#21: Argo (2012)

I've been a fan of Ben Affleck The Actor since my college roommate introduced me to the movie Chasing Amy on VHS (yes, I'm old) our sophomore year. I've been a fan of Ben Affleck The Writer since seeing Good Will Hunting with one of my friends during the winter break of my freshman year of college. I remember renting Gone Baby Gone and having very low expectations. This was after the whole Bennifer mess and my fandom had waned. All I knew of Casey Affleck was that he was Ben's brother and I had seen him in small roles in movies like To Die For. I was blown away. I was shocked that I was blown away, and with each subsequent film, Ben has impressed me more and more as a director. In fact, I'm not sure I care so much about Ben Affleck The Actor or Ben Affleck The Writer anymore.  Ben Affleck The Director is way more talented than those other two. I actually think he's one of the most talented directors out there right now. He's possibly the best director of his generation.

I love Argo. I've seen this movie at least three times, and it's amazing. What Ben Affleck manages to do with this film - to keep the audience on the edge of their seats when they know what's going to happen in the end - is incredible. I love that the CIA, for once, isn't the bad guy. Sometimes the US government does shitty stuff but they do a lot of good too. It's nice to be reminded of that occasionally. This is not propaganda though. It's about a very specific event in history and how that story unfolded. It's about the heroes that are never seen or publicized, the real people behind the big curtain. As an aspiring writer, it's a lesson in good storytelling.

#20: About Last Night (2014)

This movie is what a romantic comedy should be as far as I'm concerned. It's hilarious. It's frank. It's real. It has three dimensional characters with rich, complex personalities. No one is perfect. No one is pining after someone else. This is not a cute story about a boy meeting a girl. This is a story about how relationships happen in real life. Everything happens for a reason.

The cast is mostly black but this is not a "black" story. It's a universal story that was originally dramatized with a white cast. In fact, screenwriter Leslye Headland wrote an awesome piece in The Hollywood Reporter about adapting the original play and first film into a screenplay for this movie that is a MUST read.

"There was no discussion of changing the characters’ lifestyles or any of the storyline as a result of casting black actors. I had written a script. The studio had decided to go with the strongest cast for that particular script. That cast happened to have black actors, " she writes.

I love it! I love that the movie performed strongly at the box office too. Hopefully Hollywood studios will do what they always do (follow the money) and there will be more films like this to come. Well done!

#19: The Monuments Men (2014)

This is another disappointment from a director that's normally on his game. I loved George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and I've heard his Good Night, and Good Luck is the standard for biographical films on early broadcast journalism (haven't seen it but adding it to the queue). He's also an amazing actor. The Monuments Men isn't a bad film. It's just not a particularly good one. The cast is great. George knows how to get great performances out of top-notch talent. However, the tone of the movie is off. I'm not sure if this film is a comedy or a drama. I guess it's a little of both, but the combination in this case is awkward. It's like... joke, joke, someone dies... joke, joke, Holocaust. It's just strange. Also, there are far too many coincidences. I think the general rule is one coincidence, maybe two, but after that you've lost the audience's confidence. It's war time, and we're canvasing at least four different countries. How are they happening upon the same guy in Germany that stole the statue of the Madonna in Bruges and happen to have dinner in the house of the dude that stole the art from Paris? Not to mention that they not only discover a mass of artwork but the Nazis entire gold stash? Ridiculous. I actually think what really makes this movie just so-so is that this is yet another WWII story, and I think at this point every story that needs to be told from that period has been told. Hitler sucked, yes. Let's move on. Never forget but move on. The events that happen in this story are a nice anecdote, maybe an interesting read, but not really worthy of a movie.

#18: The Jazz Singer (1927)

I have to admit I was a little surprised by this film. This movie is famous for being the catalyst to the talkie revolution - the first feature film to ever use synchronized dialogue. I guess that depends on what your definition of dialogue is. I only observed synchronized singing with a tiny bit of dialogue in a couple scenes before or after Al Jolson sang. The rest of the film is title cards and orchestral music. The story was slightly interesting - a young Jewish cantor runs away to become a jazz singer. Okay? Supposedly it's autobiographical, based on Al Jolson's real-life experience as a performer singing in blackface. Oh, yeah. There's that. I'm going to give Jolson the benefit of the doubt. This movie was filmed in the mid-1920s. This is pre-civil rights America. The practice of blackface performance gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation" or the "dandified coon". It's definitely offensive by today's standards, but this film takes place during an era before anyone cared about offending black people. Hell, this film was praised by black publications as well as "mainstream" publications. It is what it is.

Black History and Cinema

Okay. So we're 36 days into the new year and I've only seen 17 films thus far. I'm not going to panic. I am going to try to make up for some of my movie viewing laziness this weekend. Hopefully I can watch a couple movies a day and have a nice marathon viewing this weekend to get caught up. I have decided to do something a little different for the month of February. Since it's Black History Month, I'm going to try to watch more films that have either black actors as lead characters, are directed/written by black filmmakers, or tell stories that have some kind of influence or impact on black culture. I've got a bunch of films queued up in Netflix that fit this, but of course, I'll still be watching some films that don't. I'm looking forward to learning a little something about black cinema. Let the history lessons begin...

#17: After Hours (1985)

I love Martin Scorsese. He is the filmmaker behind one of my all-time favorite films - Goodfellas.  He's a genius in many ways. However, I really didn't get this film. This is another one where the director has clearly gone into territory that they aren't well-equipped for. The cast is lead by Griffin Dunne back when Griffin Dunne was the shit and Rosanna Arquette was in everything. It's definitely not my kind of movie though. It's a puzzlement. I do see some of Scorsese's quintessential camera moves. It's just a strange film.

#16: Courage Under Fire (1996)

This is definitely one of my favorite military films of all time. The ending scenes with the napalm death and the accidental friendly fire get me every time. I shed real tears for those characters. Such a touching film about the difficult and tragic things that happen during war.

#15: Labor Day (2013)

Great acting. Silly premise. Unrealistic from beginning to end. How desperate must a woman be to let a convicted felon on the lam stay in her house with her young son for the weekend so she can get some? I will admit the peach pie baking scene was as steamy as it was eye-rolling ridiculous. I have no idea what drew Jason Reitman to this Lifetime drama-esque story. It's so out of his wheelhouse.  I hope his next film is way better.  He's a talented guy and I'd hate to see it all end for him.

#14: Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola is a master of style. There are certain directors that just have an approach to cinema that is all their own. This movie is a wild ride.  There are so many famous faces before they were to become even more famous.  Harrison Ford and Laurence Fishburne both have bit parts.  The opening montage with the helicopters flying, the bushes burning, and Martin Sheen lying in bed in psychosis while The Doors This Is the End plays is absolutely amazing. Of course the classic scenes with Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando are cinematic art in and of themselves. I can't say it's my favorite Coppola film (nothing will ever beat The Godfather), but it's a masterpiece.

#13: Ordinary People (1980)

Wow... It's amazing how much a young Timothy Hutton reminds me of a young Jake Gyllenhaal. This was a quiet but beautiful movie. It's also my first time seeing Mary Tyler Moore in a serious role. Donald Sutherland is another guy I always forget was once young. I have to admit I'm surprised this won Best Picture. It's a sweet film about how a family is rocked and torn apart by the death of one of the clan. Today it would definitely be a low budget indie. This was Robert Redford's directorial debut and it's a great one. Although Quiz Show will always be my favorite Redford film.