasn't any music playing or cars belting around but to be honest, it was fun and classy and well worth my time.

Get Out

Laugh out loud, horror, social commentary, Daniel Kaluuya!! (hey Skins alumni!)

It all just worked. It was funny, it was spooky, it was thrilling. I wish I could remember more than just sensations but I'd just recite the plot and ruin the fun of it.

American Assassin 

Dylan O'Brien, the kid from Teen Wolf and the Maze Runner trilogy of films, he's growing up to wear tight shirts and be an international assassin. Plus he got his top off.

My intentions were distinctly dishonourable in seeing that particularly film... But it was a serviceable action film with contemporary villains and a decent stupid plot to move things along. The kid has talent and he had Michael Keaton busting his balls the whole journey. Much stupid fun had by all and a surprisingly decent action flick.

American Made

I felt like throwing old Cruisey a bone and it was the least rubbish film at the cinema when I was bored. Also, I could have, but did not, see American Assassin again.

Domnhall Gleeson turned up with a natty American accent. Tom smuggled just about everything on a plane to South America in the times of Pablo Escobar and the like. It made me appreciate how truly disturbed the US foreign policy can be - it was based on a true story.

It was long but surprisingly not totally rubbish and Tom Cruise's shit-eating grin didn't quite irk me as much as it usually would. It's nice to see a film where he doesn't have psychic powers and manages to predict everything before it happens with an eye roll and knowing smile. I liked him skidding around on a kids bike covered in cocaine.

And that's all I can remember presently.

I exist

Would anyone be surprised if I said that 2017 was depressing?
Perhaps not.
But it feels like I've been lost a bit sad for some time over the past few years.

I shan't say that's not the case anymore, specifically that lost feeling. My general life trajectory still remains somewhat aimless and a little bit unwieldy but I continue to exist. For the most part, and this is a warm and reassuring surprise, I feel good.

The most important thing, and perhaps it's due to pure dumb luck rather than bravery or motivation, is that I've made a supreme effort to fix what ails me. There have been many things I've done which I didn't think I would. Getting out there, following through and making an effort.

Can't say it's all sunshine and roses but for the first time in a very long time I can genuinely see something close to progress. Some clarity instead of a fog of fear and confusion. I'm not afraid of my own company or the company of others.

Sure, it's a struggle getting by sometimes but rather than that being another obstacle in which I fail to succeed, I feel just about okay with where I and who I am. If one day everything seems more difficult than usual, deep down I can feel somewhat safe in the knowledge that it will pass and I'll find myself feeling okay soon enough.

This is essentially a message in a bottle in which I will come back to this place and see that at one point... for a moment in time, I was content within myself. I am perfectly happy just living life and enjoying what good I can find. A wistful and wonderful scream into the void.