Sam's Review Club

©2017 Twentieth Century Fox If you think Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a mouthful of a title, try being one of the residents in Ebbing, Missouri. A simple act of defiance from the venom-spitting Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand, in a role that begs for an Oscar) becomes a state-wide phenomenon whose desire for vengeance is one that will leave many wounded as deeply as she. Billboards is more than just an intimate character study, it is an example of how to build narratives, create winning chemistry, and tinge even the darkest of stories with humor. Seven months prior to the beginning of Billboards , Mildred’s world was turned upside down when her daughter Angela was raped and burned alive by her assailant. With no leads and a seemingly stalled case, Mildred rents three abandoned billboards outside her home just outside the town of Ebbing, Missouri. In order they read: RAPED WHILE DYING; AND STILL NO ARRESTS; and HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY? They go unnoticed...

©2017 Twentieth Century Fox 2017 was a weird year: Donald Trump was sworn in as president, a Spongebob Squarepants musical was made (and was shockingly good), and Guillermo Del Toro’s woman-loves-fish fantasy epic became undoubtedly the most beautiful film of the year. After seeing The Shape of Water , I immediately kicked myself for not being familiar with director Guillermo Del Toro’s filmography. His lush and over-the-top romantic fantasy is everything storytelling should be: fantastic, unpredictable, and succinct. Much praise will be heaped on the creative team for building Del Toro’s vision, but the real star is Doug Jones who turns a non-verbal role where he is covered in slimy scales into the emotional core of this love story. Elisa Esposito (a revelatory Sally Hawkins) lives her life by the clock. She wakes, boils an egg, masturbates, and heads off to work. The mute woman, who works as a janitor at a U.S. research facility, constantly escapes into the perfect wo...

©2017 - NEON As Margot Robbie drawls in the final moments of I, Tonya : “America wants someone to love, but they also want someone to hate.” Tonya Harding exemplifies both the best and the worst qualities of an All-American athlete. Her career, filled with some of the highest highs for any American figure skater, was short-lived thanks to the infamous knee-capping of Nancy Kerrigan, America’s figure skating sweetheart, prior to the 1994 Olympic Games. She is the perfect fodder for a biopic. But I, Tonya does more than just humanize someone who has become a symbol for villainous and conniving athletes. This film reimagines the way biopics should be presented. According to captions before the movie begins, I, Tonya is based on a series of conflicting interviews between Tonya Harding (an electrifying Margot Robbie in a performance bound to reshape her career) and her now-ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan, who serves as a worthy sparring partner). Consequently the rest ...

Photo by Disney/Pixar - ©2017 Disney/Pixar Sandwiched between two sequels ( Finding Dory and Cars 3 ) and another two sequels ( Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 ) is a beautiful reassurance that Pixar has not lost the magic that put them on the map in 1995. Coco is a fast-paced, exciting, and emotionally draining animated epic worthy of any awards for which it is eligible. Pixar founded itself on the promise to avoid several common Disney tropes: no songs, no “I want” moments, no happy village, no love story. Love stories are once again absent but Coco ’s plot is simultaneously the most- and least-Pixar film yet. Songs, “I want” moments, and a large family which may as well be a happy village are riddled throughout. Moving away from the norm, however, proves a gamble that pays off. Miguel's family will stop at nothing to keep him away from music. ©2017 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved. Miguel Rivera (an adorable Anthony Gonzalez) wants nothing more than to be a...

Photo by A24 ©2017 I was in high school when one of my best friends showed me a clip from what he called “the worst movie ever.” I found this a hyperbolic label but I watched the clip nonetheless. “Worst movie ever” didn’t even begin to describe the train wreck I witnessed. The most awkward, scraggly-haired man with the oddest accent stumbled into a flower shop and purchased a bouquet from a clearly disinterested shop clerk. None of their words synced with their mouths, there was no continuity in the shots, and the dialogue was uninspired. The film in question was The Room . The man was Tommy Wiseau. He had written, directed, and starred in this complete bomb and championed its release. Rationally, I knew what I was watching was terrible. It nevertheless filled me with such joy and did what many scenes struggle to do: entertained. Similar stories open The Disaster Artist , the James Franco-helmed exploration of the making of Wiseau’s now-heralded “masterpiece.” Krist...

©2017. Property of Sony Pictures Entertainment My eyes rolled so far they risked falling out the back of my head when I saw the first trailer for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (JWJ)  a year ago. Who asked for a sequel to the 1995 cult classic film featuring Robin Williams at some of his most zany and memorable? And who thought Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would make a good successor to the late Williams? Whoever had the crazy idea for this reboot should be commended. Surprisingly, JWJ is a fresh, inventive, and well-written blockbuster. Much like the original film, JWJ begins in 1996 with a naïve father bringing home a board game he found washed up on the beach for his son, Alex. Because board games are so passé, Alex shrugs off the game until he hears drums in the middle of the night. Upon examination, the board has replaced itself with a video game cartridge. Just as Robin Williams did two decades ago, Alex disappears into the game never to be seen again. Flash for...

Happy 2018 everyone! A blog might seem so early 2000s but I swear there's a method to my madness. At the end of 2017, I got MoviePass (which is amazing and everyone should sign up for it). I started seeing more movies and talking about them with my friends, family, and co-workers. As I did, a couple friends suggested that I start blogging about my opinions--I have a lot of them after all. That brings us here. This is a blog that serves a few purposes: I'll get my thoughts on paper (does the internet count as paper?) about all of the movies, television, theater, music, books, etc. that I consume. It will make looking back on all of these memories at each years' end so much easier. This will be a great test of my resolve. Resolutions come and go and they rarely stick. Maybe this will build my determination and commitment throughout the year. Writing for personal enjoyment is so crucial. More than any writings done for work this is the best way to develop one's ...