Fast And Furious - Perfect Popcorn Picture

Fast And Furious - Perfect Popcorn Picture

The fast and furious franchise is by no means one of the greatest of all time and the films are never of astounding acting or revolutionary direction however they forfill their purpose perfectly. This franchise reason for continuation is that it’s a popcorn flick which suits the summer movie season. It has mass appeal because of its gigantic action scenes which they manage to continuously up the anti of. Each next instalment has you wondering how they will make an even bigger spectical.

Whilst the acting isn’t going to get any Oscar nominations the cast has a great chemistry (when they aren’t fighting one another backstage) which pushes the running message of family. The film also has a clear understanding of who are its stars (The Rock, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker [may he rest in peace] and the newcomer Jason Statham) yet it doesn’t let them overshadow the secondary characters (Tyrese, Ludicrous, Michelle Rodriguez). I do believe they have added too many characters into the franchise making it hard for everyone to be unique and have character development. Yet having so many characters means their is more representation of each demographic, this means more people are going to show up to watch your movie as they are reflected in it. I think that this franchise shows Hollywood how you can have diversity (in both race and gender) without it feeling like tokenism.

From the first film which focused on the realistic aspects of the world of underground street racing it was Fast Five which breathed life into this B rated franchise. It did this by making it unrealistic; and by adding The Rock. These impossible aspects is what turned the franchise into a popcorn series and made it reach the heights that it has today.

Being a popcorn picture is not a bad thing after all the Fast and Furious franchise just keeps making more and more money with the mose recent instalment (Fate of the Furious) earning over a billion at the box office, guaranteeing the franchises future. Also by being a popcorn picture you’re more likely to have a fanbase which means more movies, more money. Who wouldn’t want that?

Call Me By Your Name (2017) alternative posters

Go See ‘Call Me by Your Name’

You can read a refined/fuller and richer review over at medium.com. Hope it makes you a fan!

The film is beautiful in every sense of the word and as both actors have put it, is an earnest story of first love, coming of age, vulnerability, sexual awakening, and so much more. 

I’m aching to see Call Me by Your Name again. I am so enamored by the screenplay, the direction, the cinematography, the soundtrack, but most of all the actors. All of them are marvelous in their roles but the dynamic between Armie (Oliver) and Timothée (Elio) as well as the way Michael (Mr. Perlman) and Amira (Annella) carried themselves, just unf, so fucking good.

The acting in this film has so many levels, from Timothée Chalamet’s emotional rawness to Armie Hammer’s control of tone and nuanced facial expressions to the final monologue performed by Michael Stuhlbarg. It was so refreshing and captivating to watch all of the characters interact with one another. I honestly don’t believe the film would be what it is without the cast. 

They delivered the story of Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman in ways that far exceeded my expectations (having read the novel and not being a fan of it almost a decade ago). There are parts of the film that differ from the novel but I kind of appreciate Luca Guadagnino’s & James Ivory’s decisions to have the film stand apart from being an exact retelling of the novel. 

There are dozens of scenes from this film that are memorable, that made me bite my lower lip, that made my heart ache. Moments where I laughed unexpectedly and felt safe, and moments where I felt like I was reliving a vulnerable experience. I love films that can do this to me despite the emotional and psychological toll they can have.

Aftermath of the Peach Scene

This scene stood out because the film ‘went there’ but it’s also where Elio goes through an array of emotions: being aroused to feeling embarrassed to feeling ashamed and there’s that word again, left vulnerable in front of Oliver. What I love about this scene is that Oliver immediately understands and stops joking around, embraces him, and then holds him. 

It was such a beautiful and tender scene and one that resonates with me, for having lived moments where I was that vulnerable and my lover at the time held me but also because it made me remember moments where I didn’t have anyone or the person I wanted to make me feel safe didn’t. 

This is something the film constantly has me doing; remembering moments where my expectations were met and weren’t. Having me sway back and forth between content and melancholy, and where that might sound like torment, I appreciate it (though that might make me a bit of a masochist).

Elio’s Spot

Another phenomenal scene where Chalamet’s ability to be a vulnerable and portray a sentiment we all can understand and even appreciate is when the two are in Elio’s secret spot, standing in the cool waters of the spring and this dialogue occurs:

I am notorious for downplaying compliments, it’s an awful habit, and the way this scene was shot and acted just had me nodding my head.  I haven’t resonated so closely with a character in so long that having it played in front of me I found myself completely stunned and in awe.

The Scene where the Title is Spoken

Of course I’d mention this scene where Oliver, with his hand on Elio’s face, whispers: “Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.”

I distinctly remember my face scowling and rolling my eyes whenever I saw this clip play in the trailer. A tiny but commanding voice in my head going, “Ugh, cheesy”, but the build up to this scene and having it finally unravel I found myself blushing. I could feel myself turn pink with excitement and my jaded self eroding away to allow for beautiful and romantic moments to happen without scorn.

Like, getting real with y’all here, but I can’t find the words to perfectly explain the importance and beauty of this scene but know that it’s so much more intense than what the trailers show.

The Way they portrayed Eroticism

One criticism the film receives is that there isn’t a full-on sex scene and not going to lie, where it’d be nice, I’m relieved. I’m glad there isn’t a full-on scene where one of them has their legs up in the air and the other is thrusting and grunting. Why? Because they handled it so much better, far better than a sex scene would’ve been.

A good chunk of the novel, and the film, revolves around nuances and subtlety in both the way Elio and Oliver speak to one another but also the way in which they touch one another. 

Here’s some examples…

There’s one particular scene, just before the two have sex off-camera, that was so erotic and intimate that it just shows Luca knows what the fuck he’s doing as a director, okay?

When this scene played out I was astonished by how cute, intimate, but more importantly suspenseful and erotic this scene was. It’s a perfect example of how not every movie needs a raunchy sex scene to show intimacy.

The Train Scene

It’s sad. It’s the moment where Elio sees Oliver off and there are little to no words exchanged between the two and that’s what makes this scene memorable. So much is said through gestures and facial expressions from both Armie and Timothée, they don’t need to say the words to convey what they feel because it’s understood. [Fun Fact: If you read the screen play, it’s written that Oliver recites the lyrics to “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs]

And damn it, I just fucking can’t get over the scene immediately after. Elio sitting at the bench, just before he gets up, he lets out a breath and does his best not to cry. He then goes to the phone booth and calls home, where he talks to his mother and during this his tone falters while he says, “Listen, Mom, can you…can you come get me, Mom?” Oh my heart, it ached so much, I wanted to reach out and hold him. And the momentum of this scene continues, where it cuts to Annella driving Elio home and Elio, with puffy eyes and a look of utter heartbreak and sorrow.

You can watch this scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr7BTBwZoxU

I loved how this was scene was filmed, how Amira Casar composed herself as Annella and comforted her son. She didn’t ask questions or scold him to “man up,” she smoked a cigarette and drove all while letting her son mourn Oliver’s departure. 

Mr. Perlman’s Monologue

“Remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now, there is sorrow, pain. Don’t kill it. Embrace it with the joy you’ve felt.”

I’d be doing everyone a disservice if I didn’t mention the final monologue given by Michael Stuhlbarg. It’s in this moment where the audience realizes that the parents, or at least Mr. Perlman, was aware of the relationship between Elio and Oliver. This is so powerful and so meaningful, in this scene Mr. Perlman doesn’t pass judgment but just tries to comfort his son with some words of wisdom.

The delivery from Stuhlbarg is breathtaking and oscar-worthy. In interviews, Stuhlbarg talks about how the film and its message resonated with him as a parent: “One of the sentiments that I love most strongly is the idea that as humans, we go through all sorts of things, and how lovely for a parent to say, ‘I see what you’re going through, and as hard as it may be, don’t crush it or try to ignore it.’” [see the full interview on vox.com] 

So it’s no surprise that in this final speech to Elio that every word that comes out of Stuhlbarg is with intent and carefully placed to really drive home that Mr. Perlman cares for his son, realizes his son just went through first love, and doesn’t want him to do what everyone else does when they meet heartbreak.

The Ending Credits

It’s the winter after Oliver left and Elio gets a surprise call from Oliver. They catch up, where Oliver tells that he’s getting married next spring. Moments after Elio is whispering into the phone, “Elio, Elio, Elio, Elio, Elio…” to which Oliver responds, “Oliver…I remember everything.”

The film then cuts to Elio sitting over a fireplace, his mother setting the table for dinner, and the ending credits begin to play, leaving viewers to watch Elio go through wave after wave of memories and the emotions they bring.

The film ends about 40-pages before the novel does and they changed the way in which Elio finds out. In the novel Oliver returns to tell the Perlmans in-person of his engagement while here we see the exchange happen over a phone call and to be honest, the way Luca handled it makes me love the way the film ends.

There aren’t many films that have memorable or beautiful ending credits and this one takes the cake. It’s artistic and so carefully acted and edited. On top of that, they picked a perfect song to play alongside: “Visions of Gideon” by Sufjan Stevens. I mean, just look at the first verse:

I have loved you for the last time Is it a video? Is it a video? I have touched you for the last time Is it a video? Is it a video?

It’s a perfect combination and heightens the film’s ending.

On how I love and hate Sufjan Stevens

Which brings me to my next point: Sufjan Stevens. He has three songs that play throughout the movie: Futile Devices, Mystery of Love, and Visions of Gideon. And honestly if you wanted a playlist that summarizes the film, there you go. The songs couldn’t have been a coincidence for the film and with Luca as director, I highly doubt he didn’t have them in mind. 

I love Sufjan Stevens but I also hate him because there’s few artists that leave me crippled wallowing in despair. His music is tragically beautiful in every note and verse, that I’m not surprised that some of the happiest and tragic moments of my life had a Sufjan Stevens song close by. 

Don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack to Call Me by Your Name is outstanding. So much so that I’ve been listening to it on repeat for the past week almost every day, even at work. [Check it out on Spotify]

Last Words

I’m likely going to pick up the novel again and give it a second-go, if I loved the film this much as a 28 year-old, perhaps where I’m at now will let me appreciate Aciman’s work.

There’s so much more I can say and probably will, but this is the majority of what I wanted to say. The film is beautiful and I will be rooting for it come Oscar time, for it not to win an Oscar would be just blasphemy in the highest degree.

Check out my medium.com review for some bonus material.

The studio version of “For Your Love” is good. The live version is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HOLY FUCK!!!

Fox Cancellations and the Disney Deal

As we know today Fox cancelled many of there TV shows including Brooklyn Nine Nine and Lucifer, this has left many fans angered.

Fox as a company have now got a deal with the NFL for Thursday Night Football which means much of their roster has to change. However this is not the only reason for the cancellations. Many people are thrilled at the possibility of Disney buying out Fox as it means all the Marvel characters shall be united but many of them forget the negatives that follow such a big deal. Multitudes of people will lose their jobs as Disney doesn't need doubles of a job and also by Disney buying Foxs entertainment it also means it will be buying some of their TV shows, which I am not sure.

With this deal it proves that Foxs heads Rupert Murdoch and his two sons James and Lachlan Murdoch are no longer intrested in producing or creating original content and would rather have their focus on news and sports.

There is always the possibility that Chomecast get the deal instead of Disney as they are offering cash whilst Disney offers stocks so even all of you routing for Disney should be cautious in your faith.

Lastly, Brooklyn Nine Nine has been picked up by NBC so Lucifer fans should have some hope that another studio will pick up the show.