The Spectacular Now review

Riley:

And here comes a movie that reminds me why they are made in the first place.

But first, a disclaimer. I have had a long, fruitful conversation with Adam about movie reviews and criticism and I know how I feel about them. I can discuss a movie out loud and in person better than I can write about one. Yet here I am, so I’ll keep it as short and sweet as I can. I’ll try to not speak too much about the content of the story, as far too many film critics do (cough cough, those at The New Yorker), often oversharing elements of it that movie-goers just have to go and experience themselves. Anyways, now, “The Spectacular Now.”

To begin, here is a plot summary I snagged from its IMDb page:

“Sutter Keely lives in the now. It's a good place for him. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he's the life of the party, loves his job at a men's clothing store, and has no plans for the future. A budding alcoholic, he's never far from his supersized, whiskey-fortified thirst-master cup. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finicky hovering over him. She's different: the "nice girl" who reads science fiction and doesn't have a boyfriend. While Amy has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they're drawn together.”

“The Spectacular Now” propelled me into the stars with its breathless introduction and it kept me suspended there over the course of its running time. It was during the final eight minutes - plus the brilliant choice of music as the ending credits appear - that I felt like I was thrown to the moon. Most of you will possibly react differently to the film, as there is such a wide variety of things to relate to. Nonetheless, I would be very interested in talking with you if by the closing credits you weren’t wiping your eyes or feeling some sort of emotional weight in the pit of your stomach or in the trenches of your heart.

Sutter Keely (played so damn well by Miles Teller) could perhaps be my favorite movie character of the year thus far. I have never responded to a character like his before; obnoxious, thoughtful, reliant on alcohol, warm, genuine, loud, sensitive. He’s incredibly well-rounded for a young male lead in a coming-of-age tale. The film itself features a roster of characters that could so easily be mishandled and have been mishandled in other films of the same nature. Every character in “Spectacular” has been a caricature elsewhere; party-girl ex, jock football player, preppy older sister, bookish girl, etc. But here, they are given the rare chance to individually breathe in their own shoes. And in doing so, everyone feels sympathetic, understandable, recognizable. Early on, Sutter asks Aimee Finicky (played with equal ferocity by Shailene Woodley) what single characteristic defines her. Aimee responds to his question by posing one of her own: Why do we have to be defined by a single characteristic? As the movie suggests, we’re all so deeply full of a multitude of personality traits, emotions, aspirations, and ideas, and we’re constantly changing our minds, adapting to unexpected revelations and dreaming new dreams that a single word simply does not justly define us.

This is a movie with a big heart. I love movies with big hearts. Cynicism can be fun and thought-provoking in certain cases, but nothing speaks louder than a story that celebrates the goodness in the world or the powers of optimism, respect and encouragement. “The Spectacular Now” frequently resists the temptation of predictability and dishonesty. I am reminded of a scene that first appears like it will be headed in one direction - a fight. Instead, the words that the characters consciously choose to exchange move the scene in the entirely opposite direction. And the implication of Sutter’s reliance on booze refreshingly avoids a trite moral conclusion. That’s not what this film is about.

There are shades of “Good Will Hunting” throughout, including what appears to be a brief homage towards the end as we watch a car drive down a highway. Saying anything more would spoil the fun. “The Spectacular Now” is not without its flaws, but I’ll leave those up to you to determine on your own.

*For those of you interested in a more expansive examination of “The Spectacular Now”, I’m going to go against my disclaimer and direct you to the late, great Roger Ebert’s review - one of his sweetest, and one of his last.

Link:

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-spectacular-now-2013

The World's End review

Adam: I know Edgar Wright’s brilliant comedy The World’s End has been out for a couple weeks now, but a friend requested I write a review of it, and having seen it three times and being unable to stop thinking about it, I simply had to oblige. So here it is. Enjoy.

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A Review of Love Letter to The World’s End

It would be impossible to review this film without at least mentioning the other two films in the loose “trilogy” (dubbed the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy or The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy, if you haven’t heard by now): the flawless living dead satire Shaun of the Dead and the spot-on action spoof Hot Fuzz. Each of the three films, though not connected through plot or characters, are written and directed by the same people (written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, directed by the latter), and often include the same actors. Not to mention, there are subtle tropes specific to these three films, including but not limited to: intense editing cuts, giving away important plot points through seemingly unimportant dialogue, sound effect gags (like the pinball machine), a running gag of jumping over/into a fence when attempting a “shortcut,” and most importantly, the appearance of Cornetto ice cream treats.

I was fortunate enough to see the trilogy in its back-to-back-to-back glory on the big screen, and even though I have seen Shaun of the Dead countless times, I still found myself picking up on things I hadn’t previously noticed. This trilogy of films rewards repeat viewings more than almost any film(s) I have ever seen, which is a testament to Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s tight, obsessively detailed writing, and The World’s End did not disappoint in that regard (or any, for that matter). But don’t feel like you can’t see any one of them without having seen the others; each of these films can stand alone without losing any comedic potency.

The third and final installment in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, The World’s End, is about a group of childhood friends who return to their hometown to complete a legendary pub-crawl called The Golden Mile. The Golden Mile consists of twelve pubs, each with names ranging from sort-of-normal (The Hole in the Wall, The First Post) to utterly outlandish (The Famous Cock, The Two-Headed Dog). But, as I mentioned earlier, the writing is so good that nothing happens without a purpose, and if the viewer pays attention to the names of the pubs, said viewer will also notice that the plot parallels their titles. Take for example the third pub, The Famous Cock. Simon Pegg’s character (the unforgettable Gary King) is barred from this bar because of his raucous teenage actions. Hence, Gary King is a famous cock. That’s just one of the more overt references. I won’t give away any more because half of the fun is figuring out the event-parallels for yourself. Not to mention, the amount of pubs is important considering the back-story of a certain character…but this is a spoiler-free review, so I shall refrain.

Anyway, as the story progresses, tensions rise between the friends, specifically the aptly named Gary King and Andy Knightly (a refreshing change from Nick Frost’s usual slacker persona), but even the rich, believable back-story between the two of them is only the main course. The audience is treated to a full plate of character depth (what a weird comparison…) with not a single primary character being anything less than well-rounded and believable. And as if that wasn’t enough, the posse of old mates discovers a secret about the town that throws this tale into a full-blown apocalyptic science-fiction epic.

That’s all I’ll say in terms of synopses, but I’ll write now about what a success this film is on every level, from the directing (Edgar Wright is a genius) to the acting (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost had me almost in tears, both from laughter and sadness) to the writing (better than almost every single film I’ve seen this year). I’ve seen The World’s End three times thus far, and I would not be opposed to seeing it again soon. I find myself quoting funny lines constantly, even just to myself, and I simply cannot stop thinking about the character of Gary King. He is fascinating. But no matter how obsessed with him I am, I also find myself thinking about Martin Freeman’s character often, or the woman who plays his sister, Sam, as well as the man who is in love with her. This film is truly something special, and I believe that if you write this off as “just another British comedy,” you are robbing yourself of one of the best film experiences of the year.

The one and only complaint I’ve heard about this movie is that the ending is rushed and “too much.” I’ll admit, I felt the same after my first viewing, but the second viewing cleared that right up and now I see this movie as near perfect. Like I said before: this series rewards repeat viewings.

This film is currently sitting pretty in my top five best films of 2013 thus far. If the prospect of a British sci-fi comedy with brilliant writing, jokes with staying power, and a warm emotional center sounds good to you, do yourself a favor and go see The World’s End immediately.