Entry No. 9:

 Subtitles vs. English Dubbings

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The first international film I ever watched was Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1957), with my grandfather. I was a young teenager, and I wasn't looking forward to it. A black-and-white film that's not even in English? Ugh. Guess I was stuck reading grainy closed captioning on the bottom of the tiny screen at my grandparent's house. 

But then, I heard something terrible. The most bland, tired voice. It was an English-dubbed recording of the film, and it was miserable. Now, I understand the necessity for English-dubbed films. However, unless you don't absolutely need it, I don't know why you'd submit yourself to watch a film like this. Every time I've heard an English dubbing, the dub has been less than stellar. Actors are either too tired and are too focused on the translation to bring any aspect of the character's emotions to life so they sound like robots OR are too over-the-top on the delivery that it's comical. 

I mean, just watch this video for a ton of examples

Unfortunately, the other option kinda sucks too. It just sucks less. If you're a good/quick reader. Yes, reading English translations on the bottom of the screen means you're stuck reading text and missing action on other parts of the screen. However, you get the raw emotion behind the performances. If you can read quick, you're fine. Just glance back and forth. 

At the end of the day, we should try to learn the language and culture from foreign films, but for now, subtitles are a better option than dubbings.

Entry No. 8:

 What Makes Football Movies So Emotional?

It's fitting that I'm writing this blog from a bus seat on the way down to Millikin University to broadcast a football game. After writing about the best NBA actors in my last entry, I figured I'd turn my attention to the gridiron. Instead of writing about the acting skills of Tom Brady in Ted or Carl Weathers in Happy Gilmore, I wanted to look at why there are so many emotional movies that are centered around football.

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Remember The Titans, We Are Marshall, Rudy. These three are just a handful of some incredibly emotional football movies that stood out to me on a personal level. Whether focusing on a racist town come together over desegregated football, a team rebuilding after a horrific plane crash, or the biggest underdog of them all, they all make myself and millions more of viewers (both avid football fans and people who haven't watched a down) tear up. 

They seem to have a blueprint, and it works.

Step 1: Establish the issue at hand (racist school/plane crash/undersized athlete)

Step 2: Lower their spirit (show fighting/doubtful fans, coaches, players, introduce bullies)

Step 3: Start climbing (coming together in practice through motivational speeches/acts)

Step 4: The highs (Colored and white players dancing together, the Herd win a game, Rudy gets in)

Step 5: Emotional, heartfelt ending with main characters followed by a text box showing what the key players are doing now in life.

Is it repetitive? Yes. Do I tear up when Rudy registers a sack? Yes. When the Herd beat XU? Yes. When Gerry calls Julius his brother? Of course. I won't add that video for fear of too many tears being shed.

Football is an emotional game already. If you find a good enough director, movies about the sport can move grown men to tears, but I challenge anyone to not cry during these scenes either.

Entry No. 7:

 When Comedy Gets Serious: Jim Carrey

There have been countless actors that you can only picture as one character. I'll only see Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Ewan McGregor IS Obi-Wan Kenobi. Other actors aren't one character but are typecasted into genre-specific roles. This is true in all genres of film, but it's the most unsettling when a comedic actor stars in a serious role in a dramatic movie. 

Robin Williams kills it in Good Will Hunting. I've already praised Uncut Gems and specifically Adam Sandler's performance. Steve Carrell as John du Pont in Foxcatcher was memorable.

Enter Jim Carrey. The king of comedy in the 90s came out with Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber... ALL IN ONE YEAR. He's been a top dog in Hollywood for decades and I've seen countless films starring him, but one stands apart. Carrey has portrayed characters in serious projects before, like The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, but they're not as notable as the story of Joel Barish.

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Ten years after Carrey dominated 1994 with three blockbusters, Michael Gondry came out with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Carrey and Titanic's Kate Winslet. The romantic drama between the two is emotional enough based on the actors' chemistry on set, and the plot allows the audience to grow fonder and fonder of the two as they fight to hold onto love. 

Seeing Carrey tear up, feel sadness and grief, and deal with negativity is almost an oxymoron to first-time viewers of the movie. Everyone knows him as the star in Hollywood with the crazy faces and wild improvisations, not as the depressing and thought-provoking actor.

Yet, it was lauded as the most poignant and significant role in his career. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and Carrey received both a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nomination.

When someone gets typecast into being a specific type of actor, it's hard to break that trend. It's been done before by highly talented stars, and it'll continue to happen. However, I don't know if anyone's going to top Carrey.

Entry No. 6:

Jocks AND Theatre Kids?!

In high schools around America, jocks and theatre kids are normally in their own circles. You probably won't see a band kid in the weight room, and you probably won't see a tight end rehearse his lines for the school play. Now obviously, there are exceptions in each of these high schools. My own high school's linebacker would play in the marching band during halftime (shoutout Paul).

Professionally, though, you'd expect no crossover. We've gotta pay the bills somehow. And yet, there have been several pro athletes who have acted in successful movies (I'm not counting cameos). Carl Weathers was an Oakland Raider before he was Apollo Creed and Chubbs Peterson. Terry Crews had a short NFL career as well before White Chicks brought him fame. And have you ever heard of The Rock? 

For some reason, the NBA has produced several talented actors throughout the years, spanning various genres. I'll be ranking a handful of movies based on the NBA players' performance in the film and nothing else.

8. Space Jam 2's Lebron James

THIS MOVIE IS A DISGRACE. DO NOT WATCH IT. NO NEED FOR THE REMAKE ANYWAY. JORDAN > LEBRON.

7. John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum's Boban Marjanovic

I love how the NBA uses Boban's gentle giant personality as a marketing tool, and it was a surprise to see him here. This was an extended cameo, as he plays a goon tasked with battling Wick. His physicality and athleticism made the fight scene look realistic enough. His speaking lines are minimal, but there was still impressive choreography. 

6. Trainwrecked's Lebron James

Yes, I hate the movie. No, I didn't hate Lebron's acting. He's so un-theatrical it's funny. He's able to laugh at himself with the dialogue, like when he makes his buddy split lunch with him. He knows he's not the main character, doesn't make it about him, and delivers his line with a certain coldness that makes the humor dry.

5. White Men Can't Jump's Marques Johnson

Such a fiery competitor. He's not one to cough up $500, even after losing. But, his character adds to the overall environment. 

4. Uncut Gem's Kevin Garnett

While praised for being the resurgence of Adam Sandler, this film offers us Garnett (cast as himself) in a supporting role that surprised many. He wasn't just good "for an athlete", he was a damn good actor. Garnett conveyed intimidation so easily, and the world took notice. 

3. Airplane!'s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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Known for a reserved presence around the media in-season, KAJ kills it alongside his copilot Peter Graves in another role that allows the athlete to deliver lines so plainly it adds to the dry humor. Kareem brings his stoic leadership to the cockpit and he brings his A-game whenever he's on camera.

2. Space Jam's Michael Jordan

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MJ is the GOAT in basketball. MJ is not the GOAT in acting. However, he does his best with a world of green screens and 2-D animation. His lines aren't delivered the best but they could have been written better. Space Jam was revolutionary, and it's always fun to watch him take down the MonStars.

1. Hustle's Juancho Hernangomez and Anthony Edwards

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Even though Ant has more hype around his name as a player, both stars killed it in the most realistic story surrounding the journey to the NBA. Again, Adam Sandler kills his role but casting NBA players as actors playing wannabe NBA players seems like a no-brainer. You really root for the under-scouting Bo Cruz and you hate the cocky Kermit Wilts. 

Does it seem unfair that the movie about the NBA wins? No, but I get to make the rules.

Entry No. 5:

 Why Alex DeLarge Is A Perfect Character

"Antihero" is defined as "a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality." When it comes to Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is certainly the main character. However, DeLarge strays away from the norms of antiheroes. 

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While characters like Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and Ryan Reynold's Deadpool are antiheroes that lean more to the "light", he is truly the villain in the setting of futuristic Britain. Despite his acts of violence, sexual assault, and gang wars, the audience grows connected with DeLarge. Kubrick's decision to follow DeLarge in his day-to-day activities when he is not with his gang allows the viewers to grow attached to the 15-year-old (!!). McDowell's stellar performance is another reason for the success of DeLarge's fondness. No matter how heinous, the actor portrays the character with a charismatic charm. 

The audience isn't rooting for him to get away with violence, but they certainly feel as betrayed as Alex did when his gang leaves him for the cops. They can feel his pain during his "rehabilitation" as he screams, and I certainly felt equal parts happy and excited to see that he had overcome the government's attempts at rehab and returned to his violent tendencies. 

Kubrick brought Anthony Burgess' character to the big screen, but McDowell brought him to life. 

Entry No. 4:

My Favorite Foreign Film Comes With A Top-Three* Favorite Plot Twist

Oldboy (2003)

I haven't seen many foreign films, but...boy...this was intense. The Korean noir film depicts Oh Dae-su being kidnapped and imprisoned in a hotel room for years. He's learned that his wife has been murdered and he's been framed for the killing with no updates on their daughter. He grows insane and tries to kill himself but, for some unknown reason, his captors keep him alive. He then shifts his focus to training martial arts and digging a tunnel out of his room. 

Fifteen years later, randomly one day, he is released from his room. He wanders around and meets a woman, Mi-do, and begins to form a relationship with her. Dae-su learns that his daughter got adopted by another family and also learns the nature of his prison-like hotel. He finds the "warden" and his guards and breaks out into the MOST EPIC fight scene of all time. His captor, the wealthy businessman Lee Woo-jin as it is later revealed, gives him an ultimatum. If Dae-su can uncover the motive for his imprisonment, Woo-jin will kill himself; otherwise, he'll kill Mi-do. The romantic couple has grown much closer over time, and 

That's all I'll reveal for now, I don't want to say too much. But check out this fight scene.

The film won several handfuls of awards through various international film festivals, and rightfully so. Screenplay, acting, music, everything. I loved the tone established through Park Chan-wook's decision-making. The ending is so eerie and thought-provoking, especially after the plot twist is revealed. It pulls at your heart, the twist is iconic, and did I mention an epic fight scene?

*The others are The Usual Suspects and ***** ****

Entry No. 3:

Reviewing My Rankings

My third post will be my ranking the movies I've reviewed on WONC's Roommate Reviews to this date. I haven't been able to review a movie this semester yet, because I've been busy with baseball.

10. Matrix: Resurrections - D+. I had hope for this movie because despite it being a reboot, it still had Lana Wachowski at the helm. I felt like this wasn't a necessary end, as The Animatrix was a masterpiece. The plot felt janky and rushed. It was confusing at times to follow, but kudos to getting Keanu and Carrie-Anne Moss back to play the iconic duo. I liked the subtle details (blue frames on NPH's glasses to try to sway Neo to take the blue pill, etc.) which bumped this up to a D+.

9. Black Adam - C-. The Rock is a good superhero. Black Adam is not a good superhero movie. The entire time, this felt like I was watching an off-brand Black Panther. Rushed effects and unnecessary tie-ins to the expanded DCEU, when the DCEU was crumbling apart, made this feel like a lost cause. The Rock said he'd like to continue the character, but it feels like this will be a one-and-done.

8. Smile - C. A creepy-enough horror movie that felt similar to It Follows. The visualization of the demon was WILD. Good enough performances by the cast, but there are enough cliches to bring this down to a mediocre grade.

7. Scream 6 - B-. You'd figured the sixth go-around would be too much. Nope, the second film in the reboot was better than the first (technically, the fifth). The ensemble cast was balanced, it's a shame Sydney wasn't able to appear. Good Scream-style kills and plot twists.

6. Glass Onion - B. I LOVE murder mysteries. After the success of Knives Out, I knew I had to see this one. I like how modern the film is (it addresses COVID, Twitch, current news, etc.) while also feeling similar to an Agatha Christie novel. I hate/love Daniel Craig's accent, but the reveal of how he solves everything is so satisfying.

5. Spiderman: No Way Home - A-. I know, #5 seeks like a shock. It was a great MCU film, right before I lost faith in Marvel. Holland and Cumberbatch are true to their characters in their performances, but there were some unaddressed plotholes. However, most franchises lose me when it comes to multiversal talks. It was great to see the old Spideys and other villains, but I think this film opened a can of worms for Marvel. I still love it as a stand-alone film.

4. Bullet Train - A-. Beautifully looking; a great ensemble cast; funny; emotional. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the next big thing in Hollywood, and Brad Pitt's definitely still got it. Not incredibly true to the source material, but that's okay. No one should have survived that train crash, though.

3. Nope - A. Aliens, Horses, Chimps. Don't mess with nature. Jordan Peele struck again. Kaluuya and Palmer are a great brother/sister combo. Two different stories are blended together seamlessly. Steven Yeun eats up his scenes as well. 

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2. The Batman - A. Superhero movies need to be noir. A great recreation of The Long Halloween, Pattinson nails the young Bruce Wayne/Batman duo. Three hours flew by. Catwoman is the most intriguing character, but the whole underworld is fun to watch. Nirvana's Something In The Way is perfect for the soundtrack.

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1. Last Night In Soho - A+. Wow. Edgar Wright KILLS it. Anya Taylor-Joy was a perfect cast along with Thomasin McKenzie. A great depiction of two different time periods' looks and fashion along with perfect twists, red herrings, and a captivating finale.

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