rddj05

I have deep admiration for Danny Boyle and usually enjoy his films, but I was very surprised that he took on this project, due to a story and script that weren't particularly strong. It's not a poorly made film, but it seems to really struggle against the script. The idea is great. The story which extends from that idea is severely lacking. Aside from the fact that it treads well-worn rom-com territory and perpetuates every schmaltzy rom-com false cliche (including the one where someone suddenly realizes that their platonic friend for 20 years may just be "the one" after all, if they can only wake up and realize it), the script doesn't make much sense. There's no real spoilers in this movie to give away, but I'll be vague just be safe. The premise: There's a 27-year old failing British musician who's reached a point where he realizes his music career likely isn't going to go anywhere, so he'll return to teaching. Then, one night, there's a worldwide blackout, which lasts a few seconds, and when it's over, he's the only one who remembers who The Beatles were (and all their songs). There's no record of them online and no one remembers them (oddly, the same goes for Coca-Cola, cigarettes, and the band Oasis). There's some mildly amusing over-the-top characters who come into story after this, almost all of them are characters who say and do things that no real person on the planet would actually ever say or do, and a lot of bad advice given from the female romantic interest (seemingly presented in the film as good advice) where I can only assume most audience members would be yelling, "Please don't listen to her. She's making no sense." The most troubling thing about the ending is that the premise is never explained. Even with all the rom-com cliches, it may have been fun to realize precisely *why* no one was able to remember these few major aspects of pop-culture history. Nope. And yet, despite the lack of a logical--or even wacky--explanation of the premise, it includes a scene near the end, at a beach house, that only served to confuse me more; it raises more questions than it answered because the scene doesn't really make any sense. The best thing about the film is the premise (which could've gone in so many more interesting places), the music (obviously), and the fact that even when Danny Boyle is working with a somewhat weak script, he still knows how to make a fairly entertaining movie. It's just unfortunate that it doesn't have a good enough story for most people to want to watch for 90 minutes, even when it's filled with The Beatles music.

The performances in Downsizing are a joy to watch, and I certainly found the premise of Downsizing interesting, (even if it didn't go in the most interesting direction toward the end). But what was most refreshing about Downsizing was that it's a love story between 2 people (who may or may not end up together) based almost solely in the fact that they deeply admire one another. They're not simply drawn to each other because each finds the other irresistibly sexy and can't keep their hands off one other. We've seen that a million times. These are 2 people who come to have a deep mutual respect for one another by the end. It's a message that we could use a lot more of in today's stories, and might actually inspire healthier relationships between people, instead of the old, boring, "I know he/she is bad for me, but I see the beauty inside, and I just can't quite them" nonsense. But it also leaves you thinking about what is important in life; your connection to other people and the amount of good you can do in the world, or simply a person's obsession with being "important."

Superb film. Across the board, the writing, acting, and directing are top notch in Fences. Of course, it's hard to go wrong when it's based on an August Wilson play--he was among our finest American playwrights-- but it could've been slow and lumbering in the wrong hands. Washington does an excellent job of directing the piece and keeping the story moving. It is often said that film is about visuals and the the theater is about ideas, and there's certainly a number of issues explored here.

The play takes place in 1957 Pittsburgh. Washington plays a larger than life character who is former Negro league baseball star, who never made it to the big leagues, in large part due to racial prejudice of the day. 30 years later, he now works for the Pittsburgh Dept of Sanitation. He has strong opinions on, well, just about everything, but mostly on what a man's duty to his family is, the importance of a strong work ethic and a marketable skill, and how racial oppression damages the soul.

There's a raw, untamed quality to Denzel's character, and though he laughs and jokes and flirts with his wife, you can always see that the rage of not having fulfilled his potential is always simmering underneath the surface. Viola Davis is amazing playing opposite him, as a woman who's whole identity seems to the success of her family and subordinating her own needs to those of her husband.

What happens when a dream is deferred? How do you deal with that disappointment and anger? How does it affect those around you. These are all themes covered in the film. A powerful story that stays with you. For me, if a film can both entertain me and make me think, that's about as good as it gets.