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Thursday, July 4, 2013

The CinemaSlants 2013 Mid-Year Report


Hello, world! It is time once more for the most insignificant of American Independence Day traditions, the CinemaSlants Mid-Year Report. On this day, literally dozens of people across the globe tune in to this occasionally updated blog to see what I have to say on the year in film so far. It always seems like the first six months of the cinematic year go by quickly, and that’s doubly true this year. I believe this is because so far 2013 has not been my favorite year for movies. There have been some good ones, of course, and there haven’t been that many outright stinkers. It’s just been so… mediocre. Take a look at the list of movies I’ve seen this year and notice that almost everything lands right in the middle. Very little down low and only a couple movies up top.


Of course, most years the vast majority of movies fall somewhere in the B-to-C range, but that feels especially true this year. My socks have not really been blown off at all this year, and on the other end of the spectrum only a couple times have I ever walked out of the theater feeling like I had survived an ordeal. However, certain movies have been able to separate themselves from the pack, and now I am here to write them at you. After all, what else is the Internet for? Let us begin.

The Best (So Far)
In such an ordinary year, something as nuts as Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color can’t help but feel like a shot of creative adrenaline. His long awaited follow up to the time travel film Primer is equally as confounding, but in a completely different way. That film presented an incredibly complex puzzle and expected the audience to keep up. Upstream Color is less a puzzle than an experimental examination of all that connects human beings to each other and the world around them. Or whatever. It’s impossible to tell exactly what Carruth is going for after one viewing, and it may be just as impossible to tell after 15 viewings. However, the one thing this film has over Primer is a sense of emotion in every beat. Despite its abstract nature, Upstream Color is a film about people. Primer is all form. That is not the case here.

Honorable mentions:
- With Before Midnight, Richard Linklater and company did away with much of the romanticism seen in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. The result is a bit heartbreaking, but just as gripping as anything that came before in this superb series.
- Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha may not be the most thematically rich film ever made, but it’s a thoroughly winning comedy about a woman who refuses to take the next step into adulthood. Greta Gerwig is amazing.
- Much may seem typical about The Kings of Summer, but a terrific child cast and assured direction by first timer Jordan Vogt-Roberts turn it into a wise and funny coming-of-age tale that uses its Ohio setting to its full extent.
- The film Gimme the Loot may also seems a bit slight, but it’s also a fine example of a filmmaker using a setting well, creating some engaging characters, and coming up with a really fun movie.


The Worst (So Far)
Ah, the sketch film. Rarely is this a good idea, and it becomes even less of a good idea when the sketches are as low-brow and witless as those in Movie 43. Each sketch exists to get to the next joke about oral sex and bodily fluids, and it’s performed by a bunch of celebrities who seem like they were promised something other than this. It’s a joyless slog of an experience, but it’s hardly a surprise considering the absolute lack of promotion and buzz surround the project when it was released. Talented people worked on this thing, but none of them are able ever to justify the existence of this comedic black hole.

Honorable Mentions:
- The Die Hard franchise had actually been relatively consistent through four installments, but A Good Day to Die Hard is a shockingly terrible fifth installment. Maybe before making another Die Hard movie, the filmmakers should actually recognize what made the original so fun.
- The recently released White House Down is a White House invasion movie that works as dumb fun. This year’s other White House invasion film Olympus Has Fallen certainly gets the “dumb” part right, but it leaves the fun at the door.
- The directorial debut of Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, 21 and Over is a lame college comedy that never met a cliché or stereotype it didn’t like.
- Remember how fresh and energetic The Hangover felt when it came out in 2009? There is no sense of fun or discovery to be found in its second sequel The Hangover: Part III, a movie that feels less like a creative endeavor and more like a contractual obligation.

Early Rejects of 2013
- When I left After Earth, I thought I had just seen a pretty entertaining sci-fi thriller that suggested M. Night Shyamalan still had some gas left in the tank. Everyone else disagreed.
- To date, the ensemble Internet drama Disconnect hasn’t even made $1.5 million, which means a lot of people are missing a terrific Jason Bateman performance. The movie itself is strong as well.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to leading roles with Kim Ji-woon’s The Last Stand, and the result is a wonderfully bonkers ride that makes no sense but also doesn’t need to.
- Not long ago Danny Boyle won the Oscar. This year, his solid film Trance barely even registered on the cinematic radar.
- There’s nothing terribly original about Jack the Giant Slayer, but it’s still a light and fun experience that didn't deserve the treatment it got.
- Terrence Malick’s To the Wonder is as slight a film as he’s ever made, and we’re never given any reason to really care about his characters. Luckily, it’s still gorgeous to behold.


Looking Ahead
I shall now conclude this mid-year report with a look ahead at what the second half of 2013 has to offer. It’s not quite the promising batch that we saw last year, but as always there’s still plenty to look forward to. Whenever there’s a new Martin Scorsese movie on the horizon, things can’t be all bad. Here are the highlights:

- There’s a ton of positive buzz surrounding Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and I cannot wait to finally check it out.
- Fruitvale Station was all the rage at Sundance this year, though some reviews since haven’t been quite as glowing. It has Michael B. Jordan in it, so that is a good thing.
- Longtime horror director James Wan’s next piece of nightmare fuel is The Conjuring, and those who have seen it are hinting that it’s all kinds of horrifying.
- Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling team up again for Only God Forgives, and the reaction from Cannes was… interesting. I’m fascinated to see whether it is the abomination some claim it is, or the hyper-violent piece of genius others have suggested.
- I cannot bring myself to be terribly excited for The Wolverine, but it’s a superhero movie, so I’ll probably have to see it.
- Aubrey Plaza gets a starring role in The To Do List, and it seems like a film that could really take advantage of her considerable talent.
- Woody Allen returns to North America with Blue Jasmine, and he’s made a film that stars Cate Blanchett, Alex Baldwin, and uh… Andrew Dice Clay? Admittedly, I might have skipped a few names, but hickory dickory dock, baby.
- Another festival hit has been James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, which immediately has my support since it gets Miles Teller as far away from the likes of 21 and Over and Project X as possible.
- Another sci-fi project with a lot of good buzz is Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium, which will hopefully prove that all the hype surrounding District 9 was justified.
- Not too many people expected a Kick-Ass 2, but here it is, and it’s brought along Jim Carrey. He’s made headlines by publicly pulling his support from the film due to the violence, but let’s hope the film itself ultimately becomes the story.
- I am really excited for David Gordon Green’s Prince Avalanche, and that’s mostly because it doesn’t look like another The Sitter or Your Highness.
- Rooney Mara looks to continue her reign of terror with Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, David Lowery’s indie film that’s been getting good buzz at the festivals.
- Edgar Wright completes his “Cornetto trilogy” with The World’s End, which looks to recapture the unique, bonkers energy of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
- Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster. What do you need, a road map?
- Ron Howard’s Rush is his first film since the puzzling The Dilemma, and it features Chris Hemsworth as a hard-partyin’ Formula 1 racer.
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon has gotten mixed reactions, but I’m excited to see what he brings to the table as a filmmaker. Word has it he has a surprisingly unique voice.
- Alfonso Cuarón is one of those filmmakers that makes nothing but interesting choices, and Gravity has him sending George Clooney and Sandra Bullock out to drift through space. Non-hilarity ensues.
- Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks team up for the thriller Captain Phillips, and it looks as tense as you could possibly imagine.
- Here is a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. I’m in.
- Bad news: there’s an American remake of Oldboy. Good news: it’s directed by Spike Lee and it stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley and more.
- Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy team up for The Counselor, which has a glorious cast and seems destined to be right in my wheelhouse.
- I’d be lying if I said I was too pumped about Gavin Hood’s adaptation of Ender’s Game. Seems like a good book that was born to be turned into a disappointing movie.
- Oh yeah, there’s a Thor movie coming out this year. Surely someone is excited about that, right? Hopefully this one has stakes!
- Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. I mean, come on. Not convinced? Here. How about now?
- I’m weirdly interested in seeing how The Hunger Games: Catching Fire turns out. It’s a series with a ton of potential, and I’m glad to see a new director taking the wheel from Gary Ross.
- Coming off the success of The Descendants, Alexander Payne goes black-and-white with Nebraska, and the early buzz is positive.
- I’m a huge Spike Jonze fan, and Her sounds like a fine example of Jonze being his usual oddball self.
- By the time The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug comes out, I might be more excited than I am right now. But we’ll see.
- David O. Russell has suddenly become Mr. Prolific, and he looks to capitalize on his Silver Linings Playbook momentum with American Hustle.
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. It’s kind of a big deal.
- Ben Stiller’s directorial follow-up to the great Tropic Thunder is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which is getting a nice Christmas release. No pressure.

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