Category Archives: Drama

01.23.17
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Moonlight

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Moonlight follows a young black man and his journey from childhood to adulthood, as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

Moonlight is one of the few coming-of-age movies I’ve watched that actually leave a lasting impression on you after you see them. Most movies made about a character growing up or entering a new phase of their lives are meant to entertain and leave a smile on your face when the credits roll, but after watching Moonlight, I was affected. This movie takes a look at those who grow up during extremely tough circumstances, like how our protagonist, Chiron, is growing up in a poor neighborhood surrounded by bad role models and unfriendly classmates. We watch how a character experiences a not-so-perfect childhood and how that affects him later on in his life as well. Most coming-of-age movies are so great because they have lots of heart, but films like Boyhood, Good Will Hunting, and this, are meant to hit you hard emotionally. This movie definitely doesn’t fail. Director Barry Jenkins crafts great characters and a setting that we get to know as Chiron experiences important parts of growing up and tries to discover who he is meant to be in this world. Chiron is portrayed wonderfully by 3 different actors, and they all deliver almost life-like performances that are often emotionally tough to watch. Mahershala Ali is incredible as one of the most compelling supporting characters in the film. His character seems cliche at first, but after his first scene, he’s given lots of emotion and heart, and Ali did a terrific job embracing his role and bringing the best out of his acting. He’s come a long way from starring in Hunger Games movies and a Marvel TV series, and this is the performance that is sure to finally shine the light on him. Naomie Harris is also powerful and heartbreaking as Chiron’s mother, whose scenes are limited but very poignant.

Moonlight tells a coming-of-age story not in the inspiring way, but in the moving way. Although it may seem too similar to Boyhood, there are difference and filmmaking techniques and plot points that make the two films vastly different. Moonlight focuses on only three different chapters of the protagonist’s life with three different actors, and focuses more on hardships and influences of group up in rough circumstances, providing different themes and messages throughout its runtime. The writing and cinematography are always on-point and never boring, and the score is well-done and very nice to listen to. I could tell how dedicated the director was on telling such a difficult story that seemed so important to him, and he made lots of great choices while making this film. Moonlight may seem a tad familiar from marketing, but experiencing it is different from watching any other film. Well-acted, directed, and written, Moonlight is a powerful and moving tale of self-discovery. Not many films today are produced and made like Moonlight, so this film’s creativity and brilliance are guaranteed to score this film lots of nods at the Oscars.

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01.16.17
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Hidden Figures

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Hidden Figures is the true story of a trio of African-American women who provided NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch John Glenn into space in 1962.

In a year filled with biopics and true stories, Hidden Figures may just be one of the finest. This is another one of those stories that introduces a new subject or new people to a large audience that had not known about them before. Before viewing this movie, I didn’t know anything about the marvelous achievements of these three women, and I love the types of movies and inform you about little know yet important historical matters like this. Taraji P. Henson delivers a terrific leading performance as Katherine G. Johnson, who’s achievements and legacy are the center of the film. Henson delivers lots of heart but also tons of emotion in her role. She is accompanied by outstanding supporting performances from Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner. The script is written very well, and the movie definitely knows how to keep an audience entertained, even though watching people discussing the mathematics of space launch and travel isn’t always the most entertaining thing to watch on the big screen. The events the film focus on aren’t just an important part of our history, but they also have great themes about bravery and persistence that will keep many audiences engaged, even some younger audiences will enjoy watching this movie. Although some of the movie’s filmmaking style, including its style of cinematography and score, feel very familiar and recycled from other films in its genre, and nothing about the directing or filmmaking is memorable at all, the triumphant storytelling and the empowering and interesting themes make this easy to ignore.

Hidden Figures has a great historical lesson and strong messages, as well as spot-on performances and writing. It’s a movie that audiences younger than teens can enjoy as well, and one that will definitely leave you thinking. It’s not a must in theaters, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t recommend it. Go see Hidden Figures if you’re interested in the subject, or just want to have a good time at the movies.

Three women standing in the foreground. In the background a rocket is launching.

01.09.17
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Silence

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In Martin Scorsese’s new religious epic, two priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) journey to Japan to locate their mentor (Liam Neeson) only to face violence and prosecution against Christianity.

Silence is unfortunately one of the more disappointing films this awards season. Some have acclaimed it, but I felt disappointed and unsatisfied when the film ended. Scorsese does a great job with the film’s technical aspects, using natural sound beautifully instead of music in any scenes, and the cinematography and set designs are great as well. Andrew Garfield delivers a great performance, even though it’s emotionally hard to connect with his character. Liam Neeson also delivers a very good supporting performance in a key role. However, I was disappointed in the lack of strength that the film’s theme had. Most historical films know how to pull you in with the topic they focus on, but besides some gripping and powerful scenes involving torture and violence, Silence has nothing to offer throughout its runtime that’s worth the price of admission. The film’s 2 hours and 40 minutes long, and despite most films that run as long and actually feel worth it, Silence feels 20 minutes too long with an epilogue that drags on and an unsettling climax. The historical topic felt very interesting and strong but I didn’t feel like it reached out to me as much as the trailer did. The film slows down way too often and some scenes feel repetitive or don’t advance the plot at all. When the scenes do feel important, they’re often powerful and incredibly shot, but something about the film’s religious and historical themes did not impress me, although I could tell Scorsese cared about making this film with all his heart. I’m surprised, however, that this is the project he’s been most passionate about making for the last 20 years, as he’s conveyed far more interesting topics in more impressive films than his latest.

Silence is beautifully shot and directed, with great performances from Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson, but its themes and plot feel hollow and I couldn’t connect with almost anything that happened. This film may reach out to you and you may end up loving it, but I personally was not impressed by the emotional connection the movie was aiming for. There are better films out there to watch in theaters and on Scorsese’s resume.

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01.02.17
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Fences

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Denzel Washington directs this adaptation of a Tony award-winning play in which he and Viola Davis once starred in, and here they return in their roles as a working-class African-American father and his wife, who try to raise their family in the 1950’s. Here they deliver two of the year’s best performances with terrific chemistry and dialogue. Washington plays a complex character with a difficult past and a lot he must deal with in the present, who at first seems like a typical nice family man who cares about those close to him, but he’s also intimidating when he wants to be. Delivering such a strong performance like this can be especially hard when you’re on both sides of the camera, but he’s able to convey this character’s personality and wide range of emotions very well. As for Viola Davis, she hasn’t been this good in anything since The Help. She gives it he absolute best here in every sense, and capturing the on-screen feeling of her character, who’s different than the typical housewife you’ll see in this type of films, is a task she’s definitely fit for handling. Despite the performances, there isn’t much about Fences that everyone is guaranteed to love. Sitting through this film requires more patience than most dialogue-heavy movies, and not because it’s 140 minutes long, but because of the extended scenes that span from 15-20 minutes, with a limited amount of characters and are heavy with dialogue and information. While many audiences may enjoy this style, others may not exactly enjoy sitting through the film. I enjoyed watching Fences on the most part due to its powerful themes and especially the performances, but its not one of the films that is guaranteed to keep everyone interested throughout the movie’s runtime. Watching Fences feels more like experiencing a play than a movie, so how much you’ll like it depends greatly on your taste. Some will definitely be captivated by nearly every moment in the film, and some may not enjoy it as much. It’s worth watching for the acting and the intense rush of feelings that you’ll experience in every scene. The emotions that are brought in and conveyed in each scene of the movie were unpredictable and there were lots of moments where mere dialogue exchanges felt heart-pumping because of this. The script deals with the characters and their relationships very well, building up the feelings and feeding us information about the characters throughout every minute in the film, until there becomes a bit too much for the screenplay to need to handle. The small setting in which the entire film takes place makes the larger picture of where and when the movie takes place feel underdeveloped, but the way the actors bring the characters and how they interact with the setting definitely makes up for this.

Fences isn’t a must-watch for everyone due to its theater style of scenery and storytelling, but it brings some superb writing and terrific performances to the screen that you can be sure the Academy won’t ignore.

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12.18.16
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La La Land

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A jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, both pursuing success in the city of Los Angeles, fall in love, but the dreams they worked so hard to achieve threaten to break them apart.

From the brilliant mind behind Whiplash comes by far the most entertaining, heartfelt, vividly smart, and well-shot film of the year. Damien Chazelle has reached the heights of his previous film with a musical that pays homage to the golden age of Hollywood musicals yet comes up with something so original and relevant to our generation. La La Land is one of the most passionate and ambitious projects this year, and embraces its themes and emotions about pursuing your dreams in every moment of its run-time. From the beautifully shot musical numbers to the terrific leading performances from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, there’s nothing to this film that can be missed. The marvelous cinematography that almost never cuts in between scenes, the cheerful and praiseworthy music, and the incredible set pieces help make this film a wonderful visual experience as well, and there’s no doubt that it’ll get awarded for all the technical categories that it so beautifully masters. Gosling and Stone have excellent chemistry on screen,  and they were perfectly cast in their roles which they portray with tons of strength, character, and charisma. There is some excellent use of imagery and symbolism throughout that isn’t hard to notice. Every shot in this movie is something new, filmed like no other movie before in recent years. I did not think Chazelle would be able to reach the heights of Whiplash with his next film, but he was able to do it in the best way, and his career definitely won’t stop here. La La Land uses its incredible sets, camerawork, music, and acting talents to build a wonderful and extraordinary experience, and although tough, it’s ultimately settling in the most beautiful way.

La La Land is truly a special movie that tops nearly every movie I’ve seen this year with its emotional and visual brilliance, with a superb cast and unforgettable music. There’s no way you won’t love this movie if you go see it, so I highly recommend you watch it on the big screen, because you won’t regret it.

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12.11.16
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Nocturnal Animals

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Susan (Amy Adams) is an art gallery owner who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings (also played by Gyllenhaal), a math professor whose family vacation turns violent.

Nocturnal Animals isn’t the ordinary film you’d go to the movies to watch – I knew this from the moment the film started. It’s not simply a thriller, or a drama, either. It’s hard to fit Nocturnal Animals into one genre of film – that’s why it does so well on its own. Gyllenhaal outdoes his work in this year’s Demolition as both the author of the fictional novel of which the film’s themes revolve around, as well as the novel’s protagonist, and what shocked me is that he was able to deliver two completely different performances in one film. Michael Shannon is also scene-stealing as a detective who will go far distances to see justice done, or even do it himself. Adams also delivers a strong emotional connection with the audience as we dig deeper into her character’s past and feelings, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson is unrecognizable and frightening in a role like nothing he’s played before. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the sound editing is gripping and realistic. From the film’s first act, my heart was pumping and I was always on the edge of my seat. Every scene demonstrated the cast and crew’s marvelous talents, and always brought some new feeling or reaction into the film, and in a great way. This is easily one of the most thrilling and unpredictable films of this year. The way the director combines different story-lines and beautiful visuals to create an extraordinary story is haunting but also memorable. The film may sometimes by tough to watch for some viewers, but I found myself constantly intrigued and never pulled out of the film. The ending is also something I did not see coming, leaving me still thinking about how everything so cleverly connects, with the movie’s writing, performances, visuals, and excellent execution adding up to pure cinematic brilliance.

Although I can’t say everyone will enjoy watching Nocturnal Animals, I personally found it to be an intriguing and masterfully done piece of cinema, with strong emotions that are conveyed indirectly and brilliantly to the audience, with strong imagery and fantastic acting that I think most moviegoers may appreciate and love like I did.

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11.12.16
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Arrival

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When Earth is thrown into turmoil after 12 mysterious spacecrafts land in different locations around the planet, a linguistics professor (Amy Adams) is recruited by the military to assist in translating the aliens’ communications.

I did not think it would be Denis Villeneuve, the mastermind behind Prisoners and Sicario, to create the most clever, gorgeous, and poignant film of the year, and one of my favorite sci-fi films of the decade, right up there with Christopher Nolan’s masterpieces Inception and Interstellar. Although I can’t say I didn’t love Villeneuve’s previous works, I simply did not believe that Arrival would transcend the quality his other films by that much, creating a spectacle through its magnificent themes about love, life, and death. What the trailers show you is a science fiction thriller that pulls inspiration from alien encounter classics such as some of Spielberg’s first works in the sci-fi genre, but what I got was something far deeper. Arrival‘s brilliant form of storytelling and gut-punching emotion, as well as some gorgeous cinematography and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s awe-inspiring music, which Villeneuve uses so perfectly, is what easily makes it the best film I’ve seen all year. Amy Adams delivers a career-defining performance that I sure hope lands her an Oscar nomination, because of how much emotion and sensibility she brought to her character. Although we’ve seen films in which one character knows how to communicate with the extra-terrestrials beings while the rest refuse to trust them, the writing makes it feel so extraordinary and fresh to the genre.

Not only was I taken aback by every shot in the film, and by every one of Villeneuve’s perfected use of imagery and symbolism, but the themes and emotions explored in the film hit me hard. Not to mention the final 20 minutes of the film, which are like nothing I’ve ever seen. The film evolves into a complex psychological drama, and the ending, which changes the entire way you look at the film, left me breathless. I still can’t stop thinking about the film since I watched it. See the film to find out what I mean. Denis Villeneuve has become one of the greatest film directors working right now, with his beautiful visual storytelling and imagery, and being able to create such amazing scenery with a budget less than $50 million. I applaud him for being able to create a complex and thoughtful film that’s comparable to the works of Christopher Nolan and even M. Night Shyamalan. Please help this movie at the box office and go see it in theaters, because it’s definitely worth it and better than anything else playing right now.

Arrival is a masterful and impeccable work of art. With a strong leading performance and a fantastic screenplay and narrative, Denis Villeneueve brings a piece of science fiction that’s not to be forgotten to the big screen, and what’s easily the greatest and most watchable film of the year.

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10.30.16
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The Accountant

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An autistic but brilliant young boy grows up to be a skilled accountant – whose clients work for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations.

Out of the two films Ben Affleck has starred in this year, I’d only look forward to a sequel to one of them, and that’s this one. The Accountant is one of not very many movies to come out this year that keeps you on the edge of your seat without constantly featuring loud gunshots, screeching cars, and a large body count, although there’s a mix of all of that in the film’s touch of action sequences. Affleck is spot-on as a protagonist who’s personality is quite complicated due to his condition – friendly to some but dangerous to others. His character’s complexity is what makes him so fascinating and sympathetic. Affleck is incredibly committed and mentally balanced in the way he portrays his character, leading to his character to feel very real and deep in the way he was developed. I can definitely say his role in this film is up there among his other excellent work this decade in The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl. Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Bernthal lead a decent yet interesting ensemble of supporting characters and all play their parts remarkably well. There’s a lot to their characters that you don’t know by only watching the trailers, which is something that helps keep the thrills going throughout. There’s a compelling aspect of the film in the way it examines its characters, revealing things to you one by one, and even though it one point it gets about too complicated and you wish it just wasn’t, there’s a gripping aspect to every big character in the film, even themes that are similar to those in director Gavin O’Connor’s previous films. Speaking of O’Connor, he directs the film very well, notably the film’s action sequences, with excellent sound editing and choreography, making it feel less like a Hollywood-style action scene and more like a scene featuring action that advances the plot. Even though there aren’t many throughout the movie, I like that it was constructed as if it were an action movie, although it’s hard to put it under the action genre, I’d rather say it’s a drama thriller with some mystery thrown in there, too.

The Accountant plays out as if it’s an episode of Daredevil, crossed with the Jason Bourne franchise and with a little bit of Rain Man in there as well. It’s somewhat a vigilante thriller but at the same time, it’s a deep character drama that features an autistic protagonist. I really liked the mix of the two genres. Although this movie is far from perfect, I can’t say critics have been praising it enough with its underwhelming reviews. I feel like most critics were let down by their expectations rather by their films, as the trailer advertised the film as one thing and instead it was something much bigger. The Accountant turned out to be very different than I expected, and I was alright with that. It gets over-complicated at one point and some of the plot points and the tone aren’t balanced like they should be. However, I was still very entertained by The Accountant, and I appreciate the cast and directing. You may be let down if you’re looking for just an action movie or just a drama, as this movie is a mix of many great things, but I’d recommend this film for movie-goers looking for a great movie to keep them on the edge of their seat.

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10.10.16
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Deepwater Horizon

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Deepwater Horizon is a thrilling dramatization of the April 2010 disaster when the offshore drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded and ultimately created the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The movie focuses on the crew’s struggles to make it off the rig alive.
Deepwater Horizon re-teams director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) with star Mark Wahlberg for another intense true story that does not disappoint. Berg impressively recreates the tragic events focused on in the film, and brings in well-written and emotionally powerful characters. Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, and Gina Rodriguez make up a great ensemble cast of workers fighting for their lives to get back to those they leave. The characters are all given a good touch of development, and the choices they make in attempt to survive feel very human. There’s also a great message about human nature that I won’t ruin for you, but you’ll catch it in the first act. Berg also bring us some incredible cinematography, making the disaster feel dangerously realistic. The sound editing and visual effects pull you into the oil disaster and often take your breath away. It’s easy to make a disaster film like this a mindless visually packed thriller (for example, this year’s The Finest Hours), but when you are able to make the technical aspect of the film something truly special, and have an interesting script, it can turn out to be something unique. Deepwater Horizon dares to be brutal, heart-racing, and ultimately gut-punching, which makes it an unpassable adventure worth seeing on the big screen.
Deepwater Horizon is intense, marvelously shot, emotionally powerful, and kept me on the edge of my seat of the entire second half of the film. Peter Berg has proved himself a master of covering dramatic events like this through film, and I can’t wait to see what he’ll bring us with Patriots Day later this year. If you’re looking for a movie to go see in theaters, you should definitely consider Deepwater Horizon.
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09.27.16
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The 2016 FilmToppings Summer Movie Awards

Summer is always an interesting season for movies. Now that summer has ended, I bring you my 3rd annual summer movie awards! You guys all voted on Instagram for your favorite of each category, and here are the results:

Best Cinematography: Star Trek Beyond

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Best Visual Effects: Kubo and the Two Strings

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Best Score/Soundtrack: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

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Best Director: Anthony and Joe Russo – Captain America: Civil War

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Best Actor: Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys

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Best Actress: Angourie Rice – The Nice Guys

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Worst Movie: Independence Day: Resurgence

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Best Movie: The Nice Guys

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These are the winners of this summer’s awards ceremony! This summer had some unexpected disappointments but also some pleasantly outstanding films, including ones that won these categories. What did you think about this year’s summer movies?